DDSCB23: All In

[Wayne23]

DDSCB23: All In
(Author's Note: The personal stuff is the same as for the last association. This new one is pretty much the exact opposite.)

May 1, 2022: Rick Loes here. Yeah, as a kid it was “Rick Blows,” “Rick Lose,” “Rick Loser,” and when I started coaching the same adolescent nonsense was thrown at me; still is from time to time.

My mom, when I was about 11, put it in perspective for me: “Ricky, (I insisted on “Rick” at about age 15 and it’s been Rick ever since) everyone gets teased. My best advice to you is to under react.

The more they think it bothers you, the more they’ll do it. BUT, if it becomes really excessive, or if anyone gets physical, that’s more than teasing. You let me know and we’ll figure out a way to deal with it.”

As always, mom was right. She was always my closest friend and my confidant. About two years ago, as she was driving home from visiting her 95 year old mother in a nursing home, she was killed by a drunk driver. The s. o. b. didn’t even get a scratch. He served 18 months for it. EIGHTEEN MONTHS! I lost my mom when she was 68, and I miss her every single day. She always had the right thing to say. There are countless times when I go to pick up the phone to call her and then realize that I can’t do that any more.

Her mother just faded away after we told her about mom. She was dead in less than a month.

My dad, on the other hand… well, the less said the better. He’s dead, too. Died of a heart attack several years ago. No loss.
I have a sister who took after my mom, even became a pediatrician because that’s what mom was. I see her and her kids as often as I can. With my schedule that’s not often enough but we both try. I have one brother who, sadly, took after my dad. The only time I see him is when he’s broke. I’m a sucker. I always give him a couple hundred. Hey, he’s family.

Anyway, now I’m 40 years old. Just finished my twelfth season as head coach at Boston University, and stepped up to the head coaching job with the Akron Zips of the Mid American Conference.

I have this thing I’ve wanted to try for all these years. The A. D. at BU would never let me try it, but the A. D. here is on board.

Here’s the plan: My offense will be to shoot as shots as possible as close to the basket as possible.

(Author’s Note: I’ll go to Commissioner and set players to shoot 100% of their shots from inside.)

I will recruit for inside shooters, maybe go with 4 bigs and one guard (maybe not), guys who play decent, or at worst adequate D, guards who handle the ball well, big guys who rebound well.

Akron is a mid level school and it will take a couple years to get the kinds of players I want, but I’m starting right in with this plan with whatever I have for players.

I’m pretty psyched about having this chance.

I was 300-72, .807 at BU, not bad. At the end of the season I realized I’d done all I could do at BU and I knew it was time to move on and move up. Eventually I want to coach at an elite school, hopefully UConn, since I’m from Southern New England.

Okay, so here’s how I do it: Very High Ambition, High Academics, High Discipline, Very High Integrity, slightly elevated Temper level.

Offense: Princeton and Triangle. Defense: All man to man. Press: Full court man to man. We press often.

I go with a very quick pace, hit the boards hard on O. Defensive intensity is very high and we crash the defensive boards as hard as possible. All of that changes as needed. What won’t change is my intention to shoot as many shots as possible as close to the basket as possible.

[Wayne23]

5/1: #88 recruiting class.

I’ve hired my assistants. Brit Wats is returning as recruiting coach. He knows the area and I was happy to keep him on. Interestingly enough, he didn’t apply for the head coach position here.

“I like what I do and I don’t have the temperament to be a head coach, I’d get too stressed. This is fine!”

My #2, scouting coach, is Jim Whit. He was at Ohio. They hired a new head coach and he wanted to bring in his own people. Since Ohio is in our conference Jim knows the teams well. That’s a huge help.

#3, bench/game coach is Al Free. Al was a very successful high school head coach in Boston. I know him well. He’s very analytical and I was thrilled when he accepted my offer to come here.

My guys are still on campus for exams so I’ll get to meet all of them except the incoming freshmen, who I will visit in their homes as soon as possible.

Everyone will be on campus for most of the summer. I have my guys do summer school to lighten the academic load during the season, and they all have jobs on campus.

I am able to meet my expected spending.

Settling in. I bought a condo near campus. It has everything I need including a garage!

6/25: Going to the Indy, Chicago, Big Apple, and Memphis camps.

All settled, in a routine. I’m getting to know my assistants and my players very well.

6/26: 4 scholarships. We want 2 guards and 2 big guys.

Like all players my guys all but live in the gym. We can't go in there when they're in, but we can watch through the doors. Between that and video from last season's games we're getting to know how they play and what we'll need to work on.

People are really nice here.

7/17: We offer to 2 PGs, 2 Cs. They’re all high on us.

8/7: The last thing I expected was Norton candidates and I have two: Center Paul Tuck is #32 and guard Joe Blan is #48.

9/11: We get a C, he was our #1, he’s rated #82. We lose a big and a guard.

9/18: We get the other 3, a C, #86, two PGs, #141 and #218.

We’re going to the Sunshine Shootout vs. LSU. There are some challenges in the schedule.

10/2: 1st day of practice. We look pretty good but it will take time to make my system work, it’s a brand new idea to my guys, especially my guards. We’re not deep. After our 6th man it gets thin fast.

[Wayne23]

11/13: Here’s the lineup:

Senior Joe Blan is at the Point. We don’t have a decent true PG so Joe will handle it. He’s one of our two “go to” players.

Senior Merv Grey is at SG, backing up at PG. He has looked good.

#3 guard is junior Jam Shel, who is a decent player. He could be a better passer. #4 is Cap Cota, a frosh who I probably should have red shirted. Not sure he’ll actually ever get there though. Last guard is soph Cass Jenk, who won’t ever get there.

Junior Rob Menz is at SF, but Shel gets major minutes there, too. Menz is a good rebounder but he’s not a strong player.

Junior Bill Roon is at PF. He can score and play decent D but he’s not a good rebounder. We only have one of those.

Senior Paul Tuck is in the middle. He may be our best player. He’s a real glass eater, has a nice shooting touch, and is our best defender.

1st big man off the bench is junior Jeb Ferk. His D is really weak, and as a result we’ll go with three guards when we need to, which does not fit my system but I don’t have the players yet. Next is frosh Carl Cage, who shows promise but he’s not ready. Frosh Tray Bowe is in the same category as Cage.

We start tomorrow at Central Florida. Too early to know much but this will tell us a bit about ourselves.

[Wayne23]

11/14: Close at first. Down 9 after 10. We’re going to press more. 45-52. Awful D, 65.4%. We shot 56.7%. 3 fouls for Grey. 12 for Menz, 11 for Tuck. +16 in the paint and that’s our game but we are
clearly still getting the kinks out.

We’re chasing. Down 9 with 10 to go.

93-102. Terrible defense, 61.1%. We shot 56.7% which should be enough to win. Takes time, I guess. 22 for sub Jam Shel, which was a pleasant surprise. 16, 5 for sub Jeb Ferk, which was a bigger surprise. 15, 4, 3 for Tuck, 15, 5 for Menz. Our bench was +18 but our starters let us down. We scored 60 in the paint. Only took 2 threes and missed both of them. 25 free throws so we only made 4 field goals NOT in the paint. That’s the system.

You don’t make changes after one game. Patience, Rick, patience.

Home opener is with #22 ranked Butler, 1-0. They looked great outside in their opener. I don’t think we’re ready for a ranked team but the experience will do us good in the long run.

11/17: We score the first 10 then they come back. Down 2 after 10. 52-46 at the half. We shot 62.1%+12 in the paint. Balanced scoring. We’re playing well against this ranked team so far. Home cookin’!

Holding the lead early. Up 4 with to play.

92-96. We definitely played better but our D has a LONG way to go. 14, 8 for Tuck, 14, 4 for Ferk, who is exceeding expectations, 13, 2, 4 for Shel, 13, 5, 2, 3 for Roon at PF, 10, 5, 3 for Grey at SG.

Joe Blan hasn’t shown us much yet. We need him to produce.

Only 2 games but I’m going to start Shel at Sf and give Ferk more minutes.

At 0-2 Colorado ST next. They’re better outside than inside.

11/21: Back and forth early. A mini-run puts us up 11 after 10. 41-28. Solid D, 33.3% to our 47.1%. . Big edge inside. 10 for Shel in his first start. This is the best we’ve looked so far. Now to keep it up!

Still looking good early. Up 6 with 10 left.

86-80 and our first win! 14, 10 for Jeb Ferk, 11, 8 for Tuck, 15, 3 for Shel, 14, 5 for C/F Tray Bowe, 11 for Roon, 6, 9, 4, 3 for Grey. Very solid inside play. The system is working, given I really don’t have the right players for it. 52 in the paint, only 3 baskets outside of the paint. Still waiting for Joe Blan to find his game, and Bill Roon hasn’t done much at PF. It’s a process.

At 1-2 George Mason next. My guys have a spring in their step after the win.

11/28: Early lead. Up 9 after 10. They come back. 42-40 at halftime. 13 fopr Roon. 9 assists for Blan. +18 in the paint. We need more from our guards. We have set plays for them to drive and at times to go back door but it’s not happening much.

Looking good early! Up 9 with 10 to play.

86-70. Greta 2nd half. 16, 6, 2, 3 for Tuck, 21, 3 for Roon, 18 assists for Blan. Good bench play. 3 baskets outside the paint. We haven’t taken a three in either of the last two games.

2-2 but our last two have been wins.

I like having Shel start. Bowe is moving up in the depth chart.

[Wayne23]

2-3 UAB is here. Solid program having a tough early season.

12/1: They have a very good SG.

Close early. Up 6 after 10. The home crowd is behind us! 43-32 at the half. 11, 4, 5 for sub Tray Bowe, 9, 4 for Shel. Big edge inside and solid D.

Up only 2 with 10 to play. Then a run!

87-69. 21, 8, 3 for Bowe, 13, 5 for Shel, 13, 3, 4, 3 for Grey, 11, 5 for Ferk, 10, 7 for Roon, 9 assists for Blan. +28 in the paint.

Still figuring out our lineup. Bowe is making a strong case for more minutes.

We made our first three of the season.

At 4-1 Arizona ST. This one could be challenging. Their big guys score a lot of points.

12/5: We fall behind early. Down only 1 after 10 as we come back. 32-38 at the break. Their C and PF are killing us, 35 points! Tuck has 3 fouls, Roon 2 against their big guys. Our first 2 bigs off the bench have 2 fouls each. We make a couple of adjustments.

Uh oh! Down 17 with 10 to play; not good!

62-81. They clobbered us in the 2nd half. Their two big guys combined for 55! Blan had 10 TOs. 13, 7, 3 for Ferk, 10, 4, 0, 4 for Grey, but no one else did much. Oh well, they were clearly the better team. Time to pick my guys up and try to get their confidence back.

Carl Cage has a concussion. He’s out for at least a week. He doesn’t play much.

We’re heading for the Sunshine Shootout. We’re the #3 seed and we play the #6, LSU, 4-0. They look tough.

12/9: They lead early. Up 3 after 10 but it’s a battle. 37-38 at the break. The refs are whistle happy against both teams. We’re an embarrassing 7-20 from the line. It’s a very physical game.

Staying close early. Up 8 with 10 to play but it’s back and forth. They go on a late run.

80-92. I feel like we could have won this one but we let it get away. 18, 8 for Roon, 14, 8 for both Tuck and Grey, 11, 4, 3 for Bowe. They hit 15 threes. Our outside D wasn’t there.

Roon hurt his leg. Not serious but I may sit him for a game to be safe.

4-4 Dayton is here. Better outside than inside.

Roon will sit. Bowe starts.

12/12: Close early. Up 7 after 10. 43-32 at halftime. 12 for Grey. +24 in the paint and we’re shooting 52.9%.

Up 12 with 10 to go.

75-63. 20, 4 for Grey. 10, 5 for Shel.

Roon is back.

One more pre-conf game, at 4-6 Georgia. This is a team we should beat but it’s a road game.

12/19: Early lead. Up 9 after 10. 47-31 at the half. 11 for Shel, 10 each for Grey and Roon. +18 in the paint.

Up 20 with 10 left.

82-63. Solid win! 19, 6 for Shel, 15, 9 for Ferk, 17, 4 for Roon. 2 threes!

I feel like we’re just finding ourselves and we’re getting better as we go along.

5-4 at the end of pre-conf play, NET #69. +3.0 PPG, +3.3 RBs, -2.5 turnovers but 14.9 is way too many.
Shel leads in scoring with 13.1. 12.8 for Roon. 11.7, 6.3 RBs for sub Jeb Ferk. 10.9 for Grey. 10.6, 5.7 RBs for Tuck. 9.3, 4.0 RBs for sub Tray Bowe. 8.6 assists for Blan but he doesn’t score, 2.6 per game. Blan has been a disappointment all in all but he passes very well and he plays solid D; he’s our 2nd best defender.

[Wayne23]

12/26: At 5-5 Kent ST. I decide to give Bowe more minutes, mostly at SF.

Close early. Both teams are flat. Up 6 after 10. 41-35 at halftime. Balanced scoring, +16 inside. We need to find more energy.

We fall behind early. Down 9 with 10 to go.

87-88. It was back and forth for the last 2 minutes but they edged us out. -12 at the line and they hit 10 threes. +36 in the paint. 12, 3, 3 for both Shel and Grey, 14 for Bron, 13, 7 for Ferk. 15 TOs to
4 for them. Not a good night, we should have won this one.

At 8-3, 1-0 Toledo. Another tough road game. Very good at PG and C.

12/29: Close early. Up 2 after 10. 42-39 at the half. 15, 5 for Tuck, who has been inconsistent. 12, 4 for Roon.

We get the lead to 10. Up only 4 with 10 to play.

81-88. They took charge late and we let another one slip away. It takes time, I guess. 22, 9 for Tuck, 19, 6 for Roon, 14, 2, 4 for Grey. -8 at the line.

The third of 5 straight road games is at 4-7, 1-1 Miami (OH). Wea NEED a win!

1/2/2023: Close early again. Up 1 after 10. 42-41 at the break. 11, 5 for both Roon and Ferk. Tuck has 3 fouls. Our bench is +8. Both teams are shooting well over 50%. We need a good 2nd half.

They take the lead. We come back, up 6 with 10 to go. Then a run!

83-66 and a much needed win! 22, 7 for Roon, 17, 10 for Ferk, 12, 5 for Bowe. 58 in the paint. 41-25 in the 2nd half.

At 3-9, 1-2, Central Michigan. Their C is out with a torn up knee.

1/5: They take the lead early. Down 6 after 10. 38-50 at the half. We’re not playing D, 58.3%. I am NOT happy and I really unload in the locker room. Then I make a couple of adjustments. Let’s see if it helps.

Nope. Down 18 with 10 to play, and I bench my starters.

72-87. Our worst performance since I got here. Very little went right.

Thankfully, we’re headed home. The long trip was a factor.

Joe Blan hurt his knee. It’s minor and he’s day to day.

We’re 6-7, 1-3. Let’s hope the 3 game homestand helps.

[Wayne23]

1/9: 8-5, 3-1 Western Michigan is here.

Back and forth. A run puts us up 8 after 10. 53-45 at halftime. 3 fouls for Tuck. The front court is outplaying theirs by a lot but all of our bigs have at least 2 fouls except Ferk. 20, 3 for Roon, 13, 5 for

Ferk. We’re shooting 63.2% to their 50%. -7 from the line.

We’re holding our lead early. Up 16 with 10 to play.

98-84. 27, 5 for Roon, 16, 4, 3, 5 blocks for Grey, 18, 6 for Ferk, 12, 4 for Shel. An amazing 84 in the paint.

4-11, 1-4 Buffalo is next here. Another lineup change. I’m starting Ferk at SF. His NET is #1 on the team. Blan is back to 100%.

1/12: Slow start. Up 5 after 10. 39-39 at halftime. Lousy D, too many fouls. Both Tuck and Ferk have 3. Both guards have 2. -7 from the line. +18 inside. 13, 6 for Roon.

It’s staying close early. Up 5 with 10 to go. Then a run!

75-61. 19, 9 for Roon, 13 each for Grey and Shel. +38 in the paint.

Minor Injuries for both Blan and Rowe. They’ll see limited time in our next game.

1/16: 7-8, 4-2 Ball ST is here. Back and forth then we go on a big run. Up 16 after 10. 54-36 at the half. 13, 4, 3 for Bill Roon, who has been playing very well. Tuck has 3 fouls, both guards have 2.

Dominant inside.

A run to start the 2nd and it’s a rout. Up 27 with 10 left.

98-72. 29, 6, 3 for Roon, 16, 5 for Shel, 14, 4 for Bowe. 66 in the paint.

The home stand ends. Next 3 are on the road.

We’re at 4-12, 2-5 Bowling Green next. This is a team we should beat but road games are never easy.

Blan is back to 100%.

1/19: Sluggish start. Down 7 after 10. 38-49 at the half. They shot 57.1%. Once again, I am not happy.

“Play freaking basketball!”

Not happening early. Down 17 with 10 left. I’ll sit my starters soon.

70-91. Awful! They shot 60%.

We’re 9-8, 4-4, NET #90.

[Wayne23]

At a very good Ohio team next, 14-5, 6-2.They’re very good outside.

1/23: Good start. They come back. Tied after 10. 49-50. 15 lead changes, 10 ties in the 1st half. Blan has 3 fouls. Their bench is killing ours.

A mini-run early. Up 7 with 10 left.

97-92. Great win! My guys are unpredictable, that’s for sure!

21, 10, 3 blocks for Tuck, who is probably my most inconsistent player. 20, 6 for Ferk, 11, 4, 3 for Blan, 12, 4 for Roon, 8, 6, 7, 4 for Grey. +9 from the line for once!

At 3-15, 2-7 Northern Illinois. Another team we should beat but…

1/26: Close early. Up 1 after 10. 36-32. 3 fouls for Roon. 7, 12, 3 for Tuck. Good inside play. We should be crushing these guys.

We get the lead to 10. Up 15 with 10 to go.

82-68. 18, 16, 3 for Tuck, 19 for Grey, 12, 3, 4, 3 for Ferk. +40 in the paint.

1/29: At the halfway mark in MAC play we’re 11-8, 6-4, in a 4 way tie for 2nd, 1 back of Western Michigan. NET #114.

+3.9 PPG, we’re 5th in PPG, but nearly last in PPG Allowed. +4.7 RBs, -2.2 TOs but an awful 14.4.

Roon leads in PPG with 15.4, 5.1 RBs. Ferk gets 12.5, 5.9 RBs. 12.4 for Shel, 11.3, 6.5 RBs for Tuck, 11.2 for Grey. Blan leads in assists with 7.3 but turns it over 5 times a game. His D is keeping him in the lineup.

All of our recruits hit our SAT score.

Back home with 7-12, 5-5 Bowling Green. They have a very good Center.

1/30: Slow start. Down 5 after 10. 38-34 at the half. 12, 6 for Roon. Good D, 30%. Big edge inside. But Tuck and Grey have 3 fouls each.

Up 2 with 10 to play.

72-77. They outplayed us in the last few minutes. This is another game we let slip away. 16, 9 for Roon, 12, 3, 7 for Blan, 12, 3 for Shel, 11, 3 for Grey. -8 at the line, they made 9 threes. We owned the paint but it wasn’t enough.

I HATE to lose at home!

Little used Carl Cage hurt his shoulder. Out for a week.15-7, 7-4 Ohio is here. We won by 5 there.

2/2: Early lead. Up 11 after 10. 51-33 at the half. Balanced scoring. +26 in the paint. But all 3 inside players have 3 fouls. Good D, 30.8%.

Holding the lead. Up 17 with 10 to go.

112-92. We shot an amazing 69.2%, 74 in the paint. , 25 for Bowe, 16, 5, 4, 3 for Grey, 11, 11 for Menz.

We’re one of 5 teams tied for 2nd, 2 back of Western Michigan. 12-9, 7-5, with 8 to play.

[Wayne23]

At 7-15, 4-8 Buffalo. We won by 14 at our place.

2/6: They take a quick lead and we come back. Up 3 after 10. 47-36 at the half. 18, 6 for Tuck, 10, 3 for Grey. Shooting 63.6%.

Holding our lead. Up 17 with 10 to play.

83-67. 18, 8 for Tuck, 18, 4 for Grey, 13, 5 for Roon, 11, 8, 5 for Shel. +22 inside.

At 10-12, 7-6 Ball ST. We won by 26 at home. Their decent inside.

2/9: Back and forth early. Up 7 after 10. 50-32 at the break. Shooting 67.7%. 13 for Roon. +24 inside.

We’re looking good! Up 21 with 10 to go.

96-69. 23, 4 for Roon, 11, 10 for Tuck, 12, 9 for Ferk, 15, 3, 4 for Grey, 10 assists for Blan. Good bench play. 70 in the paint.

We have 6 left, 5 of them at home! Only 1 back of 1st place.

10-13, 7-7, Miami (OH) is here. We won by 17 at their place.

2/13: Fast start. Then they come back. Up 1 after 10. 56-40 at halftime. 12, 6 for Ferk, 12 each for Grey and Shel. +24 in the paint. Shooting 61.3%.

Lead goes to 20. Up 20 with 10 to play.

101-81. 18, 13, 4, 3 for Tuck, 21, 13 for Ferk, 18, 3, 3 for Grey, 16, 3 for Roon. 68 in the paint.

Alone in 2nd place, 1 back of 1st.

10-14, 8-7 Central Michigan is here. They won by 15 there. Their C is out with knee problems.

1/16: Close game early on. A run puts us up 15 after 10. 44-25 at the half. 10, 6 for Roon. We own the paint. 3 fouls for Tuck.

Up 25 with 10 left.

85-65. 24, 8 for Roon, 17, 7 for Tuck, 12, 7, 5, 3 for Ferk, 12, 3, 2, 4 for Grey. 62 in the paint.

Tied for 1st with 4 to play.

16-9, 11-5. NET #74. #2 in PPG, #1 in FG pct.

[Wayne23]

13-13, 8-8 Kent ST is here. They won by 1 at their place. We’re playing a lot better now. 10-2 in our last 12.

2/20: They take a quick lead and we come back. Up 3 after 10. 39-29 at halftime. 9 each for Roon and Grey.

They close the gap early. Back and forth. Up 1 with 10 to go.

81-85. Just like last time we let it get away late. Damn! 17, 4, 3 for Grey, 17, 5 for Roon, 13, 4, 9, 3 for Blan. They had 8 threes, but we were outplayed inside.

1 back of 1st place again.

17-10, 10-7 Toledo is here. They won by 7 last time. They’re very good at 1 and 5.

2/23: We fall behind then catch up and go ahead. Up 8 after 10. 39-28 at the half. 10, 4 for Roon, 9, 3 for Bowe. Good inside play, good shooting.

Extending the lead. Up 19 with 10 to play.

76-58. 20, 8 for Roon, 13 each for Ferk and Bowe. +22 in the paint.

6-21, 5-13 Northern Illinois is here. We won by 14 at home.

2/27: Close early. Up 11 after 10. Up 18 at the half. 12 for Shel. +18 inside. We’re shooting 58.1%.

Up 14 with 10 to go.

99-90. 18, 10 for Ferk, 21 for Shel, 11, 6, 7, 3 for Grey, 10, 4, 8 for Blan, 14 for Bowe. +28 in the paint.

Merv Grey hurt hos leg. He may miss a game or play limited minutes.

Still one back of 1st.

At 6-22, 5-14 Eastern Michigan. They’re better outside than inside.

This is a big game for us.

3/2: Back and forth early. Down 3 after 10. 36-33 after a hard fought 1st half. Balanced scoring. +22 in the paint.

They take the lead. Down 2 with 10 to play.

63-65. Blan turned it over with 1.3 left. 12, 8, 4, 3 for Shel. -11 from the line. Tough loss.

We finish the regular season at 18-11, 13-7, 2nd place, 2 back of Western Michigan. NET #75.