Flying High - Legacy of Coach Bird [CH 2K8]

[RussellBird]

The Legacy of Russell Bird



Play Mode: Simulation

Difficulty: All-Conference

Half Length: 14 Minutes

Sim Half Length: 20 Minutes

Sliders: mkharsh33 with slight adjustments
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Southeast Missouri State Hires Russell Bird as Head Coach

Cape Girardeau, MO - In the early morning hours, students and fans of Southeast awoke to shocking news. A man with the last name of Bird had been hired to coach their team. In their minds, there was only one bird. Larry Bird was believed to have been the man hired for the job. A quick glance at the newspaper once again made them sigh. It was not Larry Bird who had been hired, but a high school coach from Iowa with the name of Russell Bird. A relative unknown, not many people knew anything about Coach Bird. They were in Missouri. How would they know anything about a man who has spent the entirety of his life in Iowa?

Russell Bird, a graduate of Drake University, was also shocked by the offer. In his first year of coaching high school basketball, the then 24 year old managed to lead his team to their first state championship. One year after that event, and he has suddenly been thrust into a head coaching job at Southeast. At first, Bird believed the call to be a hoax. Especially since he had only briefly heard of the school. "It was about seven in the morning when I received the call. In my current state, my mind wasn't comprehending what the man on the other end was saying. I thought he was talking about selling some some time share in Maine."

Fortunately, Bird realized his mistake and quickly accepted the offer. "Who wouldn't want to coach college basketball? It was my life when I was much younger, though I was never good enough to truly be good. In high school, I learned that I had a decent ability to coach. An occasional game or two was won due to the coach listening to my plans. Never did I expect to be coaching in college. I'm still trying to get over that fact. Still trying to figure out why they were scouting out some high school coach in Iowa, honestly."

Bird answered a few question in a press conference. The most notable being his plans during his stay at Southeast. "I plan to take this team to the tournament. Win some conference titles. You know, everything that any typical coach would want. I believe this group of kids can do anything."

Russell Bird will be replacing 2nd year coach Dickey Nutt. Over his tenure at Southeast, Coach Nutt has acquired an 32-160 record. His best season was last year when he coached the Redhawks to a 15-15 season and a fourth place finish in the conference. They would go on to be knocked out in the quarterfinals for the second year in a row. Southeast Missouri State wishes all the best in Dickey Nutt's future endeavors in the world of coaching.

[RussellBird]

Re: Flying High - Legacy of Coach Bird [CH 2K8]

Season One

Spoiler

Russell Bird Coaching Record:
Overall Record: 2-1 (0-0)
Conference Championships:
NIT Tournament Appearances:
NCAA Tournament Appearances:
NCAA Tournament Record:
Final Four Appearances:
National Championships:

Team Record
Southeast Missouri State (2012 - ??) - 2-1 (0-0)

Season-by-Season Record
2012-2013 - Southeast Missouri State: 2-1 (0-0)

[RussellBird]

Re: Flying High - Legacy of Coach Bird [CH 2K8]

SOUTHEAST MISSOURI STATE 2012-13 PREVIEW

Southeast Missouri State Redhawks Depth Chart - 2012/13
	STARTER	2ND	3RD	4TH
PG	Nick Niemcyk (68)	A.J. Jones (60)
SG	Marland Smith (68)	Corey Wilford (61)
SF	Lucas Nutt (66)	Jacob Tolbert (47)
PF	Tyler Stone (78)	Michael Porter (57)
C	Nino Johnson (64)	Colin Ferguson (55)

Starting Five
PG: JR Nick Niemcyk
SG: SR Marland Smith
SF: JR Lucas Nutt
PF: JR Tyler Stone
C: SO Nino Johnson

First Five Games
11/10 - @ Xavier
11/14 - @ Illinois State
11/20 - Evansville
11/23 - Coppin State [Deep Dish Challenge]
11/28 - @ Louisiana Tech
Italicized denotes neutral arena games

Ohio Valley Preseason Conference Standings
1. Eastern Kentucky
2. Jacksonville State
3. Morehead State
4. Murray State
5. Samford
6. Southeast Missouri State
7. Tennessee-Martin
8. Tennessee State
9. Tennessee Tech
10. Austin Peay
11. Eastern Illinois

[JJ4]

Re: Flying High - Legacy of Coach Bird [CH 2K8]

good luck.

[RussellBird]

Re: Flying High - Legacy of Coach Bird [CH 2K8]

Redhawks Pull Off Upset with Late Surge, 86-82



@

Cincinnati, OH - Down by nine points with just under four minutes left, Nick Niemczyk took over. Draining three straight 3's, his team was suddenly tied up with Xavier. For a player held to just 6 points in the first, it was an awakening. Xavier failed to stop Niemczyk on almost every possession in the late goings. Unable to defend from the perimeter, Xavier went into desperation mode. Lobbing wayward passes without much thought. Out of their 10 turnovers, 5 were committed late in the game with the score swinging towards the Redhawks' favor. After a surprise missed open shot by Martin, the Musketeers found themselves down by two scores with less than 5 seconds left. Their opening day had been spoiled by the Redhawks.

During an interview leading up to the game, Bird emphasized that it didn't matter how much the other team scored. As long as his team kept scoring, they'd force the other team into mistakes. That philosophy paid off big tonight with a huge win over Xavier. "We forced some big turnovers late. Got hot behind the arc. We did what it takes to win. Xavier played a hell of a game, but we just really wanted to play the spoiler tonight. It's definitely going to be a big game going forward," Bird commented after the game.

Much to the surprise of Redhawks' fans, Lucas Nutt remained in a starting position on the team. With some convincing by his father, Lucas did not leave the team like he originally played. Instead, he plans to finish out his career at Southeast under Bird. It's widely believed that Nutt may have a big role on the team, as he was given a starting spot. After going to the charity stripe nearly nine teams, it's easy to see why Bird wanted him to remain on the team. "He's a tough kid. More than willing to battle with the bigger guys in the paint. Seven points from the line is a testament to that. It's definitely a treat to watch him play out there."

After the upset over Xavier, Southeast continues their road trip as they travel to Normal, Illinois to take on Illinois State. Although not a team on Xavier's level, it'll still take some work to keep the season going in the right direction. With just a few more mistakes in this game, Xavier could have blown out the Redhawks. It'll take a little discipline to rectify any faults the team may still have.

Southeast Missouri State Redhawks at Xavier Musketeers
Nov 10, 2012	1ST	2ND	SCORE
Southeast Missouri State (0-0)	34	52	86
Xavier (0-0)	34	48	82

Southeast Missouri State Redhawks
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Nick Niemczyk	20	6-12	3-4	2-2	1	1	0	0	0	17
Marland Smith	21	4-11	0-4	0-0	2	1	3	0	1	8
Lucas Nutt	18	4-6	0-1	7-9	2	3	1	0	1	15
Tyler Stone	21	5-8	0-0	0-2	8	4	1	0	0	10
Nino Johnson	21	4-8	0-0	6-8	5	0	2	0	0	14
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
A.J. Jones	12	4-6	2-2	2-2	3	1	0	0	0	12
Corey Wilford	10	1-2	0-1	2-2	1	3	1	0	0	4
Michael Porter	9	3-4	0-0	0-0	4	1	1	0	1	6
Colin Ferguson	5	0-0	0-0	0-0	2	0	0	0	0	0
Jacob Tolbert	3	0-1	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	1	0
TEAM TOTALS		31-59	5-12	19-25	28	14	9	0	4	86

Xavier Musketeers
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Dee Davis	25	4-4	4-4	0-0	2	10	0	0	3	12
Semaj Christon	25	3-11	0-2	1-2	2	2	2	0	2	7
Justin Martin	24	10-21	4-11	0-0	4	2	1	0	3	24
Isaiah Philmore	23	0-4	0-0	2-2	6	1	0	0	0	2
Travis Taylor	24	5-8	0-0	9-11	8	3	0	2	0	19
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Jeff Robinson	13	4-4	0-0	3-3	4	0	0	1	2	11
Brad Redford	5	3-5	1-3	0-0	0	1	1	0	0	7
TEAM TOTALS		29-57	9-20	15-18	26	19	4	3	10	82

Bird's Nest - Welcome to the first edition of the Bird's Nest. Something I did back at my former job that I'll be continuing here. It'll mostly just serve as a reflections-type thing. Feel free to ask any questions, and I'll be sure to answer them.

First off, I just want to state how happy I am with last night's result. Things went the way I planned. Xavier's a good school, but, with the way the team had been playing in practice, I knew they'd go out there and get the "w". It's a real honor to get to be able and go out there with a good squad in my first year. Means the higher-ups have some confidence in me. Think this'll be a good year.

We implemented by offense and defense perfectly. Xavier only had two people come off the bench in the game, so I made sure to keep the game up tempo. Charging up and down the court and not giving them a moment's rest. It was more evident in the second half, as we really began to score bucket after bucket. We also kept to the full court defense throughout the game. When they got tired, we were able to intercept most of their passes. Really led to some easy scoring.

Nick was definitely our player of the game. His threes late in the game really propelled us back into the game. Thought things were getting out of hand when they went up by nine. Nick stayed calm and focused. After having that disappointing first half, he seemed like he wanted to prove himself. Mission accomplished. Going to be a key player going forward. In the clutch, he can expect the ball in his hand.

That about wraps up the first edition of the Bird's Nest. We head out to Illinois to take on Illinois State. Should be another exciting game, but I'm sure we'll get the job done. Until next time!

Go Southeast!

[RussellBird]

Re: Flying High - Legacy of Coach Bird [CH 2K8]

good luck.

Thanks! I appreciate it!

[pfeifere1]

Re: Flying High - Legacy of Coach Bird [CH 2K8]

I like the Bird's Nest idea...clever!

[RussellBird]

Re: Flying High - Legacy of Coach Bird [CH 2K8]

I like the Bird's Nest idea...clever!

Thanks! Wanted to add something somewhat unique, haha.

[Deuce2223]

Re: Flying High - Legacy of Coach Bird [CH 2K8]

Congrats on getting that first big W. Xavier is a tough team..

[RussellBird]

Re: Flying High - Legacy of Coach Bird [CH 2K8]

Poor Shooting Sinks Southeast's Chances, Lose 80-69



@

Normal, IL - Once again, the Redhawks find themselves down by nine points with time quickly draining away. Just like the game against Xavier, they fought back and nearly took the lead with only a few minutes to go. Unlike Southeastern's first win, the free throw shooting was just not there for them. With a chance to tie the game up, they would miss a free throw. It was just one of those days for Southeastern. Nothing seemed to be going down, but they had one more chance to throw the momentum in their favor. Down two, they had an even better chance with Nick Niemczyk at the line. Both shots were missed, and Illinois State would never look back again.

The great shooting from the Xavier game had seemingly not traveled with the team. Despite getting open looks, nothing was falling. It just didn't seem to be the Redhawks' night. While they looked great in crunch time against Xavier, most of their missed shots came when the team really needed it. For a brief moment of time, they were on fire. Everything falling with ease. But that momentum never stayed with them. Illinois State was able to shut them down and keep them from knocking down shots. It just seemed that they ran out of gas late in the game. Unable to beat their man and get open for any easy shots.

"I really don't know what happened out there," Bird said during an interview after the game. "Really thought we had this one. Didn't think we'd miss so many charity shots at the end of the game. Those misses just seemed to deflate us. The guys were really running on fumes there at the end." It was obvious that Bird wasn't too happy with their performance, but they were the underdogs in this one. No one, even after their win over Xavier, believed that they could keep up the wins. It seemed that the doubters were right.

For the first time all season, Southeast will get to return home. The six day break before the Evansville game may bring back some of that confidence seen at Xavier. Out of the three matches, this one is the most likely to be an even match-up. No real favorites in that one.

Southeast Missouri State Redhawks at Illinois State Redbirds
Nov 14, 2012	1ST	2ND	SCORE
Southeast Missouri State (1-0)	34	35	69
Illinois State (0-0)	38	42	80

Southeast Missouri State Redhawks
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Nick Niemczyk	19	1-8	1-4	6-9	1	3	1	0	1	9
Marland Smith	23	1-10	0-4	0-2	5	4	1	1	2	2
Lucas Nutt	22	3-8	0-1	3-7	2	1	3	0	1	9
Tyler Stone	19	5-7	1-1	0-1	7	1	0	2	2	11
Nino Johnson	21	7-8	0-0	2-5	11	2	2	0	1	16
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
A.J. Jones	13	4-7	1-2	2-2	1	1	1	0	1	11
Michael Porter	12	2-9	0-1	2-2	0	0	0	0	0	6
Corey Wilford	7	1-2	1-1	2-2	0	1	0	0	0	5
Colin Ferguson	5	0-2	0-0	0-0	2	0	0	0	1	0
TEAM TOTALS		24-62	4-14	17-30	32	13	8	3	9	69

Illinois State Redbirds
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Johnny Hill	22	3-8	1-1	1-2	2	3	2	2	3	8
Bryant Allen	23	5-8	1-3	13-13	1	1	1	0	3	24
Tyler Brown	24	4-11	1-5	5-6	6	0	0	2	2	14
John Ekey	20	8-17	2-4	3-3	5	2	2	1	2	21
Jackie Carmichael	6	0-0	0-0	0-0	3	0	1	0	0	0
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Jordan Threloff	17	1-2	0-0	3-3	13	0	1	1	1	5
John Jones	15	2-3	0-1	2-2	4	1	1	1	0	6
John Wilkins	7	1-6	0-1	0-0	1	1	1	0	0	2
Kaza Keane	6	0-1	0-0	0-0	0	4	0	0	0	0
TEAM TOTALS		24-55	5-15	27-29	35	12	9	7	11	80

Bird's Nest - I don't think I've ever been so disappointed before. Not just due to my players or my coaching but the other team. Serious disrespect towards the end of that game. Don't know if it was the coach or no but really? Scoring more points when you have a nine point lead with 40 seconds left? Bryant Allen seemed to feel the need to pad his stats after he had some help with that all day. I really just don't know what to think after that poor showing of sportsmanship.

We deserved this loss though. So many wasted shots at the charity stripe. No way we'll win gives if we play like that. Even with our bad shooting tonight, we could have won had a few players stepped it up in the free throw category. Missing thirteen shots and losing by eleven? Yeah, that's how much free throws can make and break a team. It's something I'll definitely be focusing on during practice. Not letting games just slip away due to not being able to hit the easiest shot in the game.

Nino Johnson really stepped it up today. Despite the loss, he was out there trying his hardest to keep us in that game. After Stone was fouled out late, he picked up the effort. Keep pulling down rebounds and hitting shots when he could. Sure, he missed three free throws but so did almost everyone else it seems. I'll have to award my player of the game to Nino. Standout performance on a poor day.

That's about it for this edition of the Bird's Nest. Hope to see all of you supporting your Redhawks during the game against Evansville. Gonna need a big rebound to get this momentum going again.

[RussellBird]

Re: Flying High - Legacy of Coach Bird [CH 2K8]

Congrats on getting that first big W. Xavier is a tough team..

Was a very surprising game to say the least. Just wish we kept playing the same way in the Illinois State game.

[JJ4]

Re: Flying High - Legacy of Coach Bird [CH 2K8]

hope you can rebound after such a deflating loss.

[RussellBird]

Re: Flying High - Legacy of Coach Bird [CH 2K8]

Marland Smith Lights Up Scoreboard in OT Victory over Evansville, 99-89



@

Cape Girardeau, MO - Nine quick points were scored beyond the arch by Marland Smith. From there, Coach Bird decided to live and die by the three. At one point, the Redhawks led by more than ten points. One of the first times all season. Despite the hot start, Evansville started to hit shots of their own. It seemed like both teams had entirely forgotten how to take the ball inside the paint and score. Most of both teams' shots were from the three point range. And neither time was going to go away from that system. Even if Southeast was beginning to miss open shots again and again. With the first half over, things looked a little bleak for them.

But, once again in crunch time, the Redhawks showed up. After trailing for most of the second half, Marland Smith began to sink three's with ease once again. The Evansville defense had sagged off on him, as many of his shots weren't going down. With just a minute left, the Redhawks had a two point lead. Unfortunately, they would attempt to jack up a three in order to ice the game. It would ultimately fail and lead to an Evansville bucket. After yet another miss on their side, it all seemed like they were going to win. On an attempt to steal, a reach-in foul was called. Sending an Evansville player with just seconds left, he would miss both shots. An offensive rebound led to yet another shot attempt to fell off the front iron. Overtime was on its way.

Marland Smith continued to hit threes, and Evansville committed costly turnovers. Most coming off inbound passes thanks to the full court man-to-man defense employed by Coach Bird. It didn't take long for Southeast to jump out to a double digit lead. One that Evansville wasn't going to come back from. "The momentum was on our side heading into overtime. I had been hitting three's in the closing seconds of the second. To me, I think that had the biggest impact on the outcome of the game. No one should slack off on me for just a few bad shots. I don't stay cold for too long, and I'm too good to be unguarded," said Marland Smith to reporters shortly after the game.

With another win in the books, Coach Bird and his players have Coppin State and the Deep Dish Challenge on their minds. For the first time, Southeastern heads into a game a massive favorite. It looks to be the first truly easy game on the schedule.

Evansville Aces at Southeast Missouri State Redhawks
Nov 20, 2012	1ST	2ND	OT	SCORE
Evansville (0-2)	41	38	10	89
Southeast Missouri State (1-1)	38	41	20	99

Evansville Aces
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Troy Taylor	28	1-2	0-0	1-2	0	14	0	0	1	3
Colt Ryan	28	9-19	4-11	6-6	4	1	1	1	3	28
Adam Wing	26	9-31	4-17	2-4	6	2	1	0	4	24
David Howard	22	3-5	0-0	1-2	14	1	1	0	1	7
Ryan Sawvell	22	2-3	0-0	0-0	5	0	0	1	0	4
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
D.J. Balentine	12	4-6	1-2	0-0	0	4	1	0	0	9
Rokas Cesnulevicius	11	0-0	0-0	2-2	5	1	0	0	0	2
Jaylon Moore	10	1-2	0-0	0-0	7	0	0	1	1	2
Ned Cox	5	2-3	0-0	6-6	0	1	0	0	0	10
TEAM TOTALS		31-71	9-30	18-22	41	24	4	3	10	89
TEAM TOTALS		31-71	9-30	18-22	41	24	4	3	10	89

Southeast Missouri State Redhawks
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Nick Niemczyk	23	5-10	2-5	0-0	4	2	0	0	0	12
Marland Smith	27	11-24	8-20	1-7	1	4	0	0	0	31
Lucas Nutt	26	0-2	0-0	0-0	1	9	2	0	3	0
Tyler Stone	23	4-8	0-0	0-0	11	3	1	2	0	8
Nino Johnson	26	8-10	0-1	4-6	9	1	3	0	0	20
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Michael Porter	11	4-5	1-2	0-1	6	0	0	0	1	9
A.J. Jones	10	2-7	1-3	2-2	1	2	0	0	0	7
Colin Ferguson	8	2-3	0-0	2-2	5	1	1	0	0	5
Corey Wilford	6	1-3	1-2	1-2	0	0	0	0	1	4
Jacob Tolbert	6	2-5	0-2	0-0	1	0	0	0	0	4
TEAM TOTALS		39-77	13-35	8-19	39	22	7	2	5	99

Bird's Nest - What a weird game. Evansville gave us a run for the money, but I knew we always had this game in the bag. Marlon spoke to me before half expecting me to angry with him regarding all those missed three's. I told him not worry about it and just chill for a bit. Wait for the shots to come to him. Although Marlon hadn't exactly been such a huge focal point of our team until this game, I had a feeling he'd finally emerge. And, boy, was I right. I don't care that he missed many of his three's. Without them, I'm fairly certain it would not have been our night. Especially with another bad game at the charity.

And, seriously, one player shooting 31 shots. That kid just seemed to take a shot as soon as the ball touched his hands. Wasn't letting anyone have a slice of his scoring. I don't know what I would have done had he been my player. They obviously were falling in bunches. Definitely would have pulled him aside and talked to him. Something their coach seemingly forgot. But, wow 31 shots. Absurd stats for such a close game. Would have thought they'd spread the ball out more, but we were leaving Wing open. Knowing he'd shoot anything and everything. That may have paid off big for us. While it worked for him, their similar plan didn't work regarding Marlon.

Obviously, player of the game has to go to Marlon Smith. 31 points after two duds of performance. I knew he had it in him. Needed the right team to go out there and show himself. Don't think we'll be shooting that many three's in the future, but I'll probably be telling my players to hit him anytime it's open. Who knows? Defenses might tighten up on him. Giving open looks to Nick who was big in the Xavier game. This three point shooting style of ball is something I enjoy, though. Even when the shots don't fall, you gotta keep going with a plan like this. It won't work otherwise.

I'm really looking forward to my first tournament as a coach. The bracket for the tournament will be up shortly. If possible, come on out to Rosemont and watch us take on Coppin and watch us take them on at the Allstate Arena.

[RussellBird]

Re: Flying High - Legacy of Coach Bird [CH 2K8]

hope you can rebound after such a deflating loss.

Not a great game by me. Definitely improved shooting wise against Evansville though. Much needed win, or we may have slumped heading into the DD Challenge.

[RussellBird]

Re: Flying High - Legacy of Coach Bird [CH 2K8]

Deep Dish Challenge

Group A

Illinois State (2-0) vs. #7 Indiana (2-0)
Xavier (2-1) vs. Kent State (2-2)

Group B

Longwood (2-3) vs. UNC Wilmington (0-3)
Southeast Missouri State (2-1) vs. Coppin State (0-2)