I've run several tracking threads under various aliases (horsefan3277, achampa1, dahoss88), and now, since I'm at the D1 level in Phelan, I opted to start one detailing my experiences at Jacksonville State.

Before I begin, a look at how I got here...

Season 19: N.W. Missouri St.
17-13 (overall)/9-7 (conf), RPI: 36

National Tournament At-large Bid
National Tournament - 2nd Round


Season 18: N.W. Missouri St.
16-13 (overall)/11-5 (conf), RPI: 65

National Tournament At-large Bid
National Tournament - 1st Round


Season 17: N.W. Missouri St.
19-12 (overall)/9-7 (conf), RPI: 25

National Tournament At-large Bid
National Tournament - 2nd Round

And now, a look at the Jacksonville State Gamecocks from this past year, who went 14-13 in the Ohio Valley Conference and have a C- prestige.

Name	Yr.	Pos.	A	SPD	REB	DE	BLK	LP	PE	BH	P	WE	ST	DU	FT	TOT
Robert Gamble	Sr.	PG	76	99	38	65	18	1	51	100	91	54	89	86	C+	768
Dema Karpinski	So.	PG	27	93	14	62	14	1	57	74	85	47	92	51	B-	617
Alex Ball	So.	SG	86	89	17	59	6	1	73	60	75	48	81	83	B-	678
Peter Murphy	So.	SG	63	83	34	55	2	16	89	77	85	31	78	62	B-	675
Sean Entrekin	Fr.	SG	39	56	30	50	6	13	72	71	62	29	73	95	C+	596
Luis Powers	Jr.	SF	58	73	62	97	26	84	62	46	54	60	96	64	C+	782
Antonio Juarez	So.	SF	47	71	49	96	33	47	74	34	15	42	89	65	B	662
Robert Bailey	Jr.	PF	74	47	75	72	71	78	30	26	41	36	60	53	D+	663
Larry Wong	Fr.	PF	45	29	67	47	69	72	15	7	29	62	77	52	D+	571
Jonathon Willard	Sr.	C	28	22	89	92	91	65	1	11	26	58	79	68	C	630

William Carnell	Jr.	C	75	52	100	59	97	99	1	2	50	73	95	54	D-	757
John Coffee	So.	C	51	53	92	88	92	95	8	2	19	47	85	76	B-	708

------

A few things stand out to me right away. Firstly, we won't have a true point guard right away, so that's going to be my first priority in recruiting. If I'm unable to snag one ready to start right away, I might start Murphy at PG and Ball at SG. Ball isn't a great shooter, but with his athleticism and speed, I figure I can set him to -1 and have him drive all day long.

I like the senior leadership we'll have. Powers and Carnell both look to be excellent low-D1 players, and Bailey will likely be a solid #3 big (Coffee's rebounding is much better, and that's big for me given how important it is in a zone).

That said, there are a few players I might end up cutting. Entrekin is WAY too slow, and will most likely be cut before recruiting this season. Also, if I find out Karpinski is topped out, he may be on the chopping block after NEXT season. He's got great speed, but his ballhandling is pretty lackluster for a D1 point guard. He won't be cut this year, as cutting two guards from a backcourt that needs depth isn't smart, but he's not safe from the axe next year.

Finally, a history of the Gamecocks since their last human head coach took over in season 10 (he now coaches at Arizona State).

Season	Coach	Overall	Home	Road	Neutral	Conf	Rank	RPI	Prestige	Notes
19	Sim AI	14-13	9-4	5-8	0-1	10-6		216	C-
18	Sim AI	12-17	5-7	5-9	2-1	10-6		185	C
17	drst	22-6	11-2	11-2	0-2	14-2		37	C+	Conf Champion NT At-large Bid NT (1st Round)
16	drst	22-9	12-4	8-4	2-1	12-4		70	C+	Conf Champion PI (2nd Round)
15	drst	23-8	13-3	9-4	1-1	13-3		58	C	Conf Champion PI (3rd Round)
14	drst	19-8	12-2	7-5	0-1	13-3		116	C	Conf Champion
13	drst	21-7	11-4	10-2	0-1	13-3		67	C	Conf Champion PI (1st Round)
12	drst	18-10	10-5	7-4	1-1	9-7		117	D+
11	drst	13-14	6-8	7-5	0-1	7-9		224	D+
10	drst	17-11	6-6	10-4	1-1	7-9		105	D+

In the end, I kept Entrekin, as the pool of freshman shooting guards I'd be able to get wasn't very good.

I ended up with two three-star recruits, the first being a PG who will probably start for me this year. Wilbur Taylor (#205 overall, #45 PG, ***) isn't perfect, but he's got a lot of great qualities right off the bat. He's a good athlete and an excellent pass-first guard, and while he's not a great shooter, I can live with that. Of his main shortcomings, his defense and stamina will shoot up, and his rebounding is improvable. I like him a lot for what he is, and while the NBA isn't in his future, once he learns the system, he'll be a very good PG.

Wilbur Taylor
PG | 5'9" | 168 lbs. | 3.3 GPA
Walter L. Cohen HS | New Orleans, LA
73.3% FT shooter
596

Athleticism 53
Speed 88
Rebounding 1
Defense 50 (high potential)
Shot Blocking 16 (low potential)
Low-post 10
Perimeter 49 (low potential)
Ball Handling 90
Passing 92
Work Ethic 32
Stamina 64 (high potential)
Durability 51

The second recruit is Richard Wilcox (#199 overall, #51 C, ***). He's not a perfect big; ideally, he'd be more athletic, and his speed is unfortunate (and won't improve; he's probably going to strictly be a center for us). There's a lot to like, though, as he's got high potential in just about every inside area. Furthermore, his perimeter rating is solid, he's not a horrible FT shooter, and he's also a good passer for a big. Much like with Taylor, he's not a future draft pick, but as a center-only prospect, he looks good.

Richard Wilcox
C | 6'8" | 231 lbs. | 2.8 GPA
Jackson North Side High School | Jackson, TN
67.5% FT shooter
584

Athleticism 39
Speed 23 (low potential)
Rebounding 75 (high potential)
Defense 66 (high potential)
Shot Blocking 80
Low-post 74 (high potential)
Perimeter 22
Ball Handling 1
Passing 42
Work Ethic 72
Stamina 68 (high potential)
Durability 22

THOUGHTS ON RECRUITING

Okay, the primary objective was to re-tool the backcourt and add a frontcourt prospect for when two of our three seniors graduate. I succeeded in the latter goal, getting Wilcox, but I only won half the main battle. I targeted a one-star shooting guard who was much better than Entrekin, but got in a battle with Tennessee State. I put up a fight for him, but then Cincinnati swept in and I dropped out (when he signs, I'll post him).

The guys that are here, though, will make the team better. As I said, Taylor's probably the starter at PG, and Wilcox will most likely start at center as a sophomore. I wish I'd gotten the shooting guard to replace Entrekin (who won't play much this year), but what I did get were two great recruits for my standing in D1, and I'll have about $1,000 to spend on scouting for next year.

It's far from a total loss, to be sure. I'll give myself a B+, and now it's on to gameplanning for the season.

And here's Christopher Monroy (#64 SG, *), who would have helped us long-term but signed with Cincinnati. It's not a massive loss, but he'd have certainly been an upgrade over Entrekin, who will now be axed before next season if he doesn't transfer.

Christopher Monroy
SG | 6'0" | 189 lbs. | 2.7 GPA
Cleveland High School | Cleveland, TN
74.3% FT shooter (low potential)
595

Athleticism 55 (high potential)
Speed 72 (high potential)
Rebounding 12 (low potential)
Defense 41
Shot Blocking 1
Low-post 22 (low potential)
Perimeter 72 (high potential)
Ball Handling 90
Passing 73 (high potential)
Work Ethic 44
Stamina 70 (high potential)
Durability 43

Our roster, an exhibition game into the season...

Name	Yr.	Pos.	A	SPD	REB	DE	BLK	LP	PE	BH	P	WE	ST	DU	FT	TOT
Dema Karpinski	Jr.	PG	27	93	15	64	15	2	56	76	89	47	94	54	B	632
Wilbur Taylor	Fr.	PG	53	88	1	50	16	10	49	90	92	32	64	51	B-	596
Alex Ball	Jr.	SG	90	92	17	58	6	2	74	62	75	48	82	85	B	691
Peter Murphy	Jr.	SG	64	84	35	56	2	16	91	81	88	31	73	66	B-	687
Sean Entrekin	So.	SG	40	56	30	51	6	13	74	72	61	29	73	95	C+	600
Luis Powers	Sr.	SF	59	75	62	99	26	88	63	46	56	60	95	65	C+	794
Antonio Juarez	Jr.	SF	47	71	49	94	32	48	75	36	15	42	88	68	B	665
Robert Bailey	Sr.	PF	75	47	74	72	72	79	30	25	40	36	58	56	C-	664
Larry Wong	So.	PF	45	29	71	48	68	71	15	7	30	62	78	55	D+	579
William Carnell	Sr.	C	76	53	99	59	97	98	1	2	50	73	99	53	D-	760

69-52 loss to Hawaii. Exhibition games don't matter, and this was about what I expected. Our frontcourt did fairly well, actually, but Powers was atrocious, and outside of Ball, our bench didn't show up.

Hawaii 0-0

62-42 win over NW Missouri State. My old school did pretty well here, but my new guys got to the line a ton and shot really well from there. Also, another big game for Carnell, who's quickly forcing me to make the motto of this season, "How far can he carry us?"

(boxscore)

62-48 loss at Liberty. This game was close for much of the second half, but there was a big FT disparity in their favor and their press forced turnovers.

(boxscore)

68-64 win at New Mexico. I wasn't around to gameplan for this one, but it didn't hurt us. The worst FT performance I've ever had from any team, in any world, under any username, is canceled out by 21 second-chance points, and we notch the first regular-season win under my watch in Gamecock history.

(boxscore)

75-50 win at Niagara. Pretty dominant effort; we allowed them to shoot reasonably well, but our work on the defensive glass was fantastic. On offense, Murphy was awesome, and the rest of the team was quite good as well.

(boxscore)