Front Office Football Central - View Single Post - Coach Graham Sims: A Pennsylvania Story (FBCB)

MoonlightGraham · 03-15-2023, 01:21 PM

February 1, 2014
Lafayette 65, American 34
Yes, you read that correctly.

We play well defensively, but American are just plain awful tonight. Even if we don't score a single point in the second half, the game would go into overtime.

Victor Reed, the Patriot League's leading scorer, took nine shots, missed them all, and finished with zero points. Despite the shutout, Victor is still averaging 19.4 per game. That's how productive he's been this season.

James Sanders and Billy Weiler drop in 15 apiece for us. Hubert Song manages "only" 10, but that's 10 more than the man he's guarding. Venceslás Castillo rips down 12 boards, missing a double-double by a single bucket. All in all, it's a hugely satisfying performance.
Record: 18-3 (7-0).

February 2, 2014
I don't get how the Mid-Major Top 25 poll works. We beat a conference opponent by 31 points and FALL one spot in the rankings, back to #25. Perhaps it's because the Patriot League is such a meh conference. Holy Cross (14-7) is the only other team in our league with a winning record.

February 5, 2014
Lafayette 58, Bucknell 54
The Bison had moved into sole possession of second place in the league, and this game resembles a clash between Number One and Number Two. Our defense has been very good all season long--we're #23 in the nation in fewest points allowed--and in a tough away game, it comes through once again.

Clark Nolan finishes with 10 points and 11 rebounds, sharing the scoring honors with Armando Brown. Armando makes all four of his shots and goes 2-4 from the line. He adds two steals, grabs two rebounds, and commits a turnover. He's named Player of the Game for his scoresheet-filling performance...and he plays only six minutes! I've never seen anything like that. I feel a little sorry for Clark, who battles the Bisons' tough big men, Jason Grimmett and Damon Troyer, for 27 minutes, outplays both of them, and is eclipsed by Armando's meteoric moments.
Record: 19-3 (8-0).

February 8, 2014
Lafayette 75, Colgate 64
We sweep our season series with Colgate with another scrappy, unaesthetically pleasing win. The Red Raiders shoot much better than we do--they scorch us for a 54.5% percentage, while we are at 43.3%--but we squeeze off so many shots that we win on pure volume alone.

Hubert Song's scoring slump continues; he's a very ineffective 2-13 from the floor. Venceslás Castillo also takes 13 shots, but he makes more of them and finishes with 17 points. James Sanders scores 12, and Clark Nolan, our leading rebounder, does his thing with another 11 rebounds.

Rhett King gets hurt. He's diagnosed with Blurred Vision, and he'll be day-to-day for about a week.

Like I said, it's an ugly win, but good teams manage to get a few of those every year.
Record: 20-3 (9-0).

February 9, 2014
We finally move up in the Mid-Major poll, achieving a season-best #22 ranking. However, when I peek at the Bubble Watch, I see that we're listed as Out. I have to filter the results to show only Patriot League teams in order to discover our status.

Our schedule hasn't been strong, and that's probably part of the problem. Our RPI is 88. We've played only three teams in the top 100, and we've gone 1-3 against them. We've run the table, 19-0, against teams ranked 101 and below.

February 12, 2014
Lafayette 70, Lehigh 62
We celebrate the 205th anniversary of the birth of Abraham Lincoln with another win that brings to mind the less-than-elegant style of the Great Emancipator.

Rhett King's injury causes me to shorten our bench quite a bit. Six guys play the vast majority of the game. Five of them score in double figures: Hubert Song (10), Alvaro Kinard (11), James Sanders (13), Billy Weiler (15), and the magisterial Good King (15). Castillo adds 13 rebounds, Sanders 9, and Weiler 8.

I don't like the fact we turned the ball over 20 times, but we forced the Mountain Hawks into 22 turnovers of their own.

We've clinched a share of the Patriot League championship. Holy Cross is 5-4 in league play; they would have to win out while we lose four straight to split the title with us.
Record: 21-3 (10-0).

February 15, 2014
Lafayette 72, Navy 53
Graham Sims and his Lafayette Leopards sew up their first Patriot League championship with an emphatic win over Navy at the Kirby Center.

We return to the form that carried us through the early part of the season, characterized by stout defense, opportunistic offense, and the dominant presence of Hubert Song. The sophomore nails 6 of his 9 three-point attempts and scores 24 points, adding 6 rebounds.

The team's celebration of its championship is muted somewhat by the injury of Venceslás Castillo. The Good King sprained his knee, and he'll be day-to-day for a little over a week. Venceslás will make the trip out to Seattle, where we have a non-conference game, but he won't play.
Record: 22-3 (11-0).

February 16, 2014
We've made it all the way up to #20 in the Mid-Major poll.

February 17, 2014
Lafayette 66, Seattle 44
The Redhawks have struggled this season; they enter today's game with an 8-18 record. Their signature win is a 78-63 defeat of a decent Virginia team. Even without Venceslás Castillo, we look good in a decisive victory.

The star is senior guard Billy Weiler, who continues to play the best basketball of his Lafayette career. His 16 points come on 7-for-11 shooting, and he hands out four assists while committing only one turnover. That kind of guard play wins games, and championships.

Hubert Song and Alvaro Kinard score 13 apiece, and I don't push Castillo far enough down the depth chart to keep him completely off the floor. He sees a single minute of action and claims a rebound.
Record: 23-3 (11-0).

February 22, 2014
Holy Cross 68, Lafayette 63
Our dream of a perfect Patriot League season are shattered by the Crusaders, who play a nearly flawless first half and hold off our spirited attempt at a comeback.

We have trouble with sophomore point guard Dominick Hinman, whose 23 points lead all scorers. Billy Weiler deserves a better Senior Night than this. He misses all eight of his field goal attempts and gets into foul trouble trying to stop Hinman.

Hubert Song leads us with 18 points. James Sanders adds 14, and Venceslás Castillo returns to the starting lineup with 11.
Record: 23-4 (11-1).

February 23, 2014
Our loss causes us to drop a spot in the Mid-Major poll; now we're at #21.

February 26, 2014
Lafayette 68, Army 44
It doesn't take long for us to return to regular service, as we trounce the Black Knights by 24 points on their home court.

Jack Jessie scores 20 points, but he needs 22 shots to do so. Our Hubert Song is a bit more efficient, matching Jessie's total with "only" 16 shots, and he finds his teammates for a career-high seven dimes.

The two high-scoring guards are the only players in double figures.

I tweak the starting lineup a bit, going with Weiler, Song, Kinard, Castillo, and Sanders,, while bringing Nolan off the bench.
Record: 24-4 (12-1).

March 1, 2014
American 75, Lafayette 74
Victor Reed sinks a three-pointer with 19 seconds remaining to give the Eagles a come-from-behind victory in his final regular season home game. We have a chance to snatch the honors back from the Eagles, but Clark Nolan's shot bounces off the rim. It's a sweet bit of revenge for the Eagles, and especially for Reed; you may remember the way we held him scoreless in our first matchup, exactly a month ago.

Reed finishes with a much more typical 22 points. Patrick Robinson directs the American offense like a maestro. The reigning Player of the Year in our conference, Patrick records a double-double: 12 points and 13 assists, while turning the ball over only twice.

Nolan returns to the starting five and plays well, scoring 18 points. Hubert Song (16), Billy Weiler (13), and James Sanders (10) join him in double digits.
Record: 24-5 (12-2).

03-15-2023, 01:21 PM	#83
MoonlightGraham High School Varsity Join Date: Sep 2022	February 1, 2014 Lafayette 65, American 34 Yes, you read that correctly. We play well defensively, but American are just plain awful tonight. Even if we don't score a single point in the second half, the game would go into overtime. Victor Reed, the Patriot League's leading scorer, took nine shots, missed them all, and finished with zero points. Despite the shutout, Victor is still averaging 19.4 per game. That's how productive he's been this season. James Sanders and Billy Weiler drop in 15 apiece for us. Hubert Song manages "only" 10, but that's 10 more than the man he's guarding. Venceslás Castillo rips down 12 boards, missing a double-double by a single bucket. All in all, it's a hugely satisfying performance. Record: 18-3 (7-0). February 2, 2014 I don't get how the Mid-Major Top 25 poll works. We beat a conference opponent by 31 points and FALL one spot in the rankings, back to #25. Perhaps it's because the Patriot League is such a meh conference. Holy Cross (14-7) is the only other team in our league with a winning record. February 5, 2014 Lafayette 58, Bucknell 54 The Bison had moved into sole possession of second place in the league, and this game resembles a clash between Number One and Number Two. Our defense has been very good all season long--we're #23 in the nation in fewest points allowed--and in a tough away game, it comes through once again. Clark Nolan finishes with 10 points and 11 rebounds, sharing the scoring honors with Armando Brown. Armando makes all four of his shots and goes 2-4 from the line. He adds two steals, grabs two rebounds, and commits a turnover. He's named Player of the Game for his scoresheet-filling performance...and he plays only six minutes! I've never seen anything like that. I feel a little sorry for Clark, who battles the Bisons' tough big men, Jason Grimmett and Damon Troyer, for 27 minutes, outplays both of them, and is eclipsed by Armando's meteoric moments. Record: 19-3 (8-0). February 8, 2014 Lafayette 75, Colgate 64 We sweep our season series with Colgate with another scrappy, unaesthetically pleasing win. The Red Raiders shoot much better than we do--they scorch us for a 54.5% percentage, while we are at 43.3%--but we squeeze off so many shots that we win on pure volume alone. Hubert Song's scoring slump continues; he's a very ineffective 2-13 from the floor. Venceslás Castillo also takes 13 shots, but he makes more of them and finishes with 17 points. James Sanders scores 12, and Clark Nolan, our leading rebounder, does his thing with another 11 rebounds. Rhett King gets hurt. He's diagnosed with Blurred Vision, and he'll be day-to-day for about a week. Like I said, it's an ugly win, but good teams manage to get a few of those every year. Record: 20-3 (9-0). February 9, 2014 We finally move up in the Mid-Major poll, achieving a season-best #22 ranking. However, when I peek at the Bubble Watch, I see that we're listed as Out. I have to filter the results to show only Patriot League teams in order to discover our status. Our schedule hasn't been strong, and that's probably part of the problem. Our RPI is 88. We've played only three teams in the top 100, and we've gone 1-3 against them. We've run the table, 19-0, against teams ranked 101 and below. February 12, 2014 Lafayette 70, Lehigh 62 We celebrate the 205th anniversary of the birth of Abraham Lincoln with another win that brings to mind the less-than-elegant style of the Great Emancipator. Rhett King's injury causes me to shorten our bench quite a bit. Six guys play the vast majority of the game. Five of them score in double figures: Hubert Song (10), Alvaro Kinard (11), James Sanders (13), Billy Weiler (15), and the magisterial Good King (15). Castillo adds 13 rebounds, Sanders 9, and Weiler 8. I don't like the fact we turned the ball over 20 times, but we forced the Mountain Hawks into 22 turnovers of their own. We've clinched a share of the Patriot League championship. Holy Cross is 5-4 in league play; they would have to win out while we lose four straight to split the title with us. Record: 21-3 (10-0). February 15, 2014 Lafayette 72, Navy 53 Graham Sims and his Lafayette Leopards sew up their first Patriot League championship with an emphatic win over Navy at the Kirby Center. We return to the form that carried us through the early part of the season, characterized by stout defense, opportunistic offense, and the dominant presence of Hubert Song. The sophomore nails 6 of his 9 three-point attempts and scores 24 points, adding 6 rebounds. The team's celebration of its championship is muted somewhat by the injury of Venceslás Castillo. The Good King sprained his knee, and he'll be day-to-day for a little over a week. Venceslás will make the trip out to Seattle, where we have a non-conference game, but he won't play. Record: 22-3 (11-0). February 16, 2014 We've made it all the way up to #20 in the Mid-Major poll. February 17, 2014 Lafayette 66, Seattle 44 The Redhawks have struggled this season; they enter today's game with an 8-18 record. Their signature win is a 78-63 defeat of a decent Virginia team. Even without Venceslás Castillo, we look good in a decisive victory. The star is senior guard Billy Weiler, who continues to play the best basketball of his Lafayette career. His 16 points come on 7-for-11 shooting, and he hands out four assists while committing only one turnover. That kind of guard play wins games, and championships. Hubert Song and Alvaro Kinard score 13 apiece, and I don't push Castillo far enough down the depth chart to keep him completely off the floor. He sees a single minute of action and claims a rebound. Record: 23-3 (11-0). February 22, 2014 Holy Cross 68, Lafayette 63 Our dream of a perfect Patriot League season are shattered by the Crusaders, who play a nearly flawless first half and hold off our spirited attempt at a comeback. We have trouble with sophomore point guard Dominick Hinman, whose 23 points lead all scorers. Billy Weiler deserves a better Senior Night than this. He misses all eight of his field goal attempts and gets into foul trouble trying to stop Hinman. Hubert Song leads us with 18 points. James Sanders adds 14, and Venceslás Castillo returns to the starting lineup with 11. Record: 23-4 (11-1). February 23, 2014 Our loss causes us to drop a spot in the Mid-Major poll; now we're at #21. February 26, 2014 Lafayette 68, Army 44 It doesn't take long for us to return to regular service, as we trounce the Black Knights by 24 points on their home court. Jack Jessie scores 20 points, but he needs 22 shots to do so. Our Hubert Song is a bit more efficient, matching Jessie's total with "only" 16 shots, and he finds his teammates for a career-high seven dimes. The two high-scoring guards are the only players in double figures. I tweak the starting lineup a bit, going with Weiler, Song, Kinard, Castillo, and Sanders,, while bringing Nolan off the bench. Record: 24-4 (12-1). March 1, 2014 American 75, Lafayette 74 Victor Reed sinks a three-pointer with 19 seconds remaining to give the Eagles a come-from-behind victory in his final regular season home game. We have a chance to snatch the honors back from the Eagles, but Clark Nolan's shot bounces off the rim. It's a sweet bit of revenge for the Eagles, and especially for Reed; you may remember the way we held him scoreless in our first matchup, exactly a month ago. Reed finishes with a much more typical 22 points. Patrick Robinson directs the American offense like a maestro. The reigning Player of the Year in our conference, Patrick records a double-double: 12 points and 13 assists, while turning the ball over only twice. Nolan returns to the starting five and plays well, scoring 18 points. Hubert Song (16), Billy Weiler (13), and James Sanders (10) join him in double digits. Record: 24-5 (12-2). Last edited by MoonlightGraham : 03-15-2023 at 01:24 PM.