by PointGuard » Wed Feb 03, 2016 1:53 am
The Missouri Valley Conference awards came out. While we garnered only one award, it was a well-deserved one:
Brent Gregory—1st Team All-Conference
I'm glad Brent will be back for another year.
Several schools called to inquire if they could interview Coach Vandergard for positions, but he said he preferred to stay here and try to take the next step in improving the team. Coach V met his goals this year, but I want him to improve school prestige next year from its present state (30).
He requests a facilities upgrade for a second straight year. But again Jerome Nevins, a major benefactor for out athletic department, expresses some concerns since the team didn’t impress in conference play, failed in the conference tournament, and didn’t get to a post-season tournament. While there was overall improvement, it wasn’t enough for Nevins, so he again withheld funding. Therefore, no facilities improvements this year.
Coach V and Erick McGadney, his first assistant, are bringing in some excellent incoming recruits for next season, who should give us some good depth at the guard positions:
SG Kareem Masiello, 6-2 HS Sr, Marysville, KS, 3.9 GPA, 1180 SAT. 20.9 ppg, 4.6 apg, 8.5 rpg, 2.8 spg, 4.6 bpg. Outstanding scorer with an excellent shot from outside, Great passer, Very strong rebounder and shot blocker. Hard working kid who’s not a leader but doesn’t cause problems either. Ranked #25 in the nation. Overall rating: A.
PG Matt Lewis, 6-1 HS Sr, Peoria, IL, 2.9 GPA, 1010 SAT. 14.0 ppg, 5.8 apg, 5.8 rpg, 3.0 spg, 1.1 bpg. Great outside shot and very good scorer, Excellent passer and very good ball handler, Strong defender, adroit at making steals, very good athleticism. Tremendous work ethic. Not a leader but doesn’t cause problems. Has had some recurring injuries. Ranked #653 in the nation. Overall rating: C.
Paris George, 3rd Assistant Coach, stopped by to chat and said: "Buzz, with just a year left on my contract, I was getting nervous about job security. But Coach V met with me and his offer of a 2 year extension for a little higher salary was gratifying so I jumped at the opportunity. Thanks for approving it. It's going to be good to have our staff remaining intact for the upcoming year."
My response: "Yes, I think the stability within the coaching staff will be a big plus. Coach V has repeatedly said he has been pleased with what you've done thus far and he looks forward to working with you to develop players further next season. So I'm glad you decided to remain with us, Paris. Now let's see how far this team can go next season!"
Dynasty Threads:
Fedora-CB;Town Crier-CB;FIve Friends/Foes-CB;Media Perspective-CB;Whatever It Takes-CB;Who's Bret Vandergard-CB;Gym Rat-CB;Repairman-CB;S. Mastroani-TPG;V. Stevenson-TPG