From Binghamton to the Top (The Charles Day Story)

[jksander]

1973-74

I’ve turned off all conference tournaments, so the winner of the regular season conference slate will get the NCAA auto-bid. I’ll be interested to see if this makes the teams in the NCAAs better, with no more 12-16 teams getting in. Cheating is also turned off for this league. Players will declare for the draft, however. I chose this starting year because it was the year the NCAA split its divisions down to I, II and III. So I thought it was a good time to start the game and build some history.

http://jonathansanders.0catch.com/BING.gif

Coach Information
Name: Charles Day (38)
Experience: 0-0 (.000)
Contract: $100,000 / 3 years
Ambition: high
Academics: very high
Discipline: very low
Temper: average
Integrity: average
Reputation: 50%
Offense: 70%
Defense: 55%
Recruiting: 75%
Scouting: 65%
Development: 60%
Job Security: 100%

School Information
Name: Binghamton
Mascot: Bearcats
Location: Vestal, NY
Arena: BU Events Center (5,800)
Facilities: C
Academics: A-
Conference: America East
Conference Prestige: 22%
Team Prestige: 18%
Minimum SAT: 980
Starting Budget: $153,000
Asst. Salaries: $84,000
Remaining Budget: $69,000

Administration Goals
1. Finish in the top three of the America East conference.
2. Win at least ten games during the regular season.
3. No players should be declared academically ineligible.

Team Roster
PG - Keaton Sullivan (6’1” 177 lbs Sr) Weedsport NY) 3.3 GPA
SG - L.B. Williams (6’3” 198 lbs Sr) Broadalbin NY (Broadalbin-Perth HS) 3.6 GPA
SF - Clarence Marquis (6’4” 196 lbs Sr) Richfield Springs NY (Richfield Springs Central HS) 4.0 GPA
PF - Anthony Dixon (6’6” 239 lbs Jr) Hopewell Junction NY (John Jay HS) 3.5 GPA
C - A.J. Jefferson (6’9” 228 lbs Jr) Shortsville NY (Red Jacket HS) 3.6 GPA

6 - Marlon Palmer (6’3” 199 lbs Fr) Ovid NY (South Seneca HS) 3.9 GPA
7 - Brian Clemmons (6’8” 193 lbs Sr) Shortsville NY (Red Jacket HS) 4.0 GPA*
8 - Matt Perry (6’3” 170 lbs So) Romulus NY (Romulus Central HS) 4.0 GPA
9 - Darcel Canady (6’7” 208 lbs So) Rochester NY (John Marshall HS) 4.0 GPA
10 - Shawn McClinton (6’10” 252 lbs Fr) Waterloo NY (Waterloo HS) 4.0 GPA
11 - Orlando Pleick (6’0” 179 lbs Jr) Clifton Springs NY (Midlakes HS) 4.0 GPA*
12 - John Richards (6’7” 211 lbs So) Candor NY (Candor Central HS) 3.6 GPA
13 - Ferron Moore (6’9” 239 lbs Fr) Canastota NY (Canastota HS) 3.9 GPA
14 - Josh Sims (6’4” 198 lbs Fr) Binghamton NY (Chenango Forks Central HS) 3.2 GPA
15 - Malcolm Lewis (6’7” 198 lbs So) Brooklyn NY (Brooklyn Tech HS) 3.1 GPA
________
*Walk-on

Strategies
Offensively, I want the team focusing on sets rather than playing their own “freeform game.” We’ll play motion and shuffle offenses, while defensively ofcusing primarily on the 3-2 zone, with minor emphasis on man to man. When in the press, we’ll be playing in the 1-2-1-1 “Diamond” press, and since I intend on seeing us press a lot, we’ll spend a good deal of practice time on these defenses.
 
Season Schedule
http://jonathansanders.0catch.com/Binghamton%201973-74.PNG

Conference Champion: (tie) Hartford (11-5, 17-10) and Stony Brook (11-5, 17-10)
A-East Postseason Team(s): Hartford (15th seed, Charlotte Bracket, NCAA Tournament)
NIT Champion: (2) Northern Iowa
NCAA Champion: (1) North Carolina

Key Injuries
2/1/74: L.B. Williams (Broken Toe) 4-5 weeks

Team Leaders
Scoring: Keaton Sullivan (15.1 ppg) Clarence Marquis (8.2 ppg) Anthony Dixon (7.5 ppg)
Rebounds: A.J. Jefferson (6.0 rpg) Clarence Marquis (3.5 rpg) Brian Clemmons (3.4 rpg)
Assists: A.J. Jefferson (2.4 apg) L.B. Williams (2.3 apg) Keaton Sullivan (2.1 apg)
Steals: A.J. Jefferson (1.8 spg)
Blocks: A.J. Jefferson (0.6 bpg)

Awards
2nd Team All America East: Keaton Sullivan

Graduating
PG - Keaton Sullivan (3.4 GPA) 15.1 ppg 3.3 rpg 2.1 apg 1.0 spg 0.3 bpg (27 starts)
PG - L.B. Williams (3.3 GPA) 4.8 ppg 3.2 rpg 2.3 apg 0.2 spg 0.2 bpg (21 starts)
SG - Clarence Marquis (3.7 GPA) 8.2 ppg 3.5 rpg 1.8 apg 1.0 spg 0.1 bpg (27 starts)

Incoming Recruits
6’7” PF Larrie Dampier (Babylon NY - Babylon HS) 3.2 GPA (#257 WSSN National; #71 WSSN Regional) 15.1 ppg 3.4 apg 8.1 rpg 1.2 spg 2.1 bpg
6’1” SG Jon Hayes (Hilton NY - Hilton Central HS) 3.1 GPA (#628 WSSN National; #171 WSSN Regional) 16.2 ppg 2.1 apg 5.5 rpg 1.2 spg 2.4 bpg
6’9” C Brad Morris (Brooklyn NY - Canarsie HS) 3.2 GPA (#1493 WSSN National; #404 WSSN Regional) 13.2 ppg 3.3 apg 9.0 rpg 1.3 spg 3.2 bpg

Season Summary
We failed to meet our goals, winning only eight games this season and finishing 7th of nine teams in the America East conference. We’re going to be losing two of our top scorers, and though I’m pleased with Larrie Dampier, I don’t expect our other two recruits to be ready to start next year, or do much beyond play a few minutes at a time. I’d like to say we’re going to be capable of going for a .500 season and a run at the conference title, but I don’t think we’ll have the personnel. Hopefully the athletic department’s willing to give me time enough to build a program around my style of play before looking for the next big thing.

Hartford, our conference’s only postseason entry to the NCAA tourney, got hammered by (2) Kansas 71-33.
In the NIT, Northern Iowa upset top-seeded Portland with a hard-fought 68-65 victory.
In the NCAA Tournament, #1s North Carolina and Connecticut faced off, and UNC ran with it 73-59.

[jksander]

1974-75

http://jonathansanders.0catch.com/BING.gif

Coach Information
Name: Charles Day (39)
Experience: 8-19 (.296)
Contract: $100,000 / 2 years
Ambition: high
Academics: very high
Discipline: very low
Temper: average
Integrity: average
Reputation: 50% (even)
Offense: 74% (+4)
Defense: 59% (+4)
Recruiting: 78% (+3)
Scouting: 65% (even)
Development: 64% (+4)
Job Security: 100%

School Information
Name: Binghamton
Mascot: Bearcats
Location: Vestal, NY
Arena: BU Events Center (5,800)
Facilities: C
Academics: A-
Conference: America East
Conference Prestige: 19% (-3)
Team Prestige: 17% (-1)
Minimum SAT: 980
Starting Budget: $153,000
Asst. Salaries: $84,000
Remaining Budget: $69,000

Administration Goals
1. Win the America East title.
2. Win at least ten games during the regular season.
3. No players should be declared academically ineligible.

Conference Movement
Chicago State has joined the Summit League.

Players Transfering
Malcolm Lewis

Team Roster
PG - Orlando Pleick (6’0” 179 lbs Sr) Clifton Springs NY (Midlakes HS) 3.7 GPA*
SG - Jon Hayes (6’1” 173 lbs Fr) Hilton NY (Hilton Central HS) 3.1 GPA
SF - Anthony Dixon (6’6” 239 lbs Sr) Hopewell Junction NY (John Jay HS) 3.6 GPA
PF - Larrie Dampier (6’7” 196 lbs Fr) Babylon NY (Babylon HS) 3.2 GPA
C - A.J. Jefferson (6’9” 228 lbs Sr) Shortsville NY (Red Jacket HS) 3.7 GPA

6 - B.J. Wallace (6’3” 215 lbs Fr) Dundee NY (Dundee Central HS) 3.6 GPA*
7 - Josh Sims (6’4” 198 lbs So) Binghamton NY (Chenango Forks Central HS) 2.7 GPA
8 - Marlon Palmer (6’3” 199 lbs So) Ovid NY (South Seneca HS) 3.1 GPA
9 - John Richards (6’7” 211 lbs Jr) Candor NY (Candor Central HS) 3.0 GPA
10 - Ferron Moore (6’9” 239 lbs So) Canastota NY (Canastota HS) 3.1 GPA
11 - Brian Lockhart (5’11” 161 lbs Sr) Port Jefferson NY (Comsewogue HS) 3.9 GPA*
12 - Matt Perry (6’3” 170 lbs Jr) Romulus NY (Romulus Central HS) 3.8 GPA
13 - Darcel Canady (6’7” 208 lbs Jr) Rochester NY (John Marshall HS) 3.7 GPA
14 - Shawn McClinton (6’10” 252 lbs So) Waterloo NY (Waterloo HS) 3.8 GPA
15 - Brad Morris (6’9” 262 lbs Fr) Brooklyn NY (Canarsie HS) 3.2 GPA
________
*Walk-on

Strategies
I’m not making any dramatic changes this year other than allowing the players to play a somewhat faster pace, as I feel you need to keep kids in a routine over the long-term rather than jerking them around when it comes to their training. I’m confident that the gameplans I’m putting out there are good ones, and if I have faith in my talent as a coach the wins will come. Or, if not, a job in a better conference will come along and I'll be able to pull from a better pool of recruits. Either way's fine with me.
 
Season Schedule
http://jonathansanders.0catch.com/Binghamton%201974-75.PNG

Conference Champion: UMBC (11-5, 17-10)
A-East Postseason Team(s): UMBC (15th seed, Salt Lake City Bracket, NCAA Tournament)
NIT Champion: (4) Georgia
NCAA Champion: (3) Kansas

Key Injuries
None.

Team Leaders
Scoring: Jon Hayes (16.3 ppg) Orlando Pleick (13.4 ppg) A.J. Jefferson (6.8 rpg)
Rebounds: A.J. Jefferson (7.2 rpg) Anthony Dixon (4.7 rpg) Orlando Pleick (3.6 rpg)
Assists: Orlando Pleick (3.9 apg) A.J. Jefferson (2.7 apg)
Steals: A.J. Jefferson (1.8 spg)
Blocks: A.J. Jefferson (0.8 bpg)

Awards
1st Team All America East: A.J. Jefferson
2nd Team All America East: Orlando Pleick
2nd Team All America East: Jon Hayes

Graduating
PG - Orlando Pleick (3.4 GPA) 10.3 ppg 2.4 rpg 2.5 apg 0.6 spg 0.4 bpg (54 games, 27 starts)*
PG - Brian Lockhart (3.8 GPA) 1.0 ppg 0.4 rpg 0.9 apg 0.5 spg (27 games)*
C - A.J. Jefferson (3.8 GPA) 6.5 ppg 6.6 rpg 2.5 apg 1.8 spg 0.7 bpg (50 starts)
SF - Anthony Dixon (3.7 GPA) 5.9 ppg 3.8 rpg 0.9 apg 0.7 spg 0.1 bpg (54 starts)
_______
*Walk-on

Incoming Recruits
6’2” PG Josh Myers (Conklin NY - Susquehanna Valley HS) 2.8 GPA (#517 WSSN National; #123 WSSN Regional) 17.6 ppg 4.5 apg 5.8 rpg 2.8 spg 2.2 bpg
6’4” PG Matt Fletcher (Barker NY - Barker Central HS, JuCo) 2.7 GPA (#813 WSSN National; #209 WSSN Regional) 12.5 ppg 4.7 apg 4.2 rpg 2.9 spg 2.0 bpg

Season Summary
Our pre-conference season didn’t go much differently from last year, though we did have two ranked games, losing by 14 points to Cincinnati on the road while ending the slate with a 12-point win against Texas on the road. Neither win seems to have affected our RPI much, as a 4-7 record put us into the America East season ranked 228th in that category. We struggled early in the conference season, but gained our footing nicely as we marched through January, climbing from last to fifth in a matter of weeks, before posting four wins in a row starting the 24th against New Hampshire. The fourth, on February 3rd, gave us our second win against Hartford this season, and (more important!) pulled us into a tie for first in the league with UMBC! We’d already split our two games against them, so we’d need to post a good showing in our remaining five games to stand a chance at meeting our goal of making the NCAA tourney … something which months ago seemed like a joke.

Our loss against Maine on the 14th seemed to put us out of the race. UMBC was up by a game and a half at that point, and we only had three games left to show what we had to offer on the court. But we got a chance to even the gap against Stony Brook on the 21st. Too bad we lost that one down the stretch due to a poor overall defensive effort. We wound up losing our final game as well, giving us a 13-14 record on the season, though with a 9-7 record in the conference, good for third place behind Stony Brook (10-6, 16-12) and UMBC (11-5, 17-10). Both achievements are solid improvements over last year. Still, plenty of work to do next year as we’ll be expected to be in contention for our first-ever trip to the NCAA tournament.

UMBC faced off against (2) Ohio State, 23-6, in the first round of the NCAA tournament and lost a shootout, 78-93.
In the NIT Championship, (4) Georgia escaped (5) Marquette via a tightly fought 65-61 win.
In the National Championship game, (3) Kansas upended (2) Notre Dame in an 85-70 blowout.

But call me crazy … I don’t think I’m going to get the kind of recognition or chances to improve my coaching ability staying in the middle of nowhere in upstate New York. So when I hit the circuit at the Final Four this year I made sure I put my name out there. Binghamton offered me a 5% raise to $105,000 a year with a five-year contract to boot, but I used my connections as a former assistant coach for Bob Knight over at Army to get myself a meeting with the AD over at St. John’s University in Queens. He told me he liked my style, and asked if I’d be interested in accepting the open job there. I asked him how soon he needed me to be packed …

See ya later, Vestal, New York! I’m heading to the Big Apple …

[jksander]

1975-76

http://jonathansanders.0catch.com/STJ.gif

Coach Information
Name: Charles Day (40)
Experience: 21-33 (.389)
Contract: $437,000 / 5 years
Ambition: high
Academics: very high
Discipline: very low
Temper: average
Integrity: average
Reputation: 51% (+1)
Offense: 76% (+2)
Defense: 62% (+3)
Recruiting: 81% (+3)
Scouting: 65% (even)
Development: 67% (+3)
Job Security: 100%

School Information
Name: St. John’s
Mascot: Red Storm
Location: Queens, NY
Arena: Carnesecca Arena (6,008)
Facilities: B
Academics: C
Conference: Big East
Conference Prestige: 88%
Team Prestige: 55%
Minimum SAT: 880
Starting Budget: $243,100
Asst. Salaries: $147,950
Remaining Budget: $95,150

School’s Recent Performance
1974-75: 10-17 (5-11) -- 15th of 16
1973-74: 11-16 (6-10) -- 10th of 16

Administration Goals
1. Qualify for the NCAA tournament. We want a conference title here in Queens!
2. If that’s not possible, finish at least in the top half of the conference and get into the NIT.
3. Above all, finish with a .500 record, something the prior coach couldn’t manage. Wins are key at this level!
4. Improve the school’s prestige. We’re in the toughest conference in the league, we need to bring in those recruits!

Conference Movement
None.

Players Transfering
None.

Team Roster
PG - Alexander Morris (6’2” 181 lbs Jr) Waterloo NY (Waterloo HS) 2.9 GPA
SG - Michael Cable (6’6” 218 lbs Sr) Troy MI (Troy HS) 2.4 GPA
SF - Marshall Leatherman (6’8” 239 lbs Jr) Plattsburgh NY (Seton Catholic Central HS) 2.4 GPA
PF - Gene Morris (6’7” 244 lbs Sr) Burnt Hills NY (Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake HS) 2.2 GPA
C - Jay Johnston (6’8” 261 lbs Fr) Salisbury NC (Salisbury HS) 2.7 GPA

6 - Kevin Jones (6’2” 205 lbs Sr) Alexander NY (Alexander Central HS) 2.7 GPA
7 - Ryan Wynn (6’6” 151 lbs Jr) Riverhead NY (Riverhead HS) 2.5 GPA*
8 - Al Abney (6’6” 234 lbs Jr) Pine Grove PA (Pine Grove Area HS) 2.5 GPA
9 - Aaron Greene (6’7” 213 lbs Jr) Plattsburgh NY (Seton Catholic Central HS) 3.1 GPA
10 - Phil Kent (6’8” 203 lbs Jr) Kansas City KS (Wyandotte HS) 2.3 GPA
11 - Alan Brown (6’3” 213 lbs Fr) Grundy VA (Grundy HS) 2.6 GPA
12 - Hunter Sanders (6’3” 206 lbs Sr) Newport NH (Newport HS) 2.7 GPA
13 - Ronny Clyburn (6’7” 225 lbs So) Moravia NY (Moravia Central HS) 2.7 GPA*
14 - Tyler Roy (6’10” 270 lbs Sr) Clifton Springs NY (Midlakes HS) 2.2 GPA
15 - John Rutledge (6’8” 262 lbs Fr) Victoria VA (Central HS) 2.9 GPA
________
*Walk-on

Strategies
Up until now, St. John’s has focused on three offenses: motion, shuffle and triangle. I’m going to cut out shuffle from that mix, to focus on the two our players have more experience with. They’re trained in man to man and 2-3 zone defense, but I’m going to phase back the man to man and focus more on zone. We’ll press only in man to man, though I’m going to spend some minutes on the diamond press so we can start phasing it in next year. The team’s used to having a good deal of offensive freedom, so I’ll keep it that way to let them ease into my system. But we’ll spend at least half our time running set drills.
 
Season Schedule
http://jonathansanders.0catch.com/stjohns%201975-76.PNG

Conference Champion: Connecticut (15-1, 27-3)
Big East Postseason Teams: Connecticut (1st seed, Raleigh Bracket, NCAA Tourney); Syracuse (2nd seed, Milwaukee Bracket, NCAA Tourney); St. John’s (4th seed, Nashville Bracket, NCAA Tourney); Pittsburgh (3rd seed, Nashvile Bracket, NCAA Tourney); Louisville (5th seed, Milwaukee Bracket, NCAA Tourney); West Virginia (8th seed, Raleigh Bracket, NCAA Tourney); Notre Dame (9th seed, Nashville Bracket, NCAA Tourney); Seton Hall (7th seed, Milwaukee Bracket, NCAA Tourney); Marquette (1st seed, East Bracket, NIT); Cincinnati (2nd seed, West Bracket, NIT)
NIT Champion: (5) Alcorn State
NCAA Champion: (3) Kansas

Key Injuries
None.

Team Leaders
Scoring: Marshall Leatherman (19.7 ppg) Jay Johnston (8.8 ppg) Alexander Morris (8.3 ppg)
Rebounds: Marshall Leatherman (7.3 rpg) Gene Morris (6.1 rpg) Jay Johnston (5.2 rpg)
Assists: Alexander Morris (3.3 apg) Gene Morris (1.6 apg) Michael Cable (1.6 apg) Kevin Jones (1.6 apg)
Steals: Marshall Leatherman (1.2 spg)
Blocks: Marshall Leatherman (1.0 bpg)

Awards
1st Team All Big East: Marshall Leatherman

Graduating
PG - Kevin Jones (2.8 GPA) 8.9 ppg 2.2 rpg 1.6 apg 0.8 spg 0.1 bpg (79 games, 53 starts)
C - Tyler Roy (2.3 GPA) no significant stats (1 game, 3 minutes)
SG - Hector Sanders (2.7 GPA) 2.0 ppg 0.8 rpg (5 games)
SG - Michael Cable (2.5 GPA) 3.9 ppg 2.3 rpg 1.1 apg 0.6 spg 0.1 bpg (83 games, 29 starts)
SF - Gene Morris (2.0 GPA) 6.4 ppg 4.7 rpg 1.2 apg 0.9 spg 0.4 bpg (81 games, 78 starts)
_______
*Walk-on

Incoming Recruits
6’1” SG Wes Evans (Alexandria VA (Jefferson Sci/Tech, JuCo) 2.7 GPA (#34 WSSN National; #12 WSSN Regional) 18.7 ppg 3.6 apg 8.6 rpg 3.8 spg 1.8 bpg
6’6” SF Clyde Jones (Woodbridge VA - Forest Park HS) 2.6 GPA (#46 WSSN National; #14 WSSN Regional) 17.2 ppg 5.7 apg 8.4 rpg 3.0 spg 1.7 bpg
6’1” SG Bootsy Chappel (North Sutton NH - Kearsarge HS) 2.7 GPA (#50 WSSN National; #16 WSSN Regional) 15.7 ppg 4.3 apg 6.1 rpg 1.9 spg 1.6 bpg
6’7” PF Robert Swygart (Pelham NH - Pelham HS, JuCo) 2.5 GPA (#98 WSSN National; #32 WSSN Regional) 17.8 ppg 1.9 apg 6.4 rpg 1.8 spg 2.0 bpg
6’8” PF Josh DeVone (Milford NH - Milford HS, JuCo) 2.6 GPA (#128 WSSN National; #36 WSSN Regional) 14.1 ppg 4.5 apg 12.0 rpg 1.5 spg 2.7 bpg

Season Summary
We opened the season with brutal losses to #2 Duke and #4 Florida on the road, and then lost a closer one to #16 Ohio State on our turf. We regrouped in Alaska and won the Alaskan Classic in Anchorage, beating Nebraska, #21 Xavier and Iowa State. So when we returned, we were playing with a clean slate. But our AD built us a brutal non-conference schedule, and we were pleased to get out of it with a 7-6 record. Respectable, but no one pays much attention to RPI in this game. We earned more respect by starting out 4-1 in the Big East, losing to #8 Syracuse on the 18th by 18 to snap our streak. From there we maintained our confidence, and even managed to beat #1 Connecticut on the road on February 15th, the only time all year that a Big East team beat them, particularly on their turf! We finished with a 13-3 record in the Big East, good for a tie for 2nd behind 15-1 UConn. That got us into the tournament as a 4th seed, where we hoped to do some damage as one of eight Big East teams to make the Big Dance … along with Marquette and Cincinnati in the NIT.

We beat 13th-seeded Coppin State easily enough in the first round, which set up a rematch against Duke, which had bested us by 25 in November on their turf. Now we’re on a neutral court, and we beat them by nine, advancing to the Sweet Sixteen along with Connecticut and Syracuse! In the Regional Semis, Syracuse lost to (3) Kansas 53-74 while Connecticut blasted by (4) Kentucky 75-59. But we found ourselves in a second rematch position, facing down Florida, the team which beat us by 20 points in our road opener this November. They’re the top seed in our bracket, with a 27-4 record, and they proceed to whip us into mush 82-63, ending our season with a 22-10 record. Not bad though, considering we doubled last year’s win total and came within a couple games of winning the Big East!

Expectations should be higher next year … particularly with our solid incoming class. We won’t catch anyone unaware for long.

Connecticut, as our only remaining conference opponent still in the tourney, easily bested (10) Vanderbilt 62-46, to earn a spot in the Final Four (as the heavy favorite to win it all!) Before that could take place, however, we got the NIT title game, wherein Alcorn State blew out Arizona 71-53. Yawn …

Back to the Final Four … (1) Connecticut took on (3) Kansas and lost a stunner, in overtime, 78-74! Meanwhile, (1) Florida blasted (3) USC 70-58. And in the National Title game, the relatively unheralded Kansas Jayhawks smacked back the Gators, winning 68-60 in a true upset!

Our team watched from the tenth row during that championship matchup.

Now they know what they want to be a part of before they’re done here at St. John’s.

[smartman]

Hmm...I've told you before that having the Marquis De Sade on retainer is a really bad idea. I think an angry beat writer for one of the New York papers made that schedule.

[jksander]

Hmm...I've told you before that having the Marquis De Sade on retainer is a really bad idea. I think an angry beat writer for one of the New York papers made that schedule.

That schedule didn't look so bad at the start of the year ... having Duke and Florida back to back was the worst of it ... but a lot of the other teams were improved over the previous year. I wanted Duke and Florida to see what my team really COULD do ... and then I could gameplan around their errors to see improvements later in the season.

[BYU 14]

I really like the pace and format of your dynasties, how long does each season take you to run through and write up?

[jksander]

From start to finish? It usually goes in three phases:

PHASE 1: Recruiting Phase (June 26 - November 13). During this time I do all the recruiting, I type up my schedule and format it, and I then arrange my starting rotation and do the depth chart and sub matrix. That part can take two to three hours of gameplay depending on how much time I have to spend on recruiting.

PHASE 2: The Season (November 13 - April 3) -- during this time I sim out all my games, but I do it one at a time, and I keep track of major injuries and make lineup adjustments as needed. Depending on the season it can take two to three hours ... more if it's a poor season and I'm doing more roster shuffling, or if I have a lot of injuries.

PHASE 3: Postseason (April 3 - June 26). I rarely like to save and leave a game after a tournament run and not at least set up the next season. I'll mark my improved coaching stats, get through the job hunt, hire new coaches, buy my reports for the season, and jot any relevant notes down on what I need to recruit for, BEFORE saving on June 26. If I come back fresh for recruiting, I want to know what I'm doing rather than forget and go in blind. This usually takes thirty minutes to an hour, after which I'll usually make my image of the previous season's schedule, post it to my website and then post the season summary for you guys ;)

But I do all my writing-up as I go ... including the season summary, if something happens midseason that I want to mention. At the end of the year I tighten it up and make sure it has what I want in it and then I post it.

[jksander]

1976-77

http://jonathansanders.0catch.com/STJ.gif

Coach Information
Name: Charles Day (41)
Experience: 43-43 (.500)
Contract: $437,000 / 4 years
Ambition: high
Academics: very high
Discipline: very low
Temper: average
Integrity: average
Reputation: 55% (+4)
Offense: 76% (peaked)
Defense: 63% (+1)
Recruiting: 86% (+5)
Scouting: 65% (even)
Development: 73% (+6)
Job Security: 100%

School Information
Name: St. John’s
Mascot: Red Storm
Location: Queens, NY
Arena: Carnesecca Arena (6,008)
Facilities: B
Academics: C
Conference: Big East
Conference Prestige: 85% (-3)
Team Prestige: 63% (+8)
Minimum SAT: 880
Starting Budget: $255,255
Asst. Salaries: $155,500
Remaining Budget: $99,755
Incoming Class Rank: #16

Administration Goals
1. Qualify for the NCAA tournament. We want a conference title here in Queens!
2. If we can’t get the conference title, we’d better be in the top three of the Big East at the very least.
3. Win another 20 games this year. We had a few close losses last year which should have been “W’s”
4. Continue to improve the school’s prestige among east-coast basketball programs.
5. Finish ranked in the AP top 25 again this season.

Conference Movement
Gonzaga has joined the Pac 10 conference.
Utah Valley State has joined the West Coast Conference.

Players Transfering
None.

Team Roster
PG - Alexander Morris (6’2” 181 lbs Sr) Waterloo NY (Waterloo HS) 3.0 GPA
SG - Wes Evans (6’1” 200 lbs Jr) Alexandria VA (Thomas Jefferson Science/Tech HS) 2.7 GPA
SF - Clyde Jones (6’6” 240 lbs Fr) Woodbridge VA (Forest Park HS) 2.6 GPA
PF - Marshall Leatherman (6’8” 239 lbs Sr) Plattsburgh NY (Seton Catholic Central HS) 2.5 GPA
C - Jay Johnston (6’8” 261 lbs So) Salisbury NC (Salisbury HS) 3.3 GPA

6 - Ryan Wynn (6’6” 191 lbs Sr) Riverhead NY (Riverhead HS) 2.6 GPA*
7 - Aaron Greene (6’7” 213 lbs Sr) Plattsburgh NY (Seton Catholic Central HS) 3.3 GPA
8 - Phil Kent (6’8” 203 lbs Sr) Kansas City KS (Wyandotte HS) 2.3 GPA
9 - Al Abney (6’6” 234 lbs Sr Pine Grove PA (Pine Grove Area HS) 2.6 GPA
10 - Alan Brown (6’3” 213 lbs So) Grundy VA (Grundy HS) 2.4 GPA
11 - Robert Swygart (6’7” 192 lbs Jr) Pelham NH (Pelham HS) 2.5 GPA
12 - Josh DuVone (6’8” 198 lbs Jr) Milford NH (Milford HS) 2.6 GPA
13 - Ronny Clyburn (6’7” 225 lbs Jr) Moravia NY (Moravia Central HS) 2.9 GPA*

RS - Bootsy Chappel (6’1” 178 lbs Fr) North Sutton NH (Kearsarge HS) 2.7 GPA
RS - John Rutledge (6’8” 262 lbs So) Victoria VA (Central HS) 3.2 GPA
________
*Walk-on

Strategies
We’re going to stick with what worked last year, letting the veterans bring the new recruits into the fold via early practices. We are phasing out the man-to-man defense this year, focusing entirely on 2-3 Zone, while playing more diamond press this year now that our veterans are better trained in how to execute the pressure sets.
 
Season Schedule
http://jonathansanders.0catch.com/stjohns%201976-77.PNG

Conference Champion: (tie) Pittsburgh (14-2, 25-4), Syracuse (14-2, 23-4)
Big East Postseason Teams: Pittsburgh (2nd seed, Buffalo Bracket, NCAA Tournament); Syracuse (2nd seed, San Antonio Bracket, NCAA Tournament); Connecticut (4th seed, Columbus Bracket, NCAA Tournament); Notre Dame (3rd seed, Phoenix Bracket, NCAA Tournament); Louisville (4th seed, Buffalo Bracket, NCAA Tournament); Marquette (8th seed, San Antonio Bracket, NCAA Tournament); St. Johns (8th seed, Buffalo Bracket, NCAA Tournament); Georgetown (10th seed, Buffalo Bracket, NCAA Tournament); Villanova (3rd seed, East Bracket, NIT); Seton Hall (2nd seed, West Bracket, NIT)
NIT Champion: (2) Seton Hall
NCAA Champion: (1) UCLA

Key Injuries
1/13/77: Marshall Leatherman (Torn MCL … could end his career)
1/20/77: Jay Johnston (Broken Wrist -- out for the remainder of the season)
1/21/71: Wes Evans (Sprained Knee during practice -- out 2-3 weeks)
1/27/71: Ryan Wynn (Sprained Ankle -- off his peak for up to 2 weeks)

Team Leaders
Scoring: Wes Evans (19.7 ppg) Marshall Leatherman (11.6 ppg) Jay Johnston (9.0 ppg) Clyde Jones (8.1 ppg) Alexander Morris (8.0 ppg)
Rebounds: Marshall Leatherman (9.3 rpg) Jay Johnston (6.0 rpg) Clyde Jones (6.0 rpg) Aaron Greene (5.2 rpg)
Assists: Alexander Morris (4.2 apg) Wes Evans (1.9 apg) Clyde Jones (1.5 apg)
Steals: Wes Evans (2.2 spg) Marshall Leatherman (1.1 spg) Clyde Jones (1.0 spg)
Blocks: Alexander Morris (1.2 bpg)

Awards
None. Wes Evans would have been All Big East, but he was out for too many key Big East games to get the nomination.

Graduating
SG - Ryan Wynn (2.7 GPA) 5.4 ppg 1.8 rpg 0.9 apg 0.3 spg (52 games, 5 starts)*
PG - Alexander Morris (3.0 GPA) 7.2 ppg 2.5 rpg 2.8 apg 0.3 spg 0.5 bpg (110 games, 57 starts)
SF - Aaron Greene (3.4 GPA) 2.0 ppg 2.6 rpg 0.6 apg 0.4 spg 0.2 bpg (106 games, 10 starts)
SF - Marshall Leatherman (2.6 GPA) 16.2 ppg 6.2 rpg 1.1 apg 1.0 spg 0.8 bpg (98 starts)
SF - Phil Kent (2.4 GPA) 4.0 ppg 2.7 rpg 0.3 apg 0.2 spg (46 games, 7 starts)
PF - Al Abney (2.7 GPA) 2.9 ppg 2.5 rpg 0.4 apg 0.3 spg 0.1 bpg (89 games, 11 starts)
_______
*Walk-on

Incoming Recruits
6’8” SF Adonis Williams (Dix Hills NY - Half Hollow Hills East HS) 3.1 GPA (#35 WSSN Ntl; #10 WSSN Reg) 16.2 ppg 5.8 apg 8.7 rpg 3.1 spg 1.6 bpg
6’7” SF Travis Garnett (Smithfield VA - Smithfield HS) 2.8 GPA (#43 WSSN Ntl; #14 WSSN Reg) 16.8 ppg 2.7 apg 8.7 rpg 2.4 spg 1.6 bpg
6’6” PF Boney McCleary (Rockville MD - T.S. Wootton HS, JuCo) 2.5 GPA (#55 WSSN Ntl; #18 WSSN Reg) 16.3 ppg 2.9 apg 7.6 rpg 1.8 spg 2.3 bpg
6’1” SG K.C. Scott (Fort Lee NJ - Fort Lee HS, JuCo) 2.6 GPA (#108 WSSN Ntl; #31 WSSN Reg) 17.8 ppg 6.1 apg 7.4 rpg 1.8 spg 1.7 bpg

Season Summary
We were doing quite well this year, going 7-4 prior to starting the Big East season, including a nine point win againt then-#18 Gonzaga, and a 67-52 win against then-#10 Oregon, which balanced out big losses against North Carolina and Kansas, both of which were #2 in the nation when we played them. But the Big East slate got off to a rocky start with us losing three of our first four games, losing Marshall Leatherman for the remainder of the season with an MCL tear during the Marquette game. A week later against West Virginia we lost Jay Johnston for the season due to a broken wrist, and Wes Evans sprained his knee during practice, putting him out for what turned out to be three weeks before he was able to return to strength. During that time, with our team hobbled severely, we still managed to stay in contention in the conference. And though we were disappointed to finish seventh in the Big East, our 8-8 record at least kept us NCAA-eligible, and our strength of schedule got us in as an 8th seed, despite a 15-12 record.

In the postseason, Villanova opened things with a 75-57 win against Colorado in the NIT on the 13th. Seton Hall followed that up a night later with a 71-57 victory against Duquesne in the NIT. Villanova lost to Central Michigan on the 15th, 58-64, but on the 16th, Seton Hall outlasted Arkansas State in an offensive drubbing, 88-75, keeping their hopes alive as they made the Elite Eight of the NIT. In the NCAA Tourney on opening day, four of us faced off … Pitt blasted Stetson 79-51, while Louisville put on a good 2nd half show to survive Eastern Washington 63-47 (after leading 30-22 at the half based solely on free throws). We then played a late afternoon game against 9th-seeded Penn State, completely pounding the Nittany Lions 66-47. Then UConn survived (in OVERTIME!) a 79-73 nailbiter against 13th-seeded Louisiana Monroe! But to that point, all our Big East neighbors had managed to survive in the tourney, upholding our reputation. The following day, Syracuse pounded Northeastern 81-63, while Marquette dismantled Virginia Tech 70-54 in their opener two hours later in the same bracket. In a late afternoon game, Georgetown easily beat Texas 86-69, while in the late-night game in Phoenix, Notre Dame made quick work of Hartford, 72-54. So far, a perfect run for the Big East in ’77!

That brought us to the second round, March 18th. We had the noon game against top-seed Duke (28-2) here in Buffalo. And though we were Vegas-odds 20-point underdogs going in, we matched them point-for-point in the first half, taking a 30-27 lead on a trey by Wes Evans. And in the second half, we focused on defense, while getting the ball into Evans’ hands at all costs … and it paid off! He finished with a career-best 40 points as we outlasted Duke 63-62 in regulation! Pittsburgh survived Xavier in the next game, winning 57-50. But Louisville was not so lucky … Indiana humiliated them 78-58, a game which showed the Hoosiers to be quite dangerously underseeded. The same thing happened to Connecticut, though they showed enough temerity to remain in the game until the end, losing 76-70 to 5th seeded Purdue, a second solid performance from the Big Ten. The next day UCLA absolutely destroyed Marquette, crushing them 57-35, while South Carolina knocked off Syracuse 66-60 and Oregon punished Georgetown 81-67. Only Notre Dame, playing 11th seeded Missouri, came out a winner, with a 69-66 squeaker I’d hardly call anything but “an escape.” So a week into the tournament and we had Seton Hall alive in the NIT, while our team, Pittsburgh and Notre Dame remained dancing in the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet Sixteen.

On the 21st, Seton Hall took on Maryland (18-13) in the NIT and won a blowout victory, 82-62, advancing to the NIT Final Four. Two nights later, we faced the same tough Indiana squad which had easily dispatched Louisville last week. But it hardly seemed to be the same team, as we completely butchered them offensively, with Evans putting on a clinic from almost everywhere on the court, winning 84-58! Evans ended up with 45 points, and he was mobbed after the game by press who seem stunned by his ability to lead the team singlehandledly now that we’re in the tournament! Fans from areas unaccustomed to the brutality ot Big East play are quickly learning what our players can do … Pittsburgh and Georgia Tech then faced off, and Pitt came out with a solidly earned 60-53 victory. The next day, Notre Dame and Oregon faced off, and the Ducks came back from down 18-20 at the half to win 66-62 on spectacular 2nd half shooting. Then the fans got what they came for … a Big East matchup in the Buffalo Regional Finals between ourselves and 2nd-seeded Pittsburgh, with our conference’s only shot at the Final Four on the line! We dominated early, putting up a 42-29 halftime lead, but Wes Evans put on a more subdued game than usual in the 2nd half, as Pittsburgh came back and, at the buzzer, tied it 62-62, forcing overtime! Both teams had starters on the floor during OT, and it was brutal scrap-it-out Big East ball through and through, but when the buzzer sounded, we’d managed to maintain our superiority with a 73-70 upset victory!

That’s right … this year’s St. John’s team, the team which survived injuries and adversity all year, has managed to make the Final Four!

Seton Hall, in their NIT Final Four appearance, held off Louisiana-Lafayette 59-56 in the semifinals, then beat Central Michigan 62-59, showing that in today’s basketball climate, even a 7-9 Big East team is better than half the supposed mid-majors in other conferences. Congrats, guys! We, in turn, played our National Semifinal game against (1) Kansas, 34-0, super-juggernaut of college ball and reigning National Champs. And when Big East met up against Big 12, we did what we could, giving them the toughest defensive battle they’d had all year! They led 36-32 at the half, but we battled back to tie things at 72-72 in regulation. We then battled through three overtimes, and though we lost in the end 89-97, I’ve never seen a stronger, more dedicated postseason performance than what our boys gave out there in this one. If anyone deserved to take down the Giants of Kansas, we did. And Alexander Morris and Wes Evans did everything in their power to see that happen, only to fail down the stretch in that third overtime.

But the win drained Kansas of everything they had, leaving them defenseless against (1) UCLA (32-1), which came out flaring in the first half of the title game, leading 43-29, a lead they never relinquished. UCLA stunned the basketball world by upending Kansas 75-62, spoiling their undefeated season, finishing as the champions themselves only one game shy of a perfect season of their own! Anyone who says college basketball’s not the best sport this country’s got to offer didn’t see a damned minute of this tournament.

We, meanwhile, finished our year with a 19-13 record, failing to meet our 20-win goal, our national ranking goal or or Big East standings goal. But we made the tournament and then ran to the Final Four, which should do a lot for school prestige. And I’m confident our recruiting class this year is on par with, if not better than, the one we had playing for us this season. So I think my job’s secure while I push this team toward our ultimate goal: A NATIONAL TITLE.

[BYU 14]

Nice run in the tournament, almost the Cinderella,

[smartman]

ROTFL, you lost to the infamous Florida International Airport!!!!!!!!!! HAHAHAHA!!!! Nice 1-2 record against Florida schools, and you didn't even play any of the good ones.

Congrats on your first FF appearance in this dynasty. Looks like you're relying heavily on JuCo players though. Isn't that going to hurt your zone and (especially) your press? And for the last time, FIRE THE MARQUIS DE SADE! That conference is plenty to keep your SOS and RPI high.

[jksander]

Get used to it, smartman, I like playing tough schedules ;) You're going to need a new pair of pants when you see my 1977-78 schedule :) But yeah that is funny the close losses to the two "weaker" Florida teams. I hadn't noticed that little tidbit when I was writing everything up ;) As for the JuCo's, it hasn't hurt too much yet. There's a lot of recruiting competish in this region, so there have been times I've had to go after JuCos I otherwise might have passed by because they had the ingredients I needed. I tend to not close a door just because of where I'm finding a player, if I think they can fit into my system :)

EDIT: Though I think I'll ramp it back a bit in the future, just because I want to see if you're right, that our RPI won't shift much without all those ranked games in the regular season. The Big East just went up to 91% after the 1977-78 season, so we'll see.

[jksander]

1977-78

http://jonathansanders.0catch.com/STJ.gif

Coach Information
Name: Charles Day (42)
Experience: 62-56 (.525)
Contract: $437,000 / 3 years
Ambition: high
Academics: very high
Discipline: very low
Temper: average
Integrity: average
Reputation: 63% (+8)
Offense: 76% (peaked)
Defense: 63% (peaked)
Recruiting: 87% (+1)
Scouting: 65% (even)
Development: 79% (+6)
Job Security: 100%

School Information
Name: St. John’s
Mascot: Red Storm
Location: Queens, NY
Arena: Carnesecca Arena (6,008)
Facilities: B
Academics: C
Conference: Big East
Conference Prestige: 86% (+1)
Team Prestige: 71% (+8)
Minimum SAT: 880
Starting Budget: $255,255
Asst. Salaries: $128,500
Remaining Budget: $126,755
Incoming Class Rank: #19

Administration Goals
1. Reach the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament again! You did it once, coach, now any less is a disappointment!
2. Win the Big East title! It’s been way too long, coach, and we need a title here in Queens.
3. Win another 20 games this year. Injuries or not, we’ve got the players for 20 wins easy.
4. Continue to improve the school’s prestige among east-coast basketball programs.
5. Sign a four-star recruit nationally. Keep up the great recruiting, coach, and wins will always follow!

Conference Movement
None.

Players Transfering
None.

NBA Draft
#10 - Marshall Leatherman

Team Roster
PG - Bootsy Chappel (6’1” 178 lbs Fr) North Sutton NH (Kearsarge HS) 2.9 GPA
SG - Wes Evans (6’1” 200 lbs Sr) Alexandria VA (Thomas Jefferson Science/Tech HS) 2.4 GPA
SF - Boney McCleary (6’6” 198 lbs Jr) Rockville MD (T.S. Wootton HS) 2.5 GPA
PF - Clyde Jones (6’6” 240 lbs So) Woodbridge VA (Forest Park HS) 3.2 GPA
C - Adonis Williams (6’8” 204 lbs Fr) Dix Hills NY (Half Hollow Hills East HS) 3.1 GPA

6 - Jay Johnston (6’8” 261 lbs Jr) Salisbury NC (Salisbury HS) 3.5 GPA
7 - K.C. Scott (6’1” 196 lbs Jr) Fort Lee NJ (Fort Lee HS) 2.6 GPA
8 - Travis Garnett (6’7” 218 lbs Fr) Smithfield VA (Smithfield HS) 2.8 GPA
9 - Josh DeVone (6’8” 198 lbs Sr) Milford NH (Milford HS) 2.5 GPA
10 - Ronny Clyburn (6’7” 225 lbs Sr) Moravia NY (Moravia Central HS) 2.9 GPA*
11 - Ricky Washington (6’0” 191 lbs So) Buffalo NY (McKinley HS) 2.5 GPA*
12 - Russell Self (6’1” 203 lbs Sr) Briarcliff Manor NY (Briarcliff HS) 2.8 GPA*
13 - Alan Brown (6’3” 213 lbs Jr) Grundy VA (Grundy HS) 2.3 GPA
14 - Robert Swygart (6’7” 192 lbs Sr) Pelham RI (Pelham HS) 2.7 GPA
15 - John Rutledge (6’8” 262 lbs So) Victoria VA (Central HS) 3.3 GPA
________
*Walk-on

Strategies
We’re sticking with what worked last year, and if the young guys coming onto the team are able to acclimate themselves into the system with the help of our veterans, this should be a team for the ages … if we get through the regular season with 20 wins, with the brutal schedule we’ve got built up, we’ll be unstoppable come tourney time -- and we’ll likely have played each of the ten best teams in the nation along the way (some perhaps again within our conference). I’ve always said I’d rather earn a quality win than beat the crap out of a smaller school and have our players get to be too headstrong. I’ll run ‘em in practice and on the court in games, and when we cut down the nets on a national title, they’ll all thank me.
 
Season Schedule
http://jonathansanders.0catch.com/stjohns%201977-78.PNG

Conference Champion: (tie) Syracuse (13-3, 23-7), Connecticut (13-3, 23-4)
Big East Postseason Teams: St. John’s (1st seed, Salt Lake City Bracket, NCAA Tournament); Syracuse (2nd seed, Salt Lake City Bracket, NCAA Tournament); Connecticut (2nd seed, Syracuse Bracket, NCAA Tournament); Notre Dame (3rd seed, Cleveland Bracket, NCAA Tournament); Seton Hall (3rd seed, Salt Lake City Bracket, NCAA Tournament); Georgetown (3rd seed, San Antonio Bracket, NCAA Tournament); Pittsburgh (8th seed, Cleveland Bracket, NCAA Tournament); Louisville (5th seed, San Antonio Bracket, NCAA Tournament); Marquette (11th seed, San Antonio Bracket, NCAA Tournament)
NIT Champion: (1) Fresno State
NCAA Champion: (8) Pittsburgh

Key Injuries
12/16/77: Josh DeVone (Back Spasms -- 2 weeks)
2/9/78: Clyde Jones (Sprained Finger - 2 weeks)

Roster Shifts
12/2/77: After the second Duke loss, I promoted Jay Johnston back to starting center, moving Adonis Williams to sixth man. We’ll see how well he adjusts, but he’s clearly not ready to start yet, and Jay deserves more playing time.

Team Leaders
Scoring: Wes Evans (24.6 ppg) Jay Johnston (11.5 ppg) Clyde Jones (9.9 ppg) Boney McCleary (7.8 ppg)
Rebounds: Clyde Jones (7.3 rpg) Jay Johnston (6.8 rpg) Wes Evans (6.5 rpg)
Assists: Wes Evans (3.9 apg) Bootsy Chappel (3.5 apg) K.C. Scott (2.0 apg)
Steals: Wes Evans (3.8 spg)
Blocks: Jay Johnston (0.3 bpg)

Awards
Big East Player of the Year: Wes Evans
Big East Coach of the Year: Charles Day
1st Team All Big East: Wes Evans

Graduating
PF - Ronny Clyburn (3.0 GPA) 1.9 ppg 1.6 rpg 0.4 apg 0.2 spg (35 games)*
PG - Russell Self (2.7 GPA) 0.5 ppg 0.6 rpg 0.4 apg (11 games)*
PF - Josh DeVone (2.4 GPA) 1.8 ppg 1.9 rpg 0.4 apg 0.2 spg (53 games, 3 starts)
SG - Wes Evans (3.7 GPA) 22.4 ppg 5.2 rpg 3.0 apg 3.1 spg 0.3 bpg (51 games, 48 starts)
PF - Robert Swygart (2.8 GPA) 1.8 ppg 1.8 rpg 0.4 apg 0.6 spg (11 games)
_______
*Walk-on

Incoming Recruits
PG - Joe Fields (Gainesville GA - R.W. Johnson HS) 2.4 GPA (#10 WSSN Ntl; #2 WSSN Reg) 23.4 ppg 9.2 apg 8.1 rpg 3.0 spg 2.0 bpg
SG - Jermaine Phillips (Manchester VT - Burr & Burton Academy, JuCo) 2.4 GPA (#30 WSSN Ntl; #4 WSSN Reg) 19.0 ppg 4.3 apg 6.0 rpg 3.2 spg 2.9 bpg
SG - Jody Brown (Adams NY - S. Jefferson Central HS, JuCo) 2.4 GPA (#37 WSSN Ntl; #6 WSSN Reg) 18.9 ppg 5.9 apg 7.3 rpg 1.4 spg 1.6 bpg
SG - Adam Hoiberg (Retsof NY - York Central HS) 3.0 GPA (#80 WSSN Ntl; #12 WSSN Reg) 14.8 ppg 4.1 apg 5.0 rpg 2.2 spg 2.6 bpg

Could this be a top five class next year? Fields, Phillips and Brown are all five-star players, easily meeting and exceeding our AD’s goal …

Season Summary
Aside from two losses against Duke (once in the preseason NIT, the second time on the first of December on their turf) and an eight-point road loss to North Carolina, our pre-Big East season went smoothly this year, as we rolled to a 9-3 record while playing the single toughest schedule in college basketball. (I know, I know, but our AD and I agree it’s better to play brutal teams early and learn from it than face them in the NCAA tourney and not know what to do). We went into the Big East season as underdog hopefuls to win a title, though we’d be competing against #22 Louisville (9-2), #21 Seton Hall (10-2), #11 Syracuse (10-4), #10 Georgetown (12-1), #9 Connecticut (10-1) and #7 Notre Dame (12-1), all in our conference. That, and UCLA (#3, 13-3) and Kansas (#1, 13-1), last year’s national finalists, are playing like it’s still last season and no one’s ever going to question their basketball masculinity.

In this case, I think a brutal schedule’s our best defense against the ultimate sports crime … complacency. We rolled through the first half of the Big East season, rising to #12 by the 30th of January … when we learned our top recruit had failed his SAT. But we’d already built a solid class, and had a backup plan just in case. Meanwhile, the toughest part of the conference slate awaited us, along with the glimmer of top ten hopes! On February 2nd we lost to Notre Dame on our turf by two, but four nights later we offed #10 Syracuse 75-60, pulling solely into first place in the conference by a whole game and making a solid case for our (eventual) top ten status. But we lost to Louisville and South Florida, both unranked, with only a week to go before awaiting our postseason fate. Both games were squeakers, but that only made it harder to swallow. It all ended up coming down to our final game, against #20 Seton Hall, with us tied for first with Syracuse and Connecticut, needing a win for us and a loss for them to avoid sharing the title. And we lost … by one point …

Our home crowd was completely stunned, as you could probably imagine. Syracuse beat DePaul, and Connecticut beat Cincy, so they both share the title we were SO CLOSE TO ACHIEVING … but our strength of schedule and RPI ranking (#1) earned us respect from the committee of NCAA seeders, which gave us the #1 seed in the west region, giving us a chance at redemption, albeit one with giant red targets painted on our backs, and in the toughest bracket (with 2nd seed Syracuse and 3rd seed Seton Hall, from our own conference, perfectly ready to bring us down). We have no Big East teams in the NIT this year.

In the opening ruond of the NCAA’s, Connecticut, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, Georgetown, Louisville, Syracuse and Seton Hall all survived, and when we beat (16) Rider 70-52, the Big East had officially gone 8-1 during the first round … our only loss being Marquette’s 61-63 loss to Pennsylvania, and they WERE the 11th seed, after all. The next night, Wake Forest fell to Connecticut 73-58, Pitt beat UNC 61-53 (quite the 8/1 upset!) and Notre Dame blasted Baylor 70-52, keeping us perfect, setting up our game against (9) Mississippi, which we won easily, 76-64. Georgetown beat Pennsylvania 72-45 and Syracuse blasted Nevada 89-67, but Louisville fell to Oregon 51-66 and Temple beat Seton Hall 63-48. Still, it’s hard to not be impressed that, of the sixteen remaining teams in the tourney, SIX are from the Big East!

In the Sweet Sixteen, UConn easily beat Gonzaga, 65-44, while Pitt edged Maryland 69-58. But Notre Dame fell to (2) Kansas 63-75. We played strong offense against (5) Michigan, outlasting them 83-76, while Georgetown blasted Kentucky 76-62 and Syracuse embarassed Temple 73-56. Half of the remaining field comprises Big East teams, so we were ready for serious eliminations to begin. On the 25th, Duke knocked off UConn 60-56, but Pittsburgh escaped Kansas 61-56, looking even better than when they knocked off #1 North Carolina! They’re us from last year, only looking even more dangerous … on the 26th, we faced down (2) Syracuse, but our luck ran out -- we blew a 31-25 halftime lead and watched as the Orange juiced us 69-59. No Final Four for St. John’s this year. But Pitt and Syracuse were in, leaving the Georgetown / UCLA game up for grabs. And Georgetown couldn’t pull it off. UCLA led from the start and rolled to a 67-55 victory.

In the NIT title game, (1) Fresno State outlasted (6) Alabama A&M 78-70 to take the title.

More important, the Final Four! In the first game, (8) Pittsburgh took on (1) Duke, and in the second, (1) UCLA faced off against (2) Syracuse. Pittsburgh should have been promptly outmatched, but they held tough after trailing 33-35 at the half, to stun the Blue Devils 70-67, earning a spot in the finals! Syracuse wasn’t so lucky. They blew a 42-39 halftime lead and let UCLA steal the lead and the win, 78-70. And Pittsburgh capped it perfectly, matching UCLA point for point in the first half before making their mark in the final moments of the game, winning a classic title bout 73-69! An EIGHTH SEED took home the national title, showing just how much parity there is in this league right now, and how almost any team in this conference can and will compete for championships at any time. Congrats, Pittsburgh, and enjoy it … because we’ll be gunning for you next year!

[BYU 14]

Wow, you were not lying when you said this years schedule was brutal. I don't think I will be undertaking anything close to this ambitious in my Weber State dynasty :)

[jksander]

I won't do anything that brutal again, it was a bit much even for me. The next season's schedule is much more manageable, and I think you guys will be intrigued by the results.

[jksander]

1978-79

http://jonathansanders.0catch.com/STJ.gif

Coach Information
Name: Charles Day (43)
Experience: 86-64 (.573)
Contract: $437,000 / 2 years
Ambition: high
Academics: very high
Discipline: very low
Temper: average
Integrity: average
Reputation: 69% (+6)
Offense: 76% (peaked)
Defense: 63% (peaked)
Recruiting: 87% (peaked)
Scouting: 65% (even)
Development: 81% (+2)
Job Security: 100%

School Information
Name: St. John’s
Mascot: Red Storm
Location: Queens, NY
Arena: Carnesecca Arena (6,008)
Facilities: B
Academics: C
Conference: Big East
Conference Prestige: 91% (+5)
Team Prestige: 72% (+1)
Minimum SAT: 880
Starting Budget: $266,000
Asst. Salaries: $128,500
Remaining Budget: $137,500
Incoming Class Rank: #11

Administration Goals
1. Without Evans, we most want to return to the NCAA Tourney. Do that and we’ll be ecstatic.
2. At least finish in the top half of the conference this year.
3. Win 20 games during the season. If you don’t reach this goal, the others will be difficult to reach as well!
4. Continue to improve our school’s prestige.
5. Continue to sign four and five star recruits.

Conference Movement
None.

Players Transfering
None.

NBA Draft
#33 -- Wes Evans

Team Roster
PG - Jermaine Phillips (6’0” 193 lbs Jr) Manchester VT (Burr & Burton Academy) 3.2 GPA
SG - Jody Brown (6’0” 176 lbs Jr) Adams NY (South Jefferson Central HS) 3.2 GPA
SF - Travis Garnett (6’7” 218 lbs So) Smithfield VA (Smithfield HS) 4.0 GPA
PF - Clyde Jones (6’6” 240 lbs Jr) Woodbridge VA (Forest Park HS) 3.3 GPA
C - Jay Johnston (6’8” 261 lbs Sr) Salisbury NC (Salisbury HS) 4.0 GPA

6 - K.C. Scott (6’1” 196 lbs Sr) Fort Lee NJ (Fort Lee HS) 3.9 GPA
7 - Bootsy Chappel (6’1” 178 lbs So) North Sutton NH (Kearsarge HS) 4.0 GPA
8 - Alan Brown (6’3” 213 lbs Sr) Grundy VA (Grundy HS) 2.8 GPA
9 - Adonis Williams (6’8” 204 lbs So) Dix Hills NY (Half Hollow Hills East HS) 4.0 GPA
10 - Boney McCleary (6’6” 198 lbs Sr) Rockville MD (T.S. Wootton HS) 3.2 GPA
11 - Joe Fields (6’3” 196 lbs Fr) Gainesville FL (R.W. Johnson HS) 3.6 GPA
12 - John Rutledge (6’8” 202 lbs Jr) Victoria VA (Central HS) 3.7 GPA
13 - Ricky Washington (6’0” 191 lbs Jr) Buffalo NY (McKinley HS) 3.2 GPA*
14 - Danny Carson (6’8” 202 lbs Jr) Watertown NY (Immaculate Heart Central HS) 3.4 GPA*
15 - Adam Hoiberg (6’2” 173 lbs Fr) Retsof NY (York Central HS) 4.0 GPA
________
*Walk-on

Strategies
We practice hard when it comes to our main offenses and defenses, so in two years with our school, most players earn enough knowledge of the sets we primarily play to be at senior-level knowledge. While recently we’ve depended on a number of solid junior-college students to come in and quickly learn our system, in the future I’ll be trying to bring in high schoolers who will have four years to develop with the program. If all works to plan we’ll be fielding dominant teams well into the next decade. As for the sets themselves, we’re not changing anything significant this year, focusing on motion and triangle offense, 2-3 zone and 1-2-1-1 press defense. I’m debating starting to phase in the flex offense as a third option next year, while phasing out he triangle. I haven’t decided yet whether that’s the future of our program or not.

We’ve also been working a lot in the offseason on academics. Our school’s not known for its rigorous programs for athletes, but I’ve built a top-notch tutoring program for our basketball players, and since June all the players have taken part in it, spending two months each taking an intense load of summer courses. I’m encouraging the players to take core classes during the fall and spring, using the summer to focus on their major courses. And we’ve worked it out with each player’s department that at least four of their major courses will be offered in the summer, provided our players are willing to put in the effort in the classroom to keep up with a sped-up summer schedule. This is a bonus for the school as a whole, as many departments didn’t usually offer key “major” courses during the summer months. These will NOT be “athlete blow-off” classes or summer loads, that’s for sure.
 
Season Schedule
http://jonathansanders.0catch.com/stjohns%201978-79.PNG

Conference Champion: St. John’s (15-1, 27-2)
Big East Postseason Teams: Syracuse (1st seed, Buffalo Bracket, NCAA Tournament); St. John’s (2nd seed, Buffalo Bracket, NCAA Tournament); Connecticut (2nd seed, Cleveland Bracket, NCAA Tournament); Notre Dame (4th seed, Cleveland Bracket, NCAA Tournament); Louisville (5th seed, Cleveland Bracket, NCAA Tournament); Seton Hall (11th seed, Cleveland Bracket, NCAA Tournament); Pittsburgh (2nd seed, New Orleans Bracket, NCAA Tournament); Georgetown (1st seed, Albuquerque Bracket, NCAA Tournament); Marquette (7th seed, Albuquerque Bracket, NCAA Tournament)
NIT Champion: (5) Texas A&M
NCAA Champion: (1) North Carolina

Key Injuries
None.

Team Leaders
Scoring: Jody Brown (12.9 ppg) Jay Johnston (10.0 ppg) Jermaine Phillips (9.7 ppg) Clyde Jones (7.3 ppg)
Rebounds: Jay Johnston (5.9 rpg) Clyde Jones (5.8 rpg) Boney McCleary (5.3 rpg) Travis Garnett (5.0 rpg)
Assists: Jermaine Phillips (3.9 apg) Jody Brown (2.6 apg) K.C. Scott (2.0 apg)
Steals: Jermaine Phillips (1.4 spg) Travis Garnett (1.0 spg)
Blocks: Jermaine Phillips (1.2 bpg)

Awards
Big East Coach of the Year: Charles Day

Graduating / Leaving Early
PG - Joe Fields (3.5 GPA, Freshman) 1.7 ppg 0.7 rpg 0.5 apg (29 games)
C - Jay Johnston (4.0 GPA) 9.9 ppg 6.0 rpg 0.6 apg 0.3 spg 0.1 bpg (103 games, 97 starts)
PG - Alan Brown (2.7 GPA) 2.7 ppg 1.1 rpg 0.9 apg 0.4 spg (63 games)
PF - Boney McCleary (3.1 GPA) 6.5 ppg 5.1 rpg 0.5 apg 0.2 spg 0.1 bpg (57 games, 28 starts)
SG - K.C. Scott (3.9 GPA) 3.6 ppg 1.5 rpg 2.0 apg 0.2 spg 0.1 bpg (57 games)
_______
*Walk-on

Declaring for the Draft
Freshman Joe Fields, who has openly been disappointed with his playing time, decided to declare for the draft this year. He’s gotten about four minutes a game this year and has put up 1.7 points and just under a rebound per game. He needed a year or two under his belt to be solid in college ball, and I’d say it’s iffy whether he’s got what it takes to go pro at this point. Good luck to him, but he should probably have given it another year. He would have been a likely starter next year.

Incoming Recruits
6’1” SG Coupe Johnston (Nashville AR - Nashville HS) 2.5 GPA (#16 WSSN National; #3 WSSN Regional) 22.0 ppg 5.5 apg 11.9 rpg 2.8 spg 4.5 bpg
6’7” PF James Stanley (Lyndon Center VT - Lyndon Institute) 2.4 GPA (#21 WSSN National; #11 WSSN Regional) 20.7 ppg 3.5 apg 15.0 rpg 2.4 spg 2.9 bpg
6’8” PF Steve Clayton (Pleasantville NY - Pleasantville HS) 3.9 GPA (#45 WSSN National; #18 WSSN Regional) 18.7 ppg 3.8 apg 9.2 rpg 4.0 spg 1.7 bpg
6’10” C Ronald Slay (Nashville TN - Christ Presbyterian HS) 3.2 GPA (#58 WSSN National; #13 WSSN Regional) 17.9 ppg 3.6 apg 9.3 rpg 2.1 spg 3.9 bpg

Our best recruiting class yet by far, and it does a lot to cement our depth in the post for the coming years. Stanley and Slay will certainly start, while Coupe Johnston will make his case for earning one of our starting guard spots. Stanly and Johnston are blue-chippers, and Slay and Clayton are solid four-star prospects … not bad at all!

Season Summary
We rolled through our pre-Big East schedule this year, winning nine consecutive games before falling to #17 Utah 43-55 during the title game of the Sunshine Shootout. We entered the Big East season with a 12-1 record, and we’d done well in close games, beating Rider and Princeton on the road by a point each in defensively oriented games. But our 14th ranked RPI caused us to fall to #15 during the two-week holiday break, so we started the conference season ranked behind #8 Syracuse (11-2), #7 Connecticut (10-2), #6 Pittsburgh (11-2) and #5 Georgetown (13-1). Notre Dame (#19, 8-3) and Louisville (#20, 10-3) were also ranked at the start of the season.

The Big East season came down to a battle between ourselves and Syracuse. We’d won nine straight games and rose to #11 by the time we faced down against the #6 Orange, but they proved to be our better yet again, knocking us flat 71-86! That put us in a tie for first with Syracuse, each of us holding 9-1 records in the conference. We wouldn’t get another shot at them, so with our loss, every game counted from there on … we’d have to hope for Syracuse to lose a game in order to give us an upper hand in the race. And you know what? It actually happened! Syracuse dropped a game on the 17th to Notre Dame 71-63, and we beat South Florida 74-55, moving us into sole posession of first place with two games remaining! We guaranteed at least a share of first with our win against Rutgers on the 20th, since Syracuse (one game back) beat Georgetown in a 78-40 blowout humiliation game. And against Seton Hall there was no contest -- we blasted the hell out of them by 25 points, earning the Big East Title outright!

We earned the 2nd seed in the Buffalo Bracket, along with eight other Big East teams in the NCAA Tournament. Where, in the first round, we met up against (15) Norfolk State, against whom we built a 44-33 halftime lead … and then blew it, allowing Norfolk State to come back, steal the lead and win in stunning fashion, 75-70. I can only hope I am not destined to experience a more humiliating, humbling moment as a college coach. Watching Jay Johnston cry at center court as Norfolk fans rushed their hometown heroes was the most horrible thing I’ve ever seen in this job.

I’ll spare you the round-by-round details, for the most part, except to detail the further tales of Norfolk State’s Cinderella story. In the second round on the 18th, they faced 7th-seeded Western Michigan, out of the Mid American conference, and handed them a stunning 69-60 defeat, leading the bulk of the game, exclusing a handful of early 1st-half lead changes. So a 15-seed made the Sweet Sixteen here in Buffalo. That matched them up against (3) Kansas, where they were promptly put back in their place, 73-53.

Only four Big East teams made the Sweet Sixteen. Once there, Notre Dame fell to (1) North Carolina 45-70 and (11) Seton Hall lost to (2) Connecticut 79-59, while Georgetown fell to (4) Massachusetts 72-61. In the Elite Eight, UConn was crushed by (1) UNC 64-45, ending our season with no Big Easters in the Final Four. In the NIT Finals, (5) Texas A&M won a hard-fought battle against (5) Tulsa, 71-69. In the NCAA Championship Game, (1) North Carolina won a nailbiter against upstart (5) Oklahoma, 69-67! Both games were quite solid, examples of why, from top to bottom college basketball currently is always capable of producing great matchups.

[smartman]

See!!! See!!! You didn't need to play a ridiculous schedule to do well in the Big East. *Looks at NCAA tournament result* Paraphrases Han Solo "It's not my fault!" and runs away. :p

At least you're building things up incredibly well. And just remember, Syracuse lost to Richmond in 1986 in the 2-15 matchup and made the championship game the next year. Of course, one of my very distant cousins beat them in the end, but still they recovered from the humiliation well.

[jksander]

1979-80

http://jonathansanders.0catch.com/STJ.gif

Coach Information
Name: Charles Day (44)
Experience: 113-67 (.628)
Contract: $458,000 / 6 years -- a 4.8% raise and five year extension
Ambition: high
Academics: very high
Discipline: very low
Temper: average
Integrity: average
Reputation: 72% (+3)
Offense: 76%
Defense: 63%
Recruiting: 87%
Scouting: 65%
Development: 81%
Job Security: 100%

My coaching attributes have maxed out it appears … so only rep will update from here on, unless something shifts.

School Information
Name: St. John’s
Mascot: Red Storm
Location: Queens, NY
Arena: Carnesecca Arena (6,008)
Facilities: B
Academics: C
Conference: Big East
Conference Prestige: 89% (-2)
Team Prestige: 70% (-2)
Minimum SAT: 880
Starting Budget: $266,000
Asst. Salaries: $128,500
Remaining Budget: $137,500
Incoming Class Rank: #6

Administration Goals
1. Make it back to the NCAA Tournament this season.
2. At least finish in the top half of the conference this year.
3. Win 20 games during the season.
4. Improve our school’s prestige.
5. Continue to sign four and five star recruits.

Conference Movement
None.

Players Transfering
None.

NBA Draft
#8 -- Joe Fields -- maybe I underestimated his readiness.
#52 -- Boney McCleary

Norton Nominees
PF - Steve Clayton (Freshman)

Team Roster
PG - Bootsy Chappel (6’1” 178 lbs Jr) North Sutton NH (Kearsarge HS) 4.0 GPA (3.0/4.5)
SG - Jermaine Phillips (6’0” 193 lbs Sr) Manchester VT (Burr & Burton Academy) 4.0 GPA (4.0/5.0)
SF - Clyde Jones (6’6” 240 lbs Sr) Woodbridge VA (Forest Park HS) 3.1 GPA (4.5/5.0)
PF - Steve Clayton (6’8” 211 lbs Fr) Pleasantville NY (Pleasantville HS) 3.9 GPA (3.5/4.0)
C - Ronald Slay (6’10” 258 lbs Fr) Nashville TN (Christ Presbyterian Academy) 3.2 GPA (2.0/4.5)

6 - Adonis Williams (6’8” 204 lbs Jr) Dix Hills NY (Half Hollow Hills East HS) 4.0 GPA (3.0/4.5)
7 - Travis Garnett (6’7” 218 lbs Jr) Smithfield VA (Smithfield HS) 4.0 GPA (3.5/4.5)
8 - Jody Brown (6’0” 176 lbs Sr) Adams NY (South Jefferson Central HS) 3.4 GPA (4.0/5.0)
9 - James Stanley (6’7” 217 lbs Fr) Lyndon Center VT (Lyndon Institute) 3.6 GPA (3.0/5.0)
10 - Coupe Johnson (6’1” 180 lbs Fr) Nashville AR (Nashville HS) 2.5 GPA (2.0/5.0)
11 - John Rutledge (6’8” 262 lbs Sr) Victoria VA (Central HS) 3.3 GPA (2.0/4.0)
12 - Adam Hoiberg (6’2” 173 lbs So) Retsof NY (York Central HS) 4.0 GPA (1.0/3.5)
13 - Ricky Washington (6’0” 191 lbs Sr) Buffalo NY (McKinley HS) 3.4 GPA (3.5/3.5)*
14 - Danny Carson (6’8” 202 lbs Sr) Watertown NY (Immaculate Heart Central HS) 3.2 GPA (3.5/3.5)*
15 - Chris Jones (6’1” 171 lbs Fr) Manlius NY (Fayetteville Manlius HS) 2.2 GPA (1.0/3.5)*
________
*Walk-on

Strategies
I’m going to phase in the Flex Offense. We’ll practice it this year and begin playing it early in the season. We’ll spend about 30% of our time on Flex this year, with 35% each spent on Motion and Triangle. Defensively we’ll remain a 2-3 zone and 1-2-1-1 press team.
 
Season Schedule
http://jonathansanders.0catch.com/stjohns%201979-80.PNG

Conference Champion: (tie) Syracuse (14-2, 24-4), Notre Dame (14-2, 22-6)
Big East Postseason Teams: Connecticut (2nd seed, Chicago Bracket, NCAA Tournament); St. John’s (4th seed, Chicago Bracket, NCAA Tournament); Notre Dame (3rd seed, Nashville Bracket, NCAA Tournament); Cincinnati (10th seed, Nashville Bracket, NCAA Tournament); Syracuse (1st seed, Boise Bracket, NCAA Tournament); Pittsburgh (4th seed, Boise Bracket, NCAA Tournament); Georgetown (7th seed, Boise Bracket, NCAA Tournament); Seton Hall (2nd seed, East Bracket, NIT)
NIT Champion: (5) Texas
NCAA Champion: (4) Pittsburgh

Key Injuries
1/9/80: Bootsy Chappel (Broken Elbow - out for the season)
1/12/80: Ronald Slay (Broken Nose - out for the season)
4/3/80: Clyde Jones (Broken Elbow)

Team Leaders
Scoring: Jermaine Phillips (19.9 ppg) Clyde Jones (10.9 ppg) Jody Brown (10.1 ppg) John Rutledge (8.1 ppg)
Rebounds: Clyde Jones (7.1 rpg) Steve Clayton (6.5 rpg) John Rutledge (6.1 rpg) Jermaine Phillips (5.4 rpg)
Assists: Bootsy Chappel (4.4 apg) Jody Brown (3.1 apg) Jermaine Phillips (2.6 apg)
Steals: Jermaine Phillips (5.3 spg) Clyde Jones (1.0 spg)
Blocks: Jody Brown (0.8 bpg)

Awards
National Defender of the Year: Jermaine Phillips
Big East Defender of the Year: Jermaine Phillips
Big East Coach of the Year: Charles Day
1st Team All Big East: Jermaine Phillips

Graduating
PG - Ricky Washington (3.5 GPA) 1.3 ppg 0.6 rpg 0.6 apg 0.1 spg 0.1 bpg (31 games)*
C - John Rutledge (3.4 GPA) 6.5 ppg 4.9 rpg 0.7 apg 0.2 spg 0.1 bpg (34 games, 13 starts)
SG - Jody Brown (3.4 GPA) 11.6 ppg 3.6 rpg 2.8 apg 0.6 spg 0.6 bpg (56 games, 42 starts)
SF - Clyde Jones (3.1 GPA) 9.0 ppg 6.6 rpg 1.3 apg 0.8 spg 0.3 bpg (108 starts)
PF - Danny Carson (3.2 GPA) no registered stats (0 games)*
SG - Jermaine Phillips (4.0 GPA) 14.6 ppg 5.1 rpg 3.3 apg 3.3 spg 0.9 bpg (56 starts)
_______
*Walk-on

Incoming Recruits
6’1” PG Kris Deeter (Bensalem PA - Bensalem HS) 2.5 GPA (#19 WSSN National; #5 WSSN Regional) 19.3 ppg 9.3 apg 6.6 rpg 3.6 spg 1.9 bpg
6’7” SF Craig Logan (Chatham NY - Chatham HS) 3.7 GPA (#21 WSSN National; #6 WSSN Regional) 17.3 ppg 5.1 apg 9.9 rpg 3.7 spg 3.3 bpg
6’10” C Jason Smith (San Diego CA - Point Loma HS) 3.2 GPA (#25 WSSN National; #4 WSSN Regional) 17. 1 ppg 6.0 apg 8.1 rpg 3.8 spg 3.5 bpg
6’8” SF Phillip Thomas (Newark DE - Hodgson Tech HS) 3.3 GPA (#84 WSSN National; #22 WSSN Regional) 17.8 ppg 4.9 apg 8.6 rpg 4.1 spg 3.0 bpg
6’7” SF Dan Bradley (Vestal NY - Vestal HS) 2.8 GPA (#883 WSSN National; #224 WSSN Regional) 13.5 ppg 5.1 apg 6.7 rpg 2.5 bpg

Dan Bradley will likely redshirt, but he was ranked 91st by our regional report, and he spent most of the year ranked in the top 250 nationally. So I don’t think his national stock plummetting signals anything more than the lack of knowledge the national “press” has about fringe players. I see him as a solid passer, rebounder and scorer with decent potential to improve in our system. He won’t be a star, but he’s not terrible. And he’ll benefit from the knowledge blue-chippers Kris Deeter, Craig Logan and Jason Smith can provide when he practices with them.

Season Summary
We went 9-2 prior to the Big East season, the biggest win of which was a 69-48 drubbing of Indiana on our turf. The worst of that period was a seven point loss to Brown on the road and a two point loss to Duquesne -- also on the road. In the Big East we went 13-3 but came in third, behind Syracuse and Notre Dame, which both tied for first. We’d hit some snags early with the injuries of Bootsy Chappel and Ronald Slay, both starters, but we were able to absorb their loss in the lineup and put together what turned into a 22-5 season. Not bad at all! Bring on the adversity as long as we don’t flame out in the first NCAA game we get …

By the time the NCAA Tourney started, Seton Hall had both made the NTI Sweet Sixteen and then lost to Creighton 79-76. Sorry, guys, no title out there for you we suppose. Better luck next year, right? Our mind was on the big dance, though, where we were to face (13) SW Missouri State in the first round. We did a much better job than last year, stopping them in their tracks 68-46, only hours after Connecticut blasted (15) St. Mary’s 79-65. The next day, Notre Dame, Cincinnati, Syracuse and Pittsburgh advanced safely, but Georgetown fell to 10th seed Purdue 81-61.

In the second round on the 18th we faced (5) Georgia Tech, and thanks to a 16 point 16 rebound performance from senior center John Rutledge, who had been primarily a backup in most previous years, we were able to build a 37-25 halftime lead we held onto until the end, putting the Jackets back 68-56, advancing to the Sweet Sixteen! Rutledge played even more impressively considering he was suffering from migraine during the game, and frequently had to sit during time-outs and breaks with a damp rag over his eyes to block the intense light. Impressive, indeed …

UConn advanced later in the day by beating Louisiana Tech, a 10th seed, 70-44. The following day Pittsburgh and Notre Dame did the same; Pitt beat Cal Poly in a tough one, 63-56, barely keeping the 12th seed out of the Sweet Sixteen, while Notre Dame blasted (6) Gonzaga 47-41. But Cincinnati lost to (2) Kentucky 52-42, and top-seeded Syracuse was bested by (8) Penn State, 76-70, in a real shocker! They’d been a favorite to win it all, and they’ll sit out the rest of the year instead.

We drew top-seed UCLA (29-2) in our Sweet Sixteen matchup, but we crushed them with our top-notch defense, putting them to sleep 64-49! UConn later lost to (3) Oregon 73-61, but Notre Dame and Pittsburgh fared better. Pitt knocked back (8) Penn State 68-55, while Notre Dame beat (2) Kentucky 58-50.

In the elte eight we took on (3) Oregon and totally dismantled them, winning in a blowout, 97-64! That brings us back to the Final Four for the first time since 1976-77, when we lost our famous triple-OT bout with Kansas in the semis! Notre Dame kept us from facing a possible rematch of that game, by beating (1) Kansas 67-65 in a squeaker, attaining a Final Four spot for the Irish. And (2) Duke proved to be not quite as mighty as usual, as (4) Pittsburgh crushed them in a defensive humilithon, 50-32, setting up a Final Four with THREE Big East teams!

Who says we need a Big East tourney? The NCAA sets one up for us!

We drew (1) Florida in our semifinal matchup, allowing (3) Notre Dame and (4) Pitt to duke it out themselves to see who advances on their end. After watching (5) Texas escape (5) Central Michigan in the NIT title game, we got down to business. But Florida was no match for us! We led 44-36 at the half and then put the clamps down on them completely after the break, stifling their offense and proving uor defensive mettle with an 84-69 blasting! Pittsburgh, meanwhile, overcame a 24-32 halftime deficit by ignoring momentum completely, smothering Notre Dame’s offensive unit in the second half 32-14 to win by a surprisingly large 56-46 margin! So the national title game would come down to Pittsburgh and St. John’s! Bring it on!

But as it turned out, this was as far as we were going to be able to get. Despite a 35-29 halftime lead, we were unable to hold off Pittsburgh’s offensive pressure for an entire 40 minutes this time around. They fought back, took the lead moments before time ran out, and then outlasted us down the stretch on free-throw shooting, winning 67-70 and taking home their second national title in three years! Unbelievable …

I’d like to say the popular “we’ll be back next year” thing, but we’re losing Rutledge, Brown, Jones and Phillips, all four of our top scorers, to graduation. Next year’s going to be the definition of “rebuilding year.” Who will step up and become a star here at St. John’s Generation 2.0? Only time will tell.
 

[smartman]

See, I was right again! Nice run to the title game. Did the injuries affect the two returning players really badly? (and why is a broken nose a season-ending injury? maybe he's just a wuss) You've brought in two straight top 5 classes so you'll be fine. Don't think the conference prestige is going to fall again this time.:p

And you should know not to schedule against Big Six (Brown). He always wins those games.;)

[jksander]

lol ... I have a new season done, but I just got back from the bar and I'm drunk so I'd better not try anything so intricate as posting a diary piece. lol ...

[jksander]

1980-81

http://jonathansanders.0catch.com/STJ.gif

Coach Information
Name: Charles Day (45)
Experience: 140-73 (.657)
Contract: $458,000 / 5 years
Ambition: high
Academics: very high
Discipline: very low
Temper: average
Integrity: average
Reputation: 76% (+4)
Offense: 76%
Defense: 63%
Recruiting: 87%
Scouting: 65%
Development: 81%
Job Security: 100%

School Information
Name: St. John’s
Mascot: Red Storm
Location: Queens, NY
Arena: Carnesecca Arena (6,008)
Facilities: B
Academics: C
Conference: Big East
Conference Prestige: 90% (+1)
Team Prestige: 81% (+11)
Minimum SAT: 880
Starting Budget: $266,000
Asst. Salaries: $183,750
Remaining Budget: $82,250
Incoming Class Rank: #6

Administration Goals
1. Win us a national title, Coach! And don’t give us any of that “rebuilding year” crap! Two top ten classes say “win it!”
2. And while you’re at it, what happened to a second Big East title? Why’re you holding out on us, Coach?
3. Win 20 games during the season. We know you can do it. If not, we know others who can.
4. Maintain our school’s prestige level! We’re a top echelon program, and want everyone to know it!
5. Continue to sign four and five star recruits. We’re counting on you, Coach …

Assistant News
Offered our long-term top assistant, 51-year-old Craig Colbert, a new 5-year $142,000-per-year contract to stay on as top assistant. He’s one of the best recruiting minds in the game today, and working together we’ve brought in two consecutive classes ranked 6th in the nation, along with the #11 class three years ago, the #19 class four years ago and the #16 class five years ago. Needless to say, he’s a keeper.

We kept 2nd assistant Travis Robinson (49) on through the final year of his contract, at $19,950 this year, but we’ll hire someone new next year. We need a scouting specialist, and for the $49,000 a year he’s wanting to stay on, we can find a pretty good scout.

We did make a final hiring decision, though, bringing on my 23-year-old son, Alexander Day, to be our trainer and coordinate practices. He’s a tough-as-nails leader, formerly a sixth man at Drexel where he has been a grad assistant the last two years. I need him to be my eyes and ears behind the scenes, and I think he’s got what it takes to be groomed to become a solid coach in his own right. He will not become our second assistant next year. He’ll earn $21,000 a year for the next three years and will likely stay in this position for a good while. He’ll also be teaching sports medicine here at St. John’s, though, so I don’t think he wants to rush up the ladder. He’s here (like me) for the long haul.

Conference Movement
None.

Players Transfering
None.

NBA Draft
#35 -- Jermaine Phillips
#36 -- Clyde Jones
#38 -- Jody Brown

Norton Nominees
PF - Steve Clayton (Sophomore)
C - Jason Smith (Freshman)
PG - Kris Deeter (Freshman)

Team Roster
PG - Bootsy Chappel (6’1” 178 lbs Sr) North Sutton NH (Kearsarge HS) 4.0 GPA
SG - Travis Garnett (6’7” 210 lbs Sr) Smithfield VA (Smithfield HS) 3.7 GPA
SF - Adonis Williams (6’8” 204 lbs Sr) Dix Hills NY (Half Hollow Hills East HS) 4.0 GPA
PF - Steve Clayton (6’8” 211 lbs So) Pleasantville NY (Pleasantville HS) 4.0 GPA
C - Jason Smith (6’10” 273 lbs Fr) San Diego CA (Point Loma HS) 3.2 GPA

6 - Kris Deeler (6’1” 173 lbs Fr) Bensalem PA (Bensalem HS) 2.5 GPA
7 - Coupe Johnson (6’1” 180 lbs So) Nashville AR (Nashville HS) 3.3 GPA
8 - James Stanley (6’7” 217 lbs So) Lyndon Center VT (Lyndon Institute) 3.8 GPA
9 - Ronald Slay (6’10” 258 lbs So) Nashville TN (Christ Presbyterian Academy) 3.7 GPA
10 - Phillip Thomas (6’8” 200 lbs Fr) Newark DE (Hodgson Tech HS) 3.3 GPA
11 - Craig Logan (6’7” 226 lbs Fr) Chattham NY (Chattham HS) 3.7 GPA - 6 minutes
12 - Adam Hoiberg (6’2” 173 lbs Jr) Retsof NY (York Central HS) 3.8 GPA
13 - Shannon Lewis (6’1” 205 lbs Fr) Sanborn NY (Niagara Wheatfield HS) 2.2 GPA*
14 - Chris Jones (6’1” 171 lbs So) Manlius NY (Fayetteville Manlius HS) 2.5 GPA*

RS - Dan Bradley (6’7” 205 lbs Fr) Vestal NY (Vestal HS) 2.8 GPA
________
*Walk-on

Strategies
I’m going to stick with last year’s game-plans, particularly the three-offense training plan. With most of our players part of the last two classes, we should very quickly see results in making this team a triple threat offensively. And despite the goal of the administration being to win the title, I really do see this as a rebuilding year, so I don’t want to do anything to jeopardize long-term development in the quest of short-term success.
 
Season Schedule
http://jonathansanders.0catch.com/stjohns%201980-81.PNG

Conference Champion: Notre Dame (15-1, 27-3)
Big East Postseason Teams: St. Johns (2nd seed, Buffalo Bracket, NCAA Tournament); Pittsburgh (8th seed, Buffalo Bracket, NCAA Tournament); Notre Dame (1st seed, Milwaukee Bracket, NCAA Tournament); Connecticut (4th seed, San Antonio Bracket, NCAA Tournament); Louisville (6th seed, San Antonio Bracket, NCAA Tournament); Cincinnati (7th seed, San Antonio Bracket, NCAA Tournament); Seton Hall (7th seed, San Jose Bracket, NCAA Tournament); Marquette (3rd seed, West Bracket, NIT)
NIT Champion: (7) Wofford
NCAA Champion: (1) Oklahoma

Key Injuries
12/15/80: Jason Smith (Broken Hand -- 8 to 9 weeks)

Roster Promotions
12/27/80: After the Indiana game I promoted Kris Deeter to starting PG in place of Bootsy Chappel, who simply hasn’t put up the numbers.

Team Leaders
Scoring: Travis Garnett (11.2 ppg) Adonis Williams (11.1 ppg) Kris Deeter (10.5 ppg) Jason Smith (9.7 ppg)
Rebounds: Jason Smith (6.7 rpg) Steve Clayton (5.8 rpg) Ronald Slay (5.8 rpg)
Assists: Kris Deeter (4.4 apg) Bootsy Chappel (4.2 apg)
Steals: Travis Garnett (3.3 spg)
Blocks: Bootsy Chappel (0.5 bpg)

Awards
Big East Freshman of the Year: Kris Deeter
Big East Coach of the Year: Charles Day -- my fourth win in a row! I’m a f---ing institution!
2nd Team All Big East: Kris Deeter
2nd Team All Big East: Travis Garnett

Graduating
SF - Travis Garnett (3.5 GPA) 5.2 ppg 2.9 rpg 0.9 apg 1.2 spg 0.1 bpg (107 games, 58 starts)
SG - Bootsy Chappel (4.0 GPA) 6.3 ppg 3.3 rpg 3.3 apg 0.4 spg 0.2 bpg (100 games, 55 starts)
SF - Adonis Williams (3.8 GPA) 5.8 ppg 3.5 rpg 0.6 apg 0.3 spg (113 games, 35 starts)
_______
*Walk-on

Incoming Recruits
6’0” SG Jeremy Thompson (Waterboro ME - Massabesic HS) 2.9 GPA (#12 WSSN Ntl; #4 WSSN Reg) 23.3 ppg 4.1 apg 7.2 rpg 2.1 spg 1.9 bpg
6’0” PG A.J. Sanchez (Collegeville MN - St. Johns Prep HS, JuCo) 2.2 GPA (#35 WSSN Ntl; #7 WSSN Reg) 19.4 ppg 6.6 apg 6.2 rpg 4.7 spg 2.7 bpg
5’8” PG Brent Bratton (Somers CT - Somers HS) 4.0 GPA (#72 WSSN Ntl; #20 WSSN Reg) 16.3 ppg 4.8 apg 5.6 rpg 1.8 spg 2.3 bpg

Season Summary
We only lost three games all season. The first was at the start of the year, to Stanford in the semis of the Preseason NIT. We then rattled off twenty straight wins, only to lose to #5 Notre Dame, putting us in a tie with them for first instead of leading outright, which we’d done all year to that point. Then, in the final game of the regular season, we lost to Seton Hall, costing us that share of first. We got a 2nd seed in the NCAA Tourney, but the wind was out of our sails, that’s for damned sure -- and replays of two years ago were in our heads all week … only this year it’s (15) James Madison we’d have to take down.

Thankfully, we came out strong and built a 33-18 halftime lead, and we were able to hold off any and all comeback attempts to put JMU away 73-57, getting rid of those first-round jitters. And with Jason Smith back in the lineup, we were able to blast by Virginia Tech 68-53 to return to the Sweet Sixteen. Last year’s winner, Pitt, didn’t even make it out of the first round. And as for the rest of the Big East, only Notre Dame made it to the Sweet Sixteen along with us. And they were a top seed, so it was expected.

But that was as far as we’d get. Kentucky rolled to a 41-34 halftime lead and then cranked up the juice in the second half, blasting us in the end 87-70. And Notre Dame didn’t fare any better … (5) Indiana out-defended them 65-58, ending their run as well. (7) Wofford stunned (1) St. Bonaventure by winning the NIT Title with a 66-65 championship win! Talk about an upset … where do they find these teams? As for the NCAA Finals, (1) Oklahoma held off (3) Oregon in the title game 65-58, after beating (5) Indiana in the semis 88-67. Ouch, Hoosiers!

So let’s examine the goals the AD forced on me this year:

1. We failed to win a championship, though I told them that’s a lot to expect when starting two freshmen and a sophomore.
2. We failed to win a conference title, though we came within a game of tying for it, and we were 14-2, you know … hardly a crap year.
3. We won more than twenty games, so there’s that. At least there’s no nitpicking a 28-4 season where you finish 10th in RPI.
4. We actually brought in a top-12 player this year, our highest rated guy yet! So recruiting’s fine …
5. Will we see a prestige plateau? I’m not sure if a sweet sixteen hurts us after last year, but I think it was a fair result.

I’m saying the season was more than successful, but I’m already starting to hear the backbiting in the local press. “He’s been here six years, we’ve been to the Final Four twice, the Elite Eight three times and we got a conference title … but that was two years ago! What’s he doing to bring us a title? Pittsburgh’s got two, damn it!” It’s enough to make you go a little crazy inside. Four times in a row I’ve been named Big East coach of the year, but they have the gall to ask why never National coach of the year?

The true test of an administration is when you ask them to help you build a program and they turn you down routinely for minor improvements. For four years I’ve been begging them to upgrade our arena, which is lagging behind the rest of the Big East in almost every way, particularly in seating. But I was again turned down this year. Still, I am sticking with this program I’ve built. If they want me to shut up they’ll have to fire me. Interesting note … bothOklahoma and Oregon had their coaches choose to retire this year. Neither school was interested in me openly, nor did I express any interest in jumping ship. Both programs would be dream jobs for most coaches though, particularly coming off a title win (Oklahoma) and a near loss (Oregon). Interesting stories to be told indeed …

Assistant News
The price was far more than I’d expected, but we have brought on Calvin Turner, 52, to be our second assistant and lead scout. He’s going to cost us $87,000 a year over the next three years, which is going to make recruiting more difficult than usual … still, until we’re given enough money to compete with the rest of the Big East, I’ll just have to overacheive on my own ingenuity.

[jksander]

I'm awaiting word from on high from Gary, but I may have ruined this one. I accidentally clicked "delete association" while trying to "save association" and clicked yes because I misread. I had the regular game-stored backups, but though files are still "there" they're not being read by the game anymore, even when I move the backups in. So I'm afraid I may have killed it.

Am I the only one who wonders why the f--- "delete association" even needs to be there? Is anyone going to VOLUNTARILY delete an ongoing association they're CURRENTLY playing?

I don't know ... ugh. I'm pissed at myself right now. I'll be back later.

EDIT: Ignore the prior rant ... I fixed it :)

[jksander]

1981-82

http://jonathansanders.0catch.com/STJ.gif

Coach Information
Name: Charles Day (46)
Experience: 168-77 (.686)
Contract: $458,000 / 4 years
Ambition: high
Academics: very high
Discipline: very low
Temper: average
Integrity: average
Reputation: 80% (+4)
Offense: 76%
Defense: 63%
Recruiting: 87%
Scouting: 65%
Development: 81%
Job Security: 80%

School Information
Name: St. John’s
Mascot: Red Storm
Location: Queens, NY
Arena: Carnesecca Arena (6,008)
Facilities: B
Academics: C
Conference: Big East
Conference Prestige: 85% (-5)
Team Prestige: 78% (-3)
Minimum SAT: 880
Starting Budget: $266,000
Asst. Salaries: $250,800
Remaining Budget: $15,200
Incoming Class Rank: #14

Administration Goals
1. Get back to the Sweet Sixteen … (heh heh, let’s use some reverse psychology on his ass!)
2. And while you’re at it, how ‘bout we at least “try” to win a conference title? Huh? Please? Do it.
3. Win 20 games during the season. We know you can do it. If not, we know others who can.
4. A three point drop in prestige? Screw that! Get us back in the 80s or bust, Coach!
5. Continue to sign four and five star recruits. We’re counting on you, Coach …

Recruiting Funds Crisis
We’ve gone way overbudget on coaching costs, and have only $15,200 to fill our scholarship needs … one open scholarship. That means no scouting reports, no travelling this summer aside from trips by car -- essentially, everything you need to bring in top classes, we don’t have this year. Myself and coach Colbert will hit the road as much as we can in-state and hope we can fill these scholarships and keep the board happy enough to give us more money next year. Otherwise, I may have to let staff go next spring and shoestring it.

Conference Movement
None.

Players Transfering
None.

NBA Draft
#40 -- Bootsy Chappel
#45 -- Adonis Williams
#47 -- Travis Garnett

Norton Nominees
PF - James Stanley (Junior)
C - Jason Smith (Sophomore)
PF - Steve Clayton (Junior)
PG - Kris Deeter (Sophomore)

Team Roster
PG - Kris Deeter (6’1” 173 lbs So) Bensalem PA (Bensalem HS) 2.7 GPA
SG - Coupe Johnson (6’1” 180 lbs Jr) Nashville AR (Nashville HS) 3.5 GPA
SF - James Stanley (6’7” 217 lbs Jr) Lyndon Center VT (Lyndon Institute) 3.0 GPA
PF - Steve Clayton (6’8” 211 lbs Jr) Pleasantville NY (Pleasantville HS) 4.0 GPA
C - Jason Smith (6’10” 273 lbs So) San Diego CA (Point Loma HS) 3.2 GPA

6 - Ronald Slay (6’10” 258 lbs Jr) Nashville TN (Christ Presbyterian Academy) 3.8 GPA
7 - Brent Bratton (5’8” 168 lbs Fr) Somers CT (Somers HS) 4.0 GPA
8 - A.J. Sanchez (6’0” 186 lbs Jr) Collegeville MN (St. John’s Prep HS) 2.2 GPA
9 - Craig Logan (6’7” 226 lbs So) Chatham NY (Chatham HS) 3.4 GPA
10 - Jeremy Thompson (6’0” 170 lbs Fr) Waterboro ME (Massabesic HS) 2.9 GPA
11 - Phillip Thomas (6’8” 200 lbs So) Newark DE (Hodgson Tech HS) 3.4 GPA
12 - Dan Bradley (6’7” 205 lbs Fr) Vestal NY (Vestal HS) 3.0 GPA
13 - Adam Hoiberg (6’2” 173 lbs Sr) Retsof NY (York Central HS) 4.0 GPA
14 - Shannon Lewis (6’1” 205 lbs So) Sanborn NY (Niagara Wheatfield HS) 2.3 GPA*
15 - Chris Jones (6’1” 171 lbs Jr) Manlius NY (Fayetteville Manlius HS) 2.7 GPA*
________
*Walk-on

Strategies
If it’s not broken, don’t fix it. One reason our team did so well last year during the Big East slate was that our leaders were all extremely knowledgable in all the sets we play, and opposing teams simply don’t know which offense to gameplan for. We work well on the fly, and this year’s team returns some major talent to the mix. I’m not going to get overly confident, but I do feel this is one of the better teams I’ve fielded as a coach. If this class isn’t good enough to win games, I’m not sure what class would be. I think their four Norton nominations speak for themselves.

Of course the AD here seems to have a sick sense of humor. Or he really DOESN’T like me, something that seems bizarre considering what I’ve done for this program in the last six seasons … because I asked for “a few good teams at home” and he gave me a slate completely composed of preseason-ranked teams (most of which ARE at home) and a berth in the Preseason NIT. We’ll either win a ton and be the toast of the NCAA, or we’re going to struggle to win the 20 games he wants while building up a spectacular RPI / SOS rating. Either way, I’m game if he is. I don’t know if he realizes quite who he’s messing with, or that he’s potentially playing right into this team’s strengths.
 
Season Schedule
http://jonathansanders.0catch.com/stjohns%201981-82.PNG

Conference Champion: Rutgers (14-2, 20-7)
Big East Postseason Teams: Notre Dame (2nd seed, Philadelphia Bracket, NCAA Tournament); Louisville (3rd seed, Philadelphia Bracket, NCAA Tournament); Connecticut (10th seed, Philadelphia Bracket, NCAA Tournament); Pittsburgh (3rd seed, Detroit Bracket, NCAA Tournament); Rutgers (6th seed, Detroit Bracket, NCAA Tournament); St. Johns (4th seed, Atlanta Bracket, NCAA Tournament); South Florida (12th seed, Spokane Bracket, NCAA Tournament); Cincinnati (6th seed, Spokane Bracket, NCAA Tournament);
NIT Champion: (6) Florida
NCAA Champion: (1) North Carolina

Key Injuries
11/16/81: Coupe Johnson (Broken Leg - out 8-9 weeks)

Team Leaders
Scoring: Coupe Johnson (18.9 ppg) Kris Deeter (10.4 ppg) Jason Smith (10.3 ppg) Steve Clayton (9.4 ppg)
Rebounds: Jason Smith (8.2 rpg) Steve Clayton (6.3 rpg) James Stanley (4.2 rpg) Kris Deeter (4.0 rpg)
Assists: Kris Deeter (5.0 apg) Brent Bratton (2.1 apg) A.J. Sanchez (2.0 apg)
Steals: Coupe Johnson (1.5 spg)
Blocks: Coupe Johnson (0.7 bpg)

Awards
2nd Team All Big East: Jason Smith

Graduating
SG - Adam Hoiberg (4.0 GPA) 1.3 ppg 0.1 apg 0.1 spg (9 games)
_______
*Walk-on

Incoming Recruits
6’10” C Deon Karcher (Olean NY - Olean HS) 2.8 GPA (#291 WSSN National; #72 WSSN Regional) 15.3 ppg 3.6 apg 5.8 rpg 1.5 spg 1.1 bpg

No ranking this year … and this almost certainly will make this year’s recruiting a failure. Hope this doesn’t piss the board off too much …

Season Summary
We were down 23-27 at the half against Duke, two days after winning the Preseason NIT. I told our boys at halftime that they had nothing to worry about from me if they gave it their all. “We’re playing a brutal schedule this year,” I said, “and we won’t win ‘em all. If we learn that tonight, fine. If we learn it two weeks from now, just as well. Just go out there and play like you mean it, and I’ll know you left it all on the court.” They responded by outhustling Duke on the floor for the next twenty, pulling off a stunning 51-50 win against the #4 team in the nation only days after handing a seven-point upset to the #1 team in the nation, UNC, in the finals of the P-NIT. I knew right there this was a special team, and they were destined for special things.

I wasn’t lying about the “gotta lose sometime” mantra. What goes up comes down, and a lesson I learned a long time ago is that you’re better learning it early than waiting for the tourney. Loss #1 came three days later against Maryland on the road. But by then we’d played six games in 11 days, and I knew the team was stretched to the limits. I had a few harsh words with the AD for the brutal schedule (“do what you want to me,” I said, “but you’re playing roulette with these kids’ health!”) and vowed to make it easier for them in practice so as not to overkill things as we get through this pre-conference season.

But we responded well to the pressure. Against Arizona four nights after the Maryland loss, we put on one of the best defensive performances in the history of the NCAA, taking a 32-31 halftime lead and then absolutely crushing the #1 team in the nation in the second half 19-3, winning the game 51-34! That one’s going to be replayed and studied for years!

That was us at our peak. Yeah we managed to beat Kentucky here in Queens, but we lost to UCLA, Texas, North Carolina (in our rematch), Indiana and Stanford, heading into the holiday break with a 8-6 record. I told the team to use the holidays as a rebooting period, that we’d rebound in the Big East, get Coupe back from his injury, and make people forget about December.

Privately I had to wonder though if my team was ready for the Big East in this situation … I couldn’t blame everything on the brutal nature of our schedule considering how we’d played so well against the likes of Arizona and then crashed and burned down the stretch. It boggled my mind. Instead, our skid became an eight-gamer, as we proceeded to drop the first five games of the Big East season, saving ourselves only with a 59-54 overtime win against Georgetown, after which we got Coupe Johnson back from his injury. This had to be rock bottom, right?

Yeah, it was rock botom. And we did improve from there. But it was not the improvement we wanted. We lost to Pittsburgh in overtime, then capped the season with two losses (at Rutgers, the surprising Big East champ this year, and South Florida) to finish the season at 8-8 in the Big East, 16-14 overall. Our RPI was good enough we knew we’d still sneak into the tourney, but it was going to be a long period of hearing we don’t belong -- and for me, hearing people wondering out loud if my first few years here were a fluke.

I keep hearing it: “He went 16-14 with that team? Really?” And I don’t have any arguments … I can’t see why myself.

Then it became: “He got what seed with that team? Really?” Makes you want to crawl in a hole, and that’s hardly conductive to getting a win in the tourney and making the Sweet Sixteen. But we made it past Creighton, and got to witness the tourney’s first big shocker, as (in the second round) 6th seeded Rutgers knocked out (3) Pittsburgh 53-46, earning that school’s first trip to the Sweet Sixteen ever, to my knowledge. We survived against (5) Tulsa by four, 62-58, advancing to the Sweet Sixteen (and meeting at least one tiny goal this year!) and then witnessed an even bigger tournament shocker, as (12) South Florida, in their first tourney appearance !!EVER!! upended (4) Minnesota by the not-so-close margin of 70-53! Can this tourney / year get any crazier?

In the Sweet Sixteen, Rutgers beat (7) Colorado 69-59 and (2) Notre Dame bested (6) Old Dominion 63-53. But we lost to top-seed Indiana by thirteen, and (12) South Florida lost to (1) UCLA 66-57 (a lot closer than anyone would have predicted prior to the game!)

In the Elite Eight, Rutgers lost to (4) Arizona 56-39, and Notre Dame fell to (1) North Carolina 76-50. In the NIT Finals, (6) Florida beat (3) Charlotte 69-65. In the NCAA Title Game, (1) North Carolina slaughtered last year’s champion (2) Oklahoma, 71-50. Ouch!

How do you sum up a season like this? I’d say keep it short. We got through it, that’s what counts. And since no one declared for the draft, and only Adam Hoiberg is graduating, we get the entire team back next year to endure the slings and arrows of “are they worth the paper their scholarships are printed on?”

Meanwhile, I’d sure love to campaign to get rid of the current A.D. … if he schedules another slate like this year’s “war zone December” I think I’ll file a formal protest with the school’s administration. If he doesn’t drive me out before I get that chance, though a Sweet Sixteen trip makes it a bit harder for him to do so.

Assistant News
Craig Colbert saved us a lot of financial trouble and opted out of the rest of his contract, accepting the new head coaching job at Weber State. We promoted Calvin Turner to the top coaching assistant spot and hired 44-year-old Reggie Thompson (a defensive and recruiting guru) to be our second assistant (cost: $78,000 a year for three years). We’re working on keeping my son Alexander as third assistant when his contract runs out at the end of this year. We’ll see what comes of that, though he wants to stay (for what it’s worth -- and I know the AD couldn’t give less of a spit in the wind what I or Alex think).

Administration Update
The AD got fired for playing politics with the basketball schedule, but the administration was not impressed with my handling of the season and with our collapse in the Big East, something the AD had no scheduling control over. I’m told if I can meet the goals this year they’ll consider me off the hot-seat, but they want results, and it’s clear they aim to get them or bust. I, for one, want to stay. My wife is happy here, my son’s willing to stay on as an assistant if I keep my job, and the players (most important) are standing by me a hundred-twenty percent. But will that matter?

[jksander]

Coach Profiles (1982-83)

http://jonathansanders.0catch.com/coaches%201982-83.PNG

http://jonathansanders.0catch.com/Coach%20Day%20(1982-83).PNG

[jksander]

1982-83

http://jonathansanders.0catch.com/STJ.gif

Coach Information
Name: Charles Day (47)
Experience: 186-92 (.669)
Contract: $458,000 / 3 years
Ambition: high
Academics: very high
Discipline: very low
Temper: average
Integrity: average
Reputation: 84% (+4)
Offense: 76%
Defense: 63%
Recruiting: 87%
Scouting: 66% (+1)
Development: 81%
Job Security: 20%

School Information
Name: St. John’s
Mascot: Red Storm
Location: Queens, NY
Arena: Carnesecca Arena (6,008)
Facilities: B- (even the experts can tell our facilities are declining)
Academics: C
Conference: Big East
Conference Prestige: 86% (+1)
Team Prestige: 80% (+2)
Minimum SAT: 880
Starting Budget: $266,000
Asst. Salaries: $186,000
Remaining Budget: $80,000
Incoming Class Rank: n/a

Administration Goals
1. Get back to the Sweet Sixteen … if you did it last year, you can do it again or it was a fluke.
2. Win the conference title. We’re giving you a better non-conference schedule, but you’d better be ready for the Big East.
3. Win 20 games during the season. Flirting with .500 won’t f---ing cut it!
4. Keep the prestige up … last year was embarassing, and even if bad press is still press, we want GOOD press!
5. Get us a recruiting class with stats worthy of plastering on fundraising letters. Want the facilities improved? Get us cash!

Conference Movement
None.

Players Transfering
None.

NBA Draft
None. Seriously, you thought Hoiberg was going pro? Ha!

Norton Nominees
PG - Kris Deeter (Junior)
PF - Steve Clayton (Senior)
SG - Coupe Johnson (Senior)

Team Roster
PG - Kris Deeter (6’1” 173 lbs Jr) Bensalem PA (Bensalem HS) 3.0 GPA
SG - Coupe Johnson (6’1” 180 lbs Sr) Nashville AR (Nashville HS) 3.6 GPA
SF - James Stanley (6’7” 217 lbs Sr) Lyndon Center VT (Lyndon Institute) 2.9 GPA
PF - Steve Clayton (6’8” 211 lbs Sr) Pleasantville NY (Pleasantville HS) 4.0 GPA
C - Jason Smith (6’10” 273 lbs Jr) San Diego CA (Point Loma HS) 3.1 GPA

6 - Ronald Slay (6’10” 258 lbs Sr) Nashville TN (Christ Presbyterian Academy) 3.9 GPA
7 - Brent Bratton (5’8” 168 lbs So) Somers CT (Somers HS) 4.0 GPA
8 - A.J. Sanchez (6’0” 186 lbs Sr) Collegeville MN (St. John’s Prep HS) 2.2 GPA
9 - Craig Logan (6’7” 226 lbs Jr) Chatham NY (Chatham HS) 3.4 GPA
10 - Jeremy Thompson (6’0” 170 lbs So) Waterboro ME (Massabesic HS) 2.7 GPA
11 - Phillip Thomas (6’8” 200 lbs Jr) Newark DE (Hodgson Tech HS) 3.5 GPA
12 - Dan Bradley (6’7” 205 lbs So) Vestal NY (Vestal HS) 3.3 GPA
13 - Deon Karcher (6’10” 251 lbs Fr) Olean NY (Olean HS) 2.8 GPA
14 - Shannon Lewis (6’1” 205 lbs Jr) Sanborn NY (Niagara Wheatfield HS) 2.6 GPA*
15 - Chris Jones (6’1” 171 lbs Sr) Manlius NY (Fayetteville Manlius HS) 2.6 GPA*
________
*Walk-on

Strategies
I’m really loathe to switch anything up, but I’ve decided for the sake of our players’ development to phase out the focus on flex offense. We’ll go back to motion and triangle and use the extra practice minutes freed up to work on defense. We’re going to be the best goddamned team when it comes to the 2-3 zone and that diamond press if it kills me. We’re not going to repeat the collapse of last year or I really don’t deserve to be coaching at this level.
 
Season Schedule
http://jonathansanders.0catch.com/stjohns%201982-83.PNG

Conference Champion: Notre Dame (14-2, 24-6)
Big East Postseason Teams: St. John’s (2nd seed, Buffalo Bracket, NCAA Tournament); Connecticut (7th seed, Buffalo Bracket, NCAA Tournament); Rutgers (7th seed, Lexington Bracket, NCAA Tournament); Pittsburgh (2nd seed, Atlanta Bracket, NCAA Tournament); Georgetown (7th seed, Atlanta Bracket, NCAA Tournament); Notre Dame (1st seed, San Jose Bracket, NCAA Tournament); South Florida (2nd seed, San Jose Bracket, NCAA Tournament); Cincinnati (4th seed, San Jose Bracket, NCAA Tournament); Seton Hall (8th seed, San Jose Bracket, NCAA Tournament); Syracuse (2nd seed, West Bracket, NIT); Louisville (6th seed, West Bracket, NIT)
NIT Champion: (6) Louisville
NCAA Champion: (2) St. John's

Key Injuries
None. Nice to have a year again during which I can say that!

Team Leaders
Scoring: Coupe Johnson (25.2 ppg) Jason Smith (9.1 ppg) Steve Clayton (8.8 ppg) Kris Deeter (8.4 ppg)
Rebounds: Jason Smith (6.8 rpg) Ronald Slay (6.4 rpg) Steve Clayton (6.2 rpg) James Stanley (4.1 rpg)
Assists: Kris Deeter (5.6 apg) Coupe Johnson (2.1 apg)
Steals: Coupe Johnson (5.6 spg) Kris Deeter (1.5 spg)
Blocks: Coupe Johnson (1.3 bpg)

Awards
Norton Award: Coupe Johnson
NCAA Player of the Year: Coupe Johnson
NCAA Tourney Most Outstanding Player: Coupe Johnson
NCAA Defender of the Year: Coupe Johnson
1st Team All American: Coupe Johnson
Big East Player of the Year: Coupe Johnson
Big East Defender of the Year: Coupe Johnson
Big East Coach of the Year: Charles Day -- my fifth win, but Oregon’s Jim Strickland took the national award.
1st Team All Big East: Coupe Johnson

Can you count the ways we’re going to miss Coupe Johnson? From the hills of Arkansas to being a potential #1 draft pick, he’s definitely risen to the top of the pack (not bad for someone ranked 16th in his initial recruiting class!)

Graduating
C - Ronald Slay (3.9 GPA) 4.7 ppg 5.1 rpg 0.8 apg 0.2 spg 0.1 bpg (103 games, 35 starts)
SG - Coupe Johnson (3.4 GPA) 12.6 ppg 2.4 rpg 1.2 apg 2.2 spg 0.7 bpg (96 games, 39 starts)
PG - A.J. Sanchez (2.1 GPA) 4.7 ppg 2.1 rpg 1.5 apg 0.6 spg 0.2 bpg (58 games, 1 start)
PG - Chris Jones (2.7 GPA) didn’t play a game for us, but was a valuable walk-on practice body.*
PF - Steve Clayton (4.0 GPA) 8.7 ppg 6.2 rpg 0.9 apg 0.7 spg 0.2 bpg (114 games, 111 starts)
PF - James Stanley (2.9 GPA) 3.2 ppg 3.8 rpg 1.0 apg 0.4 spg 0.2 bpg (94 games, 56 starts)

Certainly some NBA prospects in this class … definitely.
_______
*Walk-on

Incoming Recruits
6’1” SG Chris Floyd (Bow NH - Bow HS) 2.8 GPA (#1 WSSN National; #1 WSSN Regional) 28.4 ppg 8.2 apg 15.4 rpg 7.6 spg 2.4 bpg
6’6” PF Patrick Boschee (Enola PA - East Pennsboro HS) 2.4 GPA (#13 WSSN National; #5 WSSN Regional) 23.1 ppg 4.0 apg 10.0 rpg 3.5 spg 6.5 bpg
6’4” PG Reggie Trotman (Fairmont WV - Fairmont HS) 2.5 GPA (#16 WSSN National; #6 WSSN Regional) 17.6 ppg 7.1 apg 6.2 rpg 4.9 spg 3.3 bpg
6’2” PG Ryan Griffin (Bedford NY - Fox Lane HS) 3.0 GPA (#43 WSSN National; #10 WSSN Regional) 19.4 ppg 4.7 apg 8.7 rpg 2.3 spg 2.7 bpg
6’7” SF Ahmad Dely (Danbury CT - Danbury HS) 3.2 GPA (#72 WSSN National; #19 WSSN Regional) 16.9 ppg 3.3 apg 5.3 rpg 1.4 spg 1.7 bpg

It’s our case for a #1 class, with three top 15 players, the #1 guy in the nation, and no one outside the top 75. If the administration wants me out of this job after this, they’ll have to drag me out kicking and screaming. But why would they? Look at our record on the court and in recruiting and tell me there’s something more we could offer …

Season Summary
We got through the pre-conference season with an 11-1 record, with only a close loss to Minnesota in the Winter Jam to keep us from being undefeated. And we were winning games by insane margins, playing like the team we should have been playing like last year. But hey, who’s gonna quibble? But the Big East was looking more brutal and unpredictable than usual as we got ready for conference play. We were ranked #14, with the 25th best RPI. Other ranked teams in the conference: #24 Louisville (9-2), #22 Rutgers (9-5), #12 Connecticut (11-2), #10 Notre Dame (10-4), #7 South Florida (13-0, and no you didn’t misread that … they’re playing like an unstoppable force!) and #6 Pittsburgh (10-3). And look who we play in our opening game …

The NCAA tournament was big for Big East teams as usual, but this year the seeding committee caused some early Big East matchups, so we knocked each other out of contention quickly. In round two, we escaped (7) Connecticut 58-56, (2) Pittsburgh knocked out (7) Georgetown 72-59 and (8) Seton Hall stunned (1) Notre Dame, winning 70-69 on a buzzer beater! (2) South Florida advanced by beating (10) Georgia 63-50, but Rutgers got knocked out by (2) Arizona 65-47 and (5) UMass blasted past Cincy in a shootout, 88-83.

In the NIT Elite Eight, Louisville reamed Marshall 84-62! Congrats, Cardinals! Meanwhile, the four of us left in the NCAA’s from the Big East got ready for our matchups. We handled (3) Indiana with ease, 71-57, while (2) Pittsburgh beat (3) Oklahoma easily enough 74-56. South Florida won a great one against (3) Georgia Tech, 68-63, earning their first trip to the Elite Eight. But (5) Massachusetts sent (8) Seton Hall packing 52-43.

In the Elite Eight, we faced (1) UCLA with our first Final Four in three years on the line, and Johnson and Deeter combined for 13 steals while our team forced a total of 26 UCLA turnovers, to beat the Bruins 68-57! Impressive indeed … meanwhile, Pittsburgh wound up losing a close one to (1) Oregon, 51-45, as the Ducks hope to make it back to the tournament finals and avenge the loss they faced against Oklahoma a few years back. But the big surprise is (2) South Florida! In the tourney for only the second time in the school’s history, the Bulls won the San Jose Reginal Final, beating Massachusetts 76-61! Could South Florida actually be a championship-caliber team?

Louisville beat St. Bonaventure in the NIT Semifinals, 56-43, then took on (1) Charlotte and won a solid defensive battle, 59-52, to take home the NIT Title as the 6th seed! Meanwhile, in the Final Four, we handled (2) Arizona with ease 65-54, while (1) Oregon slaughtered the Bulls of South Florida 67-47, setting up an Oregon / St. John’s matchup in which we’d be the underdog yet again. We’ve been to the NCAA Title Game once and lost. This time we came in with a better all-around team and a superstar in Coupe Johnson (at this point he was still in the running for the Norton!) so we were a great deal more confident. And we weren’t up against a brutally good Pitt team this time. (Okay, just a brutally good Oregon team, but you know what I mean!) Anyway, we went into this one gunning for the title, and took a 30-29 lead at the half after twenty minutes of back and forth brutality. The second half was the same for about ten minutes, then we ran with it and built a solid lead -- Oregon fought back valliantly, but we still beat them with relative ease, 66-57!

How’s that for getting off your hot-seat, assholes? Seriously though! What the f---! I’m stunned even as I write this … from the horrors of last year to the wonder of a national title, all in the space of a single season … give me more time to think about it and I’m sure I’ll think of something smart to say. But until then, I’ll just enjoy recalling the feeling of cutting down that net amid all the flashbulbs. Oh, yeah, that’s the stuff.

Assistant News
We signed my son Alexander to a new five year contract worth $24,000 per year to remain as our third assistant / team trainer. We’re both really happy here, and now that I’ve got the administration off my back, we’re free to build a dynasty here! I’m only 48, the sky’s still the limit … though I still can’t believe it, the administration refused yet again to upgrade our flagging facilities. Alas, the life of a coach, always having to scrape by with the scraps they give me, and yet here we are atop the basketball world. Fun, isn’t it?

[jksander]

1983-84

http://jonathansanders.0catch.com/STJ.gif

Coach Information
Name: Charles Day (48)
Experience: 216-96 (.669)
Contract: $458,000 / 2 years
Ambition: high
Academics: very high
Discipline: very low
Temper: average
Integrity: average
Reputation: 94% (+10)
Offense: 76%
Defense: 63%
Recruiting: 87%
Scouting: 66%
Development: 81%
Job Security: 100%

School Information
Name: St. John’s
Mascot: Red Storm
Location: Queens, NY
Arena: Carnesecca Arena (6,008)
Facilities: B-
Academics: C
Conference: Big East
Conference Prestige: 89% (+3)
Team Prestige: 91% (+11)
Minimum SAT: 880
Starting Budget: $266,000
Asst. Salaries: $189,000
Remaining Budget: $77,000
Incoming Class Rank: #1!

Administration Goals
1. Win us a repeat title, Coach! It can’t be that hard, can it? Seriously …
2. Win a f---ing conference title, Coach! You can win the national title but not a conference one? Sheesh.
3. Win 20 games during the season. That ought to be easy for a guy like you, right?
4. Keep the prestige up … we’ve seen the top and we like it, and aim to keep it.
5. Got us the #1 class? Now nothing but blue chippers will do! Top five class or bust, Coach.

Conference Movement
Weber State has joined the Pac 10. Which now has twelve teams, but whatever …

Players Transfering
None.

NBA Draft
#15 -- Coupe Johnson
#16 -- James Stanley
#28 -- A.J. Sanchez
#38 -- Steve Clayton
#56 -- Ronald Slay

What, the NBA doesn’t want our walk-on who never played? F---ers! He soaked up Big East knowledge! Pay him!

Norton Nominees
SF - Craig Logan (Senior)
C - Jason Smith (Senior)
SG - Jeremy Thompson (Junior)
PG - Kris Deeter (Senior)
PG - Chris Floyd (Freshman)

Team Roster
PG - Jeremy Thompson (6’0” 178 lbs Jr) Waterboro ME (Massabesic HS) 3.6 GPA
SG - Kris Deeter (6’1” 173 lbs Sr) Bensalem PA (Bensalem HS) 3.1 GPA
SF - Chris Floyd (6’1” 186 lbs Fr) Bow NH (Bow HS) 2.8 GPA
PF - Craig Logan (6’7” 226 lbs Sr) Chatham NY (Chatham HS) 3.6 GPA
C - Jason Smith (6’10” 273 lbs Sr) San Diego CA (Point Loma HS) 3.3 GPA

6 - Patrick Boschee (6’6” 221 lbs Fr) Enola PA (East Pennsboro HS) 2.4 GPA
7 - Brent Bratton (5’8” 168 lbs Jr) Somers CT (Somers HS) 4.0 GPA
8 - Reggie Trotman (6’4” 206 lbs Fr) Fairmont WV (Fairmont HS) 2.5 GPA
9 - Ahmad Dely (6’7” 222 lbs Fr) Danbury CT (Danbury HS) 3.2 GPA
10 - Dan Bradley (6’7” 205 lbs Jr) Vestal NY (Vestal HS) 3.5 GPA
11 - Ryan Griffin (6’2” 170 lbs Fr) Bedford NY (Fox Lane HS) 3.0 GPA
12 - Deon Karcher (6’10” 251 lbs So) Olean NY (Olean HS) 3.1 GPA
13 - Phillip Thomas (6’8” 200 lbs Sr) Newark DE (Hodgson Tech HS) 3.6 GPA
14 - Kevin Dampier (6’11” 221 lbs Sr) Hilton NY (Hilton Central HS) 2.7 GPA*
15 - Shannon Lewis (6’1” 205 lbs Sr) Sanborn NY (Niagara Wheatfield HS) 2.7 GPA*
________
*Walk-on

Strategies
Not changing much on that end. The veterans on the team know their thing. Next year I may make some changes as we shift to being a primarily inexperienced team. But no sense messing with what worked for last year’s national championship squad.
 
Season Schedule
http://jonathansanders.0catch.com/stjohns%201983-84.PNG

Conference Champion: St. John’s (15-1, 27-2)
Big East Postseason Teams: St. John’s (1st seed, Philadelphia Bracket, NCAA Tournament); Notre Dame (3rd seed, Philadelphia Bracket, NCAA Tournament); South Florida (1st seed, Lexington Bracket, NCAA Tournament); Cincinnati (5th seed, Lexington Bracket, NCAA Tournament); Syracuse (11th seed, Lexington Bracket, NCAA Tournament); Rutgers (9th seed, Lexington Bracket, NCAA Tournament); Georgetown (2nd seed, Spokane Bracket, NCAA Tournament); Louisville (10th seed, Spokane Bracket, NCAA Tournament); Connecticut (1st seed, South Bracket, NIT)
NIT Champion: (5) Delaware State
NCAA Champion: (2) Duke

Key Injuries
None.

Team Leaders
Scoring: Chris Floyd (22.7 ppg) Jason Smith (9.9 ppg) Patrick Boschee (8.9 ppg) Kris Deeter (7.9 ppg)
Rebounds: Jason Smith (8.0 rpg) Chris Floyd (7.2 rpg) Patrick Boschee (6.4 rpg)
Assists: Kris Deeter (3.7 apg) Jeremy Thompson (2.7 apg) Chris Floyd (2.5 apg)
Steals: Chris Floyd (3.9 spg) Kris Deeter (3.2 spg)
Blocks: Jeremy Thompson (0.6 bpg)

Awards
Norton Award: Chris Floyd
NCAA Player of the Year: Chris Floyd
NCAA Freshman of the Year: Chris Floyd
NCAA Defender of the Year: Chris Floyd
1st Team All American: Chris Floyd
Big East Player of the Year: Chris Floyd
Big East Freshman of the Year: Chris Floyd
Big East Defender of the Year: Chris Floyd
1st Team All Big East: Chris Floyd

Graduating
PG - Shannon Lewis (2.8 GPA) 0.9 ppg 0.3 rpg 0.2 apg (15 games)*
C - Jason Smith (3.3 GPA) 9.7 ppg 7.5 rpg 0.9 apg 0.4 spg 0.2 bpg (99 games, 95 starts)
PG - Kris Deeter (3.1 GPA) 9.3 ppg 3.1 rpg 4.7 apg 1.5 spg 0.2 bpg (116 games, 103 starts)
SF - Phillip Thomas (3.6 GPA) 2.4 ppg 1.5 rpg 0.4 apg 0.1 spg (72 games) -- formerly #84 WSSN National, huge bust as a recruit
SF - Craig Logan (3.7 GPA) 3.7 ppg 3.3 rpg 0.9 apg 0.5 spg 0.1 bpg (116 games, 34 starts) -- formerly #24 WSSN National, huger bust as a recruit
PF - Kevin Dampier (2.7 GPA) didn’t play a game for us in his one walk-on season this year*

Logan even got his chance to start all year, and only averaged 5.0 ppg 4.6 rpg and 1.6 apg in 27.1 minutes each night on the court. Ouch!
_______
*Walk-on

Incoming Recruits
6’6” SF Derrick Bratton (South Berwick ME - Marshwood HS) 3.1 GPA (#32 WSSN National; #5 WSSN Regional) 18.0 ppg 3.4 apg 6.8 rpg 2.6 spg 1.7 bpg
6’0” PG C.J. Thomas (Beulaville NC - East Duplin HS) 2.7 GPA (#72 WSSN National; #16 WSSN Regional) 19.1 ppg 4.5 apg 7.5 rpg 1.7 spg 3.0 bpg
6’8” PF Chris Johnson (Garner NC - Garner HS) 3.1 GPA (#136 WSSN National; #33 WSSN Regional) 14.6 ppg 3.3 apg 5.6 rpg 1.4 spg 1.9 bpg
6’9” C David Goodwin (North East MD - Rising Sun HS) 2.9 GPA (#144 WSSN National); #34 WSSN Regional) 15.4 ppg 4.3 apg 8.2 rpg 1.5 spg 2.4 bpg

Season Summary
We dominated during the regular season, losing only a close home game to South Florida (an eventual #1 seed in the NCAA tournament) and an uncharacteristic loss during the regular season to Fresno State. We won the conference outright by three games, an unheard-of finish in this conference, and earned the #1 seed in the east region of the NCAA tournament.

Connecticut opened the postseason slate by losing to (8) New Hampshire in the first round of the NIT. Thought that seemed worth mentioning, considering it was a 75-65 loss, hardly a nailbiter.

In the NCAA Tournament, we won blowout victories against (16) Wisconsin-Milwaukee and (8) Minnesota to earn another trip to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen, joined from the Big East by Notre Dame, Cincinnati, South Florida and Georgetown. In the Sweet Sixteen we won a close four-point game against (5) North Carolina, 56-52, while South Florida beat (5) Cincinnati 88-77, (3) Notre Dame fell to (2) Oregon 61-48 and (2) Georgetown fell to (3) Oklahoma State 76-65. In the Elite Eight, we matched up against (2) Oregon, in a game we won defensively 52-43, earning yet another Final Four trip (thanks in no small part to the 10 steals from Kris Deeter, which comprised half of Oregon’s entire turnover output! Not bad at all … South Florida, however, fell to (2) Duke 63-77, missing ou on a repeat Final Four of their own, in only their third time in the tournament.

In the NIT (5) Delaware State beat (5) Alcorn State 70-69 to take the title. Meanwhile, in the NCAA Semifinals, we lost a ten pointer to (2) Duke, ending our season with a 64-54 loss. Duke would go on to dominate (1) UCLA in the finals 83-60 to take home their first National Title in their first title game appearance! So far, North Carolina leads with three titles, Pittsburgh and Kansas each have two (and Kansas has three appearances in the title game!), while we, Oklahoma, Duke, UCLA and Oklahoma each have one (with Oklahoma having played in three title games as well). Oregon has been to the title game in both its Final Fours and has yet to win one. We’re currently tied for second with three Final Fours with Kansas and Florida, while Oklahoma, UCLA and North Carolina each have four. Our seven sweet sixteens tie us for 6th with Kentucky and Duke, while Kansas, UCLA and Notre Dame each have eight and Oregon and North Carolina lead with nine.

We’ve got a young team, so I’m confident we’ll be back in the Final Four next year competing for another title.

Assistant News
Second assistant Reggie Thompson accepted a raise to $90,300 and an extension to six years, then was promoted to the first assistant position, in the absense of Craig Colbert, who opted to let his contract expire (we really couldn’t afford his $200,000 demand to remain as an assistant). I promoted Alex to second assistant (he’s paid his dues with four years in his previous role) and then hired 54-year-old Gene Olivari to be our third assistant, at $24,000 a year for the next three seasons. The school again denied my request for program facilities improvments, but honestly I’m getting used to that. I keep winning games because of my skills as a coach, even if our gym is behind the curve of modern athletics. I did convince them to extend my contract and offer me a raise to be more in line with other coaches of my stature, when rumors got out that I was “considering” the opening positions at Connecticut and Pittsburgh. So the school agreed to 2.5 times my salary and a five year extension,giving me a $1,145,000 contract good for six seasons. It took eleven years, but I’ve made the coaching big-time!

[jksander]

Coach Profiles (1984-85)

http://jonathansanders.0catch.com/coaches%201984-85.PNG

[jksander]

1984-85

http://jonathansanders.0catch.com/STJ.gif

Coach Information
Name: Charles Day (49)
Experience: 247-99 (.714)
Contract: $1,145,000 / 6 years -- 2.5x my previous contract and a five year extension!
Ambition: high
Academics: very high
Discipline: very low
Temper: average
Integrity: average
Reputation: 94%
Offense: 76%
Defense: 63%
Recruiting: 87%
Scouting: 66%
Development: 81%
Job Security: 100%

School Information
Name: St. John’s
Mascot: Red Storm
Location: Queens, NY
Arena: Carnesecca Arena (6,008)
Facilities: B-
Academics: C
Conference: Big East
Conference Prestige: 86% (-3)
Team Prestige: 92% (+1)
Minimum SAT: 880
Starting Budget: $266,000
Asst. Salaries: $138,300
Remaining Budget: $127,700
Incoming Class Rank: #20

Administration Goals
1. Win us another title, Coach! We’re still upset about that loss to Duke last year … earn that raise!
2. Now that you showed you can win a conference title, bring us another! Can’t have a dynasty without dominance.
3. Get back into the business of bringing us top ten classes! Going from #1 to #20 makes us look weak!

The Bad News
Chris Floyd decided to go pro, without notice to our program. Best of luck, Chris, we’d hoped you’d come back for at least one more title run … he averaged 22.7 points 7.2 rebounds 2.5 assists and 3.9 steals last year in 30 regular season starts.

Conference Movement
None.

Players Transfering
None.

NBA Draft
#1 - Chris Floyd
#15 - Kris Deeter
#21 - Craig Logan -- this stuns me, I just can’t fathom why he went so high in the draft
#27 - Jason Smith

Norton Nominees
PG - Jeremy Thompson (Senior)

Team Roster
PG - Brent Bratton (5’8” 168 lbs Sr) Somers CT (Somers HS) 3.8 GPA
SG - Jeremy Thompson (6’0” 178 lbs Sr) Waterboro ME (Massabesic HS) 3.7 GPA
SF - Dan Bradley (6’7” 205 lbs Sr) Vestal NY (Vestal HS) 3.6 GPA
PF - Patrick Boschee (6’6” 221 lbs So) Enola PA (East Pennsboro HS) 3.4 GPA
C - David Goodwin (6’9” 248 lbs Fr) North East MD (Rising Sun HS) 2.9 GPA

6 - Reggie Trotman (6’4” 206 lbs So) Fairmont WV (Fairmont HS) 2.6 GPA
7 - Ahmad Dely (6’7” 222 lbs So) Danbury CT (Danbury HS) 3.5 GPA
8 - Derrick Bratton (6’6” 212 lbs Fr) South Berwick ME (Marshwood HS) 3.1 GPA
9 - C.J. Thomas (6’0” 199 lbs Fr) Beulaville NC (East Duplin HS) 2.7 GPA
10 - James Golf (6’1” 201 lbs Jr) Stillwater NY (Stillwater Central HS) 2.1 GPA*
11 - Ryan Griffin (6’2” 178 lbs So) Bedford NY (Fox Lane HS) 3.2 GPA
12 - Deon Karcher (6’10” 251 lbs Jr) Olean NY (Olean HS) 3.4 GPA
13 - Chris Johnson (6’8” 206 lbs Fr) Garner NC (Garner HS) 3.1 GPA
14 - Brian Davis (6’7” 232 lbs So) Montrose NY (Hendrick Hudson HS) 2.6 GPA*
15 - Pat Robinson (6’6” 225 lbs Fr) Chester NY (Chester HS) 2.8 GPA (1.5/1.5)*
________
*Walk-on

Strategies
We’ve got a really young team this year, aside from Bratton, Thompson and Bradley, and only Jeremy Thompson has much more than a year of starting experience. So I’m going to give the team more offensive freedom as they learn the ropes of our offensive structure. I’m taking a risk I’ve never taken as a coach, and it may be a short-term experiment if it doesn’t provide good results.
 
Season Schedule
http://jonathansanders.0catch.com/stjohns%201984-85.PNG

Conference Champion: (3-way tie) West Virginia (12-4, 23-4), St. John’s (12-4, 25-5), South Florida (12-4, 25-5)
Big East Postseason Teams: South Florida (2nd seed, Philadelphia Bracket, NCAA Tournament); West Virginia (3rd seed, Philadelphia Bracket, NCAA Tournament); Pittsburgh (9th seed, Philadelphia Bracket, NCAA Tournament); Notre Dame (5th seed, Indianapolis Bracket, NCAA Tournament); Georgetown (1st seed, New Orleans Bracket, NCAA Tournament); DePaul (3rd seed, New Orleans Bracket, NCAA Tournament); Rutgers (11th seed, New Orleans Bracket, NCAA Tournament); Louisville (7th seed, New Orleans Bracket, NCAA Tournament); St. John’s (1st seed, San Jose Bracket, NCAA Tournament); Cincinnati (4th seed, San Jose Bracket, NCAA Tournament); Seton Hall (7th seed, Midwest Bracket, NIT); Providence (6th seed, West Bracket, NIT)
NIT Champion: (2) Alabama State
NCAA Champion: (1) Arizona

Key Injuries
None.

Team Leaders
Scoring: Patrick Boschee (16.9 ppg) Jeremy Thompson (16.2 ppg) Brent Bratton (10.0 ppg)
Rebounds: Patrick Boschee (15.1 rpg) David Goodwin (4.6 rpg)
Assists: Brent Bratton (3.7 apg) Dan Bradley (2.2 apg)
Steals: Patrick Boschee (1.3 spg)
Blocks: Patrick Boschee (1.1 bpg)

Awards
Big East Player of the Year: Patrick Boschee
1st Team All Big East: Patrick Boschee

Graduating / Leaving Early
PF - Patrick Boschee (3.5 GPA, Soph.) 13.3 ppg 11.2 rpg 1.4 apg 1.1 spg 0.8 bpg (54 games, 30 starts)
PG - Brent Bratton (3.6 GPA) 6.3 ppg 2.1 rpg 2.0 apg 0.3 spg 0.4 bpg (114 games, 48 starts)
PG - Jeremy Thompson (3.7 GPA) 8.7 ppg 2.7 rpg 1.4 apg 0.4 spg 0.3 bpg (92 games, 59 starts)
SF - Dan Bradley (3.6 GPA) 2.2 ppg 2.7 rpg 1.2 apg 0.4 spg 0.2 apg (59 games, 30 starts)
_______
*Walk-on

Declared For The Draft
Patrick Boschee had a breakout year and dominated all opponents, making him a guaranteed lotto pick. Can’t blame him for leaving.

Incoming Recruits
6’7” SF Michael Blakes (Corinth MS - Corinth HS) 3.1 GPA (#5 WSSN National; #1 WSSN Regional) 22.3 ppg 2.7 apg 12.3 rpg 5.7 spg 4.2 bpg
6’10” C Joe Owens (Hampton VA - Phoebus HS) 3.2 GPA (#8 WSSN National; #3 WSSN Regional) 24.6 ppg 7.2 apg 14.2 rpg 2.5 spg 4.9 bpg
6’6” SF Leon Wallace (Alexandria VA (Jefferson Sci/Tech HS) 3.0 GPA (#16 WSSN National; #6 WSSN Regional) 19.4 ppg 6.8 apg 9.8 rpg 4.7 spg 2.7 bpg

Season Summary
We went 13-1 during the non-conference slate of the season, coming within ten points of being undefeated (if only we’d played stronger offense against Georgetown in the finals of the P-NIT, but what’re you gonna do, right?) But get a load of how well the rest of the Big East did … we’ve got perhaps a record season of talent coming through this conference, and even teams with little recent solid performance history are coming up roses. We head into the conference season ranked #2 in the nation, atop the conference in rank, but will be challenged by: #5 Georgetown (13-1), #9 South Florida (13-1), #11 Notre Dame (10-1), #21 Pittsburgh (6-5), #22 Cincinnati (9-3) and #25 Louisville (8-4). But West Virginia’s unranked and 11-0 (RPI: 6!), a resurgent DePaul is 10-3 (RPI: #28), Providence is 10-3 (RPI: #35), Seton Hall is 9-2 (RPI: #40), Marquette is 10-3 (RPI: #53), Syracuse is 7-4 (RPI: #70), Rutgers is 9-4 (RPI: #72) and Connecticut is 7-4 (RPI: #125). That’s a hell of a gauntlet, even with the #2 team and #8 RPI! Could this be a year where a 10-6 record comes close to winning it all in the Big East, due to parity?

Okay, that’s a bit overdramatic. It wasn’t that crazy. But two weeks before the end of the season we had a seven-team race for the title: South Florida (9-3), West Virginia, DePaul and St. Johns (8-4) and Georgetown, Louisville and Cincy right behind with 7-5 records, only two games out with four games left! That’s serious competition. And our 53-49 win over #5 South Florida on the 17th, led by Patrick Boschee’s 19 points and school-record 22 rebound performance, helped make things much more complicated. With two games to go we were caught in a three-way tie for first with West Virginia and South Florida (all of us 10-4), with Georgetown, DePaul and Louisville each one game out (and Notre Dame and Cincy sat back with 8-6 records hoping they’d each win both their games while the rest of us lost games, allowing a super-tie at the top, something which seemed highly unlikely … though with this season, who’d have questioned much?) All three of us at the top won our games, and Georgetown and DePaul stayed in it by winning theirs … though Louisville fell 56-80 to Cincinnati, falling out of contention. (And in our win over Rutgers, Boschee put up 24 boards, breaking his own record and setting a new national one! The kid’s having a phenomenal year!) On the final night of action, we beat Seton Hall 46-43, earning at least a piece of first … South Florida earned their share as well with a 86-68 victory over Rutgers, while West Virginia kept it a three-way tie with their own 58-39 win over Providence. Georgetown beat Notre Dame 75-56 and DePaul beat Syracuse 74-50, tying each other at fourth with 11-5 records.

The conference’s depth was rewarded with TEN TEAMS SEEDED in the NCAA Tournament, with TWO MORE in the NIT! That’s a staggering 75% of our conference in the tournament, and if you consider 65 teams make the Big Dance and 32 make the NIT, of 97 teams in playoff action, Big East teams make up 12% of all playing teams! Unbelievable … only Syracuse (5-11, 12-15), Connecticut (4-12, 11-16), Marquette (3-13, 13-16) and Villanova (3-13, 7-20) didn’t make it anywhere. Rutgers even made it in as an 11th seed with a 7-9 conference record based purely on strength of schedule. Pittsburgh was the big shocker, with a 14-13 (8-8) record … their 44th ranked RPI got them a 9th seed in Philly despite an abysmal 1-10 record on the road. As for Big East NIT teams, Providence was one and done, and Wyoming beat Seton Hall 85-81 in the NIT Sweet Sixteen, eliminating them from action.

In the NCAA tourney, we beat Santa Clara easily 57-32, while only Louisville lost their opening game (to 10th seeded Maryland, 75-62). In the second round, against (9) Richmond, we rode a stunning 26 point 27 rebound performance from Boschee (already NBA bound) to win 62-48 … Boschee only further shattered his OWN national record rebound-wise. Six Big East teams made the Sweet Sixteen, and two of us (us and Cincy) were scheduled to face in that very round! South Florida beat Oklahoma to make their third straight Elite Eight, while Notre Dame lost to Arizona 63-76. On our night of action, we took Cincy apart defensively 51-39, led by Boschee’s 19 points 18 rebounds; Georgetown beat Kansas 69-54 and DePaul beat Georgia Tech 69-58, putting four of our conference’s teams into the Elite Eight. But there would not be the prospect of an all Big East Final Four, as DePaul and Georgetown would have to face off to win their bracket. In the Elite Eight, South Florida lost out AGAIN to Duke, losing 65-73 in the same game they’d lost to them last year. We beat (3) Florida 57-47 in another defensive battle, while DePaul did the same to Georgetown, winning 55-39 to make the Final Four in their first trip to the tourney since going one-and-done in 1974! Unbelievable … that was also the last time the school had a winning record (15-14). This year they were 25-8 heading into the Final Four …

… where they faced us in the National Semifinals. And Patrick Boschee put up 26 points 19 rebounds along with 21 points from Jeremy Thompson, helpign us overcome our 62-64 loss from earlier in the season, beating DePaul 77-68, earning our third trip to the title game! We faced down (1) Arizona, and built a 38-35 halftime lead only to completely crumble as they shut down Boschee on offense, going ahead to beat us badly 78-61, a brutal loss for our program.

(2) Alabama State won the NIT title game over (4) Auburn 57-54.

We’re losing Boschee, a big loss, but we’re also losing Jeremy Thompson and Brent Bratton, so out the window goes 42 points offense a game. Next year’s going to be tough, as we’ll have to move players into new roles, players who may not have had the experience of starting. We’ve been there before, but a Final Four might be as much as we can hope for out of the upcoming season. Which would be nothing to scoff at, except the administration wants another title, and they’re not good at taking “not yet” for an answer.
 
The job at Duke is open, and they discreetly attempted to contact me about whether I’d be interested … it was tempting, considering they’ve got one of the best reps in the nation, the best facilities, a strong academic tradition. And our administration’s given me nothing but grief despite what I bring to the table. But would Duke be much better? Would their administration give me room to build a program and respect the fact that, while I’m there to win games, I’m not going to do so at the developmental expense of my players?

I decided to host their AD for a visit on the grounds of my summer home up in Syracuse. I covered it up using the guise of a family vacation, with my wife Adrian, my son Alexander and our two college aged daughters, Allie and Cassidy, all heading out to spend a week rebooting from the season. Duke sent their AD by car, to avoid a fuss, and we spent the afternoon one day discussing the job. He said the magic words: “it’s your program, and we’re prepared to give you the resources to build a steady champion.” No more begging for money for my team’s development. No more crumbling facilities.

I arrived back on campus a few days later and called a team meeting. I told the players I was planning to accept the job at Duke, and that I wished them the best of luck the following season, that I knew they had it in them to be champions. I notified our stunned AD and then packed my things and flew down to Durham for the press conference and to start hunting for a house for me and Adrian.

A new era’s beginning …

[smartman]

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Anywhere but PUKE!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I don't know if I can root for you anymore in this dynasty.

I really wonder if the facilities grade matters when your prestige is that high, at least in the game as it does in real life a little bit. At least you bailed on the incredibly, absurdly difficult Big East. Hope the ACC keeps the ol' stress levels down a little bit.

[jksander]

Facilities affect home-court advantage, which is CRUCIAL in a brutal conference. That little boost of "momentum" you get in the game is important when you're at home against, say #6 South Florida ... a game I lost several times I believe due to our B- facilities (which were on their way down to C+ when I bailed.

And as much as many hate Duke due to Coach K's ego and such, the school is a top-notch research school with strong academic standards and dedication to solid promotion of athletics ;) It's a dream school for many for good reason.

[jksander]

By the way, since coaches don't seem to retire in the game, when I decide to retire Coach Day, I'll start a new dynasty with the current year, and will copy the database info from teams (columns: current / historical prestige) and conferences (moving all teams to where they are at the end of this dynasty). That's as much as I'll be able to do, so I can guarantee that Coach Alex Day will start at a new school, so I won't have to worry about adding in player data and causing all sorts of conflicts with the data.

[smartman]

The school is one of the top 20 academic schools in the country. I have a deep respect for the university. However, I can't stand Coach K and the long-term plan that has reaped its rewards in the Dukification of the sports networks (take a long look at the upper-management degrees at CBS and ESPN almost all of them graduated from Duke). This has just exasperated the coddling of Duke and Coach K. He's worse than Bobby Knight ever was, but he has the PR to whitewash it all away.

Anyway, get on with the dynasty already! At least beat UNC like a drum every time you play them. :)

[jksander]

I'm working on it! lol ... I was watching Ball State's women play Iowa State in the NCAA tourney's second game. They lost 55-71 but showed a ton of heart. And I was enjoying some good old fashioned alcohol ;) Yukon Jack and lemonade ... tasty ;)

[jksander]

1985-86

http://jonathansanders.0catch.com/DUKE.gif

Coach Information
Name: Charles Day (50)
Experience: 277-105 (.725)
Contract: $1,281,000 / 6 years
Ambition: high
Academics: very high
Discipline: very low
Temper: average
Integrity: average
Reputation: 94%
Offense: 76%
Defense: 63%
Recruiting: 87%
Scouting: 67% (+1)
Development: 81%
Job Security: 100%

School Information
Name: Duke
Mascot: Blue Devils
Location: Durham NC
Arena: Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,314)
Facilities: A
Academics: A
Conference: ACC
Conference Prestige: 85%
Team Prestige: 98%
Minimum SAT: 1000
Starting Budget: $551,250
Asst. Salaries: $286,000
Remaining Budget: $265,250
Incoming Class Rank: #11 -- St. John’s class is #1! How’s that for leaving a full cupboard?

Administration Goals
1. We’d love to see a national title, but we’ll give you time to adjust.
2. At least be in contention for the ACC title. You’ve got a good team to work with, Coach.
3. Win at least twenty games. Shouldn’t be hard with the team we’ve got right now!
3. No academic ineligibility. That’s a big deal here, and bringing in poor students will cost you.
4. Maintain our prestige. We have lofty goals here at Duke, but we know you do too.

My Assistants
I kept Neil McIntyre (53) on as our top assistant. He’s earning $178,000 a year through the next six years, but he’s got a ton of head coaching experience (at Iowa State from 1973-75 and at Nebraska from 1976-78, and as top assistant at Duke since then). Though he only had a 54-111 record at the DI level, he’s a brilliant offensive coordinator, and he’s the king of player development. I couldn’t stand to let him go … who’d we replace him with?

But I made a riskier choice for second assistant, bringing in Dana Patterson, a 38-year-old former WNBA assistant, scout and one-time agent who is a spectacular recruiter, something we really need working for us at Duke. She’s the first female assistant for a DI men’s program to my knowledge, but I see no reason why she shouldn’t get as much a shot in this league as anyone else with talent. Men coach women’s ball, right? Why not spread the talent around both levels? I’m sure I’ll catch heat for it, but I brought her in on a four year $83,000 contract to run recruiting for our team.

I again brought my son Alex Day, 28, on as third assistant to run scouting and handle training and medical. He’ll get $25,000 a year for fuor years, a $1,000 raise over what he was getting at St. John’s.

Conference Movement
None.

Players Transfering
None.

NBA Draft
#14 - Jeremy Thompson
#15 - Patrick Boschee

I only count my two players I developed. The game gives me credit for the three Duke picks. I didn’t coach ‘em, I won’t take credit for ‘em.

Norton Nominees
SG - Rory Hall (Senior)
C - Mike Isenhour (Senior)
SG - Myron Rivers (Senior)

Team Roster
PG - Reggie Cherry (5’11” 172 lbs Jr) Quicksburg VA (Stonewall Jackson HS) 3.7 GPA (4.5/5.0)
SG - Myron Rivers (6’5” 188 lbs Sr) Wallkill NY (Wallkill HS) 3.1 GPA (5.0/5.0)
SF - Rory Hall (6’5” 216 lbs Sr) Itta Bena MS (Leflore County HS) 3.1 GPA (5.0/5.0)
PF - Travis Wilkerson (6’6” 227 lbs Sr) Oklahoma City OK (John Marshall HS) 2.7 GPA (4.5/5.0)
C - Mike Isenhour (6’8” 231 lbs Sr) Tallulah LA (Reuben McCall HS) 3.3 GPA (4.5/5.0)

6 - Robert Abraham (6’4” 212 lbs Jr) Lexington NC (Lexington HS) 3.9 GPA (3.0/3.5)*
7 - Cory Bakken (6’7” 215 lbs Jr) Amherst NH (Southegan HS) 2.7 GPA (4.5/5.0)
8 - Tyler Grady (6’8” 206 lbs Sr) Clinton NC (Union HS) 2.8 GPA (4.5/4.5)
9 - Derek Carter (6’10” 257 lbs Fr) Middletown DE (Middletown HS) 3.1 GPA (4.0/5.0)
10 - Adam Dye (6’11” 267 lbs So) Chandler AZ (Seton Catholic HS) 2.8 GPA (4.0/4.5)
11 - Chris Landram (6’6” 214 lbs So) Asheville NC (Erwin HS) 3.4 GPA (2.0/2.5)*
12 - Brett Gunn (6’2” 174 lbs Jr) Chinook MT (Chinook HS) 2.5 GPA (1.5/4.0)
13 - Brad Millford (6’4” 212 lbs Jr) Morristown TN (Morristown-Hamilton West HS) 2.1 GPA (1.5/3.5)
14 - Rick Sanders (6’2” 203 lbs Fr) Calypso NC (North Duplin HS) 3.8 GPA (1.0/3.0)*
15 - Matt Ledbetter (6’8” 222 lbs Fr) Mooresville NC (Lake Norman HS) 3.6 GPA (1.0/1.0)*
________
*Walk-on

Strategies
Duke’s used to playing Flex, Princeton and 5 Out offense. I despise the 5 Out, so I’m phasing that out entirely. We’ll keep the focus on Flex and Princeton, both solid offensive schemes. Defensively they’re used to man to man, but we’re going 1-2-2 Zone (which they’ve had some experience with) and sticking to man to man on press (while teaching them the 1-2-1-1 diamond press in practice, to switch to next year). They’re used to running sets 75% of the time, which fits my style perfectly. I won’t have to worry about the veterans wanting to run and gun it on their own terms. We’ll play fast-paced offense with strong emphasis on getting inside for both offensive and defensive rebounds, along with zone defense all the way, full court. I’m hoping for solid results right out of the gate, as we compete in the Coaches Classic.
 
Season Schedule
http://jonathansanders.0catch.com/Duke%201985-86.PNG

ACC Champion: Duke (16-0, 30-0)
ACC Postseason Teams: Duke (1st seed, Syracuse Bracket, NCAA Tournament); Georgia Tech (1st seed, Lexington Bracket, NCAA Tournament); Wake Forest (3rd seed, Lexington Bracket, NCAA Tournament); North Carolina (1st seed, Spokane Bracket, NCAA Tournament); Clemson (1st seed, West Bracket, NIT); Maryland (8th seed, West Bracket, NIT)
NIT Champion: (8) Louisville
NCAA Champion: (1) DePaul

Key Injuries
4/1/86: Myron Rivers (Broken Nose)

Team Leaders
Scoring: Myron Rivers (17.1 ppg) Rory Hall (14.3 ppg) Mike Isenhour (8.8 ppg) Reggie Cherry (7.8 ppg)
Rebounds: Myron Rivers (7.6 rpg) Mike Isenhour (7.4 rpg) Travis Wilkinson (4.6 rpg)
Assists: Reggie Cherry (3.7 apg) Myron Rivers (3.6 apg) Robert Abraham (1.9 apg)
Steals: Mike Isenhour (1.4 spg)
Blocks: Mike Isenhour (1.8 spg)

Awards
National Coach of the Year: Charles Day
2nd Team All American: Myron Rivers
ACC Coach of the Year: Charles Day
1st Team All ACC: Myron Rivers
2nd Team All ACC: Mike Isenhour

Graduating / Leaving Early
C - Derek Carter (3.6 GPA) 4.0 ppg 3.2 rpg 0.8 apg 0.6 spg 0.5 bpg (30 games, 2 starts)
C - Mike Isenhour (3.1 GPA) 6.5 ppg 5.3 rpg 1.4 apg 1.0 spg 1.5 bpg (101 games, 60 starts)
PF - Tyler Grady (2.6 GPA) 10.3 ppg 5.0 rpg 1.0 apg 1.0 spg 0.7 bpg (113 games, 56 starts)
SG - Rory Hall (4.0 GPA) 13.5 ppg 3.9 rpg 1.3 apg 0.7 spg 0.3 bpg (110 starts)
SG - Myron Rivers (3.1 GPA) 17.3 ppg 7.5 rpg 4.5 apg 1.2 spg 1.5 bpg (114 starts)
SF - Travis Wilkerson (2.5 GPA) 4.2 ppg 2.5 rpg 0.8 apg 0.4 spg 0.5 bpg (114 games, 32 starts)
_______
*Walk-on

Declared for the Draft
Derek Carter, a freshman center, played 15.9 minutes a game for us but only produced four points and just over three boards per game. I guess he wants to try his hand at the pros, but I wish he’d had the discipline to stay a year longer. He would have started next year. Surely he didn’t expect to start over a senior … I had no personal problems with him, and he didn’t come to me demanding more playing time. So I guess he just hears the siren-song of millions in NBA money. Hope he gets drafted, otherwise his 3.6 GPA is going to go to waste. And I doubt he can afford to pay Duke tuition without his athletic scholarship.

Incoming Recruits
6’9” C Shawn Hampton (Brandon VT - Otter Valley Union HS) 3.1 GPA (#3 WSSN National; #3 WSSN Regional) 26.4 ppg 3.6 apg 22.3 rpg 3.9 spg 5.3 bpg
6’8” PF Ron Merfeld (Batavia IL - Batavia HS) 3.1 GPA (#85 WSSN National; #17 WSSN Regional) 15.9 ppg 3.7 apg 8.0 rpg 1.4 spg 1.6 bpg
6’6” SF Kevin Meads (Danville AL - Speake HS) 3.0 GPA (#160 WSSN National; #39 WSSN Regional) 16.8 ppg 2.9 apg 3.3 rpg 1.5 spg 1.9 bpg
6’2” PG Brett Gunn (Chinook MT - Chinook HS) 3.0 GPA (#268 WSSN National; #45 WSSN Regional) 18.0 ppg 4.5 apg 3.3 rpg 2.2 spg 2.1 bpg
6’6” PF Chris Ansley (Hurricane WV - Hurricane HS) 3.0 GPA (#351 WSSN National; #94 WSSN Regional) 17.5 ppg 4.0 apg 10.1 rpg 2.0 spg 3.4 bpg

Season Summary
We ran the table in the first half of the season, winning the Coaches Classic by beating North Carolina 55-42 in the finals, with big wins against West Virginia, South Florida and St. John’s to follow. But the ACC’s stacked, with #2 Georgia Tech also 14-0 during that span, with #3 North Carolina right behind with only their loss to us blemishing their record. We’d also have to watch out for #22 Maryland (9-2), #7 Wake Forest (11-2) and unranked Clemson (8-3), all of whom showed promise during the pre-ACC season. But the competition never seemed to materialize! By the time we met UNC again, on the road, we handed them a 10-point loss that gave ua a 19-0 record. By the time we met Wake Forest, this time on our turf, they were now ranked 10th and had a 16-4 record. We beat them 77-69 to go up 22-0! Only Georgia Tech remained ahead to tear us one, and when we met we were #1, 24-0 and they were #2, 24-0, ON THEIR TURF. Both of us were 10-0 in the conference, a whole three games ahead of our nearest competition (North Carolina, at 20-4, 7-3). And, believe it or not, we overcame a 29-31 halftime deficit and beat the Yellow Jackets through strong defense, winning 70-65, to remain the nation’s sole undefeated team! We rolled to the last game of the season undefeated, facing down North Carolina (again) this time on our turf. We built up a 39-28 halftime lead which quickly evaporated in the second half as UNC fuoght to tie it 65-65 at the end of regulation. In overtime we outscored the Tarheels 12-6, winning the game 77-71 to remain undefeated heading into the NCAA Tournament, where we were assured the top seed overall!

Clemson and Maryland opened the NIT with their 1/8 matchup; Maryland won the upset, 67-55, staying alive in the tourney, facing Valparaiso in the second round, winning 65-54. Meanwhile, in the NCAA Tourney, we blasted Cornell 85-57, Georgia Tech crushed Jacksonville 78-45 and Wake Forest narrowly escaped (14) Bradley 64-59. The next night North Carolina reamed Cal-Riverside 70-43, keeping all ACC teams alive for at least a second round. We faced (9) Iowa, a team we beat 69-42 on our court in Dec-ember. We stomped them this time 75-39, barely keeping them alive five minutes in competition. Georgia Tech beat Cincy 70-61, Wake Forest lost to (6) Stanford 68-51 and North Carolina held back San Diego State 61-44.

Maryland was offed by Auburn 58-53 in the NIT’s Quarterfinals, ending their season with a 17-13 record. They should be glad they got in, with their dismal 6-10 ACC record. This truly was a top-heavy ACC season, with us 15-1, Georgia Tech 15-1, North Carolina 12-4 and Wake Forest 11-5, with everyone else 8-8 or worse. Anyway, in the Sweet Sixteen we faced (4) Oklahoma, crushing them 71-45 while Georgia Tech blasted Memphis 82-64 and North Carolina beat South Florida 62-56, keeping them out of the Elite Eight this time around. The next round we got our best game so far, against Michigan, but we still dominated the first half, going up 29-16, and even a strong second half couldn’t save the Wolverines, which lost 57-44. Georgia Tech outplayed (2) Florida 64-56 and North Carolina escaped (3) Providence in overtime 68-67! So three ACC teams will join the Big East’s DePaul (the #1 seed from Orlando) in a chalk Final Four full of #1s. This should be good!

(8) Louisville beat (2) Auburn 65-64 in the NIT Finals, a solid win for the underdog Cardinals. We, meanwhile, got a rematch of the Georgia Tech game in the National Semifinals. We’d both been 24-0 when we met and we won, and neither team has lost a game since. GT’s 33-1 to our 34-0, and this was expected to be a classic of epic basketball proportions. Instead we outscored them 34-20 in the first half, and even their most valliant comeback attempts weren’t going to stop us at that point. We rolled to a 67-59 victory, putting us one game shy of a perfect season! DePaul upended North Carolina 49-45, giving us an ACC / Big East title game, with DePaul in their first Final Four! But we’d be without Myron Rivers, who broke his nose in the Georgia Tech game, and Reggie Cherry looked to be day-to-day with a sprained knee. Fun, fun, fun …

The DePaul game turned into a real nailbiter … tied 31-31 at the half, the game featured 12 lead changes in the second half and was tied with 0:04.5 left on the clock, with DePaul inbounding. Jesse Day, their star guard, who already had three treys on the night, got the inbounds pass, got to three-country, and with Hall and Isenhour double-teaming him, managed to get off a desperation shot with half a second left, NAILING IT … stealing our title and perfect season with three simple points. 72-69. We lose. Crushing. But man what a season …

This was Duke’s third straight trip to the Final Four, and second time in three years to make the championship game. But we’re losing five highly productive seniors, every starter but Cherry and including our eighth man. Next year it’s going to be tough to make it this far in the tournament without strong contribution by our incoming class (a good one!) and from our vets who haven’t had the starting time they might have liked. We’re Duke, so even in a rebuilding year we’ll be expected to put up a Sweet Sixteen and post more than 20 wins, including a strong ACC finish. But next year may be my toughest season as a new coach. Having the title this year would have been a real boost, but the 35-1 season as it stands will do enough to put a target on our backs that may be too hard to live up to.

[jksander]

OOC: One of our recruits is named Brett Gunn and appears to be a duplicate of a current senior. I'm going to change his name to Terrance Gunn and count him as a brother, to keep things going. Wanted you to know I'm aware of the glitch, but this kind of thing happens occasionally in the game ;)

1986-87

http://jonathansanders.0catch.com/DUKE.gif

Coach Information
Name: Charles Day (51)
Experience: 312-106 (.746)
Contract: $1,281,000 / 5 years
Ambition: high
Academics: very high
Discipline: very low
Temper: average
Integrity: average
Reputation: 95% (+1)
Offense: 76%
Defense: 63%
Recruiting: 87%
Scouting: 68% (+1)
Development: 81%
Job Security: 100%

School Information
Name: Duke
Mascot: Blue Devils
Location: Durham NC
Arena: Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,314)
Facilities: A
Academics: A
Conference: ACC
Conference Prestige: 86% (+1)
Team Prestige: 99% (+1)
Minimum SAT: 1000
Starting Budget: $551,250
Asst. Salaries: $297,000
Remaining Budget: $254,250
Incoming Class Rank: #2

Administration Goals
1. We know you’re “rebuilding,” but with the #2 class, we’d love to see you challenging for a title.
2. Dare we hope for a repeat ACC title win? Last year’s was great, and we’d love to finally dominate this conference.
3. Win at least twenty games. Shouldn’t be hard with the team we’ve got right now.
3. No academic ineligibility. You’ve done well so far, don’t give us reason to worry in the future.
4. Maintain our prestige. We have lofty goals here at Duke, but we know you do too. Push toward perfection!

Assistant News
Our top assistant has accepted a head coaching job at Southern Illinois, so we wish him luck there. In his place we’ve hired 46-year-old former DII head coach Richard Ames, who will be our top assistant and lead scout, earning $189,000 per year for the next four seasons. Dana Patterson will remain on as our second assistant / recruiting coordinator, while Alex Day will remain our third assistant / trainer / medical director.

Conference Movement
None.

Players Transfering
Adam Dye was not happy with his ten minutes off the bench last year, but we had so many talented seniors to get playing time, there was nothing more I could do. Again, he would have started this year, but he’ll be looking elsewhere. Good luck, Adam, with your remaining two years of eligibility.But that leaves our cupboard of players just that much more bare. We’re down seven players from last year’s 15-player 35-1 team. Even with our top recruiting class, we’ll have SIX WALKONS … I think the board’s nuts if they think we’ll even be in contention for a title without divine intervention. I’ll be happy getting us into the tournament and making a Sweet Sixteen run. Beyond that, it’s gravy.

NBA Draft
#4 - Derek Carter
#9 - Myron Rivers
#16 - Mike Isenhour
#17 - Rory Hall
#32 - Travis Wilkerson
#41 - Tyler Grady

Norton Nominees
PG - Reggie Cherry (Senior)

Team Roster
PG - Reggie Cherry (5’11” 172 lbs Sr) Quicksburg VA (Stonewall Jackson HS) 3.8 GPA
SG - Ron Merfeld (6’8” 208 lbs Fr) Batavia IL (Batavia HS) 3.1 GPA
SF - Corey Bakken (6’7” 215 lbs Sr) Amherst NH (Souhegan HS) 3.3 GPA
PF - Chuck Lindsey (6’8” 239 lbs So) Pembroke NC (Purnell Swett HS) 3.4 GPA*
C - Shawn Hampton (6’9” 259 lbs Fr) Brandon VT (Otter Valley Union HS) 3.1 GPA

6 - Terrance Gunn (6’2” 174 lbs Fr) Chinook MT (Chinook HS) 3.0 GPA
7 - Brad Millford (6’4” 212 lbs Sr) Morristown TN (Morristown-Hamblen West HS) 2.2 GPA
8 - Kevin Meads (6’6” 218 lbs Fr) Danville AL (Speake HS) 3.0 GPA
9 - Brett Gunn (6’2” 174 lbs Sr) Chinook MT (Chinook HS) 2.7 GPA
10 - Chris Ansley (6’6” 202 lbs Fr) Hurricane WV (Hurricane HS) 3.0 GPA
11 - Robert Abraham (6’4” 212 lbs Sr) Lexington NC (Lexington HS) 3.7 GPA*
12 - Jason Hall (6’1” 203 lbs Sr) Manteo NC (Manteo HS) 4.0 GPA*
13 - Chris Landrum (6’6” 214 lbs Jr) Asheville NC (Erwin HS) 2.4 GPA*
14 - Matt Ledbetter (6’8” 222 lbs So) Mooresville NC (Lake Norman HS) 3.3 GPA*
15 - Rick Sanders (6’2” 203 lbs So) Calypso NC (North Duplin HS) 3.8 GPA*
________
*Walk-on

Strategies
I’m going to keep our strategies the same this year, and count on the veterans of last year’s 35-1 season to impart their wisdom and keep this team on track training-wise. We’ve got talent, there’s no doubt. We just need to keep expectations in check.
 
Season Schedule
http://jonathansanders.0catch.com/Duke%201986-87.PNG

ACC Champion: Duke (14-2, 21-7)
ACC Postseason Teams: Duke (3rd seed, Cleveland Bracket, NCAA Tournament); Maryland (9th seed, Cleveland Bracket, NCAA Tournament); Georgia Tech (2nd seed, San Antonio Bracket, NCAA Tournament); Wake Forest (3rd seed, San Antonio Bracket, NCAA Tournament); North Carolina (4th seed, Salt Lake City Bracket, NCAA Tournament); Miami (FL) (3rd seed, Midwest Bracket, NIT)
NIT Champion: (1) Cincinnati
NCAA Champion: (1) Florida

Key Injuries
None.

Team Leaders
Scoring: Shawn Hampton (14.7 ppg) Reggie Cherry (11.7 ppg) Ron Merfeld (10.9 ppg) Corey Bakken (8.1 ppg)
Rebounds: Shawn Hampton (9.4 rpg) Ron Merfeld (4.4 rpg) Corey Bakken (4.4 rpg)
Assists: Reggie Cherry (4.9 apg) Ron Merfeld (2.6 apg) Shawn Hampton (2.2 apg)
Steals: Shawn Hampton (2.6 spg) Corey Bakken (1.3 spg)
Blocks: Shawn Hampton (1.4 bpg) Chuck Lindsey (1.0 bpg)

Awards
National Freshman of the Year: Shawn Hampton
ACC Player of the Year: Shawn Hampton
ACC Freshman of the Year: Shawn Hampton
1st Team All ACC: Shawn Hampton

Graduating / Leaving Early
C - Shawn Hampton (3,2 GPA, Freshman) 14.7 ppg 9.4 rpg 2.2 apg 2.6 spg 1.4 bpg (28 starts)
SG - Robert Abraham (3.5 GPA) 1.7 ppg 1.5 rpg 1.2 apg 0.3 spg (53 games)*
PG - Reggie Cherry (3.8 GPA) 6.1 ppg 2.0 rpg 2.9 apg 0.5 spg 0.3 bpg (114 games, 58 starts)
PG - Brett Gunn (2.8 GPA) 3.5 ppg 1.8 rpg 0.7 apg 0.3 spg (41 games)
PF - Corey Bakken (3.0 GPA) 5.2 ppg 4.1 rpg 1.0 apg 0.6 spg 0.7 bpg (114 games, 57 starts)
SG - Jason Hull (3.7 GPA) did not play during the season.*
SF - Brad Millford (2.3 GPA) 4.6 ppg 1.5 rpg 0.8 apg 0.2 spg (44 games)
_______
*Walk-on

Incoming Recruits
6’1” PG - Steven Strickland (Jackson Junct. IA - Turkey Valley HS) 3.2 GPA (#7 WSSN Ntl; #4 WSSN Reg) 21.3 ppg 5.8 apg 11.0 rpg 6.1 spg 3.6 bpg
6’6” SF - Miguel Nabity (Biddeford ME - Biddeford HS) 3.0 GPA (#8 WSSN Ntl; #1 WSSN Reg) 23.2 ppg 5.6 apg 11.7 rpg 6.9 spg 3.8 bpg
6’2” PG - Nick Punt (Grenada MS - Grenada HS) 3.8 GPA (#11 WSSN Ntl; #3 WSSN Reg) 18.8 ppg 9.9 apg 8.4 rpg 6.8 spg 4.3 bpg
6’10” C John Smith (Tom Bean TX - Tom Bean HS) 3.8 GPA (#26 WSSN Ntl; #8 WSSN Reg) 18.4 ppg 3.5 apg 10.0 rpg 2.1 spg 3.1 bpg
6’2” SG Carl Price (Olympia Fields IL - Rich Central HS) 3.4 GPA (#39 WSSN Ntl; #4 WSSN Reg) 16.9 ppg 5.0 apg 9.0 rpg 1.4 spg 2.2 bpg

Season Summary
Long story short: we repeated as ACC champions. Slightly longer story, not so short: we went 7-5 during the pre-ACC season, losing in the second round of the Hawaiian Shootout and dropping three in a row at #3 St. John’s, Iowa at home and then Ohio State on the road before hitting the ACC circuit. We won two straight then lost big to Maryland on our turf. That shook our young team so much they vowed not to let it happen again. We won 14 games in a row, including beating UNC here in Durham, Georgia Tech in Durham and Wake Forest on the road, before losing to North Carolina 54-65 on the road to end the ACC season 14-2 (a game up on Georgia Tech, three up on Wake and four up on North Carolina).

Right before the tourney though we got word that freshman Shawn Hampton’s leaving for the NBA. We keep losing our top players before they ever get the chance to make a massive impact. Guess we’ve got to get what we can out of him this postseason and wish him luck.

Five of us got into the tournament, our team grabbing the third seed in the midwest region. Miami made the NIT but was one and done against Texas Southern, losing 86-69. In the first round of the NCAA Tourney, however, our luck wasn’t much better. Our team was humiliated 80-70 by upstart St. Francis (PA), the 14th seed. They were already calling us overrated, saying their 19-8 record deserved a much higher seed. The crowd, which turned on us quickly, seemed to agree.

Maryland lost to (8) UCLA 72-50 on the same night, but the remaining three teams survived the first two days at least. During the second round, Georgia Tech beat Pitt 82-67, Wake beat Utah 73-70 (a close one!) and UNC survived West Virginia’s onslaughts, winning 58-51. Wake and Georgia Tech faced each other in the Sweet Sixteen, and Tech prevailed 69-58. UNC, meanwhile, fell to (1) Michigan State 72-50. In the Elite Eight, Georgia Tech fell to the top #1 seed, Florida, 74-61. No ACC teams made the Final Four.

In the NIT Finals, (8) New Mexico was punished by (1) Cincinnati, 73-56. The Bearcats, 21-11, are still fuming that they were left out of the NCAA Tournament due to the technicality of finishing 7-9 in the brutal Big East (7-9 qualified them for 11th place in that league). As for the NCAA Tournament title game, (1) Florida won a noneventful title in a blowout defensive game crushing St. John’s (also a top seed) 51-36.

Not too much to say about this season. I thought the team had proven during the ACC season that they were battle tested and ready to make a run, at least through the first couple rounds. Instead we embarassed ourselves and I took a huge step backward in the eyes of the administration. And to make it worse, we lost our star FRESHMAN. At least Merfeld is sticking around, but a walk-on was our only other starter who’ll return, and he only managed 3.5 points and 3.8 rebounds per game even when getting 22 minutes a night. Hardly reassuring.

What will this team look like next year? We’re adding what could be the #1 class, but three of them are top 12 players who will demand starting time regardless of whether they’re ready to start. We’ll see what happens.

[jksander]

I'm getting a permanent RTE Block Variable Unset ... and I think it was because I cut all my walk-ons as part of my storyline. I'd done it before a long time ago and never had a problem, but that's how things go I guess. Either way, I have a save but it's after the fact on those cuts, so I really don't think it's fixable. Sorry guys ... but I have an idea up my sleeve for a "play it out" diary, rather than a simming one. I'll update y'all later.