Novice Coach Switches Coasts

[Zingo]

March 12, 2033, 8:58PM Fordham Men's Basketball Facility, Selection Sunday

Coach S. and the rest of the team were settling in to watch the show on Selection Sunday. The team had finished 21-11 (14-4) after a magnificent conference run and made it to the conference finals before losing to St. Joseph's 72-79. The excitement was abound, Coach S. didn't address the team this year, simply rushing in late and saying, "let's see what happens," as the program started.

They team sat with bated breath, watching the program. St. Bonaventure, who had a worse record than Fordham and who Fordham had beaten in the conference semi-finals, made the play-in. There was some brief applause and conversation here, given that this likely meant Fordham had a chance, but they sat down and remained focused. Every eye on the room was glued to the screen. St. Joseph's went off the board next as a #2 seed, same seeding as last year. They really had become the titan of the conference. After another round of selections, the announcer stated, "We will have #7 Lamar against #10 Fordham." The room erupted as everyone jumped out of their seats and began cheering Coach S. just sat in his chair in utter shock for about three seconds, taking it all in. This had been what he had set out to do when he first start the program. What a phenomenal feeling. People were smacking his shoulders, jumping around the room, it was an absolute frenzy. After the initial shock wore off, a smile formed on Coach S.'s face as he stood up and addressed the team after a few seconds of attempting to get their attention.

"We have fought for this since day one. Each and every one of you put everything you had out on the court this season to make this dream a reality. We are now finally here and it is time to show everyone how good Fordham Basketball really is. Now let's get out there and go make history!" Everyone began cheering and bouncing around. Seeing the excitement, feeling the energy, it was a dream come true for Coach S. He was just so excited to be there to have made history with this school and to afford these men the chance to play on the national stage. There was no greater feeling as a head coach well, except winning it all...



Tournament Information
March 17, 2033: Fordham 21-11 (10) @ Lamar 25-6 (7)
This is Fordham's 6th NCAA Tournament appearance and first since Jeff Neubauer took the team there in 2020 (this was this first season in game, prior to that Fordham's most recent NCAA appearance was in 1992).
This is Coach S.'s first NCAA Tournament bid and fourth post-season tournament bid in his career.

[Zingo]

April 15, 2033, 4:25PM Fordham Athletics Press Room

Coach S. stepped out into the press room to a wall of cameras and barrage of questions. Post-season press was crowded before but this was another level. Fordham had decisively beaten Lamar in the first round of the NCAA Tournament before losing in the Round of 32 to the #2 Seed, Georgia Tech. This was the conference wrapping up the season and fielding questions about the coming year. He couldn't make out any faces in the dimly lit room, which was brought to life only by the occasional flashes of the camera. He took his seat and gave a brief speech about the loss an effort the players put in before the room was opened up to questions.

"Coach S. the team is losing a lot of great starters this year, do you think they'll be able to make it back following this graduating class?"

"Well we have a great class coming in and a lot of talent overall. I'm confident that these players have the potential to get back to the NCAA Tournament next year."

"Coach S. some sources have been linking you with a few of the vacant head coaching positions, are you thinking of leaving Fordham given your recent success?"

"I don't want to comment on speculation."

"Anything to say on that win over Lamar?"

"It was well earned. I thought we were the superior team, my team proved that on the court. I just wished we could've kept it going."

Coach S. answered a few more questions before heading back to his office to grab a few papers. The truth was that he wasn't sure if he would spend next year in Fordham. If the right opportunity came along, he might have to take it. Then again, one more year, especially with some of the incoming talent and success this year, wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing... Or would it? There were just so many uncertainties and variables.

Final Record: 22-12(14-4)
71.0 PPG, 67.4 OPPG, 18.1 APG, 32.9 RPG, NET 24



An asterisk denotes a starter. Sam Robinson was the starting SG.

Coach S. stepped back into his office. Looking at the incoming class didn't make things easier. While a lot of talent was leaving, a lot was also coming in. However, was it worth waiting? These players would likely need a season or two to develop and Coach S. wasn't sure if he wanted to be anchored to this program for that long. Despite this almost every recruit was Top 150 nationally. This was sure to be a talented class that would make Fordham a contender, whether it was under him or someone else.

As he was about to head out, Coach S. called Baki Tavukcu thanking him for transferring to the program and hoping to see him in-person again before graduation to say farewell. "You have made historic contributions to this team and are one of the best players I've had the pleasure of coaching. You will be missed."


Fordham Men's Basketball Recruit Class 2033

Other Notable Facts From the Season:
NCAA Final: Kansas (63) over Gonzaga (56). Kansas claims their fourth NCAA Tournament Title in School History. Gonzaga missed out on what would have been their first title.
ATL-10 Championship Game: St. Josephs (79) over Fordham (72)
All-Conference 1st Team: Melvin Baker JR, SF: 12.8 PPG, 2.0 APG, 4.3 RPG, 1.3 SPG, 1.1 BPG
All-Conference 2nd Team:Baki Tavukcu SR, PF: 9.6 PPG, 1.0 APG, 9.9 RPG, 0.6 SPG, 0.2 BPG.
Team MVP[s]: Baki Tavukcu, Melvin Baker
Best Win: 69-51 @ Lamar (NCAA Tournament)
Worst Loss: 72-79 @St. Joseph's (A10 Finals)
Notable Graduates: Baki Tavukcu, Tommy Archie
This was Coach S.'s 11th season and 8th with Fordham. His overall record sits at 193-183.
Aside from being his first NCAA Tournament appearance, this also marked Coach S.'s first NCAA Tournament win. He is currently 1-1 in the NCAA Tournament.

[Wayne23]

Nice way to build suspense!

[Zingo]

Coach S. to Return for Another Season at Fordham, "We aren't done yet"

By Chris Murphy
April 30, 2033

Following rumors that he might be joining another team this coming year after Fordham's first NCAA Tournament appearance in over a decade, Coach S. silenced the speculation by announcing he was returning to Fordham for another year. "I think there is still work to be done here," he said, "And we aren't done yet." Coach S. led the Fordham Rams to the #10 Seed in the NCAA Tournament and beat the #7 seed Lamar Cardinals 69-51 before falling the the #2 (and #12 ranked nationally) Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets 55-66. "I think this is an incredible program and I'm proud of the time I've had here. I hope to continue building upon our success and pursue even greater accomplishments this coming season," Coach S. remarked.

Coach S. has spent an impressive eight seasons with the Fordham Rams, boasting four tournaments appearances: One NCAA Tournament, Two NIT Tournaments, One CIT Tournament. The Fordham Rams were semi-finalists in the NIT Tournament in 2032 where they lost to a Harvard team that would go on to win the tournament. Coach S. has a 143-112 with Fordham and is looking to sustain the success of the prior two seasons. "I have faith in the players and know how capable they all are they just have to go out there and prove it."

[Zingo]

January 21, 2034, 12:00PM Fordham Men's Basketball Coach's Office

"You wanted to see me coach?" Melvin Baker said as he entered the coach's office.

"Melvin! Yes, please have a seat," Coach S. gestured across from him where Melvin sat. Coach S. stared at him and began talking.

"I don't think I have to even say this, but this is your team this year... you're the centerpiece and core of what is making this team work."

"Well thanks Coach, I appreciate that but it is a team effort. I'm just doing my part."

"That's very humble of you. I like that mentality, but I also think credit is due where credit is due. I need you to pull the team together right now and make sure we press forward as a unified force. Some of these conference games have been... sloppy to say the least. I guess what I'm asking is can you talk to the guys and make sure they are in the right headspace and they aren't getting nervous with the heightened expectations and success?"

"Sure coach, I can do that."

"Great Melvin. Just keep playing the way you're playing and I've no doubt you can carry us into the post season yet again. You've been doing excellent work on the court and on the classroom. Keep at it."

"Thanks Coach, I appreciate it."

Top Players (this season):
Melvin Baker (SF): 17.4 PPG, 1.9 APG, 6.7 RPG
Sam Robinson (SG): 15.0 PPG, 3.1 APG, 2.2 RPG
Ricky Williams (C): 8.0 PPG, 1.2 APG, 5.7 RPG

Current Record: 14-5 (3-3)
75.0 PPG, 68.4 OPPG, 20.2 APG, 33.4 RPG, NET 27


Fordham was the runner-up at the Hall of Fame Classic (WS Midwest Invitational) despite being the #8 seed. They lost to Arizona State in the finals 72-70.
Fordham received a ranking in the Top 25 this year, a first under Coach S. They peaked at #17 and are currently just outside of the Top 25.

[Zingo]

March 12, 2034, 8:58PM Fordham Men's Basketball Facility, Selection Sunday

Another year, another Selection Sunday Coach S.. The team had finished 26-8 (13-5) again making it to the conference finals before losing to St. Joseph's (again) 84-68. Still, it was another exceptional year for the program with the team finishing #19 in the Power Rankings. Coach S. and the rest of the team were waiting with anticipation to see where the NCAA tournament would see them this year.

The screen lit up shortly after St. Joseph's was again announced as a two seed. "Fordham will be the #4 seed, hosting North Dakota as a #13 seed." The team applauded their success. Now was the time to get down to business Coach S. thought. Now was the time to make a run.



Tournament Information
March 17, 2034: Fordham 26-8 (4) v.s. North Dakota 24-8 (13)
This is Fordham's 7th NCAA Tournament appearance.
This is Coach S.'s second NCAA Tournament bid and fifth post-season tournament bid in his career.

[Zingo]

March 16, 2034, 9:08PM Fordham Men's Basketball Coach's Office

Coach S. stormed out of the press room and he was f*cking furious. Every tournament had its upsets. North Dakota should not have been one of them. They trounced Fordham 74-67 and summarily ended their run before it could even begin. With Melvin Baker leaving next year, Coach S. was seriously considering find a different program to coach. He wasn't sure that he could take this team any further. They needed someone else for that. Or maybe a board that would actually invest in the team's success instead of raising the demands each season and refusing to invest in the program. In any event, this was another season that manifested into nothing.

Coach S. seriously doubted he would receive any good job offers. Despite his coaching skills having developed well over the years, he still wasn't viewed as a renown coach in the league, or even a middling target. Some might say he still had a poor reputation, despite his accomplishments. One thing was for sure right now, he was spiraling.

He let out an external sigh before popping the bottle of scotch in his office when he noticed he received a text message from an old friend. "Sorry for the loss coach, hope things turn around next season! You're doing great there!" from Amy. "Thank you Amy, I hope all is well at Buffalo. Sending my best, don't be a stranger. Coach S." Even that little gesture made a difference right now He wondered how much of an impact he had made at Fordham, even through all of the little things. Certainly there was some impact, the program definitely fostered and helped his growth, but given his doubts last year and what happened this year, he would be moving if the right opportunity presented itself. He just wasn't sure if that would happen although for the first time since he joined Fordham, he was sincerely hoping it would. Even if the program was at its height since he joined, he wasn't sure he could get them over the top and with the Board's demands raising each year and the incoming talent seemingly dropping, he wasn't sure that sustained success was ahead.

Final Record: 26-9(13-5)
73.6 PPG, 66.9 OPPG, 19.3 APG, 32.7 RPG, NET 20



An asterisk denotes a starter. Sam Robinson was the starting SG.

Coach S. stepped back into his office and examined the incoming class. It was a decent class. Nothing particularly noteworthy compared to the last few classes. Two scholarships were left over for recruiting purposes next year. With the losses from this year and the current state of the roster, the incoming class had not provided the boost he would've hoped.


Fordham Men's Basketball Recruit Class 2034

Other Notable Facts From the Season:
NCAA Final: Duke (71) over Kansas (67). Duke claims their sixth NCAA Tournament Title in School History. Kansas missed out on what would have been their fifth title.
ATL-10 Championship Game: St. Josephs (84) over Fordham (68)
All-Conference 1st Team: Melvin Baker SR, SF: 16.6 PPG, 2.3 APG, 6.5 RPG, 1.2 SPG, 1.0 BPG
All-Conference 2nd Team: Sam Robinson JR, PG/SG: 14.6 PPG, 2.9 APG, 2.2 RPG, 1.5 SPG, 0.5 BPG.
Team MVP[s]: Melvin Baker
Best Win: 69-51 @ St. Josephs
Worst Loss: 67-74 v.s. North Dakota (NCAA Tournament) ...as if it needed to be said
Notable Graduates: Melvin Baker, Jake Knox
This was Coach S.'s 12th season and 9th with Fordham. His overall record sits at 219-192. He is currently 1-2 in the NCAA Tournament.
Melvin Baker was a semifinalist nominee for the Norton award.
I thought Melvin Baker would have a chance for player of the conference but that honor went to a freshman, Rayford Price, out of VCU. His stats: 22.2 PPG, 2.5 APG, 3.3 RPG, 1.6 SPG, 0.6 BPG.

[Zingo]

June 14, 2034, 9:10PM Coach S.'s House

It was the night of the 2034 NBA Draft and Coach S. had just witnessed Melvin Baker be selected with the 43rd overall pick. He wasn't entirely sure if the graduating senior was going to be drafted. He had seen some polls predicting him as a mid to low second round pick, but he wasn't sure if the early NCAA Tournament exit and the few injury issues would keep him as an undrafted priority signing. Nonetheless, he was ecstatic that Melvin had been selected. After waiting a few moments until the draft was over and in order to give him time to celebrate and field calls from his future team, Coach S. gave him a call.

"How does it feel to be an NBA player?"

"Hahaha, thanks for calling coach. I'm just so excited for this, it is really a dream come true for me. Thank you for all your help in making it happen."

"Well you earned it yourself, just make sure you keep that work ethic and drive that you did while you were here and I'm sure you'll be starting games and be an All-Star in no time."

"That's the dream coach, that's the dream."

"Well I'll let you go celebrate. Just wanted to call and give you my congratulations."

"Thanks Coach, I'll hit you up when I'm in New York again!"

"Hopefully I'll be watching when you play a game up here! Take care and congratulations."


Melvin Baker: 3x First Team All-Conference Player, Conference Defensive Player of the Year, Norton Award Semifinalist, NBA Player

Coach S. smiled as he hung up the phone. Melvin was a good kid and he really earned this opportunity. Coach S. was just glad to have been part of the journey in turning him into the player he is today. It seemed like even when things looked bad, there was some sort of silver lining. Coach S. shut the lights off in the living room and headed up to bed. It was another year with Fordham. He wasn't entirely sure how things were going to go this time around. The offers were decent, but not enough to convince him to leave. TCU, Wake Forest, and Auburn had been the most enticing, but he figured if he stayed a little longer, he might have a chance at something better. Until then, it was another year with Fordham.

Author's Note: I just reviewed my coach's bio and discovered that this was actually the second player I had who was drafted. I am assuming that Baki Tavukcu was likely the first drafted (as a late second round pick) given his achievements and will "retcon" that coach had a celebratory moment for him as well. Tavukcu made the 1st Team All-Conference and 2nd Team All-Conference teams once each. Also PointGuard if you read this, a suggestion for future DDSCB Games: Allow us to view when and where a player was drafted in their "player history" just so we can add those achievements for storytelling purposes! Probably a small edit (adding it as an award) or maybe it already exists and I'm not finding it, not sure.

[PointGuard]

Hey, Coach S. is definitely now recruiting some solid players and the positive results are clearly evident by how the team's record is improving so dramatically. Good going!

(Good suggestion and it's been added) [Seee...I DO read the small print. ]

[Zingo]

January 8, 2035, 3:43PM Fordham Men's Basketball Court

Sam Robinson and Adam Midgley are reviewing plays with Lucious Jordan, the recently hired 1st Assistant Coach. Coach S. walks over as the players jog back out on the court.

"Lucious, I just wanted to say that you're doing an excellent job this year. The offense is the sharpest it has been in awhile and you're definitely the mind behind that," Coach S. said as he patted Lucious on the back.

"Day by day coach, day by day."

"I wanted to see if you could begin to work up some trickier schemes or plays that might throw our opposition for a loop. Looking to develop some plays for tournament play provided we get there this season."

"That's awhile away coach, but I can work on a few things. Let's talk next week?"

"Sounds good."

The team was looking pretty solid for yet another year. It seemed Coach S. finally found some consistent success. This year's team was being led by Sam Robinson and Adam Midgley with Marc Hamon and Ricky Williams also pulling their weight. It was a year of young contributors and Sam Robinson's farewell tour. He'd already been named National Player of the Week once this season. Coach S. just hoped that the success could continue and that, more importantly, it would be there in March, when it was most needed.

Top Players (this season):
Sam Robinson (SG): 17.6 PPG, 2.5 APG, 3.4 RPG
Adam Midgley (SF): 14.1 PPG, 1.3 APG, 5.3 RPG
Marc Harmon (PF) : 11.1 PPG, 1.2 APG, 5.2 RPG

Current Record: 12-3 (2-0)
77.9 PPG, 70.3 OPPG, 19.8 APG, 31.7 RPG, NET 99


Fordham was the runner-up at the Emerald Coast Classic as a #5 seed. They lost to Louisville in the finals 82-70.