Coach Tovarich 2.0 CH2K8 Career Legacy

[Tovarich]

Re: Coach Tovarich 2.0 CH2K8 Career Legacy

Tovarich: Seriously. WHAT AM I DOING HERE AGAIN? We haven't played a game yet.

Reporter: Uhhh. It was roster finalization day. That's really big news.

Tovarich: No, it's really not.

Reporter: Moving on, we see the roster has been trimmed a little bit. Please explain what went into all the changes coach.

Tovarich: (fake smiling) Gladly (deep breath). I cut the JUCO guy the last coach signed.

Reporter: His name is Vidal Ireland.

Tovarich: Sure, I've already forgotten him.

Reporter: What did he do to get cut?

Tovarich: He was never going to see the court here. I'm freeing up the scholarship.

Reporter: So he did nothing wrong?

Tovarich: No one said he did, but it's better if he moves on to other things.

Reporter: So you're just heartlessly cutting people through no fault of their own?

Tovarich: I don't have time for feelings.

Reporter: Some other people seem be gone too.

Tovarich: Yes. I cut whoever the 3rd center was.

Reporter: These are people. They have names and families.

Tovarich: Great, I'm sure they do. They're just not part of the Western Kentucky basketball family anymore. As far as I can tell, they've disappeared from the entire universe never to be heard from again.

Reporter: OK, who else

Tovarich: That's it for cuts. The backup C is redshirting. We've got a plethora of power forwards who seem like they'll be adequate at C for this season. Then I actually kept an 11th guy, just because he's a SR. See how nice and benevolent I am? I probably won't play him unless it's a blowout but I left him on the roster anyway? Happy??

Reporter: No need to be antagonistic coach.

Tovarich: You started it.

Reporter: So what are the recruiting priorities? You have 2 scholarships available.

Tovarich: Yeah, I don't know why I don't have 4. I cut these two. There's no reason they should be counting against my total. I can't use them until next year, so I can't sign anyone until the year after, which means I basically lose that scholarship for two entire seasons. I don't know who's idea that was, but it was a bad one. Anyway, PG is a for sure, need a 2nd true PG on the roster. Then I'll probably just go for whoever the best player I think I can get is, regardless of position.

Reporter: And you still don't want to tell us anything about your assistants?

Tovarich: I told you all I know about them. Maybe I'll start calling in sick for these things and send you the assistants to talk to since you're so obsessed with them. See ya'll after, you know, WE PLAY AN ACTUAL GAME. Have a good day everyone.

[Tovarich]

Re: Coach Tovarich 2.0 CH2K8 Career Legacy

Assistant Coach: (shielding eyes from the light) Uhhh, hi everyone. I got sent to do a press conference for some reason. I'm not entirely sure why. I got a phone call from someone, I'm not sure who and they told me to come over here and talk to you.

Reporter: Hi, coach. Welcome, we're thrilled to finally meet you. Tell us about yourself. What's your name?

Assistant Coach: Uhhh (keeps shielding eyes)

Reporter: Are you ok coach?

Assistant Coach: Yeah, sorry, it's just that it's really bright in here.

Reporter: What are you talking about?

Assistant Coach: I sit in a dark room watching tape all day. It's pretty much the only thing I've done since I got here.

Reporter: You mean, you haven't been at practice?

Assistant Coach: No, I don't even know where the basketball arena is. I don't even think I have an office. They don't let me out of my dark room wit the projector very often.

Reporter: Why doesn't coach let you at practice?

Assistant Coach: I don't think I've even met him. I think he's the one who called me to come over here for this press conference, but I'm not 100% on that.

Reporter: So what is your name?

Assistant Coach: It used to be Martin Sullivan, but I'm pretty sure my new name is Scout guy.

Reporter: (blinks in disbelief) So, you can't tell us anything about the team?

Assistant Coach: I watched a tape on Gerry Riley last offseason before we signed him.

Reporter: So, will you be at the first game?

Assistant Coach: I think I'm contractually obligated to sit on the bench with my clipboard during the game. Seriously though, I still don't know where the basketball arena is. Can someone give me directions?

[Tovarich]

Re: Coach Tovarich 2.0 CH2K8 Career Legacy

@

E.A. Diddle Arena
Bowling Green, KY

Hofstra Pride at Western Kentucky Hilltoppers
Nov 2, 2009	1ST	2ND	SCORE
Hofstra (0-1)	22	27	49
Western Kentucky (1-0)	35	37	72

Hofstra Pride
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Harper	22	4-10	2-8	2-2	0	3	2	0	5	12
Santee	20	2-8	0-2	0-0	5	3	0	0	5	4
Wisniewski	15	3-4	0-0	0-0	4	3	0	1	2	6
Lester	22	3-12	1-5	0-0	5	1	1	0	4	7
Leonavicius	23	3-6	0-1	0-0	12	1	0	2	0	6
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Walker	11	2-5	1-2	0-0	1	1	1	0	1	5
Reed	10	1-2	0-0	0-0	0	1	0	0	0	2
Washington	15	3-5	0-0	1-2	8	1	0	1	0	7
Jenkins	-- DID NOT PLAY --
Vallins	-- DID NOT PLAY --
Garnett	-- DID NOT PLAY --
Bradshaw	-- DID NOT PLAY --
TEAM TOTALS		21-52	4-18	3-4	35	14	4	4	7	49
TEAM TOTALS		21-52	4-18	3-4	35	14	4	4	7	49

Western Kentucky Hilltoppers
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Stivers	15	0-2	0-2	0-0	1	4	0	0	0	0
Rakiecki	15	7-13	3-7	3-3	2	1	1	0	0	20
Tamayo	15	3-9	2-5	0-0	3	0	1	0	0	8
Riley	15	0-3	0-0	0-0	2	6	4	0	1	0
Petrauskas	15	4-6	0-0	0-0	5	0	2	0	0	8
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Pettigrew	13	3-9	1-5	2-2	1	0	1	0	1	9
Slaughter	13	3-6	1-4	2-2	2	1	1	0	0	9
Marshall	9	4-4	0-0	0-0	1	2	1	0	0	8
Frazier	13	2-5	0-1	0-0	6	3	1	0	0	4
Ryan	13	1-3	0-0	0-0	2	1	3	0	2	2
Evans	4	2-2	0-0	0-0	1	0	0	0	0	4
TEAM TOTALS		29-62	7-24	7-7	26	18	15	0	4	72

Tovarich: OK win. Lot to clean up there.

Reporter: That's all you have to say?

Tovarich: Yeah, I don't ramble too often.

Reporter: Can you elaborate on what you thought your team needs to "clean up"?

Tovarich: Rebounding.

Reporter: Is that all?

Tovarich: Shooting.

Reporter: What did you like about the performance?

Tovarich: We scored more than the other team.

Reporter: Why shoot so many 3's if you don't make very many?

Tovarich: That's why we need to clean that up.

Reporter: What do you have to do to win @ a big ACC school like Wake Forest?

Tovarich: Score more points than them.

Reporter: Thanks coach.

Tovarich: Oh, you're done asking questions? Cool, usually I have to just cut people off from asking more and end them on my own, thanks.

[Tovarich]

Re: Coach Tovarich 2.0 CH2K8 Career Legacy

@

Lawrence Joel Coliseum
Winston-Salem, NC

Western Kentucky Hilltoppers at Wake Forest Demon Deacons
Nov 7, 2009	1ST	2ND	SCORE
Western Kentucky (2-0)	49	27	76
Wake Forest (0-2)	34	28	62

Western Kentucky Hilltoppers
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Stivers	15	8-10	7-9	0-0	3	7	2	0	0	23
Rakiecki	15	3-7	3-7	0-0	1	5	1	0	0	9
Tamayo	18	5-9	4-8	0-0	2	2	1	0	0	14
Riley	15	2-5	0-0	0-1	4	3	1	0	0	4
Petrauskas	15	1-1	0-0	0-0	2	0	2	2	0	2
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Pettigrew	10	3-7	3-5	0-0	2	0	0	1	0	9
Slaughter	16	3-9	2-5	0-0	1	0	0	0	1	8
Marshall	14	1-2	0-0	0-0	0	2	0	0	0	2
Frazier	6	0-2	0-0	1-2	1	1	0	0	0	1
Ryan	10	1-1	0-0	0-0	0	2	1	0	0	2
Evans	6	1-1	0-0	0-0	1	1	0	0	0	2
TEAM TOTALS		28-54	19-33	1-3	17	23	8	3	1	76

Wake Forest Demon Deacons
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Smith	26	3-10	1-5	2-4	1	4	1	0	2	9
Teague	26	3-8	0-1	2-4	3	4	0	0	1	8
Williams	24	6-11	3-7	0-0	4	2	0	1	3	15
Lewis	22	4-6	0-0	1-1	7	2	0	0	2	9
Jarrell	21	5-6	0-0	1-2	9	1	0	3	0	11
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Lisinic	2	1-1	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	1	2
Skeen	6	2-3	0-1	0-0	1	1	0	0	0	4
Boatner	5	0-1	0-0	0-0	0	1	0	0	0	0
Weaver	9	1-1	0-0	2-2	4	1	0	0	0	4
Bennett	-- DID NOT PLAY --
Griffith	-- DID NOT PLAY --
Stephenson	-- DID NOT PLAY --
TEAM TOTALS		25-47	4-14	8-13	29	16	1	4	9	62

Tovarich: Incredible shooting performance from 3. Good win. Still a lot of things we'll need to significantly improve on.

Reporter: Can you elaborate on what those things are? You're very vague all the time.

Tovarich: Yeah, still rebounding. I know that massive center they had was going to be an issue, but it was still pretty rough.

Reporter: What else?

Tovarich: Scoring in the paint. We obviously won't shoot like that from 3 all the time. They blocked several shots, big guys missed some layups and otherwise point blank shots. Need to get tougher down low.

Reporter: Can't you just say that from the beginning?

Tovarich: I don't like to listen to myself talk as much as you do.

Reporter: Did you think a team starting 4 FR and a SO could go into an arena like this and win against a power school?

Tovarich: Of course I thought it was possible. This group's got considerable talent compared to anything I've experienced. I believe they can win the other two power games on the road too if we shoot well.

Reporter: How do you get the big guys going on offense when you need it if the guards are shooting 3's all the time?

Tovarich: We'll try to work on that against some of these other opponents if we can and maybe get them some confidence. Still trying to figure out what people can and can't do. It's not realistic to expect scoring down low against a big school who can recruit a far superior center to what we can get. And we're even starting a walk-on there. If the 3's aren't going against a power school, we'll likely just keep shooting them anyway.

Reporter: Why do you hate 2-point shots coach?

Tovarich: When you've seen as much missed layups in transition as I have or big guys who frequently shoot 30% from 1 foot away because they don't slam it in, you'd grow to hate them too.

[Tovarich]

Re: Coach Tovarich 2.0 CH2K8 Career Legacy

@

E.A. Diddle Arena
Bowling Green, KY

McNeese State Cowboys at Western Kentucky Hilltoppers
Nov 12, 2009	1ST	2ND	SCORE
McNeese State (0-1)	35	40	75
Western Kentucky (3-0)	51	34	85

McNeese State Cowboys
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Martin	24	6-13	2-7	3-4	1	6	0	0	2	17
Ozier	24	2-9	1-4	0-0	0	2	1	0	1	5
Pait	21	6-10	2-6	5-6	2	5	1	0	0	19
Alawoya	22	6-9	0-0	0-0	14	0	0	0	1	12
Ricks	21	1-2	0-0	2-2	8	1	1	2	0	4
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
David	8	2-2	0-0	1-1	4	1	0	0	2	5
Robinson	11	3-5	1-3	0-0	1	0	1	0	4	7
Schultz	5	1-2	0-0	0-0	2	0	0	0	0	2
Cottrill	5	1-2	0-1	2-2	0	1	0	0	2	4
Burnett	-- DID NOT PLAY --
Craig	-- DID NOT PLAY --
Kilgore	-- DID NOT PLAY --
TEAM TOTALS		28-54	6-21	13-15	32	16	4	2	12	75
TEAM TOTALS		28-54	6-21	13-15	32	16	4	2	12	75

Western Kentucky Hilltoppers
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Stivers	15	5-7	4-5	2-2	2	7	1	0	1	16
Rakiecki	15	4-8	2-5	0-0	0	3	1	0	0	10
Tamayo	15	3-7	2-3	0-0	0	1	2	0	0	8
Riley	15	4-6	0-0	3-4	7	3	2	0	0	11
Petrauskas	15	7-8	1-1	1-1	3	1	1	0	1	16
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Pettigrew	13	4-7	2-3	2-2	3	0	2	0	0	12
Slaughter	13	2-8	2-6	0-0	0	1	1	0	1	6
Marshall	9	0-0	0-0	1-2	3	1	0	0	0	1
Frazier	13	2-4	0-0	0-0	3	1	1	0	0	4
Ryan	13	0-1	0-0	0-1	0	2	0	0	2	0
Evans	3	0-4	0-0	1-2	4	0	0	0	0	1
TEAM TOTALS		31-60	13-23	10-14	25	20	11	0	5	85

Tovarich: Sloppy second half. More stuff to clean up.

Reporter: (rolling eyes) Elaborate please on what was sloppy. Some people didn't watch the game.

Tovarich: Turnovers. Rebounding still. Bad defense in the second half.

Reporter: Were you concerned when the lead went from 20 down to 8?

Tovarich: A little. That's why I subbed the starters back in. Ryan was sloppy with the ball against the press. They were shooting the lights out in the second half. We still aren't much for rebounding. I may need to check on city ordinances and see if it's even legal.

Reporter: What did you think of the scoring performances from the big men?

Tovarich: We made a point with a comfortable lead for most of the game anyway to get it down low and see what they could do. McNeese didn't have much going on down there either unlike our last opponent and presumably our next. Not sure what the Sun Belt big guys look like or how big of a disadvantage we may be at there, but hopefully they all scored a good amount and did a good job getting fouled.

Reporter: Is the bench still going to get minutes with this performance?

Tovarich: It wasn't encouraging. Pettigrew hit a few shots. He had a rough game in the opener but he's gotten going the last couple. I know Slaughter can hit some. I don't know why Evans couldn't hit a layup, but as the 11th guy, he's lucky to see the court if we're up comfortably. We weren't even up that comfortably today and I let him in. I might need to be stricter about that. I don't feel like we're at a big disadvantage with the bench in against this kind of opponent but I may not give them as many against Penn State or Mississippi.

[Tovarich]

Re: Coach Tovarich 2.0 CH2K8 Career Legacy

@

Bryce Jordan Center
State College, PA

Western Kentucky Hilltoppers at Penn State Nittany Lions
Nov 17, 2009	1ST	2ND	SCORE
Western Kentucky (4-0)	46	31	77
Penn State (1-2)	35	33	68

Western Kentucky Hilltoppers
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Stivers	17	2-7	2-7	0-0	1	3	2	0	0	6
Rakiecki	17	6-10	0-3	0-0	3	2	0	0	1	12
Tamayo	17	3-6	3-5	3-3	1	1	4	0	0	12
Riley	17	3-5	0-0	1-2	2	2	3	0	0	7
Petrauskas	17	5-8	0-0	2-2	4	2	1	0	0	12
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Pettigrew	11	5-6	3-4	0-0	2	0	0	0	1	13
Slaughter	11	2-6	1-5	0-0	2	1	2	0	0	5
Marshall	7	2-2	0-0	1-2	1	4	0	0	0	5
Frazier	11	2-6	0-1	0-0	2	1	3	1	0	4
Ryan	11	0-0	0-0	1-2	0	2	0	0	0	1
Evans	4	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	0
TEAM TOTALS		30-56	9-25	8-11	18	18	15	1	2	77

Penn State Nittany Lions
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Battle	25	3-6	3-3	0-0	0	8	1	0	8	9
Boyd	26	7-11	5-7	1-2	2	3	0	0	2	20
Brooks	25	5-7	1-2	0-0	12	3	0	0	1	11
Egeric	22	3-9	0-1	0-1	2	2	1	0	1	6
Keler	25	5-6	0-0	0-0	7	3	0	0	3	10
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Chen	5	2-3	0-0	2-2	0	1	0	0	2	6
Valentine	9	2-3	0-0	2-2	4	1	0	0	0	6
Bey	3	0-1	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Garlepp	-- DID NOT PLAY --
Wallace	-- DID NOT PLAY --
Jackson	-- DID NOT PLAY --
Jones	-- DID NOT PLAY --
TEAM TOTALS		27-46	9-13	5-7	27	21	2	0	17	68

Tovarich: Good win. End of speech.

Reporter: (eyes rolling out the back of his head) How do you feel you're coming along with all those things you're "cleaning up"?

Tovarich: The rebounding is still pretty pitiful. The defense is pretty rough. We force a lot of turnovers with our athleticism and some decent size but if the other team gets a shot, they shoot a high percentage and that needs to get better. We had a decent shooting night, so that got us out of it, but we need to do some things better if we're ever going to be able to overcome a bad shooting night where EVERYONE is missing. It'll happen eventually.

Reporter: How much does it mean to get a win over a power program?

Tovarich: Turns out neither they nor Wake look like they're that great. I'm not so sure Mississippi is either, so it's nice to win against whoever you're playing, but at the end of the year, I don't think anyone's going to point to anything we've done so far as being anything significant on a resume if we're in discussion for an at-large.

Reporter: What do you plan on changing to improve the rebounding?

Tovarich: Wait for the players to grow up and get better. They're all a bunch of FR starting. I practically expect to get out-rebounded by 20 a game.

Reporter: And what are you doing to improve the defense?

Tovarich: We'll continue to be selectively aggressive with the press and double teaming and force some turnovers. If everyone's going to shoot so well, then stopping shots from happening is all that's left.

Reporter: The initial mid-major poll ranks you 20th. What do you think of that?

Tovarich: I saw us 3 spots behind an 0-2 team, so I'll be sure to be glued to the release of that one every week...

[Tovarich]

Re: Coach Tovarich 2.0 CH2K8 Career Legacy

@

E.A. Diddle Arena
Bowling Green, KY

Sam Houston State Bearkats at Western Kentucky Hilltoppers
Nov 23, 2009	1ST	2ND	SCORE
Sam Houston State (1-3)	31	32	63
Western Kentucky (5-0)	47	40	87

Sam Houston State Bearkats
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Mitchell	24	4-9	1-3	2-2	1	10	0	0	3	11
Crow	21	8-12	1-3	0-0	6	0	0	0	2	17
Traore	21	3-10	1-7	1-2	0	3	0	0	0	8
Matera	20	2-3	0-0	0-0	9	0	0	1	0	4
Herman	22	2-11	0-4	3-6	7	0	1	1	1	7
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Hardy	8	2-6	1-4	2-2	1	0	0	0	0	7
Goodwin	9	1-3	1-3	0-0	0	1	0	0	0	3
McCully	2	1-1	0-0	0-0	2	0	0	0	0	2
Worthy	12	2-2	0-0	0-0	4	1	0	1	1	4
Riddle	-- DID NOT PLAY --
Hooper	-- DID NOT PLAY --
Jennings	-- DID NOT PLAY --
TEAM TOTALS		25-57	5-24	8-12	30	15	1	3	7	63
TEAM TOTALS		25-57	5-24	8-12	30	15	1	3	7	63

Western Kentucky Hilltoppers
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Stivers	12	4-10	3-8	0-0	2	2	2	0	0	11
Rakiecki	13	4-8	4-7	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	12
Tamayo	13	2-5	1-3	0-0	1	3	0	0	0	5
Riley	12	4-5	0-0	1-1	2	3	0	0	0	9
Petrauskas	13	2-3	0-0	2-2	6	0	0	2	0	6
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Pettigrew	16	4-8	0-2	0-0	3	2	2	0	0	8
Slaughter	6	5-5	3-3	1-1	2	0	0	0	0	14
Marshall	14	2-4	0-0	2-2	5	1	2	0	1	6
Frazier	11	3-3	0-0	0-0	1	1	0	0	0	6
Ryan	16	2-2	0-0	0-0	0	2	1	0	0	4
Evans	14	1-5	0-0	4-4	3	0	0	0	0	6
TEAM TOTALS		33-58	11-23	10-10	25	14	7	2	1	87

Tovarich: We won. Questions?

Reporter: Why didn't you look happy in the second half?

Tovarich: Bad rebounding.

Reporter: Anything else?

Tovarich: Big guys missing layups because there was a PG in front of them. Or because there was one on the court.

Reporter: Most of the big guys shot well.

Tovarich: Evans.

Reporter: Why didn't Slaughter get very many minutes when he made all his shots?

Tovarich: Giving other people a chance to develop.

Reporter: You still look annoyed.

Tovarich: It was a bad team. There was nothing to get excited about. They outrebounded us. We shot well but I'd rather save it for Mississippi.

Reporter: You never full court pressed today. Shouldn't you practice that if that's your strategy on defense to prevent shots?

Tovarich: No need to rub it in. They were pressing us for a while. Shouldn't have, not a good idea.

[Tovarich]

Re: Coach Tovarich 2.0 CH2K8 Career Legacy

@

Tad Smith Coliseum
Oxford, MS

Western Kentucky Hilltoppers at Mississippi Rebels
Nov 28, 2009	1ST	2ND	SCORE
Western Kentucky (6-0)	41	43	84
Mississippi (5-3)	22	51	73

Western Kentucky Hilltoppers
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Stivers	15	2-2	2-2	0-0	1	1	1	0	0	6
Rakiecki	15	2-9	1-6	0-0	3	2	1	0	0	5
Tamayo	15	2-4	1-1	0-0	2	0	0	1	0	5
Riley	18	3-9	0-0	5-9	2	4	1	0	0	11
Petrauskas	13	5-9	0-0	1-1	6	1	1	1	1	11
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Pettigrew	13	2-5	2-3	0-0	1	1	0	0	1	6
Slaughter	13	3-7	2-5	2-2	3	0	0	0	1	10
Marshall	13	1-3	0-0	2-2	3	3	0	0	0	4
Frazier	6	6-7	1-1	0-0	0	0	2	0	0	13
Ryan	13	1-1	0-0	0-0	2	1	2	0	1	2
Evans	6	4-6	0-0	3-3	0	1	1	0	0	11
TEAM TOTALS		31-62	9-18	13-17	23	14	9	2	4	84

Mississippi Rebels
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Echols	22	3-10	1-3	1-2	0	8	0	0	0	8
Polynice	18	6-12	1-4	1-1	1	2	0	1	1	14
Graham	23	4-9	0-3	1-2	3	2	1	1	5	9
Batte	19	1-3	0-1	0-0	7	1	0	1	1	2
White	17	4-5	0-0	0-0	8	1	2	3	0	8
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Warren	10	6-12	1-3	1-1	3	3	1	0	1	14
Gaskins	11	2-5	0-3	0-0	0	0	0	0	1	4
Liberty	11	5-7	0-0	0-0	6	1	0	1	2	10
McGrain	5	2-2	0-0	0-0	2	0	0	0	0	4
Cantinol	4	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Huertas	-- DID NOT PLAY --
Hartman	-- DID NOT PLAY --
TEAM TOTALS		33-65	3-17	4-6	30	18	4	7	11	73

Tovarich: Good win, surprised how easy it was.

Reporter: (deep breath)

Tovarich: (interrupts) I wasn't done. I'd love to elaborate. We were able to get their center in foul trouble early, he was a bit slow rotating over against the press, which I don't recommend any of our opponents do, and his backup wasn't much on defense, so we were able to get a lot of easy baskets down low while he sat with two fouls, which was crucial. He came back in the second and had a handful of blocks and rebounds....rebounds, ugh, rough night again on that. Mississippi had a rough shooting performance in the first half and we were able to build a lead. By the time they found a groove on offense, we were too far ahead. Lots of minutes for the bench. Trying to keep those folks happy. I have no idea who started last year, but I can tell from the happiness levels that a couple of them did and are bummed they aren't now, but oh well. A few people had some shooting woes, but it was ok with the group effort scoring from everywhere. I mixed and matched the groupings a little bit, just because we were comfortably ahead most of the game. We weren't as sloppy as we can be sometimes with a lead in the second half. The backups kept better care of the ball this time and we did a good job getting to the foul line. The refs were pretty generous, although we made a point to drive it in against the backup center, and with their deficit, naturally their offense devolved into a lot of 3-pointers all second half to try and get back in it. All in all, happy, still worrying about the rebounding. I don't know what kind of size we'll see in the Sun Belt, but hopefully we're not at too big of a disadvantage on the boards there or we'll have to find someone on the team to shoot us out of it. I don't know if these power teams we played will turn out to be any good, but I still didn't expect to win all 3 of them, so we we're well ahead of schedule. I don't know what the schedule is, but 6-0 seemed unlikely with all the youth. I don't know how team unity works exactly, but we don't have a lot of it, more than we should for starting 4 FR.

Reporter: (unable to speak out of shock for the long answer)

Tovarich: Great. See ya'll back home next week.

[Tovarich]

Re: Coach Tovarich 2.0 CH2K8 Career Legacy

@

E.A. Diddle Arena
Bowling Green, KY

Indiana State Sycamores at Western Kentucky Hilltoppers
Dec 3, 2009	1ST	2ND	SCORE
Indiana State (5-4)	26	28	54
Western Kentucky (7-0)	45	43	88

Indiana State Sycamores
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Holmstrom	23	5-10	3-7	0-0	0	3	0	0	4	13
Abdur-Rahim	26	2-8	2-5	2-2	1	1	0	0	1	8
Walters	19	5-13	2-8	0-0	0	3	0	0	1	12
Taft	20	3-4	0-1	2-2	3	0	0	1	0	8
Leitnaker	20	3-5	0-0	0-1	5	1	0	0	0	6
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Marshall	7	0-4	0-2	0-0	0	1	0	0	0	0
Ramos	10	1-2	0-0	0-0	6	1	0	0	0	2
Martin	6	1-1	0-0	0-0	2	1	0	0	0	2
Lee	9	1-7	1-7	0-0	1	3	1	0	2	3
Printy	-- DID NOT PLAY --
Carter	-- DID NOT PLAY --
Sampson	-- DID NOT PLAY --
TEAM TOTALS		21-54	8-30	4-5	19	13	1	1	8	54
TEAM TOTALS		21-54	8-30	4-5	19	13	1	1	8	54

Western Kentucky Hilltoppers
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Stivers	15	4-6	3-4	0-0	1	3	1	0	0	11
Rakiecki	1	1-1	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	2
Tamayo	15	4-12	2-9	1-2	1	1	3	0	0	11
Riley	14	3-3	0-0	0-0	4	3	1	0	0	6
Petrauskas	16	6-10	0-0	0-0	10	2	0	2	0	12
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Pettigrew	12	5-7	0-2	2-2	2	0	0	0	0	12
Slaughter	11	4-6	2-3	0-0	1	1	1	0	0	10
Marshall	16	3-3	0-0	0-0	5	2	0	0	0	6
Frazier	16	1-3	0-1	0-0	5	1	1	0	0	2
Ryan	17	3-7	0-0	0-2	2	3	0	0	1	6
Evans	9	3-5	0-0	4-5	3	1	1	0	0	10
TEAM TOTALS		37-60	7-19	7-11	34	17	8	2	1	88

Tovarich: Easy win as it should have been. Bummer we lost Rakiecki though. Had to do some new mixing and matching and experiments with lineups to finish that one out. Good rebounding, although I don't think it means much.

Reporter: Tracy Wolfson said Rakiecki might be able to come back. Was that not true?

Tovarich: He'll miss 4 games. He had no chance of coming back in that one, nor would he have. There was no reason to.

Reporter: Why don't you make much of the dominant rebounding numbers?

Tovarich: They were such a 3-happy team, and that's me saying that, that most of their guys were outside the arc and not really giving anyone much of a chance to get a rebound. They don't have much of a big guy either, so with all the misses from 3 they had, we really should have dominated the boards. Otherwise, it would have been embarrassing.

Reporter: Is the new lineup as simple as moving Slaughter into the starting 5 at SG?

Tovarich: Most likely. I don't love it. I need a shooter like him on the B team to give them more of an outside threat. Pettigrew can shoot from out that and Frazier allegedly is a decent 3-point shooter though he hasn't taken many so far. It's a very tall B team, and I don't love it, but that's likely what's best. Youngstown State is 0-7, so hopefully that's an easy win. Conference opener at home, I expect that to be tough. The field in Utah looks less than daunting, so it's not a bad set of games for him to miss and hopefully we can get through those 4-0. It may keep a couple people happier for longer who aren't enjoying the bench if I can get them some extra minutes, but we'll see. I don't know why we haven't had a close game yet, so these bench minutes may recede a little.

Reporter: The in-season recruiting week ended without a recruit. Why?

Tovarich: We went really hard after an AA and he chose NC State over us. I was pretty all-in on trying to get him and we swung and missed. We have another PG we'll go hard after and hopefully he picks us over New Mexico State. Then we have an array of center's we're going for and I think we can end up with one of them, we'll see if we can get our preference of them though.

[Tovarich]

Re: Coach Tovarich 2.0 CH2K8 Career Legacy

@

Beeghly Center
Youngstown, OH

Western Kentucky Hilltoppers at Youngstown State Penguins
Dec 8, 2009	1ST	2ND	SCORE
Western Kentucky (8-0)	36	43	79
Youngstown State (2-8)	23	36	59

Western Kentucky Hilltoppers
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Stivers	16	3-7	0-1	0-0	1	4	3	0	0	6
Slaughter	16	1-3	1-3	0-0	1	0	1	0	0	3
Tamayo	16	8-13	4-5	0-0	1	1	2	0	0	20
Riley	16	3-4	0-0	0-1	6	0	0	0	1	6
Petrauskas	16	0-4	0-0	2-2	9	4	0	0	1	2
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Pettigrew	12	3-5	0-0	6-8	2	0	2	0	0	12
Marshall	12	2-4	0-0	4-7	1	2	0	1	0	8
Frazier	12	6-7	2-3	0-0	1	0	1	0	0	14
Evans	12	2-3	0-0	2-2	3	3	2	0	0	6
Ryan	12	1-2	0-0	0-0	1	2	1	0	2	2
Rakiecki	-- DID NOT PLAY --
TEAM TOTALS		29-52	7-12	14-20	26	16	12	1	4	79

Youngstown State Penguins
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Spooner	23	5-10	1-5	0-0	0	9	2	0	7	11
Cooksey	22	3-7	1-4	0-2	2	1	0	0	4	7
Sulskis	19	4-14	4-13	0-0	1	1	1	0	1	12
Terrell	21	4-6	0-0	0-1	4	1	1	0	0	8
Gourde	22	4-6	0-0	2-2	8	5	0	1	0	10
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Rozenblad	11	0-2	0-2	0-0	3	3	0	0	0	0
Mroziki	9	4-6	1-3	0-0	1	0	0	0	0	9
Berrelleca	8	1-2	0-0	0-0	6	0	0	0	0	2
Whaley	2	0-0	0-0	0-0	1	1	0	0	0	0
Howell	2	0-1	0-0	0-0	1	1	0	0	0	0
Freije	-- DID NOT PLAY --
Gunn	-- DID NOT PLAY --
TEAM TOTALS		25-54	7-27	2-5	27	22	4	1	12	59

Tovarich: Won the game as we should. Decent performance. Nothing special.

Reporter: Any thought to moving Petrauskas to the bench? He can be an offensive liability.

Tovarich: No. His rebounding's been a little better lately. Their 7+ footer was pushing him around a bit on both sides of the ball. He'll get tougher. He's a FR walkon.

Reporter: Tamayo had a great first half and then disappeared. Concern?

Tovarich: No. They tightened up on him and the backups played most of the second half. It's everyone else who started who should be concerned. None of them contributed a lot. The backups had a rough first half, but they had a good second half which is why they got all the minutes.

Reporter: Why is this team so good at getting to the free throw line? That's not something your Eastern Shore teams did well.

Tovarich: Far better personnel. Eastern Shore was dependent on a couple 3-point shooters. This team is so good everywhere that we can drive it in with some confidence and they are great at kicking it out too. The opponent's big guys lacking in skill is also a big factor. And everyone pressing us which usually leaves their center trying to guard two people.

Reporter: Is this too easy coach?

Tovarich: It kind of is. I just have so much talent here, it's such an easy job.

[Tovarich]

Re: Coach Tovarich 2.0 CH2K8 Career Legacy

@

E.A. Diddle Arena
Bowling Green, KY

South Alabama Jaguars at Western Kentucky Hilltoppers
Dec 15, 2009	1ST	2ND	SCORE
South Alabama (5-2)	34	41	75
Western Kentucky (8-1)	37	35	72

South Alabama Jaguars
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Pleiness	18	3-6	1-3	0-0	1	5	0	0	5	7
Chavis	24	11-17	3-9	0-1	1	6	1	0	1	25
Ross	19	5-9	0-1	0-0	7	0	0	0	0	10
Tabet	21	3-5	0-0	4-5	15	2	0	0	3	10
Burleson	21	3-8	0-0	1-4	7	4	1	4	0	7
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Goodson	9	2-4	0-0	2-2	2	1	0	0	3	6
Hayden	12	1-3	0-1	2-2	0	3	0	0	2	4
Tabet	7	3-3	0-0	0-0	6	0	0	0	0	6
Rand	7	0-0	0-0	0-0	1	0	0	0	2	0
Ross	-- DID NOT PLAY --
Tudeme	-- DID NOT PLAY --
Hill	-- DID NOT PLAY --
TEAM TOTALS		31-55	4-14	9-14	40	23	2	5	16	75
TEAM TOTALS		31-55	4-14	9-14	40	23	2	5	16	75

Western Kentucky Hilltoppers
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Stivers	22	6-19	3-10	1-1	1	3	3	0	1	16
Slaughter	22	3-8	1-4	0-0	2	0	0	1	0	7
Tamayo	22	5-10	2-5	0-0	4	0	1	0	0	12
Riley	22	2-8	0-1	1-2	3	2	4	1	0	5
Petrauskas	14	3-9	0-0	0-0	7	3	0	0	1	6
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Pettigrew	6	1-2	0-1	0-0	1	0	1	0	0	2
Marshall	6	3-6	0-0	0-0	0	1	1	0	0	6
Frazier	6	3-5	0-2	0-1	0	4	1	0	0	6
Evans	14	6-10	0-0	0-0	9	4	4	0	0	12
Ryan	6	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Rakiecki	-- DID NOT PLAY --
TEAM TOTALS		32-77	6-23	2-4	27	17	15	2	2	72

Tovarich: LOL.

Reporter: What's so funny coach?

Tovarich: The perfect storm of everything that came together to lose that. You just can see it coming, and it's predictable, and there's nothing you can do about it.

Reporter: What was predictable?

Tovarich: Missing the tying 3 at the end.

Reporter: How'd you know?

Tovarich: Once they went ahead, we missed 100% of our shots when it would have tied the game. We took 22 extra shots, we were +14 in turnovers and we were still destined to lose.

Reporter: Why couldn't you get to the line tonight?

Tovarich: Because the refs were bias.

Reporter: That's a serious accusation coach.

Tovarich: I throw those out pretty liberally. 14-4 FT's. Petrauskas was called for a foul literally any time he attempted to defend anyone. They were somehow amazing in the paint. Starting big guys were 5/17 in the paint? LOL. Stivers missed a drunk and 2 other layups on breakaways. You see some patterns the more you coach and you just have to try and laugh when you know you're going to lose and it doesn't matter what you try.

[Tovarich]

Re: Coach Tovarich 2.0 CH2K8 Career Legacy

vs.

Gossner Foods Holiday Classic Semifinal
D.G. Smith Spectrum
Logan, UT

N.J.I.T Highlanders at Western Kentucky Hilltoppers
Dec 17, 2009	1ST	2ND	SCORE
N.J.I.T (3-9)	30	32	62
Western Kentucky (9-1)	42	29	71

N.J.I.T Highlanders
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Lyn	19	1-6	1-2	2-2	1	7	0	0	0	5
Epps	23	6-7	3-3	1-1	3	2	1	0	3	16
Garris	20	6-12	2-5	1-1	1	3	0	0	2	15
Skema	20	2-6	0-1	0-0	4	1	0	0	1	4
Stonkus	17	2-4	0-0	2-2	11	1	0	0	0	6
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Jefferson	5	1-2	0-1	0-0	0	0	0	0	2	2
Wilson	15	2-4	0-1	0-0	0	0	0	1	4	4
Nashif	14	3-3	0-0	0-0	8	1	0	0	1	6
Cesar	2	1-2	0-1	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	2
Kirkland	5	1-2	0-0	0-0	1	0	0	0	0	2
Dixon	-- DID NOT PLAY --
Arline	-- DID NOT PLAY --
TEAM TOTALS		25-48	6-14	6-6	29	15	1	1	13	62
TEAM TOTALS		25-48	6-14	6-6	29	15	1	1	13	62

Western Kentucky Hilltoppers
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Stivers	19	4-9	1-2	2-2	1	2	3	0	1	11
Slaughter	19	4-8	1-3	0-0	1	4	2	1	0	9
Tamayo	19	5-13	4-7	1-1	2	1	1	0	0	15
Riley	19	1-1	0-0	0-0	3	4	2	1	0	2
Petrauskas	19	5-6	0-0	4-5	9	2	0	0	0	14
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Pettigrew	9	1-5	1-5	0-0	0	0	1	0	1	3
Marshall	9	1-2	0-0	2-2	0	1	1	0	0	4
Frazier	9	2-5	1-4	0-0	0	1	2	1	0	5
Evans	9	2-4	0-1	1-1	1	2	1	0	0	5
Ryan	9	1-1	1-1	0-0	1	1	0	0	0	3
TEAM TOTALS		26-54	9-23	10-11	18	18	13	3	2	71

Tovarich: I guess you can get away with it against NJIT, although it's the first time I've beaten them, but it was a listless, lazy and uninspiring performance. Their rebounding advantage is embarrassing. All around weak performance from most of the team.

Reporter: Did the quality of the opponent affect their play?

Tovarich: I doubt it. They just weren't very good today and we happened to be playing a bad team so we could get away with it.

Reporter: Why do you think the team is somewhat slumping after 9 pretty dominant performances?

Tovarich: No idea. Maybe Rakiecki is a big deal. Certainly the B team has to run a different offense without him because there's not a lot of outside shooting without him. We're a bit heavy on forwards on the roster so losing a guard is a big deal. Or maybe it's just our lousy team unity. I don't know why it didn't seem to be a factor early, but suddenly now is. We just have to trudge though one more game and get back to full strength and maybe that'll make a difference.

[Tovarich]

Re: Coach Tovarich 2.0 CH2K8 Career Legacy

vs.

Gossner Foods Holiday Classic Championship
D.G. Smith Spectrum
Logan, UT

Portland State Vikings at Western Kentucky Hilltoppers
Dec 18, 2009	1ST	2ND	SCORE
Portland State (4-7)	40	27	67
Western Kentucky (10-1)	41	36	77

Portland State Vikings
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Waters	25	7-12	2-4	2-2	0	5	0	0	3	18
Coston	21	6-9	3-5	0-0	0	2	0	0	2	15
Finley	25	2-7	0-4	0-0	6	5	1	0	4	4
Hammond	26	4-6	0-0	3-4	4	2	0	0	3	11
Valencia	14	2-6	0-0	1-1	9	1	0	0	0	5
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Staten	9	3-4	0-0	0-0	8	0	1	0	0	6
Tiefenthaler	2	0-1	0-0	0-0	2	1	0	0	0	0
Ferguson	9	0-2	0-0	0-0	1	1	0	0	0	0
Nelson	5	2-6	1-4	1-1	0	0	0	0	0	6
Nwankwo	2	0-0	0-0	2-2	2	0	0	0	0	2
Mara	-- DID NOT PLAY --
Smalls	-- DID NOT PLAY --
TEAM TOTALS		26-53	6-17	9-10	32	17	2	0	12	67
TEAM TOTALS		26-53	6-17	9-10	32	17	2	0	12	67

Western Kentucky Hilltoppers
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Stivers	20	3-8	3-8	0-0	2	5	4	0	0	9
Slaughter	20	4-11	1-7	0-0	0	5	1	0	0	9
Tamayo	20	5-19	4-15	4-4	1	1	1	0	1	18
Riley	20	5-8	1-2	0-1	5	3	2	1	0	11
Petrauskas	20	4-4	0-0	2-4	10	0	1	0	0	10
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Pettigrew	8	2-3	1-2	0-0	1	0	0	0	0	5
Marshall	8	0-1	0-0	0-0	2	0	0	0	0	0
Frazier	8	3-6	3-6	0-0	0	1	0	0	0	9
Evans	8	2-2	0-0	2-2	4	0	1	0	1	6
Ryan	8	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	4	0	0	1	0
Rakiecki	-- DID NOT PLAY --
TEAM TOTALS		28-62	13-40	8-11	25	19	10	1	3	77

Tovarich: Guess it's nice to hoist a trophy. Not sure what Gossner Foods is, but might as well win if you show up. Not a great performance again. Close game until about 2 minutes to go when we suddenly hit 3 3'3 in a row, which is baffling considering how poor a shooting night it was from the outside up until then. Needed all those extra turnovers.

Reporter: Tamayo was 1-9 at one point, what gave you the confidence in him to let him keep shooting?

Tovarich: He's hit so many 3's for us this season, I just couldn't imagine he'd have another half like that. He always has a green light even if he's 0-15. I believe he'd make the 16th.

Reporter: You switched Slaughter and Stiver a bit in the second half there. What was the purpose there?

Tovarich: Stiver is such an awesome shooter, and for whatever reason, I've learned that shooters are better when they catch a pass and spot up. Just moving to a side against the zone and shooting while they've been dribbling just isn't as effective. Slaughter wasn't hitting much, so I wanted Stiver available to catch and shoot and he hit a couple.

Reporter: What improvement are you seeing on defense and in rebounding?

Tovarich: Not much. It's been a problem my entire career. I don't feel like we have a lot to do with it. We'll press when we need to to see if we can get some steals. We get a good number of steals in the half court too. We'll continue to be hyper-aggressive in preventing shots unless it's a really bad team having a bad night.

[Tovarich]

Re: Coach Tovarich 2.0 CH2K8 Career Legacy

vs.

Aeropostale Holiday Festival Semifinal
Carnesecca Arena
Jamaica, NY

Western Kentucky Hilltoppers at Georgia State Panthers
Dec 25, 2009	1ST	2ND	SCORE
Western Kentucky (11-1)	34	43	77
Georgia State (3-6)	26	21	47

Western Kentucky Hilltoppers
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Stivers	16	4-5	2-3	1-2	0	4	2	0	0	11
Rakiecki	19	4-8	0-4	1-1	3	3	2	0	0	9
Tamayo	16	7-11	4-5	0-0	1	1	3	0	0	18
Riley	16	1-2	0-0	0-0	1	5	1	0	0	2
Petrauskas	16	4-6	0-0	0-0	6	4	0	0	0	8
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Pettigrew	8	2-6	2-6	2-2	0	0	0	0	0	8
Slaughter	12	1-6	1-5	1-2	2	0	0	0	0	4
Marshall	9	3-7	0-0	0-0	2	0	1	0	0	6
Frazier	10	2-4	0-0	0-0	4	2	5	0	0	4
Evans	7	2-2	0-0	0-0	4	1	1	0	0	4
Ryan	12	1-1	0-0	1-1	0	3	1	0	1	3
TEAM TOTALS		31-58	9-23	6-8	23	23	16	0	2	77

Georgia State Panthers
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Dukes	26	4-8	0-1	3-4	3	4	0	0	6	11
Moye	23	3-6	0-1	0-0	4	1	1	0	3	6
Forte	24	3-12	0-5	0-0	8	0	0	0	2	6
Hampton	23	2-6	0-0	0-0	3	2	1	0	2	4
Ingerson	20	4-10	0-0	0-0	14	0	0	0	2	8
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Sampson	10	2-3	0-0	0-0	4	0	0	0	0	4
Monserez	7	1-3	0-1	0-0	2	0	0	0	1	2
Goldston	7	3-7	0-2	0-0	1	0	0	0	0	6
Lott	-- DID NOT PLAY --
Hansbro	-- DID NOT PLAY --
Rimmer	-- DID NOT PLAY --
Torres	-- DID NOT PLAY --
TEAM TOTALS		22-55	0-10	3-4	39	7	2	0	16	47

Tovarich: The rebounding is exasperating. I lost count of their offensive rebounds. 15? I know Ingerson had 7 in the first 9 minutes. I don't know what to do. He's a FR too, no more heralded than my FR walkon. But he's a rebounding machine and we are useless.

Reporter: You won by 30 coach. Do you really need rebounds?

Tovarich: Apparently not. I think I've coached 78 games now. I'd wager my team's been out-rebounded in 75 of them probably and I'm 50-28, so I guess it can be overcome, but it sure would be nice. Maybe when these guys are all SR's they'll have developed some rebounding skills, but so far in my career anyway, I know nothing but FR and SO in my starting lineup it seems.

Reporter: How big would it be to face a top-10 Louisville tomorrow in the championship, should they win tonight?

Tovarich: That would be great. The 3 power schools we've played so far are not on that level. I know Wake and Mississippi have winning records, so they might be decent. Penn State has 1 win. A top 10 team to see how we compete would be tremendous before going back to conference games, where we're winless.

Reporter: Talk about Rakiecki's comeback from injury tonight.

Tovarich: He never found it from 3, but I gave him a pep talk before the game. His confidence was way down. I don't know why it would be from being injured, but for some reason it was in the tank. He couldn't play though, so I'm not sure what could've been done. He got some easy layups on the break and a putback on an offensive rebound. Gotta get him going from behind the arc though. Luckily we played a team who couldn't hit a shot tonight, so it was ok. Tamayo nailed them, and if he keeps that up, Rakiecki can keep easing his way back in, but he's gotta find the form from 3. Can't complaing about his performance though. Hopefully he feels a little better about himself.

[Tovarich]

Re: Coach Tovarich 2.0 CH2K8 Career Legacy

vs.

Aeropostale Holiday Festival Championship
Carnesecca Arena
Jamaica, NY

Western Kentucky Hilltoppers at Fairfield Stags
Dec 26, 2009	1ST	2ND	OT	SCORE
Western Kentucky (12-1)	43	28	13	84
Fairfield (8-6)	38	33	11	82

Western Kentucky Hilltoppers
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Stivers	29	1-6	2-2	2-2	1	11	3	0	1	7
Rakiecki	29	9-18	4-13	0-1	2	1	2	0	2	22
Tamayo	29	12-23	10-18	2-	2	1	2	0	1	36
Riley	29	3-5	0-1	0-0	6	3	3	0	0	6
Petrauskas	29	3-6	0-0	0-0	9	3	2	0	0	6
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Pettigrew	4	0-2	0-2	0-0	1	0	1	0	0	0
Slaughter	4	0-2	0-2	0-0	0	1	0	0	0	0
Marshall	4	1-1	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	2
Frazier	4	1-2	0-0	0-0	0	1	1	0	0	2
Ryan	4	1-1	1-1	0-0	0	0	0	0	1	3
Evans	-- DID NOT PLAY --
TEAM TOTALS		32-68	16-43	4-5	21	21	14	0	5	84

Fairfield Stags
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Perry	27	2-6	0-3	2-5	2	8	0	0	2	6
Stoudamire	26	10-12	2-3	1-2	1	2	1	0	1	23
Grimes	28	9-13	5-6	0-0	7	4	2	0	3	23
Nero	29	4-6	0-0	2-2	9	6	1	1	3	10
Gaines	26	5-7	0-0	0-0	3	3	0	0	1	10
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Johnson A	11	3-3	0-0	0-0	5	1	0	0	2	6
Hawkins	13	1-1	1-1	1-2	3	3	0	0	2	4
Johnson D	5	0-1	0-0	0-0	0	1	0	0	1	0
Hoyer	-- DID NOT PLAY --
Sisca	-- DID NOT PLAY --
Edney	-- DID NOT PLAY --
Grzeck	-- DID NOT PLAY --
TEAM TOTALS		34-49	8-13	6-11	30	28	4	1	15	82

Tovarich: Disappointing to not get Louisville. And then get a team who played like Louisville. 69% shooting was incredible of course, because they were playing us. +19 in shots and +11 in turnovers just to have a chance to eek it out in overtime.

Reporter: Did you forget about the bench?

Tovarich: I wasn't really feeling the bench today. They were shooting so insanely well I felt like I needed my best players and my best scorers out there as much as I could. They called a lot of timeouts. I called a lot of timeouts. Everyone was relatively fresh.

Reporter: Do you know about 2-point shots?

Tovarich: If you've watched as many missed layups over the years as I have, you'd try to forget about them too. They played a lot of zone, so if someone was open, they should've taken it. I know we missed a ton, but it felt like the best way to keep up with their ridiculous shooting.

Reporter: Have you given up on defense and rebounding and accepted you'll just need to outshoot the other team, mostly from 3?

Tovarich: I've given up on playing half-court defense, sure. It's all about the steals on every possession because that's all that seems to have a semi-chance of working. I'm not sure where to find defensive shooting stats, but I am sure that we're the worst in the country. As somewhat poor as the rebounding was, we grabbed a few offensive boards and got the big one in OT with 20 seconds to go and ran some more clock while they fouled, and got up 5 before they hit the meaningless 3 at the buzzer. Conventional basketball theory be damned. Love the steal and love the 3.