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

MoonlightGraham · 03-17-2023, 08:08 PM

November 16, 2014
Lafayette 78, Gardner Webb 75
Our opening game of the season sees us come from behind against a tough Big South opponent.

The Joe Lien era begins in fine style. The freshman guard leads all scorers with 18 points, snags seven rebounds, and hands out three assists; he's a worthy Player of the Game selection. Hubert Song (14), Alvaro Kinard (11) and Clark Nolan (10) join Joe in double figures.

It's hard to feel too good right now, though. James Sanders exited the game at the 14:19 mark of the first half with an injury and did not return to action. It's a Broken Rib (capitalized), and he'll be out for 18 days or so. Clark Nolan will start at center in Sanders' absence.
Record: 1-0.

November 18, 2014
Lafayette 75, UMBC 71
Minus the Big Colonel, we open up a nice halftime advantage and let the Retrievers back in the game.

Hubert Song reminds us that Joe Lien isn't the only talented guard in Lafayette colors. The junior from Fiorello LaGuardia High in NYC plays a beautifully well-rounded game: 19 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists. Hubert's classmate, Venceslás Castillo, puts the power in power forward with an 18-point, 13-rebound performance.

Lien tosses in 18 points of his own, as the Leopards offense continues to operate on all cylinders.
Record: 2-0.

November 21, 2014
Lafayette 76, Binghamton 53
We don't usually allow teams to score 70 points on us, so the results of the first two games were a tiny bit puzzling. This defensive effort was much more like we're used to seeing in Leopardland.

The partnership of Hubert Song and Joe Lien continues to thrive. Tonight, they combine to shoot 10-for-15 from three point range and score 46 points between them: 25 for Hubert and 21 from Joe.

Dana Broughton is our next high scorer with 9 off the bench. At some point, a team is probably going to find a way to slow our guards down. Right now we don't seem to have a Plan B, but so far, we haven't needed one.
Record: 3-0.

November 26, 2014
Lafayette 84, St. Peter's 76
We score 47 points by the intermission, but we allow St. Peter's to score nearly as many points in the first half (48) as we allowed Binghamton in a full forty minutes. While both teams' scoring pace slows down in the second half, ours fades a little bit less.

The Peacocks contain Hubert Song better than any team we've faced this year. Hubert only takes eight shots and finishes with 10 points, including 5-6 from the line. However, Joe Lien hits his scoring average--19 points--on the button, and with double-figure assistance from Venceslás Castillo (13), Dana Broughton (12), Rhett King (10), and Song, we once again score enough to win. King notches a double-double, as he pulls in 11 rebounds.

I'm a little concerned about Alvaro Kinard. He's shooting only 43.5% for the season, averaging just over 7 points a game. Maybe it's a case of there only being so many shots to go around, but I'd like to see AK have a big, confidence-boosting game.
Record: 4-0.

November 28, 2014
Temple 82, Lafayette 69
The Owls are simply too deep and too good for us, especially today. They have a Green/Green player and a four-star freshman coming off their bench. Clark Nolan and Alvaro Kinard both get in foul trouble, and we simply don't have enough in reserve to stay in the game for long.

Rhett King impresses me again, recording 13 points and 11 boards off the bench. Hubert Song, scores 17...and Joe Lien drills 5-of-7 treys and finishes with a game-high 23.

Now the third-highest scoring freshman in the country, Joe looks like he'll be every bit the offensive threat we thought he'd be when we recruited him. (David Sullivan of St. John's, the #3 recruit in the nation, and Christopher Weise of Southern are the players ahead of Lien.)
Record: 4-1.

November 30, 2014
Lafayette 80, Long Island 70
James Sanders has been upgraded to day-to-day status, at 90% of full health. I don't want to risk him in a non-conference game, so he sits out again. We don't need him, as we sink 12 of our 26 three-point attempts in a nice road win.

Joe Lien is now the top-scoring freshman in Division I basketball. His 27 points include 6-10 from long distance. Hubert Song, playing the wingman role to a T, scores 17 points and fills the scoresheet in other positive ways: 3 assists, 4 rebounds, 2 steals. Dana Broughton shoots a perfect 3-3 from the floor and 4-4 from the line and cashes in 10 points. Venceslás Castillo adds 11 points and 9 rebounds.

We catch up with Desmond White, whom I recruited last year. He comes off the bench to play 20 minutes, scoring 5 points with 3 assists and a steal.
Record: 5-1.

03-17-2023, 08:08 PM	#100
MoonlightGraham High School Varsity Join Date: Sep 2022	November 16, 2014 Lafayette 78, Gardner Webb 75 Our opening game of the season sees us come from behind against a tough Big South opponent. The Joe Lien era begins in fine style. The freshman guard leads all scorers with 18 points, snags seven rebounds, and hands out three assists; he's a worthy Player of the Game selection. Hubert Song (14), Alvaro Kinard (11) and Clark Nolan (10) join Joe in double figures. It's hard to feel too good right now, though. James Sanders exited the game at the 14:19 mark of the first half with an injury and did not return to action. It's a Broken Rib (capitalized), and he'll be out for 18 days or so. Clark Nolan will start at center in Sanders' absence. Record: 1-0. November 18, 2014 Lafayette 75, UMBC 71 Minus the Big Colonel, we open up a nice halftime advantage and let the Retrievers back in the game. Hubert Song reminds us that Joe Lien isn't the only talented guard in Lafayette colors. The junior from Fiorello LaGuardia High in NYC plays a beautifully well-rounded game: 19 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists. Hubert's classmate, Venceslás Castillo, puts the power in power forward with an 18-point, 13-rebound performance. Lien tosses in 18 points of his own, as the Leopards offense continues to operate on all cylinders. Record: 2-0. November 21, 2014 Lafayette 76, Binghamton 53 We don't usually allow teams to score 70 points on us, so the results of the first two games were a tiny bit puzzling. This defensive effort was much more like we're used to seeing in Leopardland. The partnership of Hubert Song and Joe Lien continues to thrive. Tonight, they combine to shoot 10-for-15 from three point range and score 46 points between them: 25 for Hubert and 21 from Joe. Dana Broughton is our next high scorer with 9 off the bench. At some point, a team is probably going to find a way to slow our guards down. Right now we don't seem to have a Plan B, but so far, we haven't needed one. Record: 3-0. November 26, 2014 Lafayette 84, St. Peter's 76 We score 47 points by the intermission, but we allow St. Peter's to score nearly as many points in the first half (48) as we allowed Binghamton in a full forty minutes. While both teams' scoring pace slows down in the second half, ours fades a little bit less. The Peacocks contain Hubert Song better than any team we've faced this year. Hubert only takes eight shots and finishes with 10 points, including 5-6 from the line. However, Joe Lien hits his scoring average--19 points--on the button, and with double-figure assistance from Venceslás Castillo (13), Dana Broughton (12), Rhett King (10), and Song, we once again score enough to win. King notches a double-double, as he pulls in 11 rebounds. I'm a little concerned about Alvaro Kinard. He's shooting only 43.5% for the season, averaging just over 7 points a game. Maybe it's a case of there only being so many shots to go around, but I'd like to see AK have a big, confidence-boosting game. Record: 4-0. November 28, 2014 Temple 82, Lafayette 69 The Owls are simply too deep and too good for us, especially today. They have a Green/Green player and a four-star freshman coming off their bench. Clark Nolan and Alvaro Kinard both get in foul trouble, and we simply don't have enough in reserve to stay in the game for long. Rhett King impresses me again, recording 13 points and 11 boards off the bench. Hubert Song, scores 17...and Joe Lien drills 5-of-7 treys and finishes with a game-high 23. Now the third-highest scoring freshman in the country, Joe looks like he'll be every bit the offensive threat we thought he'd be when we recruited him. (David Sullivan of St. John's, the #3 recruit in the nation, and Christopher Weise of Southern are the players ahead of Lien.) Record: 4-1. November 30, 2014 Lafayette 80, Long Island 70 James Sanders has been upgraded to day-to-day status, at 90% of full health. I don't want to risk him in a non-conference game, so he sits out again. We don't need him, as we sink 12 of our 26 three-point attempts in a nice road win. Joe Lien is now the top-scoring freshman in Division I basketball. His 27 points include 6-10 from long distance. Hubert Song, playing the wingman role to a T, scores 17 points and fills the scoresheet in other positive ways: 3 assists, 4 rebounds, 2 steals. Dana Broughton shoots a perfect 3-3 from the floor and 4-4 from the line and cashes in 10 points. Venceslás Castillo adds 11 points and 9 rebounds. We catch up with Desmond White, whom I recruited last year. He comes off the bench to play 20 minutes, scoring 5 points with 3 assists and a steal. Record: 5-1.