Philly Gym Rat (The Perry “QM” McMullin Story)

[Wayne23]

Great recruiting. I missed that you got all three guys.

[CoachC]

I decide to redshirt two sophomores:

SG Jason Nurse
C Josh Brown

Josh Brown is playing center for you too? No wonder he gets tired so quickly in my games.

[PointGuard]

Coach: Well, this year he's being redshirted, so I guess he's commuting to your games.

[CoachC]

Yeah, but he's still practicing for you. Go easy on him!

[PointGuard]

Whereas Jerell Brown was an easy choice to start at SG, we had some spirited battles for the other starting positions and it’s very possible that a few of those relegated to reserve roles will win a starting position before years’ end. But starting for the Roadrunners at the beginning of the year are:

PG Kevin Hill, 6-0 Jr. (both Carlos Holmes and Rashun Kamara are challenging though)

SG Jerell Brown, 6-4 Fr. (last year’s starter Andrew Powers could be a good 6th man)

SF Justin Williams, 6-6 Jr. (beat out last year’s starter, Jeremy Jones)

PF Johnny Chase, 6-6 Sr. (Bobby Rivera will get a lot of playing time though)

C Mike Settles, 6-10 Sr. (edged out last year’s starter, David Johnson)

[PointGuard]

Game #1: Nov. 13, 2012; Kent State Golden Flashes (0-0) at CSU Bakersfield Roadrunners (0-0)

We held a lead throughout most of the 1st half as we hit 53% of our shots. But we made too many turn overs (11) and too many fouls (14). We left the court with a 42-37 advantage, mainly due Jerell Brown’s phenomenal half. He scored 20 points, hitting 8 of 11 FG’s (including 1 for 1 from 3-point territory).

Both teams started out slowly in the 2nd half. Midway through the half, Kent State made a run and pulled ahead 51-50 at the 10:15 mark. Kent State opened a 4 point lead, but we fought back and pulled ahead only to have the Golden Flashes sink a 3 with 1-1/2 minutes to go to tie the game at 64-64.

Rashun Kamara was fouled with a minute to play but could only convert 1 of 2 free throws to give us a slim 65-64 lead. Kent State brought it down court and missed two shots but rebounded both shots. They put it up again with 29 seconds to go and were fouled by Bobby Rivera. Kent State dropped in both free throws to put them ahead 66-65. We called two time outs to set up isolation for Jerell Brown. While we weren't able to get him an uncontested shot, he did get off a jumper from 13 feet which swished through the net with 14 seconds left in the game. We harassed Kent State’s players preventing any easy shots. They took a last second three which was just off target and we escaped with a win in the season opener.

Final Score: CSU Bakersfield-67, Kent State-66. CSU Bakersfield season record: 1-0.

Scoring leaders: Brown-30, Powers-15, Kamara-13.

Rebound leaders: Rivera-4.

Assist leaders: Kamara-6, Holmes-4

Player of the Game: SG Jerell Brown-30 pts, 3 reb, 1 assist, 7 steals.

Coach’s Pat on the Back Award: PG Rashun Kamara-13 pts, 2 reb, 6 assists.

Other notes: We hit 50% of our shots and held Kent State to 42% shooting. The refs called 24 fouls against us to Kent State’s 15. That gave the Golden Flash 9 more free throws and they made 8 more points from the line that we did. We need to get more aggressive on the boards, losing tonight’s battle 31-26. We also turned the ball over 17 times while Kent State made only 14.

Jerell Brown’s 30 points and 7 steals hopefully are a harbinger of good things to come.

[PointGuard]

Jerell Brown’s splashy start in his first game as a Roadrunner set the local media on fire. Interview requests flowed in from the Bakersfield Bee (the local daily newspaper), The Runner (CSU Bakersfield’s student newspaper and online site), and Bakersfield’s local TV and radio stations. I stepped in to do the interviews to shield Jerell from the media blitz and try not to have the reporters set unrealistic expectations based on a single game.

Athletic Director Benson Jones is walking on a cloud as pre-sales for our next home game have jumped and there's even been the beginnings of a run on season tickets.

[Wayne23]

Dear Coach,

As you may have heard I am suing the NCAA with regard to the fine and suspension they levied against me- or attempted to, relating to my speaking out about the atrocious officiating that has become so common in Division I college basketball. You will shortly receive a letter from the NCAA Division I Head Coaches' Association, soliciting your support for my suit, and asking you whether you support the DIHCA paying legal fees in the suit. In light of your experience in your opening game I am hoping you will support this measure.

Very truly yours,

Will Wynn, Duke University

[CoachC]

Dear Will Wynn,

I understand you are suing the NCAA. Are you my daddy?

Sincerely yours,

Gary Winston

[Wayne23]

Dear Gary,

Ask your mom.

WW