Hoosier Dreaming: The Reggie Byers Story

[jksander]

Coach Information
Name: Reggie Byers (33)
School: IPFW Mastadons (Summit League)
Contact: $100,000 / 3 years
Experience: None at the college level

A recruiting and scouting specialist, Byers has spent the last four years as an NBA scout for the Pacers in Indianapolis. He's never coached before, so though many in the NBA have long considered him among the best talent and development scouts in basketball, he's got to prove his skills at the Division I level before gaining the respect it would require to move up in the ranks. Never one to avoid thinking big, Byers -- now 33 as he starts his coaching career -- says he would love to be considered a thinking-man's coach like Brad Stevens coupled with the recruiting prowess of Coach Cal at UK and the leadership of Coach K at Duke. Starting at IPFW, however, will guarantee few will know his name any time soon. The Mastadons have never made it to the Big Dance, and most pundits don't expect that to change under an untested young coach.

[jksander]

Budget
Reports: $30,000 (Midwest Gold)
Travel: None -- will be searching for diamonds in the rough, not All Americans
Assistant Salaries: $74,000
Recruiting Budget: $39,000 (5 open scholarships)

June 26, 2015: We're casting a wide net in the state of Indiana, initially scouting 35 players who scouting reports say have the potential to make waves here in Fort Wayne. I have my eyes on some top players in the state, who have refused much of my communication but are showing interest in at least making visits. Robert McArdle, a 6'5” guard from Linton, has shown legitimate interest in staying close to home, and our reports have him ranked 34th in the region, 30 points ahead of the WSSN rankings in the region. He's had interest from Notre Dame as well, so I'll be keeping an eye on him. With five spots to fill, we've got plenty of work to do.

September 18, 2015: I made visits to our top four scholarship recruits, and all of them went quite well. In fact, we got a commitment from 6'8” center Darren Lepore, who will come from Greensburg High in Greensburg, Indiana, to play for us next fall. Butler challenged us all the way for this guy, who can shoot and score with the best of them. He needs work on defense and handling, and he's raw from an overall athletic standpoint, but I like his work ethic. We see him ranked 41st in the region overall and as a top 400 recruit nationally. Most important, he's keyed in on discipline as one of his top priorities.

September 25, 2015: We've signed our top recruit! Adam Woodard, a 6'8” forward from Vincennes Lincoln High, ranked 138th in the nation and 12th in the region, has committed to play for us over Purdue, Butler, Notre Dame and Indiana! He's a solid athlete overall with good potential for growth, and he's already a top notch defender and shooter inside. And Robert McArdle signed as well -- the Linton-Stockton High standout from Linton, Indiana, is ranked 22nd in the region according to our scouts but is being overlooked by the larger programs despite the highest overall potential I've seen among our top recruits, athletically and as a shooter (inside AND out). We have two additional spots to fill, but things are happening for this program. I can sense it!

Here is our schedule for the 2015-16 season:

November
15 - @ Creighton
18 - Illinois State
22 - Chicago State
25 - @ Evansville
29 - Houston

December
2 - @ Xavier
6 - Hawaii
9 - @ Illinois
13 - Maine
16 - @ #17 Wisconsin
20 - Eastern Kentucky
27 - Oral Roberts
30 - @ North Dakota State

January
3 - Western Illinois
6 - @ IUPUI
10 - Nebraska (Omaha)
13 - @ Denver
17 - South Dakota
24 - @ South Dakota State
27 - @ Oral Roberts
31 - North Dakota State

February
3 - @ Western Illinois
7 - IUPUI
10 - @ Nebraska (Omaha)
14 - Denver
17 - @ South Dakota
24 - South Dakota State

[Wayne23]

Look who's back! Great to see you, jk!

[PointGuard]

jk: You're already recruiting like a maniac. Sort of like riding a bike huh...one you got it, you don't forget. A big welcome back from me also.

[jksander]

jk: You're already recruiting like a maniac. Sort of like riding a bike huh...one you got it, you don't forget. A big welcome back from me also.

Thanks, both of you! A bit slow-going to start ... So much to remember about where things are in the game

[jksander]

October 9, 2015: For our fifth scholarship spot we are pursuing a number of top quality junior college transfers, but for now we're excited to announce our fourth signing of the year: Miguel Figueroa, a 6'0” guard from Southport High School in Indianapolis, is a top 300 national recruit with above-average potential overall and an excellent shot from the perimeter, though he's raw in all non-scoring areas at this point. He's a big reason the team went 23-3 last season, though for a program that hasn't made it out of the 4A sectional since 2000, hence his unheralded status. I think he's a perfect under-the-radar find!

[jksander]

ROSTER

Starters
PG - Erick Coffee (6'1” 187 lbs So) Beech Grove IN (Beech Grove HS) 2.4 GPA (2.0/2.0)
SG - Dupree Hamilton (6'2” 203 lbs Sr) Columbus IN (Columbus North HS) 2.5 GPA (3.0/3.0)
SF - Sam Hicks (6'6” 233 lbs Sr) Columbus IN (Columbus North HS) 2.3 GPA (2.5/2.5)
PF - Jeff Dawson (6'8” 200 lbs Sr) Danville IN (Danville HS) 2.5 GPA (3.5/3.5)
C - Rashon Logan (6'9” 244 lbs Jr) Monticello IN (Twin Lakes HS) 2.2 GPA (2.0/3.0)

Bench
6 - Colin Keefer (6'1” 191 lbs So) Lynnville IN (Tecumseh HS) 2.9 GPA (1.0/3.0)
7 - Scott Tahid (6'1” 181 lbs Fr) Cloverdale IN (Cloverdale HS) 2.4 GPA (2.0/2.5)*
8 - Troy Bland (6'7” 227 lbs Fr) Greencastle IN (South Putnam HS) 2.5 GPA (1.0/2.5)
9 - Nick Judd (6'6” 237 lbs Sr) Hartford City IN (Blackford HS) 2.7 GPA (2.5/3.0)
10 - Tyson Porter (6'8” 278 lbs Fr) Vincinnes IN (Vincinnes Lincoln HS) 2.6 GPA (1.0/3.0)
11 - Juwan Washington (6'0” 185 lbs Jr) Greensburg IN (North Decatur HS) 2.4 GPA (2.0/2.0)
12 - Lee Keown (6'0” 181 lbs So) Corydon IN (Corydon Central HS) 2.1 GPA (1.5/1.5)
13 - Jim Holloway (6'3” 211 lbs Fr) Leopold IN (Perry Central HS) 2.9 GPA (1.0/2.0)
14 - Brandon Harrington (6'7” 195 lbs Sr) Shelbyville IN (Shelbyville HS) (2.0/2.0)
15 - Desmond Scott (7'0” 303 lbs Jr) Indianapolis IN (Emmerich Manual HS) 2.7 GPA (1.0/1.0)*
________
* Walk-on

[jksander]

THE SEASON

November
15 - @ Creighton (L 62-76) …. Jeff Dawson (25 pts 5 reb 3 blk)
18 - Illinois State (L 52-63) …. Jeff Dawson (12 pts 3 reb) Dupree Hamilton (10 pts 4 ast)
22 - Chicago State (W 70-55) …. Erick Coffee (22 pts 4 reb 2 ast)
25 - @ Evansville (W 75-62) …. Jeff Dawson (17 pts 8 reb 2 ast)
29 - Houston (W 69-60) …. Jeff Dawson (18 pts 7 reb) J. Washington (8 pts 6 reb 2 ast)

RPI: 272 ... Steady improvements after our first two games came out as losses. Dawson, Coffee, Hamilton and Washington have proven to be solid contributors, and Dawon looks to be our most consistent player, fitting for the senior forward. We're a veteran team without much real firepower, so getting out to a 3-2 start is reasonable. I am hoping to go into the conference slate with a winning record and then see how we handle the hard-scrabble Summit League when this season really gets going.

December
2 - @ Xavier (L 51-67) …. Lee Keown (15 pts 1 stl) Jeff Dawson (12 pts 2 reb 5 ast 1 stl)
6 - Hawaii (W 81-66) …. Jeff Dawson (27 pts 6 reb 4 ast) Lee Keown (15 pts 1 stl)
9 - @ Illinois (L 62-77) …. Jeff Dawson (23 pts 1 reb 1 ast 2 blk)
13 - Maine (L 54-64) …. Jeff Dawson (18 pts 3 reb 2 blk) Erick Coffee (13 pts 3 stl)
16 - @ Wisconsin (L 55-66) …. Jeff Dawson (17 pts 7 reb) B. Harrington (15 pts 4 reb 2 blk)
20 - Eastern Kentucky (L 72-77) …. Desmond Scott (16 pts 4 reb) C. Keeter (12 pts 4 reb 3 ast)

PRE-CONFERENCE STANDINGS
1 - IUPUI (7-4) I: 84
2 - South Dakota (6-5) RPI: 225
3 - Denver (5-6) RPI: 83
4 - Nebraska (5-6) RPI: 187
5 - Oral Roberts (5-6) RPI: 280
6 - IPFW (4-7) RPI: 241
7 - South Dakota State (4-7) RPI: 284
8 - North Daokta State (3-8) RPI: 162
9 - Western Illinois (3-8) RPI: 297

Not quite where we'd hoped to be, but we played some big teams in December and we're learning. It's going to be interesting to see how the conference shakes out, with two top-100 RPI teams and no one outside the top 300. Though IUPUI is clearly the favorite, I don't think the conference is cut and dry. We aim to be competitive and fight for solid positioning come tourney time.

December (Cont'd) / January
27 - Oral Roberts (W 69-59) …. Jeff Dawson (19 pts 3 reb) Rashon Logan (12 pts 5 reb 1 ast)
30 - @ North Dakota State (L 64-67) …. Erick Coffee (15 pts 3 reb 4 ast)
3 - Western Illinois (W 58-53) …. Rashon Logan (12 pts 2 reb 3 ast 1 stl 1 blk)
6 - @ IUPUI (W 58-56) …. Jeff Dawson (23 pts 6 reb 3 stl)
10 - Nebraska (Omaha) (W 64-52) …. D. Scott (13 pts 3 reb 2 ast) Jeff Dawson (14 pts 6 reb)
13 - @ Denver (W 89-85) …. Jeff Dawson (38 pts 6 reb 2 ast)
17 - South Dakota (L 61-62) …. Jeff Dawson (16 pts 3 reb) Erick Coffee (11 pts 2 reb)
24 - @ South Dakota State (W 71-62) …. Jeff Dawson (24 pts 8 reb 4 stl)
27 - @ Oral Roberts (W 72-64) …. Colin Keefer (19 pts 2 reb 2 ast)
31 - North Dakota State (W 69-49) …. Jeff Dawson (18 pts 5 reb 2 stl); R. Logan (15 pts 5 reb)

By the time we played Denver, they were the only team in the conference still with a top-100 RPI, so when they played a fast-paced game and we outraced them on their court, it was a huge boost to our hopes, particularly as the win put us at 9-8 (5-1) midway through the month of January, top of the league at half a game ahead of Oral Roberts. Of course the win brought our RPI only to 197, lowering Denver's to 130. No team in this conference is going to get an at-large bid into anything … it's gonna be win the Summit or go home. So we aim to keep winning as much as we can. And an 8-2 start in the conference is definitely getting well on our way to that goal!

We also signed our final player … Dereck Lloyd, a 6'8” JuCo Sophomore from Britton, Michigan, who is ranked in the WSSN National Top 100, and 4th in the region among power forwards! With solid upside to go with solid shooting skills inside and out, along with budding defensive prowess, we expect big things from him in his two years at IPFW. He'll expect to play a lot immediately, but that's why we signed him -- we'll need him to play a lot and dominate.

[jksander]

February
3 - @ Western Illinois (W 59-47) …. Jeff Dawson (17 pts 6 reb 3 ast 3 stl)
7 - IUPUI (W 68-49) …. Jeff Dawson (24 pts 5 reb 3 ast 1 stl 1 blk)
10 - @ Nebraska (Omaha) (W 62-48) …. C. Keefer (19 pts 3 reb 3 ast) J. Dawson (15 pts 3 reb)
14 - Denver (W 80-57) …. Jeff Dawson (25 pts 7 reb) Rashon Logan (10 pts 2 reb 1 stl)
17 - @ South Dakota (W 68-67) …. Jeff Dawson (20 pts 5 reb 3 ast) E. Coffee (19 pts 3 stl)
24 - South Dakota State (W 83-64) …. J. Dawson (15 pts 7 reb) J. Washington (10 pts 6 reb 4 ast)

We clinched the Summit regular season title with the win at home against Denver, but the real win came when we got our one-point victory at South Dakota, ending their perfect at-home record and canceling out the one-point loss we'd suffered at their hands on our court. We came into the conference after a 4-7 start and completely dominated the competition, proving we're ready to be a contender. Just wait until the new recruits get here!

FINAL CONFERENCE STANDINGS
1 - IPFW (14-2, 18-9) RPI: 128
2 - South Dakota (11-5, 17-10) RPI: 148
3 - Nebraska (Omaha) (10-6, 15-12) RPI: 99
4 - Oral Roberts (9-7, 14-13) RPI: 220
5 - IUPUI (8-8, 15-12) RPI: 196
6 - Denver (7-9, 12-15) RPI: 164
7 - Western Illinois (6-10, 9-18) RPI: 316
8 - North Dakota State (4-12, 7-20) RPI: 319
9 - South Dakota State (3-13, 7-20) RPI: 346

Summit Tournament
3/3 - (5) IUPUI (W 77-70) …. Colin Keefer (15 pts 3 reb 2 ast) Jeff Dawson (15 pts 4 reb 4 ast)
3/4 - (3) Nebraska (Omaha) (W 65-55) …. Erick Coffee (14 pts 2 reb) Lee Keown (13 pts 3 blk)

NCAA Tournament
3/16 - (2) Connecticut (L 50-82) …. Jeff Dawson (11 pts 8 reb) Erick Coffee (10 pts 2 reb)

We won the Summit Tournament, earning our first trip to the Big Dance, where the Huskies promptly stomped on our toes and then beat us up in the coat room. No big surprise, but I wish we'd have been able to keep it a little more competitive. Next year …

In the NCAA tournament, no one could stop Kentucky, the Wildcats cruising to a 39-0 finish beating Michigan 84-65 in a ho-hum title game. The semifinals were more fun at least, as Michigan earned their championship spot by beating UCLA 78-76 in overtime. The 19 point difference tied the Wildcats' 19 point win over Kansas in the semifinals; both were the closest anyone came to competing with Kentucky in this tournament.

In the NIT, Notre Dame … fighting for respect after not making the Big Dance, failed in the championship, getting blown out by Central Michigan, of all teams, 76-58.

In the CIT, Central Florida handled Colorado easily enough 70-63 in a game no one watched.

TEAM AWARDS
Summit Player of the Year: Jeff Dawson
Summit Defensive Player of the Year: Jeff Dawson
Summit Coach of the Year: Reggie Byers
1st Team All Summit: Jeff Dawson

I exceeded all the school's first-year goals for me, but the board's not yet ready for a budget increase. And to be quite honest, by the time they are, I'm probably going to be ready to move on. My goal is to coach one of the national powerhouse programs, so the job I'm looking out for at this point is either a solid mid-major or a bottom-dwelling major conference program. Until the right one comes calling, I aim to bring the best kids to Fort Wayne and teach them to play as a team. I also don't want a reputation for jumping from job to job, so the next move I make will be to a program willing to put the time in and let me build my program. Somewhere I can coach for 5-10 seasons and really develop a reputation.