Path to the Hall of Fame

[randy]

Points
#1 Charles Burditt, 624 (23.1 ppg, #6 national)
#5 Glendon Jackson, 346 (12.8)
#6 Ray Smith, 339 (12.6)
#8 Linehan Johnson, 309 (11.4)

Rebounds
#1 Glendon Jackson, 175 (6.5 rpg)
#2 Linehan Johnson, 167 (6.2)
#5 Rashif McCoy, 154 (5.7)
T#18, Ray Smith, Charles Burditt, 109 (4.0)

Assists
#1 Joem Thomas, 181 (6.7 apg, #2 national)
#4 Ray Smith, 107 (4.0)

Steals
T#11 Charles Burditt, 24 (0.9 spg)

Blocks
T#1 Charles Burditt, 24 (0.9 bpg)
T#5 Ray Smith, 17 (0.6)
T#8 Joem Thomas, 16 (0.6)

3P Made
T#1 Charles Burditt, 74

FG%
#1 Glendon Jackson, 0.727 (#1 national)
#2 Linehan Johnson, 0.584 (#16 national)

3P%
#6 Charles Burditt, 0.448

Turnovers
#7 Ray Smith, 68 (2.5 topg)
#10 Joem Thomas, 60 (2.2)

[randy]

3/1/97
G1: (5) Texas St vs (8) Lamar
G2: (6) Texas-Arlington vs (7) Nicholls St

3/2/97
G3: (4) Central Arkansas vs W1
G4: (3) Texas-San Antonio vs W2

3/3/97
G5: (1) Sam Houston St vs W3
G6: (2) Texas A&M Corpus Christi vs W4

3/4/97
G7: W5 vs W6

[randy]

3/1/97

(8) Lamar def (5) Texas St, 75-70
- LAM's SG Donald Blossom back from his injury, 19 pts, 5 rebs, 4 stls

(6) Texas-Arlington def (7) Nicholls St, 69-61
- UTA's PF Antonio Watson, 14 pts, 8 rebs; all UTA starters scored in double figures


3/2/97

(6) Texas-Arlington def (3) Texas-San Antonio, 78-66
- UTA's C Eli Seabrooks, 20 pts, 5 rebs

(4) Central Arkansas def (8) Lamar, 74-65
- UCA's PF Trey Richard, 12 pts, 10 rebs


3/3/97

(2) Texas A&M Corpus Christi def (6) Texas-Arlington, 78-55
- TAMCC's Tony Driver, 26 pts, 3 stls


3/3/97: (4) Central Arkansas (14-14, 7-7) vs (1) #9 Sam Houston St (25-2, 13-1)

Scouting Report
1. Primary defense: M2M
2. Offense focus: Balanced
3. Key players: Sr SG Marty Lumpkin (17.1 ppg)
4. We averaged 95 ppg against UCA this season

Initial instructions

[INDENT]1. Offense Sets / Focus: Auto / Balanced
2. Offense Pace / Freedom: 7 / 45%
3. Off / Def Rebounding Crash: 9 / 8
4. Defense Sets / Intensity: 2-3 zone / 8
5. Pressure Set / Frequency: Auto / 3
[/INDENT]


Tip off (1st Half)

15:35, Up 9-8
Burditt scored all our pts. Thomas with 2 fouls

10:00, Up 17-15
We need to involve our post players more on offense. Shifting focus to Favor Inside

7:41, Tied at 18
We're shooting 31% FG. Still cant get inside pts

5:11, Down 22-27
I was forced to call a timeout. We're not moving the ball well on offense. We'll shift to m2m defense

4:04, Tied at 27
Burditt (17 pts) scored 5 straight pts.


Halftime, Up 42-35
Both teams fouling a lot, and it's our guards (Thomas and Smith) who affected the most with 3 fouls each. I was forced to field in 3rd-string PG Keith Jackson, and he gave a good account of himself scoring 5 pts in 4 mins.

Burditt has 21 pts. My post players Jackson and JOhnson combining for only 4 pts

We'll continue with m2m defense, and lowering def intensity to 7. K Jackson will start the 2nd half


Start of 2nd Half

13:58, Up 54-46
Burditt (29 pts) comes up with clutch baskets whenever UCA closes the gap to 2 or 3 pts

10:55, Up 60-48
UCA with some costly turnovers which we converted to transition pts

7:57, Up 62-53
UCA still keeping it close. I'll give Burditt a short rest

6:15, Up 69-60
UCA capitalizing on our penalty situation; I will have to lower the def intensity further. Our last 7 pts came from reserves SF Angelo Wallace and SG Dan Wilson.

3:48, Up 72-62
Angelo Wallace got another field goal. Burditt is back in the game. Both teams trading turn overs in their last few possessions. UCA is also in the penalty

1:23, Up 79-64
We forced UCA into a couple more turn overs. Glendon Jackson finally getting some points inside, scoring 2 baskets in a 7-2 run. Safe lead at this point


Final score: Central Arkansas - 67, Sam Houston St - 82
Game was closer than the final score indicates.

Box Score

[INDENT]Burditt 32, 7, 1 (*)
Wallace 11, 6, 0
Smith 10, 2, 4, 4 tos
G Jackson 8, 11, 1
K Jackson 5, 1, 2
Wilson 5, 0, 0
Johnson 4, 2, 1
McCoy 3, 3, 3
Thomas 2, 2, 1
Thorton 2, 1, 1
[/INDENT]

Team Stats Comparisons

[INDENT]FG: 50-39%
REB: +9
TO: -1
Paint: +18
2nd Chance : -4
Fast Break: -2
[/INDENT]

Post Game Notes

[INDENT]1. Aside from Burditt who provided game-long brilliance, the trio of Wallace / K Jackson / Wilson (21 pts combined) delivered baskets at crucial moments when the game was far from being decided. During the regular season, those 3 have a combined average of just 6.8 ppg
2. UCA's starting PG Marcus Cook top scored for them, with 16 pts
3. A total of 49 FTAs were taken in this game; UCA shot 16-23, while we connected on 20-26
[/INDENT]

[randy]

3/4/97: (2) Texas A&M Corpus Christi (17-11, 9-5) vs (1) #9 Sam Houston St (26-2, 13-1)

Scouting Report
1. Primary defense: M2M
2. Offense focus: Balanced
3. Key players: Sr SG Tony Driver (15.5 ppg)

Initial instructions

[INDENT]1. Offense Sets / Focus: Auto / Balanced
2. Offense Pace / Freedom: 7 / 45%
3. Off / Def Rebounding Crash: 9 / 8
4. Defense Sets / Intensity: 2-3 zone / 8
5. Pressure Set / Frequency: Auto / 3
[/INDENT]


Tip off (1st Half)

15:54, Down 5-7

11:23, Up 17-16
TAMCC is 4-6 3PT. We'll switch to 1-2-2 zone

7:11, Up 25-20

3:22, Up 27-23
Our defense is not bad, but we're missing a lot of shots on offense, even those in the paint that we usually make. Thomas has 3 fouls, so I haven't used my 3-guard lineup to generate more offense

1:50, Tied at 27
We're adjusting to Favor Inside


Halftime, Tied at 34
TAMCC hits a 3 at the buzzer to tie the game

FG comparison is 37-42%. Our rebounding advantage (23-15) somehow compensated for our poor shooting

Burditt with 9 pts. TAMCC's TOny Driver was scoreless in the 1st half, due to foul trouble


Start of 2nd Half

14:59, Up 44-42
Thomas with a good start scoring 5 pts to start the half, but we still can't create enough separation from TAMCC

11:46, Up 54-44
Burditt (15 pts) hitting 2 3s to spearhead a 10-2 run

9:04, Up 57-53
TAMCC converting a 3pt play, to cut the lead to 4

7:09, Up 61-55
Burditt (19 pts) answers back with 2 scoring drives, and then a basket by TAMCC. I'll be giving a short rest

5:23, Up 65-55
Back-to-back scores by Smith (15 pts)

Teams traded basket, before Smith called for a foul (4th) in the last play. We're in the penalty

4:02, Up 67-57

I bring back Burditt and Jackson. My best 5 now on the floor

TAMCC: Hits both FTs. Up 8
SAM: Burditt knocks down a jumper from top of the key plus a foul. Hits the FT.

3:52, Up 70-59

TAMCC: Miss
SAM: Burditt puts up a shot from 3. He scores. Burditt with 25 pts. Up 14

3:09, Up 73-59

TAMCC: Foul. Hits 2 FTs. Down 12, 2:59
SAM: Jackson gets the ball in the post. He makes a move, and scores.

2:42, Up 75-61

TAMCC: They miss a 3
SAM: We go to the post again, this time to Johnson. He shoots and scores, plus a foul. Makes the bonus FT.

2:19, Up 78-61

We'll slow down the game, and that should do it


Final score: Texas A&M Corpus Christi - 64, Sam Houston St - 85


Box Score

[INDENT]Burditt 28, 4, 3 (*)
Smith 15, 8, 7
Johnson 15, 5, 1
G Jackson 11, 8, 1, 2 stls
Thomas 7, 3, 2
McCoy 6, 6, 1, 2 stls
Wallace 3, 4, 1
Thorton 0, 1, 1
Doss 0, 0, 0
[/INDENT]

Team Stats Comparisons

[INDENT]FG: 46-42%
REB: +12
TO: -6
Paint: +22
2nd Chance : +7
Fast Break: +9
[/INDENT]

Post Game Notes

[INDENT]1. Game was still not decided with 4 minutes remaining. These past 2 conference tournament games hopefully helped us prepare for the upcoming NCAA tournament
2. TAMCC's PG Dan Johnson top scored for them with 13 pts. SG Tony Driver not a factor today, with only 6 pts (2-8 FG)
[/INDENT]

[randy]

We will be playing South Regionals

1st Round Matchup: (4) #8 Sam Houston St vs (13) Darthmouth

Top seeds in this bracket include
(1) #5 Arkansas
(2) #7 Kansas
(3) #16 Texas A&M
(5) #25 Minnesota

Darthmouth won both the Ivy League conference regular season and tournament titles. Earlier in the season, they won a road game against then 23rd-rank Purdue.

[randy]

3/17/97: (13) Dartmouth (19-10, 10-4) vs (4) #8 Sam Houston St (27-2, 13-1)

Scouting Report
1. Primary defense: 1-3-1
2. Offense focus: Balanced
3. Key players: Sr PG Albert Jackson (17.4 ppg, 45% 3PT)
4. With the exception of Jackson, they don't take many 3PT shots. Their best post player, Jr C Tony Montgomery, is slightly injured but he might play

Initial instructions

[INDENT]1. Offense Sets / Focus: Auto / Balanced
2. Offense Pace / Freedom: 7 / 45%
3. Off / Def Rebounding Crash: 9 / 8
4. Defense Sets / Intensity: 2-3 zone / 8
5. Pressure Set / Frequency: Auto / 3
[/INDENT]


Tip off (1st Half)

15:00, Up 9-2
Defense is good so far. Offense could do some improvement; were 4-11 FG

9:56, Up 18-5
DAR's PG Albert Jackson scored all of their 5 pts; his team mates are 0-6 FG.


Halftime, Up 40-18
We forced DART to shoot more from the outside because of our 2-3 zone, and they shot only 25% FG. Ours is only 39%, and if not for our 14 fast break pts, that FG% will be significantly lower.

Burditt and Thomas are in double figures scoring, with 12 and 10.

We'll shift to Favor Inside, and less offensive freedom in the 2nd half


Start of 2nd Half

15:02, Up 48-30
DART got off to a 5-0 run to start the half, as we committed 2 turn overs in our first 2 possessions

11:38, Up 50-34

7:58, Up 53-36
We're ineffective using the default 1-3-1 zone attack. I tried using exclusively motion offense for our half court plays, but still no improvement on our offense.

Up to this point, I have used only players. I just inserted Doss, Thorton, and Wilson for the 1st time

4:14, 57-36
DART has gone ice cold on offense the last 10 mins. Well, we're not exactly sizzling hot on offense either

I will pull out Smith and Johnson, and go with an all-reserve lineup the rest of the game


Final score: Dartmouth - 48, Sam Houston St - 70


Box Score

[INDENT]Thomas 17, 4, 5 (*)
Burditt 15, 2, 1
Johnson 8, 5, 1, 2 stls
Smith 8, 2, 3
Thorton 5, 3, 1
Wilson 5, 1, 0
McCoy 4, 8, 1, 2 stls
Wallace 3, 4, 2, 3 stls
G Jackson 2, 6, 1
Doss 2, 3, 1
K Jackson 1, 0, 1
[/INDENT]

Team Stats Comparisons

[INDENT]FG: 39-35%
REB: +2
TO: -7
Paint: +10
2nd Chance : +10 (12-2)
Fast Break: +14 (20-6)
[/INDENT]

Post Game Notes

[INDENT]1. Not exactly the kind of Round 1 game I expected. FG% and rebounding were almost even. Our post up plays were almost non-existent. It was those "extra" pts (2nd chance + fast break) that spelled the difference.
2. Good game by Joem Thomas today, as he was the finisher in most of our fast break plays.
3. DART's PG Albert Jackson top scored for them with 13 pts
[/INDENT]

[randy]

Any tips on how to play against a 1-3-1 zone?

My initial thinking is that it is susceptible to post-up plays, so I went Favor Inside in the 2nd half of my last game. It didn't work.

I noticed that by default, the "AI" would choose the 1-3-1 zone attack for our offensive plays. I override it so that it will only use the primary half court sets that we are most familiar with (Motion, and with very little Off Freedom). It also didn't worked somehow, in terms of getting more post up plays

I'm reckoning it is because my guards have difficulty in getting the entry pass to my bigs, as the 1-3-1 zone shuts down the passing lanes to the post. But I'm not sure.

[randy]

South Regionals Round 2 Matchups

(1) Arkansas vs (8) Duke
(2) Kansas vs (10) Iowa
(11) Miami OH vs (14) St. Bonaventure
(4) Sam Houston St vs (5) Minnesota

Minnesota finished 4th in the Big 10. Minnesota are looking to advanced to the Sweet 16 for the 13th time.

[randy]

3/19/97: (5) #25 Minnesota (20-11, 11-7) vs (4) #8 Sam Houston St (28-2, 13-1)

Scouting Report
1. Primary defense: 1-2-2
2. Offense focus: Balanced (fast-paced)
3. Key players: Jr SG Brandon Massey (21.8 ppg, 5.0 rpg, Big 10 All-Conf 2nd team last year, Norton finalist this year)
4. Their up-tempo game is supported by their good defensive rebounding (1st in Big 10 in DR%), and ability to forced turnovers (3rd in Big 10 DTO%). Despite being a guard-oriented lineup, they don't shoot well from 3s (33% 3PT). We don't expect to shut down Massey totally, but we have to watch out for the Fr PF James Takaki (8.9 ppg, 5.9 rpg) who could be a factor in the paint

Initial instructions

[INDENT]1. Offense Sets / Focus: Motion / Favor Inside
2. Offense Pace / Freedom: 7 / 35%
3. Off / Def Rebounding Crash: 9 / 8
4. Defense Sets / Intensity: M2M (double on Massey) / 8
5. Pressure Set / Frequency: Auto / 3
[/INDENT]


Tip off (1st Half)

15:51, Down 13-14
MINN's Brandon Massey has 11 of their 14 pts, including 3 3s. We're double teaming him all the time, but he's just too good. I will alternate SFs Wallace and Thorton on him, and go witha 3-gurad lineup only when Massey is in the bench

9:37, Up 35-21
SF Dexter Thorton has done a good job so far guarding Massey. Meanwhile, Burditt (18 pts) and Jackson (10 pts) have been excellent on the offensive end.

7:36, Up 40-25

3:36, Up 38-30
Burditt continues his good offensive game with 24 pts. Quality minutes from PF Rashif McCoy with 6 pts, 6 rebs


Halftime, Up 56-38
We shot a sizzling 64% FG in the 1st half. While Burditt (26 pts) has shot an efficient 9-17 FG, I was pleased about our inside game where G Jackson / McCoy / Johnson were a perfect 11-11 FG!

MINN shot 8-23 3PT. We can live with them shooting more 3s, instead of giving up easy pts inside. SG Brandon Massey leads them with 16 pts, but he had to take 18 shots (15 from beyond the arc)

I will start with Thorton at 3, who shut down Massey in the 1st half


Start of 2nd Half

15:52, Up 62-49
MINN getting pts from the line, as we find ourselves into penalty already. I got a technical when I yelled at the refs

12:12, Up 68-54
Massey is scoreless in the 2nd half. He heads to the bench for a breather. We'll go with a 3 guard lineup. PF Rashif McCoy having a outstanding game with 8 pts, 10 rebs so far

7:04, Up 80-64
Massey (21 pts) put in a 5 straight pts, but we answered back with a couple of inside baskets. Fouls continue to pile up on us. I'll bring back Thorton to guard Massey

3:11, Up 86-69
We will slow down the game, and lessen off reb intensity to prevent MINN from getting quick transition baskets


Final score: Minnesota - 75, Sam Houston St - 93


Box Score

[INDENT]Burditt 37, 6, 6, 4 tos, 6-11 3PT (*)
G Jackson 22, 8, 3, 11-14 FG
McCoy 12, 14, 1
Johnson 8, 4, 0
Smith 6, 5, 6, 3 stls
Wallace 5, 1, 3
Thomas 3, 1, 7
Thorton 0, 6, 1, 4 tos
Wilson 0, 0, 0
[/INDENT]

Team Stats Comparisons

[INDENT]FG: 51-38%
REB: +19 (45-26)
TO: Even
Paint: +30
2nd Chance : +2
Fast Break: +6
[/INDENT]

Post Game Notes

[INDENT]1. Too bad there can only be one player of the game, as there are so many of our players who played outstanding today. Burditt had Jordan-like numbers, G Jackson was unstoppable inside, McCoy's relentless rebounding, and the defense of Thorton on McCoy. As a bonus, PG Joem Thomas had zero turnovers
2. MINN took 37 3PAs (out of 66 total FGAs) and made 13. SG Brandon Massey had 24 "hard earned" pts (9-28 FG, 6-23 3PT). PF James Takaki had a double double, with 15 pts, 10 rebs
[/INDENT]

[randy]

South Regionals Round 2 results

(1) #5 Arkansas runs over Duke, 64-45
SG Chris Slay, 24 pts, 5 rebs, 3 stls; Duke shot 5% (1-19) 3PT

(10) Iowa stuns (2) #7 Kansas, 64-54
C Demario Nurse, 13 pts, 8 rebs

(11) Miami OH squashes (14) St. Bonaventure
SG Derek Murphy, 23 pts, 6 rebs, 6-12 3PT


South Regionals Semifinals Matchup

(10) Iowa vs (11) Miami (OH)
(1) #5 Arkansas vs (4) #8 Sam Houston St


Arkansas won the SEC tournament title. Although they have not won the NCAA tournament, they are always a contender. They will be appearing on their 17th Sweet 16.

Arkansas had the 4th-best recruiting class last year, and they are lead by outstanding 5-star recruits SG Chris Slay (class rank #11, Norton finalist this year) and SG Lamont Black (#20). Both their forwards, and a couple of reserve guards, have a 4.0 rating.