Path to the Hall of Fame

[randy]

4/3/98: (1) #1 Oklahoma (33-4, 13-3) vs (5) #9 Sam Houston St (33-2, 13-1)

Scouting Report

1. Primary defense: M2M
2. Offense focus: Inside

3. Key players:
- Fr SF Chris Conrad (20.1 ppg - #1 Big 12, 8.0 rpg - #4 Big 12, #2 class ranking)
- Fr PF Marcus Nelson (12.5 ppg, 10.1 rpg - #5 Nat'l, 1.5 spg, 2.8 bpg - #1 Nat'l, Norton finalist this season, #3 class ranking)
- Fr F/C William Jarrett (7.7 ppg, 7.3 rpg, #22 class ranking)
- Jr F/G Esmond Braun (9.2 ppg, 3.0 apg, 42% 3PT, 1-time All Conf, #24 class ranking)

4. Oklahoma ranked as the #1 recruiting class this year, and their all-Freshman starting front line tells you why. SF Chris Conrad is a complete scorer, who likes to take it strong to the hoop, can hit from outside, and also go the FT line (6.7 FTApg). And, you can't find a better 2-way player this season than PF Marcus Nelson

As a team, Oklahoma is an average offensive team in terms of FG% (44% - 3rd Big 12) and efficiency (46.7 OEff - 6th Big 12). However, they get more scoring opportunities than their opponents because of the following
- They take care of the ball = 11.0 topg (#1 Big 12, #9 Nat'l)
- They get offensive rebounds = 32.8 OR% (#1 Big 12, #8 Nat'l)
- They get to the FT line = 36.8 OFTRate (#1 Big 12)

If their offense is not clicking, they can still win via defense
- They disrupt your offense = 11.7 opp apg (#2 Nat'l)
- They force you to take bad shots = 37% opp FG (#1 Nat'l)
- In short, you will bleed for points = 53.0 opp ppg (#1 Nat'l)

5. How they got here:
- Co-champion Big 12 regular season; Conference tournament champion
- (Round 1) Def Winthrop, 73-50 (Nelson - 23 pts, 9 rebs, 11-15 FT; WIN: 35% FG)
- (Round 2) Def Texas A&M, 72-49 (Nelson - 14 pts, 10 rebs, 7 blks; TEXAM: 27% FG)
- (Sweet 16) Def Arizona, 58-56 (Conrad - 23 pts, 8 rebs; OU: 36 FTAs)
- (Elite 8) Def St. John's, 71-53 (Nelson - 26 pts, 13 rebs, 6 blks; OU: 35 FTAs)
- (Final 4) Def Kansas St, 70-60 (Nelson - 12 pts, 14 rebs, 4 stls; OU: 42 rebs)

Here is PF Marcus Nelson's stats in this tournament (as of 5 games):
- 38 mpg, 17.6 ppg, 10 FTApg, 12.6 rpg, 1.8 spg, 3.8 bpg

Initial instructions

[INDENT]1. Offense Sets / Focus: Auto / Favor Inside
2. Offense Pace / Freedom: 8 / 35%
3. Off / Def Rebounding Crash: 9 / 10
4. Defense Sets / Intensity: 2-3 / 8
5. Pressure Set / Frequency: Auto / 10

OU's front court freshmen trio plays heavy minutes, and their bench rarely a factor. We want to minimize their time on the court, either by getting them into foul trouble or tiring them by pressing all the time

On offense, if we ran into difficulty scoring, we may shift to Balanced or even Favor Outside

On defense, success using 2-3 zone is not guaranteed, as they have shooters with decent percentage from the outside. But given the talent of their front line, we'll take our risk with the 2-3 zone
[/INDENT]


Tip off (1st Half)

14:01, Up 11-4
OU's pts came from SF Esmond Braun (4 pts, 2-2 FG), both outside shots. Their vaunted freshmen trio is 0-4 FG so far. C Glendon Jackson (4 pts, 2-2 FG) with 2 inside pts, and not intimidated by their front court. Constant pressure defense is tiring both teams.

10:53, Up 17-10
OU's Marcus Nelson beginning to work (4 pts, 2 rebs), but SG Keith Field (7 pts) has hit 3 jumpers already. OU's main scorer SF Cris Conrad remains scoreless (0-5 FG)

7:30, Up 23-15
My perimeter players are aggressive driving to the hoop. OU's SF Chris Conrad hits his 1st FG (a 3). Both teams with 7 turn overs each

3:05, Up 29-22


Halftime, Up 35-27

SG Keith Field (13 pts) continues to hit big shots, and refusing to give OU any sort of momentum. 5 other players scored 4 pts each; everyone chipping in

SF Esmond Braun (who plays the 1) leads OU with 8 pts. SF Chris Conrad with only 3 pts, struggling on 1-10 FG. PF Marcus Nelson quiet offensively with 4 pts, but he has 4 blks already. Both Conrad and Nelson played 20 minutes

Here's the breakdown of how each team scored their pts (interistingly, both teams have yet to go to the FT line)

SAM (vs OU)
- Post/Drive: 14 (0)
- Transition: 4 (10)
- Outside: 17 (17)

Both teams with 10 turnovers each, perhaps because of fatigue. However, we allowed OU more pts in transition. More than physical fatigue, mental toughness will be a significant factor in the 2nd half

We need to continue to take it strong to the basket. We need to constantly press, and test how tough mentally OU's freshmen are. And we need to do a better job on our transition defense. Last half of the season. Give everything you've got


Start of 2nd Half

14:57, Up 37-33
We lapsed into 3 more turn overs. OU's shooting started sour, but SF Desmond Braun (14 pts) connected on consecutive 3s. OU also begnning to flex their muscle on the off glass

13:00, Up 43-38
Trading baskets. OU's Chris Conrad (8 pts) now finding his touch.

10:50, Up 43-42
OU now getting pts from the line, 5-8. SG Keith Field has gone cold lately, and C Glendon Jackson not getting enough touches. I called a timeout. Who will step up?

7:26, Up 53-47
OU with 9 blks, but I encourage the team to not worry and continue driving.

4:47, Up 54-49
We just committed our 17th turn over. OU's SF Chris Conrad and PF Marcus Nelson finally both on the bench resting.

OU: Missed jumper
SAM: Without OU's swatting machine PF Marcus Nelson (9 blks) on the floor, we go to PF Linehan Johnson down low. Johnson backs up, and shoots. Johnson scores (12 pts). We'll go Heavy Inside on subsequent possessions

4:20, Up 56-49

OU: Reserve PG Tyler Preston hits a 3 ball from deep. That's hits 3rd 3 of the game

3:57, 56-52

OU fouls (4th team). It allowed the rest of their starters to come back. Do we settle for outside shots, or continue to go inside (and risk having our shots blocked over and over again)? I play it safe; we shift to Balanced offense.

Both teams now have their best 5 on the floor

SAM: SG Keith Field with the ball. Field puts up a shot. Good look but can't get it to fall. OU rebounds. Field is 8-19 FG
OU: SF Chris Conrad has the ball. He makes his move. Pull up jumper by Conrad is good! Conrad has erupted for 14 pts (11 in the 2nd half)

3:32, Up 56-54

SAM: C Glendon Jackson gets the ball in the post. Jackson puts up a shot. Comes up short.
OU: PF Marcus Nelson with a medium-range jumper. It's good! That is Nelson's only 3rd FG, but what a time for it to come. I call timeout

2:58, Tied at 56

SAM: SG Keith Field from downtown. It's off the iron.
OU: SF Chris Caldwell shots. Miss. But OU gets the off rebound. They reset. PF Marcus Nelson shoots. Miss. Nelson gets his own rebound. SG Devan Caldwell gets the pass. Caldwell shoots. Miss. Out of bounds. Last touch OU

2:12, Tied at 56

I elected not to call a timeout

SAM: SF Jafar Newby gets the pass. Newby makes his move. Newby with a quick step leaving his man. He drives strong. SLAM DUNK, plus a foul! Newby hits the bonus FT

2:02, Up 59-56

OU: They go Marcus Nelson. Nelson shoots from the left corner. Miss. C Glendon Jackson grabs the def rebound. Jackson with 10 rebs
SAM: PG Ray Smith calling a play. Pass to PF Linehan Johnson at the low post. Johnson makes his move. Johnson puts up a shot. OU's Marcus Nelson swats the ball away. Nelson with 10 blks. Last touch SAM says the referee. OU ball

1:39, 59-56

OU: SG Devan Caldwell called for traveling. I called a timeout

1:30, Up 59-56

SAM: OU presses from the back court; we easily break it. PG Ray Smith at the top of the key. Smith tries to lob a pass to C Glendon Jackson. Too strong. Turnover. 1:15 left
OU: SF Chris Conrad gets the ball from way out. Conrad makes his move. Conrad pulls up. Miss. But another off rebound by OU. They reset. Plenty of time left. 1:03. They pass the ball around. PG Desmond Braun shoots from behind the arc. Braun scores! Braun having a good game with 19 pts.

0:52, Tied at 59

SAM: I signalled that we'll go 2-for-1. SG Keith Field gets the pass. Field shoots quickly. Brick. OU rebounds. 0:43.
OU: PG Desmond Braun attempts another 3 from the same spot earlier. He missed this time. Out of bounds. Our ball. I called my last timeout

0:25, Tied at 59

Last shot time. This is what kids imagine, when they shoot hoops at their improvised basketball court in their backyard. The opportunity to make a game-winning shot, in a championship game, for the glory of your team. Only this time, its not make-believe anymore. This is real. For the NCAA national title. your name will be remembered, not only those of millions watching, but by future generations. Who will have the guts to take the last shot?

SAM: PG Ray Smith with the ball. Smith passes to SG Keith Field. Field surveys the floor. Field to C Glendon Jackson. Jackson pick and roll with Field. Jackson can't bring the ball back to Field. Jackson elect to pass to PF Linehan Johnson. Johnson is way outside. 0:12 left. Johnson gives it back to Jackson on the low post. Johnson cuts inside. Jackson backs up. Jackson kick out to SF Jafar Newby at the right corner 3. All 5 players touched the ball in this possession. Newby quickly dumps it back Jackson which confuses the OU defense a bit. Jackson turns around and shoot. Jackson scores! Timeout OU

0:02, Up 61-59

No reason to celebrate yet. We'll go 1-2-2 zone. We only have 5 team fouls. We can foul as long as its not on the act of shooting.

OU can't get a shot.

NATIONAL CHAMPIONS!

First thing I did was go to the OU bench and congratulate their coaching staff and players for a hard-fought game. Both teams didn't quit.


Final score: Oklahoma - 59, Sam Houston St - 61

Box Score

[INDENT]Field 17, 4, 0, 4 tos (*)
Johnson 12, 4, 1
Newby 11, 6, 2, 2 stls
Jackson 6, 10, 1
Smith 6, 3, 5, 3 tos
McCoy 5, 4, 0, 2 blks
Holmes 4, 3, 5, 3 tos
Wallace 0, 2, 1, 3 tos
[/INDENT]

Team Stats Comparisons

[INDENT]FG: 44-35%
REB: +5
TO: +6 (18-12)
Paint: +14 (36-22)
2nd Chance : -4
Fast Break: -11 (8-19)
[/INDENT]

Post Game Notes
[INDENT]1. What a magical season. We built this team on the foundation of having multiple players each making their contributions. No star player, or a go-to scorer. And what a better way to end this game with that last play - all players touching the ball, making a pass. Until the ball finally goes to one of our seniors, who happen to be the most consistent player we have all season. No one else deserved to take that last shot, than C Glendon Jackson
2. SF Esmond Braun hit several big shots, and led all scorers with 19 pts. SF Chris Conrad started cold but came alive in the 2nd half; he finished with 14 pts (4-20 FG). PF Marcus Nelson with a monster game 6 pts, 12 rebs, 10 blks.
[/INDENT]

[randy]

NCAA Most Outstanding Player
- Keith Field

Southland Player of the Year
- Glendon Jackson

Southland Defensive Player of the Year
- Ray Smith

Southland All-Conference 1st Team
- Keith Field
- Glendon Jackson

Southland All-Conference 2nd Team
- Ray Smith
- Linehan Johnson

I won Southland Coach of the Year, with a 34-2 (0.944) record

[randy]

1. C Glendon Jackson
- 2 seasons (JuCo recruit)
- 59 regular season games (59 starts), 25.2 mpg, 14.2 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 0.9 apg, 0.5 spg, 0.3 bpg, 69% FG, 46% FT
- 8 NCAA tournament games (12.8 ppg, 9.4 rpg, 61% FG)
- Southland Player of the Year (1998), Southland All-Conference 1st Team (1997, 1998)
- 4.0 GPA

2. PF Linehan Johnson
- 2 seasons at Sam Houston St (Jr transfer) + 1 season at Washington St + 1 season at Dayton
- 116 regular games (116 starts), 24.9 mpg, 10.0 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 0.9 apg, 0.6 spg, 0.4 bpg, 52% FG, 10% 3PT, 70% FT
- 9 NCAA tournament games (11.2 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 56% FG)
- Southland All-Conference 1st Team (1997), Southland All-Conference 2nd Team (1998)
- 4.0 GPA

3. PG Ray Smith
- 2 seasons (JuCo recruit)
- 59 regular season games, 24.4 mpg, 10.7 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 4.3 apg, 0.7 spg, 0.7 bpg, 47% FG, 47% 3PT, 79% FT
- 9 NCAA tournament game (7.6 ppg, 5.1 apg)
- Southland Defensive Player of the Year (1998), Southland All-Conference 2nd Team (1997, 1998)
- 4.0 GPA

[randy]

Major Job Offers Received

1. Boston College
- Team Prestige: 33
- Season Record: 12-16 (8-10)

2. Florida St
- Team Prestige: 35
- Season Record: 15-14 (9-9)

3. Penn St
- Team Prestige: 32
- Season Record: 10-19 (5-13)

Each of the above teams will give me a chance to move up and compete in a major conference. But I am compelled to at least try to defend the national title, so I decided to stay at Sam Houston St.

[randy]

1. SG Terrence Glover (HS, 6-5, rank #314)
- OVR: B, SCR: B, DEF: B, ATH: A

2. C Wes Baxter (HS, 6-9, rank #462)
- OVR: B, SCR: B, REB: B, INS: B

3. SG Lloyd Fields (HS, 6-2, rank #61)
- OVR: B, SCR: A, DEF: B, ATH: A

[randy]

Starting 5
1: Jr PG Billy Johnson, 6-3, 4.0/5.0 stars
2. Sr SG Keith Field, 6-5, 4.5/5.0
3: Sr SF Angelo Wallace, 6-6, 3.5/3.5
4: Jr PF Tyrone Walls, 6-7, 4.0/4.5
5: Jr C Josh Fredrick, 6-9, 3.5/3.5

Substitutes
2/3: Sr SF Jafar Newby, 6-6, 4.0/4.5
1/2: Sr PG Davor Holmes, 6-4, 3.5/4.5
4/5: Sr PF Rashif McCoy, 6-8, 3.0/3.5
3: Jr(R) Tyrone Willis, 6-7, 2.0/4.0
1/2: Jr SG Lloyd Fields, 6-2, 3.0/4.0
4/5: Fr C Wes Baxter, 6-9, 1.0/4.0

Walk-Ons
5: Jr C Mark Lampley, 7-1, 1.5/1.5
1/2: Jr PG Nathaniel Thompkins, 6-5, 1.5/1.5

Redshirt (Ineligible to play this season)
2/3: Fr SG Terrence Glover, 6-5, 1.0/3.5

Transfer (Ineligible to play this season)
5: So C Teron Dupree, 6-11, 4.5/5.0

[PointGuard]

Way to go, coach!

[randy]

11/14/98: Sam Houston St (0-0) @ Vanderbilt (0-0)

Scouting Report
1. Primary defense: M2M
2. Offense focus: Outside (slow)
3. Key players: Sr SF Larry Stapleton

Initial instructions

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


Tip off (1st Half)

14:49, Up 13-12
SG Keith Field with 8 pts. VANDY scoring more inside; we'll shift to 2-3 zone

11:50, Down 18-22
VANDY wisely shifting their offense outside. We'll go m2m

7:18, Down 26-31

3:49, Down 32-38


Halftime, Down 40-47
We had 9 turnovers, but that is not our main issue. Our defense need to improve; we're just letting VANDY do what they want to do

Increasing def intensity to 9


Start of 2nd Half

15:41, Down 47-51

11:48, Down 57-59
VANDY always scores whenever we cut the deficit to 2. VANDY already in the penalty

6:34, Up 71-70
We got a series of stops and took a 4 pt lead, 63-59. VANDY rallied back, and it was a see-saw battle since. Both teams in the penalty

2:56, Down 79-82
We can't find a proper defensive scheme to use against this team. We'll go back with 1-2-2

VANDY: Foul. 2 FTs. Hits both. Down 5
SAM: Foul. 2 FTs. Split. Down 4. We'll lower def intensity to 5, as fouls are being called against us often

VANDY: Miss
SAM: We miss a 3
VANDY. Foul again. Split. Down 5. Timeout

1:33, Down 80-85

SAM: PG Billy Johnson hits a 3. Down 2.
VANDY: They miss. We rebound.
SAM: Dribbled the ball to frontcourt. Timeout

0:52, Down 83-85

We go 2 for 1

SAM: SG Keith Field fakes a 3. He dribbles closer. Shoots a medium-range jumper. Miss. Off rebound by C Josh Fredrick. Foul by VANDY. 2 FTs. Miss the 1st. Hits the 2nd.

0:39, Down 84-85

VANDY. They shoot a 3. Miss. Timeout

0:21, Down 84-85

Last shot time

SAM: We pass the ball around. PG Billy Johnson puts up a long 2. Miss. Time expired


Final score: Sam Houston St - 84, Venderbilt - 85

Box Score

[INDENT]Newby 19, 5, 1, 2 stls
Field 18, 4, 3
Walls 12, 1, 1
Fredrick 10, 5, 1
Johnson 10, 4, 7, 2 stls, 5 tos
McCoy 7, 10, 1
Holmes 4, 1, 1, 4 tos
Wallace 2, 3, 0
Fields 2, 1, 0
[/INDENT]

Team Stats Comparisons

[INDENT]FG: 52-51%
REB: +12
TO: +2 (15-13)
Paint: +16
2nd Chance : +1
Fast Break: +6
[/INDENT]


Post Game Notes
[INDENT]1. We won every major team stats category. The difference is our inability to defend the perimeter today, as VANDY hit 8-13 3PT.
[/INDENT]

[randy]

11/17/98: Vermont (1-0) @ Sam Houston St (0-1)

Scouting Report
1. Primary defense: 1-3-1
2. Offense focus: Outside (fast)
3. Key players: Sr PF Calvin Dissinger (18 pts, 9 rebs in their 1st game)

Initial instructions

[INDENT]1. Offense Sets / Focus: Auto / Balanced
2. Offense Pace / Freedom: 8 / 35%
3. Off / Def Rebounding Crash: 9 / 7
4. Defense Sets / Intensity: 1-2-2 / 8
5. Pressure Set / Frequency: Auto / 7
[/INDENT]


Tip off (1st Half)

14:49, Down 8-10
VER getting a lot of pts of our turnovers

11:37, Up 14-13

7:43, Up 20-19
We've shown slight improvement defending their shooters, but we're missing a lot of shots also

1:34, Up 34-31
PG Davor Holmes played well coming off the bench, 10 pts, 3 asts


Halftime, Up 41-33
Our transition game began to click during the last 5 mins of the 1st half.

Points distribution (SAM-VER)
Post/Drive: 10-12
Perimeter: 19-14
Transition: 12-6
FT Line: 0-1

3 players with 10 pts (Field, Walls, Holmes). VER's SG Drew Johnson with 9 pts (3-5 3PT)


Start of 2nd Half

15:45, Up 49-35
Starting to show good signs in grabbing offensive rebounds, and attacking the hoop

11:51, Up 59-41
3 straight baskets by PG Davor Holmes, to bring his total to 16 pts

5:44, Up 71-54

3:51, Up 73-56
Slow down the game. Subs getting ready to come in


Final score: Vermont - 59, Sam Houston St - 83

Box Score

[INDENT]Field 18, 5, 4
Holmes 18, 4, 7, 2 stls, 9-12 FG (*)
Walls 14, 7, 1
Newby 14, 4, 2
Fredrick 6, 8, 3, 4 stls
Fields 4, 3, 2
Wallace 4, 1, 0
Johnson 3, 1, 1
McCoy 2, 6, 0, 3 stls
Willis 0, 1, 0
Baxter 0, 0, 0
[/INDENT]

Team Stats Comparisons

[INDENT]FG: 53-41%
REB: +18 (off 14-6)
TO: -11 (6-17)
Paint: +26 (50-24)
2nd Chance : +14 (16-2)
Fast Break: +13 (26-13)
[/INDENT]

Post Game Notes
[INDENT]1. We cut down on our turnovers; only 3 in the last 35 minutes. Better rebounding from our big men, allowing our guards to run more. PG Davor Holmes has improved on his outside shooting during the off-season
2. VER's SG Drew Johnson led all scorers with 21 pts, all coming from behind the arc, 7-11 3PT
[/INDENT]

[randy]

11/21/98: Sam Houston St (1-1) @ Louisville (1-1)

Scouting Report
1. Primary defense: M2M
2. Offense focus: Balanced
3. Key players: Sr PG Tyson Robinson (15.0 ppg, 47% 3PT)

Initial instructions

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


Tip off (1st Half)

15:14, Down 4-10
LVILLE's PG Tyson Robinson 2-2 3PT, 6 pts. We're 0-5 FG

11:03, Down 14-16
PF Tyrone Walls (8 pts, 4-4 FT) keeping us in the game

3:38, Down 24-28


Halftime, Down 30-36
Down by 12 at one point, just rallied before the end of the half to cut the deficit to half. Our outside shooting was not there in the 1st half; our guards are a combined 1-11 FG.

PF Tyrone Walls with 12 pts. 4 LVILLE players scored 6 pts, including Tyson Robinson (2-2 3PT)

LVILLE with 4 off rebounds. Adjust def rebounding intensity to 8


Start of 2nd Half

15:40, Down 38-44
Started off poorly again, giving up a couple of FGs on transition.

11:21, Down 44-56

3:08, Down 57-70
Missed layups, several traveling calls, and suddenly we found ourseleves down by 17 earlier. We max out pace, and go Favor Outside (look for 3s)


Final score: Sam Houston St - 63, Louisville - 78

Box Score

[INDENT]Field 17, 6, 1, 4 tos
Walls 14, 1, 1, 2 stls
Newby 12, 9, 2, 3 tos
McCoy 8, 3, 0
Johnson 8, 1, 3
Fredrick 4, 9, 0
Holmes 0, 4, 2
Fields 0, 1, 1
Wallace 0, 1, 0
[/INDENT]

Team Stats Comparisons

[INDENT]FG: 39-48%
REB: +1
TO: +2 (16-14)
Paint: Even
2nd Chance : Even
Fast Break: +3
[/INDENT]

Post Game Notes
[INDENT]1. Our main gunners SG Keith Field and SF Jafar Newby were off today, shooting a combined 14-40 FG. Our post players were not aggressive offensively in the 2nd half.
2. Despite our emphasis on perimeter defense today, LVILLE still shot 8-16 3PT today and countless other outside shots. PG Tyson Robinson had 17 pts, 5-9 3PT
[/INDENT]