PointGuard

Meaghan Kriley, KSPK TV Investigative Reporter I got an early morning call, waking me from a sound sleep this morning. The caller identified himself as Bobby Hendricks, owner of KSMO radio in Springfield, MO. He said he’d been watching some of my television news stories and found them to be daring, insightful and refreshing. I kept asking myself why he was calling me. He then said he was impressed with my on screen presence. He said his station had just shaken up its evening news crew and he felt I’d be a good addition as one of their co-anchors for the evening news. By then I was definitely awake and completely surprised. After regaining my composure we went into more depth on just what this meant. I ended the conversation by thanking him and letting him know I would give it some thought and get back to him with my decision. Later that day I called Bret and told him what had happened. I asked him if he knew anything about this. He said no and he sounded as surprised about it as I had been. (I was happy about this because I don't want to be getting job offers based on Bret's help.) But he said he was sure I deserved the offer because he also felt my work was top-notch. He asked if I was going to accept the job offer. I told him that I still needed to research and consider it more.

Player and Team Stats Player Stats: PPG: Dalron Jones-20.2, Antonio Greer-12.1, Mark Byams-9.9, Johnnie Campbell-8.1, Chris Adams-7.3. RPG: Mark Byams-6.9, Terry jones-4.6, Eric Dersch-4.3, Johnnie Campbell-4.0, Rob Ferguson-3.9. APG: Howie Tyler-2.5, Dalron Jones-2.5, Antonio Greer-2.4, Johnnie Campbell-2.0, Eric Dersch-1.6. Team Stats: PPG: Memphis-76.5, Opponents-69.3 RPG: Memphis-31.4, Opponents-28.7 APG: Memphis-15.0, Opponents-13.5 BPG: Memphis-3.3, Opponents-2.9 SPG: Memphis-8.8, Opponents-7.4 TO: Memphis-14.6, Opponents-15.6 FG%: Memphis-46.2, Opponents-42.0 3P%: Memphis-42.2, Opponents-33.4 FT%: Memphis-77.6, Opponents-74.5

Cyndi Rayburn, Missouri State athletic department public relations Game #12, Jan. 3, 2018: Northern Iowa Panthers (8-3, 2-0) at Missouri State Bears (3-8, 0-2) With the way our team has been playing, it’s hard to create any positive PR. And now we have to take on the co-leaders in the Missouri Valley Conference. If we lose we take sole possession of last place in the conference. Not much way to get the media and fans excited if we do that. Even though they initially hailed his arrival, many in the local media are beginning to turn on Coach Vandergard, intimating he’s not cut out to lead the Bears to better times and that he’s in over his head by jumping up from Eastern Washington. People are asking, "What has Bret Vandergard done for US lately?" Oh no, the Panthers even look good warming up. The Bears put together a tight defense early in the game, preventing Northern Iowa from hitting a FG for first 9 minutes and 51 seconds of the game. This allowed the Bears to open a 12 to 6 lead. The Pathers made a run right after that to cut our lead to a single point. But the Bears slowly but surely expanded their lead to finish the half on top by a 37-24 score. We outshot Northern Iowa 57% to 28% and out-rebounded the Panthers 15-10. Terrance Simmons led our scoring with 7 points. The Bears continued to play aggressively defensively and by the mid-point of the 2nd half had expanded their lead to 26 points. From there they coasted to their first win in conference play as they thrashed Northern Iowa, dropping them out of first place. The Bears hit 55% of their shots compared to the Panthers 38% shooting. Missouri State dominated the boards 32-20. Final Score: Missouri State (4-8, 1-2, 5th place tie)—73, Northern Iowa—56. Leading players for Missouri State: PG Terrance Simmons-12 pts, 6 assists, 3 reb; PF Ricky Lee-10 pts, 2 assists, 4 reb, 1 steal; SF Aaron Wells-10 pts, 2 assists, 4 reb, 2 steals; SG Brent Gregory-10 pts, 1 assist, 3 reb; C Joey Jones-9 pts, 1 assist, 6 reb. Player of the Game: PG Terrance Simmons-12 pts, 6 assists, 3 reb. For Northern Iowa: SG Edwin Walton-16 pts.

American Athletic Conference Tournament Game #29 vs Tulsa: Our offense continued to perk. We shot extremely well and took a 51-39 lead at the half. In the 2nd half we opened a 22 point lead and won the game 86-68. Rob Ferguson, Dalron Jones, and Antonio Greer each scored 15 points. But the MVP of the game was Mark Byams with 14 points, 6 rebounds and 10 steals! We move on to the semi-final game. (21-8) Game #30 vs Connecticut: Following our earlier drubbing at the hands of the Huskies, we had a point to prove. But Connecticut out-played us in the 1st half to take a 40-35 lead at the break. We came out determined to change things and gradually pulled even and then away to win 79-68. Dalron Jones topped our scoring with 17 points, Rob Ferguson and Mark Byams both scored 13 (and Byams achieved a double-double by grabbing 13 rebounds), and subs Chris Adams and Howie Tyler scored 10 and 9 points, respectively. The win moved us on to the Tourney Championship game. (22-8) (Terry Jones sprained his toe in this game) Game #31 vs #5 Houston: Our defense was stellar in the 1st half, allowing us to take a 43-23 lead to the locker room. We continued our dominance in the 2nd half and won going away and crushed Houston, 78-53. Mark Byams was our top scorer with 19 points, Dalron Jones score 18, Rob Ferguson had a strong double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds, and Antonio Greer added 13 points. The Memphis Tigers are American Athletic Conference Champs! (23-8, Ranked 15th, RPI: 6th)

Game #25 @ Tulane: Tulane applied a staunch defense in the 1st half and ran away to a 46-26 lead at the break. We shot well in the 2nd half but couldn’t stop Tulane and fell 87-68.Dalron Jones led us offensively with 20 points, Rob Ferguson scored 14, and Mark Byams hit 11 points while pullding down 9 rebounds. (17-8, 11-4, 2nd place tie) Game #26, South Florida: We started slowly but by the end of the 1st half had a 30-23 lead. We then expanded that lead in the 2nd half and won 61-44. Rob Ferguson and Dalron Jones shared high-point honors with 12 each, Chris Adams came off the bench to score 10, and Antonio Greer and Howie Tyler both scored 9. (18-8, 12-4, 2nd place tie, Ranked 19th, RPI: 9th) (Antonio Greer sprained his wrist) Game #27, Connecticut: Howie Tyler started at PG in place of the injured Antonio Greer. The two teams raced up and down the court in the first half. We went to the locker room with a 51-50 lead. The pace didn’t abate in the 2nd half as defense was absent on both ends of the court. We managed to get the upper edge , 102-95. Dalron Jones netted 31 points with Howie Tyler and Mark Byams each scoring 13, and Chris Adams chipping in 9. (19-8, 13-4, 2nd place) Game #28 @ Cincinnati: Howie Tyler started again since Antonio Greer is still nursing an injury. To avoid dropping back into a tie for 2nd place, we needed to win this game. Our players continued their offensive onslaught from the previous game by scoring 52 first half points but held Cincinnati to 32 points. We slowed it down in the 2nd half and came away with an 86-64 victory. Dalron Jones scored the nets for 25 points, but Howie Tyler scored a surprising 21. Rob Ferguson and substitute Trey Frazier each scored 12 points and Mark Byams added 11. Rob Ferguson achieved a double-double by also pulling down 10 boards. (20-8, 14-4, 2nd place, Ranked 17th, RPI: 6th)

Paris George, 3rd Assistant Coach Game #11, Dec. 30, 2017: Missouri State Bears (3-7, 0-1) at Loyola-Chicago Ramblers (4-6, 0-1) Our starters match up well against this team, but their bench is stronger. But we’ve got a chance to wind this road game if we play well together as a team. We harassed the Ramblers with a full-court press throughout most of the first half. Even though they outshot us 56% to 46%, the press kept us in the game. But in the final two minutes of the first half the Ramblers were finally able to open a 6 point lead and we trailed 37-31 at the halftime break. Brent Gregory led our scoring with 8 points. We kept the game close in the 2nd half, but then ran out of gas toward the end of the game. The difference in the game, though, came down to free throws. The Ramblers were sent to the free throw line 11 more times and scored 8 more points than did we. But this is the third straight game where our team has had a big letdown in the 2nd half. I’m already anticipating Coach V coming down on the team and the staff to get that turned around. Final Score: Loyola-Illinois—73, Missouri State (3-8, 0-2, 9th place tie)—66. Leading players for Missouri State: SG Brent Gregory-11 pts, 4 assists, 3 reb, 3 steals; PG Terrance Simmons-11 pts, 2 assists, 2 reb; C Joey Jones-11 pts, 1 assist, 3 reb, 2 steals. Player of the Game: Loyola-Illinois’ C Brian Burrough-17 pts, 3 assists, 7 reb, 2 steals.

Game #21 @ #13 Houston: Houston is tough, particularly at home. The Cougars spurted out to a 47-35 halftime lead. We fought hard in the 2nd half, but couldn’t overcome their lead, finishing with a 71-62 loss. Dalron Jones scored 17, Chris Adams hit 13 substituting at SF, and Mark Byams scored 7 while grabbing 11 rebounds. (14-7, 8-3, 2nd place tie) (Antonio Greer sprained his knee) Game #22, Temple: Howie Tyler returned to the starting lineup at PG replacing the injured Antonio Greer. The first half was close but we took a 36-30 lead going to the locker room. We came out strong in the 2nd half, opening a 23 point lead and winning by a 77-58 score. Mark Byams, Dalron Jones, and Chris Adams each scored 13 points with Mark Byams also latching onto 10 rebounds. (15-7, 9-3, 2nd place tie, Ranked 19th, RPI: 7th) Game #23 @ Central Florida: Antonio Greer, although not quite 100%, returned to start at PG. This was a hard-fought game. Central Florida had a 39-37 edge at the half. But following 20 lead changes and 12 ties, we pulled away at the very end to record a 74-68 victory. Dalron Jones tossed in 26 points, Rob Ferguson scored 16, and Antonio Greer scored 14 plus dished out 7 assists. (16-7, 10-3, 2nd place) Game #24, SMU: We absolutely bottled up the Mustangs. At the half we led 31-13 and then, after holding SMU’s shooting to 20%, we rolled over them by a 66-30 score. Dalron Jones led our scoring with 16 points, Antonio Greer had 13, Mark Byams scored 10 plus hauled down 11 rebounds, and Eric Dersch scored 9 and had 8 rebounds. (17-7, 11-3, 2nd place, Ranked 19th, RPI: 8th) (Dalron Jones was named a semi-finalist for the Norton Award)

Game #17 @ South Florida: We opened the scoring and held the lead throughout. But while we were up 31-21 at the half, South Florida put a scare into us in the 2nd half. We held on though for a 62-56 victory. Our guards, Antonio Greer and Dalron Jones scored 18 and 15 points, respectively. (12-5, 6-1, 1st place tie) Game #18 @ Connecticut: Our defense faltered, allowing Connecticut to take a 49-37 halftime lead. The Huskies continued the beat-down and we lost 94-69. Our starting guards scored 40 points (Antonio Greer-21 and Dalron Jones-19). Chris Adams added 9. (12-6. 6-2, 3rd place, Ranked #22, RPI: 6th) Game #19, Cincinnati: This game was close the entire way. We held a 41-37 lead at the half. And after 15 lead changes and 8 ties, we escaped with a 76-70 win. Dalron Jones popped in 23 points, Chris Adams added 15, and Eric Dersch scored 8 plus had 8 rebounds. (13-6, 7-2, 2nd place tie) Game #20, Tulsa: Rob Ferguson recovered sufficiently from his broken hand to step back in as starting C. Mark Byams shifted to PF and Eric Dersch to SF. We overcame an early lead by Tulsa to move out to a 42-33 advantage at the break. We then pulled away in the 2nd half to score an 81-65 victory. Mark Byams scored 19 while pulling down 7 rebounds, Dalron Jones had 16 points, Howie Tyler came off the bench to add 15, Antonio Greer scored 11 and Eric Dersch had 9. (14-6, 8-2, 1st place tie, Ranked 18th, RPI: 7th) (Dalron Jones was named as a Quarterfinalist for the Norton Award)

Buddy and Brenda Portman, Branson entertainers We hosted a fund-raising party for the Missouri State athletic programs, in particular the basketball program. Buzz Moriarity, the college’s athletic director, attended as did Bret Vandergard, the Bears’ new basketball coach. There were a lot of other entertainers from here in Branson as well as many other well-connected people. The aim is to get together funds to improve athletic facilities at Missouri State. Buzz has been over to our house and to other parties, but this was the first time we had a chance to spend time with Coach Vandergard. He was a little overwhelmed by who all were at the party and was stiff at the beginning, but our libations cured that. A tradition at our home is that those coming to one of our parties for the first time has to get up in front of everyone and do a karaoke song. Bret was really reluctant to do that, but we all finally shamed him into performing. He was a trooper, getting through the entire rendition of “I Walk the Line”. He was bad, but we all cheered him after he got through the entire song. Buddy joked that he better ought to stay with his day job. Later Brenda cornered him to get some dirt about his personal life. She found out he had been going out with a woman when he was in Washington state, but she had stayed there when he came back to Missouri. Brenda gave him a tough time about his not bringing her along with him.

Game #13 @ Temple: We jump out on top and never give up the lead. After leading by a 47-26 score at the half, we finish with an 88-73 win. Dalron Jones has another big game with 34 points, Antonio Greer scores 18 plus has 8 assists, and Chris Adams is making us forget Dummy Campbell by scoring 17. (9-4, 3-0, 1st place tie) Game #14, Central Florida: We play tough defensively, taking a 36-24 halftime advantage. We then pull away for an easy 72-53 win. Dalron Jones scores 17 while hauling down 8 rebounds, Mark Byams muscles up 16 points, and Chris Adams adds 11. We now have a 6-game win streak. (10-4, 4-0, 1st place, Ranked 21st, RPI: 2nd) Game #15 @ SMU: We lead early in the game but SMU came back to go on top 35-31 at the break. The refs sent SMU to the line 14 more time where they scored 13 more points than us. That was the difference in this game, as we lost 70-58. Antonio Greer had 24 points, Dalron Jones scored 14, and Mark Byams added 9. (10-5, 4-1, 1st place tie) Game #16, Tulane: Tulane came into this game tied for 1st and sporting an 11-3 record, but we came onto the court with blood in our eyes, cruising to a 40-31 halftime lead and an eventual 85-69 win. Dalron Jones scored 25 and had 7 boards, Antonio Greer had 19 points, Mark Byams scored 13 and Chris Adams dropped in 11 points. (11-5, 5-1, 1st place tie, Ranked #21, RPI: 5th)

Buzz Moriarity, Missouri State Athletic Director Game #10, Dec. 27, 2017: Indiana State Sycamores (3-6, 0-0) at Missouri State Bears (3-6, 0-0) We have a decent turnout for the conference opener tonight. People are still curious about how Bret Vandergard will handle the Bears. We need to win our home games this season. Indiana State likes to run a 2-3 zone. They have yet to win on the road this season. Jared Cox, their center, is their top scorer and rebounder with 11.7 ppg and 5.8 rpg. The Bears kept the Sycamores on their heels throughout the first half, but could never make a sustained run and hold more than a small lead. We dominated the board which was fortunate because our shooting was streaky. The Bears held a 37-32 advantage at the end of the half. Our scoring was led by Terrence Simmons and Ricky Lee who both scored 8 points. We opened an early 9 point lead in the 2nd half, but fouls and turnovers let that slip through our fingers and Indiana State took their first lead of the game at 55-53 midway through the half. With 5 minutes to go we trailed by 12 as we could not hit any shots. The home crowd dwindled down to next to nothing as we continued to struggle to make shots (39% FG shooting and 23% 3-point shooting) and lost by 14 points. A nice double-double (15 pts and 10 reb) went to waste. A very disappointing last 10 minute of a game we had control of until then. A second straight loss at home…not good at all. Final Score: Indiana State—81, Missouri State (3-7, 0-1, 6th place tie)—67. Leading players for Missouri State: SG Brent Gregory-19 pts, 2 assists, 4 reb, 2 steals; PF Ricky Lee-15 pts, 10 reb; SG Rashad Thompson-9 pts, 1 assist, 1 reb; PG Terrence Simmons-8 pts, 2 assists, 1 reb, 1 steal. Player of the Game: Indiana State’s C Jared Cox-13 pts, 6 reb.

Game # 9, Arizona State: Home-cookin’ is good. We hold a 37-25 halftime lead and expand the lead in the 2nd half to win 78-72. Dalron Jones scores 17, Antonio Greer gets 16, and Johnnie Campbell adds 10. (5-4, unranked, RPI: 3rd) Game #10 @ Wake Forest: The first half is close the entire way, but we lead 42-40 at the half. Our defense improves in the 2nd half and we come away with a 85-75 victory. Dalron Jones scores the nets for 38 points and Mark Byams has a nice double-double (12 points and 10 rebounds). (6-4, unranked, RPI: 1st) Later that week, we find out SF Johnnie Campbelldidn’t maintain a 2.0 GPA and is academically ineligible for the rest of the season. I should have bribed some of the profs. I wanted to just cut Campbell, but all 3 of my assistants argued for getting him a tutor. I grumbled a lot about mollycoddling players, but relented and hired a tutor for the dummy. Game #11 @ Tulsa: Chris Adams will replace Johnnie Campbell at SF. In our first conference game, we come back from a 34-28 halftime deficit to throttle Tulsa defensively in the 2nd half and win 68-61. Antonio Greer leads our scoring with 14, Mark Byams adds 13, Dalron Jones scores 12, and Chris Adams gets 10 points. (7-4, 1-0, 1st place tie) Game #12, #15 Houston: Big game for us. We jump out to an early lead and never look back, taking a 42-31 lead at the half, and winning 80-65. Antonio Greer is our top-scorer with 24, Mark Byams tosses in 10 and pulls down 8 boards, Terry Jones subs for 13 points, while Dalron Jones and Chris Adams add 9 apiece. (8-4, 2-0, 1st place tie, ranked #24, RPI: 1st)

Flash Borden, sports reporter for KSMO radio in Springfield, MO FB: Coach, thanks for joining us this morning. Tough loss last night. BV: It sure was, Flash. It was a let-down to lose our final pre-conference game on our home court. FB: Your team played well early in the game, but then what happened, Coach? BV: Our shooting went cold for a spell and that let Cal State Fullerton get back into the game. But we let them man-handle us inside on the boards. Then when we made a good run midway through the 2nd half, we shot ourselves in the foot when we couldn’t sink our free throws. FB: Now that conference play is starting, how do you think the Bears are going to do? BV: The Missouri Valley Conference is going to be very competitive this year. We’re really going to have to pick it up to have a chance against most any of the teams in the MVC. FB: Who do you think are the favorites in the conference? BV: Drake, Illinois State and Wichita State looked best in pre-conference play so I think you have to go with one of those three to come out on top. FB: Any lineup changes for this week’s conference opener against Illinois State? BV: The only change will be that we’re going to give Terrence Simmons a start at point guard. Terrence has been playing well and deserves a shot. Otherwise we’ll go with Brent Gregory at the 2, Aaron Wells at the 3, Ricky Lee at PF, and Joey Jones at C. FB: Hasn’t Donte Hartfield outplayed Joey Jones? BV: He’s done a better job on the boards, but defensively thus far, Joey has the edge.

Game #5 @ #23 Ohio State: The game see-saws back and forth in the first half and we go to the locker room with a slim 28-27 edge. Ohio State takes control in the 2nd half, but we make a run that nearly is enough, but we lose 71-67. Dalron Jones doesn’t shoot well, but gets to the line a lot and scores 30. Howie Tyler comes off the bench to add 9, but we get beat big time inside. (3-2) Game #6, #1 UCLA: We surprise ourselves by taking a 45-40 halftime lead. The 2nd half is nerve-wracking but we hold the up-to-now unbeaten Bruins off to get a huge 85-80 winover the #1 ranked Bruins. Dalron Jones drops in 20 points as well as hauling down 7 boards, Antonio Greer scores 17, Johnnie Campbell adds 14, Eric Dersch scores 11, and Mark Byams gets 9 points and 7 rebounds. (4-2, Ranked 24th, RPI: 8th) Game #7 @ Alabama: We shoot poorly and Alabama comes away with a 35-26 lead at the half. We are unable to make up the difference in the 2nd half and lose 77-66 in a game in which we just never could click. Antonio Greer scores 21, Mark Byams scores 15 while grabbing 9 rebounds, and Chris Adams comes in off the bench to add 10. Dalron Jones has an off-night and scores just 8 points (actually 'bama put a lock-down defender on him). (4-3, unranked but RPI: 3rd) Game #8 @ #9 Tennessee: We’d really love to upset the Volunteers. But it was not to be. Tennessee dismantled us to take a 44-28 halftime lead and hand us a 92-71 drubbing. Dalron Jones leads our scoring with 15, Eric Dersch has 14, and Antonio Greer nets 11 while Mark Byams scores 8 and pulls down 9 rebounds. (4-4)

[NOTE: Since this is a dynasty devoted to bribery during recruiting, our games will be simmed and the AI will run the practices and decide upon the depth chart and sub matrix. Game #1 @ #7 Louisville: Louisville takes a 46-42 halftime lead, but we shoot the lights out in the 2nd half and come away with a 93-86 victory. Dalron Jones scores 28 points, Mark Byams scored 12 and pulls down 8 boards, Rob Ferguson scores 10 and grabs 7 rebounds, and Jeff Hill comes off the bench to score 14. Great win over a team we want to dominate. But...bad news as well, as Rob Ferguson breaks his hand. That’s going to make for a short bench for our interior men. (1-0) Game #2 @ #20 Oregon: Due to Ferguson’s injury, we move Byams to C, Dersch to PF and put 6-5 So Johnnie Campbell at SF. The first half is nip and tuck with the Ducks coming away with a 38-37 lead at the break. But they eviscerate us early in the 2nd half, taking a 23 point lead. We made a big comeback but there isn’t enough time and we lose 87-76. Dalron Jones scores 27, Mark Byams has 11 points and 7 rebounds, Eric Dersch adds 10 points, and Antonio Greer substitutes at PF and scores 11. (1-1) Game #3, #22 Michigan: Antonio Greer earned himself a start at PG after his last game. Michigan takes a small lead early in the game but by the end of the half, we are on top 41-32. It’s all us in the 2nd half and we smash the Wolverines 84-57. Dalron Jones hits for 16 points, Johnnie Campbell nets 15 points, and Eric Dersch and Antonio Greer both add 10 points.(2-1) Game #4 @ #20 Georgia Tech: We fall behind 39-28 at the half. Our guards carry us in the 2nd half, we clamp down defensively, and regulation ends with the score tied 71-71. We catch fire and open a 10 point lead in the OT and win 89-80. Dalron Jones scores 32 and Antonio Greer tosses in 22 while Mark Byams scores 7 but grabs 10 boards. (3-1, Ranked 24th)

Schedule I made a couple changes to toughen things up for us and get more ranked opponents, thereby improving our chances of having a good RPI. Our starting 5 PG Howie Tyler, 6-4 Fr SG Dalaron Jones, 6-5 Jr (he’s been nominated for the Norton Award) SF Eric Dersch, 6-7 Sr PF Mark Byams, 6-8 Sr C Rob Ferguson, 6-8 Jr.

Janice Conlan, sports anchor for KSPR TV in Springfield, MO, 10 pm newscast Game #9, Dec. 20, 2017: Cal State Fullerton Titans (4-6) at Missouri State Bears (3-5) Earlier this evening the Missouri State Bears basketball team hosted a visit by Cal State Fullerton. Ricky Lee and Brent Gregory scored the first 18 points for the Bears as they jumped out to an 18-5 lead. At that point both Lee and Gregory got into foul trouble and went to the bench. Cal State Fullerton crept back and by the end of the first half, the Titans led 39-36. Brent Gregory was the Bears’ top scorer in the half with 10 points. The Bears fell behind by 14 points early in the 2nd half, but made a rousing comeback to narrow the score to 62-58 with 8 minutes remaining. But Cal State dominated the boards 29-16 and Missouri State missed 18 of 40 free throws. That led to a home court loss. Final Score: Cal State Fullerton-76, Missouri State (3-6)-69. Leading players for Missouri State: SG Brent Gregory-21 pts, 1 assist, 1 reb, 1 steal; PF Ricky Lee-12 pts, 1 assist, 1 steal. Player of the Game: Cal State Fullerton’s SF Tim Bailey-21 pts, 2 assists, 4 reb. Other Titans: PF/C Jarvis Wheeler-16 pts, PF Rich Nunn-12 pts, C Jeremy Totten-10 pts

[Copied from post by Wayne23 in Wolverine Studios Forums] Did I hear my name called? ****************************************************************** [Copied from post by Emark in Wolverine Studios Forums bwahaha

Where did the top 10 recruits go? 1. Duke 2. Michigan State 3. UCLA 4. Arizona 5. Syracuse 6. Stanford 7. Connecticut 8. Memphis 9. Wake Forest 10. Memphis Not bad for a team on the Mississippi River from the American Athletic Conference and from a town mostly known for Elvis Presley. And yes, Connecticut is also from our conference. But when we’re through bulldozing our way to the top, UConn won’t be getting Top 10 recruits anymore.

Recruiting Ray and I went all out on recruiting. With just 2 scholarships to offer, we needed to sign 2 impact players. We both realized that it would be tough to compete for Top 10 players against the likes of Duke, Arizona, Syracuse, North Carolina, UCLA, and Michigan State. So not only did we work our asses off and used every tool we had to our maximum advantage. We did “whatever it takes”...and that meant offering a bribe. Well, not a bribe...we offered bribeS with a capital S...lots of them. In total we made eleven “offers” to guys rated from #1 to #25 in the nation. 6 bribes of $10,000 each, 3 of $5,000 each, and 2 of $2,000 each. We made sure to offer to those players whose families weren’t well off. In fact, some of them were dirt poor. 5 liked the $10,000, 2 liked the $5,000, and 1 liked the $2,000. One player turned us down on the $10,000 offer (Mr. Goody Two Shoes), one was upset by how low our $2,000 offer was (Mr. I Want More), and one wasn’t too sure what to make of our $5,000 offer (Mr. Duhhhhh). End result: 1. We signed the #10 player in the nation, a fantastic rebounder, defender and scorer. We didn’t offer a bribe to this guy since his family was pretty sound financially. We got him the old-fashioned way, phone calls (lots of ‘em), watching film, school visit by the player, scouting games, and finally multiple visits to his home). While this guy was too good to pass up, it was a lot of work. In the future, maybe a bribe will short-cut things on guys like this. 2. We lost the #1 player in the nation (to whom we had offered a $10,000 bribe in which he was very interested) to Duke. Did Duke offer a bribe also? Probably not, since they likely didn’t have to. Note to self for the future...offer more to the #1 (and maybe the #2). Stick it to Duke. 3. We signed the #8 player in the nation, a PG who not only distributes the ball like a magician, but is an outstanding scorer, a very strong rebounder, a talented defender who can block like a 12-foot wall, and steal like a thief. We offered him a $10,000 bribe and he went for it like a trout chasing morning Mayflies. He made sure to let us know that if he were to accept our offer, he damned well expected us to “show him the money”. I can’t wait to get these guys on our team. [NOTE: This dynasty has been created to test how cheating (in the form of bribes to recruits) works when employed by the human player in CB3. We know that AI teams occasionally get placed on probation in CB3 due to recruiting violation. But: (1) Does the offering of bribes significantly improve the signing of highly rated recruits by the human coach? and (2) Does CB3 levy penalties on the human coach for offering bribes? Since an occasional bribe offer might go under the radar (whether it be by the AI coached team or the human coached team), Coach Tom “Whatever It Takes” Bradbury will bribe egregiously. His aim in the future will be to get the highest rated recruits in each and every recruiting class. Since he’s not at an elite school, that means that bribes will flow like the water in the Nile.]

During my interview for the head coaching job at Memphis, Steve Forester, the AD, said he was tired and the alumni were tired of Memphis playing 3rd fiddle to Kentucky and Louisville. The more we talked, the more I realized that this was my opportunity to make a huge jump from a very low mid-major in the coaching ranks to an up-and-comer. Steve said he wanted a coach who would “do whatever it takes” to make Memphis a powerhouse team. Not only does he want the Tigers to best Kentucky and Louisville, he wants a national championship, and better yet, multiple national championships. And he wants it as quickly as possible. It’s obvious he’s familiar with my background (very high ambition, very low academics, low discipline, low temper, and very low integrity)....so he realizes I’m not adverse to “doing whatever it takes” to get the job done. In other words, he’s found his man. So a marriage officiated by the devil was cemented and I became the new head coach of Memphis. Steve’s goals for me and the team this season: (1) sign a 4-star recruit; (2) win 20+ games; (3) win the American Athletic Conference tournament; (4) reach the Sweet Sixteen; and (5) improve school prestige. Obviously a tall order since the Tigers hadn’t gotten close to reaching any of those last season. My first task was to hire Ray Schau, a top-notch recruiter, Mike Hampton, who is very adept at developing players, and Kelvin Chadwick, a talented scout, as my assistants. Not only are they good at what they do, but I know each one and like me, each will “do whatever it takes” to get things done.

Buddy and Brenda Portman, Branson entertainers Game #8, Dec. 13, 2017: Southern Jaguars (4-3) at Missouri State Bears (2-5) We love coming up to Springfield to go to Bears’ games on nights our theater is dark. We’ve been performing down in Branson for 12 years. We finally have our own theater there and perform 5 nights and 2 matinees a week. We used to perform on the road constantly. The money was good, but the travel got old fast and having to deal with all sorts of venues got to be such a hassle. Performing in Branson, we have a nice home on the lake so we can go boating and fishing and then it’s just a short drive to our theater for the shows. Our fans come from all over, but mainly from the midwest and south. They like our brand of country music, our patriotism, and our corny skits and humor. Tonight Missouri State asked us to sing the national anthem and we agreed. Rather than have the college pep band accompany us, we brought along a few of our band members. No money but we can write it off on our taxes as a gift to the university. OK, we’re back in our seats and ready for the game to begin. The anthem went well even though the acoustics here at JQH Arena are horrible. The Bears held a small lead throughout most of the first half. But during the last 5 minutes of the half, the refs called foul after foul against our guys which allowed Southern to take a 33-29 halftime lead. PG Greg Fisher led our scoring with 7 points. Again Missouri State took the lead early in the half and held onto it until Southern came back to go ahead by 3 with 2 minutes left. Joey Jones banked in an 8-footer with 1:29 to play and was fouled on the shot. He knocked down the free throw to tie the game at 74-74. Southern missed their shot on their next possession and Jones rebounded. The Bears brought it up court quickly, found Brent Gregory on the left side who put up 3 that swished through the net to put Missouri State on top by 3 with 59 seconds left. SG Chris Wynn was fouled and hit both freebies to cut the lead to 1 with 50 seconds to go. Both teams missed a shot and then Terrence Simmons was fouled with 28 seconds to go. His to successful free throws gave the Bears a 79-76 lead with 28 seconds remaining. The Jaguars worked the ball around the perimeter and Mike Wallace hit a 3 with 15 seconds on the clock. Coach Vandergard called a time out with 8 seconds to play. Jimmy Woni’s shot at the buzzer was blocked taking the game to overtime. OT: The Bears used drives to the basket to open a 91-84 lead with 1:10 to play in the overtime. The Jaguars were unable to come back. All 3 of the Bears wins have been Overtime games. Final Score: Missouri State (3-5)—94, Southern—86. (OT) Leading players for Missouri State: SG Brent Gregory-18 pts, 1 assist, 5 reb, 1 steal; C Joey Jones-17 pts, 3 assists, 5 reb, 1 steal; SF Aaron Wells-13 pts, 5 assists, 5 reb, 3 steals; PG Greg Fisher-13 pts, 6 assists, 1 reb; PG Terrence Simmons-10 pts, 1 reb; PF Jimmy Woni-8 pts, 2 reb, 2 steals. Player of the Game: SG Brent Gregory-18 pts, 1 assist, 5 reb, 1 steal. For Southern: SG Chris Wynn-23 points and SF Bernard Coursey-15 points. Award: The Missouri Valley Freshman Player of the Week award went to C Joey Jones.

Jamal Smith, Head Coach at Delta State University (Division II) Game #7, Dec. 6, 2017: Missouri State Bears (2-4) at Louisiana Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns (3-2) It was a 5-1/2 hour drive from Cleveland, MS to Lafayette, LA, but I wouldn’t have passed up the opportunity to meet up with Bret Vandergard. Not only have we known each other a long time, but I learned a lot from him while serving as his 1st assistant coach at Eastern Washington. That plus his positive recommendation were what got me the head coaching job at Delta State. Even though it’s a Division II school, I think it’s a great stepping stone. Well not if we don’t improve from our 9-17 record of last season, but thus far we’re 3-3 this year, and I think we’ll do well in conference play when it starts later this season. While I love being a head coach, it’s harder than I expected. Bret and I were able to spend some time together this afternoon. The Bears opponent tonight, Louisiana Lafayette, has won all 3 games they’ve played at home this year. They have 3 players averaging in double figures: SG Derek Horan is averaging 14.3 ppg and PG Anthony Williams and C Jamel McCoy are both averaging 10.8 ppg. So Missouri State won’t be able to clamp down on one player without others picking up the slack. The first half was a disaster for the Bears. The Ragin’ Cajuns out-rebounded them 16-11 and held an 11-3 turnover advantage which allowed them to get off a lot more shots than the Bears. That resulted in a 49-29 lead for Louisiana Lafayette at the break. SG Brent Gregory led the Bears with 8 points, but PF Mike Thomas scored 10 for the Ragin’ Cajuns. I’m sure Bret gave his guys hell in the locker room for giving up 49 points in the half. The Bears came out and played better in the 2nd half but turnovers and rebounding kept them from making serious inroads toward reducing the deficit. Finally in the last portion of the game, Missouri State reduced the lead but not enough to present a serious challenge. The Bears were simply out-manned in this game. The Ragin’ Cajuns exploited the Bears’ weakened interior to score 44 of their 79 points in the paint. Final Score: Louisiana Lafayette—79, Missouri State (2-5)—64. Leading players for Missouri State: PF Ricky Lee-16 pts, 1 assist, 4 reb, 1 steal; PF Jimmy Woni-12 pts, 1 assist, 4 reb; SG Brent Gregory-10 pts, 1 assist, 1 reb, 1 steal. Player of the Game: Louisiana Lafayette’s C Jamel McCoy-10 pts, 2 assists, 6 reb, 2 steals. Others for Louisiana State: PG Anthony Williams-11 pts, 2 reb, 1 assist; PF Mike Thomas-12 pts, 2 assists, 5 reb; SG Mike Shipley-9 pts, 1 assist, 2 reb; C Shannon Holland-9 pts, 1 assist, 2 reb.

Quote:Originally Posted by bloomington PG wondering if you can put an update post with what ur ratings were when u started...what they are now as well as your teams success over your dynasty ie. overall conference record as well as tournament results. Thanks. OK...here it is: Vandergard's Record: 2013-2014, Eastern Washington.....15-15.....11-5, 2nd....No post-season tourney 2014-2015, Eastern Washington.....19-11.....11-5, 1st.....CIT (1st round) 2015-2016, Eastern Washington.....21-10.....12-4, 1st.....NIT (2nd round) 2016-2017, Eastern Washington.....29-4.......16-0, 1st....Ranked #14, NCAA (rnd of 16) TOTALS @ Eastern Washington......84-40.....50-14 (Big Sky) Awards: Big Sky 1st Team All-Conference: 5Big Sky 2nd Team All-Conference: 1Big Sky Defensive Player of the Year: 1Big Sky Freshman Player of the Year: 1Big Sky Coach of the Year: 3 Initial Ratings: O-26, D-27, R-35, S-28, PD-34, Rep-10 Present Ratings: O-40, D-49, R-84, S-32, PD-52, Rep-22

Question in the Wolverine Studios forum from Wayne23: I'm confused. Is the tourney over? Answer: Yes, 4 games for each team (winners playing winners, losers playing losers) in 4 rounds produces the 1 thru 16 placings. 16th place--L rnd 1, L rnd 2, L rnd 3, L rnd 4 15th place--L rnd 1, L rnd 2, L rnd 3, W rnd 4 14th place--L rnd 1, L rnd 2, W rnd 3, L rnd 4 13th place--L rnd 1, W rnd 2, L rnd 3, L rnd 4 12th place--W rnd 1, L rnd 2, L rnd 3, L rnd 4 11th place--L rnd 1, L rnd 2, W rnd 3, W rnd 4 10th place--L rnd 1, W rnd 2, L rnd 3, W rnd 4 9th place--W rnd 1, L rnd 2, L rnd 3, W rnd 4 8th place--L rnd 1, W rnd 2, W rnd 3, L rnd 4 7th place--W rnd 1, L rnd 2, W rnd 3, L rnd 4 6th place--W rnd 1, W rnd 2, L rnd 3, L rnd 4 5th place--L rnd 1, W rnd 2, W rnd 3, W rnd 4 4th place--W rnd 1, L rnd 2, W rnd 3, W rnd 4 3rd place--W rnd 1, W rnd 2, L rnd 3, W rnd 4 2nd place--W rnd 1, W rnd 2, W rnd 3, L rnd 4 1st place--W rnd 1, W rnd 2, W rnd 3, W rnd 4