Ready For Prime Time? (DDSCB22)

[PointGuard 70]

March Results:

Final conference games:

NC-Central-82, MD-Eastern Shore (7-9)-69 (Frank Davis-15 pts/3 reb/3 ast; Landon Newby-17 pts)

Coppin St.-80, UC-San Diego (6-10)-73 (Donte Madison-23 pts/9 reb/3 ast/2 stl/1 blk)

Arkansas-Pine Bluff (14-2)-88, Florida A&M-82 (Imari McDonald-21 pts/12 reb/3 ast/1 stl/1 blk)

And the fight for 2^nd place between Seattle, Binghamton, North Dakota, SIU-Evansville, and Alcorn State, all tied with 9-6 records.  Here are the results of each of their final conference games:

Maine-84, Binghamton-70

Seattle79, Western Illinois (6-10)-65 (Roy Hampton-17 pts/2 reb/2 ast)

Longwood-61, North Dakota-44

And….

Alcorn State (10-6)-70, SIU-Edwardsville-60 (Will Friel-13 pts/6 reb/2 ast/3 stl/1 blk)

Therefore, 3 teams are assured of promotion:

Arkansas Pine-Bluff: 14-2 (1^st place)

Alcorn State: 10-6 (2^nd place tie)

Seattle: 10-6 (2^nd place tie)

The fourth team to be promoted will be either one of the four teams tied for 3^rd place or a lower placed team, should one of those win the conference tournament.

Relegation:

Coppin State finished in 16^th and last place in Conference V and will be relegated to become an Independent next season.  Western Illinois and UC-San Diego were 2 of 5 teams that finished tied for 11^th place, one game ahead of Coppin State.  MD-Eastern Shore finished in 10^th place.  Therefore all 3 of those teams escaped being relegated to Independent status.

[PointGuard 70]

Conference V Tournament Results (top 12 teams qualify for the tourney):

Round 1

#5 seed Binghamton-81, #12 seed Western Illinois-80 (Nate Roland-13 pts/6 reb/1 stl/2 blk)

#6 seed SIU-Edwardsville-92, #11 seed North Alabama-82

#10 seed MD-Eastern Shore-76, #7 seed NC-Central-72 (Tony Rueter-10 pts/13 reb/3 ast/1 blk)

#9 seed Florida A&M-87, #8 seed Longwood-69

Round 2 (Quarter-finals)

#1 seed Arkansas-Pine Bluff-87, #9 seed Florida A&M-67 (Dexter Thorne-21 pts/7 reb/1 ast/3 blk; Mike Huld-19 pts/11 reb/2 ast/1 stl/1 blk)

#2 seed Alcorn State-89, #10 seed MD-Eastern Shore-67 (Alcorn State’s Virgil Brown-23 pts/3 reb/3 ast/1 stl/1 blk and Gabriel Atwood-20 pts/11 reb/1 stl/1 blk: MD-Eastern Shore’s Frank Davis-21 pts/3 reb/1 stl)

#3 seed Seattle-72, #6 seed SIU-Edwardsville-64

#4 seed North Dakota-83, #5 seed Binghamton-67

Round 3 (Semi-finals):

#1 seed Arkansas-Pine Bluff-84, #4 seed North Dakota-63 (Imari McDonald-20 pts/11 reb/2 ast/2 stl/4 blk)

#2 seed Alcorn State-68, #3 seed Seattle-66 (Todd Young-14 pts/2 reb/6 ast/2 stl)

Round 4 (Championship):

#1 seed Arkansas-Pine Bluff-77, #2 seed Alcorn State-70 (Arkansas-Pine Bluff’s Dwayne Robinson-14 pts/5 reb/2 ast/1 stl; Alcorn State’s Gabriel Atwood-17 pts/8 reb/2 ast/1 stl)

[PointGuard 70]

Statistics for the 5 teams (part 1 of 5):

Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lions coached by Dontell Spencer

Season record: 25-5; Conference V record: 14-2, 1^st place; NET Ranking: 33; Won Conference Tourney

Team PPG: 81.1, Opponent PPG:71.4

Stats for Primary Players (G/GS/MPG--PPG/RPG/APG

Milton Cox (SR): 30/30/29.3--8.6/2.8/6.0

Dexter Thorne (SR): 30/30/26.4--10.7/5.2/1.8

Imari McDonald (SR): 30/27/26.4--12.4/7.0/1.8

Marcus Huld (SR): 30/30/26.2--11.3/6.6/1.4

Dwayne Robinson (SO): 30/30/25.6--11.7/3.0/1.8

Danny Logie (SR): 30/0/18.7--10.9/1.8/1.4

Jaraan Daniels (JR): 30/3/18.3--5.4/4.6/1.7

Damian Carrington (JR) 30/0/10.2--3.3/0.6/1.7

[PointGuard 70]

Statistics for the 5 teams (Part 2 of 5):

Alcorn State Braves coach by Ramon Montez

Season record: 17-13; Conference V record: 10-6 , 2^nd place tie; NET Ranking: 153

Team PPG: 73.9, Opponent PPG: 71.6

Stats for Primary Players (G/GS/MPG--PPG/RPG/APG

Mike Gallagher (SR): 30/30/26.7--11.4/2.9/2.2

Todd Young (FR): 30/29/25.6--7.0/1.9/4.1

Will Friel (FR): 30/30/25.1--9.9/5.5/1.1

Gabriel Atwood (SO): 30/30/24.9--13.2/6.3/1.8

Virgil Brown (SO): 30/24/24.2--11.3/3.5/1.5

Bernie Graham (FR): 11/0/17.6--7.5/4.6/1.5

Dana Turner (JR): 30/1/17.5--4.5/1.4/2.6

Benjamin Delk (SR): 30/6/16.8--4.7/3.2/1.4

Jeff Samuel (SR): 29/0/13.5--5.6/3.1/1.3

[PointGuard 70]

Statistics for the 5 teams (Part 3 of 5):

 

MD-Eastern Shore Hawks coached by Mike McMillan

Season record-12-17; Conference V record: 7-9, 10^th place; NET Ranking: 295

Team PPG: 72.6, Opponent PPG: 75.2

Stats for Primary Players (G/GS/MPG--PPG/RPG/APG

Tony Rueter (FR): 29/29/29.4--9.3/6.0/1.4

Frank Davis (JR): 29/29/28.2--14.1/2.9/1.8

Joe Carson (SO): 29/29/27.8--6.1/4.8/1.3

Omar Briggs (SR): 27/26/26.2--7.0/3.5/4.6

Darius Rychart (FR): 29/29/26.0--10.3/2.1/2.4

Kent Evans (JR): 27/0/19.3--6.2/5.7/1.0

Junior Sarchet (SO): 29/0/13.6--4.4/2.7/1.4

Tyron Adras (SR): 29/1/13.3--5.9/1.1/2.7

Landon Newby (FR): 29/2/12.8--9.8/1.6/1.0

[PointGuard 70]

Statistics for the 5 teams (Part 4 of 5):

 

Western Illinois Leathernecks coached by Terry Morillo

Season record: 13-16; Conference V record: 6-10, 11^th place tie; NET Ranking:197

Team PPG: 73.4, Opponent PPG: 75.8

Stats for Primary Players (G/GS/MPG--PPG/RPG/APG

Roy Hampton (SR): 29/29/30.0--15.7/6.8/2.6

Guillermo Cabrera (JR): 29/29/28.8--12.7/5.1/1.4

Duany Vaughn (JR): 5/5/25.6--11.8/1.2/4.4

Earl Cue (SR); 29/23/23.9--8.6/2.7/3.2

Nate Roland (SR): 29/26/22.6--10.0/4.8/1.1

Mohamed White (JR): 29/29/22.4--4.1/2.7/2.2

Jamaal Adams (JR): 29/3/18.8--5.7/4.1/1.1

Daniel Bair (JR): 29/0/16.8--4.1/2.4/1.4

Tom Daniel (FR): 29/0/14.3--5.0/0.8/2.7

[ashley0161 0]

Great thread

[PointGuard 70]

Statistics for the 5 teams (Part 5 of 5):

 

UC-San Diego Tritons coached by Ken Yamoto

Season record: 10-17; Conference V record: 6-10, 11^th place tie, NET Ranking: 311

Team PPG: 75.6, Opponent PPG: 78.8

Stats for Primary Players (G/GS/MPG--PPG/RPG/APG

Donte Madison (JR): 27/27/28.7--12.9/3.2/3.1

Dave Rush (JR): 27/27/28.2--10.9/4.2/2.0

Chris Ratliff (SO): 27/26/26.0--8.4/1.6/4.1

Shannon Van Hook (SO): 27/27/23.8--8.2/6.9/1.6

Joe Houston (SR): 23/18/23.5--10.8/4.2/1.7

Byron Kelley (JR): 27/9/17.0--4.4/4.1/0.9

Joe Roland (SO): 27/0/14.3--6.4/2.3/1.4

Brian Thomas (SO): 27/0/14.2--5.1/1.5/2.1

Chris Williams (FR): 27/1/10.3--3.1/0.8/0.8

[PointGuard 70]

Post-Season Tournaments

CIT

Round 1

Longwood (#7, South)-73, Northern Arizona-66

Alcorn State (#4, South)-78, Duquesne-56 (Virgil Brown-17 pts/3 reb/1 ast/1 stl

Louisiana Lafayette-77, North Dakota (#5, West)-58

Round 2

Rhode Island-83, Alcorn State-70 (Virgil Brown-13 pts/5 reb/5 ast/1 stl/1 blk)

Brown-77, Longwood-67                                                                          

CBI

Round 1

Oklahoma-69, Binghamton (#8, West)-62

NCAA

Round 1

Texas-El Paso-74, Arkansas-Pine Bluff (#7, East)-63 (Dexter Thorne-17 pts/5 reb/2 blk; Jaraan Daniels-13 pts/6 reb/2 ast)

Tournament Champions:

CIT: Rhode Island

CBI: Oklahoma

NIT: Baylor

NCAA: Notre Dame

[PointGuard 70]

Awards

Conference V Coach of the Year: Dontell Spencer, Arkansas-Pine Bluff

Conference V 1^st Team All-Conference: Roy Hampton, Western Illinois

Conference V 1^st Team All-Conference: Imari McDonald, Arkansas-Pine Bluff

Conference V 2^nd Team All-Conference: Marcus Huld, Arkansas-Pine Bluff

Conference V 2^nd Team All-Conference: Gabriel Atwood, Alcorn State

Coaching Changes

All 5 head coaches remaining at the same schools.

3 assistant coach vacancies…following hires were made:

UC-San Diego:  Maurice Elleby was hired to fill the vacant 2^nd Assistant (recruiting) job.

MD-Eastern Shore: Jalen Waterman was hired to fill the vacant 3^rd Assistant (Scouting) job

Western Illinois: Craig Bennem was hired to fill the vacant 1^st Assistant (recruiting) job.

Meeting with the Boards:

Requests for funding increases were denied for 4 of the programs. 

But Mike McMillan’s request got approved at MD-Eastern Shore, and his budget was increased by nearly $6700. 

Dontell Spencer was overheard during a phone conversation with Ramon Montez saying, “Ya know Ramon, my team wins 25 games, finishes on top of the conference standings, wins the conference tourney, makes it to the Big Dance, and earns a promotion up the ranks for the 2^nd straight year.  And I still can’t get this chicken-s**t university’s board to approve a modest increase to our budget.  Maybe they think it would cost ‘em one of their blow-out board parties.  I tell ya, it makes me wonder why I’m sticking it out here.  Hell, all five of us been coaching Division I ball for 4 years, got up from Independent status to Conference play…and you and me got our programs promoted from Independent to Conference V and now to Conference U…and we’re getting no respect at all.”

Team Prestige

MD-Eastern Shore: 4 (Same)

Arkansas-Pine Bluff-11 (+5)

UC-San Diego-8 (Same)

Western Illinois-10 (-2)

Alcorn State-5 (+2)

Western Illinois’ long losing streak the latter half of last season was responsible for the hit on their prestige.

[PointGuard 70]

2034-2035 SEASON

Recruit Class Rankings of the 5 schools:

#74—Western Illinois

#123—Alcorn State

#149—Arkansas-Pine Bluff

#270—MD-Eastern Shore

#272—UC-San Diego

Promotion/Relgation

Here’s the teams that were promoted and relegated for this season:

Promoted to Conf. A:

Kansas State

North Carolina

Virginia

Duke

Relegated to Conf. B:

Seton Hall

Purdue

Louisville

Villanova

Promoted to Conf. B:

Providence

Brigham Young

Connecticut

Florida

Relegated to Conf. C :

Baylor

Ohio State

Tennessee

Gonzaga

Promoted to Conf. C :

Oklahoma State

St. Bonaventure

Utah State

Nebraska

Relegated to Conf. D :

Temple

Utah

Iowa State

Florida State

Promoted to Conf. D :

Minnesota

Vermont

Auburn

Washington

Relegated to Conf. E:

Georgia

Miami (FL)

Arizona State

Boise State

Promoted to Conf. E:

Texas A&M

Buffalo

Saint Louis

Penn State

Relegated to Conf. F:

Houston

Davidson

Dayton

Indiana

Promoted to Conf. F:

Ohio

Central Florida

Wright State

Murray State

Relegated to Conf. G:

Mississippi

Wake Forest

Washington State

Saint Mary’s

Promoted to Conf. G:

Old Dominion

Oregon State

Western Michigan

Pacific

Relegated to Conf. H:

DePaul

St. John’s

Toledo

Western Kentucky

Promoted to Conf. H:

Milwaukee

Bowling Green

Duquesne

Louisiana State

Relegated to Conf. I:

East Tennessee State

Wyoming

LaSalle

Drake

Promoted to Conf. I:

Furman

Oral Roberts

Drexel

Marshall

Relegated to Conf. J:

North Dakota State

Northern Iowa

Hofstra

Saint Joseph’s

Promoted to Conf. J:

Louisiana-Lafayette

Weber State

Montana

Detroit Mercy

Relegated to Conf. K:

Santa Clara

San Francisco

North Texas

Miami (OH)

Promoted to Conf. K:

Stony Brook

Holy Cross

Chattanooga

Sam Houston State

Relegated to Conf. L:

Air Force

William & Mary

Lehigh

Charlotte

Promoted to Conf. L:

Towson

Little Rock

MD-Baltimore County

Morehead State

Relegated to Conf. M:

Ball State

Southern Illinois

Iona

Portland State

Promoted to Conf. M:

Florida Gulf Coast

Liberty

Central Michigan

Cal State Fullerton

Relegated to Conf. N:

Texas-San Antonio

Coastal Carolina

Oakland

Rice

Promoted to Conf. N:

Elon

Manhattan

Marist

Eastern Michigan

Relegated to Conf. O:

Arkansas State

UC-Riverside

Siena

Robert Morris

Promoted to Conf. O:

Cal Poly

Florida Atlantic

Brown

Eastern Kentucky

Relegated to Conf. P:

Appalachian State

Cal State Bakersfield

Northern Illinois

Denver

Promoted to Conf. P:

SE Louisiana

Texas State

Louisiana-Monroe

Northwestern State

Relegated to Conf. Q:

Troy

St. Peter’s

Delaware

San Jose State

Promoted to Conf. Q:

Samford

Texas A&M-Corpus Christi

Sacramento State

Northern Arizona

Relegated to Conf. R:

Canisius

Fordham

Columbia

Northern Colorado

Promoted to Conf. R:

Lamar

Fairleigh Dickinson

Texas-Rio Grande

VMI

Relegated to Conf. S:

Western Carolina

Tennessee Tech

Kansas City

Hampton

Promoted to Conf. S:

Incarnate Word

Bethune-Cookman

Jacksonville

UC Davis

Relegated to Conf. T:

Texas Southern

Sacred Heart

Saint Francis (PA)

Bellarmine

Promoted to Conf. T:

Jackson State

McNeese State

Omaha

Chicago State

Relegated to Conf. U:

Morgan State

South Carolina State

Delaware State

Jackson State

Promoted to Conf. U:

Arkansas-Pine Bluff

Alcorn State

Seattle

North Dakota

Relegated to Conf. V:

Mississippi Valley

Kennesaw State

Eastern Illinois

Houston Baptist

Promoted to Conf. V:

Presbyterian

Relegated to Independent:

Coppin State

Edited February 1, 2022 by PointGuard

[PointGuard 70]

RECRUITING PLANS AND RESULTS

[PointGuard note: All recruiting done by the AI for all 5 teams.]

Here’s comments from the coaches on their upcoming recruiting.  All 5 have full rosters going into this season so will not be going after any transfer players.  Following each of their comments about what the type of recruits they want to get, you’ll see their comments five month later at the conclusion of the summer/autumn recruiting:

Coach Ramon Montez at Alcorn State: 

June: We have 3 seniors graduating and hope to pick up 2 SG’s and a PF as new recruits.

October:  Not bad, but not great.  We have commitments from 2 recruits so we still need to get one more.  Our new recruits are: (1) PF B.J. Jefferson from Noxapater, MS…the #840 ranked recruit…very good rebounder and good shooting skills, defense needs a lot of work; and (2) SF Jermaine Wheeler from York, ME…ranked #1441…good shooting skills but doesn’t shoot enough, good rebounder, great athleticism.  We don’t have a lot of money left in our budget, but I think enough to get a guy (hopefully a guard) this spring from our list of recruits who already have at least some level of interest.

Coach Terry Morillo at Western Illinois: 

June: We’ve got a huge recruiting job to do.  We need to fill 6 scholarships.  Our goal is to land a PG, two SG’s, a SF, a PF, and with the remaining scholarship either a G or SF

October:  We got half-way there.  Picked up 3 recruits but have 3 scholarships that aren’t yet filled.  We still have a pretty decent budget left and a lot of guys on our watch and call lists, some with interest, more we still need to work on.  Here’s who we have thus far: (1) C Larry McClain from Ferndale, MI…the #1269 ranked recruit, he’s a very good inside scorer and a strong rebounder but poor defensively; (2) SG Mohamed Ammons from Wilmette, IL…ranked #1500 as a recruit…a good scorer with a sweet shot from outside but also able to score inside as well, strong athleticism, so-so defender, but for 6’5” not a good rebounder; (3) PG Jonathan Bailey from Chicago…ranked #1050 as a recruit…I like his outside shot but he doesn’t shoo that much, very good passer, weak defensively.  I’d really like to get at least a SG and SF with he 3 remaining scholarships.

Coach Ken Yamoto at UC-San Diego:

June: After last season when we only had 1 scholarship to fill, this year we need to fill 4 scholarships.  Our effort will focus on adding a PG, a SG, and two PF’s

October: I’m feeling FINE!  Have commitments for all 4 available scholarships and should one of them not meet our SAT requirements, we still have a lot of money and some highly interested recruits remaining on our watch/call lists.  We fill the slots exactly as I’d hoped as well with: (1) PF Brad Sanders from Sutter, CA…he’s the 594^th ranked recruit…a very strong rebounder and pretty good scorer from inside but not strong defensively; (2) PF Jared Keating from Atherton, CA who ranks as the #1233^rd recruit…excellent inside scorer, is only 6’6” so not expected to be much of a rebounder but has the bulk and muscle so may eventually develop; (3) PG Lance Rhodes from Culver City, CA…ranked #1562…excellent passer and ball handler with a very nice outside shot but needs a lot of work defensively; (4) SG Brad Young from Placer, CA…#1596 in the recruit rankings…outstanding outside shooter and very good passer and ball handler with good athleticism, ok defensively but doesn’t rebound worth a dang even though he’s 6’4”.

Coach Mike McMillan at MD-Eastern Shore:

June: During our recruiting efforts to fill 4 scholarships, we will aim at getting a PG, two SG’s, and an interior player as our new recruits.

October: Man, I’m disheartened.  We went through our entire recruiting budget from June through October and we came up empty. Yeah, that’s right.  We made offers to 5 recruits, but were unable to get any commitments.  So no recruits and no more budget.  We’ve still got a number of guys on our watch list and will make calls this winter and scholarship offers this spring.  But without the money to go after them, I really don’t expect we will be able to fill those two scholarships.  That means we’ll be active in going after transfer players next June.  My recruiting assistant, 2^nd Asst Coach Torrey Wright, has the skills but just didn’t close the deals this year. Yeah, I’m bummed.

Coach Dontell Spender at Arkansas Pine Bluff:

June: We’ve only 2 scholarships to offer and our need is to 2 a C and either a C or PF.

October:  Hooray!  We got 2 guys.  They better meet our SAT minimums, because it took every dollar in our limited recruiting budget to get them.  Here’s who’s coming to deliver: (1) SF Randy Kickert from Greenland, AR (that name for a town in Arkansas just seems so wrong)…the #1486 ranked recruit…Excellent outside shot but needs to put the ball up more often, strong rebounder who may also play some PF for us; (2) C Delvon Palmer from Jacksonville, AR…ranked #1256…good inside shooting skills but would like him to be a stronger rebounder.

[PointGuard 70]

Coach Records thus far:

Mike McMillan

2030-31:  8-7 (MD-Eastern State)

2031-32:  6-9 (MD-Eastern State)

2032-33:  12-17 (MD-Eastern State)

2033-34:  12-17 (MD-Eastern State)

Career:  38-50, .432

Ken Yamoto

2030-31:  3-12 (Tarleton State)

2031-32:  2-13 (Tarleton State)

2032-33:  6-9 (Tarleton State)

2033-34:  10-17 (UC=San Diego)

Career:  21-51, .292

Dontell Spencer

2030-31:  6-10 (Arkansas-Pine Bluff)

2031-32:  9-7 (Arkansas-Pine Bluff)  [NIT, 1^st Rnd]

2032-33:  11-8 (Arkansas-Pine Bluff)  [NIT, Semifinals]

2033-34:  25-6 (Arkansas-Pine Bluff)  [NCAA, 1^st Rnd]

Career:  51-31, .622

Terry Morillo

2030-31:  4-11 (Dixie State)

2031-32:  7-8 (Dixie State)

2032-33:  4-11 (Dixie State)

2033-34:  13-16 (Western Illinois)

Career:  28-46, .378

Ramon Montez:

2030-31:  8-7 (Alcorn State)

2031-32:  14-14 (Alcorn State)

2032-33:  14-16 (Alcorn State)

2033-34:  18-14 (Alcorn State) [CIT, 2^nd Rnd]

Career:  54-51, .514

[PointGuard 70]

Coaches Evaluation of their teams (Part 1 of 5):

Here’s how the combined media prognostication picked the five teams to do within their respective conferences this season:

Conf U—Alcorn State--1^st, Arkansas-Pine Bluff--7^th

Conf V—MD-Eastern Shore--2^nd, Western Illinois--4^th, UC-San Diego--5^th

So let’s hear what each of

the five coaches have to say about their teams:

Mike Williams, MD-Eastern Shore Hawks, Conference V:  We’ve been picked to finish 2^nd this season in Conference V.  I’m not ready to say where we’ll end up, but I’m pretty pleased with how our team looks on paper.  Actually I also liked how our practices have gone thus far.  If you’ve been following the Hawks recently and look at our starting lineup this season, you’re probably asking, “Who are THOSE guys???” 

Only 1 of our 5 starters have ever played a single minute of a game for us.  That guy is senior SG Frank Davis who didn’t play much as a freshman or sophomore but last season he started every game and averaged 14.1 ppg while hitting a pretty high percentage of his shots. 

So who ARE the other guys and why am I pleased to have them starting.  2 of them are transfer players who had to sit out last season, another comes to us this year after playing 2 years of JC ball, and the final guy is a walk-on who previously played ball for a Division III team.  When we tried out walk-on players, I was impressed by what he could do. 

Starting at C will be junior Romolo Pantani who comes from France but started two seasons for Tennessee Tech.  Romolo averaged 15.6 ppg over those 2 seasons.  He’s a good inside and mid-distance scorer and is very strong defensively.  His rebounding was ok for Tennessee Tech, but I think he became stronger last season while practicing with our team.  His backups will be junior Joe Carson who started for us last season and senior Kent Evans who did a good job subbing for us last season. 

At PF we have sophomore Dwayne Bullet, a transfer from Belmont where he started as a freshman and averaged 7.1 ppg and did a good job on the boards.  He can put the ball in the basket from all over the court and is a very good defender. He’ll be backed up by sophomore Tony Rueter who started for us last season, averaging 9.3 ppg and 6.0 rpg. 

At SF is JC transfer Frank Reed.  Frank has a sweet outside shot and attacks the board well but isn’t yet a good defender.  Coming off the bench at SF will be Junior Sarchet who started for us as a freshman and subbed last season.  He has average skills but is a hard worker and wants to play. 

At PG is senior Matt Brown.  Matt attended and played ball for a Division III school.  We picked him up as a walk-on because of his excellent passing skills and good ball handling.  The hole in his game is defense…that’s a big concern, but hopefully we can improve that.  His backup will be sophomore Ewald Leitenberger who comes from Germany and transferred to us from Lehigh where he played just a little as a freshman and still needs to work on developing his skills.  

Coming off the bench to back up SG Frank Davis will be another player from France, sophomore Edouard Gaultier.   He transferred from Mississippi Valley where he played very little as a freshman but is a good scorer and defender. 

So, if we can gel with so many new players and get them playing up to their potential, we could be formidable and I’m confident we will improve on last year’s 12-17 record.  My main challenge will be to get the team playing together as a productive unit during our pre-conference games so that we’re ready for Conference V competition and finish high enough to be promoted next year.  And yes, I’d really like for our team to get into the best possible post-season tournament.

Edited February 3, 2022 by PointGuard

[PointGuard 70]

Coaches Evaluation of their teams (Part 2 of 5):

Here’s how the combined media prognostication picked the five teams to do within their respective conferences this season:

Conf U—Alcorn State--1^st, Arkansas-Pine Bluff--7^th

Conf V—MD-Eastern Shore--2^nd, Western Illinois--4^th, UC-San Diego--5^th

So let’s hear what each of

the five coaches have to say about their teams:

Terry Morillo, Western Illinois Leathernecks, Conference V:  We’re strong at all 5 positions this year and I believe we can do as well or better than the 4^th place the media picked us for in Conference V. 

Leading the way is PF Guillermo Cabrera, a 6-11 senior who averaged 12.7 ppg and 5.1 rpg last season in his first year as a starter.  He’s also very strong defensively.  Our starting C will be 6-7 junior Jamar Curtis who transferred to us after starting 2 years for Kent State where he averaged 13.5 ppg and 5.5 rpg.  I’m expecting Guillermo and Jamar to be a dynamic duo who do a lot of damage inside for us.  At SF will be 6-6 senior Daniel Blair.  Daniel played 2 years of JC ball and then was a key reserve for us last season when he averaged 4.1 ppg.            Daniel could be a good mid-range scorer for us.  Our starting SG will be 6-1 senior Mohamed White.  He started last season and while he didn’t score too much (4.1 ppg), he’s good at finding open players and also positions well for rebounds while playing strong defensively.  6-4 sophomore Tom Daniel did a good job last season coming off the bench (5.0 ppg and 3.7 apg) and moves up to start at PG this year.

Our key reserves will be: 6-10 senior C Jamaal Adams who averaged 5.7 ppg and 4.1 rpg, coming off the bench but also starting 3 games last season; 6-4 junior SF Brian Manheimer who transferred from Milwaukee, sat our his required season and came off the bench for us last season but has continued to improve every year; 6-2 senior SG Duany Vaughn who started 5 games for us last year, averaging 11.8 ppg and 4.4 apg, before tearing his Achilles tendon and will finish his rehab about a month into this season and could then challenge to get back his starting role; and 6-8 freshman PF Craig Grant who may (or may not) be strong offensively but is definitely a good defender.

The team and coaches are dedicated to creating an air of excitement within the Leatherneck fans this season and hopefully treating them to some good post-season tournament action and earning a promotion to Conference U next year.

[PointGuard 70]

Coaches Evaluation of their teams (Part 3 of 5):

Here’s how the combined media prognostication picked the five teams to do within their respective conferences this season:

Conf U—Alcorn State--1^st, Arkansas-Pine Bluff--7^th

Conf V—MD-Eastern Shore--2^nd, Western Illinois--4^th, UC-San Diego--5^th

So let’s hear what each of

the five coaches have to say about their teams:

Ken Yamoto, UC-San Diego Tritons, Conference V:  I hear the media has picked us to finish in 5^th place in Conference V.  While that would be a big step up from last season, we want to do better than that so we can get promoted.  We have a pretty experienced team this season and I like the group of starters we are planning to put on the floor. 

At PG is Brian Thomas, a 6’6” junior who came off the bench last season and averaged 5.1 ppg.  Brian was recruited as a SF, but did a good job at PG last season.  With his height I’m hoping he can get off shots over smaller opponents.  Defense isn’t his strong suit though.  But we have 3 guys on our team who are classic PG’s.  6’5” freshman Kevin Wright is probably the strongest, and as he gains experience running our team, he looks to be our future.  Sophomore Delonte Keams came to us this summer as a walk-on who shows promise.  He’s just 5,’6” tall, so is a little height disadvantaged, but is an excellent passer and ball-handler.  Then there’s 6’1” junior Chris Ratliff who started for us last season and did a creditable job, so I like our depth.

Donte Madison, a 6’2” senior, returns to start for the 2^nd year at SG.  Last season he scored 12.9 ppg.  He’s just an all-out rugged player.  While 6’0” sophomore Chris Williams (3.1 ppg last season) and walk-on 6’0” junior Reggie Johnson are listed on our roster as the backup SG’s, I believe all the PG’s that I just listed could well be our primary backups at the 2 position.

We have another returning starter at SF in 6’3” senior Dave Rush who averaged 10.9 ppg and 4.2 rpg last year.  Dave’s another tough competitor and a team leader.  6’7” junior Gregg Green and 6’7” senior Mike Tulley will back up Dave.  Both came off the bench last year as well.

6’7” senior Byron Kelley will start for us at PF.  Byron started for 2 seasons and was a part-time starter last season, so he has a lot of valuable experience, particularly banging the boards.  As backups we’ll use 6’9” sophomore Jack Robinson, who scored well from inside last season in a limited role off the bench, and 6’8” junior Charles Williams, whose had limited play time the past 2 seasons.

At C will be 6’10” Shannon Van Hook.  Shannon’s a strong interior player who has already started for the Tritons 2 years and averaged 8.2 ppg and 6.9 rpg last season.  7’1” junior Joe Roland did a solid job backing up Shannon last season when he averaged 6.4 ppg.

Obviously our big men are more experienced than our guards, but I believe the team will be cohesive, and I like our chances this year.

[PointGuard 70]

Coaches Evaluation of their teams (Part 4 of 5):

Here’s how the combined media prognostication picked the five teams to do within their respective conferences this season:

Conf U—Alcorn State--1^st, Arkansas-Pine Bluff--7^th

Conf V—MD-Eastern Shore--2^nd, Western Illinois--4^th, UC-San Diego--5^th

So let’s hear what each of

the five coaches have to say about their teams:

Dontell Spencer, Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Golden Lions, Conference U:  Graduation played havoc with last season’s strong team.  So now we have to quickly rebuild so we can try to do better than the 7^th place finish the media is expecting of us this year.  Here’s a brief rundown on our starters and reserves this season:

PG—Dwayne Robinson (6-0 junior) starts…started last year and averaged 11.7 ppg.  Subbing will be 6-1 junior JC transfer Darrin Randolph and 6-4 senior Damian Carrington.

SG—starting will be Kwame Mickens (6-0 junior)…sat out last season after transferring from North Florida where he averaged 21.3 ppg…looking forward to seeing how he does for us.  Antony Gunn (6-0 sophomore) who transferred from NJIT where he averaged 13.1 ppg will be a great backup.

SF—Antonio Gailey (6-7 sophomore) will be our starter…transfer from William & Mary where he averaged 8.8 ppg and 5.8 rpg…great at clearing the boards.  Primary backup will be 6-5 sophomore Henry White who transferred from Southern Illinois where he averaged 6.9 ppg.  Other SF’s coming off the bench will be JC transfer Jamar Brown (6-6 junior) and 6-4 freshman Dan Jefferson.

PF—Jaraan Daniels (6-10 senior) has earned a starting role…averaged 5.4 ppg and 4.6 rpg in reserve role last season.  6-8 sophomore walk-on Jacob Allen will come off the bench when Daniels is tired. 

C—Freshman Chris Betts (6-9) will start…looked good in practice…great work ethic so will learn fast.  Daniels will also get time at C, but 6-8 sophomore walk-on Michael O’Brien may also get a little playing time.

With the addition of Mickens, Gailey, Gunn, and Betts, I think we could surprise some people.  But with so many new players, there’s a lot of learning to do and teamwork to develop.  I’d like to have more interior depth, though.

[PointGuard 70]

Coaches Evaluation of their teams (Part 5 of 5):

Here’s how the combined media prognostication picked the five teams to do within their respective conferences this season:

Conf U—Alcorn State--1^st, Arkansas-Pine Bluff--7^th

Conf V—MD-Eastern Shore--2^nd, Western Illinois--4^th, UC-San Diego--5^th

So let’s hear what each of

the five coaches have to say about their teams:

Ramon Montez, Alcorn State Braves, Conference U:  I nearly fell over when I heard the media made our team the favorites in Conference U.  While I’m happy they feel we’re that good, I don’t appreciate having a bullseye painted on our backs so that all 15 other teams in the conference will be intent on knocking us off the media’s pedestal.

We’re going to be carried by our front line since we have high-scoring starters returning at C, PF, and SF.

Gabriel Atwood, a 6-8 junior who averaged 13.2 ppg and 6.3 rpg is our C.  At PF is 6-6 junior Will Friel who has started all 59 games we’ve played since he arrived and who scored 9.9 ppg and pulled down 4.4 rpg.  6-6 junior Virgil Brown is our SF.  He’s been a starter the past 2 seasons and averaged 11.3 ppg while grabbing 3.5 rpg last year.  We have another returning starter at PG in 6-0 sophomore Todd Young who averaged 7.0 ppg and 4.1 apg last season.  While SG Dana Turner (6-1 senior) didn’t start last season, he 4.5 ppg and 2.6 apg in a reserve role.

Our primary reserves are: Steve Heard (6-2 senior) at PG; JC transfer Craig Brown (6-2 junior) at SG; Harold Hein (6-8 freshman) at SF; 6-8 freshman Darrick Grace at PF; and at C it will be 6-9 sophomore Bernie Graham (7.5 ppg and 4.6 rpg last season).

Our starting lineup is very solid.  We’ll need to continue to develop and improve our reserves, though, if we are to achieve what’s expected of us.

[PointGuard 70]

Results of November 2034 Games:

Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lions coached by Dontell Spencer, Conf U

Creighton-91, Arkansas-Pine Bluff (0-1)-81 (Dan Jefferson-23 pts, 3 ast)

Arkansas-Pine Bluff (1-1)-94, Albany-80 (Dan Jefferson-26 pts, 5 reb, 4 ast; Kwame Mickens-18 pts, 4 reb, 5 ast, 2 blk)

Stanford-69, Arkansas-Pine Bluff (1-2)-66 (Dan Jefferson-21 pts)

MD-Eastern Shore-84, Arkansas-Pine Bluff (1-3)-63 (Kwame Mickens-13 pts, 4 reb)

Arkansas-Pine Bluff (2-3)-83, Presbyterian-58 (Chris Betts-14 pts, 8 reb, 2 ast, 2 stl, 2 blk; Jaraan Daniels-16 pts, 10 reb)

AWARDS-Dan Jefferson (Conf U Player of the Week and Freshman of the Week-Wk 1)

COMMENT: Two of the Arkansas-Pine Bluff’s losses were against very strong opponents…Creighton, the Golden Lions, first opponents is now ranked 18^th in the Media Poll and a very close loss on the road to Pac-12’s Stanford.  Freshman Dan Jefferson got off to a hot start, scoring 20 points in his first 3 games, but that led opponents in the next two games to defend him extremely tightly and throttle him, but he’s hit 54% of his FGA’s and 53% of his 3PA’s and is  averaging 16 ppg, 4.4 rpg, and 2.6 apg thus far…not bad for a raw freshman.

Alcorn State Braves coached by Ramon Montez, Conf U

Drake-72, Alcorn State (0-1)-69 (Bernie Graham-18 pts, 4 reb)

Alcorn State (1-1)-73, Iona-61 (Will Friel-17 pts, 7 reb)

Alcorn State (2-1)-84, Northern Arizona-75 (Will Friel-17 pts, 8 reb; Harold Hein-17 pts; Craig Brown-17 pts)

Alcorn State (3-1)-77, Santa Clara-66 (Craig Brown-33 pts, 3 reb)

Alcorn State (4-1)-67, Florida Gulf Coast-56 (Craig Brown-17 pts, 4 reb)

COMMENT: Nice start by the Braves.  Following a narrow defeat in their first game, they’ve rolled off 4 straight wins.  JC transfer SG Craig Brown has scored in double figures in 4 of his first 5 games for the Braves and is averaging 16.2 ppg.  Junior PF Will Friel, who has started 64 of the Braves 64 games since he got to Alcorn State continues to be the steady and dominant man inside and is averaging 11.8 ppg and 6.2 rpg.

Western Illinois Leathernecks coached by Terry Morillo, Conf V

Harvard Crimson-80, Western Illinois (0-1)-68 (Guillermo Cabrera-19 pts, 4 reb)

Louisiana-Monroe-77, Western Illinois (0-2)-64 (Craig Grant-13 pts, 5 reb)

Western Illinois (1-2)-89, NJIT-60 (Craig Grant-14 pts, 5 reb, 2 blk; Tom Daniel-11 pts, 7 ast)

Western Illinois (2-2)-71, Mercer-70 (Tom Daniel-27 pts, 3 ast)

Jackson State-81, Western Illinois (2-3)-64 (Jamar Curtis-26 pts, 6 reb)

INJURY-Duany Vaughn-torn Achilles tendon (out for 7 more weeks)

COMMENT:   It’s been a rocky start for the Leathernecks.  Other than the game against NJIT, their offense has not really ignited.  The team has been hitting a rather high percentage of their shots, but they’re getting beat on the boards and that has limited their offensive opportunities.  Duany Vaughn has nearly completed his rehab after rupturing his Achilles tendon nearly a year ago and his return at SG in about a week may give the team a needed shot in the arm.

MD-Eastern Shore Hawks coached by Mike McMillan, Conf V

MD-Eastern Shore (1-0)-76, Gardner-Webb Runnin’ Bulldogs-45 (Dwayne Bullet-22 pts, 5 reb; Frank Reed-18 pts, 5 reb, 4 ast)

UNLV-87, MD-Eastern Shore (1-1)-63 (Romolo Pantini-13 pts, 8 reb, 2 blk)

Houston-79, MD-Eastern Shore (1-2)-70 (Frank Davis-15 pts, 5 reb, 4 ast)

MD-Eastern Shore (2-2)-84, Arkansas-Pine Bluff-63 (Frank Reed-25 pts, 9 reb, 2 blk)                             

East Tennessee State-66, MD-Eastern Shore (2-3)-62 (Frank Reed-24 pts, 3 reb, 3 ast)

COMMENT:  Even though the Hawks have lost more than they’ve won, two of their losses were to strong teams (UNLV and Houston) and they really roughed up Arkansas-Pine Bluff.  JC transfer SF Frank Reed has had strong offensive performances in 4 of his first 5 games for MD-Eastern Shore and is averaging 17.6 ppg and 4.6 rpg.  C Romolo Pantini has been a steady force inside, averaging 11.2 pgg and 7.0 rpg.

UC-San Diego Tritons coached by Ken Yamoto, Conf V

UC-San Diego (1-0)-84, Dartmouth-79 (Shannon Van Hook-15 pts, 9 reb)

UC-San Diego (2-0)-80, Saint Peters-62 (Kevin White-22 pts)

Mount St. Mary’s-87, UC-San Diego (2-1)-76 (Joe Roland-15 pts, 7 reb)

Virginia Tech-93, UC-San Diego (2-2)-67 (Dave Rush-15 pts, 7 reb, 2 stl)

Lafayette-75, UC-San Diego (2-3)-49 (Joe Roland-8 pts, 7 reb)

AWARD: Kevin White (Conf V Freshman of the Week-Wk 1)

COMMENT:  UC-San Diego started well but has had more difficulty as the level of competition has increased.  The Tritons defense has been abysmal with their opponents averaging 79.2 ppg.   C Joe Roland has stepped in to take over inside after Shannon Van Hook was injured and played well, but there yet has been a player to lead the team offensively on a consistent basis.

INJURY: C Shannon Van Hook—broken leg (will miss another month of games)

[PointGuard 70]

Results of December 2034 Games:

Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lions coached by Dontell Spencer, Conf U

Fresno State-76, Arkansas-Pine Bluff (2-4)-55 (Kwame Mickens-22 pts, 5 reb, 5 ast)

Arkansas-Pine Bluff (3-4)-70, Missouri State-59 (Kwame Mickens-23 pts, 3 reb, 4 ast, 2 stl)

Arkansas-Pine Bluff (4-4)-92, American-72 (Chris Betts-27 pts, 7 reb, 2 ast, 2 stl, 1 blk; Kwame Mickens-20 pts, 5 reb, 7 ast, 2 blk)

Arkansas-Pine Bluff (5-4)-100, High Point-86 (Chris Betts-32 pts, Kwame Mickens-25 pts, 5 reb, 7 ast, 2 blk)

DePaul-84, Arkansas-Pine Bluff (5-5)-79 (Kwame Mickens-21 pts, 2 reb, 5 ast)

AWARDS: Dan Jefferson (Conf U Freshman Player of the Week-Wk 4; Chris Betts (Conf U Freshman Player of the Week-Wks 5 and 6, Conf U Player of the Week-Wk 6)

COMMENT:  It was the Kwame Mickens and Chris Betts show this month for the Golden Lions.  Mickens averaged 22.2 ppg during their 5 games and Betts had two huge games in which he scored a total of 59 points and averaged 16.2 ppg and 5.4 rpg in December.  The team had a 3 game win-streak sandwiched between losses to two tough teams, Fresno State and DePaul.

Alcorn State Braves coached by Ramon Montez, Conf U

Alcorn State (5-1)-66, South Florida-63 (Gabriel Atwood-11 pts, 5 reb, 2 stl, 4 blk)

Alcorn State (6-1)-79, Mississippi Valley-68 (Gabriel Atwood-13 pts, 10 reb, 4 ast, 2 blk; Will Friel-18 pts, 4 reb)

Alcorn State (7-1)-92, Gardner-Webb-66 (Bernie Graham-32 pts, 8 reb, 4 ast, 3 blk)

Rice-72, Alcorn State (7-2)-61 (Gabriel Atwood-11 pts, 4 reb)

Sacred Heart-71, Alcorn State (7-3)-70 (Harold Hein-13 pts, 6 reb, 4 ast)

AWARD: Bernie Graham (Conf U Player of the Week-Wk 5)

COMMENT:  Alcorn ran their win streak to 7 games before stumbling at the end of December.  The Braves had to be warm-hearted by the play of C Gabriel Atwood and the 32 point/8 rebound performance by reserve sophomore C Bernie Graham.  That reveals the interior depth that Alcorn State possesses.

Western Illinois Leathernecks coached by Terry Morillo, Conf V

Howard-66, Western Illinois (2-4)-63 (Tom Daniel-19 pts, 4 reb)

#15 Baylor-80, Western Illinois (2-5)-54 (Tom Daniel-17 pts)

#17 Michigan-85, Western Illinois (2-6)-54 (Guillermo Cabrera-13 pts)

Western Illinois (3-6)-71, Omaha-70 (Guillermo Cabrera-15 pts, 6 reb)

SE Louisiana-91, Western Illinois (3-7)-62 (Guillermo Cabrera-16 pts, 4 reb, 2 ast, 2 blk; Craig Grant-17 pts, 2 reb, 3 stl)

COMMENT:  Western Illinois continue to struggle, although two of their losses this month were to top 25 teams.  After a series of weak games, PF Guillermo Cabrera seemed to recapture in the Leathernecks’ last 3 games the scoring power he exhibited last season and is now, once again, the leading scorer and rebounder on the team.

MD-Eastern Shore Hawks coached by Mike McMillan, Conf V

MD-Eastern Shore (3-3)-68, Massachusetts-64 (Dwayne Bullett-17 pts, 4 stl; Romolo Pantini-10 pts, 11 reb, 2 stl, 2 blk)

Southern Methodist-71, MD-Eastern Shore (3-4)-64 (Romolo Pantini-18 pts, 13 reb)

MD-Eastern Shore (4-4)-73, Elon-57 (Frank Reed-19 pts, 6 reb)

MD-Eastern Shore (5-4)-63, South Carolina-56 (Frank Davis-18 pts)

MD-Eastern Shore (6-4)-64, Western Kentucky-61 (Dwayne Bullett-14 pts, 6 reb, 2 stl; Frank Reed-16 pts, 4 reb, 2 ast)

COMMENT:  December was a good month for the Hawks.  3 of this months wins were over good teams Massachusetts, South Carolina and Western Kentucky).  SF Frank Reed leads the team in scoring (15.1 ppg), while C Romolo Pantini is their top rebounder (8.0 rpg) this season. 

UC-San Diego Tritons coached by Ken Yamoto, Conf V

UC-San Diego (3-3)-67, Jacksonville-63 (Chris Ratliff-16 pts, 2 stl)

UC-San Diego (4-3)-90, Citadel-75 (Joe Roland-17 pts, 6 ast)

Davidson-70, UC-San Diego (4-4)-56 (Joe Roland-11 pts, 4 reb)

Rider-77, UC-San Diego (4-5)-73 (Gregg Green-14 pts, 7 reb, 2 stl; Kevin White-15 pts, 3 ast)

UC-San Diego (5-5)-75, NC-Asheville-74 (Gregg Green-15 pts, 7 reb)

COMMENT:   The Tritons continued their up and down performances, sometimes winning games they were not supposed to and then losing games they should have won.  UC-San Diego isn’t getting the production they need at SG where Donte Madison is only averaging 7.0 ppg, far beneath his 12.9 ppg last season.  Although the team has 3 players averaging between 10.0 and 11.0 ppg, no player can yet be counted upon to score consistently from game to game.

[PointGuard 70]

Results of January 2035 Games:

Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lions coached by Dontell Spencer, Conf U

Arkansas-Pine Bluff (6-5)-67, Arkansas-56 (Dan Jefferson-17 pts; Chris Betts-8 pts, 7, reb, 5 ast, 6 stl, 1 blk)

Arkansas-Pine Bluff (7-5, 1-0)-90, Delaware State-68 (Chris Betts-18 pts, 9 reb, 2 stl)

Arkansas-Pine Bluff (8-5, 2-0)-75, Dartmouth-56 (Kwame Mickens-17 pts, 8 reb, 6 ast, 3 stl, 1 blk)

Arkansas-Pine Bluff (9-5, 3-0)-87, South Carolina State-60 (Dan Jefferson-25 pts, 4 reb, 3 ast, 2 stl)

Arkansas-Pine Bluff (10-5, 4-0)-83, Morgan State-74 (Kwame Mickens-18 pts, 5 ast; Chris Betts-13 pts, 7 reb, 5 stl)

Arkansas-Pine Bluff (11-5, 5-0)-86, North Dakota-74 (Kwame Mickens-21 pts, 3 reb, 8 ast, 1 stl, 2 blk; Chris Betts-16 pts, 8 reb, 5 stl, 2 blk

North Florida-85, Arkansas-Pine Bluff (11-6, 5-1)-80 (Damian Carrington-16 pts, Dan Jefferson-16 pts)

COMMENT:  A great month for the Golden Lions starting with a win on the road over cross-state foe Arkansas.  Then the team rank off 5 straight wins to open their Conf U season.  Overall the team’s defense was strong.  Again the team was led by Chris Betts and Kwame Mickens with the addition this month of Dan Jefferson’s scoring.  The team is tied for 1^st place in Conference U.

Alcorn State Braves coached by Ramon Montez, Conf U

Tennessee State-67, Alcorn State (7-4)-65 (Bernie Graham-17 pts, 2 reb, 4 ast, 4 stl)

Alcorn State (8-4, 1-0)-87, Tennessee-Martin-70 (Will Friel-28 pts, 9 reb)

Alcorn State (9-4, 2-0)-85, Central Arkansas-84 (Craig Brown-23 pts)

Alcorn State (10-4, 3-0)-70, Nicholls State-65 (Will Friel-17 pts, 5 reb, 3 ast, 3 stl, 2 blk; Gabriel Atwood-15 pts, 8 reb)

Alcorn State (11-4, 4-0)-67, Merrimack-62 (Will Friel-17 pts, 8 reb, 2 ast)

Alcorn State (12-4, 5-0)-83, SE Missouri State-69 (Will Friel-16 pts, 12 reb, 2 blk)

Howard-59, Alcorn State (12-5, 5-1)-43 (Dana Turner-12 pts, 3 reb, 3 ast, 3 stl)

COMMENT:  After losing their last 3 pre-conference games, the Braves came on strong once conference play began.  PF Will Friel led the team, averaging 14.7 ppg and 7.6 rpg in January.  Gabriel Atwood and Bernie Graham have combined to average 17.8 ppg and 9.8 rpg this season at the Center position.  Alcorn State is tied with Arkansas-Pine Bluff for 1^st place in Conference U.

Western Illinois Leathernecks coached by Terry Morillo, Conf V

Western Illinois (4-7)-87, Evansville-75 (Guillermo Cabrera-25 pts, 5 reb, 2 ast, 3 stl; Craig Grant-20 pts, 7 reb, 2 ast)

MD-Eastern Shore-60, Western Illinois (4-8, 0-1)-48 (Guillermo Cabrera-15 pts, 3 reb)

UC-San Diego-76, Western Illinois (4-9, 0-2)-63 (Jamar Curtis-24 pts, 8 reb, 2 stl, 2 blk)

Western Illinois (5-9, 1-2)-65, NC-Central-47 (Duany Vaughn-19 pts, 2 ast)

Presbyterian-91, Western Illinois (5-10, 1-3)-79 (Craig Grant-30 pts, 4 reb)

Mississippi Valley-77, Western Illinois (5-11, 1-4)-68 (Craig Grant-18 pts, 6 reb; Guillermo Cabrera-15 pts, 9 reb)

Western Illinois (6-11, 2-4)-72, Maine-70 (Guillermo Cabrera-20 pts, 5 reb, 3 ast)

Western Illinois (7-11, 3-4)-85, Binghamton-78 (Guillermo Cabrera-12 pts, 5 reb)

AWARD: Craig Grant-Conf V Freshman Player of the Week-Wk 11

COMMENT:   After a slow start in conference play, the Leathernecks two wins at the end of the month got them to near the middle in the conference standings.  It took SG Duany Vaughn’s 6 games after returning to the starting lineup following a year’s rehab of his torn Achilles tendon before he started being productive, but in then in his next 5 games he’s averaged 11 ppg and 4 apg.  In January Guillermo Cabrera averaged 14.4 ppg and 6.1 rpg this month and Craig Grant averaged 14.8 ppg to lead the team.

MD-Eastern Shore Hawks coached by Mike McMillan, Conf V

MD-Eastern Shore (7-4)-83, Oral Roberts-55 (Matt Brown-17 pts, 4 ast)

MD-Eastern Shore (8-4, 1-0)-60, Western Illinois-48 (Tony Rueter-17 pts, 5 reb, 3 stl, 2 blk­)

MD-Eastern Shore (9-4, 2-0)-64, NC-Central-56 (Frank Reed-15 pts, 6 reb)

MD-Eastern Shore (10-4, 3-0)-80, UC-San Diego-72 (Romolo Pantini-13 pts, 5 reb, 3 ast, 2 stl; Matt Brown-8 pts, 8 reb, 10 ast)

Mississippi Valley-85, MD-Eastern Shore (10-5, 3-1)-66 (Romolo Pantini-18 pts, 5 reb)

MD-Eastern Shore (11-5, 4-1)-73, Maine-49 (Romolo Pantini-14 pts, 4 reb, 2 ast, 3 blk)

Binghamton-78, MD-Eastern Shore (11-6, 4-2)-60 (Frank Davis-13 pts, 4 reb, 5 ast)

MD-Eastern Shore (12-6, 5-2)-73, Presbyterian-66 (Romolo Pantini-18 pts, 12 reb, 3 ast, 4 stl)

COMMENT:  When the Hawks played good defense, they won, but when the defense was weak they lost.  But overall it was a very good month and got them into a 5-way tie for 2^nd place in Conference V.  Leading the team this month was C Romolo Pantini, who had a couple rough games, but still averaged 10.9 ppg and 6.6 rpg this month.

UC-San Diego Tritons coached by Ken Yamoto, Conf V

UC-San Diego (6-5)-74, Texas-San Antonio-54 (Donte Madison-14 pts, 7 reb, 2 ast; Dave Rush-15 pts, 10 reb)

UC-San Diego (7-5, 1-0)-67, NC-Central-64 (Dave Rush-19 pts, 4 reb, 2 ast, 2 stl)

UC-San Diego (8-5, 2-0)-76, Western Illinois-63 (Donte Madison-18 pts, 2 reb, 4 ast)-72

MD-Eastern Shore-80, UC-San Diego (8-6, 2-1)-72 (Gregg Green-17 pts, 3 reb)

UC-San Diego (9-6, 3-1)-80, Maine-73 (Gregg Green, 17 pts, 7 reb; Shannon Van Hook-12 pts, 12 reb, 5 ast, 1 blk)

UC-San Diego (10-6, 4-1)-73, Binghamton-64 (Shannon Van Hook-22 pts, 5 reb, 2 ast)

Presbyterian-81, UC-San Diego (10-7, 4-2)-78 [OT] (Shannon Van Hook-20 pts, 11 reb)

UC-San Diego (11-7, 5-2)-84, Mississippi Valley-62 (Dave Rush-15 pts, 8 reb, 2 ast, 2 stl, 2 blk)

COMMENT:  The Tritons played very well this month and are now in a 5-way tie for 2^nd place in Conference V, despite a heart-breaking overtime loss on the road against Presbyterian.  C Shannon Van Hook has come on strong following his return to the lineup after mending from a broken leg.  This month he averaged 11.8 ppg and 6.1 rpg.  SF Dave Rush also had a good month, averaging 10.8 ppg and 5.9 rpg. Following a very slow start this season, SG Donte Madison began producing, averaging 11.8 ppg in January.

[PointGuard 70]

Results of February 2035 Games:

Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lions coached by Dontell Spencer, Conf U

Arkansas-Pine Bluff (12-6, 6-1)-80, Seattle-66 (Dan Jefferson-16 pts, 6 reb, 3 ast, 3 stl; Dwayne Robinson-15 pts, 3 ast, 1 stl)

Alcorn State-93, Arkansas-Pine Bluff (12-7, 6-2)-84 (Dwayne Robinson-21 pts, 1 reb, 2 ast)

Arkansas-Pine Bluff (13-7, 7-2)-95, Tennessee-Martin-62 (Dan Jefferson-33 pts, 2 reb, 2 ast, 1 blk)

Central Arkansas-107, Arkansas-Pine Bluff (13-8, 7-3)-98 (Dan Jefferson-20 pts; Kwame Mickens-13 pts, 5 reb, 11 ast)

Arkansas-Pine Bluff (14-8, 8-3)-95, Nicholls State-71 (Kwame Mickens-21 pts, 3 reb, 8 ast, 5 stl, 2 blk; Chris Betts-20 pts, 4 reb, 3 ast)

Arkansas-Pine Bluff (15-8, 9-3)-92, Howard -69 (Kwame Mickens-22 pts, 5 reb, 4 ast, 2 stl, 1 blk; Damian Carrington-18 pts, 1 reb, 5 ast)

Arkansas-Pine Bluff (16-8, 10-3)-77, SE Missouri State-66 (Damian Carrington-19 pts, 4 reb, 1 ast; Chris Betts-14 pts, 11 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl, 3 blk)

Arkansas-Pine Bluff (17-8, 11-3)-97, Delaware State-70 (Dan Jefferson-29 pts, 1 reb, 2 ast)

INJURY: Dwayne Robinson-strained calf (full recovery expected in 2 weeks)

AWARD: Kwame Mickens-Conf U Player of the Week-Wk 14)

COMMENT:  Another very good month of play by Arkansas-Pine Bluff, winning 6 of 8 games.  In their wins, they held opponents to 62-71 points, but their defense disappeared in their two losses.  The Golden Lions are now alone in 2^nd place in Conf U.  Freshman SF Dan Jefferson continues to surprise, hitting 51% of his FGA’s and 46% of his 3PA’s and averaging 14.2 ppg which is 2^nd on the team only to SG Kwame Mickens who is averaging 14.9 ppg.  The Golden Lions are getting good production from another freshman, C Chris Betts who is averaging 11.8 ppg and 5.5 rpg.  PG’s Damian Carrington and Dwayne Robinson have combined to average 17.1 ppg.

Alcorn State Braves coached by Ramon Montez, Conf U

Alcorn State (13-5, 6-1)-81, Central Connecticut-70 (Gabriel Atwood-17 pts, 4 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl)

Alcorn State (14-5, 7-1)-93, Arkansas-Pine Bluff-84 (Gabriel Atwood-19 pts, 6 reb, 4 ast, 2 Stl, 1 blk; Craig Brown-18 pts)

Alcorn State (15-5, 8-1)-71, Dartmouth-59 (Gabriel Atwood-19 pts, 6 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl, 1 blk)

Alcorn State (16-5, 9-1)-99, Delaware State-72 (Gabriel Atwood-29 pts, 5 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl, 2 blk; Craig Brown-23 pts, 2 reb, 3 ast, 4 stl)

Alcorn State (17-5, 10-1)-77, South Carolina State-68 (Craig Brown-21 pts, 5 reb, 6 ast, 2 stl, 1 blk)

Alcorn State (18-5, 11-1)-70, North Dakota-61 (Gabriel Atwood-16 pts, 14 reb, 1 ast, 3 blk)

Alcorn State (19-5, 12-1)-82, Morgan State-77 (Will Friel-19 pts, 5 reb, 1 ast, 3 stl, 1 blk)

Alcorn State (20-5, 13-1)-70, Tennessee Martin-66 (Gabriel Atwood-12 pts, 5 reb, 3 ast, 5 stl, 3 blk; Will Friel-13 pts, 11 reb, 1 ast, 1 blk)

COMMENT:  Alcorn State won all 8 of their games in February to capture sole possession of 1^st place in the conference standings.  C Gabriel Atwood led the team throughout the entire month.  He averaged 16.8 ppg and 6.4 rpg in February.  But it was defense that really carried the team this month with their opponents averaging less that 70 ppg.

Western Illinois Leathernecks coached by Terry Morillo, Conf V

Western Illinois (8-11, 4-4)-78, Eastern Illinois-69 (Guillermo Cabrera-20 pts, 4 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl, 1 blk)

North Alabama-93, Western Illinois (8-12, 4-5)-82 (Guillermo Cabrera-18 pts, 2 reb, 4 ast, 2 stl, 1 blk)

Houston Baptist-79, Western Illinois (8-13, 4-6)-68 (Craig Grant-20 pts, 2 reb, 3 ast, 1 stl)

Western Illinois (9-13, 5-6)-96, SIU Edwardsville-86 (Duany Vaughn-15 pts, 2 reb, 3 ast, 3 stl)

Western Illinois (10-13, 6-6)-80, Alabama State-63 (Craig Grant-23 pts, 8 reb, 2 ast)

Western Illinois (11-13, 7-6)-88, Florida A&M-65 (Guillermo Cabrera-21 pts, 10 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl, 1 blk)

MD-Eastern Shore-54, Western Illinois (11-14, 7-7)-51 (Guillermo Cabrera-12 pts, 5 reb, 1 blk)

Western Illinois (12-14, 8-7)-73, UC-San Diego-62 (Jamar Curtis-19 pts, 8 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl, 1 blk)

AWARD: Craig Grant-Conf V Freshman Player of the Week-Wk 14)

COMMENT:  The Leathernecks continue to get stronger each succeeding month this season.  They are now in a 2-way tie for 6^th after winning 5 of 8 games this past month.  PF Guillermo Cabrera continues to be the glue that keeps this team together.  But the greatest offensive punch comes from the C position where Craig Grant is averaging 11.7 ppg and James Curtis has scored 10.6 ppg.

MD-Eastern Shore Hawks coached by Mike McMillan, Conf V

North Alabama- 74, MD-Eastern Shore (12-7, 5-3)-64 (Dwayne Bullett-14 pts, 6 reb, 2 ast, 2 stl, 1 blk)

MD-Eastern Short (13-7, 6-3)-77, Houston Baptist-68 (Frank Davis-20 pts, 1 reb, 2 ast; Romolo Pantini-14 pts, 7 reb, 3 ast, 4 stl)

MD-Eastern Shore (14-7, 7-3)-67, SIU Edwardsville-58 (Dwayne Bullett-14 pts, 7 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl, 1 blk; Romolo Pantini-10 pts, 10 reb, 3 ast, 2 stl, 2 blk)

MD-Eastern Shore (15-7, 8-3)-85, Eastern Illinois-78 (Romolo Pantini-19 pts, 7 reb, 3 ast, 2 stl, 3 blk; Frank Davis-19 pts, 5 reb, 3 ast)

MD-Eastern Shore (16-7, 9-3)-66, Kennesaw State-54 (Frank Davis-21 pts, 3 ast, 1 stl, 1 blk; Romolo Pantini-18 pts, 9 reb, 2 ast, 3 stl, 2 blk)

MD-Eastern Shore (17-7, 10-3)-81, Longwood-66 (Frank Davis-19 pts, 4 reb, 3 ast, 2 stl)

MD-Eastern Shore (18-7, 11-3)-54, Western Illinois-51 (Frank Reed-13 pts, 5 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl)

MD-Eastern Shore (19-7, 12-3)-65, NC-Central-60 (Romolo Pantini-12 pts, 7 reb, 3 ast, 6 stl, 1 blk; Frank Davis-17 pts, 4 reb, 1 ast, 4 stl)

COMMENT:  MD-Eastern Shore has come on strong and now owns a 7-game win streak.  That has put the Hawks in a 2-way tie for 2^nd place in the Conf V standings.  Different players have stepped up to have high point honors for the Hawks.  But C Romolo Pantini has been the rock inside for MD-Eastern Shore.  He’s averaging 11.6 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 2.0 spg, and 1.6 bpg this season.  Then there’s the Two Franks…Davis and Reed…who have combined to average 22.5 ppg.

UC-San Diego Tritons coached by Ken Yamoto, Conf V

UC-San Diego (12-7, 6-2)-74, Houston Baptist-62 (Donte Madison-16 pts, 6 reb, 1 ast, 2 stl, 1 blk)

UC-San Diego (13-7, 7-2)-89, SIU Edwardsville-62 (Dave Rush-17 pts, 5 reb, 2 ast, 2 stl; Byron Kelley-10 pts, 8 reb, 4 ast, 2 stl)

UC-San Diego (14-7, 8-2)-82, Eastern Illinois-78 [OT] (Gregg Green-20 pts, 5 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl, 1 blk; Donte Madison-19 pts, 5 pts, 3 ast, 1 stl)

North Alabama-91, UC-San Diego (14-8, 8-3)-83 (Shannon Van Hook-17 pts, 3 reb, 5 ast, 4 stl)

Longwood-69, UC-San Diego (14-9, 8-4)-68 (Kevin White-12 pts, 1 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl; Chris Ratcliff-10 pts, 7 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl)

Kennesaw State-81, UC-San Diego (14-10, 8-5)-67 (Shannon Van Hook-14 pts, 10 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl, 1 blk; Dave Rush-16 pts, 6 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl; Gregg Green-17 pts, 1 reb, 2 stl, 3 blk)

UC-San Diego (15-10, 9-5)-78, NC-Central-67 (Byron Kelley-17 pts, 5 reb, 1 blk; Shannon Van Hook-10 pts, 10 reb, 3 ast, 1 stl, 2 blk)

Western Illinois-73, UC-San Diego (15-11, 9-6)-62 (Kevin White-16 pts)

COMMENT:  After hanging near the top of the conference standings the first 5 weeks of conference play, the Tritons have slipped into a slump, losing 4 of their last 5 games.  That has dropped UC-San Diego into 5^th place.  A big variety of players led the team each game this month, but all players were inconsistent.

[PointGuard 70]

Results of March 2035 Games:

Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lions coached by Dontell Spencer, Conf U

Arkansas-Pine Bluff (18-8, 12-3)-85, Dartmouth-69 (Dan Jefferson-21 pts)

Arkansas-Pine Bluff (19-8, 13-3)-83, South Carolina State-71 (Kwame Mickens-19 pts, 6 reb, 10 ast; Dan Jefferson-20 pts, 3 reb, 3 ast, 2 blk)

Alcorn State Braves coached by Ramon Montez, Conf U

Central Arkansas-95, Alcorn State (20-6, 13-2)-78 (Will Friel-27 pts, 11 reb)

Alcorn State (21-6, 14-2)-87, Nicholls State-66 (Will Friel-20 pts, 6 reb, 1 ast, 2 stl; Gabriel Atwood-18 pts, 6 reb, 1 ast)

Western Illinois Leathernecks coached by Terry Morillo, Conf V

Western Illinois (13-14, 9-7)-70, NC-Central-52 (Craig Grant-26 pts, 6 reb)

MD-Eastern Shore Hawks coached by Mike McMillan, Conf V

MD-Eastern Shore (20-7, 13-3)-71, UC-San Diego-64 (Frank Reed-16 pts, 2 reb, 2 ast, 3 blk)

UC-San Diego Tritons coached by Ken Yamoto, Conf V

MD-Eastern Shore-71, UC-San Diego (15-12, 9-7)-64 (Dave Rush-18 pts, 4 reb, 1 ast, 2 stl, 3 blk)

INJURY: Byron Kelley sprained his finger and while it’s likely he won’t be sidelined, his play may suffer until the injury is fully healed in about 1 week-an-a-half.

SUMMARIZATION OF THE FIVE TEAM’S CONFERENCE PLAY: 

Overall this was a very good year for the five coaches and their teams.

In Conference U, Alcorn State finished in 1^st place and Arkansas-Pine Bluff finished in 2^nd place, so both teams will be promoted to Conference T next season. 

MD-Eastern Shore finished in a 3-way tie for 1^st place in Conference V.  UC-San Diego and Western Illinois finished tied for 5^th place.  Therefore MD-Eastern Shore has qualified for advancement to Conference U next year, while the only way either UC-San Diego or Western Illinois can be advanced is for one of them to win the Conference V tournament.

[PointGuard 70]

Conference U Tournament Results:

Day 1:

#12 seed Delaware State-63, #5 seed Nicholls State-44

#6 seed North Dakota-83, #11 seed Dartmouth-67

#7 seed Morgan State-88, #10 seed SE Missouri State-76

#8 seed Tennessee Martin-67, #9 seed Howard-58

Day 2 (Quarterfinals):

#1 seed Alcorn State (22-6)-71, #8 seed Tennessee Martin-64 (Harold Hein-12 pts, 4 reb, 4 ast, 3 stl, 2 blk; Will Friel-13 pts, 10 reb, 1 ast, 1 blk)

#2 seed Arkansas-Pine Bluff (20-8)-93, #7 seed Morgan State-79 (Kwame Mickens-17 pts, 5 reb, 2 ast, 1 blk)

#6 seed North Dakota-70, #3 seed Seattle-59

#4 seed Central Arkansas-88, #12 seed Delaware State-63

Day 3 (Semifinals):

#1 seed Alcorn State (23-6)-71, #4 seed Central Arkansas-62 (Gabriel Atwood-12 pts, 8 reb, 3 ast, 2 stl, 2 blk; Dana Turner-17 pts, 2 reb, 6 ast)

#6 seed North Dakota-86, #2 seed Arkansas-Pine Bluff-83 (Chris Betts-18 pts, 3 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl; Kwame Mickens-16 pts, 6 reb, 7 ast, 1 stl, 1 blk)

Day 4 (Championship):

#1 seed Alcorn State (24-6)-81, #6 seed North Dakota-62 (Bernie Graham-27 pts, 4 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl, 1 blk)

[PointGuard 70]

Conference V Tournament Results:

Day 1:

#12 seed NC Central-65, #5 seed UC-San Diego (15-13)-53 (Gregg Green-10 pts, 2 ast, 1 stl)

#6 seed Western Illinois (14-14)-67, #11 seed Houston Baptist-53 (Guillermo Cabrera-21 pts, 7 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl, 2 blk)

#7 seed Longwood-81, #10 seed SIU-Edwardsville-56

#8 seed Mississippi Valley-77, #9 seed Eastern Illinois-63

Day 2 (Quarterfinals):

#8 seed Mississippi Valley-69, #1 seed MD-Eastern Shore-64 (Frank Davis-21 pts, 6 reb)

#2 seed Kennesaw State-66, #7 seed Longwood-52

#6 seed Western Illinois (15-14)-77, #3 seed Presbyterian-54 (Craig Grant-20 pts, 7 reb, 5 ast, 2 stl; Jamar Curtis-18 pts, 6 reb, 2 ast, 1 blk)

#4 seed North Alabama-84, #12 seed NC Central-69

Day 3 (Semifinals):

#4 seed North Alabama-70, #8 seed Mississippi Valley-64

#2 seed Kennesaw State-61, #6 seed Western Illinois (15-15)-53 (Guillermo Cabrera-14 pts, 5 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl, 1 blk. Craig Grant-12 pts, 9 reb, 2 ast, 2 stl)

Day 4 (Championship):

#4 seed North Alabama-66, #2 seed Kennesaw State-65