Maryland 32-2, 14-2
We were ahead by as much as 20 in the first half, then USC pulled back and we had a very close game where they took the lead on a few occasions, but eventually we pulled back in front and won fairly comfortably.

From:Pete Bailey To:Coach colorblind79 Subject:National Championship Time! Sent:12/20/2009 2:48AM

Coach, you did it! We're going to the National Tournament Championship game!!!!!!!!!!! One more win - can you imagine?!? Pete Bailey Athletic Director University of Maryland

For the National Championship, I'll be facing off against my best friend on WIS, gopokes24 and his Wyoming Cowboys ("Pokes"):

Name	Yr.	Pos.	A	SPD	REB	DE	BLK	LP	PE	BH	P	WE	ST	DU	FT	TOT
Steve Jaimes	Sr.	PG	68	100	9	97	16	1	62	83	99	47	97	68	A-	747
Angel Yazzie	Sr.	PG	87	99	2	98	15	2	77	99	97	59	82	35	C	752
Chinua Amedee	Sr.	PG	78	100	28	99	13	6	71	99	99	72	96	59	A+	820
Marco Harris	Jr.	PG	90	99	29	99	13	16	68	99	99	73	97	100	A	882
William Hollomon	So.	PG	62	89	16	70	3	1	67	95	86	56	79	92	D+	716
Matthew Laufer	Jr.	SF	71	87	48	91	43	82	73	57	35	54	90	76	B	807
Renato Romano	So.	SF	64	86	50	88	40	65	68	45	48	51	88	98	C	791
Kenneth Macha	Sr.	PF	100	45	99	77	91	100	33	1	25	59	85	86	C-	801
Reynaldo Esposito	Sr.	C	76	49	99	100	100	87	1	1	59	81	75	100	D	828
Jason Pina	Jr.	C	66	66	99	85	100	81	1	3	56	85	97	68	D+	807
Patrick Corbett	Jr.	C	63	34	93	97	100	100	4	10	33	87	96	47	C+	764
Hyman Salazar	So.	C	59	51	99	70	93	93	28	3	39	67	73	80	F	755
Averages	-	-	74	75	56	89	52	53	46	50	65	66	88	76	-	789

Name	Yr.	Pos.	Flex	Motion	Triangle	Fastbreak	Man	Zone	Press
Steve Jaimes	Sr.	PG	D-	A+	D-	D-	D-	B+	A+
Angel Yazzie	Sr.	PG	D-	A+	D-	D-	D-	B	A+
Chinua Amedee	Sr.	PG	D-	A+	D-	D-	C-	B	A+
Marco Harris	Jr.	PG	D-	A-	C	D-	C-	C	A
William Hollomon	So.	PG	F	B	F	F	F	F	B
Matthew Laufer	Jr.	SF	D-	A	C-	D-	D+	C	A+
Renato Romano	So.	SF	D-	A-	D-	D+	D+	C-	A-
Kenneth Macha	Sr.	PF	D-	A	D-	C	C-	B-	A
Reynaldo Esposito	Sr.	C	D-	A+	D-	D-	D-	B	A+
Jason Pina	Jr.	C	D-	A	D-	D-	C-	C	A+
Patrick Corbett	Jr.	C	D-	A-	D-	C-	C-	C	A
Hyman Salazar	So.	C	D-	B+	D-	C	C-	D-	A-

-----------

We played the Pokes earlier this year, at our place, and won by 3 (the amount that homecourt is worth, on average), so this seems like a very even game.

We play every year during non-conference play, trading home games. I am ahead in the series 5-2, but that doesn't necessarily mean anything in this instance.

gopokes beat me for the services of Chinua Amadee a few seasons back. Now he's a very formidable PG. I also had been somewhat interested in Angel Yazzie, and he is similarly a good PG but has less rebounding ability. The two of them are starters and I would assume that Amadee plays SG, where he will be attempting to neutralize Holcomb.

Understandably, looking at their perimeter ratings, Wyoming shoots a lower proportion of 3-point shots than do the Terps. I generally pack the inside on my defense, anyways, and will not be changing anything, because as I said before last game, "be the threat, not the solution." I don't see a reason to change. We don't match up badly, so there's nothing to cover for.

The biggest threat, in terms of players, that I see, is Kenneth Macha. Following him, I think Marco Harris could present a problem as a defender in the SG slot, and as an offensive player in the PG slot.

We are a better FT shooting team. We shoot 69.6%, which isn't great, but the Pokes shoot 63.4%, which is pretty much awful.

I think we've got a good 65% chance of winning this game. I am nervous. If I lose, my friend will be winning, so it won't be too bad...but I'd really, really prefer to get my first title.

I've got to say, regardless, that gopokes24 has done an amazing job of putting together a program in the middle of nowhere:

Name	Year	Pos.	Status*	GPA	Ht.	Wt.	Hometown	Signed By
Steve Jaimes	Sr.	PG	S	3.2	6'1"	188	Yucaipa, CA	gopokes24
Angel Yazzie	Sr.	PG	S	3.5	5'11"	175	Benedetto, Italy	gopokes24
Chinua Amedee	Sr.	PG	S	3.3	6'2"	195	Lagos, Nigeria	gopokes24
Marco Harris	Jr.	PG	S	3.2	6'2"	191	Lyman, WY	gopokes24
William Hollomon	So.	PG	S	3.3	6'2"	192	St. Ignatius, MT	gopokes24
Matthew Laufer	Jr.	SF	S	3.4	6'5"	194	Ashland, MT	gopokes24
Renato Romano	So.	SF	S	3.0	6'5"	210	Naples, Italy	gopokes24
Kenneth Macha	Sr.	PF	S	3.5	6'9"	222	Soda Springs, ID	gopokes24
Reynaldo Esposito	Sr.	C	S	3.4	6'10"	244	Benedetto, Italy	gopokes24
Jason Pina	Jr.	C	S	3.8	6'9"	224	Hotchkiss, CO	gopokes24
Patrick Corbett	Jr.	C	S	3.4	6'11"	231	Denver, CO	gopokes24
Hyman Salazar	So.	C	S	3.6	6'10"	244	Salinas, PR	gopokes24

------------

His location does partially explain how he's not been able to find a proper SG, and has had to make do with a plethora of PGs. This is clearly a method that can work, and which can be followed by other coaches in the boondocks.

Good luck CB!

Best of luck tonight CB...I'm predicting a 63-48 victory for your Terps!

Wyoming 31-4, 16-0
Damn. This is my 3rd or 4th DI Championship Game, and I have yet to win one. We lost on rebounding, this time. Oh well...congrats, pokes.

From:Pete Bailey To:Coach colorblind79 Subject:National Tournament Run Sent:12/21/2009 3:17AM

Coach, that was a tough loss after coming this far. The team did the best they could and we just came up short. We still had a dream season, #2 in the country ain't bad. Just know that when other schools come calling, we always stuck with you. Pete Bailey Athletic Director University of Maryland

----------

insult to injury:

Source	Headline	Date
AP Sports	James Marshall has decided to leave Maryland early	12/21 03:56 AM
Fox Sports	Junior Center Matthew Slick leaving Maryland for the riches of the NBA	12/21 03:49 AM
S-I.com	James Bourget has decided to leave Maryland early	12/21 03:28 AM

--------------

Slick and Bourget I can understand, though I think that they probably won't be first round picks. Marshall I'm completely surprised that he'll even be drafted, but apparently he will, probably as like the last overall pick.

some perspective:

Season	Coach	Overall W-L	Home W-L	Road W-L	Neutral W-L	Conf W-L	Rank	RPI	Prestige	Notes
35	colorblind79	32-3	14-1	10-1	8-1	14-2	2	1	A+	Conf Champion CT Champion NT (Championship Game)
34	colorblind79	21-9	10-2	9-5	2-2	12-4	15	6	A	Conf Champion NT At-large Bid NT (Sweet 16)
33	colorblind79	17-11	10-3	7-6	0-2	10-6		33	A	NT At-large Bid NT (1st Round)
32	colorblind79	26-6	11-2	11-2	4-2	13-3	9	3	A	Conf Champion NT At-large Bid NT (Sweet 16)
31	colorblind79	24-9	12-3	6-5	6-1	11-5	9	14	A-	CT Champion NT (Elite 8)
30	colorblind79	12-16	11-4	0-11	1-1	5-11		118	B
29	colorblind79	17-13	8-6	7-5	2-2	9-7		45	B+	NT At-large Bid NT (1st Round)
28	colorblind79	17-11	10-5	6-5	1-1	9-7		109	B+
27	Sim AI	4-23	4-8	0-14	0-1	1-15		251	A
26	oldresorter	24-8	12-2	7-5	5-1	12-4	11	8	A+	CT Champion NT (Sweet 16)
25	oldresorter	25-10	10-1	7-8	8-1	10-6	2	9	A+	Conf Champion CT Champion NT (Championship Game)
24	oldresorter	23-10	10-2	8-6	5-2	10-6	11	13	A	NT At-large Bid NT (Final Four)
23	oldresorter	16-13	8-5	7-6	1-2	8-8		57	A	NT At-large Bid NT (1st Round)
22	oldresorter	19-10	11-2	7-6	1-2	10-6		15	A	NT At-large Bid NT (2nd Round)
21	oldresorter	19-11	10-3	7-6	2-2	11-5		28	A	NT At-large Bid NT (2nd Round)
20	oldresorter	27-3	12-0	13-1	2-2	15-1	24	5	A-	Conf Champion NT At-large Bid NT (2nd Round)
19	oldresorter	25-7	9-4	12-1	4-2	13-3	14	13	A-	Conf Champion NT At-large Bid NT (Elite 8)
18	oldresorter	11-16	5-5	6-10	0-1	5-11		119	A-
17	oldresorter	10-17	8-7	2-9	0-1	4-12		224	-
16	Sim AI	10-17	6-8	4-8	0-1	8-8		238	-

Quote: Originally Posted By colorblind79 on 6/12/2009

Charles Bane
PG|6'3"|198 lbs.|3.2 GPA
Canisius HS|Buffalo, NY

PG

638

Athleticism 62 Speed 92 Rebounding 8 Defense 64 Shot Blocking 18 Low-post 1 Perimeter 35 Ball Handling 77 Passing 92 Work Ethic 57 Stamina 78 Durability 54 Previous Season Stats GP MPG PPG RPG FG% FG3% FT% APG SPG BPG 28 24 8.0 0.9 30.0 40.1 76.3 4.7 2.9 0.9

Potential

	Current Rating	Potential			Current Rating	Potential
Athleticism	62	High		Perimeter	35	Average
Speed	92	Average		Ball Handling	77	Average
Rebounding	8	Average		Passing	92	Average
Defense	64	High		Stamina	78	High
Shot Blocking	18	Low		Durability	54	High
Low-post	1	Average		FT Shooting		Average

#10 PG, #47 Overall, ****; no promises. Charles Bane wasn't exactly my first choice (a foreigner, who was riskier but who probably had a higher ceiling), but he was in the top 5 or so of guys I wanted for the PG position. He'll be riding the bench for a year and basically becoming an Abraham Hodges clone, with slightly worse rebounding and ballhandling. Not a likely pro, but a perfectly decent pass-first PG

As a starter, Bane was a failure, but as a backup, he was excellent in his role. I would be shocked to see him drafted, but I'm well aware that he contributed heavily to my team's success the last two seasons.

Yr.	GP	GS	MIN	FG%	FG3%	FT%	OREB	REB	AST	TO	STL	BLK	PF	PTS
35	35	0	16.8	.474	.333	.810	0.3	1.1	2.8	1.8	1.0	0.1	1.1	4.4
34	30	0	14.2	.565	.250	.667	0.2	0.9	2.4	1.2	0.9	0.1	1.0	2.2
33	28	28	22.0	.358	.300	.864	0.6	1.4	2.9	2.1	0.6	0.1	1.4	3.4
32	29	0	3.3	.625		1.000	0.2	0.2	0.6	0.3	0.3	0.0	0.2	0.8
Averages				.452	.306	.824	0.3	0.9	2.2	1.4	0.7	0.1	0.9	2.8

Yr.	GP	GS	MIN	FGM	FGA	FG3M	FG3A	FTM	FTA	OFF	REB	AST	TO	STL	BLK	PF	PTS
35	35	0	587	54	114	13	39	34	42	12	38	99	63	36	2	40	155
34	30	0	425	26	46	4	16	10	15	5	26	71	35	27	3	29	66
33	28	28	616	34	95	9	30	19	22	17	38	81	60	18	3	39	96
32	29	0	96	5	8	0	0	12	12	5	7	16	8	8	0	6	22
Totals	122	28	1724	119	263	26	85	75	91	39	109	267	166	89	8	114	339

-------

no records, no awards.

[edit:]

35.

New Jersey Nets

Charles Bane 6'3", 198 PG - University of Maryland / Senior

I found this one particularly amazing. Everyone else was drafted in the first round, but Bane was close, and I didn't even expect him to get drafted at all.

Quote: Originally Posted By colorblind79 on 7/31/2009

James Bourget
PG|6'0"|174 lbs.|2.6 GPA
Fairmount-Harford HS|Baltimore, MD

PG

691

Athleticism 47 Speed 92 Rebounding 20 Defense 79 Shot Blocking 23 Low-post 8 Perimeter 57 Ball Handling 83 Passing 84 Work Ethic 80 Stamina 71 Durability 47 Previous Season Stats GP MPG PPG RPG FG% FG3% FT% APG SPG BPG 24 22 11.3 0.5 30.0 39.9 64.3 6.4 1.0 1.2

	Current Rating	Potential			Current Rating	Potential
Athleticism	47	High		Perimeter	57	High
Speed	92	Average		Ball Handling	83	Average
Rebounding	20	Low		Passing	84	Average
Defense	79	High		Stamina	71	High
Shot Blocking	23	Low		Durability	47	High
Low-post	8	Average		FT Shooting		Low

#13 PG, #95 Overall, ****; no promises. At the moment, James Bourquet is a solid pass-first PG. He could develop into an excellent, well rounded PG, depending on just how high his potential is in athleticism and perimeter. His only long-term, definite weakness is FT shooting

James Bourget was a very good PG for me. I guess he topped out and there wasn't anything to prove, or something, so he a year early. He's not a high pick, though, and we could have theoretically challenged for the Championship again with him, Slick, and Marshall still on our team, but whatever. Anyways he was an excellent defender and contributed to our rebounding pretty well, and shot okay. We could've used him next year. Losing both him and Bane is a bit of a pain. He'll be missed.

Yr.	GP	GS	MIN	FG%	FG3%	FT%	OREB	REB	AST	TO	STL	BLK	PF	PTS
35	35	35	21.6	.427	.343	.654	0.4	1.7	3.5	1.8	1.2	0.2	1.5	4.7
34	30	30	25.5	.531	.371	.563	0.5	1.8	3.8	2.0	1.7	0.1	1.8	6.6
33	28	0	16.1	.338	.333	.786	0.5	1.6	2.1	1.6	0.7	0.2	1.0	2.4
Averages				.454	.352	.639	0.4	1.7	3.2	1.8	1.2	0.2	1.5	4.6

Yr.	GP	GS	MIN	FGM	FGA	FG3M	FG3A	FTM	FTA	OFF	REB	AST	TO	STL	BLK	PF	PTS
35	35	35	757	61	143	24	70	17	26	13	60	121	62	41	6	54	163
34	30	30	766	78	147	23	62	18	32	14	55	114	60	52	3	53	197
33	28	0	452	22	65	11	33	11	14	13	46	60	46	20	5	29	66
Totals	93	65	1975	161	355	58	165	46	72	40	161	295	168	113	14	136	426

---------

13th in Assists, all time; no awards.

[edit:]

16.

Toronto Raptors

James Bourget 6'0", 174 PG - University of Maryland / Junior

Quote: Originally Posted By colorblind79 on 6/12/2009

Michael Holcomb
SG|6'2"|180 lbs.|2.8 GPA
North Caroline HS|Ridgely, MD

SG

653

Athleticism 58 Speed 70 Rebounding 27 Defense 84 Shot Blocking 1 Low-post 21 Perimeter 82 Ball Handling 74 Passing 73 Work Ethic 37 Stamina 78 Durability 48 Previous Season Stats GP MPG PPG RPG FG% FG3% FT% APG SPG BPG 24 28 20.4 3.2 49.6 39.1 71.7 2.2 1.7 0.7 Potential Current Rating Potential Current Rating Potential Athleticism 58 High Perimeter 82 Average Speed 70 High Ball Handling 74 High Rebounding 27 Low Passing 73 High Defense 84 Average Stamina 78 High Shot Blocking 1 Average Durability 48 High Low-post 21 Low FT Shooting Average

#15 SG, #148 Overall, ***; no promises. I really like Michael Holcomb's potential. I think he's going to develop into a really great DI guard for me. It'll take a year or two to see him blossom, of course, but I wouldn't be terribly surprised if he winds up good enough for the pros. It depends on just how high that potential is for his athleticism and speed. His rebounding is already at a good enough level that it's reasonably strong for his position.

Holcomb was an outstanding signing. As it turned out, the ceiling on his potential for speed and athleticism were at NBA levels. He took about a season to develop but became a great shooter and overall scorer for the team. He's going to be very difficult to replace.

Yr.	GP	GS	MIN	FG%	FG3%	FT%	OREB	REB	AST	TO	STL	BLK	PF	PTS
35	35	35	22.4	.477	.401	.720	0.4	1.7	2.1	1.3	1.2	0.0	1.2	10.9
34	30	30	25.5	.500	.436	.767	0.4	2.4	2.7	1.7	1.3	0.0	2.1	8.9
33	28	21	19.7	.434	.348	.643	0.6	1.9	2.0	1.5	0.6	0.0	1.5	7.7
32	30	0	3.6	.333	.400	1.000	0.0	0.2	0.3	0.1	0.1	0.0	0.4	0.3
Averages				.470	.395	.721	0.4	1.6	1.8	1.1	0.8	0.0	1.3	7.1

Yr.	GP	GS	MIN	FGM	FGA	FG3M	FG3A	FTM	FTA	OFF	REB	AST	TO	STL	BLK	PF	PTS
35	35	35	785	133	279	61	152	54	75	15	58	73	44	42	1	42	381
34	30	30	766	88	176	44	101	46	60	13	73	80	50	40	1	62	266
33	28	21	552	75	173	39	112	27	42	17	54	55	42	18	0	42	216
32	30	0	108	2	6	2	5	2	2	0	7	10	4	2	0	12	8
Totals	123	86	2211	298	634	146	370	129	179	45	192	218	140	102	2	158	871

----------

Conference Awards
3rd Team All-Conference once

----------

Team Records:

14th in 3pt%

[edit:]

12.

Minnesota Timberwolves

Michael Holcomb 6'2", 180 SG - University of Maryland / Senior

Quote: Originally Posted By colorblind79 on 7/31/2009

James Marshall
SG|6'3"|208 lbs.|3.3 GPA
Riverheads HS|Staunton, VA

SG

603

Athleticism 53 Speed 78 Rebounding 22 Defense 76 Shot Blocking 1 Low-post 16 Perimeter 79 Ball Handling 65 Passing 65 Work Ethic 65 Stamina 73 Durability 10 Previous Season Stats GP MPG PPG RPG FG% FG3% FT% APG SPG BPG 10 23 16.8 1.9 35.8 51.0 87.5 2.8 1.2 0.7 Current Rating Potential Current Rating Potential Athleticism 53 High Perimeter 79 High Speed 78 Average Ball Handling 65 High Rebounding 22 Average Passing 65 Average Defense 76 High Stamina 73 High Shot Blocking 1 Average Durability 10 Average Low-post 16 Low FT Shooting Low

#11 SG, #61 Overall, ****; no promises. I was thinking of going after a Puerto Rican for the SG slot that opened up with Traylor's departure, but decided to play it safe and take what looked like a sure thing. James Marshall should be an excellent outside shooter. I chose him over a Marylander with high potential in speed because if I was going to sacrifice a guard skill, in an SG, it should be passing and not ballhandling (lesson courtesy of Glenn Montero). I expect that his speed will be serviceable, nonetheless...somewhere in the 90 range. Due to his low durability, Marshall will never look as impressive at first glance as he will actually be

I am positively shocked that Marshall declared for the draft. For one thing, at least theoretically, he still had room for improvement. For another, he doesn't seem to have NBA ratings or stats. I carved out a role for him this year as the starting SF, in a three-guard offense, because his passing and ballhandling abilities are decidedly sub-par for a high DI guard, but quite good for a 3. I knew that I was giving up an edge to every team I played, in terms of rebounding, but Blakey did a good job of covering that gap against the backups that he played against. I liked Marshall's FT shooting as a late game option, also. I also liked having the extra 3-point shooter out there. I just can't believe he'd declare for the draft...it's just wacky.