Oregon St. 15-14, 10-6
The Spartans played a -3 defense here, due to OSU's tendency to hold off on shooting three-pointers. Anyways, it's good to get an NT win.

From:Corey Napier To:Coach colorblind79 Subject:On to Round 2! Sent:03/15/2010 2:55AM

Coach, I know every coach dreams of winning a National Championship, but with the parity in college basketball, it's no easy task to win 1 game, much less string together 6 wins, but you've just taken the first step - only 32 teams can be National Champions now. Corey Napier Athletic Director Michigan State University

Michigan St. 21-10, 10-6
Our defense definitely clamped down here. A good win, without question. Up next we have #1 seed West Virginia.

From:Corey Napier To:Coach colorblind79 Subject:Cinderella, is that you? Sent:03/16/2010 3:14AM

Coach, you're not helping me any - I thought you'd have been eliminated by now so I'd already planned by my vacation ;) That was a great win! In fact, I wouldn't be too upset if you made me wait until April to go on vacation :) Best of luck in the SWEET 16! Corey Napier Athletic Director Michigan State University

Michigan St. 22-10, 10-6
I am actually not that surprised that we won this game. Up next is the team I had considered to be the most dangerous potential opponent in our region, Northern Arizona.

From:Corey Napier To:Coach colorblind79 Subject:And then, there were 8! Sent:03/17/2010 3:00AM

Coach, unbelievable - we're going to the Elite 8!!!!!!! I don't think anyone gave us a chance and you proved everyone wrong! You're half way to a National Championship! Best of luck! Corey Napier Athletic Director Michigan State University

I should've posted this a while ago, but here's the Spartans, end of improvements, Season 42:

Name	Yr.	Pos.	A	SPD	REB	DE	BLK	LP	PE	BH	P	WE	ST	DU	FT	TOT
Mark McCausland	Jr.	PG	72	98	13	97	14	6	73	90	99	79	97	64	A-	802
Reginald Olson	So.	PG	54	98	20	68	17	17	88	93	99	76	93	56	B-	779
Travis Campbell	So.	SG	73	95	15	69	10	27	92	94	90	83	92	60	B	800
Eugene Hoffman	So.	SG	85	93	37	91	14	28	95	93	97	52	89	68	C+	842
James Buchanan	Jr.	SF	61	74	60	87	44	62	68	63	71	56	88	63	C	797
Gerald Branson	Sr.	PF	91	76	100	83	93	85	26	39	23	68	79	33	C+	796
John Robillard	Sr.	PF	82	72	100	99	99	80	17	42	33	62	86	32	C	804
Howard Henry	So.	PF	60	57	86	77	87	87	59	26	36	34	84	61	D+	754
Calvin Richardson	So.	PF	79	62	89	71	89	87	50	25	42	32	63	82	C	771
John Wilkey	Fr.	PF	76	67	87	88	73	85	14	30	23	77	81	88	B-	789
Michael Carey	Jr.	C	91	49	99	97	99	99	22	20	44	59	85	99	C-	863
William Jameson	Fr.	C	70	52	92	93	83	79	1	21	21	73	66	37	B	688
Averages	-	-	74	74	66	85	60	62	50	53	56	63	84	62	-	790

and our next opponent, Northern Arizona:

Name	Yr.	Pos.	A	SPD	REB	DE	BLK	LP	PE	BH	P	WE	ST	DU	FT	TOT
Matthew Carlton	So.	PG	49	92	33	93	13	4	66	84	81	44	87	97	C	743
Curt Eveland	So.	PG	94	95	22	90	13	3	69	78	77	66	91	37	B-	735
John Condit	Fr.	PG	50	81	14	63	4	8	40	80	77	80	88	73	B	658
Gerald Patten	Sr.	SG	84	80	16	79	16	7	93	95	94	75	98	81	A-	818
Martin Thomas	Sr.	SF	100	66	71	98	57	40	56	47	50	55	83	87	B	810
Timothy Maples	Jr.	SF	97	83	67	56	34	66	69	30	42	60	93	32	B	729
Gale Hobbs	Fr.	SF	85	81	69	66	37	46	69	64	55	64	84	55	D	775
John Giardina	So.	PF	65	69	92	91	52	90	30	6	17	38	82	54	C	686
Earl Tingle	So.	PF	95	49	74	74	82	80	60	13	22	51	81	53	B-	734
Howard Thompson	Fr.	PF	58	50	86	75	67	67	17	23	4	33	82	81	B	643
Joseph Reger	Sr.	C	77	46	99	99	100	72	32	17	46	57	93	31	D+	769
Daniel Bice	Jr.	C	95	26	96	69	74	96	1	32	25	31	91	43	C+	679
Averages	-	-	79	68	62	79	46	48	50	47	49	54	88	60	-	732

Name	Yr.	Pos.	Flex	Motion	Triangle	Fastbreak	Man	Zone	Press
Matthew Carlton	So.	PG	D-	B+	C-	D-	D+	D-	B+
Curt Eveland	So.	PG	C-	B+	D-	D-	D-	D	B+
John Condit	Fr.	PG	D	B-	F	F	F	D+	B
Gerald Patten	Sr.	SG	D-	A	D-	D-	B	C-	A-
Martin Thomas	Sr.	SF	D-	A	D-	D-	B	D-	A-
Timothy Maples	Jr.	SF	D-	A	D-	D-	C-	C	A-
Gale Hobbs	Fr.	SF	C+	B-	F	F	F	F	B
John Giardina	So.	PF	D-	A-	D-	D-	D-	C	A-
Earl Tingle	So.	PF	D-	A	D-	D-	C-	D-	A-
Howard Thompson	Fr.	PF	F	B-	F	D+	F	C+	B
Joseph Reger	Sr.	C	D-	A+	C-	D-	B+	D+	A-
Daniel Bice	Jr.	C	D-	A-	C-	D-	B	D-	A-

Thoughts:

Their scoring is well balanced, like ours, and they run the same system as we do. They rely on their perimeter guys a bit more than their interior guys. There's nobody on their team I see with whom we match up particularly poorly (except, possibly, Timothy Maples). They are an efficient, but not terribly prolific 3-point shooting team, hitting about 40% on slightly less than 1/4th of their shots. We are, on average, a little better at FT shooting, and have played higher quality opponents, but they didn't get here by mistake.

Michigan St. 22-11, 10-6
I guess Eugene Hoffman is the scapegoat for this game, between hitting 1 of 6, fouling out, and allowing his man to go off.

Oh well...we trailed by 11 at the half and made it competitive.

From:Corey Napier To:Coach colorblind79 Subject:Still a great season... Sent:03/18/2010 3:14AM

Coach, sure a trip to the Final 4 would have been fantastic, but let's face it, we're proud that you were able to take Michigan St. to the Elite 8 - only 8 coaches can say that. Corey Napier Athletic Director Michigan State University

Quote: Originally Posted By colorblind79 on 9/09/2009

John Robillard
PF|6'7"|230 lbs.|3.3 GPA
Xavier HS|Appleton, WI

PF

629

Athleticism 55 Speed 60 Rebounding 80 Defense 83 Shot Blocking 77 Low-post 66 Perimeter 14 Ball Handling 40 Passing 29 Work Ethic 45 Stamina 57 Durability 23 Previous Season Stats GP MPG PPG RPG FG% FG3% FT% APG SPG BPG 20 26 15.4 7.3 59.0 13.6 64.9 0.5 0.2 2.2 Current Rating Potential Current Rating Potential Athleticism 55 High Perimeter 14 Average Speed 60 Average Ball Handling 40 Average Rebounding 80 Average Passing 29 Average Defense 83 Average Stamina 57 High Shot Blocking 77 High Durability 23 Average Low-post 66 Average FT Shooting Average

#23 PF, #88 Overall, ****; promised 10 minutes. A lot depends on just how high the potential is for Robillard in stamina. Everything else is good or acceptable, but his stamina rating really needs to get up to 80 or better for him to be the eventual starter he would seem to be. It could stop at 77, 80 really wouldn't be the best place for it to stop...the higher the better

Robillard did eventually become a starter, but he wasn't fantastic in the role. His defense must have been pretty good. Anyways, we made it to the Elite 8, so I shouldn't complain. Nonetheless, one would expect a frontcourt player to be more efficient in FGs, and a PF playing SF to display more of an edge in rebounding.

Yr.	GP	GS	MIN	FG%	FG3%	FT%	OREB	REB	AST	TO	STL	BLK	PF	PTS
42	33	33	21.1	.401	.000	.620	2.2	5.2	0.4	1.7	1.2	0.7	1.3	5.6
41	32	0	17.0	.400	.000	.592	1.1	4.1	0.1	0.7	1.1	1.0	1.3	4.0
40	33	0	18.4	.495		.688	1.5	3.8	0.2	0.6	0.7	0.6	1.5	3.5
39	33	0	12.7	.417		.545	0.8	2.2	0.1	0.1	0.4	0.6	0.8	0.8
Averages				.423	.000	.620	1.4	3.8	0.2	0.7	0.8	0.7	1.2	3.5

---------

12th in blocks; no awards

Quote: Originally Posted By colorblind79 on 9/09/2009

Gerald Branson
PF|6'9"|221 lbs.|2.6 GPA
Indian Lake HS|Lewistown, OH

PF

618

Athleticism 63 Speed 58 Rebounding 74 Defense 63 Shot Blocking 80 Low-post 65 Perimeter 26 Ball Handling 35 Passing 21 Work Ethic 51 Stamina 60 Durability 22 Previous Season Stats GP MPG PPG RPG FG% FG3% FT% APG SPG BPG 12 21 18.3 4.5 60.1 15.4 68.1 0.5 1.5 3.0 Potential Current Rating Potential Current Rating Potential Athleticism 63 High Perimeter 26 Low Speed 58 Average Ball Handling 35 Average Rebounding 74 High Passing 21 Average Defense 63 High Stamina 60 High Shot Blocking 80 Average Durability 22 Average Low-post 65 High FT Shooting Low

#51 PF, #216 Overall, **; no promises. While stamina is an issue for Branson, the bigger question for him is where his defense tops out. If he can get up to 90 in defense, low post, athleticism, and stamina, he could be a pro. He's got a ton of potential, and he might even be willing to redshirt (though I doubt that would be a good idea for class structure)

The only area where Branson exceeded the minimum improvement was in athleticism. He also didn't play very well. I hope that the new engine really ups the efficiency from frontcourt players, because a guy of this caliber hitting 36% of his shots is ridiculous.

Season 42 Wrap-Up:

Well, those 11 losses weren't pretty. The offense wasn't pretty at all. We had 7 bigs and 5 other guys this year, which probably contributed to both. And yet, the team reached the Elite 8, which is never something to complain about. I would've loved for them to get to the Final Four, or hey, even win the Championship, but regardless, they sort of exceeded expectations. At least, the expectations that were in place when the team was 4-4 and 9-7. I am hoping that Carey doesn't declare for the draft, but he easily could. I am hoping that anyone who leaves is drafted, but the two seniors might not be. I know that the program's prestige will be back at an A+, and that's good news. It's also good news that the team won't need any big men, regardless, because it's a weak year for them in the region.

----------

Season	Coach	Overall W-L	Home W-L	Road W-L	Neutral W-L	Conf W-L	Rank	RPI	Prestige	Notes
42	colorblind79	22-11	9-3	7-7	6-1	10-6	8	17	A	CT Champion NT (Elite 8)
41	colorblind79	19-13	9-3	5-9	5-1	9-7		27	A	CT Champion NT (2nd Round)
40	colorblind79	20-13	12-2	6-9	2-2	9-7		30	A+	PI (Championship Game)
39	colorblind79	29-4	13-1	10-2	6-1	15-1	2	3	A	Conf Champion CT Champion NT (Elite 8)
38	colorblind79	22-9	10-3	8-5	4-1	12-4	14	18	A-	Conf Champion CT Champion NT (2nd Round)
37	colorblind79	19-10	10-1	8-7	1-2	12-4		45	A-	Conf Champion NT At-large Bid NT (1st Round)
36	colorblind79	11-16	4-7	7-8	0-1	7-9		114	A-
35	colorblind79	23-11	9-4	8-5	6-2	12-4	4	16	A	Conf Champion NT At-large Bid NT (Final Four)
34	colorblind79	16-12	12-3	4-8	0-1	10-6		89	A-	PI (1st Round)
33	colorblind79	17-14	11-5	5-8	1-1	8-8		69	A-	PI (3rd Round)
32	colorblind79	15-13	11-6	4-6	0-1	9-7		70	A	PI (1st Round)
31	colorblind79	30-4	13-0	10-3	7-1	13-3	3	3	A	Conf Champion CT Champion NT (Final Four)
30	colorblind79	19-9	13-2	6-5	0-2	11-5		43	B	NT At-large Bid NT (1st Round)
29	colorblind79	10-17	7-8	3-8	0-1	5-11		125	B-
28	colorblind79	13-16	9-8	2-7	2-1	4-12		168	B-

----------

Carey is not leaving, but the prestige of the team doesn't visibly rise...

----------

From:Corey Napier To:Coach colorblind79 Subject:Great season! Sent:03/20/2010 2:52AM

Coach, Fantastic job this season! You took a lot of pressure off of yourself (and me) with that one. Nationally Ranked Big Ten Conference Tournament Champion Elite Eight Appearance Quite the season! Corey Napier Athletics Director

---------

[edit, 3/24/10:]

neither of the graduating seniors was drafted.

Quote: Originally Posted By colorblind79 on 3/17/2010

I should've posted this a while ago, but here's the Spartans, end of improvements, Season 42:

Name	Yr.	Pos.	A	SPD	REB	DE	BLK	LP	PE	BH	P	WE	ST	DU	FT	TOT
Mark McCausland	Jr.	PG	72	98	13	97	14	6	73	90	99	79	97	64	A-	802
Reginald Olson	So.	PG	54	98	20	68	17	17	88	93	99	76	93	56	B-	779
Travis Campbell	So.	SG	73	95	15	69	10	27	92	94	90	83	92	60	B	800
Eugene Hoffman	So.	SG	85	93	37	91	14	28	95	93	97	52	89	68	C+	842
James Buchanan	Jr.	SF	61	74	60	87	44	62	68	63	71	56	88	63	C	797
Gerald Branson	Sr.	PF	91	76	100	83	93	85	26	39	23	68	79	33	C+	796
John Robillard	Sr.	PF	82	72	100	99	99	80	17	42	33	62	86	32	C	804
Howard Henry	So.	PF	60	57	86	77	87	87	59	26	36	34	84	61	D+	754
Calvin Richardson	So.	PF	79	62	89	71	89	87	50	25	42	32	63	82	C	771
John Wilkey	Fr.	PF	76	67	87	88	73	85	14	30	23	77	81	88	B-	789
Michael Carey	Jr.	C	91	49	99	97	99	99	22	20	44	59	85	99	C-	863
William Jameson	Fr.	C	70	52	92	93	83	79	1	21	21	73	66	37	B	688
Averages	-	-	74	74	66	85	60	62	50	53	56	63	84	62	-	790

offseason improvement/change:

McCausland - +3 points
Olsen - +15 points
Campbell - +15 points
Hoffman - +17 points
Buchanan - +13 points
Henry - -5 points
Richardson - +8 points, + 1/3 FT
Wilkey - +24 points, - 1/3 FT
Carey - + 3 points
Jameson - +21 points, + 1/3 FT (impressive, considering his WE)

The Michigan State Spartans, pre-recruiting, Season 43:

Name	Yr.	Pos.	A	SPD	REB	DE	BLK	LP	PE	BH	P	WE	ST	DU	FT	TOT
Mark McCausland	Sr.	PG	74	99	13	99	13	7	74	90	99	79	95	63	A-	805
Reginald Olson	Jr.	PG	55	99	20	69	18	18	88	98	99	76	97	57	B-	794
Travis Campbell	Jr.	SG	77	96	16	71	10	27	98	96	90	83	90	61	B	815
Eugene Hoffman	Jr.	SG	89	93	37	93	14	28	99	97	99	52	88	70	C+	859
James Buchanan	Sr.	SF	61	77	62	92	45	64	67	64	70	56	87	65	C	810
Howard Henry	Jr.	PF	60	57	84	76	86	87	59	26	37	34	80	63	D+	749
Calvin Richardson	Jr.	PF	78	63	88	72	92	87	52	25	42	32	63	85	C-	779
John Wilkey	So.	PF	82	70	89	94	73	85	15	32	23	77	78	95	C+	813
Michael Carey	Sr.	C	91	49	99	97	99	99	22	21	45	59	86	99	C-	866
William Jameson	So.	C	71	53	97	99	85	79	1	22	21	73	67	41	B+	709
Averages	-	-	74	76	60	86	54	58	58	57	62	62	83	70	-	800