Howard Bison – Season 162
Howard Bison
Washington, DC
Prestige D+ -> C
Last Five Years:
162: Overall 21-9, Conference 10-6, RPI 67, SOS 116;
Conf. Champion, NT At-Large Bid, NT (1st Round)
161: Overall 14-13, Conference 5-11, RPI 164, SOS 174
160: Overall 11-17, Conference 4-12, RPI 181, SOS 124
159: Overall 7-20, Conference 3-13, RPI 246, SOS 109
158: Overall 15-13, Conference 9-7, RPI 159, SOS 215
Coach: Verdiman
Offense: Triangle
Defense: Zone
Roster for Season 162
Starters:
PG – Joshua Proffitt (Jr.) – 5’11” – Winnipeg, Canada
SG – Vlade “Blade” Zymowski (Sr.) – 6’0” – Novosibirsk, Russia
SF – Mark Prokop (Sr.) – 5’9” – Washington, DC
PF – David Youngblood (Fr.) – 6’7” – Wyandanch, NY
C – John Burdett (Jr.) – 6’11 – Gilbert, AZ
Reserves:
PG/SG - Howard Angelo (Fr.) – 6’0” – Manassas, VA
SG – Richard Schwing (Sr.) – 5’10” – Chesapeake, VA
SF – Stacy Hatfield (Jr.) – 6’4” – Henderson, NC
SF/PF - Foster Logan (Jr.) – 6’6” – Tiverton, RI
C - Ronald Oster (Fr.) – 7’0” – Newport News, VA
Projects:
SF/PF - Eric McMain (rFr) – 6’6” – Calgary, Canada
SF - Brian Stevenson (Fr) – 6’6” – Buffalo, NY – Redshirted
Season Retrospective:
Wow this season was fun! This season surpassed even my greatest expectations for Howard. We were tied for first in the MEAC West division, made it to the conference finals where we had a competitive game against Delaware State, and was invited to play in the NCAA Tournament as an at-large bid. We also ended the year with a winning record against Top 25 teams at 3-2, holding our own against some of the best coaches in Tarkanian. The in-season victory over Delaware State also means that Howard has now had a victory against every team in the MEAC since I have joined the conference. This team went well beyond what I thought they were capable of. I’m not sure if this is the best team I’ve ever created in HD (I’d love to see how this team would match up against Wright State’s Season 155 team), but considering the competition in this league I think this season displayed an evolution in my decision making. I am incredibly proud of this team and look forward to possibly surpassing this high watermark for seasons to come.
Conference Awarded Players
PG – Mark Prokop (Sr.) – 5’9” – Washington, DC
Second Team MEAC
Receiving Second Team MEAC honors is accurate to what I was hoping this player would accomplish, and I’m honestly a bit surprised that Prokop was not given higher honors than Second Team MEAC. Had he been registered as a SF instead of as a PG he likely would have received more recognition.This does not change what Prokop accomplished this year. He was our bedrock for Howard, turning into a scoring monster and completely rewriting the record books. Not only did he lead the MEAC in points this season, he also cemented himself as Howard’s most-scoring player ever with 1585 points. He also graduates 1
st in minutes with 3362 minutes, 1
st in attempted FG with 1222 shots, 6
th in attempted 3Pt Attempts with 618 shots, 6
th all-time in steals with 140 steals, and 16
th in assists with 362 assists. Unfortunately, while he started the year on the NBA Draft Board, he fell off as he was playing SF instead of PG for the entire year. He did not get the accolades that I expected him to receive, but he certainly did a LOT in his time here at Howard. He goes down in history as one of the absolute best players to play at Howard, and is certainly the best PG that I have ever coached.
SG – Vlade “Blade” Zymowski (Sr.) – 6’0” – Novobrisk, Russia
Second Team MEAC
“Blade” had his best season as a senior. Receiving Second Team MEAC is certainly an accomplishment for him. He, Prokop, Schwing, Profitt, and Angelo created the best backcourt that I have ever coached in Hoops Dynasty. Schwing and Zymowski topped the 3pt% stat in the MEAC, and Schwing was tied for 6th in DI in 3pt% with a 49.4% shooting accuracy. Zymowski was also 9
th in the MEAC in points per game. In the Howard record books he finishes his career 11
th in points with 1340 points, 2
nd in both 3pt attempts and 3pt shots made, and 12
th in FG attempts and FG attempts made. He really came into his own as a secondary scoring option when Prokop transformed from being the main distributor on the team to becoming the main scorer. This shift in our backcourt is also what I believed elevated this team to the NCAA tournament. “Blade” did excellent work for this team, and he and Prokop will certainly be missed for years to come.
C – John Burdett (Jr.) – 6’11” – Gilbert, AZ
Second Team MEAC
While I expected Burdett to have a solid year this year I did not expect him to reach Second Team MEAC. He finishes the year with 8.7 PPG and 6.8 RPG, which are solid numbers. What I think set him over the other centers was that he was his efficiency on offense. He led the MEAC this season in FG% with a 55.9% shooting percentage. His role on the team was tertiary compared to the role that our guards played, but this shows that he is ready to help carry the team next season. I have several roster charts to experiment with next season, many involving Burdett playing different positions on the depth chart. Hopefully, he will be able to maintain (or even improve) his standing for next season.
Freshman Forecast:
C – Ronald Oster – 7’0” – Newport News, VA
Oster didn’t need to grow all that much in order to convince me that he will be able to carry Howard in the future, so it’s wonderful to report that his growth has been the most exciting to watch over the last season. A lot of his focus this year has been on his Athleticism and Defense, as he already elite in Rebounding, Shot Blocking, and Low Post play. His Athleticism is expected to peak at around 80, and what I am genuinely excited about is that his Defense hasn’t turned blue yet. Oster’s defense could become elite, which I was not anticipating when I recruited him. Even with Burdett receiving Second Team MEAC honors at C I think the best version of Howard for next season has Oster starting at C. Next season’s team will be wildly different from last season’s team largely because Burdett, Oster, and Youngblood are forming an exciting frontcourt for the future.
PG/SG – Howard Angelo – 6’0” – Manassas, VA
Angelo also did not need to grow all that much in his primary stats, but I was hoping that his defense could improve before putting him in the starting line-up. His defense did turn blue at around 40, capping that stat in the mid-60s, which isn’t ideal. His athleticism went from green to black after 11 points, which is also not ideal. He still projects to be a solid guard that can bounce between either PG or SG, depending on the needs of the team. He will be ready to take over for Proffitt at the PG position come season 164, and can possibly start at the SG position next season. I honestly have no idea what the best line-up is going to be for next season, so having a flexible guard like Angelo is rather refreshing. I just hope his defense keeps on improving.
PF – David Youngblood – 6’7” – Wyandanch, NY
Youngblood really flourished in the starting line-up this season, growing the most out of any player on the team. The end results of this season are rather interesting in that his ceiling has shrunk, but his actual position on the team is a bit more flexible than what I first thought it would be. The great news is that he projects to be an elite defender. His defense grew 19 points this season and is still green, which means that the stat should continue to soar through the 90s and possibly reach 100. The not-so-great news is that his athleticism, shot blocking, and passing all were prematurely capped this season. He should still reach 80 for athleticism and shot-blocking (which are still fine numbers in those stats, but much lower than anticipated) and passing could still reach 55 (which is good for a forward) but those weren’t the numbers I was expecting when I recruited him. Where I do see a lot of potential for him is having him start at SF. He will certainly have the defensive numbers to play the position, and his athleticism should let him bounce between the two forward positions. Youngblood a defensive juggernaut in the making, the main question is whether to move him over to SF or to keep him at PF. Time (and recruiting) will tell.
SF/PF – Eric McMain – 6’6” – Calgary, Canada
McMain gets the double-dip in the Freshman Forecast for being redshirted last year, but admittedly not much has changed with his development. His stat spread continues to be intriguing. His perimeter and low post are both still green with some nice development in both stats while his rebounding, defense, and free throw shooting all turned blue, projecting him at around the 70s for both numerical stats while projecting his free throw shooting at a C+. With his low work ethic McMain is unlikely to max out his stats (even with the redshirt season), but considering that McMain was recruited after missing out on a number of other options, he should still provide some solid years as a back-up forward option. He projects to be a DI generalist. He might start in the future for Howard, but that will be towards the end of his career on the team.
SF/PF – Brian Stevenson – 6’6” – Buffalo, NY
Stevenson was redshirted this season to see if he would be able to develop the athleticism necessary to become the next Billy Guy. Unfortunately, that does not appear to be the case. His athleticism (and his defense) were both capped very early in the season, leaving his projected stats to be well below that of a starting SF. The good news is that even though he was redshirted he grew the second most out of everyone else on the team, which is quite amazing considering the redshirt. The other bit of good news is that his low post grew 12 points and is still in the green, making it likely that he will be an elite scorer in the post. This shifts his ceiling from that of a Billy Guy to that of an Eddie Gillis. The “Stevenson Era” that I was hoping for in last season’s forum post will likely never be a thing, but he still figures to have some role on offense for Howard.
New Additions:
SG – Steven Reedy – 6’1” – Newark, NJ
One major weakness that Howard is going to have next season is with perimeter shooting. Howard is going from having two 100 perimeter shooters (Zymowski and Schwing) to having an 81 perimeter shooter that is projected to be the back-up PG. Reedy likely won’t solve all of Howard’s perimeter issues, but will definitely help set Howard up for the future. He is also junior college transfer, so he will only have two years with Howard. He doesn’t know the Triangle offense so he will have to start next season on the bench. That said, Reedy’s perimeter shooting numbers look great, and his absurd work ethic likely means that he will be ready to start at SG by the middle of next season. The fact that he is a Junior also means that the SG position is now split up in scholarships, meaning that Howard should not have this void in perimeter shooting in the future. I have faith that Reedy will be able to help us out next season, but the opening games will be rather rocky until he is reedy to start.
Get it? “Reedy” to start?
I don’t apologize for art…
SG – Ralph Stripling – 5’11” – Rowland, NC
The unfortunate truth about this year’s class is that Howard invested heavily into two recruits and did not get either recruit. By the time the second recruit rejected Howard the recruiting class had relatively few options left. Stripling was the best guard prospect available in my pool. He can certainly develop a great perimeter game, as both his perimeter and ball-handling stats are green. His ceiling will be tied to his defense. Currently it is sitting at an atrocious 14 right now, but it is green. A lot of his early development will be focused on building his defensive game. If his stats really grow and stay green this year, he does have the potential to start alongside Angelo in the future. My personal guess is that he will be more like Schwing and be a sharpshooter off the bench.
SF – Norman Hagedorn – 6’5” – Chesapeake, VA
Another season, another missed recruit, and another project to invest some time into. Hagedorn is…not an ideal DI player. His athleticism, speed, and free throw shooting are all green as of now, and his defense is set to be capped somewhere in the mid-70s. His perimeter will also be capped in the mid-60s. If his athleticism and speed really develop this could be an interesting diamond in the rough for Howard. That said, so many players have had their athleticism turn blue early that I am not holding out too much hope. I give an 80% chance that he gets cut in the future.
Projected Roster for Season 163
Starters:
PG – Joshua Profitt (Sr.) – 5’11” – Winnipeg, Canada
SG – Stacy Hatfield (Sr.) – 6’4” – Henderson, NC
SF – David Youngblood (So.) – 6’7” – Wyandanch, NY
PF – John Burdett (Sr.) – 6’11” – Gilbert, AZ
C – Ronald Oster (So.) – 7’0” – Newport News, VA
Reserves:
PG/SG – Howard Angelo (So.) – 6’0” – Manassas, VA
SG – Steven Reedy (Jr.) - 6’1” – Newark, NJ
SG – Ralph Stripling (Fr.) – 5’11” – Rowland, NC
SF/PF – Eric McMain (So. RS) – 6’6” - Calgary, Canada
SF/PF - Brian Stevenson (Fr. RS) – 6’6” – Buffalo, NY
PF/C – Foster Logan (Sr.) – Tiverton, RI
Projects:
SF – Norman Hagedorn (Fr.) – Chesapeake, VA
Season Prediction:
I would be surprised if we surpassed last year’s team. We went beyond the projected ceiling that I gave Howard, winning five more games than expected and getting into the NCAA tournament when I would have simply been happy with a winning record. For next season’s team I honestly have no idea. Howard is in a state of flux, and will be for the next couple of seasons. We are not only saying goodbye to the most successful class at Howard in 10 seasons, we are shifting our identity from a backcourt team with great defenses to a frontcourt team with only decent defenses. This is going to be a rebuilding year more than a reloading year, but season 164 should have Howard back to being a stable and competitive club.
Non-Conference: 4-6
Conference: 7-9
Tournament: 0-1
Final Record: 11-16