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[PointGuard]

Summary of Games the Week of 1/22/38 to 1/28/38:

Conference R

Mount St. Mary’s—88, Alcorn State (8-8, 2-3)—80 (The Mountaineers scored first and went ahead by 20 points in the first half. The Braves cut their deficit to 47-35 when the half ended. In the 2nd half Alcorn State got with 5 points a few times but couldn’t overtake Mount St. Mary’s and their inside-outside duo of C David Perry and SG Terry kid who combined to score 45 points. All the Alcorn State starters scored in double figures: 15 points from C Mikko Stallings, 14 apiece by PF Jared Kraft and SG Andy Carney, 13 for PG Caswell Cook, and 10 points from SF Harold Hein. Carney also had 8 assists, 7 rebounds and 2 steals.)

Alcorn State (9-8, 3-3)—81, Troy—68 (Alcorn State got off to a good start but let Troy come back and take a small lead midway through the first half. The Braves then regained the lead and by the end of the half were on top 43-31. Alcorn State went ahead by as much as 22 points in the 2nd half and coasted to an easy victory by outshooting the Trojans 54% to 43%. C Mikko Stallings scored 32 points and pulled down 7 boards. SF Harold Hein had 16 points and 7 rebounds and PF Jared Kraft had 10 points and 10 rebounds.)

Arkansas-Pine Bluff (14-2, 5-0)—74, Quinnipiac—68 (Playing at home, Quinnipiac ran off to a 15 point lead midway through the first half. But the Golden Lions went on a late run that cut the Bobcats lead to just 31-29 at the break. That offensive output by Arkansas-Pine Bluff continued throughout the entire 2nd half. There were a bunch of lead changes early in the half and then the Golden Lions exerted control and led for the final 15 minutes of the game. SG Bill Thorton had 19 points and 6 boards. SF Dan Jefferson and PG Jerome King both scored 12 points. “We didn’t do a lot right but a win on the road is always sweet,” said Coach Dontell Spencer.)

Arkansas-Pine Bluff (15-2, 6-0)—74, Appalachian State—50 (Arkansas Pine Bluff rolled over the Mountaineers, outshooting them 51% to 36% and forcing Appalachian State to turn the ball over 22 times. SF Dan Jefferson scored 16 plus had 4 assists, 5 steals and 1 block. SG Bill Thorton tossed in 15 points and C Trent Harris scored 14 points.)

Conference T

Tennessee-Martin—69, Maryland-Eastern Shore (8-8, 3-2)—57 (The Hawks let the Skyhawks exert dominance from the beginning of the game and trailed 32-20 at the half. MD-Eastern Shore came out with more confidence in the 2nd half, but failed to cut into the lead. Two reserves, forward Luke Feeley and SG Carl Hancock with 13 and 10 points respectively, led the Hawks scoring.)

Maryland-Eastern Shore (9-8, 4-2)—73, North Alabama—71 (Neither team could take control for long and there were 21 lead changes and 11 ties. MD-Eastern Shore took their final lead with 5 minutes to go, expanded the lead quickly to 8 points and then held on for dear life to win a squeaker. SF Winston Morant had a big game with 24 points and 7 rebounds. SG Lataryl Brown had 18 points, 4 assists and 3 steals.)

Western Illinois (10-6, 5-0)—77, Columbia—60 (Defense was key to Western Illinois gaining a 36-18 halftime gap over the Lions. Fortunately their offense continued since their defense evaporated in the 2nd half. The two teams basically traded baskets throughout the entire 2nd half. SG Trent Cougar dropped in 23 points with PG Ty Wilfork adding 14 and C Craig Grant hitting for 13 points.)

Montana State—63, Western Illinois (10-7, 5-1)—58 (Both teams slowed down the action in this game. While there were just 11 lead changes, the game was close throughout with each team having alternate periods of dominance but never gaining a big lead. Team stats were as close as the score. The hometown Bobcats grabbed the final lead with 5 minutes to go and held it until the final buzzer. Ty Wilfork was moved from PG to SF by coach Terry Morillo and scored 11 points. Trent Cougar was switched from SG to PG and also scored 11. C Craig Grant was the 3rd Leatherneck to score 11 points. Tevis Tahid, who moved into the starting lineup at SG, hit both 3’s he put up, but didn’t take any other shots even though he was on the court for 29 minutes. The loss ended the Leathernecks 6 game win streak. After the game, Coach Morillo explained he altered the starting lineup because Ty Wilfork was experiencing some leg pain…so in order to keep him in the game but eliminate some of the stress on him, he was moved from PG to SF.)

Conference U

UC-San Diego (12-4, 5-0)—63, Massachusetts-Lowell River—49 (The Tritons travelled across the U.S. and were on top from beginning to end. Their defense held Mass-Lowell River to just 19 points in the 2nd half. SG DeVante Botts overcame back pain to score 13 points while C Camara McWilliams, SF Jared Keating, and reserve forward Jeremiah Mason each scored 12 points. McWilliams also had 8 boards, s steals and 2 blocks.)

UC-San Diego (13-4, 6-0)—67, Chicago State—52 (Chicago State hit a couple quick baskets to jump out to a lead, but then the Tritons held the Cougars scoreless for 5 minutes enroute to a 33-16 halftime lead. After expanding their lead to 25 points in the 2nd half, they let the Cougars get closer but were never in danger. Top scorers were PG Matt Holcomb with 16 points, SF Jared Keating with 13 points, and C Camara McWilliams who scored 12 points. “We had 4 periods of fantastic defense, 2 in the first half and 2 in the 2nd half, but we let up otherwise, so I’m unhappy we weren’t able to maintain consistency,” said Coach Ken Yamoto.)

Significant Injuries: UC San Diego’s SG DeVante Boggs, who came down with back spasms last week, has now suffered a strained hamstring and isn’t expected to be back to full strength for at least a week.

Awards: Arkansas Pine Bluff’s C Mikko Stallings was the Conference R Freshman Player of the Week

Comments: UC San Diego rolled off 2 big wins to increase their win streak to 6 games while Arkansas Pine Bluff now has won 12 straight. “We’ve just been unable to get on a roll,” said Alcorn State’s Coach Ramon Montez. “We’ve yet to win more than 2 games in a row.” Coach Mike McMillan of MD-Eastern Shore echoed that, “We’re in the same boat…never more than 2 wins or 2 losses consecutively. But I think we can get it together and run off a series of victories.”

[PointGuard]

Recruiting Status:

SAT scores have been announced. Here’s the recruiting status for each of the coach’s 5 teams:

UC San Diego: Coach Yamoto filled the only upcoming vacancy with 6’8” SF Cederic Jackson from Fort Thomas, Arizona and is ranked as the 1384th best recruit. It’s possible that Coach Yamoto may have to cut either SF Steve McCrary who has played little and not been productive or C Matt Johnson who has come off the bench regularly but not been impressive and try to pick up a high quality transfer player to strengthen his team for next season. The Tritons need to burn some their remaining recruiting budget if they want any chance of getting their board of directors to approve a request for any budget or facilities upgrade at the end of this year.

MD-Eastern Shore: Coach McMillan filled just 1 of 4 openings. 6’4” SF Trent Crockram from Baltimore, MD will be the lone incoming freshman. Crockram is a 2-star recruit, ranked as the 589th best recruit. He’s been a decent rebounder in high school but due to his height and also his ability to hand out assists, he could well shift to SG or PG for the Hawks. With no remaining recruiting budget for this year, that means the Hawks will have to go after 3 transfer players, and in particular they need a big man and a PG.

Alcorn State: Coach Montez filled both available scholarships. 6’7” SF Brandon Chenowith from Ethel, Missisissippi is a 2-star who is the 606th highest rated recruit. 6’6” Travis Tyler is from Philadelphia, MS and is the 1318th ranked recruit. The Braves would likely have preferred to recruit a guard, but possibly one of these recruits or one of their present SF’s can move over to play at SG this coming year.

Western Illinois: Coach Morillo landed 2 recruits but still has one more scholarship coming open next season. 6’2” PG Jerry Gilmore, a JC player from Galena, Illinois is the 1695th highest ranked recruit, but he’s played well for his JC team so could provide some needed minutes at the point for the Leathernecks this coming season. 6’6” SG Bill Shin is from Crystal Lake, Illinois and is the 1347th ranked recruit. He’s likely going to need some seasoning before he plays much for Western Illinois. Since there is no money in the recruiting budget this year, the Leathernecks will likely be looking to pick up a good big man from the transfer pool to fill the remaining opening.

Arkansas-Pine Bluff: Coach Spencer had 4 scholarships to fill and desperately needed at least one PG and one SF and preferable two at each of those positions. But the only recruit coming in next season is 6’5” PG Torian Griffin from Hot Springs, Arkansas who is the 902nd highest ranked recruit. Griffin may or may not be ready to start at PG, but with no remaining recruiting budget money this year, the Golden Lions will need to pick up a strong PG and a couple SF’s from the transfer pool this coming summer.

[PointGuard]

Summary of Games the Week of 1/29/38 to 2/4/38:

Conference R

Alcorn State (10-8, 4-3)—80, California Baptist—61 (This game was close for the first couple minutes during which there were 6 lead changes. Alcorn State then began to steadily pull away and led 45-30 at the half. C Mikko Stallings scored 20, PG Caswell Cook hit for 17, SG Andy Carney put in 16 points, and PF Jared Kraft had a double-double with 10 points and 12 boards.)

Alcorn State (11-8, 5-3)—76, Jacksonville—41 (The Braves just never let the Dolphins get going offensively and steadily pulled away to bury Jacksonville. PG Caswell Cook scored 15 and reserve guard Dan Hodge hit for 13 points. “Our bench scored 38 points, so that was a big positive,” said Coach Montez.)

Arkansas-Pine Bluff (16-2, 7-0)—91, Hartford—88 (“This game was so close the entire 40 minutes that I’m soaked in as much sweat as my players,” said Coach Spencer. After 18 lead changes and 14 ties, the Golden Lions rebounded a miss by the Hawks with 3 seconds to go and immediately called a time out. Two quick passes got the ball in Albert Taylor’s hand and he launched a 25 foot prayer that settled smoothly through the net. Hartford was sent to the free throw line 19 more times where they scored 15 more points that the Golden Lions. But Arkansas-Pine Bluff outshot Hartford 59% to 47% and were +11 on the boards. 6 players for the Golden Lions scored in double figures: PG Albert Taylor-16 (plus 8 assists); C Chris Betts-14 (plus 7 rebounds); reserve C Trent Harris-14 points (plus 6 boards); SG Bill Thorton-13 points (plus 7 boards); SF Dan Jefferson-11 points; and PF Andrew Richardson-11 points.)

Arkansas-Pine Bluff (17-2, 8-0)—73, Lafayette-63 (Rouding out 2 games on the road, the Golden Lions trailed the entire game until 11 minutes remained and then they got the lead and never gave it up. They again outshot their opponents: 51% to 40%. SF Dan Jefferson had 20 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists. SG Bill Thorton scored 18 and C Chris Botts hit for 11 points.)

Conference T

Maryland-Eastern Shore (10-8, 5-2)—69, St. Francis (NY)—63 (St. Francis led the first 4 minutes but the the Hawks caught up and gradually pulled away. MD-Eastern Shore led by double figures much of the remainder of the game but the Terriers cut into the lead late in the 2nd half. C Geordie Johnson had 18 points and 6 rebounds. SG Lataryl Brown scored 13 plus had 4 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals. PF Jim Taflinger added 11 points and SF Winston Morant had 8 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals and a block.)

Maryland-Eastern Shore (11-8, 6-2)—61, Columbia—44 (In the 2nd of two road games this week, the Hawks took control after the two teams battled for the lead for the first 5 minutes. By the end of the half they were ahead by 12 points and then improved on that in the 2nd half. Marcos Santini moved into the starting lineup at SG and impressed by hitting 6 of 8 from the field including 3 of 4 from beyond the arc and scoring 15 points. Lataryl Brown shifted over to PG and scored 13 points. C Geordie Johnson had 9 points and 9 boards. Coach McMillan said, “The guys did a great job defensively tonight…for the entire 40 minutes.”)

Western Illinois (11-7, 6-1)—68, Fordham—59 (Fordham got off to a hot start and led by 13 points midway through the first half, but the Leathernecks came back to tie the game at the end of the half. The 2nd half went back and forth for 13 minutes with 14 lead changes, but then Western Illinois asserted dominance and pulled away to win it. Ty Wilfork started again at SF and scored 23 points and had 6 boards. Trent Cougar continued to fill in at PG and had 11 points, 7 assists and 4 rebounds.)

Western Illinois (12-7, 7-1)—63, North Alabama—46 (This game was never in doubt as the Leathernecks, playing very strong defensively, led from wire to wire. C Craig Grant had 16 points and Trent Cougar, who started again at SG, had a big game with 15 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, and 4 steals.)

Conference U

UC-San Diego (14-4, 7-0)—81, North Dakota—66 (The cold weather in North Dakota only temporarily cooled off the hot Tritons. They trailed throughout the first half and were down 49-37 at the break. But they applied a staunch defense in the 2nd half which held the Fighting Hawks to just 17 points in the final 20 minutes and flew past them to an easy victory. SF Jared Keating knocked down 11 of 14 FG’s and scored 25 points. Forward Jeremiah Mason continued to provide a big spark coming in off the bench and scored 17 points when hit hit 6 of 7 from the field including all 3 of his 3-pointers. SG DeVante Botts also smoked the nets, hitting 7 of 9 from the field and finishing with 15 points plus getting 5 rebounds, 6 assists, 4 steals and 2 blocks.)

UC-San Diego (15-4, 8-0)—100, Nicholls State—80 (The Tritons hot shooting continued when the returned home as they scorched the nets, hitting 63% of the FG’s and 57% of their 3’s. UC-San Diego offset good shooting by Nicholls State by forcing them to commit 23 turnovers. SG DeVante Botts sank 11 of 12 shots including 4 of 4 of his 3’s and scored 28 points while dishing out 8 assists. SF Jared Keating also remained red-hot, finishing with 24 points. PG Matt Holcomb and reserve forward Jeremiah Mason both scored 13 points. Reserve PG Calvin Henderson had 7 assists in his 12 minutes on the court.)

Significant Injuries: MD-Eastern Shore’s SG Marcos Santini and SG/PG Lataryl Brown both have strained calves and will be limited for about a week. C Chris Betts of Arkansas-Pine Bluff has a bruised thigh and and may miss games for nearly 2 weeks.

Awards: SG DeVante Botts of UC-San Diego is the Conference U Player of the Week.

Comments: Whoa! Amazingly strong week. The 5 coaches collectively had 10 wins and zero losses. That left the teams in good position in the standings: Arkansas-Pine Bluff is in 1st place and Alcorn State is tied for 4th place in Conference R. Western Illlinois is tied for 1st place and MD-Eastern Shore is tied for 3rd place in Conference T. UC-San Diego is in 1st place with a 2 game lead in Conference U.

[PointGuard]

Summary of Games the Week of 2/5/38 to 2/11/38:

Conference R

North Carolina A&T—98, Alcorn State (11-9, 5-4)—77 (Alcorn State hung close for 6 minutes but then slipped further and further behind when their defense disintegrated. C Mikko Stallings scored 19 and SG Andy Carney added 14. The Braves allowed the Aggies’ PG Byron Robinson to torch them with 29 points.)

Alcorn State (12-9, 6-4)—78, Arkansas-Pine Bluff—70 (In a battle pitting two of the Five Musketeer coaches’ teams, the Braves pulled away midway through the first half, and by dominating the boards, they never let the Golden lions to get back into the game. Reserve guard Rob Hodge tossed in 17 points and SF Harold Hein had 13 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists.)

Arkansas-Pine Bluff (18-2, 9-0)—87, Bryant—64 (The Golden Lions jumped out to a lead but Bryant came back to pull ahead midway through the first half. After 5 lead changes, Arkansas-Pine Bluff clamped down defensively and pulled away to lead by 6 at the end of the half. The Golden Lions totally controlled the 2nd half. Reserve guard Jerome King topped the scoring with 17 points with PF Andrew Richardson and SF Dan Jefferson both scoring 14 points and SG Bill Thorton adding 12 points. Richardson also had 12 rebounds. Late in the game Bill Thorton went down with a broken leg.)

Alcorn State—78, Arkansas-Pine Bluff (18-3, 9-1)—The Golden Lions sustained their first conference loss and definitely missed not having Bill Thorton in the lineup. But the big problem was that they were -14 in rebounds. SF Dan Jefferson scored 20, Jerome King moved into the lineup at PG and hit for 14, and C Chris Betts scored 12.)

Conference T

Maryland-Eastern Shore (12-8, 7-2)—61, Montana State—59 (MD-Eastern Shore led for much of the 1st half and was ahead by 4 at the break. But Montana State ground ahead in the 2nd half to lead by as much as 12 points. The Bobcats then went into a 4 minute dry streak which allowed the Hawks to get back into the game. Neither team lead by more than 2 points during the final 5 minutes with MD-Eastern Shore holding onto their small lead the final minute to post a slim home victory and run their win streak to 4 games. C Geordie Johnson had 12 points and 7 boards and PF Jim Taflinger scored 10 points.)

Fordham—59, Maryland-Eastern Shore 2-9, 7-3)—50 (Fordham led most of the game. The Hawks stayed close but ultimately could not overcome the Rams’ home court advantage. Poor shooting (36% on FG’s and 22% on 3’s) was the Hawks’s bane. Their only player to score din double figures was C Geordie Johnson who scored 10 points. A sore knee kept guard Lamarr Ramage from playing much or being effective for the second straight game.)

Western Illinois (13-7, 8-1)—71, St. Francis (NY)—63 (The Leathernecks took the lead early in the game and then held it all the way to the end. Midway through the 2nd half they were up by 18 points, but the Terriers went on a late run that cut into their lead but was never a serious threat. C Craig Grant had 16 points and PG Ty Wilfork scored 14 to lead Western Illinois’ offense.)

Western Illinois (14-7, 9-1)—63, Eastern Illinois—49 (Both teams held decent leads in the first half and Western Illinois lead just just a single point when they went to the locker rooms. But early in the 2nd h the half the Leathernecks grabbed a lead which they held onto the rest of the way to run off their 4th consecutive win. Western Illinois has not allowed their opponents to score more than 63 points in the last 6 games. For the 2nd straight game, C Craig Grant and PG Ty Wilfork scored 16 and 14 points, respectively. Grant also had 12 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals and a block in this game.)

Conference U

UC-San Diego (16-4, 9-0)—99, Tennessee Tech—87 (This game was razor close for the first 29 minutes during which the two teams offenses were both in high gear. But then the Tritons drew away by clamping down defensively and finished with a solid road victory. UC San Diego dropped in 60% of their field goal attempts with 6 players scoring in double figures: PF Brad Sanders and reserve forward Jeremiah Mason both scored 21, PG Matt Holcomb had 17 points, SF Jared Keating tossed in 15 points, SG DeVante Botts hit for 14 points, and C Camara McWilliams finished with 11 points. Sanders and Keating each had 7 rebounds and McWilliams had 6. Holcomb and Botts had 9 and 6 assists and 4 and 3 steals, respectively.)

UC-San Diego (17-4, 10-0)—84, SE Missouri State—58 (The Tritons ran away with this game from the very beginning and led by as many as 33 points. PF Brad Sanders scored 17, PG Matt Holcomb was right behind with 15 points, and SF Jared Keating and SG DeVante Botts both scored 12 points. C Camara McWilliams scored just 6 points but had 12 boards, 4 assists and 3 steals.)

Significant Injuries: SG Bill Thorton of Arkansas-Pine Bluff broke his leg and will miss the remainder of the season. Alcorn State’s reserve SF Danny Murphy sustained a concussion, but is expected to be able to return to action in a few days.

Awards: None.

Comments: 10 straight wins for UC San Diego and the Tritons have averaged more than 90 ppg in their past 4 games. Arkansas-Pine Bluff’s win streak was snapped at 15. Three of the five teams are on top in their respective conferences: Arkansas-Pine Bluff in Conference R, Western Illinois in Conference T, and UC-San Diego in Conference U. The Tritons are 3 games ahead of their closest pursuers in Conference U.

[PointGuard]

Summary of Games the Week of 2/12/38 to 2/18/38:

Conference R

Alcorn State (13-9, 7-4)—85, Cornell—71 (C Mikko Stallings 23 points and SG Andy Carney’s 19 points led the Braves to a handy defeat of the Big Red. “Hitting 62% of our FG’s and 63% of our 3’s on the road is always a tremendous feat,” crowed coach Ramon Montez.)

#24 ranked Stetson—93, Alcorn State (13-10, 7-5)—75 (Alcorn State wasn’t up to the challenge of visiting the Stetson Hatters. Even though they trailed they kept in touch with the Hatters for the first 30 minutes of the game, but then faded at the end of the game. Stetson dominated the boards (34-24) and hit 15 of 26 of their 3’s. SG Andy Carney scored 17 and C Mikko Stallings added 16 points, but the talented Hatters had 5 players scoring in double figutes. “We’re going to need to come on strong in our final four regular season games if we want to finish in the top 4 in the conference and get promoted,” said coach Ramon Montez.

Arkansas-Pine Bluff (19-3, 10-1)—75, VMI—67 (The Golden Lions built a 19 point lead in the first half but VMI played tough in the 2nd half to narrow the gap. Topping their scoring were SG Albert Taylor with 19 points and SF Dan Jefferson’s 18 points. “We had a great start, but I’m not happy with how we seemed to get overconfident and let the Keydets get back into the game, particularly when we’re playing at home,” said coach Dontell Spencer.)

Arkansas-Pine Bluff (20-3, 11-1)—70, California Baptist—64 (This game was very close with 9 lead changes and 6 ties during the first 28 minutes, but Arkansas Pine Bluff then went on a run to wrest back the lead and go ahead by 12 points before California Baptist cut into their lead in the final few minutes. SG Jerome King hit for 17 points, reserve C Trent Harris scored 13, PF Andrew Richardson tossed in 11 points, and reserve C Lou McFall added 10 points. Starting C Chris Betts went up for a rebound in the first minute of the game and crashed to the floor, breaking his wrist. “Losing Chris was a big blow, but I’m proud of how Trent and Lou came in to do a tremendous job filling in for him,” said coach Dontell Spencer.

Conference T

Maryland-Eastern Shore (13-9, 8-3)—69, Prairie View—57 (The Hawks got out to a big lead from the get-go in this game and never let the Panthers put on a serious challenge. MD-Eastern Shore held a 40-26 rebounding advantage. SF Winston Morant had a huge game with 22 points, 11 rebounds, and 3 assists. C Geordie Johnson scored 18.)

Maryland-Eastern Shore (14-9, 9-3)—71, Charleston Southern—46 (This game was close throughout the first half and for the first 5 minutes of the 2nd half. But the Hawks then kept the Buccaneers from scoring for nearly 7 minutes to pull way out in front. PF Jim Taflinger, SF Winston Morant, and PG LaMarr Ramage each scored 13 points and C Geordie Johnson had 10 points and 14 rebounds. “Great defense and total dominance on the boards for our guys!,” exclaimed coach Mike McMillan.)

Tennessee-Martin—73, Western Illinois (14-8, 9-2)—68 (The Leathernecks fell behind early in the 1st half. After trailing by as much as 13 points, Western Illinois struggled late to close the gap, but got it going too late to have a chance of winning. C Craig Grant scored 14, SG Trent Cougar added 11, and SF James Johnson put in 10 points. But PG Jon Jeffries scored 23 points and dished out 8 assists for the Skyhawks.)

Canisius—82, Western Illinois (14-9, 9-3)—71 (The margin was razor-thin for either team throughout most of the game with 20 lead changes and 9 ties. But Canisius came on strong in the final 7 minutes to pull away. SG Trent Cougar scored 17 and SF James Johnson and C Craig Grant both scored 13. “We’ve played well on the road earlier this season, but losing two away games this week should give notice to our players that they have to work harder,” said coach Terry Morillo. “Luckily we 3 of our final 4 games are at home, but even then we can’t have these kind of let-downs.”)

Conference U

Sacred Heart—78, UC-San Diego (17-5, 10-1)—76 (A heart-breaking road loss to Sacred Heart. The game was close throughout the first half with the Tritons carving out a slim 44-43 lead. They then dominated early in the 2nd half and looked to have the game wrapped up as they went ahead by 12. But the Pioneers fought back in the final 6 minutes and edged ahead with a minute to go and held on for the win. SG DeVante Botts pumped in 24 points and his teammates PF Brad Sanders scored 13 and SF Jared Keating and PG Matt Holcomb added 11 apiece. But the Tritons couldn’t stop Sacred Heart’s C Travis Smith who scored 25 and had 7 boards.)

UC-San Diego (18-5, 11-1)—81, North Florida—61 (The Tritons returned home and had no problem downing the Osprey. At the half UC San Diego led 50-24 and cruised to an easy win. 6th man Jeremiah Mason had 18 points and 7 rebounds. SF Jared Keating hit for 13 and PF Brad Sanders and SG DeVante Botts both scored 11.)

Significant Injuries: Arkansas-Pine Bluff’s C Chris Betts broke his wrist and will miss the remainder of the season.

Awards: None.

Comments: Arkansas Pine Bluff hung on to a tenuous one-game lead over Stetson for 1st place in Conference R, but 3 of their final 4 games are on the road. With 2 starters (C Chris Betts and SG Bill Thorton) now out for the rest of the season, the Golden Lions may have a tough time holding onto first place. Coach Dontell Spencer said, “Two breaks (Bett’s wrist and Thorton’s leg) are definitely a bad break for our team. But I’m not going to use the injury bug as an excuse. We just have to plug those holes, work harder, make the best use of a shorter bench, and go forward. I think we’ll surprise some people.” Western Illinois’ two losses this week dropped them into a tie with Maryland-Eastern Shore and Eastern Illinois for 1st place in Conference T.

[PointGuard]

Summary of Games the Week of 2/19/38 to 2/25/38:

Conference R

Alcorn State (14-10, 8-5)—81, Hartford—56 (Alcorn State outshot Hartford 54% to 32% and were +9 in rebounding. The Braves led from start to finish. SF Harold Hein scored 17 points and C Mikko Stallings, playing just 15 minutes due to foul troubles, put in 14 points.

Alcorn State (15-10, 9-5)—83, VMI—69 (Another high scoring game for the Braves. They hit 57% of their FGA’s and 67% of their 3PA’s plus were +13 on the boards. SG Andy Carney scored 20, C Mikko Stallings dropped in 16, and PF Jared Kraft and PG Caswell Cook both scored 13.)

Troy—77, Arkansas-Pine Bluff (20-4, 11-2)—63 (Arkansas Pine Bluff was never really into this game, trailing by 14 at the end of the half and unable to cut into he lead in the 2nd half. SF Dan Jefferson scored 22 and PF Andrew Richardson added 10.)

Arkansas-Pine Bluff (21-4, 12-2)—99, North Carolina A&T—78 (The Golden Lions travelled to take on a weak Aggies team and destroyed them. They hit 61% of their FG’s and 47% of their 3’s. SG Albert Taylor poured in 24 points, SF Dan Jefferson scored 21, PG Jerome King hit for 18 points plus had 6 rebounds and 6 assists, and reserve C Travis Vines scored 14.)

Conference T

Maryland-Eastern Shore (15-9, 10-3)—72, Grambling—53 (Grambling, playing on their home court, kept up with the Hawks for the first 28 minutes of this game. But then MD-Eastern Shore clamped down defensively and roared to a convincing win. SG LaMarr Ramage scored 18 and C Geordie Johnson added 15 points.)

Maryland-Eastern Shore (16-9, 11-3)—69, Seattle—59 (Seattle looked to be in control through most of the 1st half, but the Hawks caught up and left the court at the end of the half up by 4 points. They then jumped out to a 14 point lead early in the 2nd half and held on to record their 6th straight win. SG Lataryl Brown had 14 points and 7 assists, PF Jim Taflinger scored 13 and pulled down 8 boards, and PG LaMarr Ramage scored 11.)

Western Illinois (15-9, 10-3)—61, Seattle—58 (Western Illinois was in complete control in the first half and led 37-21 at the end of the first 20 minutes. But the Leathernecks seemed to run out of gas in the 2nd half and had to hold on to eke out a win at home. Four starters were in double figures: SF James Johnson-11, PG Ty Wilfork-11, PF Orvo Haapajarvi-10, and C Craig Grant-10. Haapajarvi also had 9 rebounds.)

Charleston Southern—73, Western Illinois (15-10, 10-4)—70 (Western Illinois came back late in the first half to surge ahead 37-30 at the break. But they were unable to hold onto that lead in the 2nd half and the lead flipped back and forth throughout with the Buccaneers hitting a last second 3 to pin a tough road loss on Western Illinois. SF James Johnson scored 19, PF James Johnson put in 15, and C Craig Grant had 14. “A 3-point win and a 3-point loss this week. Both added a few years onto me,” said coach Terry Morillo.)

Conference U

UC-San Diego (19-5, 12-1)—71, New Hampshire—62 (New Hampshire led by as much as 11 points early in the 2nd half, but the Tritons put on a run late in the game that erased the lead and left the Wildcats in the dust. PF Brad Sanders had a double-double with 13 points and 10 boards, SF Jared Keating contributed 12 points, and PG Matt Holcomb had 11 points and 8 assists. “After getting our butts kicked in the first half, we were able to get our offense in gear and shut down New Hampshire defensively in the 2nd half, so a nice road win,” said coach Ken Yamoto.)

UC-San Diego (20-5, 13-1)—79, Howard—75 (What a game! 19 lead changes, 8 ties. Neither team able to pull away at any point. The Tritons came from behind with 2 minutes to go to pull of the road victory. PG Matt Holcomb scored 24 points and dished out 6 assists. Reserve guard Calvin Henderson scored 14 points and SG DeVante Botts and SF Jared Keathing both scored 12 points.)

Significant Injuries: None.

Awards: None.

Comments: With a week remaining in the regular season, Alcorn State’s 2 wins this week edged them into sole possession of 4th place in Conference R, a game behind Omaha and a game ahead of Lafayette and Troy…they play AT Lafayette this coming week. Arkansas-Pine Bluff hung onto a one-game lead over Stetson for 1st place in Conference R. Maryland-Eastern Shore powered their way into a first place tie with Eastern Illinois in Conference T with Western Illinois a game behind, tied for 3rd with Charleston Southern. UC-San Diego’s 2 road wins this week left them 2 games ahead of 2nd place Nicholls State with 2 games to go. So all 5 teams have a chance to earn promotion, if they play well in the final week.

[PointGuard]

Summary of Games the Week of 2/27/38 to 3/5/38:

Conference R

Lafayette—67, Alcorn State (15-11, 9-6)—55 (“Good game for 10 minutes, but then we let the Leopards’ home crowd take us out of the game,” said coach Ramon Montez. SF Harold Hein hit for 16 points and SG Andy Carney scored 12.)

Alcorn State (16-11, 10-6)—81, Bryant—68 (There were 9 lead changes in the first 13 minutes. But then the Braves began drawing away and never looked back. C Mikko Stallings tossed in 23 points, PF Jared Kraft had 13 points and 7 boards, and SF Harold Hein scored 11 and grabbed 6 rebounds.)

Arkansas-Pine Bluff (22-4, 13-2)—80, Cornell—71 (Cornell came out strong and led by 10 midway through the 1st half but their lead was trimmed to a single point by the end of the half. Defense by both teams predominated during the first 6 minutes of the 2nd half, but then both teams offenses clicked and the game continued to be exceptionally close. The Golden Lions finally pulled away in the last 4 minutes. Four players scored in double figures: PG Jerome King-15, C Trent Harris-12, SG Albert Taylor-12, and PF Andrew Richardson-10.)

Arkansas-Pine Bluff (23-4, 14-2)—76, Jacksonville—75 (Buoyed by their home crowd, Jacksonville moved out to an 11 point lead in the first half, but like the previous game, Arkansas-Pine Bluff came back to close to within 3 points at the break. The two teams traded the lead throughout the 2nd half. Trailing by a point with 14 seconds to go, the Golden Lions worked the ball inside for a short turn-around jumper by Trent Harris to gain the victory. SG Albert Taylor dropped in 19 points, SF Dan Jefferson scored 16, C Trent Harris had 12 points, 9 rebounds and 3 blocks, and reserve guard Eric McColpin.)

Conference T

Maryland-Eastern Shore (17-9, 12-3)—71, Hampton—62 (For ¾ of this game, there was little difference between the two teams and there’d been 13 lead changes. But the final 10 minutes were all MD-Eastern Shore. They came away with a big road victory by hitting 51% of their shots. SF Winston Morant had 14 points and PF Jim Taflinger and reserve forward Luke Feeley each scored 10 with Feeley also grabbing 8 boards and getting 3 assists, 3 blocks and 2 steals. “In a game where each team was sent to the line 27 times and there were a total of 44 fouls called, I’d usually be complaining about the refs. But it was exceptionally hard fought, and to be honest, the refs probably could have called even more fouls,” said coach Mike McMillan.)

Maryland-Eastern Shore (18-9, 13-3)—60, Canisius—52 (Things were close throughout the first half, but the Hawks took control in the 2nd half and led by as much as 13 points. Reserve guard Carl Hancock scored 13 points in the 14 minutes he played, SF Winston Morant scored 12 and PG Lataryl Brown scored 10.)

Western Illinois (16-10, 11-4)—65, UC Davis—50 (It took 10 minutes of play during which there were 6 lead changes before the Leathernecks asserted dominance. By the end of the first half they led 36-25. They never let the Aggies get close in the 2nd half. SG Trent Cougar topped all scorers with 16 points. C Craig Grant had 11 points and 7 rebounds. PF Orvo Haapavarvi scored 10 points.)

Western Illinois (17-10, 12-4)—65, Grambling—59 (Grambling was in control throughout the first half and up 34-28 at the break. But after falling behind by 8 points, Western Illinois came back to tie the Tigers midway through the half, only to fall behind again. The Leathernecks caught up again with 5 minutes to go, edged ahead and never gave up the lead again. C Craig Grant scored 20 and had 5 rebounds and 4 assists. “Grambling gave us a heckuva battle all the way. But even though we trailed for a good portion of the game, our guys never gave up and put it away when it counted,” said coach Terry Morillo.)

Conference U

Morgan State—86, UC-San Diego (20-6, 13-2)—59 (“We just failed to show up for this game,” lamented coach Ken Yamoto. “We can’t afford to do that anymore this year.” PF Brad Sanders hit for 16 points, SG DeVante Botts scored 15, and PG Matt Holcomb added 11.)

UC-San Diego (21-6, 14-2)—80, Presbyterian—67 (By the end of the first half the Tritons were on top 47-24. SG DeVante Botts popped in 19 points and PG Matt Holcomb and C Camara McWilliams both scored 12 points.)

Significant Injuries: PG Caswell Cook of Alcorn State suffered a strained calf that will hamper him for a week. MD-Eastern Shore’s SG/PG Lataryl Brown sprained his toe but is expected to be back to 100% in about 4 days. UC San Diego guard Marc York injured his hip but should recover in 5 days.

Awards: None.

Comments: The regular season is complete. Here’s how the 5 teams did:

Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Eagles: 23-4; 14-2; 1st place in Conf. R; NET Ranking 43

Alcorn State Braves: 16-11; 10-6; 4th place in Conf. R; NET Ranking 97

Maryland Eastern Shore Hawks: 18-9; 13-3; 1st place in Conf. T; NET Ranking 118

Western Illinois Leathernecks: 17-10; 12-4; 2nd place tie in Conf. T; NET Ranking 147

UC San Diego Tritons: 21-6; 14-2; 1st place in Conf U; NET Ranking 56

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CONFERENCE TOURNAMENTS (results for the teams coached by the 5 Musketeers):

Conference R

Quarterfinals:

Mt. Saint Mary’s—95, Arkansas-Pine Bluff (23-5)—87 (“Our defense was non-existent. Losing our first game in this tourney will keep us out of the NCAA Tournament, but our overall record should put us in one of the other post-season tourneys,” said Coach Dontell Spencer. What the coach didn’t say is that the refs put the middle of the pack Moutaineers on the line 42 times compared to just 15 for the Golden Lions. Mt. Saint Mary’s scored 19 more points on free throws. Topping the scoring were: SF Dan Jefferson-18 (plus 8 boards); PF Andrew Richardson-14; SG Albert Taylor-13 (plus 6 rebounds and 4 assists); reserve C Trent Vines-13; and reserve guard Eric McColpin-10)

Alcorn State (17-11)—65, Lafayette—57 (The Braves took no prisoners in the first half and built a 36-20 halftime advantage. They then simply help on to post the win. Defense won this game…the Braves held Lafayette’s shooting to just 34% and forced them to make 18 turnovers. PF Jared Kraft scored 17 and grabbed 6 rebounds while SG Andy Carney hit for 13 points but more importantly had 3 rebounds, 4 assists, 6 steals and a block.)

Semifinals:

Alcorn State (18-11)—90, Mt. Saint Mary’s—63 (At the half the Braves held just a 4 point lead and there had been 11 lead changes in the first half. But Alcorn State blew out the Mountaineers in the 2nd half 53-30. PG Caswell Cook was 6 for 6 from the field and scored 17 points, C Mikko Stallings scored 16 and had 3 steals and 3 blocks, SG Andy Carney had 12 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals, and SF Harold Hein scored 10 points. Coach Ramon Montez said, “I think Dontell’s team wore down the Mountaineers in the prior round. They gave us all we could handle in the 1st half, but just seemed to run out of gas in the 2nd half.”

Championship:

Alcorn State (19-11)—79, Omaha—69 (Very little separated the two teams for the first 29 minutes of this game. But at that point, Alcorn State went on a run that put them ahead by 13 points and they kept the Mavericks from making inroads the rest of the game. SG Andy Carney topped the scoring with 27 points. C Mikko Stallings had a big double-double with 17 points and 15 rebounds. SF Harold Hein added 11 points. “Man, I’m stoked! This will be our 4th straight NCAA appearance and we want to get beyond the first round this time.”

Conference T

Quarterfinals:

MD-Eastern Shore (19-9)—83, Hampton—75 (The Hawks trailed throughout the first half and were down by 3 at the break. But midway through the 2nd half their defense stymied the Pirates to allow the Hawks to take the lead and hold onto it until the final buzzer. Reserve guard Carl Hancock came in off the bench to score 19 points in just 13 minutes of play. SF Winston Morant had 18 points and 9 rebounds. PF Jim Taflinger and SG LaMarr Ramage both scored 13 points.)

Grambling—86, Western Illinois (17-11)—81 (OT) (After beating the Tigers twice this season, the score stayed close throughout this game. Western Illinois’ Ty Wilfork hit a baseline jumper as time was expiring to tie the game at 73-73. But the Leathernecks’ inability to control the ball (30 turnover during the game) gave away the game in OT. SG Trent Cougar had 16 points, 9 boards, 7 assists and 3 steals. PG Ty Wilfork hit 6 of 7 FG’s and scored 16 points but had 9 turnovers. C Craig Grant and SF James Johnson both scored 15 points and combined to haul down 15 rebounds. “It’s really disappointing. We had our chances but just couldn’t hold onto the ball tonight,” said coach Terry Morillo.)

Semifinals:

MD-Eastern Shore (20-9)—71, North Alabama—66 (MD-Eastern Shore jumped out to a big lead and held onto it (as big as 21 points) throughout the game, but North Alabama made major run late in the game to give a scare to the Hawks. C Geordie Johnson had 22 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, 5 steals and 2 blocks. PF Jim Taflinger added 13 points.)

Championship:

MD-Eastern Shore (21-9)—83, Seattle—63 (There were 9 lead changes in the first half. But the Hawks came out strong in the 2nd half and ran away to score a convincing victory. SF Winston Morant scored 26 points and pulled down 7 boards. C Geordie Johnson put in 15 points and PF Jim Taflinger and SG LaMarr Ramage both tallied 11 points. This was the Hawks 9th straight victory and 13th in the last 14 games. “During halftime our guys talked about how we have been on a roll, pumped each other up, and committed to going all-out in the final 20 minutes. And they did exactly that! We’re all excited to win this tournament which gains us selection to March Madness,” said coach Mike McMillan.)

Conference U

Quarterfinals
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Bethune Cookman—82, UC San Diego (21-7)—72 (After the two teams played to nearly a draw in the first half, the Wildcats ran away from the Tritons in the 2nd half. Once UC San Diego trailed by double digits, they could never make a serious challenge. “Our defense in the 2nd half was dismal,” said coach Ken Yamoto. “After playing so well all season, it’s disappointing to be relegated to a post-season tournament beneath the Big Dance.”)

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Post-Season Tournament Selections

NCAA Tournament

#1 seeds: Arizona, Notre Dame, Georgetown, Gonzaga

Maryland Eastern Shore is the 15th seed in the South Region and plays #2 seed Duke in round 1.

Arkansas Pine Bluff is the 11th seed in the South Region and plays #6 seed UC Irvine in round 1.

Alcorn State is the 15th seed in the West Region and plays #2 seed West Virginia in round 1.

NIT Tournament

#1 seeds: Delaware State, St. John’s, Texas, UC San Diego

UC San Diego is the #1 seed in the West Region and plays #8 seed Fairleigh Dickinson

CBI Tournament

#1 seeds: Binghamton, Kansas City

CIT Tournament

#1 seeds: Dayton, Northern Colorado, Incarnate Word, Saint Peters

Western Illinois is the 7th seed in the West Region and plays #2 seed Missouri in round 1.

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5 Coaches comments about their seasons and players:

Western Illinois Leathernecks (17-11, 12-4, Conference T, 68.5 ppg, 65.3 Opp ppg)

Terry Morillo: “Overall this has been a darned good season. We didn’t do what we wanted in the Conference Tournament. But after losing our first 4 games this season, we played exceptionally well, and we were at or near the top of the conference standing the entire season. But we’re excited to get into a post-season tournament and hope to make some noise there. We’re losing 4 seniors to graduation, but just one of them was a starter…C Craig Grant. Craig started all but one game the entire 4 years he was here, was a solid performer every season, and this year he was our top scorer and rebounder, averaging 13.3 ppg and 5.9 rpg. So that leaves big shoes to fil,l but it looks like we will have 2 scholarships empty when the transfer portal opens so hopefully we can pick up a very good big man that way. Our returning 4 starters are PG Ty Wilfork (8.8 ppg, 2.8 rpg and 3.7 apg), SG Trent Cougard (10.1 ppg, 3.0 rpg and 2.7 apg), SF James Johnson (10.2 ppg and 4.6 rpg), and PF Orvo Haapavarni (6.3 ppg and 4.3 rpg). Tevis Tahid also is returning and he started 7 games at SG and averaged 3.7 ppg, 2.0 rpg, and 1.4 apg. PF Joe Bergmann averaged 5.1 ppg and 2.9 rpg while playing just 12.1 mpg. SF Eliran Zaichik averaged 3.6 ppg and 1.1 rpg while playing just 7.8 mpg. We recruited two guards so that should help with the depth outside and picking up a couple interior transfer players would really solidify things for next season.”

UC San Diego Tritons (21-7, 14-2, Conference U, 73.9 ppg, 67.5 Opp ppg)

Ken Yamoto: “This was a great bounce-back season after last season’s 14-15 record. While we missed out on getting to the Big Dance, the NIT will be a great challenge. We had 3 sophomore and 1 junior who moved into starting roles for us this season and gave us a huge boost. And our other starter was a junior who had his 2nd straight strong season. Then we had 2 sophomores who were big contributors coming in off the bench. So our youth program is progressing and maturing well. Our two junior starters were PF Brad Sanders (10.1 ppg and 7.0 rpg) and SF Jared Keating (11.1 ppg and 4.1 rpg). Our three sopohomore starters were PG Matt Holcomb (13.7 ppg, 1.5 rpg, and 4.6 apg), SG DeVante Botts (14.2 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 3.3 apg, and 2.3 spg), and C Camara McWilliams (7.8 ppg and 6.6 rpg). Our two primary subs were sophomores forward Jeremiah Mason (9.6 ppg and 2.6 rpg) and PG Calvin Henderson (3.0 ppg and 2.1 apg). I believe Jeremiah had to be one of the best 6th men in the country. We’re losing just 1 senior, who didn’t played too much, but was a positive addition to the team. The SF recruit we got this season will hopefully provide depth for us this coming season. So I’m excited about our chances for next season.”

Alcorn State Braves (19-11, 10-6, Conference R, 75.6 ppg, 68.2 Opp ppg)

Ramon Montez: “We came on strong the 2nd half of the season, winning 11 of our last 14 games. And I think we’re peaking right now after winning our last 4 games and taking the Conference Tourney Championship. So I’m hoping our momentum carriess over to the NCAA Tournament and we score a major upset. We’re losing 2 guys to graduation. Harold Hein started for us at SF the past 3 season and averaged 8.1 ppg, 5.0 rpg and 2.5 apg this season. Dan Hodge did a great job backing up at SG this season and averaged 6.0 ppg, 2.0 rpg, and 1.9 apg. The returning 4 starters are: PG Caswell Cook (8.2 ppg, 1.7 rpg, and 5.0 apg) who will be a sophomore next season; SG Andy Carney (14.2, 3.6 rpg, and 2.6 apg) who will be a juior next season; SF Jared Kraft (8.4 ppg, 6.1 rpg) who will be a senior next season and could possibly start at PF next season; and C Mikko Stallings (16.0 ppg and 5.7 rpg) who will be a sophomore next year. In addition, we have 4 players returning who came off the bench and played well for us this season: PG Teremun Harris (3.1 ppg and 1.3 rpg) and interior players B.J. Jefferson (3.5 ppg and 3.8 rpg), LeRon Eldridge (4.5 ppg and 2.4 rpg), and Rob Daniels (2.8 ppg and 1.7 rpg). So I think we’ll be an improved team next season.”

Maryland Eastern Shore Hawks (21-9, 9-3, Conference T, 66.9 ppg, 61.3 Opp ppg)

Mike McMillan: “This was our 4th straight 20+ win season. We going to the NCAA Tournament on a 9 game win streak and need to have a big game when we go up against Duke in round 1. I’m happy to be a part of March Madness, but think we deserved a higher seed. We’re losing both starting guards to graduation (LaMarr Ramage who averaged 6.7 ppg, 1.8 rpg, and 3.5 apg and Lataryl Brown who averaged 8.2 ppg, 3.6 rpg, and 3.7 apg) as well as backup Marcos Santini (1.9 ppg, 1.1 rpg, 0.6 apg). But Carl Hancock (4.3 ppg, 0.9 rpg and 1.1 apg) and Rick Miller (3.2 ppg, 1.3 rpg, and 1.0 apg) look like they may be ready to take on the starting roles. We also have a recruit who comes to us as a SF but probably can play SG very well. We’re also C Geordie Johnson (10.5 ppg, 5.7 rpg) is graduating. Jim Taflinger (6.7 ppg, 4.6 rpg) who started this year at PF may shift to C next season. We have 3 interior players who came off the bench this season who will be competing for to start at either PF or C. They are: Luke Feeley (6.0 ppg, 3.2 rpg); James Carter (3.1 ppg, 1.3 rpg); and Shawn Wilson (0.9 ppg, 0.3 rpg). SF Winston Morant returns and he averaged 13.0 ppg and 5.2 rpg this season. Since we didn’t fill 3 scholarships that are coming open, we will try to get additional depth by picking up transfer players this summer. So even though we lost some very good players, ‘Don’t cry for me Argentina’…we’ll be OK next year.”

Arkansas Pine Bluff Golden Lions (23-5, 14-2, Conference R, 78.8 ppg, 69.6 Opp ppg)

Dontell Spencer: “I’m still trying to pick myself up off the floor after the huge surprise of being selected to play in the NCAA Tournament. I was sure our first round loss in the conference tourney knocked us out of any chance to make it to the Big Dance. The team is on cloud 9…now I gotta get them ready to get some W’s in the tournament. Fortunately we have players who were with us when we made it there last year. Unfortunately we will be without two players who started most of the season for us…SG Bill Thorton (15.6 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 2.5 apg) and C Chris Betts (12.4 ppg, 6.0 rpg) went down with injuries. Bill will be back with us next year, but Chris is graduating. I’m happy with how Albert Taylor (10.7 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 2.2 apg) and Jerome King (7.1 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 2.3 apg) stepped up and have handled the starting guard roles…and both are returning to us next season. Backup PG Eric McColpin (3.0 ppg, 0.8 rpg, 1.4 apg) will give us depth for the tournament, but he’s a senior. We recruited a PG this year and hopefully he can also provide some strong minutes for us next year. Trent Harris (7.4 ppg, 5.1 rpg), Lou McFall (3.0 ppg, 2.5 rpg), and Travis Vines (2.6 ppg, 0.9 rpg) have stepped in to handle the C position for us after Chris Betts broke his wrist. Trent, in particular, has played well in our last few games. All 3 of those players return to us this coming season. PF Andrew Richardson (7.2 ppg, 6.0 rpg) and SF Dan Jefferson (13.9 ppg, 4.6 rpg) also are graduating. Reserve PF Derron O’Quin (1.9 ppg and 1.2 rpg) will be back next year. There are 3 unfilled scholarships, so we’ll need to actively go after transfer players who can either start or provide valuable depth next season. As for me? I’ve found this administration to be completely unsupportive so our recruiting budget is totally insufficient. That means I have to give serious consideration to moving on. On a separate note: We “Five Musketeers” got together on a phone conversation after the tournament selections came out. It’s fantastic we all got into post-season tournaments. There were a lot of congratulations and wishes passed around for good luck in the tourneys. It’s a nice tight supportive fraternity amongst the five of us.”