NCAA Hoops Rankings - AP Top 25 - Updated: Nov 1, 2011 | |||
RK | TEAM (VOTES) | RECORD | |
1 | Duke | ||
2 | North Carolina | ||
3 | Memphis | ||
4 | Oregon | ||
5 | Notre Dame | ||
6 | Marquette | ||
7 | UCLA | ||
8 | Texas Tech | ||
9 | West Virginia | ||
10 | Kentucky | ||
11 | UNLV | ||
12 | Western Kentucky | ||
13 | Louisville | ||
14 | Michigan | ||
15 | Florida State | ||
16 | Wisconsin | ||
17 | Pittsburgh | ||
18 | Alabama | ||
19 | Clemson | ||
20 | Louisiana State | ||
21 | Michigan State | ||
22 | Houston | ||
23 | Gonzaga | ||
24 | Georgia Tech | ||
25 | Virginia |
Coach Tovarich 2.0 CH2K8 Career Legacy
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Re: Coach Tovarich 2.0 CH2K8 Career Legacy
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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 DATE OPPONENT RESULT Nov 1 at Pittsburgh Nov 7 at Syracuse Nov 12 at Georgia Tech Nov 17 vs Orange County Shootout (Wooden Tradition) Nov 22 vs Oklahoma State Nov 26 at Michigan State Dec 1 vs Ohio State Dec 6 at Boston College Dec 11 at Troy Dec 15 at Rainbow Classic Dec 19 vs Texas A&M Dec 24 vs Louisiana Monroe Dec 29 vs Arkansas-Little Rock Dec 31 vs Middle Tennessee Jan 5 at Louisiana Lafayette Jan 7 at New Orleans Jan 14 vs North Texas Jan 19 at Arkansas State Jan 22 at Denver Jan 26 vs South Alabama Feb 1 at Florida International Feb 5 at Florida Atlantic Feb 9 vs Troy Feb 11 at Arkansas-Little Rock Feb 15 at Middle Tennessee Feb 18 vs Louisiana Lafayette Feb 23 vs New Orleans Feb 25 vs 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 # NAME POS HT WT CLASS HOMETOWN 2 Marion Lewis SG 6'5" 207 FR Cupertino, CA 11 Gerry Riley PF 6'7" 240 JR Nashville, TN 22 Dennard Galbreath PG 6'0" 183 FR San Bernadino, CA 24 Najeeb Blankenship (W) SF 6'8" 239 RS FR Cincinnati, OH 25 Stevie Tamayo SF 6'7" 206 JR Nashville, TN 32 Donnie Rakiecki SG 6'5" 216 SR Nashville, TN 33 Andrew Stivers PG 6'0" 179 JR Florissant, MO 34 Leroy Li SF 6'5" 235 FR Modesto, CA 35 D.J. Magley C 6'9" 273 SR Delray Beach, FL 41 B.B. Shehan C 7'1" 242 SO New York, NY 45 J.C. Marshall PF 6'8" 268 SR Louisville, KY 54 Kudus Petrauskas (W) C 6'7" 274 JR El Paso, TX 55 Donatas Zoellner (W) C 7'0" 244 RS FR Germany
Tovarich: And the depth chart
Western Kentucky Hilltoppers Depth Chart - 2011-12 STARTER 2ND 3RD 4TH PG Stivers Galbreath Capel (RS) SG Rakiecki Lewis Walton (RS) SF Tamayo Li Blankenship (W) PF Riley Marshall Jack (RS) C Shehan Petrauskas (W) Magley Zoellner (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 71Comment
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Re: Coach Tovarich 2.0 CH2K8 Career Legacy
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Petersen Events Center
Pittsburgh, PA
Western Kentucky Hilltoppers at Pittsburgh Panthers Nov 1, 2011 1ST 2ND SCORE #12 Western Kentucky (0-1) 30 52 82 #17 Pittsburgh (1-0) 41 47 88 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers STARTERS MIN FGM-A 3PM-A FTM-A REB AST STL BLK TO PTS Stivers 22 3-4 0-0 2-2 1 10 4 0 0 8 Rakiecki 22 1-9 0-7 0-0 0 0 1 0 0 2 Tamayo 22 8-20 6-17 0-0 1 1 4 0 0 22 Riley 22 3-8 0-0 1-3 5 3 4 0 1 7 Shehan 20 11-15 0-0 6-8 4 3 2 3 0 28 BENCH MIN FGM-A 3PM-A FTM-A REB AST STL BLK TO PTS Galbreath 6 0-0 0-0 0-0 1 1 2 0 0 0 Petrauskas 8 4-9 0-0 1-1 0 0 1 0 0 9 Marshall 6 1-1 0-0 2-2 1 1 1 0 1 4 Li 6 1-4 0-2 0-0 2 1 0 0 0 2 Lewis 6 0-2 0-2 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Blankenship -- DID NOT PLAY -- Magley -- DID NOT PLAY -- Zoellner -- DID NOT PLAY -- TEAM TOTALS 32-73 6-28 12-16 15 20 19 3 2 82 Pittsburgh Panthers STARTERS MIN FGM-A 3PM-A FTM-A REB AST STL BLK TO PTS Franklin 25 9-11 2-3 2-3 0 13 0 0 5 22 Devance 24 7-12 2-5 2-2 8 4 0 3 0 18 Bradley 21 3-4 0-0 2-2 4 0 0 1 1 8 Pulley 21 5-8 0-0 0-0 12 4 0 0 5 10 Rost 23 7-10 1-1 1-1 8 2 0 1 0 16 BENCH MIN FGM-A 3PM-A FTM-A REB AST STL BLK TO PTS Dumont 10 0-0 0-0 2-2 0 3 0 0 2 2 Sikes 2 1-1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 2 Harmon 3 0-1 0-0 2-2 0 1 0 0 2 2 Flowers 9 3-4 0-1 0-0 3 0 0 0 4 6 McKnight 3 1-1 0-0 0-0 2 1 1 1 1 2 Payne -- DID NOT PLAY -- Bauer -- DID NOT PLAY -- TEAM TOTALS 36-52 5-10 11-12 37 28 1 6 20 88
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
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Re: Coach Tovarich 2.0 CH2K8 Career Legacy
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Carrier Dome
Syracuse, NY
Western Kentucky Hilltoppers at Syracuse Orange Nov 7, 2011 1ST 2ND SCORE #12 Western Kentucky (1-1) 42 36 78 Syracuse (0-1) 35 38 73 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers STARTERS MIN FGM-A 3PM-A FTM-A REB AST STL BLK TO PTS Stivers 21 1-3 0-2 2-2 0 3 1 0 0 4 Rakiecki 21 2-9 2-8 2-2 1 6 0 0 1 8 Tamayo 21 9-24 5-14 2-2 4 1 2 0 0 25 Riley 21 4-5 0-0 2-2 8 1 3 0 0 10 Shehan 21 5-6 0-0 2-3 4 1 2 1 0 12 BENCH MIN FGM-A 3PM-A FTM-A REB AST STL BLK TO PTS Galbreath 7 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 4 0 0 2 0 Petrauskas 7 3-3 0-0 0-0 1 0 0 0 1 6 Marshall 7 2-2 0-0 1-1 1 0 0 1 0 5 Lu 7 2-4 1-3 0-2 2 0 0 0 0 5 Lewis 7 1-1 1-1 0-2 0 1 0 0 0 0 Blankenship -- DID NOT PLAY -- Magley -- DID NOT PLAY -- Zoellner -- DID NOT PLAY -- TEAM TOTALS 29-57 9-28 11-16 21 17 8 2 4 78 Syracuse Orange STARTERS MIN FGM-A 3PM-A FTM-A REB AST STL BLK TO PTS Zimmerman 26 6-10 3-5 2-2 0 7 0 0 0 17 Taft 23 6-6 3-3 0-0 6 3 1 0 1 15 Bender 24 7-12 3-4 2-2 5 3 0 0 4 19 Buckendahl 20 6-8 0-0 0-1 4 1 0 0 0 12 Lemons 21 0-5 0-1 0-0 5 3 0 0 2 0 BENCH MIN FGM-A 3PM-A FTM-A REB AST STL BLK TO PTS Plavich 9 2-3 0-0 0-2 1 2 1 0 2 4 Morrissette 2 0-1 0-0 0-0 1 0 0 0 0 0 Dressel 9 3-4 0-0 0-0 3 0 1 1 1 6 Weaver 6 0-0 0-0 0-0 1 0 0 0 0 0 Cooperwood -- DID NOT PLAY -- Beckwith -- DID NOT PLAY -- Brempong -- DID NOT PLAY -- TEAM TOTALS 30-49 9-13 4-7 26 19 3 1 10 73
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
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Re: Coach Tovarich 2.0 CH2K8 Career Legacy
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Alexander Memorial Coliseum
Atlanta, GA
Western Kentucky Hilltoppers at Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets Nov 11, 2011 1ST 2ND SCORE #12 Western Kentucky (2-1) 49 32 81 #24 Georgia Tech (2-1) 34 31 65 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers STARTERS MIN FGM-A 3PM-A FTM-A REB AST STL BLK TO PTS Stivers 14 1-2 1-1 0-0 0 3 1 0 1 3 Rakiecki 14 3-7 0-4 0-0 0 1 2 0 0 6 Tamayo 14 3-8 2-6 2-2 2 0 1 0 0 10 Riley 14 3-8 0-0 0-0 4 5 4 0 0 6 Shehan 14 5-5 0-0 2-2 5 0 2 0 0 12 BENCH MIN FGM-A 3PM-A FTM-A REB AST STL BLK TO PTS Galbreath 14 1-3 0-1 0-0 0 2 1 0 1 2 Petrauskas 11 2-2 0-0 0-0 3 2 1 0 0 4 Marshall 14 9-10 0-0 3-4 5 2 2 0 1 21 Li 11 4-9 2-6 0-0 1 0 0 0 0 10 Lewis 14 1-2 0-0 0-0 1 2 1 0 0 2 Blankenship 3 1-2 1-2 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 3 Magley 3 1-1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 2 TEAM TOTALS 34-59 6-20 7-8 21 17 15 0 3 81 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets STARTERS MIN FGM-A 3PM-A FTM-A REB AST STL BLK TO PTS Wethers 22 2-4 1-2 0-0 0 9 0 0 7 5 Trotter 22 8-10 2-3 0-0 1 3 0 0 4 18 Blue 22 5-8 1-3 0-0 2 1 0 0 1 11 Chapman 21 1-5 0-0 2-2 7 2 0 1 0 4 Broerman 21 5-9 0-1 2-2 10 1 0 1 1 12 BENCH MIN FGM-A 3PM-A FTM-A REB AST STL BLK TO PTS Sherrod 14 2-5 1-2 1-2 0 2 1 0 1 6 Zaharias 3 2-3 0-0 0-0 0 0 1 0 0 4 Sandoval 12 1-2 0-1 0-0 2 2 1 1 1 2 Whitehead 3 1-2 1-1 0-0 0 2 0 0 0 3 Hoskin -- DID NOT PLAY -- Farrell -- DID NOT PLAY -- Ingram -- DID NOT PLAY -- TEAM TOTALS 27-48 6-13 5-6 22 22 3 3 15 65
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
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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, 2011 1ST 2ND SCORE Northern Illinois (0-2) 31 24 55 #16 Western Kentucky (3-1) 37 35 72 Northern Illinois Huskies STARTERS MIN FGM-A 3PM-A FTM-A REB AST STL BLK TO PTS Morris 23 1-6 0-1 2-2 1 5 0 0 5 4 Arline 19 6-13 2-6 4-4 3 3 1 0 2 18 Willie 22 8-17 1-2 0-0 11 0 1 0 1 17 Hairston 21 1-2 0-0 2-2 3 3 1 1 1 4 Gaines 23 2-3 0-0 0-0 9 1 1 3 1 4 BENCH MIN FGM-A 3PM-A FTM-A REB AST STL BLK TO PTS Washburn 7 2-4 0-1 0-0 2 1 0 0 2 4 Coulter 11 0-4 0-3 0-0 2 2 0 0 2 0 Buggs 6 1-3 0-1 0-0 1 0 0 0 2 2 Kent 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Claudino 7 1-2 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 2 Baynes -- DID NOT PLAY -- Morkeliunas -- DID NOT PLAY -- TEAM TOTALS 22-54 3-15 8-8 32 15 4 4 16 55 TEAM TOTALS 22-54 3-15 8-8 32 15 4 4 16 55 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers STARTERS MIN FGM-A 3PM-A FTM-A REB AST STL BLK TO PTS Stivers 14 3-5 1-3 0-0 3 4 0 0 1 7 Rakiecki 14 2-5 1-4 0-0 4 2 2 0 1 5 Tamayo 14 3-15 1-10 0-0 3 2 1 0 0 7 Riley 14 2-4 0-0 2-2 2 1 0 0 0 6 Shehan 14 6-6 0-0 0-0 4 1 3 1 1 12 BENCH MIN FGM-A 3PM-A FTM-A REB AST STL BLK TO PTS Galbreath 12 0-1 0-0 0-0 1 3 2 0 0 0 Petrauskas 11 3-6 0-0 1-5 6 2 1 2 1 7 Marshall 11 5-7 0-0 6-7 1 1 2 0 0 16 Li 11 2-7 0-3 2-2 1 1 3 0 1 6 Lewis 11 0-5 0-4 0-0 1 0 1 0 0 0 Blankenship 6 1-1 0-0 0-0 2 0 0 1 0 2 Magley 5 2-3 0-0 0-0 0 0 1 0 1 4 TEAM TOTALS 29-65 3-24 11-16 28 17 16 4 6 72
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
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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 WKUComment
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Re: Coach Tovarich 2.0 CH2K8 Career Legacy
vs.
Wooden Tradition Semifinal
Honda Center
Anaheim, CA
Western Kentucky Hilltoppers at Arizona Wildcats Nov 18, 2011 1ST 2ND SCORE #16 Western Kentucky (4-1) 45 24 69 Arizona (2-2) 29 31 60 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers STARTERS MIN FGM-A 3PM-A FTM-A REB AST STL BLK TO PTS Stivers 19 3-6 0-2 0-0 2 1 1 0 0 6 Rakiecki 16 3-9 3-7 0-0 3 0 2 0 0 9 Tamayo 19 2-12 1-7 1-1 1 3 2 0 0 9 Riley 18 4-8 0-0 3-3 6 1 2 0 0 11 Shehan 14 6-9 0-0 0-1 10 2 1 1 0 12 BENCH MIN FGM-A 3PM-A FTM-A REB AST STL BLK TO PTS Petrauskas 8 2-2 0-0 0-0 2 1 0 1 1 4 Galbreath 9 0-2 0-1 0-0 1 4 1 0 1 0 Marshall 9 1-4 0-0 3-5 0 0 1 0 1 5 Blankenship 4 0-0 0-0 0-0 1 0 0 0 0 0 Lewis 10 2-6 0-4 0-1 0 1 1 0 0 4 Li 9 2-3 2-3 2-2 0 0 0 0 0 8 Magley 5 0-1 0-0 4-4 2 0 1 0 0 4 TEAM TOTALS 25-62 6-24 13-17 28 13 12 2 3 69 Arizona Wildcats STARTERS MIN FGM-A 3PM-A FTM-A REB AST STL BLK TO PTS Wilson 24 2-8 1-4 4-4 2 7 2 0 3 9 Mackinson 22 2-3 2-3 0-0 3 0 0 2 3 6 Austin 23 7-17 4-10 0-0 5 3 0 0 2 18 Caskill 23 2-7 0-3 0-0 1 0 0 0 0 4 Sheppard 19 4-7 0-0 1-2 16 2 0 4 1 9 BENCH MIN FGM-A 3PM-A FTM-A REB AST STL BLK TO PTS Nabors 13 2-5 0-1 0-0 3 3 0 0 3 4 Hart 11 4-5 1-1 1-2 2 1 0 0 1 10 Vitelli 4 0-0 0-0 0-0 1 1 0 0 2 0 Merchant -- DID NOT PLAY -- Van -- DID NOT PLAY -- Summers -- DID NOT PLAY -- Ferguson -- DID NOT PLAY -- TEAM TOTALS 23-52 8-22 6-8 33 17 2 6 15 60
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
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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, 2011 1ST 2ND SCORE Cal State Fullerton (4-2) 27 41 68 #16 Western Kentucky (5-1) 42 44 86 Cal State Fullerton Titans STARTERS MIN FGM-A 3PM-A FTM-A REB AST STL BLK TO PTS Stevens 21 5-10 2-5 0-0 0 10 0 0 2 12 Higgins 25 2-8 1-4 3-3 4 5 0 0 2 8 Samuels 20 4-10 2-4 3-3 4 3 2 1 1 13 Halcomb 18 4-12 0-1 0-0 2 1 0 0 0 8 Parker 23 6-12 0-1 0-0 11 2 1 2 1 12 BENCH MIN FGM-A 3PM-A FTM-A REB AST STL BLK TO PTS Whitworth 3 1-1 0-0 1-1 1 1 0 0 0 3 Norris 8 2-4 1-2 0-0 2 0 0 0 0 5 Tangara 12 0-3 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 0 1 0 McLaren 8 2-3 0-1 0-0 2 1 2 0 0 4 Sherman 1 1-1 1-1 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 3 Bruce -- DID NOT PLAY -- Hill -- DID NOT PLAY -- TEAM TOTALS 27-64 7-20 7-7 26 23 5 3 7 68 TEAM TOTALS 27-64 7-20 7-7 26 23 5 3 7 68 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers STARTERS MIN FGM-A 3PM-A FTM-A REB AST STL BLK TO PTS Stivers 11 0-0 0-0 0-0 1 3 1 0 0 0 Rakiecki 11 3-6 2-5 0-0 1 1 0 0 0 8 Tamayo 11 5-10 4-7 0-0 2 3 2 0 0 14 Riley 11 2-2 0-0 2-2 8 2 0 1 0 6 Shehan 11 5-6 0-0 0-0 2 2 0 1 2 10 BENCH MIN FGM-A 3PM-A FTM-A REB AST STL BLK TO PTS Petrauskas 12 4-4 0-0 0-2 7 1 2 0 1 8 Galbreath 16 4-4 3-3 1-2 2 5 2 0 1 12 Marshall 13 1-3 0-0 0-0 4 1 0 0 1 2 Blankenship 9 3-5 1-3 0-0 0 1 0 0 0 7 Lewis 13 3-7 2-3 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 8 Li 13 3-10 1-4 0-0 2 0 0 0 0 7 Magley 9 2-4 0-0 0-0 3 2 0 0 0 4 TEAM TOTALS 35-61 13-25 3-6 32 21 7 2 5 86
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
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Re: Coach Tovarich 2.0 CH2K8 Career Legacy
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E.A. Diddle Arena
Bowling Green, KY
Oklahoma State Cowboys at Western Kentucky Hilltoppers Nov 23, 2011 1ST 2ND SCORE Oklahoma State (5-2) 33 26 59 #14 Western Kentucky (6-1) 36 24 60 Oklahoma State Cowboys STARTERS MIN FGM-A 3PM-A FTM-A REB AST STL BLK TO PTS Lambert 23 4-8 1-2 3-3 1 7 1 0 7 12 Kelly 23 4-10 1-5 2-2 8 3 0 0 1 11 Woods 19 3-7 1-4 0-0 2 0 0 1 1 7 Carey 22 1-5 0-0 0-0 6 5 3 0 0 2 Fitzwater 18 4-10 0-0 0-1 7 0 0 0 1 8 BENCH MIN FGM-A 3PM-A FTM-A REB AST STL BLK TO PTS Giles 12 4-6 2-4 2-2 0 1 0 0 0 12 Gastel 5 0-1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 1 0 Hunt 16 3-5 0-1 1-1 9 0 0 1 0 7 Oneil 3 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Neale -- DID NOT PLAY -- Odugbela -- DID NOT PLAY -- Davidson -- DID NOT PLAY -- TEAM TOTALS 23-52 5-16 8-9 33 16 4 2 11 59 TEAM TOTALS 23-52 5-16 8-9 33 16 4 2 11 59 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers STARTERS MIN FGM-A 3PM-A FTM-A REB AST STL BLK TO PTS Stivers 20 4-5 0-0 0-0 2 7 2 0 2 8 Rakiecki 20 2-6 2-6 0-0 4 0 1 1 0 6 Tamayo 20 11-22 2-8 2-2 1 1 3 0 0 26 Riley 20 1-4 0-0 0-0 2 2 2 0 1 2 Shehan 20 3-5 0-0 2-3 7 7 1 2 0 8 BENCH MIN FGM-A 3PM-A FTM-A REB AST STL BLK TO PTS Petrauskas 8 2-7 0-0 1-1 4 0 0 0 0 5 Galbreath 8 0-1 0-1 0-0 0 2 0 0 1 0 Marshall 8 0-1 0-0 0-0 2 1 0 0 0 0 Lewis 8 1-3 1-3 0-0 3 0 0 0 0 3 Li 8 1-4 0-1 0-0 0 1 1 0 0 2 Blankenship -- DID NOT PLAY -- Magley -- DID NOT PLAY -- TEAM TOTALS 25-59 5-19 5-6 25 21 10 3 4 60
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
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Re: Coach Tovarich 2.0 CH2K8 Career Legacy
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Breslin Center
East Lansing, MI
Western Kentucky Hilltoppers at Michigan State Spartans Nov 26, 2011 1ST 2ND SCORE #14 Western Kentucky (6-2) 40 30 70 Michigan State (2-4) 36 44 80 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers STARTERS MIN FGM-A 3PM-A FTM-A REB AST STL BLK TO PTS Stivers 20 1-3 0-2 0-0 0 3 3 0 0 2 Rakiecki 19 2-6 2-6 0-0 2 2 2 0 0 6 Tamayo 19 5-18 2-10 0-0 2 0 0 0 0 12 RIley 19 4-9 0-0 3-4 1 5 1 0 0 11 Shehan 17 5-11 0-0 4-5 7 1 2 1 0 14 BENCH MIN FGM-A 3PM-A FTM-A REB AST STL BLK TO PTS Petrauskas 11 3-6 0-0 0-0 4 0 0 0 2 6 Galbreath 8 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 6 1 0 1 0 Marshall 9 2-4 0-0 0-0 0 1 1 1 0 4 Lewis 9 1-4 1-3 0-0 3 0 0 0 0 3 Li 9 4-6 4-5 0-0 2 1 0 0 0 12 Blankenship -- DID NOT PLAY -- Magley -- DID NOT PLAY -- TEAM TOTALS 27-67 9-26 7-9 21 19 10 2 3 70 Michigan State Spartans STARTERS MIN FGM-A 3PM-A FTM-A REB AST STL BLK TO PTS Smithson 25 8-10 3-4 4-4 2 5 0 0 3 23 Wooden 25 8-12 1-2 0-0 1 5 1 0 1 17 Fullove 25 6-15 1-6 2-3 7 2 0 0 4 15 Briggs 24 5-8 0-0 1-2 11 4 1 4 1 11 Felton 21 3-11 0-3 2-2 15 0 0 1 1 8 BENCH MIN FGM-A 3PM-A FTM-A REB AST STL BLK TO PTS Willis 11 2-4 0-0 0-0 4 0 0 3 1 4 McKinney 6 1-2 0-1 0-0 1 1 1 0 0 2 Skivolocke 3 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 1 0 0 0 0 Draughan -- DID NOT PLAY -- Dooley -- DID NOT PLAY -- Carney -- DID NOT PLAY -- Humphries -- DID NOT PLAY -- TEAM TOTALS 33-62 5-16 9-11 41 18 3 8 11 80
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
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Re: Coach Tovarich 2.0 CH2K8 Career Legacy
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E.A. Diddle Arena
Bowling Green, KY
Ohio State Buckeyes at Western Kentucky Hilltoppers Dec 1, 2011 1ST 2ND SCORE Ohio State (2-5) 25 22 47 #15 Western Kentucky (7-2) 39 16 55 Ohio State Buckeyes STARTERS MIN FGM-A 3PM-A FTM-A REB AST STL BLK TO PTS Nava 25 4-8 2-3 2-3 0 4 1 0 5 12 Reaves 25 0-4 0-3 0-0 1 1 0 1 2 0 Cisse 24 2-5 0-2 0-0 4 2 2 0 1 4 Cage 21 3-6 1-1 3-4 7 1 0 1 0 10 Wong 18 6-7 0-0 0-1 7 0 0 1 0 12 BENCH MIN FGM-A 3PM-A FTM-A REB AST STL BLK TO PTS Iati 10 0-1 0-0 0-0 3 0 0 0 1 0 Blancett 2 1-1 0-0 0-0 3 0 0 0 0 2 Doss 5 1-1 1-1 0-0 0 1 0 0 3 3 Delfico 11 0-3 0-2 4-4 2 1 0 0 2 4 Benson -- DID NOT PLAY -- Mills -- DID NOT PLAY -- Fox -- DID NOT PLAY -- TEAM TOTALS 17-36 4-12 9-12 27 10 3 3 14 47 TEAM TOTALS 17-36 4-12 9-12 27 10 3 3 14 47 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers STARTERS MIN FGM-A 3PM-A FTM-A REB AST STL BLK TO PTS Stivers 21 2-4 0-1 2-2 2 4 4 0 1 6 Rakiecki 21 2-8 1-4 0-0 1 0 1 0 0 5 Tamayo 21 6-23 3-12 1-1 1 0 4 0 1 16 Riley 21 3-4 0-0 0-0 7 0 0 1 0 6 Shehan 19 4-6 0-0 0-0 8 4 0 0 0 8 BENCH MIN FGM-A 3PM-A FTM-A REB AST STL BLK TO PTS Petrauskas 9 2-3 0-0 1-2 3 0 0 0 0 5 Galbreath 7 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 4 1 0 0 0 Marshall 7 0-0 0-0 0-0 2 0 1 0 0 0 Lewis 7 2-1 1-3 2-2 0 1 1 0 1 7 Li 7 1-4 0-3 0-0 0 0 1 0 0 2 Blankenship -- DID NOT PLAY -- Magley -- DID NOT PLAY -- TEAM TOTALS 22-56 5-23 6-7 24 13 13 1 3 55
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
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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
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Re: Coach Tovarich 2.0 CH2K8 Career Legacy
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Silvio O. Conte Forum
Chestnut Hill, MA
Western Kentucky Hilltoppers at Boston College Eagles Nov 6, 2011 1ST 2ND SCORE #14 Western Kentucky (8-2) 31 48 79 #23 Boston College (6-2) 35 26 61 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers STARTERS MIN FGM-A 3PM-A FTM-A REB AST STL BLK TO PTS Stivers 21 3-8 3-7 0-0 0 5 2 0 1 9 Rakiecki 21 5-9 4-8 0-0 2 5 1 0 0 14 Tamayo 21 7-17 3-11 0-0 4 2 2 0 2 17 Riley 21 2-2 0-0 0-0 6 1 4 0 0 4 Shehan 20 4-6 0-0 1-2 4 1 0 0 0 9 BENCH MIN FGM-A 3PM-A FTM-A REB AST STL BLK TO PTS Petrauskas 6 1-1 0-0 0-0 2 0 0 0 1 2 Galbreath 7 1-1 1-1 0-0 0 5 0 0 0 3 Marshall 7 3-4 0-0 0-1 3 0 0 0 0 6 Blankenship 2 0-2 0-1 0-0 1 0 0 0 0 0 Lewis 5 4-7 3-6 0-0 0 2 1 0 0 11 Li 7 1-2 0-1 0-0 2 0 0 0 0 2 Magley 2 1-1 0-0 0-0 1 2 0 0 0 2 TEAM TOTALS 32-60 14-35 1-3 25 23 10 0 4 79 Boston College Eagles STARTERS MIN FGM-A 3PM-A FTM-A REB AST STL BLK TO PTS Randle 23 7-16 2-8 0-0 0 5 0 0 3 16 Elliott 21 6-15 2-6 0-0 3 2 1 0 2 14 St. Fort 24 3-5 1-2 0-0 6 3 0 0 2 7 Wagner 16 4-4 0-0 0- 9 1 1 0 0 8 Clark 24 1-1 0-0 0-0 5 4 1 1 3 2 BENCH MIN FGM-A 3PM-A FTM-A REB AST STL BLK TO PTS Scheer 7 3-4 0-0 0-0 1 0 1 0 1 6 Christopher 10 2-3 1-1 1-2 1 3 0 0 0 6 Koger 7 0-0 0-0 0-0 1 0 0 0 0 0 Lukasiak 10 1-4 0-2 0-0 2 1 0 0 1 2 Cross -- DID NOT PLAY -- Victor -- DID NOT PLAY -- Igoudala -- DID NOT PLAY -- TEAM TOTALS 27-52 6-19 1-2 28 19 4 1 12 61
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
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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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