Philly Gym Rat (The Perry “QM” McMullin Story)

[PointGuard]

On February 11th, Jerell Brown was named as a semifinalist for the Norton Award. Jerell has been the Great West Player of the Week twice this season.

[PointGuard]

1. Duke...............22-3
2. Michigan..........24-4
3. Kansas............20-4
4. Cincinnati........22-4
5. North Carolina..20-8
6. Florida............20-6
7. Louisville.........18-6
8. Alabama..........20-4
9. Indiana...........19-8
10. Wisconsin......22-4

[PointGuard]

Game #26: ; Feb. 13, 2014; CSU Bakersfield Roadrunners (16-9, 7-5) at New Jersey Tech Highlanders (15-10, 7-5)

Oh boy, who do we play tonight? The team we’ve never beaten since I became coach here that we’re tied with for 2nd on THEIR court . Winner takes over sole possession of 2nd place one game behind conference leading Seattle, loser drops into a tie for 3rd place. They’re coming off a 62-48 shellacking of Seattle in their last game. SF Matt Cota is averaging 14.9 ppg and SG Adam McLean is scoring 13.6 ppg, but Mota his hitting a much higher percentage of his shots so we’re going to double team him and hope McLean fires up a lot of misses. But the big chore our team will be getting our offense in gear against the Highlanders’ tough 2-3 zone defense.

We again experienced that dreaded disease…turnoveritis and dropped behind 29-14 before cutting their lead to 7. Then the refs began tooting their whistles incessantly against us to widen the gap. When we picked up our 9th team foul when only 4 had been called against the Highlanders, I blew up and got a technical. Down by 13, we then rallied after my T and closed the half trailing 39-32. We hit 48% but New Jersey Tech hit 52%. Our leading scorers were Darius Dunn and Jerell Brown, each with 9 points. Andrew Powers twisted his ankle early in the half. While it wasn’t a serious injury, I held him out for the rest of the game to ensure the injury wasn’t aggravated.

We clamped down defensively in the 2nd half and pulled into a 43-43 tie with 13 minutes to play. Then at the 12:15 mark, Jerell Brown knifed in a long 3 pointer to put us ahead 46-43. We built our lead to as much as 10 as we continued to hound them defensively and surprisingly shoot well against their defense. Win #1 against the Highlanders! The albatross is no longer around our necks.

Final Score: CSU Bakersfield-70, New Jersey Tech-63. CSU Bakersfield season record: 17-9; Great West record: 8-5 (2nd place).

Scoring leaders: Jrl Brown-26, Dunn-14, Lyde-10.

Rebound leaders: Pastner-5, Jsh Brown-5.

Assist leaders: Kamara-5, Dunn-4, Jrl Brown-3, Williams-3.

Player of the Game: SG Jerell Brown-26 pts, 4 reb, 3 assists, 7 steals

Coach’s Pat on the Back Award: PG Darius Dunn-14 pts, 4 reb, 4 assists, 1 steal, 1 block.

Other notes: This was the first time we’ve ever shot well against New Jersey Tech, sinking 52% of our shots. Defensively we held their shooting in the 2nd half to below 30% and their shooting for the entire game dropped to 39%. We forced them to make 22 turnovers and hung onto the ball better in the 2nd half, ending with 17 turnovers. The Highlanders held a 30-26 rebounding advantage. We held the Highlanders top scorer, Matt Cota, scoreless on 0 for 10 shooting. Jerell Brown was a real ball hawk, getting 7 steals.

[PointGuard]

Game #27: Feb. 16, 2014; Seattle Redhawks (16-10, 9-4) at CSU Bakersfield Roadrunners (17-9, 8-5)

Great turnout of fans tonight. We take on the conference-leading Redhawks. If we win, we tie them for the conference championship. In our first game with Seattle on their court we lost 79-70. Their SG scored 25 points in that game and is averaging 21.1 ppg. Since his shooting percentage is low, we’ll play him straight-up to start and double team him if he gets hot.

Our defense was stellar, holding Seattle to 29% shooting. We hit 42% of our FG attempts and out-rebounded the Redhawks 23-18. We steadily increased our lead and finished the half up 36-24. Jerell Brown scored 12 points for us, and we held Adam Givens to 5 points as he hit just 1 of 9 FG’s.

We continued our dominance in the 2nd half, opening a 20 point lead at 53-33 with 12 minutes to play. We expanded our lead to 23. While they narrowed the gap near the end of the game, that occurred when we were playing the far end of the bench.

Final Score: CSU Bakersfield-67, Seattle-52. CSU Bakersfield season record: 18-9; Great West record: 9-5 (1st place tie).

Scoring leaders: Jrl Brown-22, Lyde-13, Kamara-13, Jsh Brown-10.

Rebound leaders: Lyde-9, Jrl Brown-6, Jsh Brown-6, Powers-5.

Assist leaders: Kamara-6, Jrl Brown-5.

Player of the Game: SG Jerell Brown-22 pts, 6 reb, 5 assists, 2 steals.
[
I]Coach’s Pat on the Back Award: [/I]PF Ali Lyde-13 pts, 9 reb, 1 block.

Other notes: Our shooting tailed off in the 2nd half and we ended the game hitting 42% of our shots. But defensively we throttled the Redhawks holding them to 31% shooting. We out-rebounded them 40-34 and held a 14-13 turnover advantage. We completely dominated Seattle throughout the game. We held Adam Givens to 11 points on 3 of 16 shooting from the field.

Our fans cheering gave us energy all the way. All of our seniors were able to get a lot of playing time and a nice hand from our fans as they each were called off the court in their last home game of their careers.

[PointGuard]

CSU Bakersfield......9-5.....18-9.....RPI: 71
Seattle...................9-5....16-11....RPI: 91
New Jersey Tech......8-6....16-11 ...RPI: 143
Houston Baptist........7-7....13-14....RPI: 190
North Dakota...........7-7.....13-14....RPI: 131
Utah Valley.............6-8.....11-16....RPI: 176
TX Pan American......5-9....10-17.....RPI: 284
Chicago State..........5-9....10-17....RPI: 258

We’re 63rd on the “Who’s In” list for the NCAA Tournament Bubble Watch, but it really doesn’t matter since we won’t be going unless we win the Great West Conference Tournament.

[PointGuard]

TX Pan American (10-17, 5-9) vs Seattle (16-11, 9-5)—TX Pan American broke out to an 11 point lead, but Seattle rallied and the score in the first half went back-and-forth toward the end of the half ending in a 34-34 tie. In the 2nd half, Seattle took control and increased their lead until the end of the game. Adam Givens scored 19 points for Seattle while Senque Woods was TX Pan American’s leading scorer with 14 points. Final Score: Seattle-80, TX Pan American-64.

Utah Valley (11-16, 6-8) vs New Jersey Tech (16-11, 8-6)—New Jersey Tech marched out to a 14 point lead in the 1st half and looked to have things in control, but Utah Valley trimmed their lead at the end of the half to 35-27. Then in the 2nd half, Utah Valley’s offense came to life. Scoring 50 points in the half, they streaked ahead of the Highlanders and continued to build their lead to the end of the game and achieve a big upset. J.R. Allen dropped in 17 points for Utah Valley. Bryan Boyce led New Jersey Tech with 17 points. Final Score: 77-69.

North Dakota (13-14, 7-7) vs Houston Baptist (13-14, 7-7)—The first half was fiercely contested, but Houston Baptist was able to carve out a 42-37 halftime lead. They expanded their lead to as much as 12 points in the 2nd half, but could not put the game out of reach until the final minute. Roy Landrum led Houston Baptist’s scoring with 18 points, while Herb Dahl was high-point man for North Dakota with 19 points. Final Score: Houston Baptist-83, North Dakota-75.

Game #28: Mar. 1, 2014; Chicago State Cougars (10-17, 5-9) vs CSU Bakersfield Roadrunners (18-9, 9-5)

We beat the Cougars twice this season and their record makes this look to be an easy win for us, but I caution my guys that they will be looking to knock us off.

We started out slow with the game close in the initial stages, but we then played solidly on both ends of the court to quickly build a 13 point lead. Our shooting fell apart at that point and we let the Cougars back into the game. We barely escaped with a 33-30 lead at the half. I laid into the team during the intermission. Jerell Brown had a great half, scoring 17 points.

We just couldn’t shake the Cougars in the 2nd half and they finally tied us at 41-41 with 12-1/2 to go. We re-established a small lead but Chicago State took the lead 54-53 with 4-1/2 minutes left in the game. At the 2 minute mark, the Cougars hit a 3 that gave them a 61-58 lead. With 23 seconds we threw the ball away so had to foul. The Cougars sunk both ends of the 1 and 1 to put them ahead 63-58. We brought it down quickly but missed our 3, they rebounded and hit their 3 at the buzzer.

Final Score: Chicago St.-66, CSU Bakersfield-58. CSU Bakersfield season record: 18-10.

Scoring leaders: Jrl Brown-25, Lyde-13, Kamara-10.

Rebound leaders: Jsh Brown-8, Lyde-7, Jrl Brown-6, Kamara-5.

Assist leaders: Kamara-5.

Player of the Game: Chicago State’s PG Antonio Booker-16 pts, 4 reb, 2 assists.

Coach’s Pat on the Back Award: SG Jerell Brown-25 pts, 6 reb, 1 assist,2 steals.

Other notes: We folded like a fan in the 2nd half. We hit just 38% while Chicago State hit 41%. We turned the ball over just 9 times while the Cougars had 14 turnovers, but they controlled the boards 41-35. They had 11 more free throw attempts and scored 9 more points at the line that us, but there was no excuse for how we played, which in a word was: B-A-D and in 2 words was: V-E-R-Y B-A-D.

I suspect this was our last game of the season. I doubt either the NIT or CBI will invite a team with 18 wins with such a low prestige in such a weak conference, particularly a team that lost in the opening round of the conference tourney to the worst team in the conference. So it’s “wait til next year”.

[PointGuard]

Houston Baptist (14-14, 7-7) vs Chicago State (11-17, 5-9)—The lead kept changing throughout the first half and the two teams ended up being tied 35-35 at the half. Chicago State caught fire in the 2nd half and ended up hitting 58% of their shots throughout the game. Meanwhile Houston Baptist only made 37% of their FG attempts. Chicago State controlled the boards 37-26. The result was another big upset by Chicago State advancing the last place team in the conference to the championship game. Kenny Nelson was high-point man for Chicago State with 18 points. Correy Jones and Roy Landrum both had 10 points for Houston Baptist. Final Score: Chicago State-80, Houston Baptist-68.

Utah Valley (12-16, 6-8) vs Seattle (17-11, 9-5)—As in the other game on day two, the first half was close all the way with Utah Valley coming out of it with a razor thin edge, 33-32. Turnovers spelled Seattle’s defeat in the 2nd half as Utah Valley pulled steadily away and pulled off the 2nd upset of the night. Bryan Boyce led Utah Valley with 20 points. The top scorer for Seattle was Adam Givens with 15 points. Final Score: Utah Valley-72, Seattle-55.

[PointGuard]

This tournament could easily be called “theater of the bizarre”. The 6th best and 8th best teams (in an 8 team conference) are playing for the title.

Utah Valley (13-16, 6-8) vs Chicago State (12-17, 5-9)—A tale of two halves. The first half was dominated by Chicago State to the tune of 39-25. The second half was dominated by Utah Valley to the tune of 33-24. Chicago State again shot well, hitting 46% of their shots, while limiting Utah Valley to 38% shooting. Kenny Nelson popped in 18 points for Chicago State. Thomas Banta and Todd Monroe shared high point honors for Utah Valley with 13 apiece. Final Score: Chicago State-63, Utah Valley-58.

And “the least shall be the greatest”. Chicago State will be the Great West’s representative to the NCAA Tournament (at least to the play-in game) with their 13-17 season record.

[PointGuard]

The disappointment of the conference tournament was somewhat offset by the good news that Jerell Brown again was named a finalist for the Norton Award. He finished the season with a 20.8 ppg scoring average and had 5.2 rpg, 1.6 apg, 1.6 spg, 0.1 bpg, and a 0.8 A/TO ratio. He also had a .832 STP%.

[PointGuard]

Point Guard:

Darius Dunn, Rashun Kamara, and Kevin Hill combined to score about 11-1/2 ppg and dish nearly 8 apg. Their effectiveness was eerily similar. Kamara and Hill shot better from 3-point distance than Dunn, but Dunn was stronger defensively. Michael Curry got limited minutes, but scored well while he was in the game, but was very prone to turnovers. Hill put in some time at SG and SF as well as PG. Dunn will be a senior next year and Curry will be a junior. Kamara and Hill graduate this year.

Darius Dunn: 28 G, 28 GS, 16.7 mpg, 5.5 ppg, 1.8 rpg, 3.1 apg, 0.7 spg, 0.5 bpg, 1.2 A/TO
Rashun Kamara: 28 G, 0 GS, 16.4 mpg, 4.9 ppg, 1.6 rpg, 3.0 apg, 0.5 spg, 0.0 bpg, 1.5 A/TO
KevinHill: 28 G, 0 GS, 8.7 mpg, 2.1 ppg, 1.1 rpg, 1.0 apg, 0.3 spg, 0.1 bpg, 1.0 A/TO
Michael Curry: 15 G, 0 GS, 1.9 mpg, 1.5 ppg, 0.5 rpg, 0.2 apg, 0.0 spg, 0.0 bpg, 0.4 A/TO

Shooting Guard:

Jerell Brown’s year was nearly the same as last year. He played very well, but again his shooting percentage was lower than desired. Andrew Powers played both SG and SF. His scoring slipped towards the end of the year. Jason Nurse got into few game and played few minutes. His relationship with me is virtually non-existent, but he gets along with his teammates. Brown and Nurse will be juniors next year. Powers graduates this year.

Jerell Brown: 28 G, 28 GS, 32.9 mpg, 20.8 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 1.8 apg, 1.6 spg, 0.1 bpg, 0.8 A/TO
Andrew Powers: 28 G, 1 GS, 12.6 mpg, 3.2 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 0.9 apg, 0.6 spg, 0.4 bpg, 1.0 A/TO
Jason Nurse: 7 G, 0 GS, 2.1 mpg, 0.4 ppg, 0.4 rpg, 0.3 apg, 0.0 spg, 0.0 bpg, 1.0 A/TO

Small Forward:

Justin Williams didn’t score well but was effective on the boards. Pretty much the same thing could be said for Jeremy Jones. Ammer Self played steadily when on the floor, but his playing time was very limited. Self doesn’t get along too well with me and has had some problems with teammates also. Jones played at PF a little also. Self will be a junior next year. Williams and Jones graduate this year.

Justin Williams: 26 G, 26 GS, 25.6 mpg, 4.3 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 1.4 apg, 0.5 spg, 0.6 bpg, 1.4 A/TO
Jeremy Jones: 28 G, 1 GS, 9.3 mpg, 1.1 ppg, 1.7 rpg, 0.5 apg, 0.3 spg, 0.2 bpg, 0.5 A/TO
Ammer Self: 10 G, 0 GS, 2.0 mpg, 0.7 ppg, 0.4 rpg, 0.1 apg, 0.1 spg, 0.0 bpg, 1.0 A/TO

Power Forward:

Ali Lyde became a key player for us, scoring, rebounding and defending well. Terrence Wiatre filled in adequately for Lyde, but didn’t get many minutes of play. C.J. Galloway didn’t play much. He rebounded well but didn’t score much and he was weak defensively. Lyde will be a senior next year and both Wiatre and Galloway will be juniors.

Ali Lyde: 28 G, 28 GS, 30.3 mpg, 13.0 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 1.0 apg, 0.7 spg, 0.7 bpg, 0.9 A/TO
Terrance Wiatre: 26G, 0 GS, 6.0 mpg, 1.4 ppg, 1.2 rpg, 0.4 apg, 0.2 spg, 0.0 bpg, 3.3 A/TO
C.J. Galloway: 10 G, 0 GS, 2.6 mpg, 0.4 ppg, 0.8 rpg, 0.0 apg, 0.0 spg, 0.0 bpg, 0.0 A/TO

Center:

Both Josh Brown and Marcelle Pastner combined to pull down about 9 rpg. Pastner became stronger as the year progressed and very well may become next year’s starter. Brown will be a junior and Pastner a sophomore next year.

Josh Brown: 28 G, 28 GS, 21.7 mpg, 4.3 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 1.2 apg, 1.0 spg, 0.0 bpg, 1.0 A/TO
Marcelle Pastner: 28 G, 0 GS, 14.8 mpg, 3.9 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 0.7 apg, 0.5 sgp, 0.0 bpg, 1.0 A/TO