Temporary Like Achilles

[Wayne23]

November 28: Once again we started slowly, going down by as many as 6 early on, but one time out fixed the problem and we went into the locker room up by 7. Their 2 and 3 were scoring too easily in the first as far as I was concerned so we stepped up the defensive effort. This slowed them both down and our lead varied from 5-13 points throughout the second half.

The final was a satisfying 70-59.

Kal Napp dominated inside with 30 and 7. Rahm Park added 15. We had 16 turnovers, which is better but more than I want. 892 paid, and they were an echo in our 5,500 seat arena. I realize that winning basketball builds attendance so this will take time. For the past two seasons the average attendance has been 813, so we were above that at least.

We are back on the road for a game with tough New Mexico State but then home for three games.

NM ST likes to work it inside. I believe that our big players can hold their own but we will see. On D they go 3-2 and press very little. We have yet to see the 3-2 so it should be interesting. We’ve been working against it in practice. Let us see how that translates.

I find the 3-2, unless it is very well played, can be easy to beat IF you have a team that passes well, which we do not. You skip pass to the wings then have your 2 or 3 cut to the circle. The opposition usually doesn’t drop in time, the wing fires it into the circle and there are a lot of open 12-15 footers. If they send a big man up to cover the doughnut hole a bounce pass inside (usually a HUGE mistake but it works in this situation) will result in easy layups. I am not certain my passers can execute well enough to make this work but we will try.

December 1: So near and yet so far, 72-74. We did fine against the 3-2, using my strategy. Unfortunately we turned it over 29 times. Despite that we almost got the win. A buzzer beating three did us in.

Kal Napp was awful, playing a total of 11 minutes before fouling out, but PF Rahm Park took over with 23, and Lan Sawk and Clint Ray were great from the bench. We got our 12-15 footers, we got our layups. We were called for nine more fouls than NM ST, and that, except for the turnovers, was what ruined us. Did we commit those fouls? Well… I have seen games that were officiated better but we committed lots of the fouls. We are 3-3.

We now play 4 of 5 games at home and feel like we should have a good stretch before the start of conference play. Opportunity is knocking. But 20.5 turnovers per game will keep the door locked so we simply need to do better with that.

Wisconsin-Green Bay is in. They like to run and they work it inside to their very good PF. On D they play mostly man and rarely press. They’re 5-1 against weak teams.

December 5: Yet again we came out slowly, going down by 8 early on. We rallied back and took our first lead at the end of the half, 33-32. We pressured their PF hard in the 1st and he did almost nothing except rebound (13 for the game). Their 3 made some shots but you cannot stop everything.

We decided to stay with what was working on D. Despite W-GB’s PF we felt like our advantage was inside so we worked on plans to get the ball there in the second. It worked well. We built the lead to 12 with just under 5 minutes left and coasted in. they closed the gap but it was never a serious threat.

Their three at the buzzer made the final 62-58 but it was not that close.

Rahm Park had another good game, holding their PF to 4 while getting 17 and 9. Kal had 10 and 11. We had 15 turnovers, as good as we seem able to do at this point. I’ll take it.

Sub forward Al Mark banged up a shoulder. He’s gone for about a week. He does not play a lot of minutes.

There is a little buzz about the team in town. 4-3 is nothing wonderful but the team has usually been 1-6 or 2-7 at this point. We had 1,129 at our last game and the RI game coming up looks like it will be even better.

Rhode Island is 5-2. They feature lots of ball movement. On D they play man and they don’t press much. They’ve played some good teams but haven’t beaten any of them. They are 2-0 on the road though.

December 8: Perhaps our best effort of the season, 78-60. We came out string and jumped to a quick double figure lead, and we never looked back, going in to the locker room up 45-27. Kal, Rahm and Des were all on fire, and Lan added a great deal from the bench. 16 turnovers.

We are now 5-3. 1,513 paid. The largest crowd in almost two years.

[PointGuard]

29 turnovers!!!!!

Better buy some velcro.

[Wayne23]

Maddening!

[PointGuard]

Unfortunately it's part of the too many turnovers issue within CB3.

[Wayne23]

December 10:

“Achilles, my husband.”

“Yes Maria.”

“It seems you are being quite successful.”

“We have made a good beginning but it is early and it is truly the way we play against our conference opponents that will determine the level of our success.”

“Still, from what I am told, this university has not done this well in some time.”

“This is true.”

“I am happy for you, my husband. You have worked toward this for many years. I feel that you deserve success.”

“Without your support I am nothing, my wife.”

“I urge you once more to try to get more rest, Achilles. You begin to look more and more fatigued with each day that passes.”

“I admit that I am tired from time to time. I have found that I am able to take short naps at the office. I have only recently begun this practice. I find it refreshing.”

“Please do this at every possible opportunity, my husband. You are not as young as you once were.”

“I shall, Maria, I shall.”

Army is 2-4 against weak competition. Their only quality opponent, Maryland, beat them by 23. They play a quick paced offense and are balanced, without a stand out scorer. They play man to man and rarely press.

We had the luxury of five days between games. My players seem strong.

December 13: Another very strong performance, 80-64. In a complete departure, PG Jeff Post had 14 assists and 2 turnovers. The team had 7 turnovers. Everyone played well and we never trailed.

We’re 6-3. I never thought we would start this strongly. Coaching is fun so far. Still paying careful attention to countless details, still meeting regularly with assistants and drinking in their input. Still too busy and not rested enough, although those naps are a huge help.

At 3-5 Rochester Hills next. They play the Triangle and like to move the ball around quickly. It’s man on D, and they like to press with the man press.

We took a small early lead and held it through the half but could not break away. We went in with a 27-21 lead.

Our D was really working, holding them to 25% shooting for the half. We decided to keep doing what we were doing.

We remained successful in the 2nd, winning 58-41, and holding them to 26.8% for the game. 23, 11 for Rahm, 8, 13, 3 for Kal. Unfortunately we were back to 21 turnovers, but we had 43 rebounds.

We close out the pre-conference season with 7-2 George Washington at home. After a disaster in their opener they have lost only to #3 No. Car. This is a tough team and we expect a challenge.

December 19: We were sleep walking in the 1st. They went up by eight early and held a lead of about that size through the half, going in up by 6, 29-23.

Two time outs had not helped.

At the half we talked about ball movement. My players were standing around on offense. I lowered the boom. Since I rarely show anger it was effective in getting attention. I then explained with diagrams and charts what it was I sought, and told them that I expected to see it. On defense we thought this team was vulnerable to our 2-3. We sat in it, clogging up the lanes and anticipating to go for steals. Everything worked. We pulled away for a 68-52 win. Des had 18 but this was a team effort, especially in the 2nd.

So we wind up the pre-conf, season at 8-3, much better than anticipated. And we have a following. Attendance for G. W. was 3,883, enormous by our
standards. I am told that the phones are ringing in the ticket office. People want season tickets for our remaining games. The conference schedule will be more challenging so I hope we do not disappoint. I purposely sought out weak opponents in the early season since I thought wins would help with confidence, recruiting and attendance. I was successful in all of those areas.

Speaking of recruiting we are considering a change. Ryan Puckett’s stock has dropped and both Andy Barber and Bryan Thompson are looking really good. We may withdraw our offer from Ryan and give it to one of those two.

It is the holiday break. Our family will get together for a traditional lamb dinner. No one makes lamb the way we Greeks do, and my Maria’s is the best in the world, at least to me.

[Wayne23]

December 27: Turnovers are down to 17.9. This is not a good number but it is considerably better than it was.

We utilize an eight player rotation and I feel I am getting good work from all eight. We do not have enormous talent but we have worked very hard to play as a unit and I feel we do this effectively more often than not.

Our best players are PF Rahm Park and C Kal Post. They have been very solid to date.

We are enjoying a five game winning streak.

Conference play begins with 6-5 Kent State, here. They have a good PG and are deliberate on offense. On defense they play straight up man with little pressure. If our big men can dominate, as they should, we will be all right.

December 29: They jumped out against us and went up by 14 in what seemed like no time. Their PG was very good, as expected. Finally, three time outs later, we decided to double him all over the floor. He then managed to get the ball to their PF for lay ups on three occasions before we stopped that. At the half they still held an 11 point lead.

My staff and I sat alone for the first few minutes of halftime, discussing strategy. We determined that our only chance lay in keeping the ball out of the PG’s hands as much as possible. We put Jeff Post on him, playing face to face, denying the ball, and it worked. None of the other Kent State players was able to do much with the ball and they had 14 turnovers in the second half. We worked it in to our C and our PF, who combined for 33 in the second half, and we won 84-77. I suppose what I learned is that there is always a way if one can look for and find it.

Kal Napp led us with 30 but thirteen turnovers versus their twenty-one was the real key.

“My husband, you are gaining weight.’

“Alas, it is so, Maria.”

“You have always been a very big man but you never had a weight problem.”

“I believe it is that I eat lunch at work, and I also have gotten into bad habits where I eat at my desk while working. That plus the fact that I take little exercise all add to the difficulty.”

“I do not like this, my husband. It is yet another case where you put your health at risk.”

“I simply do not find the time for exercise. I will stop the eating at my desk.”

“You must also exercise, my husband.”

“”You are right as always, Maria.”

“And yet I do not hear you say that you will exercise.”

Our next game is against the only ranked team in our conference, #19 Miami of Ohio, 12-2. Worse yet, it is at their gym. They run the flex offense at a normal pace. They play man and only press when absolutely necessary. Their Point Guard is very precise, even though he does not put up big numbers.

The SF and PF are both very strong offensively. They have a deep bench.

January 2: Unfortunately we followed our recent pattern of falling behind early. Miami’s very good Point Guard distributed the ball to everyone and before we knew it we were down by 17. We whittled the deficit to 7 at halftime but everything was a struggle. On the plus side we were taking good care of the ball and winning the rebound battle. We decided that the 2-3 had been our least effective defense so we went with the man to man throughout the second half. We continued to chip away at the lead but never got closer than one or two points. Finally, on the last possession of the game we came down the floor with eleven seconds left, trailing 72-71.

We wanted to get it inside to either Kal or Rahm but they were both tightly defended, as was Des, or first outside option. Jeff got it to Lan Sawk whose 16 footer rolled off the rim as the buzzer sounded.

While this was a very frustrating loss we take heart in that we played the best team in the conference evenly on their court. We need to stop falling far behind early. If we can prevent that it will make winning much easier.

Only 14 turnovers tonight.

[Wayne23]

January 3: I am giving time back to Jay Moody. He has been playing better than Lan Sawk of late. Playing time will probably continue to shift back and forth between these two.

4-9, 1-1 Buffalo comes to town next. They have struggled all season but they have a very good Point Guard who constantly works the ball inside. Our big men must defend well and stay out of foul trouble. They play man, with occasional 1-3-1 and they rarely press. They have a very deep bench, especially inside.

January 5: Tonight we played basketball! We started at the very beginning and never relented, winning 71-40. Kal had 19 and 10, Rahm 13 and 4. We had 16 turnovers, and we were +16 in rebounds. This was a very satisfying win and all played well.

We have now won 10 games, the first time for ten wins in Akron in several years. And we are still early in the season. People are coming to our games, 4,007 last night, and we are getting very good press coverage. It has been a very satisfying experience so far but we will continue to work as hard as possible. Preparation is everything.

We travel to 10-5, 2-1 Ohio. This game should be a challenge. They run a very fast paced offense using the high post and distributing to all five players. Their C can dominate. They are another team that plays mostly man to man. As is often the case their bench is deeper than ours.

January 9: Tonight we reversed the pattern and jumped out to an early lead. We were ahead by as many as fifteen in the first half and all seemed well when we went into the locker room up by 12. Rahm and Kal dominated the first half.

And then we came out for the second half and completely fell apart. We could not make a shot, and a back up SG went red hot for them, getting 23 points in the half. The result was a very disappointing 68-74 loss. This one is difficult to analyze in that we were +1 in turnovers, + 9 in rebounds, and we were called for 7 fewer fouls. With those numbers victory should be assured.

Our three point defense was the major culprit. We allowed them to make 8 threes and that was indeed the difference. There are so many factors to consider in the game of basketball. I say again, we shall continue to work, and the staff will continue to analyze and to implement plans that will help us to improve. I refuse to become discouraged.

Young Achilles is playing in a winter indoor soccer league. I was able to watch his game yesterday. He has my build. He is 6’4” and weighs 235 pounds. He is a fullback, naturally. He moves very well for his size. He will never be fast but he has excellent reaction time. The major colleges scout him at nearly every game and the coaches are already courting him even though he has yet one more year of high school ahead of him.

My little Maria is a wonderful dancer. She studies ballet most seriously. I joy in watching her when she has a concert. My children and my wife add a richness to my life that is truly wondrous. As busy as I am I try never to forget this, and I work hard to find time to spend with my family.

5-10, 1-3 Bowling Green is in town next. They seem to me to be better than their record indicates. Their guards move the ball well and their forwards rebound and score. The team is difficult to defend and they play a strong man to man. They have two three point losses to ranked teams. I am working hard to assure that my players do not take this team lightly.

January 12: Rahm Park had an outstanding night with 27 and 10. He led us to a 78-70 victory that, while not easy, was in fact comfortable in that we rarely led by fewer than 5-7 points. Jeff Post played very well.

We continue to work our recruits. It is a quiet time but we need to finish the process. We have offered to two who have yet to commit and we are pursuing a back up just in case. All three are Point Guards.

Our record is currently 11-5, 3-2, and our RPI is 66. If we can continue we will certainly be invited to one of the postseason tournaments. This is something we very much want to happen.

We travel to 4-12, 0-5 Western Michigan. Few things worry more than playing a team that is doing this poorly. The chance that they may snap out of it at any time is my fear, along with the all but inevitability of my boys not taking the team seriously enough. We are working hard. They run a very, very fast paced offense, featuring outside shooting. On a night when threes fall they could be trouble. We must get out on the shooters. This has been a struggle for us in some games. They play a man defense. They have lost seven in a row but all have been close. Again, I am worried.

January 16: And all of my worst fears were realized. We did nothing right all evening, losing 74-56 in a game that was perhaps not that close. For the second time this season we committed 29 turnovers. The less said the better.
The dilemma when something like this occurs is how to react as a staff.

After the game the staff met in my hotel room for two hours. After a great deal of discussion and much back and forth disagreement, and not a little heat, we decided to move forward, placing little emphasis on this terrible performance. At practice we will do the things we do, work hard to fix the things that need fixing. We will choose not to dwell upon, or even to mention this game. There is truly little to be gained by using a poor performance as a hammer. We will be positive and optimistic while doing our work.

[Wayne23]

January 18: I have been around the college basketball world long enough to know that a typical season has ebbs and flows. There are times when a team is doing very well. All is smooth, things simply flow. At other times the rhythm seems to disappear, inexplicably. It becomes difficult to discover the source of the problems, and often frustration aids the downward spiral. I believe that during such a time it is very important to stay positive, to remind players and the team as a whole of their strengths, and to express confidence that things will improve rapidly. We are following that course at present.

We continue on the road with a game at Central Michigan, 6-11, 3-3. This team plays very well at home. They have a big, strong C who scores points.

Kal simply must have a good game and stay out of foul trouble. That is the key to this game.

January 19: We play well and win easily but it is a costly victory. More on that in a moment. The first half was back and forth. We went in leading 36-33. Their SG and C were doing the damage so we made the necessary adjustments. We felt that we could work the ball to Kal regularly. While the opposition C played well on offense he was a poor defender. Our strategy worked. Kal wound up getting the ball over and over again. He had 28 and 16 at the end and was the difference in our 77-60 win. Rahm and Jay Moody got the ball when they began to overplay Kal, and both took advantage. Our inside play was simply dominating. The rebounding edge was +24.

Al Mark, our #3 inside player, tore his ACL. He is out for the season, and probably for most of next year as well. It is a very bad tear. This will mean more minutes for Lan Sawk and Jay Moody, neither of whom is the rebounder Al is. Injuries are part of the game and we must adjust and move on.

Our conference, Mid-U.S., has two divisions. Miami of Ohio leads ours at 6-1. We are at 4-3, as is Ohio. Three teams in the West Division are at the top at 4-3.

10-8, 4-3 Eastern Michigan is in town. They play flex and are strong inside. On defense they play man most of the time and they press often. If we can beat the press and if our big men play well things should go our way. We hope the victory in our last game was the beginning of a good stretch.

January 23: This was a wonderful game for fans and an ulcer producer for the coaches. We played well in the first half but never could stretch the lead. It was 27-22 at the end of a hard fought half. Kal and Rahm controlled the inside which we felt was vital. This was the type of game where there were really few adjustments to be made. It was going to be a bruising inside game and we knew we simply needed to execute. And indeed, the second half was exactly as expected. The lead went back and forth with 12 changes and 6 ties. Finally, with 12 seconds left we got the ball after a made basket.

We were down 54-53. I do not like to call a time out in that situation unless our team seems confused. We practice for this and I want my players to take the responsibility. A time out simply gives the opposition the opportunity to better prepare. Jeff Post knew he wanted to get the ball to either Kal or Rahm, and that was what he set out to do. Both were tightly defended.

Finally, with time running out he passed to Len Sawk, who was fouled as he shot at the buzzer. The foul was obvious and had to be called. Lan stepped to the line and made the first. The opposition called a time out. After the time out Lan made the second free throw, giving us a 55-54 win. A key to victory was that we committed only 11 turnovers. Lan played very well in his new role. He picked up most of the inside minutes that had been going to Al Mark, and wound up with 12 and 7. Kal had 20 and 10.

When I reached home that evening Maria greeted me at the door.

“Congratulations, my husband. This was a wonderful victory.”

“Yes indeed. Did you enjoy the game?”

“That is perhaps not the word I would use. It was a very stressful game.”

“For me as well, but that is the nature of the game. It is so important to win this type of game. It was gratifying.”

“And I see on your face that it took a toll.”

“I am indeed exhausted.”

“So you will go to bed?”

“At once.”

“Good. I hope you will sleep through the night.”

“As do I.”

And I did. It was as good a night’s sleep as I have gotten in some time though I do remember replaying the game as I slept.

10-9, 4-4 Northern Illinois visits next. On paper these two teams are very evenly matched. They very deliberately paced triangle offense and feature a balanced attack. On defense they play a 2-3 and press regularly. They have a deep bench and so they keep fresh legs in the game. I am concerned that my seven man rotation will be tested by this. Still, I believe we are the better team.

For the first time in almost six years, every ticket for the game has been sold.

January 26: We responded so well to their pressure that they were forced to stop pressing after only a few minutes. When they tried again in the second half the result was the same. Tonight we showed a discipline on offense that made me want to jump for joy. Passing was crisp, good decisions were made, and we had only thirteen turnovers. Most of our scoring cam inside with 21 and 4 for Rahm, 14, 12, 2 for Kal, and 12, 5, 3 for Jay Moody. Jeff Post played perhaps his best game of the season.

We are now at 14-6, 5-3, tied with Ohio for second place in our Division.

[Wayne23]

January 29: This is a very important day in college basketball. SAT results are announced and that can change a great deal. I am not particularly worried about my recruits. I believe they will all reach the score needed for admission. At times one can pick up a player however, who reaches our score but does not achieve the needed score for his school of choice. We are ready for that possibility.

And indeed we are looking at five new recruits. With the injury to Al Mark, which may be career ending, we find we would like to consider adding a big man.

Demetrius Casavetes, my father in law, has become our biggest fan. A solidly built man of 75 years, Demetrius spent his life as a tradesman. There is seemingly nothing he cannot fix, make or transform. He has worked at plumbing, electrical work, auto mechanics, carpentry, stone work, and on and on. He still takes on odd jobs. He comes to all of our games with my Maria, and is dressed in our team colors always. He cheers loudly for our team, and loves nothing more than discussing Akron basketball. When I have the chance I sit with him and o just that. I am not able to do it often but I know it means a great deal to hi so I try to find the opportunities.

We travel to Toledo to face the 9-11, 4-5 Missiles. They have lost their last three, which of course troubles me. They run a lightning quick flex offense and try to get the ball inside. They play man to man.

January 30: A disappointing night. Our offense never seemed to jell and it was damaged fatally by 24 turnovers. Only Kal, 22 and 7, played well. On defense we were a step slow, allowing too many open looks.

And it is suddenly somehow February. The season flies past. At this point every game is important.

8-13, 5-5 Muncie is in. We feel we have a sizable advantage inside and a slight edge outside. But we must play well, as always.

February 2: Tonight we were a different team. After a typical slow start we warmed to the task and quickly took charge, building a 30-24 halftime lead.

In the second half Des Arch was hitting outside shots, and our big men controlled the inside game. We won 65-53. I was pleased that we had but 14 turnovers.

None of the new recruits jumps out at us but 2 or 3 are worthy of consideration.

We travel to 10-12, 4-7 Kent State for a rematch. We won by 7 at our place. Their PG is their best player.

February 6: This was our night. We dominated from beginning to end, winning 82-65 in a game that was not that close. Everyone played well.

#23 Miami of Ohio, 21-4, 10-2, is here for a rematch. We lost by one there, and are feeling good about our chances in this game. This is a very good team, and the game will not be easy, but we feel we have the tools to do well. It will probably decide nothing since they hold a two game lead over us but still, a victory would be good on many levels. There is also the fact that we remain tied for second with Ohio. We will need to keep their PG from distributing the ball the way he wishes to, and we must keep track of the SF and the C. On offense we will need to mix it up. It will help if Des is hitting shots. That will allow us to work the ball inside more easily.

February 9: I can honestly say that I did not expect an easy win, but that is what we got, 77-60. It is more than a decade since Akron has beaten a ranked team and the campus and the town are celebrating. Kal was overwhelming inside, Des did indeed hit shots, Rahm and Jay played very well all over the court, and we committed only 10 turnovers. We excelled in all areas of the game.

With three conference games to play in the regular season, there are three teams in our division within a game of each other.

We are off to 8-16, 5-8 Buffalo. We beat them by 31 at home. This is the type of game that can be dangerous. Our boys no doubt believe that they can win easily, and they should do so, however, overconfidence can lead to lack of focus, which often leads in turn to disaster. We have worked hard to try to keep our players focused in practice.

February 13: Our solid play continues, 68-50. I was unhappy with our 19 turnovers but they had 21. Kal, Rahm and Des led us, and the defense was outstanding.

In the final two conference games we play Ohio at home and then Ohio hosts Miami. That leaves the possibility of our winning the title if things go well. I did not expect to be in this position. We are 18-7, 10-4.

[Wayne23]

February 14: “Achilles, my husband. You are exceeding all expectations. I am very pleased for your success.”

“Thank you, Maria.”

“And now the pressure, I am certain, will increase.”

“That is the nature of this business. It shall indeed.”

“You continue to look fatigued.”

“I have been getting more sleep, and I no longer make poor choices about my diet. I am trying.”

“Yes, you are trying. I hope it is enough."

We lost by six at Ohio earlier in the season. It was a game we could have won. Their back up SG beat us with a tremendous shooting night. He will not surprise us this time, we will be ready. They have an edge in guard play but we feel we make up for it in the front court. As always, in games of this type, it will likely come down to execution. We must take care of the ball, and set good picks against their man to man defense.

February 16: Not tonight. The game became a defensive struggle and we simply did not hit shots, shooting only 32.1% in a 59-48 loss. We cannot expect to win when scoring only 48. We took good care of the ball, committing only 14 turnovers, but we lost the battle of the boards, -7, and except for Kal, 16 and 7, and Jay Moody, 13, 4, 3, no one showed any offense. We actually played good defensive basketball. I will give up 59 on most nights. That should leads to victory. The loss means we will finish third in our division.

We play a Bracket Breaker at home against Valparaiso next. They are 14-12. While we should win I have mixed feelings. Our players have gone through a long hard season and with the playoffs coming soon I would prefer to rest.

On the other hand games hone skills in ways that practice cannot.

February 19: 89-64. It was never a game. A season high 26 for Des, 16 for Clint Ray, and everyone contributed. 8 turnovers.

And we need to take a midnight flight to play at Bowling Green. We won by 8 at home but we will be very tired for this game. Fortunately we will finish third in our division whether we win or lose. Their strength is in the back court.

February 20: It wasn’t pretty but we got the job done, 66-59. 18 turnovers, -12 on the boards. Good shooting, 54%, was the difference, as was good defense.

And so we end the regular season at 20-8, 11-5, with an RPI of 65. The playoffs await.