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

MoonlightGraham · 11-02-2023, 01:42 PM

January 4, 2025
@ #12 Lafayette 70, #22 Rutgers 63
We begin the New Year with another matchup against a ranked team. This time, we're at home, and for the 37th consecutive time, we defend the Kirby Center court.

Micah Rodriguez leads all scorers with 21 points, playing 16 minutes off the bench. Kamari Stone (13), Kenton Lashley (11) and Carl McGriff (10) also score in double figures, and Kurt Ritchie barely misses another double double (9pts/9reb).

Micah has scored 980 points in his Lafayette career, and he's done so in only 1680 minutes of playing time. He'll almost certainly score his 1000th career point in the next week or so...while starting only 3 games.
Record: 12-2.

January 7, 2025

Code:

2024 Patriot League Standings

 TEAM              CW  CL   Pct   W  L   Pct  RPI  Prestige
------------------------------------------------------------
 #15 Lafayette      0   0  .000  12  2  .857   19        80
 Lehigh             0   0  .000  10  5  .667  126        40
 Colgate            0   0  .000  10  5  .667  228        43
 Navy               0   0  .000   8  6  .571  251        33
 Bucknell           0   0  .000   7  9  .438  100        43
 American           0   0  .000   6  9  .400  135        42
 Army               0   0  .000   5  9  .357  182        42
 Holy Cross         0   0  .000   5  8  .385  290        56

Holy Cross has really struggled this year. I wondered if their record was the result of an unusually demanding non-conference schedule. It's not.

Lehigh, on the other hand, has only one soft loss, and Colgate has two. Both teams could challenge us for the conference championship.

January 9, 2025
#15 Lafayette 84, @Duquesne 80
We have one more non-conference game before we begin Patriot League play, and we win a close one on the road at Duquesne.

The Leopards take full advantage of the Dukes' outrageous tendency to foul. We shoot badly from the field (24-70) and even worse from behind the arc (7-24), but we attempt 39 foul shots and make 27 of them. We outscore Duquesne 27-10 from the line; without that advantage, we go home with the L.

Micah Rodriguez leads us with 17 points, and Kenton Lashley adds 16. Jeffrey Hampton and reserve Carter Todd finish with 11, Carl McGriff with 10.
Record: 13-2.

January 11, 2025
@ #15 Lafayette 84, Navy 46
The buzzer sounds with 15:56 to play in the first half , and Coach Sims presents Micah Rodriguez with the game ball to commemorate his 1000th career point. Micah goes on to score 20, and Kenton Lashley nets 21 as we open our Patriot League season with a big win over Navy.

Senior Jeffrey Hampton's 500th career point is one of the 16 he scores today. His classmate Kurt Ritchie pulls down 12 rebounds, giving him 813 for his career. Matt Robles is our all-time leader in that category with 964.

Duncan Sims appears late in the second half and swishes a three-pointer. He's now 5-for-9 from deep for his young career.
Record: 14-2 (1-0).

January 15, 2025
#11 Lafayette 77, @Holy Cross 59
The classic Lafayette recipe for victory delivers once again, this time against Holy Cross on a cold night in Worcester.

Micah Rodriguez (20) and Kenton Lashley (18) score. Kurt Ritchie rebounds (11) and blocks shots (7!). A young big man steps up (Carter Todd; 6 points and 7 rebounds). And everyone plays D (Holy Cross shoots 19-56, 5-17 from three point range).

Add a dash of the future (Duncan Sims; 9 minutes, 5 points, 1 assist, 1 rebound) mix well, and serve.
Record: 15-2 (2-0).

January 18, 2025
#11 Lafayette 99, @American 50
Once upon a time, a trip to American meant an almost certain loss for Graham Sims' teams. The Eagles have beaten us more times (8) than any other conference opponent. However, times have changed, and today we nearly outscore American two to one.

Code:

Lafayette 99, American 50

----------------------------------------------------------
Lafayette  (16-2, 3-0):
Player            Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Kurt Ritchie      C    20   2-2   1-2   1   2   0  4   5
Jeffrey Hampton   PF   28  5-10   4-6   4   7   4  2  14
Carl McGriff      SF   24   5-9   0-0   1   4   2  1  10
Kenton Lashley    SG   19   4-8   5-6   2   5   1  4  15
Kamari Stone      PG   27   6-9   1-2   0   3   3  3  18
Micah Rodriguez   SG   25  9-13   4-4   1   1   2  3  27
Charles Allen     SF   17   3-4   0-0   0   2   2  0   7
Carter Todd       C    22   0-0   0-0   2  10   4  2   0
Bret Bryant       PF   10   0-0   0-1   0   2   0  4   0
Duncan Sims       PG    3   1-2   0-0   0   0   0  1   3
David Farrell     C     4   0-0   0-0   1   2   0  0   0

Turnovers: 7 (J.Hampton 2, C.McGriff 2, M.Rodriguez 2, 
 C.Todd 1)
Blocked Shots: 1 (K.Ritchie 1)
Steals: 4 (J.Hampton 1, K.Lashley 1, K.Stone 1, 
 M.Rodriguez 1)
3P FGs: 14-25 (C.McGriff 0-1, K.Lashley 2-5, K.Stone 
 5-7, M.Rodriguez 5-9, C.Allen 1-2, D.Sims 1-1)

American  (6-13, 0-4):
Player            Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
George Bush       C    21   2-4   0-1   0   4   1  4   4
Jonathan McKenzie PF   28   0-3   1-3   6   9   1  2   1
Elton Griffin     SF   24   3-7   2-4   0   1   1  4   9
Roland Moore      SG   27  5-16   4-4   1   2   0  1  17
Gerald Farthing   PG   27   0-5   0-0   1   2   1  3   0
Tony Sharp        C    16   0-2   1-3   5   6   0  1   1
Andre Bretz       SG   20   4-5   3-5   2   3   0  1  11
Lloyd Tellez      C     3   0-0   0-0   0   0   0  0   0
Tracey Wacker     PG   14   0-5   2-2   1   1   1  2   2
Leland Thorton    SF    9   1-5   0-0   2   3   1  0   2
Mitch Musgrave    PF   10   1-4   0-2   3   4   1  1   3
Lemuel Nelson     SF    1   0-0   0-0   0   0   0  0   0
Gregory Cabrera   SG    1   0-0   0-0   0   0   0  0   0

Turnovers: 14 (G.Bush 2, J.McKenzie 2, E.Griffin 3, 
 R.Moore 1, G.Farthing 1, T.Sharp 2, A.Bretz 2, 
 T.Wacker 1)
Blocked Shots: 3 (J.McKenzie 1, A.Bretz 1, L.Tellez 1)
Steals: 0 
3P FGs: 5-18 (J.McKenzie 0-1, E.Griffin 1-1, R.Moore 
 3-8, G.Farthing 0-2, T.Wacker 0-3, L.Thorton 0-2, 
 M.Musgrave 1-1)

Player of Game: PG Micah Rodriguez (LFYTE)

One bright point for the otherwise hapless Eagles: freshman center George Bush outplays his opponent...Kurt Ritchie, the reigning All-Patriot League big man.
Record: 16-2 (3-0).

January 22, 2025
@ #9 Lafayette 81, Army 76
Army is really bad this year. They lost to St. Peter's, barely beat Quinnipac (#341 on the RPI list) and were blown out at Colgate. Then, they come to the Kirby Center and play like a powerhouse.

The game is tied, 45-45, at halftime. Army center Irinei Fedorov, who is a good player, is beating Kurt Ritchie like a bass drum. Army leads as late as the 4:04 mark in the second half before we do just enough to extend our Kirby Center winning streak to 40 games.

Kamari Stone maintains his composure like the veteran point guard he is, scoring 6 of his 20 points and handing out two of his 5 assists in the last four minutes of the game. Micah Rodriguez, again, leads us in scoring with 22. Kenton Lashley (11) and Carl McGriff (10) finish in double digits, too.

Too close for comfort, boys.
Record: 17-2 (4-0).

January 25, 2025
@ #9 Lafayette 87, Colgate 72
Colgate has struggled a bit more in conference play than I thought they would. The final score flatters the Red Raiders, who fall behind 58-23 at halftime and only get things going once the outcome is decided.

Kenton Lashley plays a smooth, efficient game, scoring 17 points on only 9 shots (4-5 from long range). Micah Rodriguez adds 13, and Carter Todd is productive off the bench (10 pts/5reb in 17 minutes).

A pair of freshman guards trade baskets in the game's waning minutes. Lafayette's Duncan Sims knocks down two more three-balls in 5 minutes. Colgate's Ed Brophy plays 4 minutes, squeezes off two threes and two more baskets, and adds a free throw for good measure. That's 11 points for the Red Raiders' young king.

Here's how their season shooting totals compare:

Code:

                     G  MIN  FG FGA  FT FTA  3P 3PA  PTS
Ed Brophy      COL  17   52   7  13   1   4   3   5   18
Duncan Sims    LAF  18   71  13  21   6   6   9  14   41

Brophy is the more careful ballhandler right now; he has 5 assists and 2 turnovers, while Sims has 7 and 11. And Ed's a walk-on, while Duncan is the Patriot League's highest-ranked recruit in his class.
Record: 18-2 (5-0).

11-02-2023, 01:42 PM	#340
MoonlightGraham High School Varsity Join Date: Sep 2022	January 4, 2025 @ #12 Lafayette 70, #22 Rutgers 63 We begin the New Year with another matchup against a ranked team. This time, we're at home, and for the 37th consecutive time, we defend the Kirby Center court. Micah Rodriguez leads all scorers with 21 points, playing 16 minutes off the bench. Kamari Stone (13), Kenton Lashley (11) and Carl McGriff (10) also score in double figures, and Kurt Ritchie barely misses another double double (9pts/9reb). Micah has scored 980 points in his Lafayette career, and he's done so in only 1680 minutes of playing time. He'll almost certainly score his 1000th career point in the next week or so...while starting only 3 games. Record: 12-2. January 7, 2025 Code: 2024 Patriot League Standings TEAM CW CL Pct W L Pct RPI Prestige ------------------------------------------------------------ #15 Lafayette 0 0 .000 12 2 .857 19 80 Lehigh 0 0 .000 10 5 .667 126 40 Colgate 0 0 .000 10 5 .667 228 43 Navy 0 0 .000 8 6 .571 251 33 Bucknell 0 0 .000 7 9 .438 100 43 American 0 0 .000 6 9 .400 135 42 Army 0 0 .000 5 9 .357 182 42 Holy Cross 0 0 .000 5 8 .385 290 56 Holy Cross has really struggled this year. I wondered if their record was the result of an unusually demanding non-conference schedule. It's not. Lehigh, on the other hand, has only one soft loss, and Colgate has two. Both teams could challenge us for the conference championship. January 9, 2025 #15 Lafayette 84, @Duquesne 80 We have one more non-conference game before we begin Patriot League play, and we win a close one on the road at Duquesne. The Leopards take full advantage of the Dukes' outrageous tendency to foul. We shoot badly from the field (24-70) and even worse from behind the arc (7-24), but we attempt 39 foul shots and make 27 of them. We outscore Duquesne 27-10 from the line; without that advantage, we go home with the L. Micah Rodriguez leads us with 17 points, and Kenton Lashley adds 16. Jeffrey Hampton and reserve Carter Todd finish with 11, Carl McGriff with 10. Record: 13-2. January 11, 2025 @ #15 Lafayette 84, Navy 46 The buzzer sounds with 15:56 to play in the first half , and Coach Sims presents Micah Rodriguez with the game ball to commemorate his 1000th career point. Micah goes on to score 20, and Kenton Lashley nets 21 as we open our Patriot League season with a big win over Navy. Senior Jeffrey Hampton's 500th career point is one of the 16 he scores today. His classmate Kurt Ritchie pulls down 12 rebounds, giving him 813 for his career. Matt Robles is our all-time leader in that category with 964. Duncan Sims appears late in the second half and swishes a three-pointer. He's now 5-for-9 from deep for his young career. Record: 14-2 (1-0). January 15, 2025 #11 Lafayette 77, @Holy Cross 59 The classic Lafayette recipe for victory delivers once again, this time against Holy Cross on a cold night in Worcester. Micah Rodriguez (20) and Kenton Lashley (18) score. Kurt Ritchie rebounds (11) and blocks shots (7!). A young big man steps up (Carter Todd; 6 points and 7 rebounds). And everyone plays D (Holy Cross shoots 19-56, 5-17 from three point range). Add a dash of the future (Duncan Sims; 9 minutes, 5 points, 1 assist, 1 rebound) mix well, and serve. Record: 15-2 (2-0). January 18, 2025 #11 Lafayette 99, @American 50 Once upon a time, a trip to American meant an almost certain loss for Graham Sims' teams. The Eagles have beaten us more times (8) than any other conference opponent. However, times have changed, and today we nearly outscore American two to one. Code: Lafayette 99, American 50 ---------------------------------------------------------- Lafayette (16-2, 3-0): Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts Kurt Ritchie C 20 2-2 1-2 1 2 0 4 5 Jeffrey Hampton PF 28 5-10 4-6 4 7 4 2 14 Carl McGriff SF 24 5-9 0-0 1 4 2 1 10 Kenton Lashley SG 19 4-8 5-6 2 5 1 4 15 Kamari Stone PG 27 6-9 1-2 0 3 3 3 18 Micah Rodriguez SG 25 9-13 4-4 1 1 2 3 27 Charles Allen SF 17 3-4 0-0 0 2 2 0 7 Carter Todd C 22 0-0 0-0 2 10 4 2 0 Bret Bryant PF 10 0-0 0-1 0 2 0 4 0 Duncan Sims PG 3 1-2 0-0 0 0 0 1 3 David Farrell C 4 0-0 0-0 1 2 0 0 0 Turnovers: 7 (J.Hampton 2, C.McGriff 2, M.Rodriguez 2, C.Todd 1) Blocked Shots: 1 (K.Ritchie 1) Steals: 4 (J.Hampton 1, K.Lashley 1, K.Stone 1, M.Rodriguez 1) 3P FGs: 14-25 (C.McGriff 0-1, K.Lashley 2-5, K.Stone 5-7, M.Rodriguez 5-9, C.Allen 1-2, D.Sims 1-1) American (6-13, 0-4): Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts George Bush C 21 2-4 0-1 0 4 1 4 4 Jonathan McKenzie PF 28 0-3 1-3 6 9 1 2 1 Elton Griffin SF 24 3-7 2-4 0 1 1 4 9 Roland Moore SG 27 5-16 4-4 1 2 0 1 17 Gerald Farthing PG 27 0-5 0-0 1 2 1 3 0 Tony Sharp C 16 0-2 1-3 5 6 0 1 1 Andre Bretz SG 20 4-5 3-5 2 3 0 1 11 Lloyd Tellez C 3 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 Tracey Wacker PG 14 0-5 2-2 1 1 1 2 2 Leland Thorton SF 9 1-5 0-0 2 3 1 0 2 Mitch Musgrave PF 10 1-4 0-2 3 4 1 1 3 Lemuel Nelson SF 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 Gregory Cabrera SG 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 Turnovers: 14 (G.Bush 2, J.McKenzie 2, E.Griffin 3, R.Moore 1, G.Farthing 1, T.Sharp 2, A.Bretz 2, T.Wacker 1) Blocked Shots: 3 (J.McKenzie 1, A.Bretz 1, L.Tellez 1) Steals: 0 3P FGs: 5-18 (J.McKenzie 0-1, E.Griffin 1-1, R.Moore 3-8, G.Farthing 0-2, T.Wacker 0-3, L.Thorton 0-2, M.Musgrave 1-1) Player of Game: PG Micah Rodriguez (LFYTE) One bright point for the otherwise hapless Eagles: freshman center George Bush outplays his opponent...Kurt Ritchie, the reigning All-Patriot League big man. Record: 16-2 (3-0). January 22, 2025 @ #9 Lafayette 81, Army 76 Army is really bad this year. They lost to St. Peter's, barely beat Quinnipac (#341 on the RPI list) and were blown out at Colgate. Then, they come to the Kirby Center and play like a powerhouse. The game is tied, 45-45, at halftime. Army center Irinei Fedorov, who is a good player, is beating Kurt Ritchie like a bass drum. Army leads as late as the 4:04 mark in the second half before we do just enough to extend our Kirby Center winning streak to 40 games. Kamari Stone maintains his composure like the veteran point guard he is, scoring 6 of his 20 points and handing out two of his 5 assists in the last four minutes of the game. Micah Rodriguez, again, leads us in scoring with 22. Kenton Lashley (11) and Carl McGriff (10) finish in double digits, too. Too close for comfort, boys. Record: 17-2 (4-0). January 25, 2025 @ #9 Lafayette 87, Colgate 72 Colgate has struggled a bit more in conference play than I thought they would. The final score flatters the Red Raiders, who fall behind 58-23 at halftime and only get things going once the outcome is decided. Kenton Lashley plays a smooth, efficient game, scoring 17 points on only 9 shots (4-5 from long range). Micah Rodriguez adds 13, and Carter Todd is productive off the bench (10 pts/5reb in 17 minutes). A pair of freshman guards trade baskets in the game's waning minutes. Lafayette's Duncan Sims knocks down two more three-balls in 5 minutes. Colgate's Ed Brophy plays 4 minutes, squeezes off two threes and two more baskets, and adds a free throw for good measure. That's 11 points for the Red Raiders' young king. Here's how their season shooting totals compare: Code: G MIN FG FGA FT FTA 3P 3PA PTS Ed Brophy COL 17 52 7 13 1 4 3 5 18 Duncan Sims LAF 18 71 13 21 6 6 9 14 41 Brophy is the more careful ballhandler right now; he has 5 assists and 2 turnovers, while Sims has 7 and 11. And Ed's a walk-on, while Duncan is the Patriot League's highest-ranked recruit in his class. Record: 18-2 (5-0).