Path to the Hall of Fame

[randy]

(5) #14 Southern Illinois vs (2) #6 USC
(1) #5 Kansas St vs (3) #15 Wake Forest

#6 USC - 3rd Final Four, 1 National title
#14 Southern Illinois - 7th Final Four
#15 Wake Forest - 6th Final Four
#5 Kansas St - 13th Final Four, 1 National title

[randy]

4/1/03: (5) #14 Southern Illinois (27-7, 13-3) vs (2) #6 USC (32-3, 16-2)

Scouting Report

1. Primary defense: M2M
2. Offense focus: Inside (fast)
3. Key players:
   
   • Sr PG Josh Marshall (14.3 ppg, 5.0 apg, 2-time All Conf, #18 class rank)
   • Fr C Ward Sullivan (13.6 ppg, 7.6 rpg, 53% FG, #28 class rank)
   • Fr PG BJ Smith (10.9 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 3.5 apg, 1.7 spg, #37 class rank)
   • Sr SG Davin Stinnett (9.8 ppg, 43% 3PT)
4. Notes:
   
   • They start with a 3-guard lineup
5. Strengths:
   
   • High-scoring, balanced offense - 72.6 ppg (#1 MVC), 17.0 apg (#1 MVC)
   • Ball handling - 16.4% OTO (#1 MVC)
   • Defense - 59.2 opp ppg (#1 MVC, #12 Nat'l), 39.2% opp FG (#1 MVC, #12 Nat'l), 18.4 opp topg (#1 MVC, #2 Nat'l)
6. Weaknesses:
   
   • FG shooting - 44.9% FG (#5 MVC)
   • Rebounding - 32.2 rpg (#4 MVC)
7. How they got here:
   
   • Finished 1st MVC; Won Conference Tournament
   • (Round 1) Def Colgate, 69-47; Marshall - 26 pts
   • (Round 2) Def Illinois-Chicago, 60-41; Marshall - 20 pts
   • (Sweet 16) Def New Mexico, 69-67; Smith - 23 pts
   • (Elite 8) Def UCLA, 67-56; Marshall - 20 pts

Strategies

1. Starting guards Marshall and Smith combine for almost 30 ppg during their 4 games so far in the tournament. But they have scorers not just from outside, but can also score inside
2. Defense: (1st half) Mixed 60-20-20; (2nd half) adjust

Tip off (1st Half)

15:49, Down 9-10
SG Kaniel Coley off to a good start 7 pts. But SILL are shooting well also, and have gone to the FT line 4 times already

11:28, Up 16-14
After starting the game at 3-4 FG, SILL missed their last 6. PG Antonio Parker already has 3 turn overs, and I have him replaced early; he needs to regroup himself

6:30, Tied at 26
A couple of lead changes earlier, when SILL hits a 3 and we went down by 1. SG Kaniel Coley answers back with his 2nd triple, 10 pts for the game, and we regain the lead. The score has been tight since

We were leading by 1, but SILL scored 5 unanswered pts, including their 3rd 3 pt shot of the game, and we were down by 4

3:53, Down 27-31

We have committed 7 turn overs already. I encouraged the team that this is still a long game, but they need to refocus starting now

We kept it close. SG Kaniel Coley hits his 3rd triple to cut our deficit to 1 with just 8 secs left in the 1st half. SILL answers back with a buzzer-beating 3, and the lead goes up to 4 again


Halftime, Down 36-40

Highlights

• It's only a 4 pt game, but SILL was able to control the game and take away our strengths. We only had 4 off rebs in the 1st half, which resulted to a paltry 2 2nd chance pts. Also, we didn't have a single pt on fast break
• Our +4 differential on turn overs really hurt our chances in the 1st half. SILL surprisingly tries to slow down the game, and we won't have enough opportunities to score if we keep on throwing the ball away

Adjustments

• Defense sets: 1-2-2
• Off focus: Change to favor inside (we only had 10 pts in the paint in the 1st half)

Start of 2nd Half

Had a chance to cut the lead to 2, but C Elliott Dare traveled. SILL brings their to 6 twice. Both time, we were able to cut it to 4

Another opportunity to get within 2, but our shot was blocked

A few plays later, we get another chance. C Elliot Dare missed

SILL missed. This is our 4th chance (at least) to cut the lead. Blocked again. But C Eliott Dare recovers. Dare puts up a shot. It's good plus a foul. Hits the bonus FT

14:54, Down 45-46

SILL missed. But they get the off rebound, and the 2nd serving is good. Down 3 again. SG Kaniel Coley hits his 4th triple to tie the game

14:19, Tied at 48

SILL's SG Davin Stinett (who pays the 3) ball fakes. Goes closer and hits another jumper. Stinnett has burned us with 15 pts. Down 2

The pass is taken by SG Kaniel Coley. Coley lets one go. Coley drops in a triple off the glass! Coley's 5th trey of the game, 21 pts. We take the lead

13:39, Up 51-50

SILL: C Ward Sullivan got fouled. 2 FTs. Hits both. Sullivan with 12 pts. Down 1
USC: PF Valery Stuart answers back with basket the low post. Up 1

SILL: SG Davin Stinnet sticks a long 3. Stinnett is on fire today, 18 pts. Down 2
USC: We turn it over
SILL: They are running and gets a 2 on the break. Down 4.
USC: SG Kaniel Coley wants to answer back. Coley receives the pass. Coley puts up a shot. Coley puts it through from downtown! Coley's 6th trifecta, 24 pts. Down 1
SILL: Turn over
USC: Coley thinking of another 3. He pass to C Elliott Dare instead at the post. Dare makes his move. Dare shoots and scores, plus a foul! Hits the bonus FT

11:45, Up 59-57

The pace of the action has definitely turned up a notch. I'll be giving COley a brief rest

SILL: Miss, but they get the rebound. Shoots plus a foul also. Hits the bonus. Down 1
USC: SG Malik Owes hits a jumper from the left corner. Up 1
SILL: SG Davin Stinnett has the hot hand. He drives, but SG Malik Owes with a fantastic block. Refs ruled last touch SILL. Owes with 2 great plays on both ends
USC: SF James Slay gets a pass. Slay is trying to go to the hole. Slay's shot hits nothing but the bottom of the net. That is the 1st FG of Slay today.

10:22, Up 63-60

SILL: SG Davin Stinnett gets away from his defender and hits a tough shot. Stinnett with 20 pts. Up 1
USC: C Hasheem Bailey got fouled while putting up a shot. 2 FTs. Split. up 2
SILL: Turn over
USC: Foul. 2 FTs for SG Malik Owes. Hits both. Quality minutes for Owes, 4 pts. Up 4
SILL: Miss. They don't have top scorer SG Davin Stinnett on the floor
USC: Shot was blocked. SILL now has a total of 9 blocks
SILL: They get a basket. Up 2
USC: SF James Slay gets the ball. Slay makes his move. Puts up a shot. Missed. Out of bounds in favor of SILL. Media time out

7:56, Up 66-64

I bring back SG Kaniel Coley

SILL: Their backup SF hits a long 3. This team is very deep. Down 1
USC: We need to answer back. The choice is clear on who do we go to. SG Kaniel gets the ball. Without hesitation, Coley fires up a long 3 also. SWISH! It's good for three! Triple #7, 27 pts for Coley. Up 2
SILL: PG John Marshall puts up a 3. Miss. But they get the rebound. SILL with 6 off rebounds. They reset. Marshall with another 3. Miss again. Ball out of bounds. They say we touched it last. I was shaking my head

6:54, Up 69-67

SILL: Marshall faking to attempt a 3. Goes closer. Pulls up a jumper. Miss again. We finally rebound the ball
USC: SG Kaniel Coley goes up for a long 2. Miss but a foul is called. 2 FTs. Coley hits the 1st, but missed the 2nd. C Elliott Dare with the big off rebound. Dare follows up. It's good! Dare with 12 pts. Up 5

6:04, Up 72-67

SILL: Their backup SG shoots from way downtown .... BANG! Down 2
USC: Coley missed a 3
SILL: They get a basket again. Tied ball game once again

5:05, Tied at 72

USC: C Elliott Dare missed
SILL: They have a chance to regain the lead. But they miss a 3
USC: Foul. SILL 8th team foul. 1-and-1 for SG Kaniel Coley. Gets the 1st. And also the 2nd. Whew! Coley with 30 pts. Up 2

4:20, Up 74-72

SILL: C Ward Sullivan was able to squeeze himself inside for the easy 2. Breakdown in our defense. Tied game
USC: SG Kaniel Coley dumps the pass to C Hasheem Bailey at the post. Bailey spins. Bailey scores. Bailey with 9 pts, 9 rebs.

3:33, Up 76-74

SILL: C Ward Sullivan powers his way again. He shoots. But he missed Good challenge by our big men this time
USC: We turned it over
SILL: They go to C Ward Sullivan again. And this time, Sullivan scores. Tied once again. Sullivan with 16 pts. Timeout

2:47, Tied at 76

USC: A bad pass by PG Antonio Parker. Crucial mistake
SILL: They score on fast break

2:31, Down 76-78

USC: This time, PG Antonio Parker gets it to SF James Slay. Slay with a jumper. It's good. Slay with 6 pts.

2:17, Tied at 78

SILL. They get it C Ward Sullivan again. But we get called for a foul. Only our 4th team foul. They inbound again. Sullivan again for the score. Down 2
USC: Another turn over

I shouted to the team that we'll go 2-3.

SILL: Foul called while on the act of shooting. PG Josh Marshall to take 2 FTs. Hits both. Down 4. Timeout

1:06, Down 78-82

I replaced PG Antonio Parker, who committed 2 crucial turn overs

We'll go balanced focus

USC: PG Shea Wheat is looking to make a pass. SG Kaniel Coley catches the pass. Coley puts up a shot. Coley sinks the long one. Coley with 33 pts, 8 triples. Not yet over!

0:53, Down 81-82

SILL: PG Josh Marshall nails a tough shot. Down 3. Timeout

0:34, Down 81-84

We go heavy outside

USC: Stolen by SILL
SILL: They score on the fast break again. Down 5. Timeout

0:22, Down 81-86

No choice now. Go for 3s. And foul

They foul. Probably a good move to prevent a 3 from us. PG Shea Wheat hits both.

On our next defensive play, we foul. But we're not in the penalty. After the inbound, we get a steal. 0:06 left. I don't have a timeout left. Pass to PG Shea Wheat. Wheat has to put it up. Wheat takes a shot .....


No good. Game over. Tough loss, but those are the breaks of the game


Final score: Southern Illinois - 86, USC - 83

Box Score

[INDENT]Coley 33, 2, 3, 8-14 3PT
Dare 14, 6, 1, 2 blks
Bailey 9, 9, 0
Stuart 9, 3, 2
Slay 6, 4, 0
Wheat 6, 2, 7, 3 tos
Owes 4, 0, 0
Dissinger 2, 1, 0
Parker 0, 3, 4, 5 tos
[/INDENT]

Team Stats Comparisons

[INDENT]FG: 49-54%
REB: +7
TO: +5
Paint: -2
2nd Chance: +2
Fast Break: -13
[/INDENT]

Notes

1. Tough luck. We can point to the 3 crucial turn overs in the waning minutes, or our poor transition defense. But this was a good game between two equally matched teams. It's like a boxing match where both boxers alternately giving big blows to one another, but nobody is going down.

Southern Illinois defeated Kansas St in the championship game, to win their 1st ever national title. Congratulations!!!

[randy]

Points
#2 Kaniel Coley, 459 (14.8 ppg)
#10 Elliott Dare, 358 (11.5)
#22 Valery Stuart, 308 (9.9)
#26 James Slay, 296 (9.9)
#36 Hasheem Bailey, 242 (7.8)

Rebounds
#1 Elliott Dare, 276 (8.9 rpg - #14 Nat'l)
#3 Valery Stuart, 222 (7.2 - #32 Nat'l)
#17 Hasheem Baily, 141 (4.5)

Assists
#4 Antonio Parker, 108 (3.5 apg)
#12 Shea Wheat, 92 (3.0)
#14 Valery Stuart, 89 (2.9)

Steals
None in Top 10

Blocks
#2 Elliott Dare, 48 (1.5 bpg - #14 Nat'l)
T#8 Hasheem Bailey, 18 (0.6)

Turnovers
None in Top 10

3PT Made
#2 Kaniel Coley, 98 (#1 Nat'l, #34 Nat'l)

[randy]

Pac 12 Conference Player of the Year

• C Elliott Dare

Pac 12 Conference Defensive Player of the Year

• C Elliott Dare

Pac 12 1st Team All-Conference

• C Elliott Dare
• SG Kaniel Coley
• PF Valery Stuart

I won Pac 12 Conference Coach of the Year with a 32-4 record (0.889)

[randy]

1. #13 Arizona
   
   • Prestige: 75
   • Conference: Pac 12
   • Record: 25-8 (13-5)
   • Post Season: NCAA Sweet 16
2. Georgetown
   
   • Prestige: 67
   • Conference: Big East
   • Record: 18-13 (9-7)
   • Post Season: NCAA Round 1
3. #20 Kentucky
   
   • Prestige: 73
   • Conference: SEC
   • Record: 23-8 (12-4)
   • Post Season: NCAA Round 2
4. #23 Maryland
   
   • Prestige: 70
   • Conference: ACC
   • Record: 18-13 (10-8)
   • Post Season: NCAA Round 2
5. #22 Purdue
   
   • Prestige: 69
   • Conference: Big 10
   • Record: 22-8 (14-4)
   • Post Season: NCAA Round 1
6. Stanford
   
   • Prestige: 65
   • Conference: Pac 12
   • Record: 18-13 (12-6)
   • Post Season: NCAA Round 2
7. UNLV
   
   • Prestige: 76
   • Conference: MWC
   • Record: 21-12 (10-6)
   • Post Season: NIT Round 1
8. #2 Villanova
   
   • Prestige: 77
   • Conference: Big East
   • Record: 29-6 (13-3)
   • Post Season: NCAA Sweet 16

Deciding between Kentucky and Villanova. Kentucky has a bigger budget, and tradition (5 National Titles)

In the end, I decided to move on and accept the Kentucky head coaching job

[randy]

Starting Lineup

• 1: Jr PG Donnell Moore, 6-2, 4.0/5.0
• 2: Jr SG Kevin De Pina, 6-6, 3.0/5.0
• 3: Sr SF Murry Robinson, 6-5, 3.0/4.0
• 4: Sr(R) Andre Lang, 6-8, 2.5/4.0
• 5: Sr C Brandon Fisher, 7-1, 4.0/4.0

Substitutes

• 2/3: Sr SG Earl Parks, 6-5, 3.5/4.0
• 4/5: So C Todd Tate, 6-9, 2.5/4.0
• 1/2: Jr(R) PG Ricky Cadray, 6-5, 1.5/4.0
• 4/5: Sr C Mat Miller, 6-10, 2.5/4.0
• 1/2/3: Jr(R) SG Rogers Roach, 6-5, 2.0/4.0
• 4/5: Jr PF Melvin Jones, 6-8, 1.5/4.0
• 1/2: Jr(R) SG Casey Lloyd, 6-1, 2.0/4.0

Walk-Ons

• 1/2: So PG Nate Daniels, 6-1, 2.0/3.5
• 3/4: So SF Changa Robertson, 6-8, 1.0/2.5

Transfer (not eligible to play this season)

• 4/5: Jr C Oti Bickerstaf, 6-11, 3.0/3.5

[randy]

11/14/03: (10) Kentucky (0-0) vs (7) #16 Memphis (0-0)

Scouting Report

1. Primary defense: M2M
2. Offense focus: Balanced (fast)

Tip off (1st Half)

14:57, Up 13-9

11:33, Up 19-13

7:18, Up 27-15

3:33, Up 35-21


Halftime, Up 40-32

Adjustments

• Defense sets: M2M

Start of 2nd Half

15:36, Up 50-38

11:34, Up 59-53

7:56, Up 64-60

3:55, Up 73-65


Final score: Kentucky - 81, Memphis - 73

Box Score

[INDENT]DePina 20, 3, 2 (*)
Robinson 14, 3, 2, 2 stls
Parks 14, 2, 3
Fisher 11, 7, 1
Moore 10, 2, 3, 3 tos
Lang 5, 3, 2
Miller 4, 4, 0
Tate 2, 5, 0
Cadray 1, 0, 3
Roach 0, 0, 0
[/INDENT]

Team Stats Comparisons

[INDENT]FG: 46-48%
REB: -8
TO: -13
Paint: +14
2nd Chance: +3
Fast Break: +4
[/INDENT]

Notes

1. I am pleased with my debut as coach of Kentucky. We beat a ranked team. Fans might be talking more about our incoming recruiting class next season, but the team we have here this season can make some noise
2. MEM may have shot good FG%, but they only got a few opportunities because of their 22 turn overs. Once the team embraces more of our pressure defense, we can make life difficult for our opponents in terms of keeping the ball

[randy]

11/16/03: (10) Kentucky (1-0) vs (2) #2 Kansas (1-0)

Scouting Report

1. Primary defense: M2M
2. Offense focus: Balanced (fast)

Tip off (1st Half)

14:55, Down 5-12

11:37, Up 17-16
We shifted to 2-3 zone

5:25, Down 23-27


Halftime, Down 26-36

Adjustments

• Defense sets: Remain at 2-3

Start of 2nd Half

11:42, Down 47-55
Got as close to 4 pts, but KAN able to recover

7:34, Down 51-61

Got close to within 6 in the last 2 mins, but couldn't sustain our rally


Final score: Kentucky - 62, Kansas - 75

Box Score

[INDENT]Moore 13, 3, 3, 4 tos
DePina 12, 4, 2
Robinson 10, 2, 2
Tate 7, 2, 2
Parks 6, 4, 2
Fisher 5, 4, 0
Miller 5, 4, 0
Lang 4, 3, 1
Cadray 0, 0, 2
[/INDENT]

Team Stats Comparisons

[INDENT]FG: 35-52%
REB: -10
TO: -5
Paint: -14
2nd Chance: -4
Fast Break: -11
[/INDENT]

Notes

1. For most part of the game, we were able to stay close with the #2 ranked team in the country. We just didn't have enough talent to keep up with them.
2. At least, we were able to force 17 turn overs on KAN, which is certainly something positive

[randy]

We have 5 scholarship slots open, and we were able to sign the following HS seniors

1. SF Louvon Ray, 6-8, #1 class rank (#1 SF)
2. SG Derricus Trilli, 6-4, #6 class rank (#1 SG)
3. PF Patrick White, 6-11, #9 class rank (#2 PF)
4. C Ty Trilli, 7-0, #13 class rank (#2 C)
5. SF Mike Hemphill, 6-7, #32 class rank (#6 SF)

I can't wait for next year

[randy]

11/21/03: Kentucky (1-1) @ Minnesota (0-1)

Halftime, Up 46-25

Final score: Kentucky - 86, Minnesota - 62

Box Score

[INDENT]DePina 18, 4, 1 (*)
Miller 14, 9, 2
Robinson 14, 7, 0
Fisher 10, 7, 0
Moore 10, 3, 9, 4 blks, 6 tos
Tate 8, 6, 1
Lang 6, 5, 0, 4 blks
Parks 4, 4, 2
Roach 2, 0, 2
Cadray 0, 0, 5
[/INDENT]

Team Stats Comparisons

[INDENT]FG: 56-35%
REB: +15
TO: +2
Paint: +22
2nd Chance: +10
Fast Break: +4
[/INDENT]