This will be a thread where members of the league can discuss and track their team's progress as we try to build the conference.


SEASON 162 RESULTS
Conference RPI - 4th
Conference Prestige - C+
STANDINGS

		EAST
TEAM	CONF	OVERALL	RPI	SOS
Hampton	15-1	23-7	30	48
Delaware State #14	14-2	25-6	12	33
South Carolina State	11-5	21-7	71	135
Bethune-Cookman	8-8	11-16	143	84
Norfolk State	3-13	11-17	176	105
Maryland Eastern Shore	2-14	8-20	184	52
		WEST
TEAM	CONF	OVERALL	RPI	SOS
Howard	10-6	21-9	67	116
North Carolina A&T	10-6	19-9	51	82
Morris Brown	7-9	15-12	116	122
Coppin State	7-9	14-13	127	121
Florida A&M	7-9	15-15	80	37
Morgan State	2-14	7-21	188	64

TEAM PRESTIGES
End of 157 > 158 > 159 > 160 > 161>162
Delaware State B > B+ > A > A > A > A
Hampton D- > D- >D+ > C+ > B- > B
South Carolina State C- > C- > C- > C > C+ > B-
Morris Brown C+ > C+ > C+ > C+ > C+ > C+
Maryland Eastern Shore D- > D- > D+ > C > C+ > C+
North Carolina A&T D+ > D+ > C > C > C > C+
Florida A&M D- > D- > D+ > C > C > C+
Bethune-Cookman D+ > D > D > D+ > C > C
Howard D- > D > D > D+ > C
Morgan State D+ > D+ > D+ > D+ > C- > C-
Coppin State D- > D- >D- > D- > D+ > C-
Norfolk State D+ > D+ > D+ > D+ > D+




CURRENT COACHES -
OVERALL RECORDS (All Worlds) - RECORD WITH CURRENT TEAM BEFORE START OF SEASON 162:
Bethune-Cookman Wildcats - AZHawg22 - 2283 - 1173 • 33-49
Coppin State Eagles - uwrjl93 - 5230 - 2601 • 24-57
Delaware State Hornets - chapelhillne 12091 - 4580 • 211-66 (16 Championships)
Florida A&M Rattlers - greiss13 - 1086-771 • 38-21
Hampton Pirates - upsetcity 1788 - 1088 • 47-67 (1 Championship)
Howard Bison - verdiman - 372-375 • 33-50
Maryland Eastern Shore Hawks - Bobbyc2 - 1740 - 1765 • 44-69
Morgan State Bears - Cuck - 4674 - 1721 • 37-46
Morris Brown Wolverines - SIM
Norfolk State Spartans - stoph 1523 - 1408 • 87-105
North Carolina A&T Aggies - garmansouth - 16021 - 10765 • 78-61 (6 Championships)
South Carolina State Bulldogs - deuce112 - 1686 - 1102 • 48-39 (1 Championship)



CONFERENCE OUTLOOK FOR SEASON 162
The MEAC finished #7 in conference RPI in season 161, and placed two teams in the National Tournament, Maryland Eastern Shore and Delaware State. Four teams made the PI, so half of the conference participated in post season play, which was a record for the MEAC.

This is the first year in the last three seasons where a sim will be coaching in the conference, however, the Morris Brown team is one of the stronger teams, except that they are the only team that has any sim or ineligible players in the entire conference.

Delaware State looks strong again this year with a 725 overall rating, but they will be starting 5 freshmen. Hampton also looks like a very good team, with five seniors including Randy Wunsch, the MEAC player of the year and honorable mention All American. South Carolina State also looks to have an overall talented team. North Carolina A&T has a very experienced team with 4 seniors and 4 juniors, and Coppin State also has five seniors on their team. Norfolk State has two seniors, but 5 juniors, so that experience may help them this year. Florida A&M should not be counted out either, since they have won the conference two consecutive season.Morgan State, Bethune Cookman, and Howard all have a lot of freshman (6, 6 and 5). Maryland Eastern Shore has 4 freshmen and 3 sophomores, so they are a young team now, but they did make the NT last year, so they must be taken seriously.

In terms of Athleticism, Delaware State (86) and Hampton (74) are significantly above the other teams. Delaware State is the second most Athletic Team nationally.

The same two teams are also the top two defensive teams (86 and 76), but North Carolina A&T (71) and Florida A&M (70) are also above the rest of the field. Delaware State ranks second in the country defensively.

In terms of perimeter shooting, NC A&T is very strong with an overall range of 63 (4th in the country), followed by Morris Brown at 52.

Bethune Cookman has the strongest scoring inside at 56, but 5 other teams are above 50.

Maryland Eastern Shore is the fastest team in the conference at 61 (tied for 15th in the country), followed by NC A&T and SC State at 58, and Howard at 56.

Delaware State has a sizeable advantage in rebounding (58 - tied for 5th in the nation), with Norfolk State in second at 51, and 8 teams between 41 and 46.

Overall the conference seems to be stronger than ever, and still balanced, although Delaware State still remains the team to beat. They have strung together an astonishing 126-7 record in MEAC play over the last 7 years, including the CT, with 8 straight Conference Championships and 6 straight Conference Tournament titles.

Team Power Ratings at Start of Season 162:
Equals Average rating of all players, except walk-ons, minus durability, and minus Work Ethic. 3 Points are added for each senior, two for each junior and one for each sophomore to account for IQ

TEAM	PWR
1. Delaware State	624
2. North Carolina A&T	579
3. Hampton	577
4. Morris Brown	576
5. South Carolina State	554
6.Florida A&M	536
7. Coppin State	535
8. Howard	535
9. Morgan State	533
10.Norfolk State	533
11. Bethune-Cookman	524
12. Maryland Eastern Shore	485

Last Year's Power Ratings at Start of Season 161:
Equals Average rating of all players, except walk-ons, minus durability, and minus Work Ethic. 3 Points are added for each senior, two for each junior and one for each sophomore to account for IQ

TEAM	PWR
1. Delaware State	629
2. Morris Brown	579
3. Bethune-Cookman	577
4. North Carolina A&T	564
5. Morgan State	563
6.Hampton	556
7. Coppin State	550
8. Norfolk State	548
9. Howard	543
10. Maryland Eastern Shore	535
11.South Carolina State	523
12. Florida A&M	514

SEASON 161 RESULTS
Conference RPI - 6th
Conference Prestige C (up from C-)

		EAST
TEAM	CONF	OVERALL	RPI	SOS
Delaware State #7	14-2	30-3	5	27
Maryland Eastern Shore	11-5	18-10	58	74
Bethune-Cookman	9-7	20-10	61	92
Hampton	9-7	17-16	49	20
South Carolina State	7-9	15-14	76	43
Norfolk State	4-12	12-15	155	112
		WEST
TEAM	CONF	OVERALL	RPI	SOS
Florida A&M	10-6	13-14	95	56
Morris Brown	9-7	19-11	64	85
Morgan State	7-9	18-12	100	121
Coppin State	7-9	12-15	138	104
Howard	5-11	14-13	164	174
North Carolina A&T	4-12	6-21	177	51

TEAM PRESTIGES
End of 157 > 158 > 159 > 160 > 161
Delaware State B > B+ > A > A > A
Hampton D- > D- >D+ > C+ > B-
Morris Brown C+ > C+ > C+ > C+ > C+
South Carolina State C- > C- > C- > C > C+
Maryland Eastern Shore D- > D- > D+ > C > C+
North Carolina A&T D+ > D+ > C > C > C
Florida A&M D- > D- > D+ > C > C
Bethune-Cookman D+ > D > D > D+ > C
Morgan State D+ > D+ > D+ > D+ > C-
Norfolk State D+ > D+ > D+ > D+
Howard D- > D > D > D+
Coppin State D- > D- >D- > D- > D+


COACH BACKGROUNDS/HISTORY
Chapelhillne came out of a 16 year retirement in season 152 to try coaching a lower level Division 1 program as a challenge. Previously he spent over 40 years at Georgia Tech where he won two National Championships and was named National Coach of the Year four times.
Stoph comes to Norfolk State in season 154 from Division 2 Southern Indiana, but is no stranger to Division 1 coaching. Also on his resume are Seton Hall, Colorado State, Chicago State, Southern Mississippi, Maine, Kent State, Rice, and Idaho State. His record as he takes the helm of Norfolk State in season 154 is 864- 844.
garmansouth - One of the most experienced coaches in Hoops Dynasty with over 15,000 wins garmansouth moves from Arizona State in the Pac 10 to the MEAC in Season 156 stating he is "ready for a change" after a 9-18 season there. He is ranked #11 in the Tarkanian world with 2729 wins to go against 1797 losses, and has been in the world since season 2. He has six national championships. He will take over a successful North Carolina A&T Aggies team which finished last season at 17-10 and has a new 3-Star recruit waiting for action. The team has six straight winning seasons.
Upsetcity was named coach of the Hampton Pirates at the start of season 157. He came to the team after a successful division 2 run, capped by a National Coach of the Year award at Virginia Union in his last season there. Hampton is his first venture into Division 1 in Tarkanian. He comes with a lifetime record of 226-124.
Bobbyc2 became head coach of Maryland Eastern Shore at the start of season 157. He came to the team after five seasons at division 2 Central State. Maryland Eastern Shore is his first Division 1 coaching stop in Tarkanian. He comes with a lifetime record of 149-168 in the Tarkanian world.
Verdiman, in season 158, will take on the challenge of leading the Howard Bison to its first winning season since season 149. He spent the last 8 years at Wright State compiling a 132-94 record with two conference championships and a National Tournament appearance. He sports a 333-320 lifetime record in the Tark world.
Cuck takes over as the coach of Morgan State in season 158, He had come out of a 21 year retirement a year ago, to coach at Niagara. He brings a very impressive resume to Morgan State, with a lifetime record in Tarkanian of 1221-402, including 34 National Tournament bids.
Uwrjl93 took over a very challenging position in season 158 in accepting the Head Coach position at Coppin State, which has had only one winning season in the last 18 years, and finished last in the west with a 5-22 record. That should change soon, as he is an experienced coach with a Tark record of 1159-680, including a 12 year stint as the coach of the Michigan Wolverines.
AZHawg22 takes the helm of a Bethune-Cookman program that had a successful 17-12 year least year. However before he begins in season 158, the team graduates 7 seniors, so it will be a rebuild. He’ll be able to put his mark on the program early, and has a very strong lifetime Tark record of 783-268 record, where he lead his alma mater Wofford to 14 straight conference championships.
Duece112 leaves a long run at Division 2 to join South Carolina State at the start of season 158. His resume includes two National Coach of the Year honors, and he sports an all-time record of 442-274.
Greiss13 takes over a good looking Florida A&M team in season 159 after six seasons at BYU and a previous stint at Rutgers and Eastern Kentucky. He has an all-time record of 438-296.


RETIRED COACHES
Mahnk began coaching Morris Brown in season 123, and coached there for 38 years. He finished with a record of 1027-534 and 19 Conference Championships. He left the Wolverines to coach in his home state with the University of Nebraska. VegasKevin took over the helm for season 161
tompkinsaj (Retired) - tompkinsaj comes to the Florida A&M Rattlers in season 156 after a very successful run of 8 seasons at Binghamton, with the last 6 being 20 win seasons, and after compiling a 55-5 record over the last two seasons. He has a 344-103 record in the world and a 1094-350 record in HD. Florida A&M was 10-18 last year with six straight losing seasons.
jetsfan777 (retired) – In season 156 jetsfan777 takes over the upstart South Carolina State Bulldogs who swept all three human coached teams to win the CT last year. Coach jets fan has a 666-404 record in 37 seasons, and comes from Central Connecticut State, where he coached for five seasons including two consecutive 20+ win seasons most recently. However, after the season, he decided it was time to retire.
VegasKevin took over the Morris Brown Wolverines in Season 161 after a successful nine year run at VMI, where he led the team to a 216-53 record with eight conference championships and two National Tournament appearances. At the end of his first season, VegasKevin announced his retirement.

Delaware State Hornets - Season 162

Delaware State Hornets
Dover, DE

Coaching History
SEASON 161: 30-3 • 14-2 Conference Champion, CT Champion, NT Elite 8 #7 Ranking
SEASON 160: 25-6 • 15-1 Conference Champion, CT Champion, NT 2nd Round #13 Ranking
SEASON 159: 32-3 • 15-1 Conference Champion, CT Champion, NATIONAL CHAMPION #1 Ranking
SEASON 158: 23-8 • 16-0. Conference Champion, CT Champion, NT 2nd Round
SEASON 157: 24-9 • 15-1Conference Champion, CT Champion, NT Elite 8 #22 Ranking
SEASON 156: 29-3 • 15-1 Conference Champion, CT Champion, NT Sweet 16 #17 Ranking
SEASON 155: 28-2 • 16-0 Conference Champion, NT At Large Bid, 1st Round #15 Ranking
SEASON 154: 13-14 • 12-4 Conference Champion
SEASON 153: 13-15 • 10-6
SEASON 152: 24-6 • 14-2 Conference Champion, PI 1st Round

Coach: chapelhillne
Offense: Fast Break
Defense: Full Court Press

Regular Season Starting Five:
PG – Harry Reid (Fr.) 6'1" - Elon College, NC
SG – Sylvester Williams (Fr.) - 5'9" - Marlton, NJ
SF – Robert McEnnis (Fr.) - 6'3" - Ahoskie, NC
PF – David Swift (Fr.) - 6'6" - Towson, MD
C – Gregory Shurtz (Fr.) - 6'9" - Philadelphia, PA
Reserves:
PG - Frank Travis (Jr. I) - 6'1" Easton, PA
SG – Edward Ducan (So.) – 6’0” – East Greenbush, NY
SF – Richard Bell (Sr.) - 6'5" Pottstown, PA
PF/C - Scott Dao (Sr.) - 6'10" - Springfield, MA
PF/C - Bruce Elliott (Jr.) - 6'10" - Richmond, VA
PF/C - Nathan Rice (Jr.) - 6'8" - Providence, RI
PF/C - Donald Timinsky (So.) 6'8" Portland, ME

Projected Post Season Starting Five:
PG - Edward Ducan (So.) – 6’0” – East Greenbush, NY
SG – Robert McEnnis (Fr.) - 6'3" - Ahoskie, NC
SF – Richard Bell (Sr.) - 6'5" Pottstown, PA
PF - Donald Timinsky (So.) 6'8" Portland, ME
C – Scott Dao (Jr.) - 6'10" - Springfield, MA

ACTUAL POST SEASON STARTING 5
PG - Edward Ducan (So.) – 6’0” – East Greenbush, NY
SG – Robert McEnnis (Fr.) - 6'3" - Ahoskie, NC
SF – Richard Bell (Sr.) - 6'5" Pottstown, PA
PF - Nathan Rice (Jr.) - 6'8" - Providence, RI
C – Scott Dao (Jr.) - 6'10" - Springfield, MA


New Additions:
Delaware State had its best recruiting period in school history, landing the overall ranked #5 player in the country, as well as three four star players, and a very strong player that did not earn any stars but may be one of the best players acquired in the class.

Daniel Swift was the #2 ranked PF and #5 overall player out of Towson Catholic High School in Towson MD. While he is listed as a PF, because he is only 6'6" with his speed potential, he will likely see a lot of time at SF. He is a big risk to turn pro, but if he stays all four years, he will likely have these amazing ratings: 100 Ath, 71 Speed, 86 Rebounding, 100 Defense, 58 SB, 100 LP, 71 PE, 65 BH 64 Passing, 80 stamina and B FT shooting. He will start from Day 1. Holy Cross and the Hornets were after him from Day 1, but the prestige difference was too much in the eyes of Swift, and he committed early.

Harry Reid, the former Democrat Senate Majority leader went back to West Alamance High School in Elon College, NC where he became the #10 ranked SG in the country, and the 50th overall player. The Hornets desperately needed a PG for the future, and better perimeter shooting. Reid should be an outstanding PG, although a bit slow at around 70, but will hopefully have BH and P in the 90s with a defensive rating approaching 100. He may also approach 100 in Athleticism. His Perimeter rating is 49, Green, so it will at least get to 76, but perhaps he can develop into an elite perimeter shooter as well. He also has 42 blue rebounding, so he will be at least 62 rebounding and can play SF, SG or PG. Clemson and the Hornets bot offered scholarships at the same time, but in the end Reid liked the idea of starting for a team that looks like it may be poised for another championship run.

Gregory Shurtz, a 6'9" center from International Christian High School in Philadelphia will start immediately and gives the Hornets added depth for the future. A four star player, ranked #13 at center and #57 overall, he is already 91 yellow Athleticism, and will be near 100 rebounding, at least 90 defense, and around 90 SB. He is not a huge scoring threat, but should be a good FT shooter with a green C rating.

Sylvester Williams, though ranked as the #153 PG was the recruit most sought after of this class. Nineteen schools recruited him, and he drew six scholarships, including from Upset City at Hampton who was really high on him. A 5'9" PG out of Cherokee High School in Marlton, NJ, he fits the FB/FCP scheme well. He should be around 90 Athleticism, speed and defense, near 100 Ball handling, at least 40 LP and around 80 PE, decent passing and near 90 stamina. He will be an exciting player to watch and may prove as valuable or more than some of the higher rated players.

Robert McEnnis was leaning towards North Carolina, but after seeing the talent level that was pouring in to Delaware State, and after a very late push which included a scholarship, guaranteed start, 20 minutes of PT and 14 Home Visits, he could not resist and signed with the team to complete the "DSU Fabulous Five". McEnnis will be an excellent PG once his passing improves. He should be close to 90 in BH and Passing, and Athleticism, and over 900 in defense. Plus, he will probably be over 50 in rebounding. He is a 6'3" Four Star recruit, ranked as the #10 PG in the country and #37 overall from Ridgecroft HS in Ahoskie, North Carolina.

Team Outlook:
The Hornets have dominated the MEAC in recent years, and expect to win the conference for the 9th straight year, and hopefully the CT for the 7th straight season. The talented freshman class of five players all were guaranteed starts, so the big question is if the raw talent will overcome the inexperience. Plus, the competition from the other MEAC teams continues to improve. In terms of talent, this is the best Delaware State team ever assembled. Hopefully by the end of the year, the team will be ready to make a run in the NT, assuming they do not totally fall apart during the regular season. The team is hoping to get an automatic bid to the big dance, even if they do not win the conference tournament. The team athleticism is excellent with all but two players over 80, and the team has 8 players with 80 or more in Defense. The potential weakness is the lack of perimeter shooting, with only two players over 70, one of which is a PF. Ducan could develop into an outside threat over the course of the season. There is a great deal of concern among the coaching staff that several of the players may leave early for the NBA in the future. It should be a fun team to watch.

Projected Impact Players:
All five freshmen have the potential to have an impact since they all start. Swift was the #5 recruit in the country, but there are also three four star recruits, and Williams could also have a huge impact. One of these players will likely be named Freshman of the Year for the conference.
Edward Ducan had a solid freshman year, averaging 8.8 PPG, and was named the MEAC Freshman of the Year. He was player of the game in two of the post season wins for the Hornets. He can play PG, SG or SF, can score from the inside or outside and is a stellar defender. He has mentioned the possibility of entering the draft at the end of his sophomore year.
Scott Dao should have an extremely solid senior year coming off the bench during the regular season, and leading the team in the post season. He brings excellent rebounding and defense and good scoring to the table. He averaged 8 points and 6 rebounds as a junior.

Season Goals:
The goals for this season are a 9th straight Conference Championship, a 7th straight Conference Tournament crown, a trip to the NT with at least a Sweet 16 appearance.

Season Prediction
Non-Conference 7-3
Conference 13-3 • CT 3-0
23-6 going into the NT • 26-7 Overall with a Sweet 16 Appearance in the NT.

Season Recap:
Pre-Season: The Hornets began the season ranked #22 in the Nation. The first pre-season game was a disaster against another FB/FCP team #7 Iowa. Fatigue set in, and combined with the inexperience of five freshmen it was not pretty in a 107-86 loss. The second pre-season game was against #9 Miami, which resulted in a 77-75 loss, which was not a shock considering that the team was starting five freshmen.

Non-Conference: Non-conference play started with three sims followed by Wyoming. The Hornets played at a fast pace up and down the floor pushing the ball inside and won all four games handily. However, game five was a 10 point loss at Arkansas State, which was a very good team. The Hornets also had a heartbreaking one point loss at Vanderbilt, and an 81-70 drubbing by #13 Kentucky, which also played Fastbreak/Full Court Press and had an edge in stamina. The Hornets finished non-conference play at 7-3, which was what was predicted before the season. RPI at the end of non-conference was 45, and post season projection was 37, so the team was in a comfortable position, but a tough conference schedule loomed.

Conference: Conference play was much more competitive this years, and the Hornets lost for the first time under Coach Chapelhilll to the Howard Bison, who played a 2/3 which confused the Hornets who were used to pushing the ball inside. Hampton also beat the Hornets in one of their meetings, and this gave Hampton a 15-1 Conference Record, while the Hornets had a 14-2 record, so the Hornets were denied their 9th straight conference championship. The Hornets entered the Conference Tournament at 21-5 and were still stinging from the Hampton loss. They took it out on Maryland Eastern Shore 104-65, Florida A&M 91-66, and got revenge on Howard in the championship game 73-64, despite being behind slightly at the half. The regular season ended at 24-5 and a #12 ranking.

National Tournament: The Hornets faced the Cal Bears in the first round. Cal looked to be thin, with only nine players, so the Hornets were hoping that the fast pace and press would wear the bears down and cause would trouble. The first half was close, with Delaware State pulling out to a one point lead with two free throws by Richard Bell with four seconds left. However, in the second half, the Hornets were able to pull away for a convincing 73-54 win. The second game against Kansas was one of the poorest coached games in Chapelhillne history. The coach thought he had told his players to play -2 defense at a normal pace, but somehow he told them to stay at the same settings they had against Cal, which was +1 and fast pace. The result was a 93-82 disappointing second place loss.

Final Record: 25-6 - CT Championship, 2nd Round of NT

Player Honors:
David Swift won Freshman of the Year for the MEAC.
Edward Ducan - 3rd Team All MEAC PG
Scott Dao - 3rd Team All MEAC C

DELAWARE STATE HAS GONE 143-9 IN CONFERENCE PLAY IN THE LAST 8 YEARS.

RECRUITING:
The Hornets had two spots to fill and were quick to zero in on their targets.

Michael McNeer is a 4 Star PF, ranked at #10 iaqt his position out of Suffolk, Virginia. He has some growing to do from his 68 Green Rebounding, but the team is deep enough to allow for that. He will be around 90 Ath, at least mid 90s in Rebounding, near 100 Defense, near 80 LP, and at least mid 80s in PE, as well as very good BH and Passing skills.

John Parrish is a great looking player, but his 14 WE vindicates a serious problem in motivation. However, the four star SG from Staten Island NY, who is ranked at #12 at his position already has amazing defense 91, great Athleticism 84, and good speed at 80. There are a number of areas that have a lot of potential for improvement, and the team will probably need to start him to hopefully give him the motivation he needs to improve his work ethic.

Maryland Eastern-Shore

Last 5 Years
161: 18-10 (11-5), NT First Round, Prestige C+
160: 13-16 (7-9), PI First Round, Prestige C (Highest prestige rating since season 73)
159: 18-12 (11-5), PI First Round, Prestige D+
158: 12-15 (6-10), Prestige D-
157: 1-26 (1-15), Prestige D-

Starters
PG – Raul Rodriquez (SR) – 5’11 - Zihuatanejo, Mexico
SG - John Smith (JR) - 6'2 - London, OH
SF – Jeff Patterson (FR) – 6’7 – Breaux Bridge, LA
PF – John Livingston (SO) – 6’7 – Plymouth, MA
C – Chad Badilla (JR) – 7’0 – Portsmouth, OH

Reserves
PG – Thomas Ramsey (SR) – 5’11 – Ashville. NC
PG - Kyle Ivie (FR) - 6'2 - Madison, WV
SG – Phillip Issel (JR) – 6’2 – Narragansett, RI
SG – Andres Ferrari (SO) – 5’11 – Benedetto, Italy
SF – Nathan Camarena (FR) – 6’6 – Woodside, NY
PF – Douglas Hurlburt (FR) – 6’4 – West Point, VA
C - Aaron Schilling (SO) - 6'9 - Bristol, RI

Recruits
SF – Jeff Patterson (#13 PF, #100 Overall) – 6’7 – Breaux Bridge, LA – Patterson is definitely the star of this class. He is a 3-Star recruit and already has a 655 rating. He is expected to have a huge impact from the start.
PG – Kyle Ivie (#133 PG) – 6’2 – Madison, WV – Ivie will be expected to provide some backcourt defense off the bench. DEF is already 56 with green potential.
PF – Douglas Hurlburt (#89 PF) – 6’4 – West Point, VA – For a PF, Hurlburt is a little short in height. However, he will definitely help strengthen the frontcourt. He already has 58 ATH and 65 DEF with green potential for both.
SF – Nathan Camarena (#124 SF) – 6’6 – Woodside, NY – Camarena should provide some good defense. He has 47 ATH and 48 DEF and green potential in both areas.

Team Outlook
UMES will be replacing some key personnel. FR Jeff Patterson will be expected to have an immediate impact. The incoming recruiting class could end up being my best class in regards to defense. The key to this season will be how quickly the incoming freshman can contribute and how many non-conference wins we get. UMES will be playing a pretty difficult non-conference schedule. The schedule includes: #3 LSU (Final 4), #4 Indiana (Elite 8), #14 Arizona St (Sweet 16), and #16 Oklahoma and Pittsburgh (both who made the NT). My goal is to pull off an upset from one of those games.

Season Recap
This was definitely a bounce back from last season. Two of the three season goals were met (18 wins and making it to the NT). The team continued to get better and more competitive. The FG and FT shooting improved from last season. UMES also made their first NT appearance since Season 92. Unfortunately, they had a tough first round matchup losing to Utah and Coach Benis. For the first time since seasons 67 – 69, UMES made 3 consecutive postseason tournaments.

Key Losses
This is the recruiting class that started turning UMES around.
Daniel Robinson (SF) – Finished #15 in scoring, #12 on FG Attempts, #12 on FG Made, 2-year starter
Jerome Swims (PF) – Finished #13 in rebounding, #21 in blocks
Wesley Ranney (PG) – Finished #21 in assist, was also a 3-year starter
Manuel Coppola (SF) – 2-year starter

Awards
SF - Daniel Robinson (SR) – 2^nd Team All-Conference
PF – Jerome Swims (SR) – 3^rd Team All-Conference

Season Goals
16 Wins (Due to the tough non-conference), Conference Championship, 2^nd Consecutive NT Bid, Advance to 2^nd Round

Hampton – Season 162

Hampton Pirates
Hampton, VA

Coach: upsetcity
Offense: Flex
Defense: Half-court Press / Man-to-Man

Last Five Years:
161 – 17-16 Overall; 9-7 Conference, 49 RPI, PI 3rd Round, B-
160 – 22-9 Overall; 12-4 Conference, 30 RPI, NT 2nd Round, C+
159 – 16-13 Overall; 9-7 Conference, 66 RPI, PI 1st Round, D+
158 – 8-19 Overall; 4-12 Conference, 291 RPI, No Postseason, D-
157 – 1-26 Overall; 1-15 Conference, 322 RPI, No Postseason, D-


Starting Five:
PG – Wayne Wilson (Sr.) – 6'1” – Wyncote, PA
SG – Javier Pena (Sr.) – 6’1” – Santa Isabel, PR
SF – Randy Bishop (Rs Jr.) – 6’7” – Fayetteville, NC
PF – Rudolph Tondreau (Fr.) – 6’10” – Westville, NJ
C – Randy Wunsch (RS Sr.) – 6’9” – Ellicott City, MD

Reserves:
PG – Robert Brown (So.) – 6’0” – Salisbury, NC
SG – Sam Bundy (Sr.) – 6’0” – Elizabeth, NJ
SF – Trey White (Rs Fr.) – 6’5” – Pompton Lakes, NJ
PF – James Blalock (So.) – 6’8” – Lexington, NC
PF – Xi-Wang Wang (Sr.) – 6’10” – Taejon, South Korea
C – Robert Muse (Jr.) – 7’0” – Philadelphia, PA

Ineligible:
G – Gilberto Maldonado (Fr.) – 6’0” – Yauco, PR



New Additions:
G – Gilberto Maldonado (Fr.) – 6’0” – Yauco, PR?
Coach UC pursued Gilberto Maldonado early in the first recruiting cycle and was able to assure the ineligible from Puerto Rico made his way to Hampton, VA. Projecting to be a future 4-year starter - Maldonado has very strong talent (81ATH avg, 76DEF avg, 58BH avg, 66PASS low, 77STA avg) with great room to grow (60SPD vh, 47PER vh, C ft. vh). Maldonado's first steps onto the Pirate's court is over a season away but the anticipation is mounting already. Coach UC knows what the guard will be capable of and it will be his job to coach the player to his maximum potential.

PF – Rudolph Tondreau (Fr.) – 6’10” – Westville, NJ?
Rudolph Tondreau was a late signing in the first cycle as Coach UC recognized the four SIM AI coaches battling for his talents. After offering the big man from NJ a starting role and 20 minutes, Rudolph quickly accepted the scholarship to wear the Blue and White. Offering the starting position was key, after concerns about Tondreau's commitment to the game (18 WE) came to surface. If Tondreau can find love for the game and commit to improving his craft, he has the potential to succeed CPOY Randy Wunsch as Hampton's next great big (72ATH low, 72REB avg, 71DEF high, 66SB high, 51LP high, 43PER vh, 22BH high, 13PASS vh, 66STA high).

SF – Trey White (Rs Fr.) – 6’5” – Pompton Lakes, NJ?
With Coach UC's pursuit of Tondreau came an oversight on 'roster construction and management' as it left him with 6 big men (yes, I'm not kidding - I counted 4 bigs on roster before I signed Tondreau then realized I actually had 5). With the oversight came change as Coach UC rescinded the scholarship of Dikembe Abdullah - the RS big - and offered it to a D2 reject for wing depth, Trey White. White knows the offense and defense after his RS season, he's well-rounded, and has some okay potential in 1-2 aspects of his game. He projects to be an average to below-average defender (63ATH low, 53SPD avg, 53DEF avg, 31SB high), average ball handler (41BH high, 46PASS avg), but potentially a sneaky offensive talent (44LP vh, 28PER high, D+ft. vh). If one of his scoring abilities improves greatly, he could have more value than just a depth player.


Projected Impact Players:
PG – Wayne Wilson (Sr.) – 6'1” – Wyncote, PA
Wayne Wilson, the 4 year starter, looks to be a leader on both the offensive and defensive side of the court. Offensively, he is a dynamic shot-creator who sets his teammates up for success (3.5 apg). Due to a lack of shooters last season, Coach UC forced Wilson into a shooter's role at times and Wilson struggled. With more shooters around the court, Wilson should shine again distributing and picking his shots when they're free. Defensively, the senior should continue to be the cog that makes the defense roll.

SG – Javier Pena (Sr.) – 6’1” – Santa Isabel, PR
Coach UC has spent the past 2 off-seasons raving about Javier Pena's offensive potential. Pena followed up all of this talk but putting up a measily 6.7ppg (shooting an abysmal 42/31/61) and 1.6 assists. Coach UC takes blame and admits roster construction and lineup management played a significant role. Pena is a scoring guard with ability to put up major points - the question is will he finally do it? Coach UC seems to believe it is a certainty that Javier Pena breaks through this season.

C – Randy Wunsch (RS Sr.) – 6’9” – Ellicott City, MD
Last season, Randy Wunsch took home the CPOY award and earned honorable mentions for an All-American team (putting up 16 points, 8 rebounds, and 1 block on 51% from the field and 68% from FT). Entering his senior year, Wunsch aims his sights higher yet again as his goals include repeating CPOY, making 1st-team All-American, and contending for the NPOY. He's on-pace to end his career as the all-time leading scorer in Pirate's history. However, Wunsch has come out and said his number 1 goal is to lead this team back to the NT and he has every intent on doing so this season.



Team Review:
Last season was considered a failure for the Hampton Pirates as they failed to repeat NT appearances. However, they tried to make the best of their situation by grinding to the 3rd round of the PI. Terry Harwell leaves after being an incredibly efficient backup PG for 3 seasons (started his freshman year). Prince leaves after 306 improvement points. He was on-pace to be on the top-25 for minutes played but came off the bench his senior year due to poor roster construction by Coach UC. Late his senior season, he was thrown into the starting lineup and Prince was able to carry the Pirates towards the CT finals and PI appearance.

Last Season's Goals: (Achieved or Failed)

• 22-4 regular season
• 2nd rd. NT
• 9-1 in non-conference play
• 12-4 in conference play

Team Outlook:
Led by the captains, Wayne Wilson and Randy Wunsch, the Hampton Pirates will look to further their current postseason streak to 4. It'll be easier this season than last, with the likes of Pena, Bishop, Blalock, Brown, and Bundy all having experience with the offense and defense in their supporting roles. The lose of Prince hurts but he isn't irreplaceable and the Pirates believe they have the pieces needed to see the second round of the NT once again.

Season Goals:

• Non-conference: 8-2
• Conference: 12-4
• Postseason: CT Finals, 2nd Rd. NT

Howard Bison – Season 162
Howard Bison
Washington, DC
Prestige D to D+

Last Five Years:
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
157: Overall 14-14, Conference 8-8, RPI 188, SOS 204

Coach: Verdiman
Offense: Triangle
Defense: Zone

Roster for Season 161
Starters:
PG – Mark Prokop (Jr.) – 5’9” – Washington, DC
SG – Vlade “Blade” Zymowski (Jr.) – 6’0” – Novosibirsk, Russia
SF – Stacy Hatfield (So.) – 6’4” – Henderson, NC
PF – Eddie Gillis (Sr.) – 6’9” – Manchester, NH
C – Samuel McMilliam (Sr.) – 6’9” – Medina, OH

Reserves:
PG – Joshua Profitt (So.) – 5’11” – Winnipeg, Canada
SG – Richard Schwing (Jr.) – 5’10” – Chesapeake, VA
SF – Raymond Essary (Sr.) – 6’4” – Henderson, NC
PF – Paul Fisher (Sr.) – 6’7” – Mayville, MI
C – John Burdett (So.) – 6’11” – Gilbert, AZ

Projects:
PG/SF – Dennis Zweig (rFr.) – 6’4” – Hartsville, SC
SF/PF – Eric McMain (Fr.) – 6’6” – Calgary, Canada (Redshirt)

Season Retrospective:
On the bright side, we ended the season on a winning record! It's Howard’s first winning record since my first season with the team in Season 158! Everyone get pumped!

Truth be told this was a very disappointing season. We returned everyone from the last season featuring a phenomenal backcourt and an overachieving frontcourt. Had I published my season 161 outlook, my prediction would have been something around 18 wins and a semi-final appearance in the conference tournament. The team was not even unlucky. The main error came in my scheduling. The MEAC has really grown over the last few seasons, but my fear of a difficult conference schedule resulted in me scheduling too many SIM AI cupcakes. Had last year's team had a tougher schedule they likely would have been considered for the PI and might have been closer to achieving 18 wins. This has been corrected for season 162, but next year’s team will not be as balanced as this team. There is another roster construction issue to talk about, but I will hold off on this topic for later in the outlook. Essentially, I was really looking forward to this year, but it was quite the letdown.

Conference Awarded Players:
PG – Mark Prokop (Jr.) – 5’9” – Washington, DC
All-MEAC Honorable Mention
The player with the highest skill floor that I have ever recruited is struggling to get onto the All-MEAC Conference list. Yeesh. This was not what I envisioned when I recruited him. He still had a decent year, with career highs in assists and FT shooting while cleaning up his turnovers and fouls. He is also leading the team in points, steals, and a plethora of other skills. The unfortunate thing is that I think this shows the difficulty of running a Triangle/Zone scheme with the PG as your main scorer. For this player to be used to their fullest I have to get creative with how I use this player.

SG – Vlade “Blade” Zymowski (Jr.) – 6’0” – Novosibirsk, Russia
All-MEAC Honorable Mention
I am somewhat surprised by this honorable mention. It is not that he isn’t deserving, I just thought he was rather cold for most of the year. Blade was excellent from deep, with a 47.7% FG% and a 44.1% 3FG%, both of which are great stats. He also has a 56.3% FT (worst on the team) and an awful AST:TO ratio. A lot of our losses correlates with him having sloppy games. He has next year to achieve a better award (something I really think he can do) and considering what we are losing in graduation I really hope he steps up next year.

PF – Eddie Gillis (Sr.) – 6’9” – Manchester, NH
All-MEAC Honorable Mention
I did not expect much from my first recruiting class at Howard. Gillis, McMilliam, Essary, and Fisher were all players that were recruited in the second recruiting cycle when a lot of new coaches entered the MEAC, and they all had great careers here at Howard. Two of them even achieved team records! McMilliam ends his career 10^th all time for Howard in FT% (at 82.3%), and Gillis ends his career 15^th all time for Howard in FG% (at 52.1%) and having notched 3 All-MEAC Honorable Mentions. His bar might have been much lower than the guards, but he (and the others in this class) did play above their station. A very commendable award for an overachieving class.

Freshman Forecast:
PG/SF – Dennis Zweig (rFr.) – 6’4” – Hartsville, SC
He has already been cut. His defense turned blue way too early for him to be effective in either PG or SF...as did all his other stats. Oh well.

SF/PF – Eric McMain (Fr) – 6’6” – Calgary, Canada - Redshirted
This player has an interesting stat spread that is going to take a long time to develop. I am not sure whether he will develop into a SF or a PF. His Athleticism and Defense both have a ceiling at around 70, which will likely limit his ability to play SF, but he projects to have great rebounding and still has green offenses. He is going to sit on the bench for a long time, but I do think there is an interesting player here that could one day be very productive to the team.

New Additions:
C – Ronald Oster – 7’0” – Newport News, VA
I am excited for this recruit. Howard's only returning big man on the roster that is taller than 6’4” is John Burdett, so I knew that I needed someone to help stabilize the low post for next year. That said, I really like the potential for this player. His ATH could easily reach 80, his Defense is green, and the main stats for a C (Rebounding, Shot Blocking, and Low Post) are all already elite. He even has green FT shooting! This is a wonderful center. I would love for his defense to become more stable before gets into the starting line-up, but if we are struggling to score points early in the season he might get some starts next year. This guy has star potential.

PG – Howard Angelo – 6’0” – Manassas, VA
Howard (the team) needed a guard that could afford to ride the pine for a year before seeing some heavy minutes tossed their way. Howard (the player) needs to work on his ATH and DEF, but is green in both of those stats and is otherwise a solid guard. Howard, meet Howard. He has higher growth potential in being a PG over being a SG, but most of this other stats outside of ATH and DEF are either yellow or red. In one sense, he has a TON of room left to grow, as ATH and DEF are both important stats for DI. In another sense, he is already a solid guard that can be relied upon when Howard's current backcourt graduates. His “Freshman Report” should be rather interesting.

PF – David Youngblood – 6’7” – Wyandanch, NY
This does not seem like a phenomenal recruit at first glance, but Youngblood fits in very nicely with the rest of these recruits on the list in that he has incredible potential. While both Oster and Angelo are already polished products that only need to work on one skill to get onto the court, Youngblood’s game is still growing and rather unique. His Athleticism and Defense are both green, giving him an incredible floor for those stats. The other aspects that round out his game are…green blocking and green passing. That is weird, but I think I can work with it. He will not be a factor on offense, but he projects as an elite defender with the ability to distribute the ball at PF. That could be very helpful in the Triangle/Zone, and both Oster and Angelo already have great offensive stats to work with anyway. This trio should make waves once they grow into their positions.

PF – Foster Logan – 6’6” – Tiverton, RI (Transfer from Holy Cross)
It is understandable why Logan was cut by efeighny. Despite being a junior he’s just about fully developed as a player, and his overall stats are relatively underwhelming. That said, he does have a solid ATH/DEF spread, so he can fill in a back-up PF spot on the depth chart. He should be able to grasp the Zone defense quickly, and this will also help stagger the PF scholarships on our depth chart. We can tread water with Logan while giving Youngblood the starting spot.

SF – Brian Stevenson – 6’6” – Buffalo, NY
Stevenson was listed as a C, but he will be taking a redshirt this year to focus on being a starting SF for this team.

Let me go on a brief tangent to discuss the second roster construction lesson from this season. That lesson is that Triangle/Zone can have stellar players at every other position, but if the SF is the weak link in Triangle/Zone than the team is going to struggle. For the Triangle/Zone scheme to work the team really needs a great SF. In the past when I run this offense/defense scheme I would attribute whole eras of teams according to the SF that I would have starting for those team. This is because the SF in a Triangle scheme has the most opportunities to score, whereas the SF in a Zone defense gives the team flexibility as to whether they want to defend perimeter shooting or inside shooting more. The importance of this position is staggering, and yet ever since Billy Guy graduated in Season 158 the position has been unstable. Zaharchuk’s stats were not cut out for Triangle/Zone, Essary was an elite defender and nothing else, and Hatfield’s lack of athleticism has hampered what would otherwise be a solid 3pt shooting SF. This upcoming season I plan to get rather creative with this position, but I need to establish the next era of Howard basketball with a solid SF.

Stevenson has the right stat spread to lead the next era of Howard basketball, but I need to redshirt him to check on his athleticism. That stat is right now a 33, but it has very high growth potential. If he can get to 40 before that stat turns blue, that would put the floor of that stat at around 70. As a comparison, Billy Guy had a 74 athleticism when he obtained First Team MEAC in season 158. Stevenson’s other green stats are his Defense, Low Post, Perimeter, Passing, and Stamina, giving him plenty of stats to work with. Just about everything is set for Stevenson to lead the next era in Howard Basketball. He just needs to grow.

Roster for Season 162:

Starters:
PG – Mark Prokop (Sr.) – 5’9” – Washington, DC
SG – Vlade “Blade” Zymowski (Sr.) – 6’0” – Novosibirsk, Russia
SF – Stacy Hatfield (Jr.) – 6’4” – Henderson, NC
PF - David Youngblood (Fr.) – 6’7” – Wyandanch, NY
C – John Burdett (Jr.) – 6’11” – Gilbert, AZ

Reserves:
PG – Joshua Profitt (Jr.) – 5’11” – Winnipeg, Canada
SG – Richard Schwing (Sr.) – 5’10” – Chesapeake, VA
PG/SG - Howard Angelo (Fr.) – 6’0” – Manassas, VA
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 Prediction:
I was hoping to get some clarity for Season 162 with the changeover to the new season. The unfortunate truth is that this year we have a lot of competitive games on our schedule. We have one of the best backcourts in the conference, with Prokop getting NBA Draft attention for his senior season. We also have an embryonic frontcourt that will not have a lot of time to develop before we go up against difficult opponents. If Youngblood grows rapidly, or if I can come up with some winning roster moves, this team has the potential to make it to the PI this year. I can also see this team having a losing record. The last time Howard had back-to-back winning seasons was when Nathan14 was leading the team back in Season 145. I think that is a great goal to strive for.

Non-Conference: 7-3
Conference: 7-9
Tournament: 1-1

Overall Record: 15-13

Coppin State - Season 162

Baltimore, MD

Coaching History
SEASON 161: 12-15, 7-9
SEASON 160: 12-15, 5-11
SEASON 159: 9-18, 3-13
SEASON 158: 3-24, 2-14

Previous Seasons:
SEASON 157: 5-22, 3-13
SEASON 156: 9-19, 4-12
SEASON 155: 0-27, 0-16


Coach: uwrjl
Offense: Flex
Defense: Man to Man

Projected Starting Five:
PG – John Anderson (sr) - 6'3 - Arlington, VA
SG - Adam Hansberger (sr) - 6'1 - Montreal, CN
SF – David Woody (sr)- 6'7 - Glenrock, WY
PF – Clifton Banks (sr) - 6'4 Pittsford, NY
C – Chester Bellantoni (jr) - Eden, NC

Reserves:
PG - Igor Tryninewski (so) - 6'0 - Kharkov, Ukraine
PG - Omar Weber (sr) - 5'10 - Willimantic, CT
PF - Dino Kwiatkowski (so)- 6'8 - St. Petersburg, Russia

Newcomers:

PG - Richard Coleman - 6'1 Boone, NC
SF - William Price - 6'6 Medford, NJ
PF - Richard Ackerman - 6'6- Hagerstown, MD
C - Lawrence Edwards - 7'0 - North East, MD


Player Outlooks:

Adam Hansberger - SG - 6'1 - Montreal, CN
Will begin the year as a starter, but unless he makes drastic improvements from last season he will get passed up quickly.

John Anderson - SG - 6'3 - Arlington, VA
Made the transition from SG to PG last season and made huge strides towards the end of the season. Will be looked at to play a bigger role this season.

Chester Bellantoni - Eden, NC
Will be a starter to begin the season and is basically a defensive specialist. Hopefully he will get a few put backs each game.

Dino Kwiatkowski - PF - Russia
Received very limited minutes last season, but is expected to be the first big off the bench this year. Not expecting too much out of him.

Igor Tryninewski - PG - Ukraine
He impoved his defense last season, but it still sucks. He did absolutely nothing during the off season to improve his game. Hopefully he can step it up this season because he does have nice potential.



Projected Impact Players:


David Woody- SF- 6'7 - Glenrock, WY - Has been a solid contributor his entire career and was named HM last season in a pretty good conference. Hoping to pass 1500 career points with a solid senior season.

Clifton Banks -PF - 6'4 - Pittsford, NY - Cliff had a great junior season and was named HM all conference. Has the ability to score inside and out. He hopes to build on his 13.2 ppg from last season.



Incoming class:

PG - Richard Coleman- Boone, NC
Big things are expected of Ricky over the next 4 years. Comes in with tons of potential.

SF - William Price
Billy looks like he could improve in every aspect of his game. Should be a pretty solid player when he matures a little.

PF - Richard Ackerman
Big Dick will take a redshirt year this year. He is very raw, but has a ton of potential. I would expect him to be a star by the time his career is over.

C - Lawrence Edwards
This 7 footer comes to campus with huge expectations. Is a great rebounder and shot blocker, but needs to improve his defensive skills. Should put up decent points for a freshman coming off of the bench.

Team Outlook:
Coach uwrjl is expecting to get to a .500 record for the first time since arriving here and would be thrilled with a PIT appearance.

Season Goals:
The goals for this season is to get to 15 wins and make the post season. Would love to see the team prestige jump to a C- for next season.

Season Prediction
Non-Conference 7-3
Conference 8-8, with special emphasis on beating Bethune-Cookman and SC State as they are the two schools that rejected uwrjl when he applied there two years ago.

Each year UWRJL has been able to beat at least one of his two arch enemies. Last year they took out SC State in the regular season only to get drilled by them in the conference tourney. While coach hates both schools he seems to be getting more and more upset with SC State as the years pass. In fact, rumor has it that he recently spent a weekend in quarantine with the AD's wife and is thought to be the person who recorded the naked Tik Tok of her.

SCSU - Season 162

Previous Seasons

161: 15-14, 7-6, RPI 76, Prestige C+

160: 14-14, 5-3, RPI 79, Prestige C

159: 20-10, 7-2, RPI 84, Prestige C-

158: 14-15, 6-8, RPI 197, Prestige C-

157: 14-16, 6-8, RPI 209, Prestige C-

Projected Starting Five:

PG: Virgil Steward, 5'9", SR - The captain, in his 4th year as a starter Virgil Steward is expected to break the school record in career assists this season. Though not a great scorer, he's a solid FT shooter (30% of his points from the FT line) and good defender. He may move positions based on matchup, but he's the teams best perimeter defender.

SG: Leonard Sirianni, 6'1", FR - The true freshman is guaranteed to start throughout the regular season. He comes in as the best perimeter scorer on the team, and his scoring will be vital to the balance of the team. He has room to grow in a few key offensive categories, but his defense will likely always be a problem. He may end up a 6th man gunner, but for this year he'll be a part of the starting lineup SCSU will rely on offensively and try to hide defensively.

SF: Dale Morton, 6'1", SR - Morton's overall skillset and Sirianni's promised starts forces SCSU to play Morton out of position at the 3. He'll also serve as the primary backup PG, where his high stamina likely keeps him on the floor a significant portion of any given day.

PF: TBD - The truth of this team is there are 5 bigs that al essentially do the same thing. The 2nd year JUCO transfer, Raymond Leak is the most likely to end up in the PF spot at the end of the season, but there is nothing he does particularly well.

C: Brad Bohman, 6'10", JR - The JR from OH still has plenty of room to grow, and getting to start last season seemed to have a positive effect on his work ethic. He is expected to be a role player again this season, but with grow in a few areas may be ready to take on an expanded role in his senior season next year.

Key Reserves:

Leon Burns, SG: Despite being a Sr, Burns has two years of eligiblity left. Though he will never be a scorer for the team he brings a good Spd/Ath combination for a guard with above average Def and ball skills. Burns is not expected to put up stats, but will nonetheless play an important role on the team, allowing Steward and Morton to stay fresh while not killing us in the halfcourt.

Willie Nickols, SF: The 6'5" sophomore came is as the other guy in a decent freshman class last season. However he showed strong growth with still significant space to continue. His unique combination of Speed, Athleticism, Defense, Rebounding and Ballhandling makes his a utility knife for coach Duece to play with in the upcoming season.

Nicolas Wagner, SO: Wagner is actually not expected to be a key player this season but is worth mentioning, as he was expected to grow into a dynamic forward. After one season it's become apparent he will likely never become that guy and that makes him a barely usable player on SCSU

Team Outlook:

While there is nothing that SCSU does particularly well, SCSU has improved on it's final season RPI for 4 seasons in a row and expectations around campus are high. The Sr guard combo of Morton and Steward ensures the offense will be in good hands throughout the season. The grow of youngsters Nickols and Sirianni will be a big part of any success we have this season. Coach duece took a risk in scheduling a soft all-home-game non-conference slate in the hopes of nearing 20 wins to be more appealing for NT at-large voters. This high-risk, high-reward approach will rely on the conference continuing to strengthen to bring the team SOS to a reasonable level, while avoiding major slip-ups along the way.

Season Goals:

Win 20 games

Make the NT

Finish above .500 in Conference

Have 2 Conf 1st or 2nd team players

Nasty Rumors coming out of Coppin State will not be commented on by the school, if repeat viewings of the Wire have taught us anything it's that the establishment in Baltimore is not to be trusted. Although SCSU will not participate in the mud-slinging competition, we understand that for some schools, like, let's say Coppin State, it's the closest they've been to competing in a several seasons. Although, there are rumors around campus that the ADs wife has been seen posing at a college student and visiting the upstairs of the library where the security camera is mysteriously broken.