February 4 Zak:
70-67 over #17 UMass; their 1st loss in conf. play. Close all the way. Our big guys won it for us. 18, 10 for Frost, 14, 8, 3, 3 for Lapp, 12 each for Hard and Geer. +12 RBs.
Ryan Cone is back.
February 6 Al Anon:
73-57 over Dayton here. 28, 10 for Hard, 12, 6, 5, 2 for Rose, 12, 6, 3 for Lapp. +17 RBs, +6 TOs (even though we had 17). The scouting report said they couldn’t keep up with us inside, and they couldn’t.
We’re 2 back of 1st place UMass, 2 up on a couple of team. 2nd place looks like a lock with 5 to play.
February 11 Deke Gale
72-47 over Duquesne. An easy one, for a change. 20, 7, 5 for Rose, 18, 9 for Hard. 37 RBs, 7 TOs.
February 13 Zak:
65-68 at Fordham. We shot poorly, 38%, and we didn’t defend well, 52.5%. They won it with a 25 foot three at the buzzer. 18, 7 for Hard, 16, 3, 3 for Frost. 18 TOs, but they had 24.
February 18 Zak:
74-54 over Saint Louis on senior night here. 25, 11 for Hard, 14, 5 for Ross, 11, 6, 6 for Lapp. We honored three starters: Rob Hard has been tremendous for us for all four of his years here, and Jed Rose and Jeff Frost are both starters.
I have managed to see quite a few of Jamal’s ball games but I will be on the road for the championship game. His middle school team is undefeated, and they beat the team they will play by 19, so it looks good. I hate to miss the game though.
Jamal is 5’10”, and plays PG and SG. He has a great shot and plays tight D. He’s good, actually.
Dawn:
I was offered the Assistant Commissioner’s job again, but I turned it down again.
February 23 Deke Gale:
45-53 at East Carolina. Horrible offensive performance, our worst of the season. We shot 28.3%, 19.4% on threes. You can’t win if you don’t score. We missed a chance to clinch 2nd place, but we close with the worst team in the conference.
Zak:
Jamal’s team won the title by 14. He had 19 points, 11 rebounds, 7 assists and was named MOP.
February 25
84-61 at La Salle to finish 2nd,3 back of UMass, but 2 ahead of two teams. 36 and 5 for Hard. +13 RBs.
Point Guard
Re: Point Guard
by Wayne23 » Sat Jan 02, 2016 6:43 am
- Wayne23
- DDS:CB Support Squad
- Posts: 14315
- Joined: Fri Mar 02, 2007 5:23 pm
Re: Point Guard
by Wayne23 » Sat Jan 02, 2016 12:31 pm
March 6 Zak:
We end the regular season at 22-7,13-5, #16, RPI #11. Hard is still #1 in scoring and RBs, #2 in FG% in the A10. Lapp is #3 in RBs, and Frost #5, as well as#1 in blocks.
Rose is #3 in assists. As a team +6.7 PPG, +5.3 RBPG, +1.1TOPG, +0.2 assists PG, and -1.0 steals PG.
We’ll play #7 seed George Mason, 18-10, 10-8, in the round of 8. We won by 19 there.
March 7 Al Anon:
62-41. The game plan said ball movement, work it inside and out. 21,15, 2, 2 for Hard, 20, 4, 2 for Rose. +6 TOs.
#3 seed Duquesne, 21-10, 11-7, in the semis. We beat them by 25 here.
March 8 Zak:
64-66. 27 turnovers. That gave them 14 extra shots. The last one was a 20 foot three. It went in. 29 for Hard +9 RBs. This is a game we should have won. I feel very frustrated.
March 9 Zak:
UMass won the title game.
March 12 Zak:
The loss to Duquesne will hurt us. We might have been a #3 or #4, but now?
#20, RPI #14.
Not in the East.
Not in the Midwest.
Not in the South.
#5 in the West. We play #12 UNLV, 21-10.
March 17 Al Anon:
68-59. The scouting report said we had a big edge outside. Zak, Deke, and I drew up a plan to get our guards open, and it worked like a charm. 23, 7, 4 for Rose, 17, 2, 4 for Ross. We played them about even inside, 12, 11, 2, 2 for Frost, 12, 9 for Hard.
It now looks like Bo Mill may be back in time for next season. The torn ACL is healing well.
#13 seed Winthrop, 24-7, upset #4 Texas. This is a team we should beat.
March 19 Zak:
73-58 and we’re back in the Sweet Sixteen! We went inside and out beautifully tonight. 18, 8 for Lapp,17,5, 4 for Rose. 5 and 12 for Frost. Hard fouled out in 14 minutes but he got 12 points on the way. +12 RBs, +8 TOs.
#1 seed, #7 ranked Wake Forest, 27-4, next. This is a VERY tough team, especially outside, but their inside game is very good as well. Still, if we play our best ball, which has not always been the case this season, we have a shot.
March 24 Zak:
68-70. We gave them all they wanted. Three lead changes in the last minute. They hit a three with 7.2 left. Our plan was to get it inside to either Frost or Hard, but they denied beautifully. Rose had to take a three from about 20 feet with a hand in his face. It rolled around and then out. 19, 5, 4, 2 for Rose, 12, 6, 2, 4 for Rob Hard. It was the last game for both of these guys, and for Jeff Frost. 22 TOs hurt us.
It was a good season, not as good as last year, but when you make the Sweet Sixteen it’s a successful year.
April 4 Zak:
#1 Indiana overwhelmed #18 Louisville for the title.
Awards: Rob Hard was A10 POY for the 3rd time in his 4 years here. Kip Lapp was freshman OY. Rob made 1st team and Jed Rose made 2nd.
April 9 Zak:
We’re here another year. The offers were sort of disappointing, really. It’s time to move on. I’m not sure we can go much further than where we’ve already gone, Round of 16, round of 8- that’s probably about it. I’d love to be at a place where we can win a title.
Dawn:
I called the Rhode Island Child Welfare office when I read that the #2 position was still vacant. I told them I was available and interested, but that it might be for only a year. I interview tomorrow.
April 10 Dawn:
Got the job. I will turn the agency over to my 2nd in command.
April 16 Fred Lee:
Juco junior Ty Daye, PG, #280, signs. One more to fill.
April 23 Fred Lee:
Phil Torr, PG, #251, from England, signed. We wind up with 3 PGs, 2 bigs. Wemay be a little short on inside players next year. Zak may have to go three guard.
Zak:
We ask for the facilities upgrade we didn’t get last year. Got it. We go from C+ to B+.
25-9, 13-5, 2nd place, Sweet Sixteen. Overall: 215-70, .754. Off- 37, Def- 55, Recruit- 80, Scout- 68, Player Development- 46, Reputation- 44.
Joe Downatti, The Providence Journal, “The Low Down with Joe Down”:
Another successful season for the URI Rams. Coach Zachery has these guys playing solid ball year in and year out. He has lifted URI above Providence as the best hoops program in the state.
We end the regular season at 22-7,13-5, #16, RPI #11. Hard is still #1 in scoring and RBs, #2 in FG% in the A10. Lapp is #3 in RBs, and Frost #5, as well as#1 in blocks.
Rose is #3 in assists. As a team +6.7 PPG, +5.3 RBPG, +1.1TOPG, +0.2 assists PG, and -1.0 steals PG.
We’ll play #7 seed George Mason, 18-10, 10-8, in the round of 8. We won by 19 there.
March 7 Al Anon:
62-41. The game plan said ball movement, work it inside and out. 21,15, 2, 2 for Hard, 20, 4, 2 for Rose. +6 TOs.
#3 seed Duquesne, 21-10, 11-7, in the semis. We beat them by 25 here.
March 8 Zak:
64-66. 27 turnovers. That gave them 14 extra shots. The last one was a 20 foot three. It went in. 29 for Hard +9 RBs. This is a game we should have won. I feel very frustrated.
March 9 Zak:
UMass won the title game.
March 12 Zak:
The loss to Duquesne will hurt us. We might have been a #3 or #4, but now?
#20, RPI #14.
Not in the East.
Not in the Midwest.
Not in the South.
#5 in the West. We play #12 UNLV, 21-10.
March 17 Al Anon:
68-59. The scouting report said we had a big edge outside. Zak, Deke, and I drew up a plan to get our guards open, and it worked like a charm. 23, 7, 4 for Rose, 17, 2, 4 for Ross. We played them about even inside, 12, 11, 2, 2 for Frost, 12, 9 for Hard.
It now looks like Bo Mill may be back in time for next season. The torn ACL is healing well.
#13 seed Winthrop, 24-7, upset #4 Texas. This is a team we should beat.
March 19 Zak:
73-58 and we’re back in the Sweet Sixteen! We went inside and out beautifully tonight. 18, 8 for Lapp,17,5, 4 for Rose. 5 and 12 for Frost. Hard fouled out in 14 minutes but he got 12 points on the way. +12 RBs, +8 TOs.
#1 seed, #7 ranked Wake Forest, 27-4, next. This is a VERY tough team, especially outside, but their inside game is very good as well. Still, if we play our best ball, which has not always been the case this season, we have a shot.
March 24 Zak:
68-70. We gave them all they wanted. Three lead changes in the last minute. They hit a three with 7.2 left. Our plan was to get it inside to either Frost or Hard, but they denied beautifully. Rose had to take a three from about 20 feet with a hand in his face. It rolled around and then out. 19, 5, 4, 2 for Rose, 12, 6, 2, 4 for Rob Hard. It was the last game for both of these guys, and for Jeff Frost. 22 TOs hurt us.
It was a good season, not as good as last year, but when you make the Sweet Sixteen it’s a successful year.
April 4 Zak:
#1 Indiana overwhelmed #18 Louisville for the title.
Awards: Rob Hard was A10 POY for the 3rd time in his 4 years here. Kip Lapp was freshman OY. Rob made 1st team and Jed Rose made 2nd.
April 9 Zak:
We’re here another year. The offers were sort of disappointing, really. It’s time to move on. I’m not sure we can go much further than where we’ve already gone, Round of 16, round of 8- that’s probably about it. I’d love to be at a place where we can win a title.
Dawn:
I called the Rhode Island Child Welfare office when I read that the #2 position was still vacant. I told them I was available and interested, but that it might be for only a year. I interview tomorrow.
April 10 Dawn:
Got the job. I will turn the agency over to my 2nd in command.
April 16 Fred Lee:
Juco junior Ty Daye, PG, #280, signs. One more to fill.
April 23 Fred Lee:
Phil Torr, PG, #251, from England, signed. We wind up with 3 PGs, 2 bigs. Wemay be a little short on inside players next year. Zak may have to go three guard.
Zak:
We ask for the facilities upgrade we didn’t get last year. Got it. We go from C+ to B+.
25-9, 13-5, 2nd place, Sweet Sixteen. Overall: 215-70, .754. Off- 37, Def- 55, Recruit- 80, Scout- 68, Player Development- 46, Reputation- 44.
Joe Downatti, The Providence Journal, “The Low Down with Joe Down”:
Another successful season for the URI Rams. Coach Zachery has these guys playing solid ball year in and year out. He has lifted URI above Providence as the best hoops program in the state.
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- Joined: Fri Mar 02, 2007 5:23 pm
Re: Point Guard
by Wayne23 » Sat Jan 02, 2016 6:58 pm
May 1 Zak:
We buy National Gold, International Basic scouting reports.
May 3 Mark Downs, GSPN Sports:
“We’re here with URI head basketball Coach Zak Zachery. Zak, you’ve really turned the program around at URI, as you did at NJIT. So how do you like coaching?”
“I love it, Mark. It’s a really complex challenge, with many, many aspects. You really can’t understand the job until you’ve done it for a while.”
“What’s the best part?”
“The kids. It’s great to watch them develop, both as players and as people. They’re kids when they get here, and they’re young men when they leave. It’s our job to make them responsible young men who understand what it takes to be successful- whatever path they take.”
“Let’s shift gears. Zak, you had probably the best season any player has ever had in college hoops. Then you went to the Pistons as the #1 draft choice. You played 20 games in which you dominated the NBA, and then in game 21, in the flash of an eye, the dream ended with a torn up knee. How hard was that?”
“It was tremendously difficult. It’s no secret that my life completely fell apart for a few years. I was probably lucky to crawl out of the deep hole I dug for myself. I am very grateful to my wife for most of that. She stood by me through some very rough times.”
“Regrets?”
“Sure, sometimes I wonder how well I could have done if I hadn’t torn up the knee. Could I have wound up in the same class with the all time greats? I’ll never know.”
“Does that eat you up?”
“No, it doesn’t. Once I found coaching I found a new focus for my life. Things happen. If you live in the past you aren’t living at all. I’m about as lucky as a guy can be. I have a beautiful, wonderful wife, three incredibly fantastic kids, and a job that I absolutely love, and that never stops challenging me. I have no complaints, no regrets.”
“Thanks Coach.”
May 12 Dawn:
I finally feel like I have a handle on my new job. I’m #2 in the child welfare agency. I live in meetings, but I also consult with facilities, help them to improve the way they provide services to children in need. I consider that to be vitally important work, and I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to do it.
Jamal graduates in a few weeks and heads for high school. He is now 6’1”, and the basketball coach is drooling!
Jamia is doing some fascinating things with painting and sculpture. I always love to see her latest work.
Jamilia has not yet really found her passion, but she will be a leader, no doubt. I think she may wind up following in my footsteps, but whatever she does, it will be with people.
June 5 Fred Lee:
No transfers again this year.
June 26 Fred Lee:
For the third year in a row we’re shocked that an incredibly talented player was not selected in the NBA draft. Rob Hard is in the Celtics camp. I predict he’ll stick and become a better than average NBA player.
We have 4 scholarships. We kind of need some of everything.
August 7 Fred Lee:
Lots of interest among recruits. I think we could have a great recruiting year.
August 10 Dawn:
There are some not so great parts of this job. I see lots of kids who have gone through so much hell. I never get used to that. And then I need to meet with workers who simply aren’t doing the job. They’re burned out, or they’re overwhelmed by the work load, or sometimes, they simply aren’t right for the job and should never have been here to begin with. We try to save the ones we can, counsel the others to get out, if they’ll listen, and begin dismissal procedures with some.
But what truly upsets me is when I visit a facility or a foster home that is clearly not meeting our standards. I have to fight to keep my composure because to lose it helps no one. I will say that I do all that I can to rectify these situations. I am quick to pull kids from a foster family that is in it to make a profit. We at the state level provide a foster child with all that s/he needs. There should be no financial burden on a foster family- although many do spend out of pocket on these kids. But, it’s designed as a “break even” situation. If a family is making a profit they are neglecting the foster child. I pull kids and remove the family from our list as quickly as possible. The sad truth is that there are never enough families willing to take our kids, particularly the troubled ones, but I will NOT allow families to work with our children if they are not doing it properly; understand that if I am visiting a foster home there is a serious problem. Otherwise it would never have reached my level.
Our live in facilities are a more complex issue. They are really orphanages. They can’t be closed because we have no other place to put our kids. But I hold their feet to the fire when they are not meeting standards. I am told that I am very unpopular in some circles. Let me quickly say two things about that: 1. Good! 2. I am neither unfair nor unreasonable. AlI I ask is that the facility does what it is being paid to do. And, I listen. If there are extenuating circumstances I try to fix them.
August 21 Fred Lee:
We offer to 2 PGs, a PF and a C. We feel really good about our chances with 3 of them. The 4th is a gamble but he’s a really good player.
September 1 Dawn:
Back to school. Jamal is now 6’ 2 ½”. He lives basketball, working with Zak’s team at captain’s practices. I’m told that he can’t play with the first unit but that he fits right in with the second. But he has other interests, science, especially space related, history, reading fiction…
Jamia is entering Gr. 6 at the Renzulli Academy. Next year she wants to go to a Gr.7-12 Arts Magnet school. We are doing what we can. Acceptance is not automatic. But with her portfolio I think she’ll get in.
Jamilia is entering 2nd grade at the same school Jamia attends. Her program is, we are told, among the most accelerated provided for any student in the school. She is “profoundly gifted” and needs the challenge. She very much enjoys the work she is doing. The philosophy here is not about more work for kids like her, it is for more appropriate work. She probably does more, but that’s because she is interested and challenged.
September 18 Fred Lee:
We get Mark Robb, PF, #125.
Johnny Benedetto, A. D.:
We’re in the Las Vegas Winter Jam vs. #2 ranked Wake Forest. Not sure how happy Zak will be about that. We have a fairly challenging schedule.
September 25 Fred Lee:
We get 2 PGs, Will Tann, #108, and Sol Benn, #77.
Zak:
Bo Mill isn’t ready yet but we’re told it will be soon, about 2 ½ weeks.
October 2 Deke Gale:
First day of practice. We looked good, better than I’d expected.
We’re picked 6th in conf. We were picked what, 9th, 12th last year?
October 16 Fred Lee:
We get a PF, Ben Cobb, #147. Cobb is a juco and the other three all look like good bets to hit our SAT score.
November 6 Zak:
Here’s the lineup: First, this is the most unsettled lineup we’ve ever started with. 3 guys seem like locks, soph Bo Mill at guard (He’s completely recovered), soph Shep Geer, at SF, and the most solid of all, soph Kip Lapp at center and PF. 7 guys are sharing the other spots. Okay the other guards are senior Geo Star, junior Dave Ross, frosh Joe Till and Phil Torr. It’s about as complex up front: After Lapp, junior Ryan Cone gets the most minutes, followed closely by freshmen Ozzy Akins and Ben Downs. We’ll see how long it takes to sort it out, but the staff is united on this decision.
We’re young, only one senior. Let’s see how that plays out.
We buy National Gold, International Basic scouting reports.
May 3 Mark Downs, GSPN Sports:
“We’re here with URI head basketball Coach Zak Zachery. Zak, you’ve really turned the program around at URI, as you did at NJIT. So how do you like coaching?”
“I love it, Mark. It’s a really complex challenge, with many, many aspects. You really can’t understand the job until you’ve done it for a while.”
“What’s the best part?”
“The kids. It’s great to watch them develop, both as players and as people. They’re kids when they get here, and they’re young men when they leave. It’s our job to make them responsible young men who understand what it takes to be successful- whatever path they take.”
“Let’s shift gears. Zak, you had probably the best season any player has ever had in college hoops. Then you went to the Pistons as the #1 draft choice. You played 20 games in which you dominated the NBA, and then in game 21, in the flash of an eye, the dream ended with a torn up knee. How hard was that?”
“It was tremendously difficult. It’s no secret that my life completely fell apart for a few years. I was probably lucky to crawl out of the deep hole I dug for myself. I am very grateful to my wife for most of that. She stood by me through some very rough times.”
“Regrets?”
“Sure, sometimes I wonder how well I could have done if I hadn’t torn up the knee. Could I have wound up in the same class with the all time greats? I’ll never know.”
“Does that eat you up?”
“No, it doesn’t. Once I found coaching I found a new focus for my life. Things happen. If you live in the past you aren’t living at all. I’m about as lucky as a guy can be. I have a beautiful, wonderful wife, three incredibly fantastic kids, and a job that I absolutely love, and that never stops challenging me. I have no complaints, no regrets.”
“Thanks Coach.”
May 12 Dawn:
I finally feel like I have a handle on my new job. I’m #2 in the child welfare agency. I live in meetings, but I also consult with facilities, help them to improve the way they provide services to children in need. I consider that to be vitally important work, and I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to do it.
Jamal graduates in a few weeks and heads for high school. He is now 6’1”, and the basketball coach is drooling!
Jamia is doing some fascinating things with painting and sculpture. I always love to see her latest work.
Jamilia has not yet really found her passion, but she will be a leader, no doubt. I think she may wind up following in my footsteps, but whatever she does, it will be with people.
June 5 Fred Lee:
No transfers again this year.
June 26 Fred Lee:
For the third year in a row we’re shocked that an incredibly talented player was not selected in the NBA draft. Rob Hard is in the Celtics camp. I predict he’ll stick and become a better than average NBA player.
We have 4 scholarships. We kind of need some of everything.
August 7 Fred Lee:
Lots of interest among recruits. I think we could have a great recruiting year.
August 10 Dawn:
There are some not so great parts of this job. I see lots of kids who have gone through so much hell. I never get used to that. And then I need to meet with workers who simply aren’t doing the job. They’re burned out, or they’re overwhelmed by the work load, or sometimes, they simply aren’t right for the job and should never have been here to begin with. We try to save the ones we can, counsel the others to get out, if they’ll listen, and begin dismissal procedures with some.
But what truly upsets me is when I visit a facility or a foster home that is clearly not meeting our standards. I have to fight to keep my composure because to lose it helps no one. I will say that I do all that I can to rectify these situations. I am quick to pull kids from a foster family that is in it to make a profit. We at the state level provide a foster child with all that s/he needs. There should be no financial burden on a foster family- although many do spend out of pocket on these kids. But, it’s designed as a “break even” situation. If a family is making a profit they are neglecting the foster child. I pull kids and remove the family from our list as quickly as possible. The sad truth is that there are never enough families willing to take our kids, particularly the troubled ones, but I will NOT allow families to work with our children if they are not doing it properly; understand that if I am visiting a foster home there is a serious problem. Otherwise it would never have reached my level.
Our live in facilities are a more complex issue. They are really orphanages. They can’t be closed because we have no other place to put our kids. But I hold their feet to the fire when they are not meeting standards. I am told that I am very unpopular in some circles. Let me quickly say two things about that: 1. Good! 2. I am neither unfair nor unreasonable. AlI I ask is that the facility does what it is being paid to do. And, I listen. If there are extenuating circumstances I try to fix them.
August 21 Fred Lee:
We offer to 2 PGs, a PF and a C. We feel really good about our chances with 3 of them. The 4th is a gamble but he’s a really good player.
September 1 Dawn:
Back to school. Jamal is now 6’ 2 ½”. He lives basketball, working with Zak’s team at captain’s practices. I’m told that he can’t play with the first unit but that he fits right in with the second. But he has other interests, science, especially space related, history, reading fiction…
Jamia is entering Gr. 6 at the Renzulli Academy. Next year she wants to go to a Gr.7-12 Arts Magnet school. We are doing what we can. Acceptance is not automatic. But with her portfolio I think she’ll get in.
Jamilia is entering 2nd grade at the same school Jamia attends. Her program is, we are told, among the most accelerated provided for any student in the school. She is “profoundly gifted” and needs the challenge. She very much enjoys the work she is doing. The philosophy here is not about more work for kids like her, it is for more appropriate work. She probably does more, but that’s because she is interested and challenged.
September 18 Fred Lee:
We get Mark Robb, PF, #125.
Johnny Benedetto, A. D.:
We’re in the Las Vegas Winter Jam vs. #2 ranked Wake Forest. Not sure how happy Zak will be about that. We have a fairly challenging schedule.
September 25 Fred Lee:
We get 2 PGs, Will Tann, #108, and Sol Benn, #77.
Zak:
Bo Mill isn’t ready yet but we’re told it will be soon, about 2 ½ weeks.
October 2 Deke Gale:
First day of practice. We looked good, better than I’d expected.
We’re picked 6th in conf. We were picked what, 9th, 12th last year?
October 16 Fred Lee:
We get a PF, Ben Cobb, #147. Cobb is a juco and the other three all look like good bets to hit our SAT score.
November 6 Zak:
Here’s the lineup: First, this is the most unsettled lineup we’ve ever started with. 3 guys seem like locks, soph Bo Mill at guard (He’s completely recovered), soph Shep Geer, at SF, and the most solid of all, soph Kip Lapp at center and PF. 7 guys are sharing the other spots. Okay the other guards are senior Geo Star, junior Dave Ross, frosh Joe Till and Phil Torr. It’s about as complex up front: After Lapp, junior Ryan Cone gets the most minutes, followed closely by freshmen Ozzy Akins and Ben Downs. We’ll see how long it takes to sort it out, but the staff is united on this decision.
We’re young, only one senior. Let’s see how that plays out.
- Wayne23
- DDS:CB Support Squad
- Posts: 14315
- Joined: Fri Mar 02, 2007 5:23 pm
Re: Point Guard
by Wayne23 » Sun Jan 03, 2016 2:53 am
November 14 Deke Gale:
We have work to do. 73-70 over Bowling Green. It’s really hard to tell anything with so many people getting minutes. Zak says we need to do this for at least one more game though. We fell behind by 17 early and clawed our way back all night. We led several times in the 2nd half but never by more than the final margin of 3. 13 for guard Joe Till, 12, 3, 3, 2 for SF Shep Geer, 10, 4, 3 for Bo Mill, 9, 6 for Kip Lapp in the middle, 9, 4, 4 for Ryan Cone inside, 8, 7, 2, 2 for Ozzy Akins, our first big guy off the bench. He played like he wants minutes.
November 17 Deke Gale:
72-59 at Kent ST. 18, 2, 4 for Mill, 12, 7 for Lapp, 8, 3 for Cone, 9 for Star. 16 TOs but that was +8.
Zak:
A couple of quick shifts in the lineup. 1. Joe Till gets starter minutes at guard along with Bo Mill. The other three share the remaining minutes equally. 2. Big man Ben Downs loses his minutes. Ryan Cone and Ozzy Akins share minutes equally, and Kip Lapp still gets the most minutes.
November 20 Fred Lee:
All 4 recruits sign so we’re finished for the year. Now to start looking at juniors, and a few sophomores.
November 21 Zak:
44-58 at #6 LSU. First, we played great D. Second, we got 39 RBs. Third, we had 22 TOs, -14. What killed us was that they took 20 more shots. They didn’t really shoot any better than we did but taking that many shots they didn’t need to. 12 for Till, 5, 15, 2 for Lapp. All in all, given that we know we’re not even close to where we need to be yet, we didn’t do badly tonight.
Lane Bryant, WPRO-TV, Providence:
“We’re here after the game with Coach Zachery. Coach, time to worry?”
“Not at all, Lane. If there’s one thing we know about this season it’s that it will take a while for us to find the right combination. We may take a few lumps along the way but we’ll get there. We’re young and inexperienced. With this kind of a team we’ll be a lot better late in the season. I was thrilled with the D tonight. We held the #6 team in the country to 58 on their own floor. The offense and the rest of it will come.”
“Thanks Coach. Just a reminder, folks, WPRO-TV will carry every Rams game, home and away, this season.”
November 24 Deke Gale:
65-62 over LSU here. Our starting guards went crazy tonight. 35, 3, 2 for Bo Mill, and 18, 2, 8 for Joe Till. 8 TOs. It was a two man onslaught; no one else did anything on the offensive end. We were -12 RBs. Bo Mill took 20 threes, hitting 9 of them, including the game winner with 1.1 left.
November 28 Deke Gale:
69-47 over Western KY here. Our guards continued to produce but tonight they got a little help. 15 each for Mill and Till, and 22, 6, 3 for Lapp. Ozzy Akins had 6 and 11. We may start him. We’re meeting to decide.
Zak:
Ozzy Akins is giving us more than Shep Geer so he’ll start. Geer will only lose 8-10 minutes a game but I want Akins in at the critical moments.
December 5 Deke Gale:
74-57 over Mississippi here. 27, 3 for Bo Mill, 16, 3, 5, 2 for Joe Till,10, 8 for Kip Lapp. +14 TOs. We’re starting to find ourselves.
We have work to do. 73-70 over Bowling Green. It’s really hard to tell anything with so many people getting minutes. Zak says we need to do this for at least one more game though. We fell behind by 17 early and clawed our way back all night. We led several times in the 2nd half but never by more than the final margin of 3. 13 for guard Joe Till, 12, 3, 3, 2 for SF Shep Geer, 10, 4, 3 for Bo Mill, 9, 6 for Kip Lapp in the middle, 9, 4, 4 for Ryan Cone inside, 8, 7, 2, 2 for Ozzy Akins, our first big guy off the bench. He played like he wants minutes.
November 17 Deke Gale:
72-59 at Kent ST. 18, 2, 4 for Mill, 12, 7 for Lapp, 8, 3 for Cone, 9 for Star. 16 TOs but that was +8.
Zak:
A couple of quick shifts in the lineup. 1. Joe Till gets starter minutes at guard along with Bo Mill. The other three share the remaining minutes equally. 2. Big man Ben Downs loses his minutes. Ryan Cone and Ozzy Akins share minutes equally, and Kip Lapp still gets the most minutes.
November 20 Fred Lee:
All 4 recruits sign so we’re finished for the year. Now to start looking at juniors, and a few sophomores.
November 21 Zak:
44-58 at #6 LSU. First, we played great D. Second, we got 39 RBs. Third, we had 22 TOs, -14. What killed us was that they took 20 more shots. They didn’t really shoot any better than we did but taking that many shots they didn’t need to. 12 for Till, 5, 15, 2 for Lapp. All in all, given that we know we’re not even close to where we need to be yet, we didn’t do badly tonight.
Lane Bryant, WPRO-TV, Providence:
“We’re here after the game with Coach Zachery. Coach, time to worry?”
“Not at all, Lane. If there’s one thing we know about this season it’s that it will take a while for us to find the right combination. We may take a few lumps along the way but we’ll get there. We’re young and inexperienced. With this kind of a team we’ll be a lot better late in the season. I was thrilled with the D tonight. We held the #6 team in the country to 58 on their own floor. The offense and the rest of it will come.”
“Thanks Coach. Just a reminder, folks, WPRO-TV will carry every Rams game, home and away, this season.”
November 24 Deke Gale:
65-62 over LSU here. Our starting guards went crazy tonight. 35, 3, 2 for Bo Mill, and 18, 2, 8 for Joe Till. 8 TOs. It was a two man onslaught; no one else did anything on the offensive end. We were -12 RBs. Bo Mill took 20 threes, hitting 9 of them, including the game winner with 1.1 left.
November 28 Deke Gale:
69-47 over Western KY here. Our guards continued to produce but tonight they got a little help. 15 each for Mill and Till, and 22, 6, 3 for Lapp. Ozzy Akins had 6 and 11. We may start him. We’re meeting to decide.
Zak:
Ozzy Akins is giving us more than Shep Geer so he’ll start. Geer will only lose 8-10 minutes a game but I want Akins in at the critical moments.
December 5 Deke Gale:
74-57 over Mississippi here. 27, 3 for Bo Mill, 16, 3, 5, 2 for Joe Till,10, 8 for Kip Lapp. +14 TOs. We’re starting to find ourselves.
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Re: Point Guard
by Wayne23 » Sun Jan 03, 2016 7:01 am
December 13 Deke Gale:
67-47 over our #1 rival Providence here. 14, 11 for Lapp, 15, 9 for Akins. 40 RBs and 10 TOs.
December 16 Zak:
50-64 to #3 ranked Wake Forest in the opening round of the Las Vegas Winter Jam. Given who we were playing I kind of figured we’d have a short stay here. 25 TOs (-16) did us in. Their guards were way too quick for ours. Aside from ball handling I was not displeased with our play tonight. We were playing a very good team.
One more pre-conference game, and it’s against a ranked team.
December 19 Zak:
95-73 over #16 Wisconsin here. 24 for Till, with 6 assists,16, 4 for Lapp, 12, 5, 4, 3 for Cone,11 each for Mill and sub Dave Ross. +9 RBs. We shot 59.2%.
7-2 in preconference play. Our only losses were to #6 and #3 ranked teams. We came along way. We were sort of finding ourselves early on. Now we know who we are and we’re playing as a unit. I think we’ll do well in A 10 play.
RPI #4 but we’re not ranked. Bo Mill leads the A 10 in scoring with Joe Till #3. Kip Lapp is #1 in RBs, and #2 in FG%. Joe Till is #1 in assists. As a team we’re +8.0 PPG, +3.6 RBPG, -0.1 TOPG, +1.1 assists PG, and -1.0 steals PG.
Zak is starting varsity as a freshman, playing both guard spots. He’s #2 on the team in scoring and assists.
December 26 Deke:
57-50 at VCU to start A10 play. 22, 4 for Mill, 12, 14 for Lapp, 6, 9, 2, 2 for Akins. 42 RBs. They shot 29.8%.
December 29 Deke:
64-44 over St. Joe’s here. Great D again. 14, 5,2, 2 for Akins, 12 for Mill, 11 for Till, 6, 9, 2, 2 for Lapp. 7 TOs.
December 31 Zak:
65-61 at La Salle. 23,10,2 for Lapp, 16 for Mill, 8 each for Till and Akins.
Shep Geer broke his leg. Out 7-8 weeks. Ben Downs will get his minutes. We are short of inside players. With Geer out we are dangerously short of inside players.
67-47 over our #1 rival Providence here. 14, 11 for Lapp, 15, 9 for Akins. 40 RBs and 10 TOs.
December 16 Zak:
50-64 to #3 ranked Wake Forest in the opening round of the Las Vegas Winter Jam. Given who we were playing I kind of figured we’d have a short stay here. 25 TOs (-16) did us in. Their guards were way too quick for ours. Aside from ball handling I was not displeased with our play tonight. We were playing a very good team.
One more pre-conference game, and it’s against a ranked team.
December 19 Zak:
95-73 over #16 Wisconsin here. 24 for Till, with 6 assists,16, 4 for Lapp, 12, 5, 4, 3 for Cone,11 each for Mill and sub Dave Ross. +9 RBs. We shot 59.2%.
7-2 in preconference play. Our only losses were to #6 and #3 ranked teams. We came along way. We were sort of finding ourselves early on. Now we know who we are and we’re playing as a unit. I think we’ll do well in A 10 play.
RPI #4 but we’re not ranked. Bo Mill leads the A 10 in scoring with Joe Till #3. Kip Lapp is #1 in RBs, and #2 in FG%. Joe Till is #1 in assists. As a team we’re +8.0 PPG, +3.6 RBPG, -0.1 TOPG, +1.1 assists PG, and -1.0 steals PG.
Zak is starting varsity as a freshman, playing both guard spots. He’s #2 on the team in scoring and assists.
December 26 Deke:
57-50 at VCU to start A10 play. 22, 4 for Mill, 12, 14 for Lapp, 6, 9, 2, 2 for Akins. 42 RBs. They shot 29.8%.
December 29 Deke:
64-44 over St. Joe’s here. Great D again. 14, 5,2, 2 for Akins, 12 for Mill, 11 for Till, 6, 9, 2, 2 for Lapp. 7 TOs.
December 31 Zak:
65-61 at La Salle. 23,10,2 for Lapp, 16 for Mill, 8 each for Till and Akins.
Shep Geer broke his leg. Out 7-8 weeks. Ben Downs will get his minutes. We are short of inside players. With Geer out we are dangerously short of inside players.
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Re: Point Guard
by Wayne23 » Sun Jan 03, 2016 2:56 pm
January 2, 2030 Deke Gale:
59-56 at East Carolina. This is a guard oriented team, which we’ve never had here. It’s interesting. 24 for Mill, 21 for Till. 8 TOs.
January 7 Deke Gale:
62-49 over VCU here. A little outside, a little inside tonight. 17 for Till, 15, 4, 2, 4 for Akins, 6,10 for Cone. 9 TOs. It was close for almost 30 minutes.
January 8 Zak:
Ranked! #24, RPI #8.
January 9 Deke:
47-53 to Saint Louis here. Terrible shooting night, 27.1%, 1-21 on threes. Kip Lapp had 21 and 7, and we rebounded very well (42), but you don’t win scoring 47.
January 14 Zak:
73-55 over Davidson here. We worked on some things to get guys open. It looks like it helped. 17, 2, 4, 2 for Till, 13 for Mill, 12, 10, 2, 2 for Lapp, 9, 5, 2 for Akins. 9 TOs.
January 16 Zak:
82-76 at Dayton. 22, 4 for Lapp, Till had 14 and Mill 13. We’re not blowing people away but we’re winning. 14-3, 7-1, tied with UMass for 1st.
January 23 Zak:
51-62 at UMass. We have nights when we can’t seem to score. This was one of them. 31.4% shooting, 25% on threes. The bench gave us 0, 2, and 1. This is not a recipe for winning.
At the halfway point in conf. play we are 14-4, 7-2, RPI #9. Bo Mill is 2nd in the A 10 in scoring, Kip Lapp 1st in RBs and FG%. As a team we’re +7.0 PPG, +0.9 RBPG, +1.5 TOPG, +0.3 assists PG, and -0.5 steals PG.
Jamal has had a great freshman season. His team is 14-3, and he is their 2nd leading scorer, 1st in assists, 3rd in RBs. He is now playing the Point most of the time. At 6’ 3 ½” that makes him tough to defend at the high school level. He plays good D, too.
January 26 Zak:
61-53 over George Mason here. And disaster. Kip Lapp broke his arm. Out about 7 weeks, which effectively means out for the season. We’re bringing Geer back a little early. We’ll gamble. Cone will play center, Akins will play PF. For now Ben Downs will back up. If this doesn’t work we’ll go to three guards.
16 for Mill, 11 for Till.
We’re 15-4, 8-2 right now.
January 28 Zak:
58-64 at St. Bonnie’s. Both Cone and Akins fouled out. I went with 4, sometimes 5 guards.
Everyone hit the SAT score.
January 30 Zak:
57-69 to Duquesne here. Ross and Geer had 11 each.
We need to take drastic action. I’m not sure what that means or what it will look like. The staff is meeting, maybe all night.
January 31 Zak
We’re going with three guards, Dave Ross will start at SF. Will it help? Who knows.
59-56 at East Carolina. This is a guard oriented team, which we’ve never had here. It’s interesting. 24 for Mill, 21 for Till. 8 TOs.
January 7 Deke Gale:
62-49 over VCU here. A little outside, a little inside tonight. 17 for Till, 15, 4, 2, 4 for Akins, 6,10 for Cone. 9 TOs. It was close for almost 30 minutes.
January 8 Zak:
Ranked! #24, RPI #8.
January 9 Deke:
47-53 to Saint Louis here. Terrible shooting night, 27.1%, 1-21 on threes. Kip Lapp had 21 and 7, and we rebounded very well (42), but you don’t win scoring 47.
January 14 Zak:
73-55 over Davidson here. We worked on some things to get guys open. It looks like it helped. 17, 2, 4, 2 for Till, 13 for Mill, 12, 10, 2, 2 for Lapp, 9, 5, 2 for Akins. 9 TOs.
January 16 Zak:
82-76 at Dayton. 22, 4 for Lapp, Till had 14 and Mill 13. We’re not blowing people away but we’re winning. 14-3, 7-1, tied with UMass for 1st.
January 23 Zak:
51-62 at UMass. We have nights when we can’t seem to score. This was one of them. 31.4% shooting, 25% on threes. The bench gave us 0, 2, and 1. This is not a recipe for winning.
At the halfway point in conf. play we are 14-4, 7-2, RPI #9. Bo Mill is 2nd in the A 10 in scoring, Kip Lapp 1st in RBs and FG%. As a team we’re +7.0 PPG, +0.9 RBPG, +1.5 TOPG, +0.3 assists PG, and -0.5 steals PG.
Jamal has had a great freshman season. His team is 14-3, and he is their 2nd leading scorer, 1st in assists, 3rd in RBs. He is now playing the Point most of the time. At 6’ 3 ½” that makes him tough to defend at the high school level. He plays good D, too.
January 26 Zak:
61-53 over George Mason here. And disaster. Kip Lapp broke his arm. Out about 7 weeks, which effectively means out for the season. We’re bringing Geer back a little early. We’ll gamble. Cone will play center, Akins will play PF. For now Ben Downs will back up. If this doesn’t work we’ll go to three guards.
16 for Mill, 11 for Till.
We’re 15-4, 8-2 right now.
January 28 Zak:
58-64 at St. Bonnie’s. Both Cone and Akins fouled out. I went with 4, sometimes 5 guards.
Everyone hit the SAT score.
January 30 Zak:
57-69 to Duquesne here. Ross and Geer had 11 each.
We need to take drastic action. I’m not sure what that means or what it will look like. The staff is meeting, maybe all night.
January 31 Zak
We’re going with three guards, Dave Ross will start at SF. Will it help? Who knows.
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Re: Point Guard
by Wayne23 » Sun Jan 03, 2016 6:03 pm
February 4 Zak:
57-49 at Fordham. We stopped the bleeding a little. 18, 11 for Akins, 11 each for Mill and Till. Great D. +11 RBs for which I have no explanation. Downs played well from the bench. Geer didn’t. Geer is a terrific practice player but we’ve given him lots of chances and it just doesn’t happen in games. Cone played 16 minutes due to fouls. We’re trying to make him understand that we need him in there.
February 6 Zak:
56-45 over Davidson there. 13, 16 for Cone, 13 for Mill, 9, 4, 3 for Ross, 6 and 6 for Akins. The patchwork lineup survived again.
Our next game is at home with Dayton, with whom we are tied for 2nd place. 3 of our last 4 are at home.
February 11 Zak:
62-60! 18 for Joe Till, including a three off the glass to win it. 15, 7, 4 for Mill, 11, 9 for Cone, 10 for Ross.
We’re patching it together successfully, but it’s a near thing.
February 16 Zak:
48-37 over George Washington here. Weird game. We shot 33.3%, they shot 29.7%. I guess +7 TOs was the difference. It gave us 8 more shots than they took. 14, 7, 2 for Ross, 9, 7 for Akins, 9, 5, 4 for Cone.
The A 10 has to be weak this year. With all of our injuries and struggles we are in 2nd place, ½ game back of UMass and 1 game up on Dayton, 1 ½ on 2 other teams, with 2 to play.
February 18 Zak:
64-54 over Richmond here. 22, 5, 2 for Akins, 14, 5 for Mill, 7, 11, 2, 4 for Cone, 8, 3 for Geer. +7 TOs. We seemed to get a stop every time we needed one.
Huge win! We’re in 1st place by a half game.
“Lane Bryant, WPRO-TV, here after the game with Coach Zachery. Coach, does the word ‘genius’ apply?”
“Not to me! Maybe to my staff. Look, we’ve had lots of injuries this year, lots of hurdles to overcome. We didn’t know who we were to start with, given how many new faces we had. Once we figured that out the injuries started. All we’ve done is to try to make adjustments.”
“It’s working pretty darn well. You’re in first place with one to play.”
“Yes, but that one is a road game against a tough opponent who beat us by 12 at our place.”
“Win or lose, Coach, you’ve done a terrific job.”
“Thanks Lane.”
February 24 Zak:
Going into tomorrow’s game at Duquesne, we could finish 1st, 2nd, or 3rd, depending on how the day goes.
February 25 Zak:
55-70. 21 for Mill, 13, 3, 3, 2 for Ross. 24 TOs and poor shooting did us in. Plus, we got nothing from our bench.
Dave Ross strained a calf muscle. He will likely miss the A 10 tournament. When does it end? Phil Torr will get most of Ross’ minutes.
We end up the #3 seed.
57-49 at Fordham. We stopped the bleeding a little. 18, 11 for Akins, 11 each for Mill and Till. Great D. +11 RBs for which I have no explanation. Downs played well from the bench. Geer didn’t. Geer is a terrific practice player but we’ve given him lots of chances and it just doesn’t happen in games. Cone played 16 minutes due to fouls. We’re trying to make him understand that we need him in there.
February 6 Zak:
56-45 over Davidson there. 13, 16 for Cone, 13 for Mill, 9, 4, 3 for Ross, 6 and 6 for Akins. The patchwork lineup survived again.
Our next game is at home with Dayton, with whom we are tied for 2nd place. 3 of our last 4 are at home.
February 11 Zak:
62-60! 18 for Joe Till, including a three off the glass to win it. 15, 7, 4 for Mill, 11, 9 for Cone, 10 for Ross.
We’re patching it together successfully, but it’s a near thing.
February 16 Zak:
48-37 over George Washington here. Weird game. We shot 33.3%, they shot 29.7%. I guess +7 TOs was the difference. It gave us 8 more shots than they took. 14, 7, 2 for Ross, 9, 7 for Akins, 9, 5, 4 for Cone.
The A 10 has to be weak this year. With all of our injuries and struggles we are in 2nd place, ½ game back of UMass and 1 game up on Dayton, 1 ½ on 2 other teams, with 2 to play.
February 18 Zak:
64-54 over Richmond here. 22, 5, 2 for Akins, 14, 5 for Mill, 7, 11, 2, 4 for Cone, 8, 3 for Geer. +7 TOs. We seemed to get a stop every time we needed one.
Huge win! We’re in 1st place by a half game.
“Lane Bryant, WPRO-TV, here after the game with Coach Zachery. Coach, does the word ‘genius’ apply?”
“Not to me! Maybe to my staff. Look, we’ve had lots of injuries this year, lots of hurdles to overcome. We didn’t know who we were to start with, given how many new faces we had. Once we figured that out the injuries started. All we’ve done is to try to make adjustments.”
“It’s working pretty darn well. You’re in first place with one to play.”
“Yes, but that one is a road game against a tough opponent who beat us by 12 at our place.”
“Win or lose, Coach, you’ve done a terrific job.”
“Thanks Lane.”
February 24 Zak:
Going into tomorrow’s game at Duquesne, we could finish 1st, 2nd, or 3rd, depending on how the day goes.
February 25 Zak:
55-70. 21 for Mill, 13, 3, 3, 2 for Ross. 24 TOs and poor shooting did us in. Plus, we got nothing from our bench.
Dave Ross strained a calf muscle. He will likely miss the A 10 tournament. When does it end? Phil Torr will get most of Ross’ minutes.
We end up the #3 seed.
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Re: Point Guard
by Wayne23 » Mon Jan 04, 2016 11:54 am
March 6 Zak:
#11 seed Fordham, 12-16, 6-12, won in an upset. We play them in the quarter finals. We won by 8 there.
March 7 Zak:
60-59! It was close all the way. Ozzy Akins won it for us with 2 free throws with .7 seconds left. The foul was more than obvious; the other coach didn’t even complain much. Ozzy had 19 and 8. Shep Geer stepped up, 13, 4, 2 and good D. 6 and 11 for Cone, 9, 6, 2 for Till. +9 RBs.
Ross is at about 95%. He’s playing tomorrow; not a lot of minutes, but the important ones.
We face Duquesne, 19-9, 13-5, and they’ve had our number all year. They won by 15 last week.
March 8 Zak:
UNBELIEVABLE!!! 67-38 and we’re in the finals. Till and Mill got it done, with 21, 5, 2, and 19, 3, 2 respectively. +15 rebounds. It didn’t hurt that Duquesne couldn’t make a shot. Part of that was tough D, but they missed quite a few open looks. They shot 26.1%.
21-8, 14-4 UMass for the title. They beat us by 11 there when we were healthy, and they’ve been the best team in the A 10 all season long. Let’s see what happens!
March 9 Zak:
59-56 and the title. I am shocked! Delightfully so. Ross was fantastic, 14, 11, 2. 18, 3, 3 for Till. The other 3 starters combined for 24, 16, and 4. +9 RBs, -7 TOs. 3 points was as close as UMass got; they hit a three with less than a second remaining.
I would never, ever have predicted this, or even imagined it. The key was defense; we played excellent D in all three games.
Kip Lapp will be back if we make the 2nd round of the NCAA tourney. If we play our first game on the second day he could play a few minutes.
March 12 Zak:
We’re 23-7, 13-5, A 10 tourney title. RPI #11. Let’s see where they put us.
Not in the East.
Not in the Midwest.
Great news. Lapp will be able to play a few minutes in our opener!
#7 South. We play #10 Cal, 18-10. We deserved better than a #7 seed. Ridiculous.
March 17 Zak:
56-67. We were up 15 early in the 2nd half, and then it all fell apart. Lapp managed 17 minutes, getting only 2 points, but 8 RBs. The thing that did us in was poor 2nd half shooting. After the first 2 minutes of the 2nd half we simply couldn’t make a basket. We scored 15 in the last 18 minutes.
What an amazing season! More twists and turns than I could have imagined.
April 4 Zak:
#1 Wake Forest beat #4 Indiana in a great game, 80-77.
Awards: Ozzy Akins was A 10 Freshman OY. Bo Mill made 2nd team. I got COY. I’ve never said this before but this year I deserved it.
April 9 Zak:
Job offers. Auburn? Deep South and an interracial family. Maybe not. Houston? Same issue. Fresno ST? Meh. Nothing exciting today.
April10 Zak:
Auburn called back. They are insisting that my family will be welcomed and treated well. They’re asking that I at least come down to take a look. Dawn is as unsure as I am.
April 11: Zak:
We’re on a plane to visit Auburn.
April 12 Zak:
Wonderful people. They treated us very, very well. But no. We talked to lots of people, on campus, in town, in the surrounding area. I have nothing negative to say about anyone. But no. We just can’t.
Nevada? We’re on another plane.
April 13 Zak:
We like what we saw. A lot! But … I want to make one more move, not more than one more. Nevada is not a destination school. So no thanks, Nevada.
April 14 Zak:
Persistence pays. We’re going to Auburn after all. It’s sort of hard to explain, even to ourselves. It’s a destination school. It has the resources that will allow us to challenge for national titles in time. They are giving me all the freedom I could ask for. Dawn has been offered a position similar to the one she has here. There are integrated private schools that look like they can definitely meet our kids’ needs. There are no other schools offering to us that come close, and it’s time to move on.
Tuffy Thomas, the A. D. here, is a football guy, of course, but at the press conference to introduce me he mentioned how when he got here two years ago one of his goals was to bring the hoops program up to the level of the football program, and that he thought hiring me would get that done. Privately he’s told me that Auburn is willing to give me what I need to make it happen.
And despite what I’ve said Dawn and I agree that we may need to make one more move, but we hope this will work out and that won’t be necessary.
Dawn and the kids will stay in R.I. until about June 15. They’ll fly down when we have houses to look at. We’re looking in an area between the school and Montgomery, where Dawn will work. I fly there today to start work tomorrow.
April 16 Zak:
I’ve spent my first two days here putting my staff together. My #1 is Ezra Johnson, who scouted at Florida State where he was the #2 guy. My #2 is Tank Louis, who was the recruiter and #3 at Texas. #3 is Earl Carter, who will be my bench/practice coach. He did the same at Mississippi. It’s a good staff. Tuffy didn’t blink an eye when he found out my #1 and #3 are black. I take that as a good sign.
April 23 Zak:
23-8 in my last season at URI. After 10 years my record is 238-78, .753. Off- 41, Def- 61, Recruit- 80, Scout- 68, Player Dev- 51, Reputation- 48. Ready for a new challenge!
#11 seed Fordham, 12-16, 6-12, won in an upset. We play them in the quarter finals. We won by 8 there.
March 7 Zak:
60-59! It was close all the way. Ozzy Akins won it for us with 2 free throws with .7 seconds left. The foul was more than obvious; the other coach didn’t even complain much. Ozzy had 19 and 8. Shep Geer stepped up, 13, 4, 2 and good D. 6 and 11 for Cone, 9, 6, 2 for Till. +9 RBs.
Ross is at about 95%. He’s playing tomorrow; not a lot of minutes, but the important ones.
We face Duquesne, 19-9, 13-5, and they’ve had our number all year. They won by 15 last week.
March 8 Zak:
UNBELIEVABLE!!! 67-38 and we’re in the finals. Till and Mill got it done, with 21, 5, 2, and 19, 3, 2 respectively. +15 rebounds. It didn’t hurt that Duquesne couldn’t make a shot. Part of that was tough D, but they missed quite a few open looks. They shot 26.1%.
21-8, 14-4 UMass for the title. They beat us by 11 there when we were healthy, and they’ve been the best team in the A 10 all season long. Let’s see what happens!
March 9 Zak:
59-56 and the title. I am shocked! Delightfully so. Ross was fantastic, 14, 11, 2. 18, 3, 3 for Till. The other 3 starters combined for 24, 16, and 4. +9 RBs, -7 TOs. 3 points was as close as UMass got; they hit a three with less than a second remaining.
I would never, ever have predicted this, or even imagined it. The key was defense; we played excellent D in all three games.
Kip Lapp will be back if we make the 2nd round of the NCAA tourney. If we play our first game on the second day he could play a few minutes.
March 12 Zak:
We’re 23-7, 13-5, A 10 tourney title. RPI #11. Let’s see where they put us.
Not in the East.
Not in the Midwest.
Great news. Lapp will be able to play a few minutes in our opener!
#7 South. We play #10 Cal, 18-10. We deserved better than a #7 seed. Ridiculous.
March 17 Zak:
56-67. We were up 15 early in the 2nd half, and then it all fell apart. Lapp managed 17 minutes, getting only 2 points, but 8 RBs. The thing that did us in was poor 2nd half shooting. After the first 2 minutes of the 2nd half we simply couldn’t make a basket. We scored 15 in the last 18 minutes.
What an amazing season! More twists and turns than I could have imagined.
April 4 Zak:
#1 Wake Forest beat #4 Indiana in a great game, 80-77.
Awards: Ozzy Akins was A 10 Freshman OY. Bo Mill made 2nd team. I got COY. I’ve never said this before but this year I deserved it.
April 9 Zak:
Job offers. Auburn? Deep South and an interracial family. Maybe not. Houston? Same issue. Fresno ST? Meh. Nothing exciting today.
April10 Zak:
Auburn called back. They are insisting that my family will be welcomed and treated well. They’re asking that I at least come down to take a look. Dawn is as unsure as I am.
April 11: Zak:
We’re on a plane to visit Auburn.
April 12 Zak:
Wonderful people. They treated us very, very well. But no. We talked to lots of people, on campus, in town, in the surrounding area. I have nothing negative to say about anyone. But no. We just can’t.
Nevada? We’re on another plane.
April 13 Zak:
We like what we saw. A lot! But … I want to make one more move, not more than one more. Nevada is not a destination school. So no thanks, Nevada.
April 14 Zak:
Persistence pays. We’re going to Auburn after all. It’s sort of hard to explain, even to ourselves. It’s a destination school. It has the resources that will allow us to challenge for national titles in time. They are giving me all the freedom I could ask for. Dawn has been offered a position similar to the one she has here. There are integrated private schools that look like they can definitely meet our kids’ needs. There are no other schools offering to us that come close, and it’s time to move on.
Tuffy Thomas, the A. D. here, is a football guy, of course, but at the press conference to introduce me he mentioned how when he got here two years ago one of his goals was to bring the hoops program up to the level of the football program, and that he thought hiring me would get that done. Privately he’s told me that Auburn is willing to give me what I need to make it happen.
And despite what I’ve said Dawn and I agree that we may need to make one more move, but we hope this will work out and that won’t be necessary.
Dawn and the kids will stay in R.I. until about June 15. They’ll fly down when we have houses to look at. We’re looking in an area between the school and Montgomery, where Dawn will work. I fly there today to start work tomorrow.
April 16 Zak:
I’ve spent my first two days here putting my staff together. My #1 is Ezra Johnson, who scouted at Florida State where he was the #2 guy. My #2 is Tank Louis, who was the recruiter and #3 at Texas. #3 is Earl Carter, who will be my bench/practice coach. He did the same at Mississippi. It’s a good staff. Tuffy didn’t blink an eye when he found out my #1 and #3 are black. I take that as a good sign.
April 23 Zak:
23-8 in my last season at URI. After 10 years my record is 238-78, .753. Off- 41, Def- 61, Recruit- 80, Scout- 68, Player Dev- 51, Reputation- 48. Ready for a new challenge!
- Wayne23
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Re: Point Guard
by Wayne23 » Mon Jan 04, 2016 5:34 pm
May 1 Ezra Johnson, Scouting assistant:
We buy the National Gold scouting report. Coach Zachery says we can’t afford the International basic.
Zak:
Tuffy set 4 goals for us: Qualify for the NCAA tourney, finish in the top half of the SEC, win 15+ games, improve school prestige.
May 9 Dawn:
We found a house we all love. It’s about 12 miles from Montgomery and a little less than 30 from Auburn so I would have the shorter commute. Given that I’m on the road a great deal in my job, and the kids’ schools are all in or right around Montgomery, that makes sense.
The house is three stories, including a finished basement, and everyone has their own bedroom. Big rooms, central AC, a carport- no need for garages down here. We love it and we made an offer, negotiated, and agreed with the owner on a price. We should close in time for us to move in by the middle of June.
Our house in Rhode Island looks like it is sold- to the new URI head coach!
June 5 Tank Louis, recruiter:
We lookin’ at some transfers. We ain’t got much up front so hopefully we can find some big guys.
June 9 Tank:
We take a closer look at a few but we’re gonna take our chances in the recruit pool.
June 15 Zak:
Earl and I have looked at a lot of video from last season. It looks like we have three guards and 3 bigs- including a freshman big guy who looks very good. After that it’s not good.
June 17 Dawn:
We’re here, in the house. Still lots of things to put away, lots of things to buy for the house. I don’t start work until July 1, thankfully, and at 15, 12, and 8, the kids can help me. Later on they’ll go to camps and things, and Jamal will spend most of the summer at Auburn, but for now, they’re with me.
June 26 Tank:
We got 6 scholarships; Zak wasn’t shy about clearin’ out dead wood.
We lookin’ at 28.
Somebody axed me how did I feel workin’ with 2 black assistant coaches, bein’ from Texas an’ all. I told ‘em it’s the 21st century an’ it’s time ta let go a that crap. We had every kinda people at U. of Texas. Ain’t no big deal. It’s about who can he’p us win.
July 17 Tank:
Treasures an’ trash. We whittled down from 28 to 10, but all of ‘em are decent to awesome. And’ all of ‘em are int’rested.
Zak:
It is HOT down here. We spend our days indoors. It’s just too hot to be outdoors. Jamal is at our kids camp. We organized it late, since I didn’t get here until mid-April, but we have a good turnout for both weeks.
Jamia is in various art camps every week.
Jamilia is doing a little of everything- a week of basketball, a week of indoor soccer, a couple of weeks of different art camps, and she will do two weeks of learning to play piano, which she really wanted.
Dawn is at work. The first couple of weeks were more about orientation, learning the job- things like that. This week she starts doing the actual work. She will travel throughout the state in a State of Alabama car. It’s a lot bigger stat than R. I. was. Thank goodness for GPS!
August 21 Tank:
We offer ta 2 PGs, a SF, a PF, 2 Cs.
September 18 Tuffy Thomas, A. D.:
I got us in the preseason NIT. That’s the good news. The bad news is we start with #9 Indiana. I put some good teams in the schedule and some cupcakes.
Zak:
Doesn’t seem like there’s much in between in our schedule.
Tank:
Our lowest rated guy, Jam Garr, PG, #332, committed. But we think his stock is gonna go up.
September 25 Tank:
We done hit the jackpot: Rik Tracy, C, #221, Doc Payne, PG, #80, Kip Adams, C, #61, and Cor Madic, SF, #37.
One more ta go.
October 2 Earl Carter, bench/practice coach:
Okay. We have 5 players, maybe 6. This team needs to stay very healthy this season.
Zak:
We’re picked to finish 14th in our 14 team conference.
Dawn:
We’re almost two months into the school year- they start early down here. The kids all like their schools and Jamal really likes his basketball coach. They haven’t practiced yet but the coach sought him out.
My job is similar to what I did in R. I. but this is definitely a red state. The resources are sadly limited.
October 9 Tank:
Okay, the last guy committed, Euky Kell, PF, #228. We got a PG who might have trouble hittin’ our SAT score though so I’m still courtin’ some guards.
October 16 Zak:
The staff meets every day. The better I get to know them the better I like them. The focus now is on the upcoming season and planning for it. There are some limitations given that we’re all new here. We’ve seen the kids on video, and watched them during the 2 weeks of hoop camp, but we’ve only watched them live in practice for two weeks. They’re nice kids. All of them are bright, and all of them are working hard. There’s not a huge amount of talent though.
November 6 Earl:
Okay, we’ve got a lineup. There’ll be some changes though. Count on it. Senior center Otto Arte is our best player. Freshman Juke Antt and soph Mick Tigs will also play up front and Tigs will play some at SF. Our best guard looks to be frosh Shoe Floyd, and that’s a surprise. Senior John King will get lots of minutes, too. Soph Mal Akins will back up at guard. I must say if we need to go deeper than that it will get ugly quickly. BUT, if we stay healthy I think we’ll be okay.
We won’t be okay in the opener though. We face #9 ranked, #1 seed Indiana in the NIT. I can only hope we look decent.
We buy the National Gold scouting report. Coach Zachery says we can’t afford the International basic.
Zak:
Tuffy set 4 goals for us: Qualify for the NCAA tourney, finish in the top half of the SEC, win 15+ games, improve school prestige.
May 9 Dawn:
We found a house we all love. It’s about 12 miles from Montgomery and a little less than 30 from Auburn so I would have the shorter commute. Given that I’m on the road a great deal in my job, and the kids’ schools are all in or right around Montgomery, that makes sense.
The house is three stories, including a finished basement, and everyone has their own bedroom. Big rooms, central AC, a carport- no need for garages down here. We love it and we made an offer, negotiated, and agreed with the owner on a price. We should close in time for us to move in by the middle of June.
Our house in Rhode Island looks like it is sold- to the new URI head coach!
June 5 Tank Louis, recruiter:
We lookin’ at some transfers. We ain’t got much up front so hopefully we can find some big guys.
June 9 Tank:
We take a closer look at a few but we’re gonna take our chances in the recruit pool.
June 15 Zak:
Earl and I have looked at a lot of video from last season. It looks like we have three guards and 3 bigs- including a freshman big guy who looks very good. After that it’s not good.
June 17 Dawn:
We’re here, in the house. Still lots of things to put away, lots of things to buy for the house. I don’t start work until July 1, thankfully, and at 15, 12, and 8, the kids can help me. Later on they’ll go to camps and things, and Jamal will spend most of the summer at Auburn, but for now, they’re with me.
June 26 Tank:
We got 6 scholarships; Zak wasn’t shy about clearin’ out dead wood.
We lookin’ at 28.
Somebody axed me how did I feel workin’ with 2 black assistant coaches, bein’ from Texas an’ all. I told ‘em it’s the 21st century an’ it’s time ta let go a that crap. We had every kinda people at U. of Texas. Ain’t no big deal. It’s about who can he’p us win.
July 17 Tank:
Treasures an’ trash. We whittled down from 28 to 10, but all of ‘em are decent to awesome. And’ all of ‘em are int’rested.
Zak:
It is HOT down here. We spend our days indoors. It’s just too hot to be outdoors. Jamal is at our kids camp. We organized it late, since I didn’t get here until mid-April, but we have a good turnout for both weeks.
Jamia is in various art camps every week.
Jamilia is doing a little of everything- a week of basketball, a week of indoor soccer, a couple of weeks of different art camps, and she will do two weeks of learning to play piano, which she really wanted.
Dawn is at work. The first couple of weeks were more about orientation, learning the job- things like that. This week she starts doing the actual work. She will travel throughout the state in a State of Alabama car. It’s a lot bigger stat than R. I. was. Thank goodness for GPS!
August 21 Tank:
We offer ta 2 PGs, a SF, a PF, 2 Cs.
September 18 Tuffy Thomas, A. D.:
I got us in the preseason NIT. That’s the good news. The bad news is we start with #9 Indiana. I put some good teams in the schedule and some cupcakes.
Zak:
Doesn’t seem like there’s much in between in our schedule.
Tank:
Our lowest rated guy, Jam Garr, PG, #332, committed. But we think his stock is gonna go up.
September 25 Tank:
We done hit the jackpot: Rik Tracy, C, #221, Doc Payne, PG, #80, Kip Adams, C, #61, and Cor Madic, SF, #37.
One more ta go.
October 2 Earl Carter, bench/practice coach:
Okay. We have 5 players, maybe 6. This team needs to stay very healthy this season.
Zak:
We’re picked to finish 14th in our 14 team conference.
Dawn:
We’re almost two months into the school year- they start early down here. The kids all like their schools and Jamal really likes his basketball coach. They haven’t practiced yet but the coach sought him out.
My job is similar to what I did in R. I. but this is definitely a red state. The resources are sadly limited.
October 9 Tank:
Okay, the last guy committed, Euky Kell, PF, #228. We got a PG who might have trouble hittin’ our SAT score though so I’m still courtin’ some guards.
October 16 Zak:
The staff meets every day. The better I get to know them the better I like them. The focus now is on the upcoming season and planning for it. There are some limitations given that we’re all new here. We’ve seen the kids on video, and watched them during the 2 weeks of hoop camp, but we’ve only watched them live in practice for two weeks. They’re nice kids. All of them are bright, and all of them are working hard. There’s not a huge amount of talent though.
November 6 Earl:
Okay, we’ve got a lineup. There’ll be some changes though. Count on it. Senior center Otto Arte is our best player. Freshman Juke Antt and soph Mick Tigs will also play up front and Tigs will play some at SF. Our best guard looks to be frosh Shoe Floyd, and that’s a surprise. Senior John King will get lots of minutes, too. Soph Mal Akins will back up at guard. I must say if we need to go deeper than that it will get ugly quickly. BUT, if we stay healthy I think we’ll be okay.
We won’t be okay in the opener though. We face #9 ranked, #1 seed Indiana in the NIT. I can only hope we look decent.
- Wayne23
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Re: Point Guard
by Wayne23 » Mon Jan 04, 2016 7:11 pm
November 14 Earl:
72-62 over Indiana! Otto Arte had 26 and 12. He can PLAY! The weird thing is he’s a senior and he barely played in his first 3 years here. He has told us there was a personality conflict with the coach. I do not understand how you can sit a kid with this kind of talent. We won’t! 13, 4 for Tom Holt at SF. We shot it really well, 54.2% to their 41.9%. That and fouls were the difference.
Zak:
I never expected a win here. It’s great! Well, as we got closer to game day I felt like Arte gave us a chance.
#9 seed New Mexico is next. They beat #8 Kentucky. We two were the only upset winners, and an 8-9 game isn’t really an upset.
November 16 Zak:
71-57 over New Mexico. 22, 12, 2 for Arte, 10, 7, 2 for PF Juke Antt, 16, 2, 4 for guard Shoe Floyd. 11 TOs. We never trailed after the first minute.
Billy Bob Sears, WMNT radio:
“Hello all a you Tigers fans. We’re here after the game with brandy new Coach Zak Zachery. Coach, you doin’ miracles here!”
“Well, no, Billy Bob. My guys are doing some wonderful things though. I’m thrilled with the start.”
“So tell us how you doin’ it then. Las’ year this here team was pretty aver’ge.”
“To give credit where it’s due, my predecessor recruited Shoe Floyd and Juke Antt, and those two freshman have given us a lot.”
“Yeah but Otto Arte done nuthin’ but sit the bench las’ year- fer three years. He’s yer hoss!”
“Not being here before this year I can’t comment on why Otto didn’t play. But he’ll get all the minutes he can handle for us.”
“All right now. This here is Billy Bob Sears, WMNT radio. We gonna be at ever’ Tigers game all year long. Come on down an’ give us a lissen!”
Earl:
#12 seed Brigham Young upset #4 Georgetown so we play them in the semifinal round. They beat #5 Florida the round before that. They’re an outside team. They go with 3, sometimes even 4 guards. They can shoot it!
November 19 Ezra Johnson, scouting assistant:
70-57. My report said they were an outside team. I thought Coach had taken leave of his senses when he said, after looking at the video clips I sent him and then asking me LOTS of questions, we would NOT take it inside, but instead would beat them outside. He told the staff he thought our guards were quicker. He kept the inside strategy for a backup but he never needed to go with it because he was right. Our starting guards Shoe Floyd and John King had 18 each, and only 3 TOs between them, and SF/SG Tom Holt hit 3 threes on his way to 12 outside points. Arte had 13 and 7 inside but we beat them outside, mostly. 9 TOs and great D. We held them to 18 in the first half.
Ramsey Noone, GSPN TV:
“Coach Zachery, no one expected you to be playing for the preseason NIT title. How did you get here?”
“We flew, Ramsey. Just kidding! I think we snuck up on people. I’m guessing our first two opponents underestimated us and had difficulty recovering when we jumped out to a big early lead. We are definitely shooting it extremely well, but we’re getting people open. Getting open shots improves the shooting percentage a whole lot.”
“Nothing wrong with the D either.”
“We’ve played the kind of D I always like to see my guys play.”
“Good luck tomorrow!”
Zak:
It will be #6 seed, #4 ranked Georgia Tech for the title. We’re at #12 in the first in season poll but to be honest I think we’re playing over our heads. Hope I’m wrong.
November 20 Ezra:
56-71. 16, 8, 4 for Arte, 10, 6, 3 for Holt, 10, 4, 5 for King. 10 TOs.
Coach said the bench would be the difference. Their bench got 32, 12, 7, and ours got 8, 3, 4. He felt that their depth would wear us out. We kept it close for about 30-32 minutes and then it fell apart so he was right. We know we aren’t deep and that will hurt against good teams.
Zak:
I would call this a pretty strong start!
Tank:
All 6 recruits signed so we’re done recruiting for the year. I’ll look at juniors, potential transfers, some other kids.
November 21 Earl:
79-69 at UMBC. 17, 12 for Arte, 14, 3, 3 for Holt, 16, 3, 6 for King, 15 for Floyd. 10 TOs.
We were tired after a red eye flight and a game the day after the Georgia tech game, but we held on.
November 24 Zak:
73-54 over Drexel in our home debut- to a sellout crowd! All 5 starters were in double figures, scoring between 11 and 15. Mick Tigs had 8 and 7 from the bench. We never trailed. 10 TOs.
Billy Bob Sears, WMNT radio:
“We’re back after the game. We’re with freshman Shoe Floyd. Okay, I gotta ask it. I’m guessin’ ‘Shoe’ ain’t the name your mama give you.”
“That’s right, it ain’t. My older brother’s name is Joe an’ fer whatever reason when I started in ta talkin’ it come out as ‘Shoe.’ The name stuck an’ I been Shoe ever since- my borther too!”
“Great story. Freshmens at major college programs is s’posed ta have adjustment problems. Yer the 2nd leadin’ scorer on the Tigers. How come yer doin’ so good, so early?”
“Thanks fer that, Billy Bob. I gotta say it’s 2 things. First, Otto Arte gits a LOT of attention. That frees up the rest of us sometimes. Right along with that, John King is one terrific guy at findin’ the open man. When I’m open he us’ally gits me the ball.”
“What’s the biggest differ’nce ‘tween here an’ high school ball?”
“The pace. Ever’thing is way quicker here. That’s the thing I can’t never ferget. If’n ya lose yer man on D he’s gone an’ there ain’t no way ta catch him. So I work real hard not ta lose my man.”
“Coach says yer a good defender. Keep doin’ what yer doin’, Shoe!”
November 27 Zak:
We’re at #10 in this week’s poll. As I said last week, that’s too high. But, we’re winning, and looking good doing it. 3 of our next 4 on the road though and that could change things. 2 of our first 10 at home.
November 28 Earl:
69-82 at Colorado. Ugly. Otto Arte had 2 points, 8 RBs, mostly because of foul trouble. Our guards did great, 22, 2, 6 for King, 12 for Shoe, but he fouled out, and 15 for backup guard Mal Akins. But we got killed inside and we let them shoot 53.2%, 9-18 on threes. This was more points, by 11, than we’ve given up this season.
December 1 Earl:
71-61 over Richmond here. In and out. 17, 6 for Arte, 15 for King, 11, 5 for first big off the bench Mick Tigs, 10, 4, 3 for Shoe, 8, 9, 3 for Ante. +12 RBs.
Next two games will be tough.
72-62 over Indiana! Otto Arte had 26 and 12. He can PLAY! The weird thing is he’s a senior and he barely played in his first 3 years here. He has told us there was a personality conflict with the coach. I do not understand how you can sit a kid with this kind of talent. We won’t! 13, 4 for Tom Holt at SF. We shot it really well, 54.2% to their 41.9%. That and fouls were the difference.
Zak:
I never expected a win here. It’s great! Well, as we got closer to game day I felt like Arte gave us a chance.
#9 seed New Mexico is next. They beat #8 Kentucky. We two were the only upset winners, and an 8-9 game isn’t really an upset.
November 16 Zak:
71-57 over New Mexico. 22, 12, 2 for Arte, 10, 7, 2 for PF Juke Antt, 16, 2, 4 for guard Shoe Floyd. 11 TOs. We never trailed after the first minute.
Billy Bob Sears, WMNT radio:
“Hello all a you Tigers fans. We’re here after the game with brandy new Coach Zak Zachery. Coach, you doin’ miracles here!”
“Well, no, Billy Bob. My guys are doing some wonderful things though. I’m thrilled with the start.”
“So tell us how you doin’ it then. Las’ year this here team was pretty aver’ge.”
“To give credit where it’s due, my predecessor recruited Shoe Floyd and Juke Antt, and those two freshman have given us a lot.”
“Yeah but Otto Arte done nuthin’ but sit the bench las’ year- fer three years. He’s yer hoss!”
“Not being here before this year I can’t comment on why Otto didn’t play. But he’ll get all the minutes he can handle for us.”
“All right now. This here is Billy Bob Sears, WMNT radio. We gonna be at ever’ Tigers game all year long. Come on down an’ give us a lissen!”
Earl:
#12 seed Brigham Young upset #4 Georgetown so we play them in the semifinal round. They beat #5 Florida the round before that. They’re an outside team. They go with 3, sometimes even 4 guards. They can shoot it!
November 19 Ezra Johnson, scouting assistant:
70-57. My report said they were an outside team. I thought Coach had taken leave of his senses when he said, after looking at the video clips I sent him and then asking me LOTS of questions, we would NOT take it inside, but instead would beat them outside. He told the staff he thought our guards were quicker. He kept the inside strategy for a backup but he never needed to go with it because he was right. Our starting guards Shoe Floyd and John King had 18 each, and only 3 TOs between them, and SF/SG Tom Holt hit 3 threes on his way to 12 outside points. Arte had 13 and 7 inside but we beat them outside, mostly. 9 TOs and great D. We held them to 18 in the first half.
Ramsey Noone, GSPN TV:
“Coach Zachery, no one expected you to be playing for the preseason NIT title. How did you get here?”
“We flew, Ramsey. Just kidding! I think we snuck up on people. I’m guessing our first two opponents underestimated us and had difficulty recovering when we jumped out to a big early lead. We are definitely shooting it extremely well, but we’re getting people open. Getting open shots improves the shooting percentage a whole lot.”
“Nothing wrong with the D either.”
“We’ve played the kind of D I always like to see my guys play.”
“Good luck tomorrow!”
Zak:
It will be #6 seed, #4 ranked Georgia Tech for the title. We’re at #12 in the first in season poll but to be honest I think we’re playing over our heads. Hope I’m wrong.
November 20 Ezra:
56-71. 16, 8, 4 for Arte, 10, 6, 3 for Holt, 10, 4, 5 for King. 10 TOs.
Coach said the bench would be the difference. Their bench got 32, 12, 7, and ours got 8, 3, 4. He felt that their depth would wear us out. We kept it close for about 30-32 minutes and then it fell apart so he was right. We know we aren’t deep and that will hurt against good teams.
Zak:
I would call this a pretty strong start!
Tank:
All 6 recruits signed so we’re done recruiting for the year. I’ll look at juniors, potential transfers, some other kids.
November 21 Earl:
79-69 at UMBC. 17, 12 for Arte, 14, 3, 3 for Holt, 16, 3, 6 for King, 15 for Floyd. 10 TOs.
We were tired after a red eye flight and a game the day after the Georgia tech game, but we held on.
November 24 Zak:
73-54 over Drexel in our home debut- to a sellout crowd! All 5 starters were in double figures, scoring between 11 and 15. Mick Tigs had 8 and 7 from the bench. We never trailed. 10 TOs.
Billy Bob Sears, WMNT radio:
“We’re back after the game. We’re with freshman Shoe Floyd. Okay, I gotta ask it. I’m guessin’ ‘Shoe’ ain’t the name your mama give you.”
“That’s right, it ain’t. My older brother’s name is Joe an’ fer whatever reason when I started in ta talkin’ it come out as ‘Shoe.’ The name stuck an’ I been Shoe ever since- my borther too!”
“Great story. Freshmens at major college programs is s’posed ta have adjustment problems. Yer the 2nd leadin’ scorer on the Tigers. How come yer doin’ so good, so early?”
“Thanks fer that, Billy Bob. I gotta say it’s 2 things. First, Otto Arte gits a LOT of attention. That frees up the rest of us sometimes. Right along with that, John King is one terrific guy at findin’ the open man. When I’m open he us’ally gits me the ball.”
“What’s the biggest differ’nce ‘tween here an’ high school ball?”
“The pace. Ever’thing is way quicker here. That’s the thing I can’t never ferget. If’n ya lose yer man on D he’s gone an’ there ain’t no way ta catch him. So I work real hard not ta lose my man.”
“Coach says yer a good defender. Keep doin’ what yer doin’, Shoe!”
November 27 Zak:
We’re at #10 in this week’s poll. As I said last week, that’s too high. But, we’re winning, and looking good doing it. 3 of our next 4 on the road though and that could change things. 2 of our first 10 at home.
November 28 Earl:
69-82 at Colorado. Ugly. Otto Arte had 2 points, 8 RBs, mostly because of foul trouble. Our guards did great, 22, 2, 6 for King, 12 for Shoe, but he fouled out, and 15 for backup guard Mal Akins. But we got killed inside and we let them shoot 53.2%, 9-18 on threes. This was more points, by 11, than we’ve given up this season.
December 1 Earl:
71-61 over Richmond here. In and out. 17, 6 for Arte, 15 for King, 11, 5 for first big off the bench Mick Tigs, 10, 4, 3 for Shoe, 8, 9, 3 for Ante. +12 RBs.
Next two games will be tough.
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