SEASON 40

11/13
9:20 AM jbob23
Prediction ALERT!!! I have decided to make a few predictions on where the human coaches will finish and on the individual accolades. If any of you would like to make similar predictions feel free. If your time strapped then maybe just a standings prediction would allow.

EAST PREDICTIONS

11/13
9:45 AM jbob23
I will start with our team records and then move on. In the east I have Augustana finishing 21-5 (13-3) in first place. Augustana is lead by Sr. Arthur Tate (more on him later) but overall are just a young squad. They currently have five So. and two Fr. on the team. Finishing in second should be a very young Minnesota St., Mankato squad. With only one Sr. and one Jr. this team could take some bumps but will give some as well. I see MSUM finishing 16-10 (10-6).

1. Augustana (SD) (13-3) - blaines
2. Minnesota St., Mankato (10-6) - mrramsay
3-6. SimAI Teams

WEST PREDICTIONS

11/13
10:37 AM jbob23
Now to the west and these teams aren't easy to predict. Oakland City comes out of the smoke in first this season. Led by a star senior tandem of Joseph Hall and James Bolanos, Oakland City fights there way to a 22-4 (15-1) record. Finishing a close second will be Pittsburgh, Johnstown. UPJ will be led by Sr. center Lee Mitchum and Jr. guard Jason Westmoreland. The key for UPJ will be how well the mixture of upperclassman and underclassman mix together. I think they mix to the tune of a 23-3 (14-2) record. In third place I have Northern Colorado. N. Colorado will be led by three senior starters. SF Hong Xia will lead the way and determine how far they can go. While just falling short of the top two N. Colorado will still finish good at 23-3 (13-3). Finally, we have Minnesota, Morris finishing in fourth. They will be led by Jr. forward Mark Gibson. With only one senior it will be big for Minnesota, Morris to have Mr. Gibson carry them this season. I think in the end being youthful will hurt more then help to the tune of 12-14 (7-9). That's that. I'll try to get up the individual stuff a little later.

1. Oakland City (15-1) - kryutzy
2. University of Pittsburgh, Johnstown (14-2) - kydynasty
3. N. Colorado (13-3) - jbob
4. Minnesota, Morris (7-9) - sjstapleton
5-6. SimAI Teams

ALL CONFERENCE PREDICTIONS

Coach of the Year - kryutzy (Oakland City)

11/13
10:49 AM jbob23
Coach of the year honors goes to kryutzy. After starting very strong in the non-conference season Oakland City fell three straight times (two of which at home) to end the non-conference season at 7-3. All of a sudden there was some panic setting in. Once the conference season started it was clear who the best coach was. Oakland City only had one hiccup and that lead to a conference championship...A very jealous UPJ coach was quoted as saying "But we beat them once, this is bullsnot". After replaying that quote to Kryutzy he was reluctant to comment. Later he was quoted as saying "Don't hate".

Freshman of the Year - Erin Ballard (University of Pittsburgh, Johnstown)

11/13
5:23 PM jbob23
Freshman of the year goes to Erin Ballard of Pittsburgh, Johnstown. Erin looks to be a big time banger with a really nice low post game. If there is any weekness in his game it may be his man to man defense and free throw shooting. Both areas will probably improve through the next four seasons leaving him with little to no weaknesses.

Point Guard

11/13
6:12 PM jbob23
Now for your all-conference teams. I will break down each position first and later I will post the teams in one post. Your third team point guard is Pittsburgh, Johnstown's Calvin Page. Calvin is a first year starter who has the ability to score but does his best work getting the ball to his teammates. Your second team point guard is Northern Colorado's Sidney Hartman. Sidney has started from day one. Mr. Hartman can score with the best in the conference and will pass the 1,000 point mark this season. Your first team point guard is Oakland City's Joseph Hall. Joseph has the ability to score, dish and play defense with the best at this position. Mr. Hall will pass the 1,000 point mark and should reach the 500 assist club as well. Those are some nice accomplishments.

Shooting Guard

11/13
10:29 PM jbob23
On to the shooting guards. Your third team shooting guard is Northern Colorado's John Shurtz. John shoots the ball well from anywhere on the court and does alot of the little things in helping his team. Your second team shooting guard is Minnesota St., Mankato's Valentin Rossi. V Ross (as his friends call him) shoots the ball very well inside the arc but can knock down the three point shot as well. But what sticks out is his ability to rebound and play terrific man to man defense. Your first team shooting guard is Pittsburgh, Johnstown's Jason Westmoreland. Jason doesn't have many weaknesses if any. His offensive game is one of the best in the country.

Small Forward

11/14
8:57 AM jbob23
Moving to the small forwards. Your third team small forward is Minnesota, Morris's Mark Gibson. Mark is just a junior and has started from day one. Mr. Gibson can score from anywhere on the court but what he really excells at is doing all the little things. Your second team small forward is Nothern Colorado's Hong Xia. Hong can score it inside and outside the arc. What Mr. Xia does best though is rebounding and playing solid defense. Your first team small forward is Oakland City's James Bolanos. J-Bo is an offensive machine who will be trying to reach 1,000 career points this season.

Power Forward

11/14
9:19 AM jbob23
Now for the power forwards. Your third team power forward is Oakland City's James Mannion. James is just a sophomore and his best ball has yet to come. He can score from 15 ft. but his bread and butter is rebounding. Your second team power forward is Northern Colorado's Milan Russo. Milan isn't much of a scorer but can finish if given the ball deep under the basket. He excels at everything else but defense is what he's known for. Your first team power forward is Minnesota St, Mankato's Mark Williams. Mark is just a sophomore and has started from day one. Mark will get his share of points but isn't known to be a big time scorer. What he's known for is rebounding and being a defensive force in the middle of the paint.

Center

11/14
9:37 AM jbob23
On to the centers. Your third team center is Oakland City's Brian Burns. Brian is just a junior and is starting for the first time this season. Known mostly for his defense and rebounding, he can score with his back to the basket. Your second team center is Pittsburgh, Johnstown's Lee Mitchum. Lee can score when given the opportunity but most people think he'd prefer to be on the defensive end intimidating. Your first team center is Augustana's Arthur Tate. Arthur does everything for his team. He is a big time scorer, rebounder and defender. When all is said and done Mr. Tate should reach 1,200 points, 900 rebounds, 150 steals and 100 blocks. That, folks, is a do-it-all player.

SUMMARY

1st Team All-Conference
PG - Joseph Hall - Oakland City
SG - Jason Westmoreland - University of Pittsburgh, Johnstown
SF - James Bolanos - Oakland City
PF - Mark Williams - Minnesota St., Mankato
C - Arthur Tate - Augustana (SD)

2nd Team All-Conference
PG - Sidney Hartman - N. Colorado
SG - Valentin Rossi - Minnesota St., Mankato
SF - Hong Xia - N. Colorado
PF - Milan Russo - N. Colorado
C - Lee Mitchum - Unversity of Pittsburgh, Johnstown

3rd Team All-Conference
PG - Calvin Page - University of Pittsburgh, Johnstown
SG - John Shurtz - N. Colorado
SF - Mark Gibson - Minnesota, Morris
PF - James Mannion - Oakland City
C - Brian Burns - Oakland City

11/13/2009 - Game of the Night - #4 N. Colorado @ Minnesota St., Mankato

N. Colorado holds on for the win over Minnesota St., Mankato 50-47

Minnesota St., Mankato comes up short despite an impressive defensive performance. The Mavericks held N. Colorado to just 32.1% from the field. N. Colorado over came the poor shooting night by taking care of the ball and forcing turnovers. The Bears only committed 5 while forcing 15 turnovers. Also, N. Colorado was able to get to the line 16 more times than Mankato. Hong Xia led the Bears to the win with a team high 14 points and 13 rebounds.

11/14/2009 - Game of the Night - #20 Augustana (SD) @ #8 Oakland City

Oakland City makes a statement, wins big over Augustana 100-58

Oakland City jumped out to a big 44-19 lead at the half and never let up from there. Augustana had no answers for Oakland City's Joseph Hall and James Bolanos. Hall scored 37 points and Bolanos put up 34 off the bench. The Mighty Oaks shot an unbelievable 69.8% from the field, as well as 60% from downtown and 85.2% from the line.

I'm not sure how those two guys from Oakland City will be stopped. They look like they can score 30 each every night.

Finally some love for Mark Williams. IMO got robbed of the Freshman of the Year award last year. Will be a four year started when all said and done. He's a gem.

11/15/2009 - Game of the Night - #8 Oakland City @ #7 N. Colorado

Oakland City hands N. Colorado their 1st loss of the season, 80-70

N. Colorado opened the game on a 5-0 run and held a considerable lead half way through the first half at 20-11. However, the Mighty Oaks closed the gap just before the half and were only down by 1, 29-28. The second half was an offensive battle in which Oakland City got the best of the Bears. The Bears seemed to have no answer for the Mighty Oaks offense, giving up 52 points. Oakland City only missed 6 shots in the second half, going an impressive 16 of 22 from the field. Unlike the Oaks first 2 conference games, they got it done with a balanced scoring attack with 5 guys in double figures. N. Colorado's Hong Xia had another nice game scoring 16 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. However, it wasn't enough and the Bears suffered their first loss of the season. These two teams will face each other again on 11/21 at Oakland City.

Nice write up kryutzy.

I call it like I see it mrramsay. Mark Williams is a very nice player. Wanna make a trade, lol.

Hey guys, forgot to renew my seasons and lost my team. All the best this season, I'll be back next season and probably with a new team.

Come on back mrramsay. It doesn't look right without you in a conference with me.

jbob, please keep me updated on how my SR's do this season. Im upset that I forgot to re up. This was going to be my year!

Minnesota, Mankato is off to an 0-3 start. All the games have been decided by a few points including one loss to a top 25 team. I'll update after a few more games.