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[jaytuomi]

That's a huge week from Marshall Sanders. Kind of a brutal start for Maryland. Random question: is Leathernecks PF Orvo Haapajarvi from Finland?

[PointGuard]

Random question: is Leathernecks PF Orvo Haapajarvi from Finland?

Yes, Orvo Haapajarvi is from Finland. He's 6-6, 207 lbs and will be a senior this season. He was recruited by the Leathernecks when he was the #69 ranked recruit of the 2035-36 recruits.

Here's his stats:

2036-37: 30 games, 26 starts, 24.9 mpg, 4.9 ppg, 1.3 apg, 4.3 rpg
2037-38: 28 games, 27 starts, 26.3 mpg, 6.3 ppg, 1.3 apg, 4.3 rpg
2038-39: 30 games, 30 starts, 27.6 mpg, 7.9 ppg, 1.9 apg, 4.3 rpg (unusual that his rebounding averaged has been exactly the same in each of his first 3 years)

His career game bests: 20 pts, 5 assists, 11 rebounds, 4 blocks, 3 steals, 1 double-double...and he's wonn 5 "player of the game" awards.

He's hit in the mid-high 40% for FG's, but has only VERY rarely attempted a 3...and good since he has yet to sink one. He's a pretty good defender and going into his senior year, he's a 3-1/2 star (current) and 4-1/2 star (potential) player.

His current ratings were pretty low as a freshman, improved significantly as a sophomore, improved slightly as a junior, and again improved slightly going into his senior year.

Looking at the roster for the Leathernecks for the 2039-40 season, I anticipate he will continue to start every game and likely play even more mpg.

Orvo was pleased someone was interested in him and says, "Kiitos!"

[jaytuomi]

No terve, Orvo!! Mita kuuluu!!!

You are the man, PointGuard. Outstanding info. Rest assured Orvo has his number #1 fan here, pulling for a big senior season and a build on some huge team success last year.

[PointGuard]

No terve, Orvo!! Mita kuuluu!!!

You are the man, PointGuard. Outstanding info. Rest assured Orvo has his number #1 fan here, pulling for a big senior season and a build on some huge team success last year.

Orvo's reply: Minä nautin pelata koripalloa. Toivon pääseväni pelaamaan koripalloa Korisliigassa ensi vuonna.

[PointGuard]

Summary of Games the Week of November 27-December 3, 2039

Conference I

Georgia State Panthers (4-1)—74, Ball State Cardinals—45 (The first 10 minutes were close, but then the Panthers pulled away to a 33-20 halftime advantage. Their lead swelled throughout the 2nd half as Georgia State buried the Cardinals. C Marshall Sanders—18 pts, 7 reb, 2 stl, 2 blk; SF David Selby—15 pts, 8 reb, 4 ast; reserve C Jared Sharp—10 pts, 6 reb; PF Aaron Samuels—9 pts, 15 reb.)

Georgia State Panthers (5-1)—83, William & Mary Tribe—50 (Another blowout victory for Georgia State. SF David Selby—20 pts, 7 reb, 4 ast; reserve C Jared Sharp—16 pts, 8 reb, 3 ast; PG Cy Hogue—10 pts, 4 reb, 3 ast, 3 stl; SG Clint Strohm—10 pts, 5 reb; reserve forward Gerald Payne—10 pts, 11 reb, 3 ast, 2 stl, 3 blk.)

Conference O

Jacksonville Dolphins—67, Southeast Louisiana Lions (2-3)—51 (The Lions were totally overwhelmed in the first half and trailed 35-17 at the break. Their offense got moving in the 2nd half but they could never challenge the Dolphins. PF Mike Sanders—14 pts; PG Mike Bree—12 pts.)

Southeast Louisiana Lions (3-3)—76, East Carolina Pirates—66 (The Lions carved out a 44-28 halftime lead and then held on throughout the 2nd half to win. SG Will Collins—22 pts; PF Mike Sanders—11 pts, 6 reb; reserve C Fred Morant—11 pts, 7 reb; PG Mike Bree—10 pts.)

Conference R

Western Illinois Leathernecks (4-1)—80, Missouri Tigers—69 (There were 6 early lead changes but then the Leathernecks got ahead and stayed that way the entire rest of the game to record a big road win against a team from a much higher conference. SF Ty Wilfork—14 pts; SG Brandt Kennedy—13 pts, 5 reb, 4 ast; C David Perry—11 pts, 6 reb; PF Orvo Haapajarvi—11 pts.)

Western Illinois Leathernecks (5-1)—57, Seton Hall Pirates—43 (Another road victory over a team from a much higher conference. Western Illinois squelched the Pirates in the first half and led 31-14 at the break. Their lead grew to 26 before they coasted to an easy win. PF Orvo Haapajarvi—14 pts; PG Trent Cougar—12 pts, 6 reb, 3 ast.)

Conference S

UC San Diego Tritons (4-1)—69, Northwestern Wildcats—63 (The Tritons took control 8 minutes into the game and held a double-digit lead for much of the game. C Bryce Stafford—20 pts, 7 reb; PG Al LeVasseur--17 pts; SG DeVante Botts—13 pts.)

Florida Gulf Coast Eagles—67, Maryland Eastern Shore Hawks (1-4)—58 (12 lead changes. The Hawks stayed close the entire way, trailing 37-32 at the half. The game was very close throughout the 2nd half, but the Eagles ppulled away in the final 2 minutes. PF Rob Evans—17 pts, 8 reb; PG Ivoree Spence—10 pts.)

Holy Cross Crusaders—54, Maryland Eastern Shore Hawks (1-5)—53 (Holy Cross posted a 30-28 halftime advantage. The Hawks fell behind by 12 points midway in the 2nd half, then rallied to take a 2 point lead with 2 minutes to go, but the Crusaders edged ahead with 25 seconds to go and held on for a razor close victory. SF Anthony Wilks—10 pts; PF Rob Evans—11 reb.)

Awards: C Bryce Stafford, UC San Diego—Conference S Freshman Player of the Week.

Injuries: None.

Comments: Georgia State, Western Illinois, and UC San Diego continued to play well while MD-Eastern Shore’s season continued to deteriorate.

[PointGuard]

Summary of Games the Week of December 4-10, 2039

Conference I

Georgia State Panthers (6-1)—72, New Orleans Privateers—63 (New Orleans opened a 6 point lead early in the game, but the Panthers then shot past them on the scoreboard and by the end of the half had a 33-25 lead. Georgia State’s lead grew to as much as 17 in the 2nd half. SF David Selby—20 pts, 9 reb; PF Aaron Samuels—15 pts, 10 boards; reserve C Jared Sharp—12 pts, 5 reb.)

Conference O

Southeast Louisiana Lions (4-3)—68, William & Mary Tribe—50 (The Lions quickly quieted the Tribe’s home crowd and led 42-25 by the end of the half. They maintained a comfortable lead throughout the 2nd half. SG Will Collins—17 pts, 4 reb, 4 ast; C Jason Nee—14 pts, 6 reb; SF Shawnelle Allen—10 pts, 3 reb, 4 ast, 4 stl, 1 blk; PG Mike Bree—8 pts, 7 ast.)

Merrimack Warriors—83, [i]Southeast Louisiana Lions[/i]—59 (The Lions trailed 41-38 at the half and then made a real game of it for the first 8 minutes of the 2nd half, but then fell apart in the late-going as the Warriors’ defense stymied SE Louisiana. C Jason Nee—13 pts, 7 reb; reserve guard Thomas Matthews—11 pts.)

Conference R

#15 ranked Providence Friars—73, Western Illinois Leathernecks (5-2)—66 (A very competitive first half, but the Friars went on a late run to lead 43-36 at the break. Western Illinois made an effort to overtake the talented Providence team, but was unable to grab the lead in the 2nd half. SF Ty Wilford—18 pts, 3 reb, 2 ast, 4 stl, 2 blk; SG Brandt Kennedy—13 pts, 6 reb, 2 ast, 2 stl, 2 blk.)

Conference S

UC San Diego Tritons (5-1)—69, Liberty Flames—58 (Liberty controlled the first half and went to the locker room with a 40-28 lead. There were 8 lead changes in the late portion of the 2nd half…and then the Tritons went on a 16-5 run to close out the game and win the game. PG Al LeVasseur and PF Jeremiah Mason—both scored 14; SG DeVante Botts—10 pts, 3 reb, 3 ast, 3 stl.)

UC San Diego Tritons (6-1)—60, Seton Hall Pirates—57 (A significant win over a much higher ranked team. Seton Hall led throughout most of the 1st half, but the Tritons came back late to lead 31-28 at the break. The Pirates came back to take a single point lead with 11 minutes to play, but UC San Diego then shut the Hall down for 3-1/2 minutes and grabbed an 11 point lead and held off a furious comeback by the Pirates to win a close one. PF Jeremiah Mason—14 pts; PG Al LeVasseur—12 pts, 7 reb, 5 ast; reserve C Camara McWilliams—10 pts, 4 reb, 3 ast.)

Maryland Eastern Shore Hawks (2-5)—72, Richmond Spiders—46 (“Finally a strong effort on the road,” said Coach Mike McMillan. His Hawks took control early and ran off to a 41-21 halftime advantage. They then kept the Spiders from getting any closer in the 2nd half. SF Anthony Wilks—15 pts; PG Carl Hancock—13 pts, 6 reb, 4 ast, 3 stl; C Kyle Mader—12 pts, 6 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl, 4 blk.)

Awards: None.

Injuries: Southeastern Louisiana’s Jason Nee—sore calf—6 days; David Perry of Western Illinois—sore wrist—2 days.

Comments: UC San Diego and Georgia State continued their winning ways. Western Illinois gave highly ranked Providence all they could handle but came up a bit short. David Selby continued to play well for Georgia State and is now averaging 16.9 ppg and 5.4 rpg.

[PointGuard]

Summary of Games the Week of December 11-17, 2039

Conference I

Georgia State Panthers (7-1)—74, Bowling Green State Falcons—69 (Georgia State jumped out to an immediate lead and built it to 49-32 advantage at halftime. But then in the final 8 minutes they let the Falcons slowly eat away at what was a 22 point lead and put a scare into the Panthers. SF David Selby had another strong game with 17 points, but C Marshall Sanders put together a great game with 12 points, 12 rebounds, 6 assists and 3 blocks.)

Conference O

Sacred Heart Pioneers—87, Southeast Louisiana Lions (4-5)—78 (The Lions trailed the entire game. By halftime they were down 50-36. SE Louisiana made a couple small runs in the 2nd half but never seriously threatened. SG Will Collins scored 22 points, SF Mike Sanders had 17 points and 8 boards, C Fred Morant hit for 12 points, and PF Jason Nee scored 10 plus had 4 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals.)

Conference R

Western Illinois Leathernecks (6-2)—69, Richmond Spiders—68 (Richmond controlled things for most of the first half but the Leathernecks cut what was an 8 point lead to just 32-31 at the break. Western Illinois then opened a 9 point lead in the first 10 minutes of the 2nd half. The momentum shifted yet again and the final 6 minutes saw repeated lead changes. Trailing by a point with 15 seconds remaining, Coach Morillo called a time out and set up a 1 Guard Front Guard Cut that the Leathernecks PG Mohamed Ammons pulled off to perfection to hit a 16 foot jumper from behind the double screen set by SF Ty Wilfork and C Cole Greer to win the game with 2 seconds on the clock. SF Ty Wilfork had 13 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals. SG Brandt Kennedy scored 11 plus had 4 boards, 5 assists, and 2 steals.)

Conference S

San Francisco Dons—80, UC San Diego Tritons (6-2)—70 (The Tritons led the entire first half but let a 3 point halftime lead slip away in the 2nd half as the Dons steadily pulled away. C Bryce Stafford scored 18 and grabbed 6 rebounds, PF Jeremiah Mason had 17 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals and a block, and SG DeVante Botts had 11 points, 4 boards, and 4 steals.)

North Dakota State Fighting Hawks—85, Maryland Eastern Shore Hawks (2-6)—69 (MD-Eastern Shore continued to underperform. They trailed throughout the entire game and fell further off the lead in the last 10 minutes. PG Ivoree Spence scored 12 and has 6 assists while PF Rob Evans, SF Anthony Wilks, and C Kyle Mader each scored 10 points.)

Awards: None.

Injuries: None.

Comments: Short week with each team only playing a single game…and a rough week since 3 of the 5 teams lost. MD-Eastern Shore’s Coach Mike McMillan said, “We need to step it up a bit. But we’re working several new players into the mix, so we’re using the pre-conference portion of our schedule to prepare the team for winning during conference play. We’ll get there.”

[PointGuard]

Summary of Games the Week of December 18-24, 2039

Conference I

Georgia State Panthers (8-1)—78, Santa Clara Broncos—58 (Even though the Panthers led throughout the game, the score was close until the 6 minutes when raced away from the Broncos. All 5 starters were in double figures: PG Cy Hogue-16 pts, PF Aaron Samuels-14 pts, SF David Selby-13 pts, SG Clint Strohm-13 pts, C Marshall Sanders-13 pts. Selby also pulled down 11 boards and dished out 5 assists and Hogue had 7 assists.)

Conference O

Brown Bears—80, Southeast Louisiana Lions (4-6)—56 (Brown ran away from the Lions. SE Louisiana hit just 30% of their shots. PF Mike Sanders had 15 points and 10 rebounds and SG Will Collins added 12 points.)

Conference R

Western Illinois Leathernecks (7-2)—78, Incarnate Word Cardinals—57 (The game was in doubt for the first 30 minutes, but then the Leathernecks shut down the Cardinals and pulled away rapidly. PF Orvo Haapajarvik—15 pts, 6 reb, 5 ast; SF Ty Wilfork—13 pts, 6 reb; PG Mohamed Ammons—13 pts, 8 reb, 5 stl; reserve forward Eliran Zaichik—14 pts.)

Conference S

UC San Diego Tritons (7-2)—77, Northwestern State Demons—65 (After leading by 18 midway through the first half, the Tritons lead shrunk to 40-39 at halftime. The 2nd half was close until the final 4 minutes when UC San Diego pulled away for the win. SG DeVante Botts—17 pts, 4 reb, 2 ast, 3 stl; PF Jeremiah Mason—15 pts, 5 reb; C Bryce Stafford—10 pts.)
Maryland Eastern Shore Hawks (3-6)—82, Quinnipiac Bobcats—70 (Quinnipiac led by 5 at the half. The 2nd half was extremely close with several lead changes until the Hawks took control with 10 minutes to go and powered their way to a win. SG Carl Hancock—20 pts, 3 reb, 4 ast, 4 stl; PG Ivoree Spence—15 pts, 5 reb, 3 ast, 3 stl; C Kyle Mader—12 pts; SF Anthony Wilks—11 pts.)

Awards: None.

Injuries: Georgia State’s SG Clint Strohm—strained knee—9 days.

Comments: Georgia State, UC San Diego, and Western Illinois continued to add to their impressive win totals.

[PointGuard]

Summary of Games the Week of December 25-31, 2039

Conference I

Toledo Rockets—80, Georgia State Panthers (8-2)—58 (The Panthers hit a bump in the road when they journeyed to Toledo. There were 11 lead changes in the first 10 minutes of the game, but then the Rockets blasted off and left Georgia State in their contrail. Toledo led 41-21 at the half and opened as much as a 37 point lead in the 2nd half. SF David Selby—18 pts, 6 reb, 3 ast, 2 stl, 1 blk; PF Aaron Samuels—13 pts, 7 reb, 2 stl, 2 blk.)

Conference O

Southeast Louisiana Lions (5-6)—74, Wright State Raiders—63 (Wright State dominated the first half, leading 44-29 at the break. The Lions began steadily cut into that lead in the 2nd half with great defense and overtook the Raiders with 11 minutes to go and then moved out to what turned out to be an easy win. C Jason Nee—20 pts; PG Mike Bree—18 pts; PF Mike Sanders—10 pts, 7 reb; SG Will Collins—10 pts.)

Conference R

Western Illinois Leathernecks (8-2)—75, La Salle Explorers—65 (Western Illinois built solid 45-32 halftime advantage and then held onto a double digit lead throughout the 2nd half for a good road victory. PG Mohamed Ammons—26 pts; SF Ty Wilfork—16 pts, 4 reb, 6 ast; C David Perry—14 pts, 7 reb; SG Brandt Kennedy—10 pts, 5 reb, 3 ast, 5 stl.)

Conference S

St. Josephs Hawks—69, UC San Diego Tritons (7-3)—62 (The Tritons kept close even though they hit just 35% of their shots, but let the visiting Hawks pull away in the final 2 minutes. SG DeVante Botts—15 pts, 7 reb, 4 stl; PF Jeremiah Mason—13 pts, 6 reb, 2 ast, 4 stl.)

Central Florida Knights—78, Maryland Eastern Shore Hawks (3-7)—58 (By halftime, Central Florida already had the Hawks in a 44-26 hole and MD-Eastern Shore could never make a serious comeback in the 2nd half. SG Carl Hancock—16 pts, 4 ast; C Kyle Mader—11 pts, 7 reb.)

Awards: PG Mike Bree of Southeastern Louisiana was named the Conference O Freshman Player of the Week.

Injuries: SF Aaron Samuels of Georgia State—strained calf—11 days.

Comments: UC San Diego landed their 4th recruit when C Maurice Brooks committed to play for them next season. Santa wasn’t kind to 3 of the 5 coaches this week since their teams lost their games.

[PointGuard]

Summary of Games the Week of January 1-7, 2040

Conference I

South Carolina Gamecocks—75, Georgia State Panthers (8-3)—54 (The Panthers never led and fell behind fast. This was their 2nd straight beatdown. SF David Selby—19 pts; C Marshall Sanders—10 pts.)

Conference O

Southeast Louisiana Lions (6-6)—64, Wake Forest Demon Deacons—52 (The game was close in the first half with 10 lead changes. The Lions led 31-27 at the break and then slowly pulled away throughout the 2nd half, even though SF Trey Hendrik scored 27 and had 11 rebounds for Wake Forest. But SE Louisiana kept every other member of the Demon Deacons in check. SG Will Collins—18 pts, 5 reb, 3 ast; C Jason Nee—16 pts.)

Conference R

Western Illinois Leathernecks (9-2)—89, Idaho Vandals—65 (After 7 lead changes, the Leathernecks came out of the first half with a slim 36-33 lead. But after 3 minutes of play in the 2nd half, Western Illinois was in control and rapidly pulling away. The Leathernecks hit 64% of their FG’s and 58% of their 3’s. SF Ty Wilfork—19 pts, 6 reb, 6 ast; SG Bill Shin—17 pts, 7 reb, 2 ast, 2 stl, 1 blk; PF Orvo Haapajarvi—14 pts; PG Mohamed Ammons—12 pts.)

Conference S

UC San Diego Tritons (8-3)—85, UC Riverside Highlanders—65 (It took 7 minutes for the Tritons to get the upper hand in this contest, but they were ahead 52-42 at the break and continued to pull away throughout the 2nd half. PF Jeremiah Mason—26 pts, 5 reb; SG DeVante Botts—19 pts, 5 reb, 3 ast; PG Al LeVasseur—14 pts, 5 reb, 4 ast; C Bryce Stafford—13 pts, 6 reb, 6 ast.)

Maryland Eastern Shore Hawks (4-7)—68, Toledo Rockets—66 (While the Hawks held a small lead throughout the entire game, there were 10 lead changes and they had to hold off the Rockets for the final 5 minutes. SF Anthony Wilks—15 pts, 7 reb, 4 ast; C Kyle Maden—11 pts, 9 reb, 3 ast, 3 stl, 3 blk.)

Awards: PF Jeremiah Mason was named the Player of the Week for Conference S. His teammate, C Bryce Stafford was the Conference O Freshman Player of the Week (the 2nd time this season he’s won that award).

Injuries: None.

Comments: This was the final week of pre-conference games. Three coaches’ teams came through with strong records…Western Illinois, UC San Diego, and Georgia State. And Southeastern Louisiana and MD-Eastern Shore finished with wins.