From WWII to the NCAAs: "Tex" Kauferhalter's Defensive Rise

Re: From WWII to the NCAAs: "Tex" Kauferhalter's Defensive R

Postby jksander » Tue May 02, 2023 10:48 pm

Code: Select all
Date    Rank   Team                      Score           W/L Record      Key Players
1/18           @ Purdue                  W 70-63         14-2 (6-1)      D. McDermott (18 pts 14 reb 2 stl) C. Thorne (10 pts 2 reb 2 ast)
1/23           @ Maryland                L 53-78         14-3 (6-2)      S. McCullum (17 pts 3 reb 1 ast) D. McDermott (14 pts 10 reb 4 blk)
1/25           #15 Illinois              W 89-86 (2OT)   15-3 (7-2)      A. Watkins (24 pts 7 reb 3 blk) D. McDermott (20 pts 15 reb 2 ast 2 blk)
1/30           @ Ohio State              W 61-59         16-3 (8-2)      D. McDermott (18 pts 8 reb 1 ast 1 stl) A. Watkins (12 pts 4 reb 1 ast 1 blk)
2/1            Indiana                   W 77-44         17-3 (9-2)      D. McDermott (19 pts 15 reb 2 blk) N. Arline (13 pts 4 reb 2 ast 1 stl)
2/3            @ Michigan                W 74-48         18-3 (10-2)     D. McDermott (25 pts 7 reb 2 ast 3 blk) S. McCullum (12 pts 6 reb 6 ast 3 stl)
2/8     #25    @ #1 Wisconsin            L 43-67         18-4 (10-3)     D. McDermott (17 pts 12 reb 2 blk) N. Arline (6 pts 2 reb 1 ast 1 blk)
2/10    #25    Michigan State            W 71-59         19-4 (11-3)     D. McDermott (31 pts 10 reb 1 ast 1 blk) S. McCullum (11 pts 3 reb 3 ast 5 stl)
2/13    #24    #1 Wisconsin              L 63-88         19-5 (11-4)     D. McDermott (18 pts 10 reb 2 ast) C. Thorne (10 pts 3 ast 1 stl)
2/15    #24    @ #17 Minnesota           L 54-73         19-6 (11-5)     S. McCullum (17 pts 3 reb) D. McDermott (14 pts 10 reb 1 ast 3 blk)
2/22    #25    Penn State                W 69-48         20-6 (12-5)     C. Thorne (15 pts 2 reb 2 ast) D. McDermott (15 pts 6 reb 1 stl)
2/24    #25    @ Iowa                    W 85-59         21-6 (13-5)     D. McDermott (29 pts 17 reb 4 ast) A. Watkins (17 pts 5 reb 2 ast 2 blk)
3/1     #24    @ Indiana                 W 77-60         22-6 (14-5)     D. McDermott (30 pts 14 reb 2 ast 7 blk) N. Arline (11 pts 2 reb)
3/3     #24    Ohio State                W 72-55         23-6 (15-5)     D. McDermott (35 pts 10 reb 2 blk) S. McCullum (10 pts 10 reb 1 ast)


MARCH 4, 1955 . . . Ralph Windlan broke his ankle in the win at Iowa on the 24th, ending his sophomore season prematurely and committing us to an eight man roatation for the remainder of the season. But Dominick McDermott caught fire big time in the two remaining games of the regular season, including a school record 35 point performance against Ohio State in front of a packed Welsh-Ryan Arena crowd, ensuring we finished strong with a 15-5 conference record, allowing us to finish in second place. Here are the Big Ten final standings:

01. #1 Wisconsin (20-0, 31-0, #1 NET) -- NCAA Tourney Lock
02. #24 Northwestern (15-5, 23-6, #20 NET) -- NCAA Tourney Lock
03. #17 Illinois (14-6, 23-7, #26 NET) -- NCAA Tourney Lock
04. #15 Minnesota (13-7, 23-8, #18 NET) -- NCAA Tourney Lock
05. Ohio State (10-10, 18-13, #82 NET) -- On The Bubble, Needs a B10 Tourney win or two
06. Maryland (10-10, 18-11, #41 NET) -- NCAA Tourney Likely In
07. Purdue (10-10, 16-13, #98 NET) -- On The Bubble, Almost Certainly NIT Bound
08. Rutgers (9-11, 15-15, #68 NET) -- On The Bubble, At Risk of Losing Postseason Eligibility
09. Michigan State (9-11, 17-13, #81 NET) -- On The Bubble, Almost Certainly NIT Bound
10. Indiana (8-12, 16-13, #116 NET) -- Could Make CBI or CIT.
11. Iowa (7-13, 14-16, #124 NET)
12. Michigan (7-13, 14-16, #185 NET)
13. Nebraska (5-15, 7-22, #223 NET)
14. Penn State (3-17, 6-24, #281 NET)

McDermott is clearly our only real hope for a deep run in the Big Ten Tournament and beyond -- he’s averaging 21.8 points 11.8 rebounds 2.2 blocks and 1.1 assists per game in 27.1 minutes per game on the court, contributing 31.2 % of our overall team impact on the court in the process. But we’ve alrady done the impossible in getting Northwestern to the point of being an NCAA Tournament lock, anything we can pull off from here is gravy.
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Re: From WWII to the NCAAs: "Tex" Kauferhalter's Defensive R

Postby jksander » Tue May 02, 2023 11:16 pm

Big Ten Tournament
Code: Select all
Date    Rank   Team                      Score           W/L Record      Key Players
3/9     #24    (10) Indiana              W 77-66         24-6            D. McDermott (22 pts 10 reb 1 ast 1 stl) S. McCullum (11 pts 5 reb 3 ast 4 stl)
3/10    #24    (3) Illinois              L 80-82         24-7            D. McDermott (21 pts 6 reb 2 blk) A. Watkins (12 pts 7 reb 2 ast 1 stl 1 blk)


MARCH 11, 1955 . . . Illinois’ reward for beating us in the semifinal was a 44-61 beatdown at the hands of now 34-0 Wisconsin, a team on a mission to win back to back titles with perfect records. A crazy stat to bear in mind is that Duke, the team that was 40-0 last year when they met up against 39-0 Wisconsin, finished eighth in the ACC and didn’t even make the ACC Tourney semifnals. At 20-14 they’re now at risk of not even making the tournament, while the Badgers are riding a 74 game winning streak.

MARCH 13, 1955 . . . Big Ten Teams in the NCAA Tournament:

#1 Seed, Pittsburgh: Wisconsin
#10 Seed, Pittsburgh: Maryland
#5 Seed, Milwaukee: Minnesota
#4 Seed, Tampa: Illinois
#7 Seed, Phoenix: Northwestern

Duke made it into the tournament as one of the last four in -- they’ll have to face down Washington in Dayton to play into the Minnesota regional as a 12-seed.

Big Ten Teams in the NIT:

#2 Seed, Midwest: Ohio State

Big Ten Teams in the CBI:

#3 Seed, East: Purdue
#2 Seed, East: Rutgers
#2 Seed, West: Michigan State

Indiana (17-14) was the only Big Ten team with postseason eligibility to not make a postseason tournament.
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Re: From WWII to the NCAAs: "Tex" Kauferhalter's Defensive R

Postby jksander » Wed May 03, 2023 2:58 am

NCAA Tournament
Code: Select all
Date    Team                      Score           W/L Record      Key Players
3/17    (10) California           W 70-57         25-7            D. McDermott (20 pts 12 reb 1 ast 2 stl) S. White (14 pts 5 reb 1 ast 2 stl)
3/19    (2) Pittsburgh            W 67-57         26-7            D. McDermott (15 pts 11 reb 4 blk) A. Watkins (12 pts 4 reb 2 ast 2 blk)
3/24    (6) Oklahoma              L 47-70         26-8            S. White (19 pts 2 reb) C. Thorne (8 pts 2 reb 4 ast) D. McDermott (6 pts 7 reb 3 stl)


MARCH 17, 1955 . . . Yesterday in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, Wisconsin slaughtered the (16) Howard Bison 94-46, while (10) Maryland upended (7) Buffalo 81-60 and Minnesota handled business against (12) Duke, sending last year’s national runner-up home in the first round with a 69-46 beating.

MARCH 18, 1955 . . . Yesterday the Big Ten stayed perfect in NCAA action! (13) Rhode Island was no match for (4) Illinois, as the Illini manhandled them completely in an 81-56 win. Our game also went nicely -- we took control midway through the first half and built a 35-28 halftime lead, expanding to lead by as many as 24 points, though the Golden Bears did keep it closer than that down the stretch. We won 70-57 behind a strong night from McDermott, while Stromile White had a great night off the bench in 21 minutes of action, and Clinton Thorne also added 11 points five assists and a steal. This win gave us a new school record in wins for a season and our first NCAA Tournament win ever!

MARCH 19, 1955 . . . Yesterday afternoon (5) Minnesota lost a stunner to (13) South Alabama 73-63 after leading 43-27 at the half. Wisconsin continued to show why they’re #1, toying with (9) Temple until finally putting them away with ease down the stretch 74-59. And (10) Maryland took (2) Xavier all the way to the wire in a defensive clinic that was knotted for most of the forty minutes before Xavier managed to hit more free throws down the stretch, beating the Terrapins 49-52.

MARCH 20, 1955 . . . Against the Atlantic Coast Conference’s champion (2) Pittsburgh, we trailed by a point at the half but continued to play our smothering defense as the second half got underway, and we were able to slowly gain the momentum. We took the lead midway through the second half and were able to build the lead enough to hold them off when they tried furiously to come back in the final minutes. Free-throws won the day as we held them back 67-57, sending us to the Sweet Sixteen in our first NCAA Tournament! Illinois similarly held off (5) Georgetown by a 72-61 margin, giving us three Big Ten teams in the second weekend.

MARCH 23, 1955 . .. Purdue and Rutgers faced off in the CBI’s third round with a shot at the tournament’s semifinals on the line, with Rutgers winning out 61-47. Michigan State beat Green Bay 78-59 in their CBI Quarterfinal matchup, ensuring two Big Ten teams made that tournament’s Final Four. Ohio State had a chance at making the NIT’s Semifinals, but they lost to Purdue-Fort Wayne 56-73 in a Quarterfinal blowout.

MARCH 24, 1955 . . . (5) Creighton gave Wisconsin its first scare of the tournament, trailing the Badgers 39-41 at the half before collapsing down the stretch in the second half, allowing Wisconsin to win easily 91-79, advancing to the Elite Eight with their 77th win in a row.

MARCH 25, 1955 . . . Illinois took on (1) Kansas (34-3) in their Sweet Sixteen matchup and they lost 64-76, while we got absolutely crushed by the (6) Oklahoma Sooners by a 47-70 margin. McDermott got into foul trouble quickly, and without his offense we never really stood a chance. It was a disappointing way to end the season, but we overachieved by a wide margin so it’s hard to feel disappointed about it. Expectations should, however, be much higher next season for us to be able to do similar tihngs in the Big Ten and get back to this point.

MARCH 26, 1955 . . . Wisconsin blew past (3) Marquette to win their regional and advance to the Final Four, winning 65-44. This will be the Badgers’ SIXTH consecutive Final Four appearance. They’ve made the championship game in five of the last seven seasons, winning three titles. They’re the heavy odds-on favorites to win their fourth this year.

MARCH 28, 1955 . . . It will be an all-Big Ten CBI Championship Game, with Rutgers beating Texas-Rio Grande 72-55 and Michigan State out-shooting Portland 86-71 in both of that tournament’s semifinal games.

MARCH 30, 1955 . . . In the CBI Championship Game, Rutgers won its 20th game of the year by dominating a defensive slugfest against the Spartans, winning in the end by a 62-57 margin to take home the title. Rutgers finished the year with a 20-16 record while Michigan State fell to 20-15.

APRIL 2, 1955 . . . Gonzaga’s Bulldogs from out in Spokane, Washington, made their first trip back to the Final Four since they did it in the 1945-46 season, after three years in a row not making it past the second round. Their reward? The 33-6 Bulldogs got to take on 38-0 Wisconsin, while (1) Kansas (36-3) took on (1) Kentucky (37-1) in their semifinal. Kentucky won their matchup, beating Kansas at the buzzer 75-73, while Gonzaga fared worse, losing a tough one 60-76 as we set up a National Title Game with teams boasting 77 combined victories. For the second year in a row the title game features the AP’s top two teams.

APRIL 4, 1955 . . . After half a dozen lead changes in the first five minutes of the championship game, Kentucky got out to a 15-11 lead over the Badgers with 12:44 to go in the first half. Wisconsin went on a 7-2 run over the next four minutes, but Kentucky rallied to retake the lead and was ahead 25-21 with 6:58 to go in the half. But the two teams were knotted at 31-31 with 2:33 left to play, and at the half Wisconsin held a slim 36-34 advanrage over the Wildcats. The Badgers clamped down defensively to start the second half, and with 10:02 to play they led 49-41, but Kentucky went on a 9-2 run to pull within a point with just over seven minutes to play. The Wildcats knotted it 54-54 with 5:44 left on the clock, and with just 3:52 to play they’d retaken the lead from Wisconsin 57-56! From there the lead changes were frantic, both teams shooting well but failing to dominate. With just 45 seconds left Kentucky tied it again 65-65, but Wisconsin outscored them 6-2 in the final seconds to win their 80th consecutive game and repeat as undefeated NCAA National Champions, winning 71-67.

Team Leaders
Scoring: Dominick McDermott (21.8 ppg) Adam Watkins (10.8 ppg) Steve McCullum (7.7 ppg) Clinton Thorne (5.9 ppg)
Rebounds: Dominick McDermott (11.6 ppg) Steve McCullum (5.7 rpg) Adam Watkins (4.5 rpg) Ralph Windlan (3.3 rpg)
Assists: Bryan Waters (3.7 apg) Ralph Windlan (2.8 apg) Steve McCullum (2.2 apg) Clinton Thorne (1.9 apg)
Steals: Ralph Windlan (1.6 spg) Steve McCullum (1.6 spg) Bryan Waters (1.3 spg)
Blocks: Dominick McDermott (2.1 bpg) Steve McCullum (1.4 bpg) Adam Watkins (1.1 bpg)

Graduating
Bryan Waters (4.0 GPA) 3.7 ppg 1.6 rpg 2.4 apg 1.0 spg 0.4 bpg (126 games, 39 starts)
Adam Watkins (3.5 GPA) 10.5 ppg 4.9 rpg 1.3 apg 0.8 spg 0.9 bpg (126 games, 95 starts)
Brian Conway (4.0 GPA) 3.0 ppg 2.3 rpg 0.5 apg 0.4 spg 0.4 bpg (124 games, 9 starts)
Travis James (4.0 GPA) 0.6 ppg 0.1 rpg 0.2 apg 0.2 spg (39 games)*
___________
* 2-Year Walk-on

Awards
Big Ten Player of the Year: Dominick McDermott
Big Ten Coach of the Year: Tex Kauferhalter
1st Team All Big Ten: Dominick McDermott

Wisconsin’s Marcus Page finally won his first National Coach of the Year Award.

APRIL 30, 1955 . . . The Board approved my request for facilities upgrades in the hopes that we can continue to lure in solid recruits in the coming seasons. My Associate Head Coach has decided he does not want a contract extension, as he’s hoping to be able to move up to a head coaching job next year. But I did sign our second assistant, Michael Frazier, to an extension which will keep him here for five seasons and potentially his retirement. We should have a great team returning next year, particularly with all of our transfers being allowed to play at last, and with rumors swirling that McDermott could be a Norton Candidate in the fall. If our players continue to gel as a team there’s no reason to think we can’t be right back in the NCAA Tournament next year. And if we can find a way to make sure Wisconsin doesn’t go undefeated for a third year in a row, I’ll be even more pleased.
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Re: From WWII to the NCAAs: "Tex" Kauferhalter's Defensive R

Postby jksander » Wed May 03, 2023 3:04 am

SEASON ELEVEN
1955-56


Coach Information
Name: Rolf “Tex” Kauferhalter
Age / Record: 33 (232-109, .680)
Contract: $219,000 / 4 Years
NCAA Sweet Sixteens: 2 (1950, 1955)
NCAA Appearances: 6 (1946-1947, 1949-1951, 1955)
NCAA Tourney Record: 6-6 (.500)
NIT Championships: 1 (1948)
NIT Appearances: 1 (1948)
NIT Record: 5-0 (1.000)
CBI Tourney Appearances: 1 (1952)
CBI Tourney Record: 0-1 (.000)
CIT Championships: 1 (1953)
CIT Appearances: 2 (1953-1954)
CIT Record: 5-1 (.833)
Big Ten Coach of the Year: 2 (1953, 1955)
Patriot League Titles: 5 (1946-1947, 1949-1951)
Patriot League Tourney Titles: 3 (1946-1947, 1949)
Patriot League Coach of the Year: 4 (1947-1948, 1950-1951)
Reputation: 40% (+4)
Offense: 39% (+3)
Defense: 100%
Recruiting: 54% (+2)
Scouting: 55%
Development: 45%

School Information
School: Northwestern Wildcats
Location: Evanston IL
Conference: Big Ten
Arena: Welsh-Ryan Arena (Cap: 8,117)
Budget: $224,175 ($139,543 Assistants / $84,632 Recruiting)
Facilities: B
Academics: A+ (SAT Min: 1100)
School Prestige: 49% (+9)
Conf. Prestige: 89%

Job Goals
1. Qualify for the NIT.
2. Finish in the Top Half of the Big Ten.
3. Win 20 Games or More.
4. No Academic Ineligibility.
5. Improve the School’s Prestige.

Recruit Class Ranking: 128th
Big Ten Rank: 11th

Assistants
AHC: Eric O’Connor (40, $67,500 / 2 years, Rep: 49%, +3) - Recruiting (76%, +2)
2nd: Michael Frazier (62, $53,543 / 5 years, Rep: 20%, +1) - Scouting (30%)
3rd: Clarence Bailey (37, $18,500 / 3 years, Rep: 9%, +1) - Development (24%, +4)

MAY 29, 1955 . . . We have no players transfering this year, so that makes my job easier. We can go right into focusing on recruiting for the year, where we’ll have to replace McDermott and McCullum who are both graduating.

JUNE 25, 1955 . . . The National Basketball Association has announced that they will now accept players for the yearly NBA Professional Draft after they have completed their Junior season in college, allowing for players to leave college for the pros early for the first time starting next March. It will be interesting to see how this move affects teams like Wisconsin, Kentucky and Kansas who have been able to stockpile blue-chip players who have always stayed for four years.

AUGUST 7, 1955 . . . Dominick McDermott has indeed been nominated for the Norton Award! In the initial rankings he’s placed seventh and earned Preseason All American status, making him an early contender. His GPA is now up to 3.8 overall, and he’s completed another 18 credits during the spring term. After taking a double load of summer courses to make it possible for him to graduate in December, he’s definitely got the academic performance portion of the Norton qualifications under control.

SEPTEMBER 11, 1955 . . . We’ve got our first recruit of the season, and he’s coming to us all the way from Newport, Kentucky! Michael Wilcox, a 6’6” forward with a 3.9 GPA, comes in as a four star prospect with a national ranking just outside the top 100. Academics, discipline and playing time were his top priorities, and he’s a solid defender and he isn’t afraid to shoot, scoring well from outside which is something we certainly need to develop on our team. He doesn’t have a ton of overall upside, but as-is he should be a very capable player for our team in the coming years.

SEPTEMBER 18, 1955 . . . We’ve got an all-at-home pre-Big Ten slate again, but there are better teams coming here, so I expect our strength of schedule ranking to be stronger than it was last year over the same stretch. This year, however, we’ll face three road teams to start the Big Ten, including preseason #5 Michigan State on December 30. Here’s our schedule for the pre-Big Ten slate:

11/15 - California
11/18 - Stanford
11/22 - Arkansas
11/25 - Missouri
11/29 - Washington
12/2 - San Diego State
12/6 - Wichita State
12/13 - Brigham Young
12/20 - Utah

#1 Wisconsin, #5 Michigan State, #11 Minnesota and #23 Illinois are ranked in the preseason for our conference.

We’ve also signed our second and final recruit for the season, and he’s the best player I’ve brought in via regular season recruiting! Mike Reese, a 6’2” shooting guard from Keyport, New Jersey, has a 4.0 GPA and is a four star recruit ranked 36th nationally! He wants to play and was very interested in our improved facilities, and discipline is a factor. His high school coach keeps praising his work ethic, and he’s got all the upside you can handle -- but right out of the gate he’s a top defender, a natural shooter and scorer from outside, and he can pass, handle and steal like he’s already a pro. I love this kid and think he’ll become a star here at Northwestern over the next few seasons.

Roster
PG - Lewis Harley (6’0” 185 lbs So) Mendon MI (Mendon HS) 3.4 GPA (4.5/5.0)
SG - Ricardo Demory (6’6” 216 lbs Jr) Claxton GA (Claxton HS) 3.6 GPA (3.5/3.5)
SF - Steve McCullum (6’6” 229 lbs Sr) Riverbank CA (Riverbank HS) 4.0 GPA (4.0/4.0) 7.7 ppg 5.7 rpg 2.2 apg 1.6 spg 1.4 bpg
PF - Wayne Steele (6’7” 199 lbs So) Fishersville VA (Wilson Memorial HS) 4.0 GPA (3.5/4.0)
C - Dominick McDermott (6’9” 267 lbs Sr) Katonia NY (John Jay HS) 3.8 GPA (5.0/5.0) 21.8 ppg 11.6 rpg 1.1 apg 0.5 spg 2.1 bpg

6 - Kyle Love (6’1” 189 lbs Fr) Peoria Heights IL (Peoria Heights HS) 3.3 GPA (3.0/4.0)
7 - Noel Arline (6’7” 203 lbs So) Pomeroy OH (Meigs HS) 4.0 GPA (2.0/4.0) 5.0 ppg 2.2 rpg 0.8 apg 0.4 spg 0.3 apg
8 - Greg Johnson (6’7” 242 lbs So) Ottawa OH (Ottawa HS) 3.2 GPA (2.5/4.0)
9 - Ralph Windlan (6’5” 181 lbs Jr) Talladega AL (Talladega Co. Central HS) 4.0 GPA (2.5/3.5) 5.8 ppg 3.3 rpg 2.8 apg 1.6 spg 0.6 bpg
10 - Stromile White (6’3” 216 lbs So) Rock Island IL (Alleman HS) 3.8 GPA (2.5/4.0) 5.7 ppg 2.6 rpg 1.3 apg 0.6 spg 0.1 bpg
11 - Clinton Thorne (6’1” 176 lbs Jr) Mount Vernon OH (Mount Vernon HS) 3.6 GPA (2.0/3.5) 5.9 ppg 1.3 rpg 1.9 apg 0.8 spg 0.5 bpg
12 - Camah Dudley (6’6” 222 lbs Jr) Royal Center IN (Pioneer HS) 2.5 GPA (1.5/4.0)
13 - Pete Abrams (5’9” 172 lbs Jr) Niles IL (Notre Dame HS) 3.8 GPA (0.5/0.5) 0.5 ppg 0.1 rpg 0.3 apg 0.3 spg*
14 - DeJuan Gardner (6’9” 262 lbs Fr) Champaign IL (Centennial HS) 4.0 GPA (0.5/0.5)*

RS - Eric Everhart (6’4” 201 lbs Fr) Lillington NC (Western Harnett HS) 4.0 GPA (2.5/4.0)
___________
* Walk-on

NOVEMBER 13, 1955 . . . McCullum and McDermott will be the team’s veteran leaders, but we have a lot of experience returning beyond them, and the depth we’re getting from our incoming transfers can’t be underestimated. Noel Arline is going to get a lot of time backing up Steele and McDermott. We’re very short on centers, and I’m considering converting him to play the position full time so he could eventually be a starter at the position when McDermott graduates. He’s put in the work, so he deserves the opportunity. Freshman Kyle Love will also get significant minutes off the bench as he covers Harley and Demory when they need rest, and he’ll have the chance to earn his way into a starting spot down the road if he proves he can handle things.
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Re: From WWII to the NCAAs: "Tex" Kauferhalter's Defensive R

Postby jksander » Wed May 03, 2023 4:11 am

Code: Select all
Date    Rank   Team                      Score           W/L Record      Key Players
11/15          California                W 82-56         1-0             D. McDermott (30 pts 11 reb 2 ast 1 stl) K. Love (18 pts) N. Arline (6 pts 8 reb 2 ast)
11/18          Stanford                  W 80-53         2-0             D. McDermott (17 pts 9 reb 1 stl 1 blk) W. Steele (13 pts 3 reb 2 ast 2 stl 2 blk)
11/22          Arkansas                  W 76-67         3-0             D. McDermott (25 pts 8 reb 1 stl 2 blk) L. Harley (11 pts 2 reb 4 ast 4 stl 1 blk)
11/25          Missouri                  W 78-51         4-0             N. Arline (22 pts 6 reb 1 stl 2 blk) D. McDermott (14 pts 7 reb)
11/29   #16    Washington                W 74-53         5-0             L. Harley (24 pts 2 reb 4 ast) R. Demory (16 pts 3 reb 3 ast 2 stl)
12/2    #16    San Diego State           L 60-72         5-1             W. Steele (13 pts 2 reb 3 ast) N. Arline (13 pts 16 reb 2 ast 1 blk)


DECEMBER 3, 1955 . . . San Diego State was rough on us, as we lost Stromile White (Sprained Wrist), Steve McCullum (Concussion) and Dominick McDermott (Bruised Sternum) for the next two weeks, which means we won’t be at full strength again until the Utah game. We’ll be playing a starting five of Harley, Demory, Love, Steele and Arline for the next two games, with Thorne, Windlan and Johnson coming off the bench for quality minutes. We’re also going to have to trust our walk-on Freshman center, DeJuan Gardiner, to handle 8-10 minutes at least per game to give Arline time to rest. It’s not a perfect solution, but it’s what we have. I always tell players to have a next man up attitude, but we’re digging really deep here and I honestly don’t know what we’re going to find.

Code: Select all
Date    Rank   Team                      Score           W/L Record      Key Players
12/6    #22    Wichita State             W 71-60         6-1             L. Harley (22 pts 4 reb 2 ast) N. Arline (13 pts 13 reb 2 blk)
12/13          Brigham Young             W 71-55         7-1             N. Arline (25 pts 15 reb 3 blk) R. Demory (14 pts 2 reb 3 ast 1 stl 1 blk)
12/20          Utah                      W 67-43         8-1             L. Harley (26 pts 2 ast 2 stl) D. McDermott (12 pts 5 reb 1 ast)


DECEMBER 25, 1955 . . . For those keeping track, Wisconsin’s win streak was snapped at 83 games, when they lost to Kansas in the Preseason NIT Championship Game. But they’re still 11-1 heading into conference play and ranked #2 in the nation with the best NET ranking in the country. Eleven of the 14 teams in the conference are ranked in the top 100 of the NET -- our 8-1 record has us with the #12 NET, so we did play a tougher schedule outside the conference, and we did well in it despite the injuries. No one in the conference is ranked lower than 198th in the NET, and Penn State (4-6, #97 NET) is the only team with a losing record. Right now the ranked teams other than Wisconsin are #14 Maryland (10-1, #42 NET), #6 Michigan State (9-2, #16 NET) and #17 Illinois (8-1, #30 NET). We’ve played a ton of lineups at this point, and we’re now struggling to find the right rotation to give everyone playing time after several players stepped up big dime in December. As of right now we’re going with a starting five of Harley, Love, McCullum, Arline and McDermott, with Demory, Steele, Thorne, Windlan and Johnson playing off the bench.
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Re: From WWII to the NCAAs: "Tex" Kauferhalter's Defensive R

Postby jksander » Wed May 03, 2023 5:34 am

Code: Select all
Date    Rank   Team                      Score           W/L Record      Key Players
12/26          @ Ohio State              W 83-74         9-1 (1-0)       N. Arline (24 pts 8 reb 2 ast 1 stl) D. McDermott (20 pts 13 reb 1 ast 1 blk)
12/30          @ #6 Michigan State       L 86-100        9-2 (1-1)       D. McDermott (22 pts 8 reb 1 ast) N. Arline (19 pts 8 reb 2 ast)
1/2            @ Purdue                  W 93-65         10-2 (2-1)      N. Arline (21 pts 15 reb 1 ast 1 stl) D. McDermott (24 pts 9 reb 3 blk)
1/6            Rutgers                   L 79-83         10-3 (2-2)      N. Arline (18 pts 7 reb 1 stl) K. Love (13 pts 3 reb 3 ast 3 stl)
1/9            @ Michigan                W 68-45         11-3 (3-2)      N. Arline (21 pts 7 reb 1 stl) C. Thorne (5 pts 2 reb 2 ast 1 stl 1 blk)
1/13           Ohio State                W 81-41         12-3 (4-2)      N. Arline (23 pts 10 reb 3 ast) D. McDermott (17 pts 10 reb 4 ast 2 stl)
1/18    #23    #24 Maryland              W 87-63         13-3 (5-2)      L. Harley (18 pts 2 reb 7 ast 2 stl) S. McCullum (12 pts 5 reb 2 ast 1 stl)
1/23    #20    Minnesota                 W 78-65         14-3 (6-2)      N. Arline (21 pts 10 reb 1 ast 1 stl 1 blk) L. Harley (17 pts 4 ast 1 stl)
1/25    #20    @ Rutgers                 W 80-70         15-3 (7-2)      D. McDermott (26 pts 13 reb 2 ast 3 blk) N. Arline (20 pts 15 reb 3 blk)
1/30    #17    Indiana                   W 82-80         16-3 (8-2)      D. McDermott (27 pts 10 reb 2 ast 2 stl) N. Arline (19 pts 9 reb 2 ast 2 blk)
2/1     #17    @ #22 Illinois            W 84-69         17-3 (9-2)      D. McDermott (25 pts 9 reb 1 ast 2 blk) N. Arline (14 pts 2 reb)
2/3     #17    Purdue                    W 88-63         18-3 (10-2)     D. McDermott (30 pts 8 reb 1 stl 4 blk) C. Dudley (10 pts 3 reb 3 ast)


FEBRUARY 4, 1956 . . . Dominick McDermott did not make the first cut in the Norton race. His averages are significantly down this year but he’s had a lot more help around him, so it makes total sense. Plus we have the wild improvement of Noel Arline, who stepped into a bigger role when McDermott was injured and then managed to keep his minutes by taking over at power forward in the starting lineup. Unfortunately he strained a hamstring in the Illinois win and will be out at least until the Penn State game, so he’ll be out at least until the Penn State game, and possibly until Iowa. And Ricardo Demory broke his damned arm in the same game, so he’s out for the rest of the season. Unbeliveable. We’re beaten, broken and bruised, but we’re fighting on. And with Wisconsin having lost a game in-conference to Michigan, on the Badgers’ own court, by a point earlier in January, suddenly it’s an actual conference race here in the Big Ten -- and we’re right in it! Right now we’re ranked #14 in the AP Poll and we’re only one game back of the Badgers but alone in 2nd place, ahead of #8 Michigan State by a game and ahead of 4th place Indiana by two games. We only get one crack at Wisconsin, on February 22nd in Madison, so we’re going to have to make every other game count and then hope for a miracle game considering our continued injury issues. But if Arline is back by then and in top shape, I think we can take ‘em!

Fun fact: Our OFFENSIVE efficiency rating is 113.3 (1st in the Nation!) while our defense has taken a step back this year. But our overall NET efficiency rating is 22.3, good for 2nd in the nation behind Virginia’s Cavaliers. Our 78.5 points per game has us ranked 9th in the nation, and we’re only giving up 63.2 points per game to opponents, but that’s only good for 40th in the nation. The biggest reason for this jump in offensive power is our vastly improved three point shooting (37.6%, 23rd) to go with our improved overall field goal percentage (50.5%, 5th).
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Re: From WWII to the NCAAs: "Tex" Kauferhalter's Defensive R

Postby jksander » Wed May 03, 2023 5:55 pm

Code: Select all
Date    Rank   Team                      Score           W/L Record      Key Players
2/8     #14    Penn State                W 81-60         19-3 (11-2)     D. McDermott (30 pts 7 reb 1 ast 1 stl) G. Johnson (10 pts 3 reb 2 ast)
2/10    #14    @ Nebraska                L 69-72         19-4 (11-3)     D. McDermott (31 pts 11 reb 3 ast 1 stl 2 blk) K. Love (10 pts 2 reb 4 ast 2 stl)
2/13    #14    @ Penn State              W 86-58         20-4 (12-3)     D. McDermott (31 pts 14 reb 3 blk) N. Arline (20 pts 5 reb 1 stl)
2/15    #14    Iowa                      W 90-74         21-4 (13-3)     D. McDermott (29 pts 4 reb) N. Arline (14 pts 2 reb 2 ast 2 stl)
2/22    #12    @ #2 Wisconsin            L 61-71         21-5 (13-4)     D. McDermott (26 pts 9 reb 1 ast 3 blk) N. Arline (12 pts 9 reb 4 ast)
2/24    #12    #7 Michigan State         L 48-62         21-6 (13-5)     D. McDermott (17 pts 12 reb 1 ast 2 stl 1 blk) N. Arline (16 pts 9 reb 2 ast)
3/1     #15    Illinois                  W 90-70         22-6 (14-5)     D. McDermott (27 pts 9 reb 3 ast 1 stl) K. Love (23 pts 3 reb 4 ast 1 blk)
3/3     #15    @ Indiana                 L 74-79         22-7 (14-6)     N. Arline (25 pts 14 reb 2 stl) D. McDermott (20 pts 7 reb 4 ast 3 stl)


MARCH 5, 1956 . . . February was once again our most difficult month, but we played as well as could be expected with our constant injury shuffling, and we still finished with a 14-6 record in the Big Ten, good enough for fourth place and the Big Ten Tournament double bye. McDermott is back up to averaging 20.1 points and 8.3 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game, while Noel Arline has shown huge improvement over his freshman season, averaging 14.9 points 8.8 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game. We’re going to need them both to be at peak performance, but I think we have a shot at making a run in the Big Ten Tournament and earning a shot at repeating last season’s second-weekend run in the NCAAs. Here are the final conference standings and tourney projections:

01. #2 Wisconsin (18-2, 29-3, #3 NET) -- NCAA Tourney Lock
02. #5 Michigan State (17-3, 26-5, #7 NET) -- NCAA Tourney Lock
03. #22 Indiana (15-5, 21-8, #12 NET) -- NCAA Tourney Lock
04. #15 Northwestern (14-6, 22-7, #15 NET) -- NCAA Tourney Lock
05. Minnesota (11-9, 18-11, #43 NET) -- NCAA Tourney, Likely In
06. Nebraska (10-10, 15-14, #82 NET) -- On Bubble, Likely NIT Bound
07. Illinois (10-10, 18-11, #46 NET) -- NCAA Tourney, Likely In
08. Maryland (9-11, 19-12, #77 NET) -- On Bubble, Likely NIT Bound
09. Michigan (8-12, 13-16, #119 NET)
10. Rutgers (8-12, 13-16, #131 NET)
11. Ohio State (7-13, 14-16, #94 NET)
12. Purdue (7-13, 14-15, #117 NET)
13. Iowa (4-16, 10-20, #200 NET)
14. Penn State (2-18, 6-24, #270 NET)

Also, for the first time ever, players in their junior year are now allowed to declare for the NBA Draft after their junior year or their third season (which allows sophomores who were waiting out a transfer season to declare as well). Overall, 23 players did just that. The following Big Ten players will be jumping to the pros:

SG Howard Mitchell -- Michigan State (17.9 PPG 4.6 RPG 3.0 APG 1.6 SPG 0.6 BPG (67 starts)
SF Scott Brown -- Wisconsin (12.9 PPG 6.7 RPG 1.7 APG 1.4 SPG 1.4 BPG (88 games, 83 startws)
SF Oliver Johnson -- Maryland (11.2 PPG 7.3 RPG 1.5 APG 0.6 SPG 0.7 BPG, 93 Starts)
SF Rodney Dutcher -- Illinois (5.8 PPG 2.3 RPG 1.0 APG 0.6 SPG 0.3 BPG (77 games, 12 starts)

Big Ten Tournament

Code: Select all
Date    Rank   Team                      Score           W/L Record      Key Players
3/9     #15    (5) Minnesota             W 82-70         23-7            D. McDermott (22 pts 10 reb 4 blk) N. Arline (15 pts 4 reb 1 ast 3 stl)
3/10    #15    (1) Wisconsin             W 44-41         24-7            D. McDermott (17 pts 15 reb 1 stl 1 blk) S. McCullum (6 pts 7 reb 2 ast 2 stl)
3/11    #15    (3) Indiana               W 70-59         25-7            D. McDermott (34 pts 14 reb) K. Love (14 pts 3 reb 3 ast 2 stl)


NOVEMBER 12, 1956 . . . Noel Arline broke his hand during our game against Wisconsin, but he did enough to help us stay in the game and we won it in perfect Big Ten fashion 44-41. But he’s out the rest of the year, and we’ve had to sub Steele back into the starting rotation at power forward. We’ll be playing eight men the rest of the season, with Johnson and Windlan expected to get 18-20 minutes each off the bench. Against Indiana in the Big Ten Tournament championship game we came out flaming hot thanks to McDermott, leading 33-21 at the half and then coasting to the win on his 34 points and 14 rebounds, winning the first Big Ten Title, tourney or otherwise, in Northwestern history!

NOVEMBER 13, 1956 . . . Big Ten Teams in the NCAA Tournament:

#4 Seed, Greensboro: Northwestern
#9 Seed, Greensboro: Minnesota
#4 Seed, Columbus: Indiana
#1 Seed, Nashville: Wisconsin
#2 Seed, Anaheim: Michigan State
#10 Seed, Anaheim: Illinois

Big Ten Teams in the NIT:

#6 Seed, East: Maryland

Big Ten Teams in the CBI:

#4 Seed, East: Nebraska

NOVEMBER 15, 1956 . . . The Big Ten is no longer alive in any of the tertiary tournaments. Maryland lost to Ball State 67-86 in the NIT, and Nebraska lost a defensive fight against Duke 50-63 in the CBI.

NCAA Tournament

Code: Select all
Date    Team                      Score           W/L Record      Key Players
3/16    (13) Winthrop             W 79-64         26-7            D. McDermott (37 pts 13 reb 2 ast 5 blk) W. Steele (9 pts 4 reb 2 stl 1 blk)
3/18    (5) Oregon                W 80-74 (OT)    27-7            L. Harley (21 pts 3 ast 3 stl) D. McDermott (12 pts 9 reb 2 blk) R. Windlan (9 pts 4 reb 2 stl)
3/23    (1) Kansas                L 46-65         27-8            D. McDermott (19 pts 17 reb 1 stl 6 blk) S. McCullum (9 pts 4 reb 1 ast 1 blk)


MARCH 17, 1956 . . . In our NCAA Tourney opening round game, McDermott picked us up and put us on his shoulders as he powered us to a 15-point win over Winthrop behind his new school record 37 points, along with a baker’s dozen rebounds and five blocks. Minnesota knocked off (9) Portland easily enough 81-70, and Indiana sent (13) Hawaii packing in a solid 83-69 victory.

MARCH 18, 1956 . . . Wisconsin obliterated (16) Dartmouth 90-56 in their opening game, while Michigan State went even harder against (15) Alabama State, delivering a blistering 105-61 beatdown. Illinois capped off a perfect first round for the Big Ten, winning a close upset over (7) Nevada-Las Vegas 76-71 to advance as well.

MARCH 19, 1956 . . . McDermott had a rough night, fouling out with just 12 points nine rebounds and a pair of blocks in just 13 minutes played, but the rest of our team stepped up big time! We led 41-31 at the half, and after Oregon blitzed us in the second half to force overtime knotted 69-69 we were able to turn on the afterburners and pull out the six-point overtime victory to return to the Sweet Sixteen in back to back seasons! I don’t know that I could ever be more proud of a team stepping up in a tough situation. Elsewhere in the tourney, (1) Kansas sent Minnesota packing 51-65, but Indiana easily handled (12) Tulane to advance to face (1) Kentucky in next week’s Sweet Sixteen matchup.

MARCH 20, 1956 . . . Wisconsin punched their ticket yet again to the second weekend, beating (9) Long Beach State 85-55. Meanwhile, in a Big Ten matchup, (2) Michigan State and (10) Illinois faced off and Illinois won a stunning 62-54 victory over the Spartans after leading for almost the entire game! Unbelievable.

MARCH 24, 1956 . . . Our run came to an ignonimous end against Kansas, as they beat us down 14-35 in the first half and never looked back. McDermott did everything he could, but we were simply outmatched -- there was no way our depleted roster was going to hold up against their blue-chip starting lineup, let alone their deeper bench. Indiana fared no better, getting stomped 58-90 by last year’s national runner-up (1) Kentucky.

MARCH 25, 1956 . . . Illinois lost a tough battle against (3) Oklahoma, falling in the end 62-66 and missing out on their shot at an Elite Eight. But that wasn’t the shocker of the day. Wisconsin completely collapsed against (4) West Virginia, trailing 26-28 at the half and flailing their way to a stunning 53-66 blowout loss. The Badgers haven’t missed out on the Elite Eight since 1947! The Big Ten is officially out of the tournament.

APRIL 2, 1956 . . . In the National Semifinals, (1) Kansas stumbled down the stretch against (1) Kentucky, losing to the Wildcats by a single point, 68-69. On the other end of the bracket, (2) Louisville fought back from down 29-45 at the half to humiliate (1) Virginia 78-71.

APRIL 4, 1956 . . . Kentucky dominated the National Championship Game from the outset, leading 43-38 at the half and coasting to a blowout victory, 101-82. This is the second national title for Kentucky, after three trips to the finals where they came up second. Louisville made the title game for the first time this season, but it was their third trip to the Final Four and their fourth time making it at least to the Elite Eight. And this was only their second time posting at least 30 wins in a season. Too bad the game couldn’t have been closer.

Team Leaders
Scoring: Dominick McDermott (20.5 ppg) Noel Arline (14.7 ppg) Kyle Love (8.0 ppg) Lewis Harley (7.6 ppg)
Rebounds: Dominick McDermott (8.8 rpg) Noel Arline (8.4 rpg) Steve McCullum (4.7 rpg) Wayne Steele (3.9 rpg)
Assists: Lewis Harley (3.9 apg) Kyle Love (3.8 apg) Steve McCullum (2.5 apg)
Steals: Lewis Harley (1.4 spg) Steve McCullum (1.2 spg) Kyle Love (1.1 spg)
Blocks: Dominick McDermott (1.7 bpg) Steve McCullum (1.5 bpg)

Graduating
Dominick McDermott (3.9 GPA) 21.2 ppg 10.2 rpg 1.1 apg 0.7 spg 1.9 bpg (61 starts)
Steve McCullum (4.0 GPA) 7.7 ppg 5.0 rpg 1.9 apg 1.3 spg 1.3 bpg (119 games, 114 starts)

McDermott finished just 28 points shy of Adam Watkins’ school record of 1,320 career points, but he beat Watkins’ rebounding record by four rebounds, with a final tally of 623. He finished third in school history in blocks (116) behind Wes Decker (119) and Kenyon Waldrop (131) who both graduated in 1948. McCullum finished 15th on the all-time scoring list with 563 career points.

Awards
Big Ten Coach of the Year: Tex Kauferhalter
2nd Team All Big Ten: Dominick McDermott

APRIL 9, 1956 . . . I had a job offer from Stanford to head out west and join the Pac 12 Conference, but I have no interest in the west coast. I’m a midwesterner through and through, and I’m loving what I’ve got going here in Evanston. Bring on the continued challenge! My third assistant, Clarence Bailey, has continued to rapidly improve as a development coach, and I have offered him an extention, but he’d like the chance to move up to a higher position next year if one opens up. It is looking highly likely that this will be our last year with Eric O’Connor as Associate Head Coach, as the 41-year-old intends to hunt for a head coaching job after the season when his final year is up on the current contract. I expect he’ll land nicely, he’s got the recruiting talent to do well at any level.

APRIL 16, 1956 . . . Eric O’Connor stunned us all by leaving for the UNLV Associate Head Coach position, after having said he’d finish out the season with us. But I can’t say I blame him, he’s getting a $29,000 raise per year, and he’ll likely be in a better position a few years from now to jump into a head coaching job. I’ve promoted Michael Frazier to the AHC position, giving the 63-year-old a raise to $63,000 per year for the next four years. I promoted Clarence Bailey to second assistant where he’ll make $37,000 per year for the next two years, though he declined an extension. We’ve hired Rashard Adkins, 47, who has spent the last 11 years coaching with Jacksonville and Liberty. He will be our scouting coach and will earn $24,750 per year for the next four years. Frazier will step back into our recruiting role.

APRIL 30, 1956 . . . The board is very happy with our progress, and if we can continue to meet our goals they say they will be willing to further increse our budget in future years to allow us to continue improving our coaching staff and to recruit more stringently against the Big Ten. But for right now they’re pleased by what I’m doing with the funds I have. Goals have increased -- I’m now expected to make the NCAA Tournament, but the rest of the goals are unchanged.
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Re: From WWII to the NCAAs: "Tex" Kauferhalter's Defensive R

Postby jksander » Sat Jun 03, 2023 4:19 pm

SEASON TWELVE
1956-57


Coach Information
Name: Rolf “Tex” Kauferhalter
Age / Record: 34 (259-117, .689)
Contract: $219,000 / 3 Years
NCAA Sweet Sixteens: 3 (1950, 1955-1956)
NCAA Appearances: 7 (1946-1947, 1949-1951, 1955-1956)
NCAA Tourney Record: 8-7 (.533)
NIT Championships: 1 (1948)
NIT Appearances: 1 (1948)
NIT Record: 5-0 (1.000)
CBI Tourney Appearances: 1 (1952)
CBI Tourney Record: 0-1 (.000)
CIT Championships: 1 (1953)
CIT Appearances: 2 (1953-1954)
CIT Record: 5-1 (.833)
Big Ten Tourney Titles: 1 (1956)
Big Ten Coach of the Year: 3 (1953, 1955-1956)
Patriot League Titles: 5 (1946-1947, 1949-1951)
Patriot League Tourney Titles: 3 (1946-1947, 1949)
Patriot League Coach of the Year: 4 (1947-1948, 1950-1951)
Reputation: 45% (+5)
Offense: 42% (+3)
Defense: 100%
Recruiting: 59% (+5)
Scouting: 56% (+1)
Development: 45%

School Information
School: Northwestern Wildcats
Location: Evanston IL
Conference: Big Ten
Arena: Welsh-Ryan Arena (Cap: 8,117)
Budget: $224,175 ($124,750 Assistants / $99,425 Recruiting)
Facilities: B-
Academics: A+ (SAT Min: 1100)
School Prestige: 51% (+2)
Conf. Prestige: 86% (-3)

Job Goals
1. Qualify for the NCAA Tournament.
2. Finish in the Top Half of the Big Ten.
3. Win 20 Games or More.
4. No Academic Ineligibility.
5. Improve the School’s Prestige.

Recruit Class Ranking: 46th
Big Ten Rank: 6th

Assistants
AHC: Michael Frazier (63, $63,000 / 4 years, Rep: 21%, +1) - Recruiting (30%)
2nd: Clarence Bailey (38, $37,000 / 2 years, Rep: 11%, +2) - Development (29%, +5)
3rd: Rashard Adkins (47, $24,750 / 4 years, Rep: 10%) - Scouting: 23%

MAY 29, 1956 . . . No one is transfering again this year. I think we’re finally getting a real sense of pride within the program, and I have no reason to suspect we won’t be able to compete again this year. In fact, I think we have the potential to be dominant if we can avoid the injuries we had all last season.

JUNE 26, 1956 . . . We have four scholarships available and just over $44,000 with which to fill said scholarships. For the first time we’re branching out beyond the Midwest and Atlantic East regions, purchasing basic national scouting reports, which will allow us to recruit highly motivated academic prospects from around the country. Right now we’re starting out with a list of 28 high school players rated three stars and above with GPAs of 3.3 or higher, as well as four promising Junior College players who have GPAs ranging from 2.5 to 2.7. If we are unable to sign our players from that pool early in the season, we’ll reopen recruiting in late January after we see SAT scores from players with slightly lower GPAs.

JULY 17, 1956 . . . We’ve pared things down to 30 players on our call and watch lists, with scholarship offers out to our top four prospects. Right now our biggest needs are that we MUST find a solid power forward and center to provide us some depth at those positions. I’m looking for a small forward as well, and then if we can find a shooting guard that would be perfect. We have depth at point guard right now but if the right guard became available we’d consider it. But power forward and center are must fill positions.

AUGUST 7, 1956 . . . None of our players are nominated for the Norton Award this year, though after his solid season of rapid improvements and a lot of work this summer on overall conditioning, Noel Arline looks like he’s reaching his peak of development in the high four star to low five star range -- as a junior he’ll definitely be a key component in our team’s overall success.

SEPTEMBER 11, 1956 . . . This week I made recruiting trips to Kentucky, South Carolina, Virginia and Indiana to make personal pitches to the four young men and their families who we’re most actively targeting for open scholarships. All four are inside the top 50 nationally as four star recruits, so if things pan out this will certainly be the best class I’ve put together. So I’m cautiously optimistic, as all four meetings seemed to go well.

SEPTEMER 18, 1956 . . . Our top targeted recruit chose Duke over us, opening up a scholarship to be used elsewhere. But 6’0” shooting guard Darius Smith from Virginia Beach, Virginia, accepted our offer, bringing his four star talent (ranked #40 Nationally in the most recent scouting reports) to Northwestern next fall! Smith is one of the best “upside” players in the recruiting ranks this year, with above average defense, excellent athleticism, above average passing ability and a willingness to shoot well from outside with the knowledge of when a shot is makeable. He will want to start next year or at least draw major minutes off the bench, and with Clinton Thorne and Ralph Windlan graduating this year there should be room for that to be a possibility. He’s averaging 20.2 points per game along with 3.9 rebounds and 2.4 steals per game and he has a 3.9 GPA so passing the SAT in January should not be an issue.

I made second trips out to South Carolina and Indiana to touch base with our two other players with initial scholarship offers, and then made a trip out to New Hampshire to talk to a junior college sophomore who I think has the grades to succeed here, as well as a high school player in California who had reached out about playing for a coach who focuses on academics and discipline. That young man does not have a scholarship offer yet, but will remain a solid option if we need to make an offer later in the season.

SEPTEMBER 25, 1956 . . . This year we will be traveling to play preseason #14 Tennessee on the road the weekend after Thanksgiving, while also participating in the Midwest Invitational starting November 21st with a neutral court game against Dayton’s Flyers. The remaining games are here at home, but we’ve loaded the schedule with solid teams which should give us a legitimate pre-Big Ten challenge.

11/16: Utah
11/19: South Carolina
11/21: (n) Dayton - Midwest Invitational
11/26: Valparaiso
11/30: @ #14 Tennessee
12/3: Missouri
12/7: Iowa State
12/14: Alabama
12/21: Brigham Young

In recruiting news, I lost out on my top remaining prospect, a young man named Jim Boese, who I thought we had wrapped up but who committed instead to play for Illinois. I’ll be keeping an eye on him for sure. He was our top power forward target, so we still have work to do for sure. But we did sign two additional players for next season’s class.

First, Curtis Ridnour, a 6’10” center from West Lafayette, Indiana, chose us over Purdue, Illinois and Michigan State. He has a 3.8 GPA and has averaged 14.3 points 8.9 rebounds and 5.0 blocks per game so far in high school, earning him the #49 rank nationally (and the second best center in our region!) His main focus will be getting playing time as soon as possible, and though he has work to do to build his athletic stamina, his defensive ability is the best I’ve seen in this recruiting class, and he’s got A+ potential, A+ blocking skill, and he can rebound and shoot with the best players out there -- particularly well from outside, I might add. He was in the top 25 of Indy Elite Camp players in Indianapolis, and finished as a top 10 player in the Chicago Prep Review. I am extremely excited to see what he can do when he puts on a Wildcats uniform in the fall.

We’ve also successfully recruited Jay Adams, easily the top Junior College player in the group this season. A 6’4” small forward from Somersworth, New Hampshire, Adams has a 2.6 GPA after two years playing JuCo ball, and he still has A- potential to develop in his two remaining years of eligibility. Ranked #44 Nationally, he is an above average defender and a surprisingly adept rebounder for his height. He’s also an above average passer and he can drive the ball successfully with ease while also posting up when the shots are available. He was interested in conference prestige and facilities, but will also want to have as much playing time as we can provide. But he’s also focused on his academics and I don’t think he’ll have trouble remaining eligible. We’ve done well so far with our JuCO recruiting in regards to overall academic progress.

We have three remaining power forwards on our watch list, and this week I’ll be visiting them all, which means flights to California and Kentucky, and a drive down to Charlestown, Indiana. Right now I’m offering the scholarship to the player in Charlestown who I think will be a solid redshirt option, but we’ll see where the process takes us as usual.

OCTOBER 9, 1956 . . . We have our final recruit for the season! Noel Jenkins responded quickly to our early summer advances, based primarily on my defensive philosophies and my focus on discipline. The 6’9” power forward from Charlestown, Indiana, is a three star prospect ranked just outside the top 200, but I picked up a good vibe from him regarding his work ethic, and his coaches all said he’s the kind of player who won’t cause trouble, but is a quiet contributor who will play his role in a team setting. He has above average potential and is a good inside scoring threat, but he’s a definite bench contributor who may be in consideration for a redshirt season next year. But I’m excited to see what he can do here at Northwestern if he finds it a good fit. His 3.5 GPA in high school makes me think he’ll certainly be a good academic fit.

This is a bit of a down year among blue chip recruits, so early indications are we could have a top two or three class in the Big Ten, and a top 20 finish nationally is not out of the question. I think this group could be something special as we continue to develop into a legitimate Big Ten threat.

Roster
PG - Lewis Harley (6’0” 185 lbs Jr) Mendon MI (Mendon HS) 3.9 GPA (4.0/5.0) 7.6 ppg 1.8 rpg 3.9 apg 1.4 spg 0.3 bpg
SG - Mike Reese (6’2” 191 lbs Fr) Keyport NJ (Keyport HS) 4.0 GPA (4.0/5.0)
SF - Ricardo Demory (6’6” 216 lbs Sr) Claxton GA (Claxton HS) 3.7 GPA (3.5/3.5) 6.5 ppg 2.5 rpg 1.9 apg 0.8 spg 0.8 bpg
PF - Wayne Steele (6’7” 199 lbs Jr) Fisherville VA (Wilson Memorial HS) 4.0 GPA (3.5/3.5) 5.0 ppg 3.9 rpg 1.1 apg 0.8 spg 0.7 bpg
C - Noel Arline (6’7” 203 lbs Jr) Pomeroy OH (Meigs HS) 4.0 GPA (4.5/5.0) 14.7 ppg 8.4 rpg 1.1 apg 0.8 spg 0.7 bpg

6 - Ralph Windlan (6’5” 181 lbs Sr) Talladega AL (Talladega Co. Central HS) 4.0 GPA (4.0/4.0) 4.8 ppg 1.8 rpg 1.3 apg 0.6 spg 0.4 bpg
7 - Greg Johnson (6’7” 242 lbs Jr) Ottawa OH (Ottawa-Glandorf HS) 3.2 GPA (2.5/4.0) 3.8 ppg 1.9 rpg 0.6 apg 0.3 spg 0.3 bpg
8 - Eric Everhart (6’4” 201 lbs Fr RS) Lillington NC (Western Harnett HS) 4.0 GPA (2.0/4.0)
9 - Kyle Love (6’1” 189 lbs So) Peoria Heights IL (Peoria Heights HS) 3.3 GPA (2.0/3.0) 8.0 ppg 1.9 rpg 3.8 apg 1.1 spg 0.4 bpg
10 - Clinton Thorne (6’1” 176 lbs Sr) Mount Vernon OH (Mount Vernon HS) 3.6 GPA (3.0/4.0) 2.9 ppg 0.7 rpg 1.3 apg 0.5 spg 0.2 bpg
11 - Stromile White (6’3” 216 lbs Jr) Rock Island IL (Alleman HS) 3.8 GPA (2.5/4.0) 0.6 ppg 0.2 rpg 0.1 apg 0.1 spg
12 - Camah Dudley (6’6” 222 lbs Sr) Royal Center IN (Pioneer HS) 3.0 GPA (2.0/4.0) 1.9 ppg 0.7 rpg 0.5 apg
13 - Pete Abrams (5’9” 172 lbs Sr) Niles IL (Notre Dame HS) 3.9 GPA (0.5/0.5) 2.0 ppg 0.3 rpg 0.3 apg 0.3 spg*
14 - DeJuan Gardner (6’9” 262 lbs So) Champaign IL (Centennial HS) 4.0 GPA (0.5/0.5) 1.7 ppg 0.3 rpg 0.1 apg 0.3 spg)*

RS - Michael Wilcox (6’6” 206 lbs Fr) Newport KY (Newport HS) 2.9 GPA (1.5/3.0)
____________
* Walk-on

NOVEMBER 13, 1956 . . . Our starting five are our outright best players overall, but I expect Windlan and Johnson to each get 10-12 minutes per game off the bench, with Everhart fighting for his share as well early on. I owe it to Love, Thorne, White and Dudley to at least give them a few meaningful minutes per game to give them a shot early in the season to show if they’re worthy of more. But as the season progresses I suspect we’ll yet again be counting on an eight player core. It is helpful however to have players who are able to come off the bench and play more meaningful roles when required, and I’m hopeful our increased depth will be a benefit.

#3 Wisconsin, #5 Michigan State, #12 Illinois, #21 Indiana and #23 Minnesota are all preseason ranked this year, and of those we get Indiana twice, Michigan State twice, Minnesota twice, Illinois once at home and Wisconsin once on the road. We also get Maryland, Rutgers, Penn State and Nebraska twice each certainly gives us another five week stretch in January and February that will prove our mettle one way or the other.
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Re: From WWII to the NCAAs: "Tex" Kauferhalter's Defensive R

Postby jksander » Sat Jun 03, 2023 4:20 pm

Code: Select all
Date    Rank   Team                      Score           W/L Record      Key Players
11/16          Utah                      W 66-62         1-0             N. Arline (12 pts 12 reb 2 stl 2 blk) L. Harley (14 pts 5 reb 7 ast 2 stl)
11/19          South Carolina            W 74-48         2-0             N. Arline (14 pts 11 reb 1 stl) M. Reese (11 pts 3 ast 2 stl 2 blk)
11/21   #24    (n) Dayton                W 85-66         3-0             N. Arline (26 pts 14 reb 2 ast 3 stl) M. Reese (11 pts 1 reb 4 ast 1 stl)
11/22   #24    (n) Long Beach State      W 71-57         4-0             N. Arline (25 pts 11 reb 1 stl 2 blk) L. Harley (11 pts 2 reb 8 ast 2 stl)
11/23   #24    (n) North Carolina        L 71-78         4-1             N. Arline (14 pts 16 reb 2 stl 2 blk) R. Demory (12 pts 7 reb 3 ast)
11/26   #24    Valparaiso                W 95-62         5-1             N. Arline (40 pts 9 reb 1 ast 1 blk) M. Reese (17 pts 3 reb 3 ast 4 stl)
11/30   #18    @ #3 Tennessee            L 60-70         5-2             N. Arline (18 pts 8 reb 2 ast 3 stl) R. Demory (13 pts 4 reb 1 stl)
12/3    #18    Missouri                  W 86-71         6-2             N. Arline (32 pts 11 reb 2 ast) M. Reese (17 pts 1 reb 5 ast 1 stl)
12/7    #17    Iowa State                W 71-59         7-2             N. Arline (20 pts 8 reb 1 ast 1 stl) M. Reese (17 pts 3 reb 1 ast 1 stl)
12/14   #18    Alabama                   W 83-49         8-2             W. Steele (22 pts 13 reb 3 ast 1 stl 2 blk) R. Demory (9 pts 3 reb 4 ast)
12/21   #18    Brigham Young             W 73-65         9-2             N. Arline (26 pts 10 reb 1 ast 1 stl) M. Reese (11 pts 2 reb 3 ast 1 stl)


DECEMBER 26, 1956 . . . The Big Ten Guantlet this year is going to be as brutal as ever. We’re ranked just slightly ahead of #20 Indiana (8-1, 35 NET) and we played a significantly more difficult non-conference schedule than #16 Illinois (8-3, #57 NET), but the three teams we’re all most worried about are the top ten teams: #7 Ohio State (11-0, #4 NET), #4 Michigan State (11-0, #6 NET) and #3 Wisconsin (10-1, #8 NET). Our strength of schedule is easily the best in the conference thus far, giving us the #2 NET rating, but at this point the ENTIRE BIG TEN is in the top 100 of the NET, so there are not likely to be any “easy” wins -- they’ll all need to be fought for. Nobody in the entire conference has more than three losses, which makes the middle of the pack a lot harder to handicap. Junior forward Noel Arline is dominating so far this year, averaging 21.4 points 10.4 rebounds 1.0 asists and 1.4 steals per game so far as he readies himself for the challenges of the Big Ten. But Freshman guard Mike Reese has proved to be a revelation in his first eleven games as a Wildcat, averaging 12.2 points 2.0 rebounds 2.9 assists and 1.5 steals per game while playing just 26 minutes per game. If he can stand up to the rigors of conference competition, he’ll be dominant in the coming years.

This year’s team has been more reliant on strong offensive performances than past teams I’ve coached, which has us ranked inside the top 40 nationally in points per game and in the top 25 for overall offensive efficiency. But for the most part we’ve just been grinding games out, with no particular statistics standing out on the national stage. So we’ll really get to see what we’re made of when we play the conference juggernauts. Is this a team capable of making a deep tournament run for the third consecutive year, or will we wilt under the pressure?
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Re: From WWII to the NCAAs: "Tex" Kauferhalter's Defensive R

Postby jksander » Sun Jun 04, 2023 4:05 pm

Code: Select all
Date    Rank   Team                      Score           W/L Record      Key Players
12/26   #19    @ Rutgers                 W 84-74         10-2 (1-0)      N. Arline (24 pts 12 reb 2 ast 1 blk) L. Harley (16 pts 7 reb 8 ast 1 stl)
12/28   #19    Maryland                  W 75-60         11-2 (2-0)      M. Reese (27 pts 1 reb 1 ast 1 stl) N. Arline (16 pts 7 reb 1 ast 1 stl)
1/2     #20    #19 Indiana               L 70-80         11-3 (2-1)      N. Arline (21 pts 19 reb 2 ast 2 blk) W. Steele (14 pts 8 reb 1 ast 1 blk)
1/4     #20    @ Nebraska                L 80-85         11-4 (2-2)      N. Arline (18 pts 18 reb 2 blk) M. Reese (22 pts 4 reb 5 ast 5 stl)
1/9     #21    Michigan                  W 77-60         12-4 (3-2)      N. Arline (23 pts 8 reb 1 stl 1 blk) M. Reese (20 pts 4 reb 2 ast 2 stl)
1/13    #21    Rutgers                   W 66-46         13-4 (4-2)      N. Arline (27 pts 6 reb 1 ast 1 stl 1 blk) M. Reese (15 pts 4 reb 1 ast 2 stl)
1/18    #19    @ #4 Wisconsin            W 71-68         14-4 (5-2)      N. Arline (22 pts 12 reb) R. Demory (14 pts 2 reb 1 ast 1 stl 1 blk)
1/20    #19    @ Maryland                W 71-64         15-4 (6-2)      N. Arline (27 pts 13 reb 1 stl 1 blk) M. Reese (11 pts 4 reb 2 ast 2 stl 1 blk)
1/25    #18    #3 Michigan State         W 87-76         16-4 (7-2)      M. Reese (15 pts 3 reb 10 ast 4 stl) N. Arline (18 pts 11 reb 2 blk)
1/27    #18    @ Minnesota               L 61-68         16-5 (7-3)      N. Arline (20 pts 10 reb 1 ast 1 stl 2 blk) M. Reese (14 pts 4 ast)


JANUARY 30, 1957 . . . We’ve had a few stumbles, but our big wins have been VERY BIG wins. We stunned Wisconsin on their court by three and upended Michigan State on our court, which gives us a good boost in the standings -- we don’t play Wisconsin again, so we own the tiebreaker if it comes to that. We will face MSU again, on the road on March 1, so that’s going to be a huge rematch. Midway through the conference slate we’re 7-3 and ranked 6th overall in what has been a tight race -- we’re only a game back of first place (Michigan State) and half a game back of second (Purdue and Wisconsin) and at this juncture any of twelve Big Ten teams could make the postseason. So every game down the stretch is going to count in a race that should go down to the wire. Six Big Ten teams are ranked inside the top 25, and Purdue (7-2, 15-4, #9 NET) should be the 7th one, though for some reasaon they’re getting held down in the national vote.

I’m really liking how our team keeps grinding games out even when our overall metrics don’t suggest we should win -- our overall NET efficiency rating is only 28th in the nation, and our defensive efficiency is barely inside the top 100, but we keep holding good teams to scores way below their usual. Most interesting -- our 75.1 points per game average has us ranked 36th in the country, but our shooting percentages are less than impressive. We’re ranked 101st in FG%, 158th in FT% and 332nd in 3PT% (a miserable 28.8%) ... and yet we keep finding ways to win!

Noel Arline has been our star, hands down. He’s averaging 21.5 points 11.0 rebounds an assist a steal and a block per game after 21 starts, and just broke the 1,000 point mark for career scoring. He has enough credits that he may be able to finish his communications degree over the summer, and rumors have been swirling that he may be considering declaring early fot the NBA draft in a month or so. If he does it will be a huge loss for us next season, but he’s got to consider what’s right for him. Right now I’m focused on making sure this team continues to exceed expectations -- we would love to win our first Big Ten Title outright and repeat as Big Ten Tourney champs, which would set us up nicely to break past the Sweet Sixteen for the first time and really do some tournament damage.
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