Coach Tovarich 2.0 CH2K8 Career Legacy

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  • Tovarich
    Hall Of Fame
    • Jul 2008
    • 10912

    #241
    Re: Coach Tovarich 2.0 CH2K8 Career Legacy

    NCAA Hoops Rankings - AP Top 25 - Updated: Nov 1, 2011
    RKTEAM (VOTES)RECORD
    1Duke
    2North Carolina
    3Memphis
    4Oregon
    5Notre Dame
    6Marquette
    7UCLA
    8Texas Tech
    9West Virginia
    10Kentucky
    11UNLV
    12Western Kentucky
    13Louisville
    14Michigan
    15Florida State
    16Wisconsin
    17Pittsburgh
    18Alabama
    19Clemson
    20Louisiana State
    21Michigan State
    22Houston
    23Gonzaga
    24Georgia Tech
    25Virginia

    Comment

    • Tovarich
      Hall Of Fame
      • Jul 2008
      • 10912

      #242
      Re: Coach Tovarich 2.0 CH2K8 Career Legacy

      Tovarich: Welcome to the ONLY press conference prior to the regular season. I'll go ahead and anticipate some questions. The schedule:

      Western Kentucky Hilltoppers 2009-10 Schedule
      DATEOPPONENTRESULT
      Nov 1at Pittsburgh
      Nov 7at Syracuse
      Nov 12at Georgia Tech
      Nov 17vs Orange County Shootout (Wooden Tradition)
      Nov 22vs Oklahoma State
      Nov 26at Michigan State
      Dec 1vs Ohio State
      Dec 6at Boston College
      Dec 11at Troy
      Dec 15at Rainbow Classic
      Dec 19vs Texas A&M
      Dec 24vs Louisiana Monroe
      Dec 29vs Arkansas-Little Rock
      Dec 31vs Middle Tennessee
      Jan 5at Louisiana Lafayette
      Jan 7at New Orleans
      Jan 14vs North Texas
      Jan 19at Arkansas State
      Jan 22at Denver
      Jan 26vs South Alabama
      Feb 1at Florida International
      Feb 5at Florida Atlantic
      Feb 9vs Troy
      Feb 11at Arkansas-Little Rock
      Feb 15at Middle Tennessee
      Feb 18vs Louisiana Lafayette
      Feb 23vs New Orleans
      Feb 25vs Florida Atlantic


      Tovarich: I cut a walkon Dane Blanchard, RS SO PF from Arizona. I'll be RS'ing Tron Walton, Marlon Capel and Jarrid Jack

      2011-2012 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers
      #NAMEPOSHTWTCLASSHOMETOWN
      2Marion LewisSG6'5"207FRCupertino, CA
      11Gerry RileyPF6'7"240JRNashville, TN
      22Dennard GalbreathPG6'0"183FRSan Bernadino, CA
      24Najeeb Blankenship (W)SF6'8"239RS FRCincinnati, OH
      25Stevie TamayoSF6'7"206JRNashville, TN
      32Donnie RakieckiSG6'5"216SRNashville, TN
      33Andrew StiversPG6'0"179JRFlorissant, MO
      34Leroy LiSF6'5"235FRModesto, CA
      35D.J. MagleyC6'9"273SRDelray Beach, FL
      41B.B. ShehanC7'1"242SONew York, NY
      45J.C. MarshallPF6'8"268SRLouisville, KY
      54Kudus Petrauskas (W)C6'7"274JREl Paso, TX
      55Donatas Zoellner (W)C7'0"244RS FRGermany


      Tovarich: And the depth chart

      Western Kentucky Hilltoppers Depth Chart - 2011-12
      STARTER2ND3RD4TH
      PGStiversGalbreathCapel (RS)
      SGRakieckiLewisWalton (RS)
      SFTamayoLiBlankenship (W)
      PFRileyMarshallJack (RS)
      CShehanPetrauskas (W)MagleyZoellner (W)


      Tovarich: I've got 3 scholarships available. I'll aim for one good PF and other than that, just whoever the best I can get at any position.

      Reporter: Why such a hard schedule coach?

      Tovarich: I know we'll lose a few, but we shouldn't be getting so many tests in conference, not that it seems to work out that way.

      Reporter: Who are your new assistants?

      Tovarich: I kept recruiting helper guy. He's not overall rated as high as some of the available choices, but he's the best recruiter that was available. Tape guy got replaced with a different tape guys. Their names aren't important.

      Reporter: Do you expect people to be unhappy again with so many active players on the roster?

      Tovarich: Yes, there are not minutes for 13 people. A couple are walkons and shouldn't be so picky, but we'll see. There's a great depth of talent on this team, so it's going to be tough to get on the floor.

      Reporter: What are your expectations for the season?

      Tovarich: To get into the sweet 16. That's the only thing I care about this year.

      Reporter: Is is true you turned down 2 power jobs to stay here?

      Tovarich: Yes, I had no interest in Penn State or Minnesota.

      Sun Belt Ratings:
      Western Kentucky 86
      Troy 83
      South Alabama 82
      Louisiana Lafayette 80
      Little Rock, North Texas 79
      Middle Tennessee 77
      Florida International 76
      New Orleans, Florida Atlantic 75
      Arkansas State 74
      Louisiana Monroe 73
      Denver 71

      Comment

      • Tovarich
        Hall Of Fame
        • Jul 2008
        • 10912

        #243
        Re: Coach Tovarich 2.0 CH2K8 Career Legacy

        @

        Petersen Events Center
        Pittsburgh, PA

        Western Kentucky Hilltoppers at Pittsburgh Panthers
        Nov 1, 20111ST2NDSCORE
        #12 Western Kentucky (0-1)305282
        #17 Pittsburgh (1-0)414788
        Western Kentucky Hilltoppers
        STARTERSMINFGM-A3PM-AFTM-AREBASTSTLBLKTOPTS
        Stivers223-40-02-21104008
        Rakiecki221-90-70-0001002
        Tamayo228-206-170-01140022
        Riley223-80-01-3534017
        Shehan2011-150-06-84323028
        BENCHMINFGM-A3PM-AFTM-AREBASTSTLBLKTOPTS
        Galbreath60-00-00-0112000
        Petrauskas84-90-01-1001009
        Marshall61-10-02-2111014
        Li61-40-20-0210002
        Lewis60-20-20-0000000
        Blankenship-- DID NOT PLAY --
        Magley-- DID NOT PLAY --
        Zoellner-- DID NOT PLAY --
        TEAM TOTALS32-736-2812-161520193282
        Pittsburgh Panthers
        STARTERSMINFGM-A3PM-AFTM-AREBASTSTLBLKTOPTS
        Franklin259-112-32-301300522
        Devance247-122-52-28403018
        Bradley213-40-02-2400118
        Pulley215-80-00-012400510
        Rost237-101-11-18201016
        BENCHMINFGM-A3PM-AFTM-AREBASTSTLBLKTOPTS
        Dumont100-00-02-2030022
        Sikes21-10-00-0000002
        Harmon30-10-02-2010022
        Flowers93-40-10-0300046
        McKnight31-10-00-0211112
        Payne-- DID NOT PLAY --
        Bauer-- DID NOT PLAY --
        TEAM TOTALS36-525-1011-123728162088

        Tovarich: It would be nice to lose a game that felt like EVERYTHING wasn't conspiring against you. TWENTY ONE EXTRA SHOTS. +18 turnovers. We still shoot ZERO PERCENT when we had a chance to tie or take the lead. ZERO PERCENT. What are the odds of that happening repeatedly? How many layups can you miss just because you'd tie the game? How many people come flying in out of seemingly nowhere to block your layup without fouling you when you have a chance to tie? How can all but one player on your roster miss EVERY 3 they take? How does a true FR, less talented, less experienced, shorter big guys help his team out rebound you by TWENTY TWO? It's beyond frustrating to be stuck in predictable situations and you KNOW you're going to miss no matter what you try to do. Whatever crazy thing has to happen happens EVERY SINGLE TIME to stop you from taking a lead just once. We made 4 fewer shots on 21 extra attempts. Every team shouldn't be able to shoot 69% on you while you can't make a layup. It's extraordinary how many things have to defy the law of averages and yet despite literally EVERYTHING going wrong, we're in the game till the end when they of course conveniently go 6/6 on FT's in the last minute.

        Reporter: How about

        Tovarich: I'm not done. I think my favorite moment was after missing 3 layups in a row that would've taken the lead, we get a steal, but Riley's momentum is in the wrong direction, so the instant he steals it, they call him for an over and back. It's like, even the refs are in on it. He can't go over and back and he was NEVER over. But it was too risky for us to have a 4th chance in a row to tie the game. I mean, it probably didn't matter. We'd just missed THREE LAYUPS IN A ROW because taking the lead wasn't allowed, so we'd likely just go miss another one.

        Reporter: How about

        Tovarich: I'm not in the mood for any questions. Lopsided rebounding is getting crazy. I know they didn't miss a lot of shots, but 37-15? They're using a true FR PF. Shehan towers over both of their PF's and their two bigs outrebounds ours 20-9? Come on. What was the point of recruiting the 3rd best C in the class that's SEVEN feet tall and he gets dominated in rebounding by EVERY remotely competent opponent we play?

        Comment

        • Tovarich
          Hall Of Fame
          • Jul 2008
          • 10912

          #244
          Re: Coach Tovarich 2.0 CH2K8 Career Legacy

          @

          Carrier Dome
          Syracuse, NY

          Western Kentucky Hilltoppers at Syracuse Orange
          Nov 7, 20111ST2NDSCORE
          #12 Western Kentucky (1-1)423678
          Syracuse (0-1)353873
          Western Kentucky Hilltoppers
          STARTERSMINFGM-A3PM-AFTM-AREBASTSTLBLKTOPTS
          Stivers211-30-22-2031004
          Rakiecki212-92-82-2160018
          Tamayo219-245-142-24120025
          Riley214-50-02-28130010
          Shehan215-60-02-34121012
          BENCHMINFGM-A3PM-AFTM-AREBASTSTLBLKTOPTS
          Galbreath70-00-00-0040020
          Petrauskas73-30-00-0100016
          Marshall72-20-01-1100105
          Lu72-41-30-2200005
          Lewis71-11-10-2010000
          Blankenship-- DID NOT PLAY --
          Magley-- DID NOT PLAY --
          Zoellner-- DID NOT PLAY --
          TEAM TOTALS29-579-2811-16211782478
          Syracuse Orange
          STARTERSMINFGM-A3PM-AFTM-AREBASTSTLBLKTOPTS
          Zimmerman266-103-52-20700017
          Taft236-63-30-06310115
          Bender247-123-42-25300419
          Buckendahl206-80-00-14100012
          Lemons210-50-10-0530020
          BENCHMINFGM-A3PM-AFTM-AREBASTSTLBLKTOPTS
          Plavich92-30-00-2121024
          Morrissette20-10-00-0100000
          Dressel93-40-00-0301116
          Weaver60-00-00-0100000
          Cooperwood-- DID NOT PLAY --
          Beckwith-- DID NOT PLAY --
          Brempong-- DID NOT PLAY --
          TEAM TOTALS30-499-134-72619311073

          Tovarich: Not sure how we overcame their 75% 3-point shooting, not counting that last heave at the buzzer. A mere 60% overall. Not good enough for them. We at least didn't get killed on the boards. Huge offensive rebound by Shehan there with about 1 minute to go, and then Tamayo hit the 3 on his second try surprisingly. He wasn't hitting much all game. 0-5 on 3's at halftime, so he finally found something after the half.

          Reporter: Your players sometimes seemed like they were in slow motion?

          Tovarich: Yeah, everything felt like it was in slo-mo. There was a lag to our movement almost. Must be the arena. Very bizarre.

          Reporter: Did their lack of depth cost them today?

          Tovarich: Definitely. Their bench did almost nothing. Luckily their center couldn't make a shot either. The other 4 were unstoppable. I assume every team is going to make every shot anyway, but even more so when any of those guys were shooting. Every miss stunned me.

          Reporter: What about your bench?

          Tovarich: They're going to have to hope we run into some cupcakes in the tournaments we're signed up for and maybe they can get some minutes there. I obviously didn't schedule an easy wins to get them minutes. They're being thrown into the fire and it's a slow start somewhat for some of the FR.

          Comment

          • Tovarich
            Hall Of Fame
            • Jul 2008
            • 10912

            #245
            Re: Coach Tovarich 2.0 CH2K8 Career Legacy

            @

            Alexander Memorial Coliseum
            Atlanta, GA

            Western Kentucky Hilltoppers at Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
            Nov 11, 20111ST2NDSCORE
            #12 Western Kentucky (2-1)493281
            #24 Georgia Tech (2-1)343165
            Western Kentucky Hilltoppers
            STARTERSMINFGM-A3PM-AFTM-AREBASTSTLBLKTOPTS
            Stivers141-21-10-0031013
            Rakiecki143-70-40-0012006
            Tamayo143-82-62-22010010
            Riley143-80-00-0454006
            Shehan145-50-02-25020012
            BENCHMINFGM-A3PM-AFTM-AREBASTSTLBLKTOPTS
            Galbreath141-30-10-0021012
            Petrauskas112-20-00-0321004
            Marshall149-100-03-45220121
            Li114-92-60-01000010
            Lewis141-20-00-0121002
            Blankenship31-21-20-0000003
            Magley31-10-00-0000002
            TEAM TOTALS34-596-207-82117150381
            Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
            STARTERSMINFGM-A3PM-AFTM-AREBASTSTLBLKTOPTS
            Wethers222-41-20-0090075
            Trotter228-102-30-01300418
            Blue225-81-30-02100111
            Chapman211-50-02-2720104
            Broerman215-90-12-210101112
            BENCHMINFGM-A3PM-AFTM-AREBASTSTLBLKTOPTS
            Sherrod142-51-21-2021016
            Zaharias32-30-00-0001004
            Sandoval121-20-10-0221112
            Whitehead31-21-10-0020003
            Hoskin-- DID NOT PLAY --
            Farrell-- DID NOT PLAY --
            Ingram-- DID NOT PLAY --
            TEAM TOTALS27-486-135-62222331565

            Tovarich: That was surprisingly easy. You media folks who rate people say they're better on paper than us, but they didn't play like it. I'm used to having to scratch and claw to beat inferior teams by a point at the end, but the backups got a lot of minutes finally. I wanted to get Zoellner in but apparently you can only have 12 people active at a time.

            Reporter: You pressed for a few minutes in the first half, but never in the second, why?

            Tovarich: There was no need. We were comfortably ahead. The press wasn't actually forcing many turnovers, just a few I think. They were sloppy in the half court offense with their passing, that's where most came.

            Reporter: They pressed you the entire first half, and stopped for most of the second, until they were desperate at the end, seemed like a bad idea for them?

            Tovarich: Very. Marshall made almost all his barely contested layups. Riley was his usual hot and cold on it. Took them a lot longer than it should have to stop that though.

            Reporter: What did you see from your FR on the bench now that they got some more minutes?

            Tovarich: Li hit a few shots, Galbreath got a layup. I may need to get them into practice and do some changes to their shooting motions. They take way too long to wind up. I'm not sure what Blankenship's entire motion, that one's just bizarre. I'm hesitant to change them for the most part, but seems like they need some altering. Hopefully we can get them some more minutes in Anaheim.

            Comment

            • Tovarich
              Hall Of Fame
              • Jul 2008
              • 10912

              #246
              Re: Coach Tovarich 2.0 CH2K8 Career Legacy

              vs.

              Wooden Tradition Quarterfinal
              Honda Center
              Anaheim, CA

              Northern Illinois Huskies at Western Kentucky Hilltoppers
              Nov 17, 20111ST2NDSCORE
              Northern Illinois (0-2)312455
              #16 Western Kentucky (3-1)373572
              Northern Illinois Huskies
              STARTERSMINFGM-A3PM-AFTM-AREBASTSTLBLKTOPTS
              Morris231-60-12-2150054
              Arline196-132-64-43310218
              Willie228-171-20-011010117
              Hairston211-20-02-2331114
              Gaines232-30-00-0911314
              BENCHMINFGM-A3PM-AFTM-AREBASTSTLBLKTOPTS
              Washburn72-40-10-0210024
              Coulter110-40-30-0220020
              Buggs61-30-10-0100022
              Kent10-00-00-0000000
              Claudino71-20-10-0000002
              Baynes-- DID NOT PLAY --
              Morkeliunas-- DID NOT PLAY --
              TEAM TOTALS22-543-158-83215441655
              TEAM TOTALS22-543-158-83215441655
              Western Kentucky Hilltoppers
              STARTERSMINFGM-A3PM-AFTM-AREBASTSTLBLKTOPTS
              Stivers143-51-30-0340017
              Rakiecki142-51-40-0422015
              Tamayo143-151-100-0321007
              Riley142-40-02-2210006
              Shehan146-60-00-04131112
              BENCHMINFGM-A3PM-AFTM-AREBASTSTLBLKTOPTS
              Galbreath120-10-00-0132000
              Petrauskas113-60-01-5621217
              Marshall115-70-06-71120016
              Li112-70-32-2113016
              Lewis110-50-40-0101000
              Blankenship61-10-00-0200102
              Magley52-30-00-0001014
              TEAM TOTALS29-653-2411-162817164672

              Tovarich: Hideous game. The starters were mostly useless. 3-pointers seemed banned. Missed our first 12 I think. Stivers finally stuck one in right before the half. Tamayo missed his first 7, finally accidentally made one in the second half. Luckily they mostly couldn't shoot either. Backups did a great job. The goal was to get them minutes since was likely the worst opponent we'll see all season, so mission ended up being accomplished.

              Reporter: You were seen gesturing to Li and Lewis like their shooting motions were making you unhappy.

              Tovarich: I swear Lewis hesitates on every shot, like he's afraid to shoot. They and Blankenship are all going to get new motions. These slow wind-ups are not gonna work for me. I know there were obviously some other forces at work in the inept 3-point shooting, but the motions need to be overhauled.

              Reporter: It's assumed you'll see Arizona tomorrow, what do you have to do to beat them?

              Tovarich: Make a whole lot of 3's unlike today.

              Comment

              • RolePlayer
                MVP
                • Nov 2015
                • 1729

                #247
                Re: Coach Tovarich 2.0 CH2K8 Career Legacy

                It was a tough loss to start the year but the coach has bounced back nicely with a win over a ranked tea, an ACC team and two blowouts.

                Know it's been awhile since I commented but love seeing coach at WKU

                Comment

                • Tovarich
                  Hall Of Fame
                  • Jul 2008
                  • 10912

                  #248
                  Re: Coach Tovarich 2.0 CH2K8 Career Legacy

                  vs.

                  Wooden Tradition Semifinal
                  Honda Center
                  Anaheim, CA

                  Western Kentucky Hilltoppers at Arizona Wildcats
                  Nov 18, 20111ST2NDSCORE
                  #16 Western Kentucky (4-1)452469
                  Arizona (2-2)293160
                  Western Kentucky Hilltoppers
                  STARTERSMINFGM-A3PM-AFTM-AREBASTSTLBLKTOPTS
                  Stivers193-60-20-0211006
                  Rakiecki163-93-70-0302009
                  Tamayo192-121-71-1132009
                  Riley184-80-03-36120011
                  Shehan146-90-00-110211012
                  BENCHMINFGM-A3PM-AFTM-AREBASTSTLBLKTOPTS
                  Petrauskas82-20-00-0210114
                  Galbreath90-20-10-0141010
                  Marshall91-40-03-5001015
                  Blankenship40-00-00-0100000
                  Lewis102-60-40-1011004
                  Li92-32-32-2000008
                  Magley50-10-04-4201004
                  TEAM TOTALS25-626-2413-172813122369
                  Arizona Wildcats
                  STARTERSMINFGM-A3PM-AFTM-AREBASTSTLBLKTOPTS
                  Wilson242-81-44-4272039
                  Mackinson222-32-30-0300236
                  Austin237-174-100-05300218
                  Caskill232-70-30-0100004
                  Sheppard194-70-01-21620419
                  BENCHMINFGM-A3PM-AFTM-AREBASTSTLBLKTOPTS
                  Nabors132-50-10-0330034
                  Hart114-51-11-22100110
                  Vitelli40-00-00-0110020
                  Merchant-- DID NOT PLAY --
                  Van-- DID NOT PLAY --
                  Summers-- DID NOT PLAY --
                  Ferguson-- DID NOT PLAY --
                  TEAM TOTALS23-528-226-83317261560

                  Tovarich: Nice win, not sure how the "on paper" numbers looks, but they're rated higher than we are, even though they have great guards, they're not highly rated down low, even lower than us, which is surprising for a school like that. We were able to get some scoring down in the paint, which was good, because another game we shot poorly from 3. Tamayo's in a rough patch apparently, no one's shooting over 30% on 3's so far this season.

                  Reporter: Do you think your bigs can keep up this pace of scoring? They're prone to have games where they shoot 3/10 in the paint.

                  Tovarich: As long as we can do one or the other, I guess we can make it work. But the 3-point shooting is dreadful so far, and we're supposed to be pretty good at it. Rakiecki improved to 20%, Tamayo's at 27%, Stivers doesn't shoot a lot, but 2-8. The FR who are supposed to be good shooters, Li and Lewis are at 29% and 9%, kinda limited for them so far, but one of them may start next year, so I need to see more from them.

                  Reporter: Will there be a red light for anyone on the 3-point shooting?

                  Tovarich: Not from any of the starters. The FR, maybe. We aren't always going to get a bunch of steals like we did even though our press was limited to about 5 minutes in the first half, we got a lot in the halfcourt too, they kinda passed excessively at times and shot poorly. Luckily we were respectable on the boards so that limited some of their shot-taking.

                  Reporter: Cal Fullerton in the final, are you surprised to get a relatively easy opponent there?

                  Tovarich: They toploaded the tournament with us, Arizona and Pepperdine in the top half, so I figured the semi was the tough one. The field is overall a little disappointing for a tournament with John Wooden's name on it though. We'll play whoever though. I loaded us up with power opponents, so hopefully Fullerton doesn't play like one like Fairfield did to us last year.

                  Comment

                  • Tovarich
                    Hall Of Fame
                    • Jul 2008
                    • 10912

                    #249
                    Re: Coach Tovarich 2.0 CH2K8 Career Legacy

                    vs.

                    Wooden Tradition Championship
                    Honda Center
                    Anaheim, CA

                    Cal State Fullerton Titans at Western Kentucky Hilltoppers
                    Nov 20, 20111ST2NDSCORE
                    Cal State Fullerton (4-2)274168
                    #16 Western Kentucky (5-1)424486
                    Cal State Fullerton Titans
                    STARTERSMINFGM-A3PM-AFTM-AREBASTSTLBLKTOPTS
                    Stevens215-102-50-001000212
                    Higgins252-81-43-3450028
                    Samuels204-102-43-34321113
                    Halcomb184-120-10-0210008
                    Parker236-120-10-011212112
                    BENCHMINFGM-A3PM-AFTM-AREBASTSTLBLKTOPTS
                    Whitworth31-10-01-1110003
                    Norris82-41-20-0200005
                    Tangara120-30-10-0000010
                    McLaren82-30-10-0212004
                    Sherman11-11-10-0000003
                    Bruce-- DID NOT PLAY --
                    Hill-- DID NOT PLAY --
                    TEAM TOTALS27-647-207-7262353768
                    TEAM TOTALS27-647-207-7262353768
                    Western Kentucky Hilltoppers
                    STARTERSMINFGM-A3PM-AFTM-AREBASTSTLBLKTOPTS
                    Stivers110-00-00-0131000
                    Rakiecki113-62-50-0110008
                    Tamayo115-104-70-02320014
                    Riley112-20-02-2820106
                    Shehan115-60-00-02201210
                    BENCHMINFGM-A3PM-AFTM-AREBASTSTLBLKTOPTS
                    Petrauskas124-40-00-2712018
                    Galbreath164-43-31-22520112
                    Marshall131-30-00-0410012
                    Blankenship93-51-30-0010007
                    Lewis133-72-30-0000008
                    Li133-101-40-0200007
                    Magley92-40-00-0320004
                    TEAM TOTALS35-6113-253-6322172586

                    Tovarich: Nice for things to go how they should. No pressing, no starters in the second half. Shot well from 3. Non-guards shot fairly well in the paint. Guards are probably banned from shooting down low anymore. Any stray pieces of dust floating around seem to throw them off down there.

                    Reporter: Now that the bench has gotten some minutes, what do you make of their skills?

                    Tovarich: Galbreath looked great both shooting and distributing. Lewis finally hit a couple 3's. Lewis' misses were mainly down low, where he apparently doesn't belong, so we'll go ahead and pull the plug on that most likely. There's one starting spot open next year and it'll be for a guard, so either Lewis or Li can get it, or Galbreath can start at PG and I can most Stivers to SG where he can maybe get some more looks at 3's and utilize his scoring. That'll be a season long thing between the 3 of them to make themselves stand out from the others to start next year.

                    Reporter: You forced an uncharacteristically low 7 turnovers, any concern there?

                    Tovarich: No, we never pressed with the comfortable lead. They were shooting so fast in the second half that there were no passes to steal. When we do other things well, then forcing turnovers isn't such a necessity.

                    Reporter: Back to a killer stretch of power schools. What do you hope to get out of all these games?

                    Tovarich: We're still the better team in most cases. We were pretty even with Pittsburgh and Syracuse. Georgia Tech and Arizona were rated higher than us. We're on paper supposed to be better than Oklahoma State, Michigan State and Ohio State. So, I expect to win most of them. Texas A&M later is better and I think so is Marquette if we get them in Hawaii. These are the sorts of programs you have to beat to advance in the tournament. Piling up wins and getting a 1-seed didn't help last year. So, we're playing more power opponents. We won't see a tournament team in conference, so these are the game we need to learn from to figure out what we can do in those game to get a win and we'll hopefully remember those lessons in March. This season is all about going into the second week of the tournament hopefully. I don't care if we lose 7 times on the way there. Going in with just 2 losses didn't help us last year.

                    Comment

                    • Tovarich
                      Hall Of Fame
                      • Jul 2008
                      • 10912

                      #250
                      Re: Coach Tovarich 2.0 CH2K8 Career Legacy

                      @

                      E.A. Diddle Arena
                      Bowling Green, KY

                      Oklahoma State Cowboys at Western Kentucky Hilltoppers
                      Nov 23, 20111ST2NDSCORE
                      Oklahoma State (5-2)332659
                      #14 Western Kentucky (6-1)362460
                      Oklahoma State Cowboys
                      STARTERSMINFGM-A3PM-AFTM-AREBASTSTLBLKTOPTS
                      Lambert234-81-23-31710712
                      Kelly234-101-52-28300111
                      Woods193-71-40-0200117
                      Carey221-50-00-0653002
                      Fitzwater184-100-00-1700018
                      BENCHMINFGM-A3PM-AFTM-AREBASTSTLBLKTOPTS
                      Giles124-62-42-20100012
                      Gastel50-10-00-0000010
                      Hunt163-50-11-1900107
                      Oneil30-00-00-0000000
                      Neale-- DID NOT PLAY --
                      Odugbela-- DID NOT PLAY --
                      Davidson-- DID NOT PLAY --
                      TEAM TOTALS23-525-168-93316421159
                      TEAM TOTALS23-525-168-93316421159
                      Western Kentucky Hilltoppers
                      STARTERSMINFGM-A3PM-AFTM-AREBASTSTLBLKTOPTS
                      Stivers204-50-00-0272028
                      Rakiecki202-62-60-0401106
                      Tamayo2011-222-82-21130026
                      Riley201-40-00-0222012
                      Shehan203-50-02-3771208
                      BENCHMINFGM-A3PM-AFTM-AREBASTSTLBLKTOPTS
                      Petrauskas82-70-01-1400005
                      Galbreath80-10-10-0020010
                      Marshall80-10-00-0210000
                      Lewis81-31-30-0300003
                      Li81-40-10-0011002
                      Blankenship-- DID NOT PLAY --
                      Magley-- DID NOT PLAY --
                      TEAM TOTALS25-595-195-62521103460

                      Tovarich: Whew. Thought we were safe at 53-40, then we suddenly shot 2/12 for the rest of the game.

                      Reporter: They had the ball with 40 seconds left. You initially looked like you were going to just play defense and take the ball with 5 seconds left, why did you run it down to 23 before you fouled?

                      Tovarich: We doubled the PG and forced him to pass, he passed it to the C, so I felt good about him not making a FT, so we fouled him. Playing it out was going to be the plan if I couldn't get someone favorable to foul.

                      Reporter: Were you too conservative with the 13 point lead?

                      Tovarich: No, because they still managed to go ahead there with a minute to go, so we didn't waste enough time. I felt it slipping away slowly and there seemed like there was nothing we could do to stop it. We weren't scoring, they were and it seemed like no matter what we did, they were going to score.

                      Reporter: What was the plan on the final possession?

                      Tovarich: Even though Tamayo was 1-7 on 3's, he's always the plan. I'm shocked he hit it regardless though. Much like many of their made 3's, it was defended well and someone was right in his face. It's almost like that doesn't mean a thing. I'll take a game winner with 3.3 to go though, maybe less next time, because I think that shot they got off was going to count and it got some rim.

                      Reporter: Your bigs have been better at scoring, but they all shot pretty poorly down low today.

                      Tovarich: Yeah, 7-21 on layups by big guys is pretty rough. 5/19 on 3's is pretty rough. Luckily we were really amazing at my least favorite shot, the 2 point shot with the feet on the line, because I swear we had 7 or so of those in the first half. I obviously don't intend for Tamayo to take 14 2's. Everyone needs to get their feet lined up right. I can't go out on the floor and control everyone's exact standing spot. I'd like to though. I'd like Stivers when he's off the ball to not stand 4 feet behind the 3 point line. I'd like him to be closer and shoot a few more 3's, but I don't want him to from that far back.

                      Reporter: Does it take a little sting out of the matchup for the defending national champions to be off to a 1-4 start?

                      Tovarich: I'm sure they're still amazing and will play like it against us.
                      Last edited by Tovarich; 03-01-2023, 03:22 PM.

                      Comment

                      • Tovarich
                        Hall Of Fame
                        • Jul 2008
                        • 10912

                        #251
                        Re: Coach Tovarich 2.0 CH2K8 Career Legacy

                        @

                        Breslin Center
                        East Lansing, MI

                        Western Kentucky Hilltoppers at Michigan State Spartans
                        Nov 26, 20111ST2NDSCORE
                        #14 Western Kentucky (6-2)403070
                        Michigan State (2-4)364480
                        Western Kentucky Hilltoppers
                        STARTERSMINFGM-A3PM-AFTM-AREBASTSTLBLKTOPTS
                        Stivers201-30-20-0033002
                        Rakiecki192-62-60-0222006
                        Tamayo195-182-100-02000012
                        RIley194-90-03-41510011
                        Shehan175-110-04-57121014
                        BENCHMINFGM-A3PM-AFTM-AREBASTSTLBLKTOPTS
                        Petrauskas113-60-00-0400026
                        Galbreath80-00-00-0061010
                        Marshall92-40-00-0011104
                        Lewis91-41-30-0300003
                        Li94-64-50-02100012
                        Blankenship-- DID NOT PLAY --
                        Magley-- DID NOT PLAY --
                        TEAM TOTALS27-679-267-92119102370
                        Michigan State Spartans
                        STARTERSMINFGM-A3PM-AFTM-AREBASTSTLBLKTOPTS
                        Smithson258-103-44-42500323
                        Wooden258-121-20-01510117
                        Fullove256-151-62-37200415
                        Briggs245-80-01-211414111
                        Felton213-110-32-21500118
                        BENCHMINFGM-A3PM-AFTM-AREBASTSTLBLKTOPTS
                        Willis112-40-00-0400314
                        McKinney61-20-10-0111002
                        Skivolocke30-00-00-0010000
                        Draughan-- DID NOT PLAY --
                        Dooley-- DID NOT PLAY --
                        Carney-- DID NOT PLAY --
                        Humphries-- DID NOT PLAY --
                        TEAM TOTALS33-625-169-114118381180

                        Tovarich: I think we all saw that loss coming. They're too good to be 1-4. It was obvious they wouldn't play like a team that lost to Texas-Pan American.

                        Reporter: What changed in the second half?

                        Tovarich: We started 3/17 shooting. They started 13/16 with 2 offensive rebounds, so they scored on 14/15 possessions to begin. It was pretty much over right there. We fought back before they made all the FT's at the end.

                        Reporter: Why was their press effective in the first half?

                        Tovarich: It wasn't. We broke it perfectly, but then Riley and Shehan shot less than 50% on layups. Someone went in for a dunk and missed, can't remember who. It was quickly apparent shooting in the paint wasn't allowed and 3's weren't really allowed. Not much you can do when nothing's going to work.

                        Reporter: 41-21 rebounding disparity. What do you make of that?

                        Tovarich: That's how it usually is. We jump, we don't get it. They jump and they get it. Somehow our timing is always wrong, or their shorter guys can somehow jump over us. I think I've seen over the back like 3 times ever called in my career, but it certainly happens more than that. We just have to overcome it in other ways, but since no one other than Li shot well, that wasn't going to happen today.

                        Reporter: They had 8 blocks, even though it felt like a lot more and were only called for 6 fouls the entire game, what made them so great at interior defense?

                        Tovarich: Amazing their FR C had 4 blocks, 11 boards and just 1 foul. He's averaged 4 boards and 1 block and 3.5 fouls a game so far. Guess he was just slow playing everyone to wait for us.

                        Comment

                        • Tovarich
                          Hall Of Fame
                          • Jul 2008
                          • 10912

                          #252
                          Re: Coach Tovarich 2.0 CH2K8 Career Legacy

                          @

                          E.A. Diddle Arena
                          Bowling Green, KY

                          Ohio State Buckeyes at Western Kentucky Hilltoppers
                          Dec 1, 20111ST2NDSCORE
                          Ohio State (2-5)252247
                          #15 Western Kentucky (7-2)391655
                          Ohio State Buckeyes
                          STARTERSMINFGM-A3PM-AFTM-AREBASTSTLBLKTOPTS
                          Nava254-82-32-30410512
                          Reaves250-40-30-0110120
                          Cisse242-50-20-0422014
                          Cage213-61-13-47101010
                          Wong186-70-00-17001012
                          BENCHMINFGM-A3PM-AFTM-AREBASTSTLBLKTOPTS
                          Iati100-10-00-0300010
                          Blancett21-10-00-0300002
                          Doss51-11-10-0010033
                          Delfico110-30-24-4210024
                          Benson-- DID NOT PLAY --
                          Mills-- DID NOT PLAY --
                          Fox-- DID NOT PLAY --
                          TEAM TOTALS17-364-129-122710331447
                          TEAM TOTALS17-364-129-122710331447
                          Western Kentucky Hilltoppers
                          STARTERSMINFGM-A3PM-AFTM-AREBASTSTLBLKTOPTS
                          Stivers212-40-12-2244016
                          Rakiecki212-81-40-0101005
                          Tamayo216-233-121-11040116
                          Riley213-40-00-0700106
                          Shehan194-60-00-0840008
                          BENCHMINFGM-A3PM-AFTM-AREBASTSTLBLKTOPTS
                          Petrauskas92-30-01-2300005
                          Galbreath70-00-00-0041000
                          Marshall70-00-00-0201000
                          Lewis72-11-32-2011017
                          Li71-40-30-0001002
                          Blankenship-- DID NOT PLAY --
                          Magley-- DID NOT PLAY --
                          TEAM TOTALS22-565-236-72413131355

                          Tovarich: Apologies to those who fell asleep in the second half, but you could see the comeback starting, so it seemed most prudent to just hold the ball as long as possible. Sorry it wasn't so exciting for the fans to watch.

                          Reporter: How big were the offensive rebounds in the second half?

                          Tovarich: Hugely necessary. I could see when we started 0-3 and they were already 2-2 that the comeback was inevitable. So we wasted as much time as possible. One possession I know we got 3 in a row and wasted almost 2 minutes, and of course still didn't score. All that time wasting, I have no doubt helped us hang on.

                          Reporter: You had called off the press at halftime just like they had, but why did you put it back on?

                          Tovarich: When you start shooting 1-10 and they're 5-7, you gotta steal a couple possessions. We got a couple breakaway layups, which I almost told them not to do because I assumed we'd miss them like we were everything else.

                          Reporter: It's rare you slow the game down in the second half, but it's getting increasingly common this year, why?

                          Tovarich: Seems once we get a lead on these big schools, that's what we should do. I don't know why we have so many second halves where we suddenly shoot 1-10 and they shoot 60-something percent, but it's happening a lot and that's likely the best way to stop it is to run the clock out when we have a lead. Oklahoma State came all the way back anyway, but Ohio State couldn't. I won't likely feel compelled to do this to anyone in conference, but we're all about practicing for the NCAA tournament, and if we follow this same pattern we've got so far, hopefully this knowledge will help us. All this only matters if the other team doesn't light us up for 70% in the first half like North Carolina last year though forcing us to play catch up the entire second half, when we know we'll never make it all the way back.

                          Reporter: In-season recruiting started with 2 signees, can you fill us in?

                          Tovarich: We signed Keon Camper, Mr. Basketball for Kentucky, 4* SG from Louisville, 16th ranked SG, 48th OVR recruit. We also got Darrell Pawlak a 4* PF from San Diego, 5th ranked PF, 39th OVR. Excellent start to recruiting. I don't expect a signing in the second week. We'll see who all is left with our final scholarship and go for someone in the offseason.
                          Last edited by Tovarich; 03-02-2023, 04:12 PM.

                          Comment

                          • RolePlayer
                            MVP
                            • Nov 2015
                            • 1729

                            #253
                            Re: Coach Tovarich 2.0 CH2K8 Career Legacy

                            Tough schedule recently, would be nice to see Tamayo score at a high level more consistently. It seems he's just at the brink of being a goto scorer.

                            Comment

                            • Tovarich
                              Hall Of Fame
                              • Jul 2008
                              • 10912

                              #254
                              Re: Coach Tovarich 2.0 CH2K8 Career Legacy

                              @

                              Silvio O. Conte Forum
                              Chestnut Hill, MA

                              Western Kentucky Hilltoppers at Boston College Eagles
                              Nov 6, 20111ST2NDSCORE
                              #14 Western Kentucky (8-2)314879
                              #23 Boston College (6-2)352661
                              Western Kentucky Hilltoppers
                              STARTERSMINFGM-A3PM-AFTM-AREBASTSTLBLKTOPTS
                              Stivers213-83-70-0052019
                              Rakiecki215-94-80-02510014
                              Tamayo217-173-110-04220217
                              Riley212-20-00-0614004
                              Shehan204-60-01-2410009
                              BENCHMINFGM-A3PM-AFTM-AREBASTSTLBLKTOPTS
                              Petrauskas61-10-00-0200012
                              Galbreath71-11-10-0050003
                              Marshall73-40-00-1300006
                              Blankenship20-20-10-0100000
                              Lewis54-73-60-00210011
                              Li71-20-10-0200002
                              Magley21-10-00-0120002
                              TEAM TOTALS32-6014-351-32523100479
                              Boston College Eagles
                              STARTERSMINFGM-A3PM-AFTM-AREBASTSTLBLKTOPTS
                              Randle237-162-80-00500316
                              Elliott216-152-60-03210214
                              St. Fort243-51-20-0630027
                              Wagner164-40-00-911008
                              Clark241-10-00-0541132
                              BENCHMINFGM-A3PM-AFTM-AREBASTSTLBLKTOPTS
                              Scheer73-40-00-0101016
                              Christopher102-31-11-2130006
                              Koger70-00-00-0100000
                              Lukasiak101-40-20-0210012
                              Cross-- DID NOT PLAY --
                              Victor-- DID NOT PLAY --
                              Igoudala-- DID NOT PLAY --
                              TEAM TOTALS27-526-191-22819411261

                              Tovarich: That looks more lopsided than it was. That was a really close game until all of a sudden 5 minutes to go, they fell apart.

                              Reporter: 35 3's is the most you've shot in a while.

                              Tovarich: Only like 10 more than usual. That's the first zone team we've seen in a while. Their 3-2 zone left a lot of people open. Tamayo always has a green light. Stivers usually does, Rakiecki often. Lewis hit some big ones for the B team.

                              Reporter: Talk about the momentum swings in the game. There were some lengthy runs by each team.

                              Tovarich: Yeah, we jumped up 11-4. Then suddenly we were down 31-20. We battled back a bit before the half. We had many chances to tie or take the lead in the first 5 minutes and we couldn't. Then we finally got a steal and a 3 and I think it pissed them off because after the timeout, it was a quick 8-0 for them. Then we battled back again with some steals, and we went back up 1, and boom, another 8-0 run for them right away. Then all of a sudden they couldn't make a shot for 5 minutes. We were raining the 3's in the mean time and I wasn't keeping track but I think we went on something like a 24-4 run there and they finally got a couple baskets against the backups at the end. No idea what happened to them all of a sudden. I've experienced it on our end too and I can't explain it with us either.

                              Reporter: What made you take so many 3's, just the zone? The big guys shot a pretty good percentage.

                              Tovarich: Eventually, they did. I know at one point 13/15 shots were 3's. I honestly after I saw Shehan's first attempt of the game, I was almost going to ban him from shooting. Should've been a basket 100% of time. I still don't get why he's afraid to touch the rim, but it's inexcusable to jump up from 1 foot away and the ball just lands on the front of the rim and falls backward. I've seen it 100 times in my career. I still can't stand it. I wish I could make them dunk more, but it seems they just refuse.

                              Reporter: Just like last year, you begin conference play on the road against the second highest rated team in the conference.

                              Tovarich: After all the opponents we've faced, we really should be ready. They were the one team that managed to stumble into a victory against us in conference play last year when about a hundred things went wrong for us, so it'll be a tough one, but we should be ready.

                              Reporter: Is there any worry about looking ahead to the trip to Hawai'i?

                              Tovarich: I don't think so. Road conference games are tough and they're the next best team, so this is the toughest conference game we'll play and we've more than readied ourselves with our schedule, but if we do lose, it won't be looking ahead to anything.

                              Roleplayer: Tamayo seems like he's just on the brink of being a go-to scorer.

                              Tovarich: He should be and he's still plan A on just about every offensive possession, but he's a little frustrating. He shot best overall and from 3 as a FR and he's down 15% on 3's and 10% overall from his FR year, so I can't explain that really.
                              Last edited by Tovarich; 03-03-2023, 04:18 PM.

                              Comment

                              • studbucket
                                MVP
                                • Aug 2007
                                • 4650

                                #255
                                Re: Coach Tovarich 2.0 CH2K8 Career Legacy

                                Is this your best win? Or is there one that's better/bigger?
                                ?The Bulgarian Brothers - a story of two brothers (Oggy and Dinko) as they coach in the NCAA and the NBA.

                                ?Ask me about the Xbox Ally handheld - I'm on the team that made it.

                                Comment

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