I'll Be a Son of a Shark

[CoachC]

midway through conference schedule we are tied with Air Force at 6-1, one game ahead of 3rd place Colorado state. Our lone conference loss game was at home to the Falcons who have pooh poohed the naysayers and have worked themselves back into the top 25 and have an RPI of 12. TCU has an RPI of 48 looking for some post-season love, and Colorado St. and Boise St are both also in the top 100, so the conference has been much more competetive than expected. We are still ranked #2 in the nation at 17-3 behind Syracuse, and are also 2nd to Syracuse in RPI. Lately our halfcourt defense has left a lot to be desired, although we are finally starting to perform much better with the traps out of the Amoeba, and forcing turnovers has kept us from losing another game or two. Our offense has been rank against zone, and Houston especially has struggled to score against zone defense. We need to improve a number of things in our remaining 8 games of the regular season.

[CoachC]

We wind up winning the conference title at 12-2, by one game over Air Force (both of our losses came to the Falcons who defense has just flummoxed us.) In the bracket buster, we are once again assigned Fresno St. which helps us not at all with RPI, but did give us the opportunity to avenge our earlier loss in Fresno. We finish the regular season 24-4, still ranked 2nd to Syracuse, but 1st in RPI. We limp through the end of the regular season with a rash of injuries. Juco transfer Kendrick English is out for the season with a broken finger, just as he was really coming into his own, and Larry Guy is out at least until the NCAA tourney with a badly bruised and partially dislocated shoulder, after finally getting into the rotation. Tatum (sore hand), Juco transfer point guard Dominque Webster (strained hamstring), and Pat Bullock (strained calf) have all also been nursing injuries that have really tested our depth. The latter 3 are expected to be ready to go in the conference tournament at least. As I said at the beginning of the season, just about everyone on our roster had a chance to be part of this rotation, and they all have been at one time or another. We keep looking for consstency from a few guys, but as the regular season draws to a close, we are finally attacking zones better, and the Amoeba zone is now really paying dividends. Our weaknesses continue to be lack of consistent outside shooting, and some real trouble closing out on opposing 3 point shooters. The progress of freshman big man Travann Ohl has been a pleasure to watch and he had a HUGE 25 pts, 11 rebound performance against Fresno St. in the season finale when our bench was really shallow inside with English and Guy in street clothes, and Tatum only able to give us about 4 minutes off the bench, and All-American Martin Ray getting into some foul trouble.

Air Force finishes the regular season ranked 20th with an RPI of 9, and are a cinch to make the post-season for the 8th straight year, and their 3rd straight NCAA appearance. TCU and Colorado St have both tapered off, while UNLV has surged, and all 3 have a chance to make the post-season somewhere if they make a good showing in the conference tourney. We need to win the conference title outright, and get a 1 seed in the dance, if the selection committee can overcome politics this year and do the obvious.

We've also had a banner recruiting year, with all 3 of hour high school senior recruits making academic elegibility. We have landed two behemoths, 6-11 F/C Michael Alston from Oakland, ME, an athletic post scorer, rebounder, defender and shot blocker ranked #12 overall, and 6-10 252 lb Marlon Storey from Conyers, Georgia. Ranked #32 overall, Alston isn't much of a scorer but as immovable post defender and rebounder. If Ray doesn't decide to forgo his senior year, they both should get valuable experience from playing with him, and will give us insurance if he does declare for the draft. If Ray does return, along with English, Ohl, and Angelli, we may be able to redshirt one of them. We also landed 6-1, 175 lb point guard Nate Betts from from Salem, Oregon ranked #28 overall. Betts can shoot, pass, handle the ball, play defense, and even rebound well for his size, and we have high hopes for the young man.

[CoachC]

just before the start of the conference tournament, Martin Ray came to my office and told me he would NOT be declaring for the draft! (BIG sigh of relief!). Also Larry Guy has recovered better than expected from his shoulder injury and should be available in the conference tournament, and everyone else other than English have fully healed.

[Wayne23]

Kick butt in the tourneys, Coach!

[CoachC]

In the championship game of the MWC tournament, we prove unable to solve the Falcon's zone for the 3rd straight time. We finally slow down THEIR offense for the first time in the 2nd half, but dig ourselves too big a hole despite turning them over 28 times. We enter Selection Sunday, however still ranked #2 at 26-5 and still with the top RPI in DI. Maybe we'll get a 3 seed this year! :S

[CoachC]

The selection committee screws us again, giving us the #2 seed in the Meadowlands, where top-ranked Syracuse is allowed to stay close to home with the 1 seed. We'll play 20-10 Monmouth in the round of 64. Florida is the top seed in Chicago, where Air Force ranked #21 and with an RPI of 13 is also hosed with a 6 seed once again. Ridiculous!

Louisville is given the top seed in Atlanta.

And the Big Least conspiracy continues with Pitt being given the top seed in Denver.

[CoachC]

We are 9-4 against the field of 68 this year, with 3 of the losses coming to Air Force, and 2 of the wins against #1 seeds, and another against a #2 seed. Our other loss came to WAC champion Fresno St. with whom we split a pair of games.

TCU is invited to the NIT. Colorado St. shot themselves in the foot down the stretch and will stay home and watch TV.

[CoachC]

All season long we've shown a disgusting inablity to close out on 3 point shooters, but this was ridiculous. Monmouth's starting guards combine for 56 points and they shoot an obscene 17 of 22 from beyond the arc for the game as a team. So despite shooting over 60% from the field for most of the game, outrebounding them by 9, and turning them over 19 times, we lose 81-75 and are one and done. The rest of the spring practice period will be spent exclusively on our half court defense, and zone offense. There was no excuse for this and it was a thoroughly disappointing end to a promising season.

[CoachC]

Air Force is knocked out in the first round as well by Iowa, so now we'll both go home and watch TCU play in the NIT.

[CoachC]

TCU loses in the 2nd round of the NIT to Santa Clara. I half-heartedly watch the rest of the tournament with Dad. #5 Mich St. romps over #3 Florida for the national championship. My old team Gardner-Webb actually makes it to the elite 8 as the 14 seed before giving Syracuse a run for their money in the regional finals.

Michigan wins the NIT title over Santa Clara. The CIT championship goes to St. Joe's over Indiana, preventing the Big Ten from sweeping the trophies.