GOALS FOR THE SEASON

Seeing eight guys coming back from a 19-8 Sim team, as well as a B- HCA, I had visions of this possibly being a very good season for ISU. Then the non-league schedule got generated, and with the kind of teams we're playing, it's very possible we go 3-7 or 2-8 before league play begins.

Our league setup seems pretty favorable. There's only one other human-coached team in the division, and it's Wichita State, a D- prestige program that brought in six recruits and may be a year away. There are two talented human-coached teams in the other division, but we only play them once during the season, and we get the no-doubt league favorite (a Southern Illinois team that returns all 12 players from last year) at home.

This team is not a bad low-D1 squad. The problem is, our OOC schedule is going to make wins pretty difficult to come by early in the season. If we can get to 15 wins by the end of the season, it will have been a pretty good year. On the plus side, this is a team that figures to get better as the year goes on, and next season, we'll likely return four of five starters (Grinder, Merrell, Smith, and Warriner), have a more agreeable schedule, and be able to get some momentum. Assuming I don't get totally disillusioned with HD (which I did in my last go-round), this could be a fun little team to watch going forward.

UPDATE: Drazen Zam = steal.

Athleticism	37		high
Speed	71		high
Rebounding	14		low
Defense	55		high
Shot Blocking	1		low
Low-post	2		low
Perimeter	72		low
Ball Handling	60		high
Passing	55		high
Work Ethic	55
Stamina	67		high
Durability	67		low
FT Shooting	C

That's about as good as I could have hoped for, save minor points like low potential in durability and average potential in FT shooting. When he tops out, he's going to be a VERY strong low-D1 guard, and these revelations may bump my recruiting class grade from a B- to a B.

Some backstory here: UMass was actually my first choice when I decided to come back. It was a "longshot" in the job search screen, but as a C- prestige program in the A10, I applied anyway. They rejected me and went Sim this year (someone fire that AD immediately!), so I scheduled an exhibition as an acid test for us.

All in all, a pretty good effort. Our offense clicked, our press forced turnovers, and by and large, the distribution was about what I want going forward (Grinder could take more shots without me complaining, but he wound up with eight assists, so that was a non-issue).

Not a bad win in our second exhibition. I coached J-State for a long time, so it was nice to get an exibition against them. Our press got us in some foul trouble, but I love the balanced scoring effort. They start counting tonight, and given our schedule, this may be the last win we get for a few days.

Maryland (1-0)

STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	FGM3-A	FTM-A	OFF	REB	AST	TO	STL	BLK	PF	PTS
Thomas Warriner, c	16	2-5	0-0	1-1	1	3	0	1	0	0	4	5
Oscar Smith, pf	20	3-5	0-0	0-0	1	6	0	2	0	0	1	6
Gordon Marble, sf	19	5-9	2-2	3-3	0	1	0	4	0	0	1	15
Tony Merrell, sg	22	0-4	0-2	0-0	2	3	2	1	0	0	3	0
Ronald Grinder, pg	22	3-10	2-6	0-1	0	0	2	2	1	0	2	8
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	FGM3-A	FTM-A	OFF	REB	AST	TO	STL	BLK	PF	PTS
Levi Field, pf	19	0-1	0-0	0-0	0	2	1	2	0	1	2	0
Calvin Porter, sf	18	4-9	2-5	0-0	2	3	0	1	3	0	2	10
Harry Giles, pg	16	1-6	1-4	0-0	1	1	0	2	0	0	4	3
Forrest Villanveva, c	16	1-3	0-0	0-0	2	4	0	1	0	1	2	2
Drazen Zam, pg	12	0-2	0-2	0-0	1	2	1	1	0	0	4	0
Thomas Heller, sg	11	1-1	0-0	0-0	0	2	1	0	0	0	0	2
Roger Stalnaker, pf	9	0-1	0-0	0-0	0	3	0	1	1	0	1	0
Totals	200	20-56	7-21	4-5	10	30	7	18	5	2	26	51
Percentages		.357	.333	.800

Maryland is ranked 12th nationally, and this was nothing I didn't expect. According to the play-by-play, we actually battled pretty well; Maryland went up 19 late in the first half, we whittled the deficit to single-digits with 17:25 left after a 13-3 run, and then they powered away again. All told, I can live with this.

Virginia Tech (2-0)

STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	FGM3-A	FTM-A	OFF	REB	AST	TO	STL	BLK	PF	PTS
Thomas Warriner, c	22	4-13	0-0	0-1	1	3	0	3	0	0	0	8
Oscar Smith, pf	13	0-2	0-0	0-0	0	1	1	0	1	0	2	0
Gordon Marble, sf	19	2-7	1-3	1-2	1	3	0	2	0	0	0	6
Tony Merrell, sg	21	3-4	2-3	0-0	1	1	0	0	0	0	2	8
Ronald Grinder, pg	18	2-8	2-6	0-0	0	0	0	1	1	0	3	6
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	FGM3-A	FTM-A	OFF	REB	AST	TO	STL	BLK	PF	PTS
Levi Field, pf	20	1-4	0-0	0-0	3	6	0	1	0	0	2	2
Calvin Porter, sf	20	3-11	1-6	2-2	2	6	0	3	1	0	3	9
Drazen Zam, pg	19	1-2	0-0	2-2	1	1	0	1	0	0	1	4
Harry Giles, pg	17	1-3	1-3	0-0	0	0	1	1	1	0	0	3
Roger Stalnaker, pf	13	2-2	0-0	0-0	1	3	0	1	1	0	0	4
Forrest Villanveva, c	12	1-3	0-0	0-2	0	1	0	1	0	1	4	2
Thomas Heller, sg	6	0-1	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	1	0	1	0
Totals	200	20-60	7-21	5-9	10	25	2	14	6	1	18	52
Percentages		.333	.333	.556

Again, nothing I didn't expect. This may be the best program in Phelan over the last five seasons or so, and we just didn't have the horses to compete with them.

Washington St. (3-0)

STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	FGM3-A	FTM-A	OFF	REB	AST	TO	STL	BLK	PF	PTS
Thomas Warriner, c	27	4-12	0-0	1-2	4	9	0	4	0	1	3	9
Oscar Smith, pf	25	4-6	0-0	2-2	1	4	0	2	0	2	1	10
Gordon Marble, sf	21	2-4	1-1	3-4	2	3	3	2	0	0	4	8
Tony Merrell, sg	26	4-12	2-6	0-0	0	1	4	3	0	0	5	10
Ronald Grinder, pg	26	3-8	3-7	0-0	0	0	1	0	0	0	3	9
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	FGM3-A	FTM-A	OFF	REB	AST	TO	STL	BLK	PF	PTS
Drazen Zam, pg	16	2-5	2-5	0-0	0	1	2	2	1	0	2	6
Calvin Porter, sf	15	2-2	1-1	0-0	0	3	1	0	2	0	1	5
Levi Field, pf	14	1-2	0-0	2-2	2	3	0	0	0	0	1	4
Harry Giles, pg	12	2-2	0-0	1-2	1	1	1	1	0	0	3	5
Forrest Villanveva, c	11	1-1	0-0	0-0	2	3	0	0	1	0	1	2
Roger Stalnaker, pf	4	1-2	0-0	0-0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	2
Thomas Heller, sg	3	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0
Totals	200	26-56	9-20	9-12	12	29	12	15	4	3	24	70
Percentages		.464	.450	.750

This was a little demoralizing. We played well for most of the way against a power conference and even led 65-64 with 3:58 to go, but ended the game on the wrong side of a 16-5 run. Our defense wasn't great, and WSU making 80% of their free throws didn't help much, either.

Boston U. (1-3)

STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	FGM3-A	FTM-A	OFF	REB	AST	TO	STL	BLK	PF	PTS
Thomas Warriner, c	23	4-7	0-0	3-4	1	8	0	2	0	1	2	11
Oscar Smith, pf	25	4-8	0-0	3-4	4	7	0	1	1	2	1	11
Gordon Marble, sf	20	4-8	1-2	1-2	2	4	0	2	0	0	4	10
Tony Merrell, sg	26	3-9	1-3	1-2	0	2	1	2	0	0	1	8
Ronald Grinder, pg	22	1-3	1-3	2-2	0	0	5	3	1	0	5	5
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	FGM3-A	FTM-A	OFF	REB	AST	TO	STL	BLK	PF	PTS
Drazen Zam, pg	19	3-4	1-2	2-2	1	1	0	1	1	0	3	9
Levi Field, pf	14	1-3	0-0	2-2	0	0	1	0	1	0	4	4
Harry Giles, pg	13	0-1	0-1	2-2	0	0	1	0	0	0	3	2
Calvin Porter, sf	13	1-2	1-2	0-0	0	1	0	1	0	0	2	3
Forrest Villanveva, c	13	0-2	0-0	1-2	0	1	0	1	0	0	2	1
Roger Stalnaker, pf	6	1-1	0-0	0-0	1	3	0	0	0	1	0	2
Thomas Heller, sg	6	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	3	0	0	0	0	0
Totals	200	22-48	5-13	17-22	9	27	11	13	4	4	27	66
Percentages		.458	.385	.773

Downside to the press: When the other team makes 30 free throws, chances are you're not going to win the game. This was close most of the way, BU got a slight lead late, and then they made their FT's when they had to. We didn't play terribly, but those are the breaks sometimes.

STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	FGM3-A	FTM-A	OFF	REB	AST	TO	STL	BLK	PF	PTS
Thomas Fountain, c	20	2-2	1-1	4-6	2	7	0	3	0	1	2	9
David Daly, pf	23	2-6	0-2	3-4	1	9	0	2	2	0	2	7
Mark Howard, sf	19	2-5	1-2	4-4	0	1	0	1	1	0	2	9
Clyde Hilt, sg	23	4-8	1-3	4-4	1	2	2	1	0	0	2	13
Michael Staples, pg	23	3-9	3-8	1-2	0	0	3	2	3	0	2	10
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	FGM3-A	FTM-A	OFF	REB	AST	TO	STL	BLK	PF	PTS
Ervin Wells, pg	17	1-2	0-1	4-7	0	3	2	1	0	0	4	6
Robert Rogers, pf	17	2-6	0-0	1-3	1	5	2	1	0	1	1	5
Albert Brown, sg	17	0-1	0-1	6-8	1	2	2	3	3	0	2	6
William Weathers, sf	16	1-4	1-2	3-4	0	1	0	3	0	1	4	6
James Aucoin, c	16	2-3	0-0	0-0	1	2	0	1	0	2	1	4
Ramon Cantu, pf	9	1-2	0-0	0-0	2	4	0	0	0	0	0	2
Totals	200	20-48	7-20	30-42	9	36	11	18	9	5	22	77
Percentages		.417	.350	.714

We need to get press IQ's up, and quickly. As you can see in the box score, a BUNCH of our guys got in foul trouble, and we went from being up six at the half to losing by 11. When we weren't fouling, our press worked pretty well, but again, when another team buries 30 free throws, chances are they're going to win the game. Ugh.

Illinois St. (0-6)

STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	FGM3-A	FTM-A	OFF	REB	AST	TO	STL	BLK	PF	PTS
Tracy Chien, c	25	2-4	0-0	0-0	1	7	1	1	2	5	0	4
Vladimir Kaczmarski, pf	22	3-5	0-0	1-4	1	3	1	0	0	1	0	7
Michael Thornton, sf	23	2-3	0-0	7-9	0	0	2	3	0	0	1	11
Herbert Gustafson, sg	27	3-6	2-5	0-2	0	0	4	2	0	0	2	8
Raymond Montgomery, pg	32	5-9	1-3	1-1	0	2	3	3	1	0	3	12
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	FGM3-A	FTM-A	OFF	REB	AST	TO	STL	BLK	PF	PTS
Mark Hurlbut, sf	22	2-5	0-0	6-6	2	2	1	3	1	0	2	10
Brian West, pf	17	3-4	0-0	2-4	1	4	0	1	0	1	3	8
Austin Robinson, sf	17	2-3	0-0	1-2	1	3	1	1	0	0	1	5
John Small, c	15	1-2	0-0	0-0	2	6	2	0	0	1	1	2
Totals	200	23-41	3-8	18-28	8	27	15	14	4	8	13	67
Percentages		.561	.375	.643

This REALLY hurt, because we played, easily, our best game of the season on the road against a good power conference team. Here's how it ended.

00:33		62-64	Tony Merrell is called for the reach on Austin Robinson in the backcourt - foul #4 on Tony Merrell, team foul #12
00:33	Oscar Smith (PF) Levi Field	62-64	Herbert Gustafson (SG) Mark Hurlbut
00:33		62-64	Austin Robinson misses the 1st free throw
00:33		62-65	Austin Robinson makes the 2nd free throw
00:17	Thomas Warriner comes up short on the floater in the lane	62-65
00:16	Oscar Smith gets the offensive rebound	62-65
00:06	Ronald Grinder drills a 3 from the right corner	65-65
00:06		65-65	USC calls a :30 timeout (1 :30 4 full remaining)
00:06		65-65	Michael Thornton (SF) Austin Robinson
	Illinois St. is playing a flex offense (slowdown) and a fullcourt press (0)		USC is playing a spread offense (hold ball) and a man to man (0)
00:00		65-67	Herbert Gustafson knocks in the shot from the right wing

Tennessee St. (3-4)

STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	FGM3-A	FTM-A	OFF	REB	AST	TO	STL	BLK	PF	PTS
Thomas Warriner, c	23	1-5	0-0	1-1	0	1	0	3	0	2	2	3
Oscar Smith, pf	21	6-11	0-0	3-3	3	7	1	1	2	0	0	15
Gordon Marble, sf	20	0-0	0-0	0-0	2	3	2	2	2	0	2	0
Tony Merrell, sg	20	7-16	4-10	2-2	1	2	2	0	1	0	3	20
Ronald Grinder, pg	21	3-9	2-7	0-0	0	0	2	2	2	0	3	8
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	FGM3-A	FTM-A	OFF	REB	AST	TO	STL	BLK	PF	PTS
Harry Giles, pg	19	1-5	1-3	2-2	0	0	1	3	1	0	3	5
Calvin Porter, sf	16	2-3	0-1	0-0	1	1	1	1	1	0	0	4
Levi Field, pf	16	2-5	0-0	2-2	4	6	1	0	0	0	1	6
Drazen Zam, pg	13	1-2	0-1	0-0	0	1	2	2	0	0	5	2
Forrest Villanveva, c	13	1-5	0-0	1-1	0	4	1	0	0	4	2	3
Thomas Heller, sg	10	1-2	0-0	0-0	0	1	0	1	1	0	1	2
Roger Stalnaker, pf	8	0-1	0-0	0-0	0	3	0	0	0	0	0	0
Totals	200	25-64	7-22	11-11	11	29	13	15	10	6	22	68
Percentages		.391	.318	1.000

On paper, this should have been a win. At home, we pressed a team with one player above an 85 rating in speed, went against a M2M defense with one starter above a 64 defense rating...and were down 49-29 at halftime after they went 18-for-29 (62%) to our 11-for-29 (38%). Does. Not. Compute.

RPI 252, SOS 60.

No shock here. Cornell's legitimately talented, and I expected a big loss.

RPI 221, SOS 31.

PS: If you make an inflammatory (or just plain rude) post, as someone did earlier today, it will be reported to site staff. I did tracking threads like this for a while when I was more active in this game (the new forums would have Hampton in Tark, West Florida/BU/Oklahoma State in Knight, and J-State/T-Tech/Illinois State here), and I figured it'd be a semi-fun way to chronicle the goings-on here (although it's becoming MUCH less fun given the schedule we have). I won't tolerate any posts made to go against that, and I won't address that matter again.

Illinois St. (0-9)

STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	FGM3-A	FTM-A	OFF	REB	AST	TO	STL	BLK	PF	PTS
Donald Sheffield, c	19	3-5	0-0	1-1	5	10	2	2	0	2	0	7
Edward Carter, pf	25	5-7	0-0	1-1	6	11	2	2	1	3	0	11
Phillip Phillips, sf	24	6-11	2-4	2-4	1	2	3	2	1	0	0	16
Leslie Abernathy, sf	24	3-6	1-4	1-4	0	4	1	0	3	0	3	8
Robert Hutchins, pg	23	4-8	0-0	3-5	0	2	3	4	1	0	0	11
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	FGM3-A	FTM-A	OFF	REB	AST	TO	STL	BLK	PF	PTS
Kermit Copher, pg	19	3-4	1-1	3-7	1	2	7	1	1	0	1	10
Jason Burns, sg	16	3-6	2-4	4-6	1	1	2	4	1	0	1	12
Jared Hook, pf	14	0-2	0-1	2-4	0	1	0	1	0	1	2	2
Leon Sanders, pf	14	0-1	0-0	2-2	0	1	1	1	1	0	0	2
Joshua Damron, pf	12	1-1	0-0	0-0	3	7	0	0	1	0	2	2
Kurt Schlichting, c	10	2-3	0-0	0-0	2	3	1	0	0	1	0	4
Totals	200	30-54	6-14	19-34	19	44	22	17	10	7	9	85
Percentages		.556	.429	.559

Again, totally expected shellacking at the hands of a very good team (in this case, the #2 squad in Phelan).

RPI 199, SOS 18.

Cleveland State's a similar team to us, down to the system. The difference here was that both Grinder and Smith got in big-time foul trouble, and that hurt us.

RPI 199, SOS 17. Hopefully we can get some wins with conference play looming.

Dang this is rough dude. I am pretty new here, but how do you get your guys to foul less because that seems like a big issue you have said in multiple games.