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

[PointGuard]

Great West Defensive Player of the Year: C Jeff Gilbert

Great West 1st Team All-Conference: SG Brett Holt

Great West 1st Team All-Conference: C Jeff Gilbert

Great West 1st Team All-Conference: PF Awvee Calton

Great West 2nd Team All-Conference: PG Jerry Yearwood

[PointGuard]

We met both goals (Finish in top 3 in Conference and Win 15+ Games). Our prestige improved to 12 (+1) but the conference’s prestige dropped to 8 (-1).
My coaching record after 6 years as a head coach at CSU Bakersfield is 122-61 (.667) with 4 conference titles, 4 NCAA appearances, three 20-win seasons, 1 Conference Coach of the Year award, 13 All-conference players, and 4 All-American players.

I felt like I was in a rut…recruit some good players, win the conference championship, win the conference tournament, and fall flat in the NCAA Tourny.

After wrestling with my thoughts for several days following our disappointing show in the NCAA Tournament, I let Benson Jones know that I thought that maybe it was time to move along and give someone else a chance to take this team to the next level.

I wanted to look around to see what jobs might be out there. He expressed a desire to keep me at CSU Bakersfield, but said he wouldn’t get in my way if I decided to go elsewhere.

I talked it over with my family also and was surprised that there was such a variance of opinion, so no help there.

So I elected to find out what jobs were available and postpone making a decision until after I evaluated if there were any other coaching positions that I wanted. If no attractive jobs were available, there would be absolutely nothing wrong with staying at CSU Bakersfield because that would mean continuing to work with some very good players, winning a lot of games, and having a great chance to get into the Big Dance.

[PointGuard]

My present coaching ratings: Offense, 58 (+5), Defense-57 (+5), Recruiting, 36 (no change), Scouting, 27 (+3), Player Development, 62 (+5), Reputation, 24 (+3), Job Security, 100 (no change).

Seven different college basketball programs express interest in me as head coach. Wagner and NC Wilmington have the top-ranked programs (prestige 29 and 20 respectively). But I’m intrigued by a program that has been floundering and presents a huge challenge. New Hampshire of the American East Conference hasn’t had a winning record the past 4 years. The team’s historical record is 564-1073 (.337). Recently under coach Tim Jordan they won 59 and lost 85 in 5 seasons with one winning season (16-12) 5 years ago. They hired Senque Coleman and after finishing with a 7-21 record, a last place finish in the conference, and an RPI of 339 this year, he was fired after one season as head coach. Their prestige is 10 in a conference with a prestige of 20. Albany has the top prestige (26) in the conference. New Hampshire’s facilities are rated as D+ and their academics are rated as B- (min. GPA is 920).

After talking with my players and coaches at CSU Bakersfield, I accept the offer from New Hampshire of $96,000 for 4 years and head off to Durham, NH and the New Hampshire Wildcats.

I find they have 5 scholarships to fill this year and have filled NONE. They also presently have two players on their squad who have GPA’s flirting with going on probation.

Benson Jones thanks me for bringing respectability to the Roadrunners basketball program and wishes me well. He asks if I have any recommendations to fill the now vacant head coach spot. I tell him that my first assistant, Scott Roberts, has done a terrific job developing players here and also has been a big help on the bench during games. Later, I’m very pleased that CSU Bakersfield promoted Scott to be their new head coach plus kept the other two assistants. Scott knows the players so well and works well with them so may take the team deeper into the NCAA Tournament than I was ever able to do.

One nice side-benefit of moving to New England is that it is closer to Philadelphia, so my parents (and some of my siblings) will be able to attend some of our games. Weather-wise I’m trading hot, dry summers for cold, snowy winters.

[PointGuard]

[PointGuard]

With 5 scholarships to fill and two weeks to do so, I look over their Call/Watch lists and see that although there are a number of players on the list, few have been contacted and/or have interest. I make as many phone calls as possible, begin watching game film on various players, bring 3 players in for school visits, and then visit 4 of the players and make scholarship offers to each (without much hope that the offers will be accepted).

I almost fall over when all 4 players accept the offer and sign LOI’s. While their ratings aren’t what I’ve pursued in the past, I am happy to have some quick success at New Hampshire.

[PointGuard]

PG Nate Augustus, 6-4 HS Sr, Indian Head, MD, 3.2 GPA (1070 SAT): 12.4 ppg, 5.7 apg, 5.3 rpg, 3.6 spg, 2.4 bpg. Great passer and ball handler, good outside shooter, quick hands for stealing the ball, weak defender and rebounder, not very athletic. Ranked #287 nationally, Overall rating: C.

SF Jerod Ryan, 6-6 HS Sr, Florence, NJ, 2.8 GPA (1020 SAT): 13.4 ppg, 3.8 apg, 6.6 rpg, 2.0 spg, 2.5 bpg. Good outside shooter, strong rebounder, weak defensively, poor athleticism. Ranked #399 nationally, Overall rating: C.

PF Kory Finley, 6-7 HS Sr, Bear, DE, 2.7 GPA (940 SAT): 17.2 ppg, 3.0 apg, 4.3 rpg, 1.8 spg, 1.5 bpg. Excellent inside shooting, good scorer, weak rebounder, athletic. Ranked #522 nationally, Overall rating: C.

C Adrian Beck, 6-8 JC So, Arlington, VA, 2.1 GPA: 13.4 ppg, 4.2 apg, 8.2 rpg, 1.7 spg, 3.4 bpg. Good inside shooting, good scorer, good shot blocker, weak defensively, not very athletic. Ranked #1001 nationally, Overall rating: C.

Given there was so little time to recruit, I’m very pleased with the crop of new players who will be coming to New Hampshire next year.

With just one scholarship to fill and little time to do it, I decide to contact a couple JC players I had been recruiting at CSU Bakersfield and also a couple other JC players who are highly rated. None of the JC players bite at New Hampshire’s late interest in them. I make one last visit to one of the JC players I had worked hard throughout the year to interest in CSU Bakersfield, but my offer is rejected. Therefore, there will be one remaining scholarship which may be filled by a transfer player.

[PointGuard]

I fired all 3 assistant coaches, not wanting anyone on my staff associated with the prior coach or responsible in any way for last year’s record.

I hire 3 new assistants:

1st assistant: Kelley Charles, age 52, $32,000/yr for 4 yrs, Off-20, Def-36, Rec-47, Sc-20, PD-20, Rep-9.

2nd assistant: Jerald Runyan, age 61, $20,000/yr for 5 yrs, Off-20, Def-22, Rec-20, Sc-21, PD-63, Rep-9.

3rd assistant: Simon Woodley, age 60, $17,000/yr for 4 yrs, Off-20, Def-20, Rec-20, Sc-45, PD-20, Rep-9.

[PointGuard]

[PointGuard]

I meet with the board of the college so we can get to know each other. They ask if there is anything I would like. I tell them that, since the facilities are presently rated as D+, an upgrade would be a major step toward improving the program. They acknowledge this, but say there's no money in the budget right now for that.

Their only goal set is to not finish last in the conference. Obviously the team’s previous record has created low expectations.

[PointGuard]

We have one unfilled scholarship right now plus one senior will be graduating this coming year. So we will either be recruiting two players or possibly just one if we get a transfer player this summer. I therefore decide that we can splurge on the Gold Report for the Atlantic East and also buy the Basic edition of the National Report.

But then one player, Sidney Ross, on our squad decides to transfer from New Hampshire. That increases the number of available scholarships to three.