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[jaytuomi]

Onnittellut, Orvo!!!
Vahva tuplatupla upean uran lopettamiseksi. Sinun pelipaitasi roikkuu ylpeänä kaapissani!

Congrats also to Yamoto and the Tritons, that’s a big step forward for that program!!

[PointGuard]

Onnittellut, Orvo!!!
Vahva tuplatupla upean uran lopettamiseksi. Sinun pelipaitasi roikkuu ylpeänä kaapissani!

Congrats also to Yamoto and the Tritons, that’s a big step forward for that program!!

LOL

He signed the jersey for you.

Orvo received interest from Vilpas, a Finnish professional team, to play for them...BUT....

Orvo graduated with a 3.6 GPA and has been accepted into a graduate program in Economics at the University of Illinois. Following a summer travelling around the U.S., he will begin his graduate program in the fall.

[PointGuard]

Some of the comments of the 5 coaches when they met together for short vacations after the season in Madrid, Spain (Ken Yamoda-K, Mike McMillan-M, Ramon Montez-R, Terry Morillo-T, Dontell Spencer-D:

M-Hey, Ken, congratulations on your excellent season and your team’s great showing in the NCAA Tournament.
K-Thanks. Just getting to the Big Dance was a rush, but the 2 wins, the upset, and the near upset definitely put a cherry on the top of our season.
D-And way to go all 4 of you on gaining promotions to the next higher conferences. Quite the opposite for me…crappy season, relegation and my request to the board denied (of course I expected it to be denied due to how we finished the year).
T-You’ll have your team back on top this coming season, Dontell.
R-How’d you get the 5-star recruit, Mike?
M-It was a shot in the dark. Due to his poor SAT scores, he couldn’t be taken by most schools. But our academic standards are so low that we can take nearly anyone. So when he was still available in mid April, I visited him and his family, made the late offer and nearly fell over when he accepted. He could well be a one-and-done for us, but I’ll take whatever we can get from him.
K-Another good thing that well for Ramon and Terry is that your requests to the board got approved. That’s never an easy accomplishment.
T-We really needed the facilities upgrade, so I’m pleased that the board finally saw the light…and the budget increase you got, Ramon, is always welcome.
R-Yeah, I might need it if many of my guys transfer. 3 of my freshman haven’t established a good relationship, so I may have to spend a bundle on going after transfer players in June.
M-I don’t even worry about it anymore. Nowadays these guys are like gypsies, moving at the drop of a hat. So yeah, it costs some to go after new guys, but sometimes you can really improve the team that way if you’re aggressive.
D-Maybe that’s what I need to get my program back on track.
R-Well, we’re all entering our 11th season soon. All for one and one for all, right?
T-Agree! Well, except when our teams meet on the court.

[PointGuard]

2040-2041 SEASON

Recruit Class Rankings

Three of the five teams recruit classes were highly ranked. A much better year than normal for the teams coached by the Five Musketeers.

MD-Eastern Shore—29th
Western Illinois—79th
UC-San Diego—87th
SE Louisiana—154th
Georgia State—292nd

[PointGuard]

Players Transferring Away from the 5 Coaches Teams:

UC San Diego—None

MD Eastern Shore—PF Matt Dennis, Soph (unhappy with coach)—little used last season and unlikely to play much this season. Would like to get to get a PG transfer player.

SE Louisiana—SG Vince McClinton, Soph, (unhappy with coach)— 9.3 mpg, 2.8 ppg last season, likely would have seen a little more playing time this season. Would like to get a big man or SG transfer player.

Western Illinois—None

Georgia State—SF Art Jones, soph—little used last season and PG Cy Hogue, Soph, starter until injured for last 1/3 of the season, 8.1 ppg and 3.2 apg, but likely would have been sub this season (both felt there was too much competition at their natural position). Would like to get a guard and best available transfers.

[PointGuard]

INCOMING TRANSFER PLAYERS

Maryland Eastern Shore
PG Renard Bell, Soph, transferred from Bucknell where he averaged 12.0 mpg, 4.1 ppg, 1.6 apg, 0.9 rpg

Southeast Louisiana
C Tom McCrary, Soph, transferred from NC-Asheville where he averaged 24.1 mpg, 9.0 ppg, 4.5 rpg

Georgia State
C Sean Gaines, Soph, transferred from Appalachian State where he averaged 17.9 mpg, 5.7 ppg, 3.4 rpg
C Ron Waldman, Soph, transferred from UC Riverside where he averaged 25.8 mpg, 4.8 ppg, 6.3 rpg

[PointGuard]

RECRUITING NEEDS

It’s late June and recruiting is about to begin. Here’s what the coaches say about their preferences in filling scholarships that will become available:

UC San Diego: Coach Yamoto advised they’ll have 5 scholarships to fill. “Ideally we will ink a PG and a SG who can come in off the bench next year and then hopefully start by the time their juniors. We need a SF and a C who can challenge for a starting roll during their first year with us. And with the fifth scholarship, let’s just see who’s the best available we can get. With the talent residing in California, I think we have a good chance of accomplishing all that,” said Yamoto.

MD-Eastern Shore: The Hawks will have 3 scholarships to fill. Coach McMillan said, “We need a guard and a big man and for the 3rd scholarship, the best recruit available, regardless of position. We need all 3 for depth this coming year, but then would need them to be competing for starting rolls in their 2nd year here.”

SE Louisiana: With 4 scholarships to fill, Coach Montez said, “I’d really like to bring in a SF and a SG who will be ready to step into the starting lineup the first year they’re with us. And also a couple big men who will provide us with a spark off the bench the first year playing for us and possibly start in their 2nd year with us.”

Western Illinois: “We only have 2 scholarships available this year. We definitely need a very strong PG, a guy who will start for us as soon as he begins playing college ball. And with the remaining scholarship, preferably we can bring in another PG or an interior player,” said Coach Morillo.

Georgia State: Coach Spencer said, “This will be tough recruiting year for us. We need to fill 6 scholarships so we’re really going to have to beat the bushes throughout Georgia and the rest of the southeast. I wish we had an extra $10,000 in our recruiting budget this year.” I’d like to sign 3 guards, a SF, a PF, and the best available recruit at any position.

[PointGuard]

Recruits with Verbal Acceptances as of Nov. 13th:

UC San Diego—Have verbal acceptances for all 5 available scholarships. All five are HS seniors this year. “I’m pretty happy. No big stars but we got recruits to fill each of our positional needs. We’ll see a year from now if any of the five are ready to start for us as freshmen,” said Coach Ken Yamoto.

SF Dermek Ledbetter, Las Vegas, NV, 6-7, 943rd ranked recruit
SG Jake Stuart, Wendell, ID, 6-0, 962nd ranked recruit
SF Calvin Sears, Murray, UT, 6-6, 1098th ranked recruit
SG Shane Patton, Arroyo Grande, CA, 6-4, 1470th ranked recruit (possibly a PG for us)
C Mike Okotie, Glendale, AZ, 6-8, 893rd ranked recruit

MD-Eastern Shore: Filled 2 of the 3 available scholarships. Both are HS seniors this year. “We filled our need at SG, so that’s good. We’ve expended our entire recruiting budget so we may have to cover our need for a big man with a transfer player this coming summer,” said Coach Mike McMillan.

SG Jason Surpin, Chicago, IL, 6-3, 1381st ranked recruit (could also play at PG for us)
SG Daymeon Fuller, Phoenix, AZ, 6-5, 1297th ranked recruit

SE Louisiana: Filled all 4 scholarships…3 are HS seniors and one a JC player. Coach Ramon Montez said, “We got some recruits with good potential and I think Roe will be a stronger player than how he’s been ranked by the scouting services.”

C Aaron Sims, Gray, LA, 6-10, 754th ranked recruit
C Changa Battle, Fairfax, SC, 6-9, 852nd ranked recruit
PF Andrew Stokes, Kenner, LA, 6-8, 861st ranked recruit (a good outside shooter so may play SF for us)
SG Jafar Roe, Clarksville, TN, 6-5, 1757th ranked recruit

Western Illinois: Both available scholarships have been filled. Both are HS seniors this year. “Success! We got the guys at the positions we needed,” said Coach Terry Morillo.

PG Jeremy Williams, Crescent City, IL, 6-5, 878th ranked recruit
PF Damien Cornell, Decatur, IL, 6-8, 757th ranked recruit

Georgia State: Filled all 6 available scholarships…five are HS seniors and one is a JC player. “I’ll be damned. We did it. And we got all the holes in our roster filled as well. Surprisingly, we still have a good amount of money left in our recruiting budget. That probably means the board will NEVER give us a budget increase. But they need to realize that we pretty much restricted our recruiting to within the state of Georgia,” said Coach Dontell Spencer.

SG Jim Gooden, Atlanta, GA, 6-3, 1319th ranked recruit
PF Terrance Smith, Stone Mountain, GA, 6-8, 1275th ranked recruit
PF T.J. Nicholson, Hawkinsville, GA, 6-10, 687th ranked recruit
SF Paul Mapp, Loganville, GA, 6-7, 810th ranked recruit
SG Curtis Lopez, Cumming, GA, 6-5, 1162nd ranked recruit
SG Michael Maxwell, Swainsboro, GA, 6-3, 680th ranked recruit

[NOTE: The AI did a pretty good job this time, filling 19 of the 20 available scholarships, although there were no highly ranked recruits. Now…let the games begin!]

[PointGuard]

Media Prognostication

Georgia State Panthers: Picked to finish 3rd in Conference J

Southeast Louisiana Lions: Picked to finish 3rd in Conference N

Western Illinois Leathernecks: Picked to finish 2nd in Conferenc Q

Maryland Eastern Shore Hawks: Picked to finish 1st in Conference R

UC San Diego Tritons: Picked to finish 2nd in Conference R

[PointGuard]

Summary of Games the Week of Nov. 13-19, 2040

Conference J

Indiana Hoosiers—64, Georgia State Panthers (0-1)—58 [Round 1 of the Coaches Classic Tourney] (Starters: PF Aaron Sanders; SF David Selby; C Ron Waldman; PG Elton Sheals; SG Clint Strohm. Close all the way with 17 lead changes, but Indiana came from behind with 2 minutes left. Lions were outshot 50% to 37%. PG Elton Sheals—13 pts, 6 reb, 5 ast; SF David Selby—11 pts.)

Conference N

#19 ranked Ohio State Buckeyes—63, Southeast Louisiana Lions (0-1)—50 [Preseason NIT Tourney] (Starters: PF Mike Sanders; SF Shawnelle Allen; C Travis Dixon; PG Mike Bree; SG Thomas Matthews. The Lions trailed the entire way. The heavily favored Buckeyes applied a lock-down defense that limited SE Louisiana’s shooting to just 30%. PF Mike Sanders—11 pts, 11 reb; SG Thomas Matthews—11 pts, 5 reb, 3 ast, 2 stl.)

Conference Q

UC San Diego Tritons—81, Western Illinois Leathernecks (0-1)—49 (Starters: PF Walter Jackson; SF Aloysius Worley; C David Perry; PG Trent Cougar; SG Brandt Kennedy. The Leathernecks got rousted in the first half and trailed 44-16 at the break. They continued to lose ground in the 2nd half. C David Perry—13 pts, 7 reb; PG Trent Cougar—12 pts. “A road game is always tough, but Ken’s team simply kicked our butts tonight. We have to get our act together,” said Coach Morillo.)

Western Illinois Leathernecks (1-1)—96, NC-Central Eagles—83 (Close in the first half, but the Leathernecks got ahead 45-41 at intermission and then held onto a solid lead throughout the 2nd half. PG Trent Cougar—37 pts, 10 ast; SG Brandt Kennedy—21 pts, 5 ast; C David Perry—11 pts. “Trent not only was scorching the net, but he held the Eagles’ PG to 0 points,” said Coach Morillo.)

Conference R

UC San Diego Tritons (1-0)—81, Western Illlinois Leathernecks—49 (Starters: PF Bryce Stafford; SF Steve McCrary; C Tommy Jordan; PG Solomon Rayner; SG Brandon Payne. Good shooting plus good defense equals a big win. C Tommy Jordan—14 pts, 6 reb, 3 ast; SF Steve McCrary—13 pts, 7 reb, 3 ast, 2 stl; SG Brandon Payne—12 pts, 5 reb, 3 ast; reserve forward Merv Dye—11 pts; PG’s Rayner and LeVasseur combined to dish out 10 assists.)

UC San Diego Tritons (2-0)—81, Marist Red Foxes—67 (A second straight 81 point offense for UC San Diego that again hit over 50% of their FG’s…this time on the road. The Tritons were in control very early and gradually expanded their lead. PG Solomon Rayner—21 pts, 7 ast; SG Brandon Payne—14 pts, 5 reb, 6 ast, 3 stl; PF Bryce Stafford—12 pts, 5 reb; C Tommy Jordan—10 pts, 4 reb, 3 ast, 2 stl; reserve PG/SG Al LeVasseur—10 pts.)

Maryland Eastern Shore Hawks (1-0)—94, Alabama State Hornets—79 (Starters: PF Rob Evans; SF Anthony Wilks; C Andy Cummings; PG Jon Arrington; SG Rick Miller. The Hawks blasted away from the beginning and held a big lead all the way. SF Anthony Wilks—20 pts, reb, 2 ast, 4 stl, 2 blk; C Andy Cummings—15 pts, 5 reb; reserve C Zamiro Colter—15 pts; reserve guard Ray West—14 pts, 3 ast; SG Rick Miller—12 pts, 6 reb, 7 ast, 2 stl.)

Maryland Eastern Shore Hawks (2-0)—75, Columbia Lions—50 (A second straight dominating win, although the Lions made a late run in the first half to cut the Hawks lead to 32-30 at the break. But MD-Eastern Shore came out in the 2nd half and quickly pulled away. C Andy Cummings—18 pts, 4 reb; SF Anthony Wilks—16 pts, 3 ast; SG Rick Miller—11 pts, 5 reb, 3 ast, 2 stl, 1 blk; PF Rob Evans—9 pts, 8 reb; PG Jon Arrington—8 pts, 7 reb, 7 ast, 3 stl.)

Awards: C Andy Cummings of MD-Eastern Shore was selected as the Freshman Player of the Week for Conference R.

Injuries: Trent Cockrom of MD-Eastern Shore (sore knee, 5 days); Mike Boxler of Georgia State (strained abdominal—7 days).

Comments: Solid start by the two Conference R teams with both UC San Diego and MD-Eastern Shore scoring 2 lopsided wins. Western Illinois’ PG Trent Cougar, returning to the starting lineup after missing much of his sophomore and junior seasons with a torn ACL and then severe back spasms, scored 49 points and dished out 13 assists in the team’s first two games, but still wasn’t given the Conference Player of the Week award…Coach Morillo exclaimed, “We demand a recount!” Freshmen who made an impact the first week:

Georgia St.—only two freshmen, one who redshirted last season—neither has played thus far.
SE Louisiana—Travis Dixon started, played and scored 7 points and had 7 boards.
Western Illiois—Walter Jackson started both games, scored 2 and grabbed 5 rebounds in first game and scored 6 and had 3 assists and 2 steals in his 2nd game.
UC San Diego—Merv Dye didn’t start but averaged 19.5 mpg and 8.5 ppg in the Tritons 2 games.
MD-Eastern Shore—Andy Cummings started both games and averaged 16.5 ppg and 4.5 rpg. (Cummings was the 20th highest ranked recruit who the Hawks pitched and landed the final week of last season).