The Coaching Legacy of C Jones

[southernCEO]

Ok I'm going to give this legacy thing a shot. I will be using the coaching mode throughout my legacy.

[southernCEO]

Eastern Illinois University Announces New Head Coach

http://graphics.collegesports.com/graphics/teams/eill-lg.gif

Eastern Illinois University has named Cory Jones the 15th head coach in EIU basketball history. Jones agreed to a 2 year contract for an undisclosed amount.

"Charles has all the qualities we were looking for in a head coach," said EIU AD Dr. Rich McDuffie. "He is an exellent recruiter and is passionate about winning the right way."

This is Jones' first head coaching job. He was the recruiting coordinator for the University of North Carolina, a position he held since 2004.

Highlights of the Press Conference

On the style of play that will be used...
"I plan to incorporate the style of offense my mentor ran at North Carolina, which was very fast and relied heavily on speed. The current players are going to determine what style we will run. Our perfect style would be to play full court man-to-man defense. I love to play aggressively."

On the types of players that will be recruited...
"The kinds of guys I plan to recruit are the tallest, fastest, best shooting, and the quickest."

Eastern Illinois Profile

Last Year: 6-21
Last NCAA Tourney Appearance: 2001 (lost to #2 seed Arizona)
Enrollment: 12,349
Conference: Ohio Valley Conference

2007 Pre-Season Notes
The Panthers return 3 of 5 starters from last year's team in Juniors Jake Byrne, Bobby Catchings, and Mike Robinson.

One of the highest recruits for the Panthers this season is freshman guard Romain Martin, who was a McDonald's All-American Nominee.

JUCO Transfers: Julio Anthony and Jon'Tee Willhite will help bolster the Panthers' roster.

[skarface2k1]

Sounds like a winner here.Keep the post up to let us know how it's going for EIU.This is Coach sanders of Wisconsin.Check out my legacy.

[southernCEO]

SPORTS WEEKLY

Pre-Season Top 10

Florida
North Carolina
Arizona
Kansas
Syracuse
Wisconsin
Villanova
Duke
LSU
Nevada


Pre-Season All-Americans

1st Team
PG Mikhail Torrance Alabama
SG Chris Lofton Tennessee
SF Reyshawn Terry North Carolina
PF Tyler Hansbrough North Carolina
C Greg Oden Ohio State

2nd Team
PG Mario Chalmers Kansas
SG Danny Green North Carolina
SF Corey Brewer Florida
PF Joakim Noah Florida
C Aaron Gray Pittsburgh

Midnight Madness @ Lantz Arena

Basketball season kicked off on the EIU campus last night. The annual Midnight Madness scrimmage game gives fans and coaches a preview of what's in store for the season. If last night's game is any indication of what the season is going to be like, then a lot of teams are going to have trouble scoring against the Panthers. Both Panther squads (starters and reserves) played aggressive defense all night long, which is indicated by the final score of 40-37. "I am happy with the way both defenses played, it seems like these guys have bought into my defensive philosophy, which is pressure, pressure, pressure," stated first year head coach Cory Jones. Two of the Panthers' big men had double-doubles. For the White Squad (starters) Jake Byrne had 11 points and 11 rebounds; for the Blue Squad (reserves) Ousmane Cisse had 14 points and 19 rebounds. "The big men really went after every board, and that's what I like to see. I am really proud of the way Cisse played," a very exhausted Coach Jones stated. Coach Jones also announced the starting line up for this season.

Starters

Mike Robinson (PG)
Bobby Catchings (SG)
Billy Parrish (SF)
Ousmane Cisse (PF)
Jake Byrne (C)


"I am not happy with our offensive production. That is something we are going to have to work on. The starters shot only 32% from the field and shot 8% from behind the arc. That 8% stat is what is really bothering me. We took too many threes!" Jones explained. Coach Jones is going to hit the recruiting trail this week to see if he can recruit some future Panthers. The Panthers will have their first game of the season next Friday night in Lantz Arena against Louisiana Monroe.

[doncoryell]

Gee. You weren't coaching the team yet and the AD at Eastern Illinois got your first name wrong. (He called you Charles and your name is Cory) I'm sure that after you get a couple of wins under your belt that he will start getting your name right.

Good luck with the Panthers from coach Bob Knight of Army (at OS).

[southernCEO]

SPORTS WEEKLY

Coach Jones and the Panthers coaching staff hit the recruiting trail last week and are very optimistic about their targeted recruits. Coach Jones wants to focus on getting players from the State of Illinois. Here are the three targeted recruits:

Mustafa McBridleRockford, IL
Rating: ***
Position: SF
Height: 6'5
Weight: 194
Offense: B
Shooting: B
Hustle: A-

Tyrece HolmesChicago, IL
Rating: ***
Position: SF
Height: 6'6
Weight: 226
Offense: B
Rebounding: B-
Hustle: B

Dreike MinorJoliet, IL
Rating: **
Position: C
Height: 6'11
Weight: 225
Offense: C
Intelligence: B
Hustle: C+

Game Previews

http://graphics.collegesports.com/graphics/teams/eill-lg.gif vs. http://www.ssur.org/Digest/Icons/College/LouisianaUOf-Monroe_PRM_9999.jpg
Friday Night

We match up pretty evenly with ULM, with neither team having much of an advantage. The Warhawks run a flex offense and a 3-2 defense. They like to play at a moderate pace.

ULM Warhawks (0-0)
Coach: Orlando Early (10-18)
Conference: Sun Belt
Tournament Bids: 7
Last Tournament Appearance: 1996

http://graphics.collegesports.com/graphics/teams/eill-lg.gif vs. http://www.cabrillo.edu/academics/athletics/m_bball/images/riverside.gif
Saturday Night

We match up pretty evenly with UC Riverside, with neither team having much of an advantage. The Highlanders run a uptempo flex offense and likes to pressure teams using a 1-2-2 zone defense.

UC Riverside Highlanders (0-0)
Coach: David Spencer (5-23)
Conference: Big West
Tournament Bids: 0

http://graphics.collegesports.com/graphics/teams/eill-lg.gif at http://www.sportsfantreasures.com/School%20Logos/Iowa%20State.jpg
Sunday Afternoon

We are big underdogs against Iowa State. The Cyclones run a very methodical motion offense. Man-to-man defense is the primary defense this teams runs. We have to look out for the full court trap that the Cyclones use. We may have an edge on rebounding.

Iowa State Cyclones
Coach: Greg McDermott (90-63)
Conference: Big 12
Tournament Bids: 13
Last Tournament Appearance: 2005
Final Fours: 1

[southernCEO]

Gee. You weren't coaching the team yet and the AD at Eastern Illinois got your first name wrong. (He called you Charles and your name is Cory) I'm sure that after you get a couple of wins under your belt that he will start getting your name right.

Good luck with the Panthers from coach Bob Knight of Army (at OS).

LOL. He's old...

[southernCEO]

Panthers Win Home Opener
Lantz Arena (Attendance: 1537/5300)
Final Score: EIU 65, ULM 50

Coach Jones made his coaching debut tonight and picked up his first win as a head coach as his EIU Panthers (1-0) defeated the Warhawks of Louisiana-Monroe (0-1), 65-50. The Panthers shot well from the field, making 54% of their shots. Coach Jones was relieved that his team shot fairly well from behind the arc. "I can live with 37% shooting from behind the arc, its much better than shooting 8%," Jones stated. The Panthers defense caused a lot of match up problems for the visiting Warhawks. The "Wrecking Havoc" defense only allowed the Warhawks to shoot 39% from the field and 18% from behind the arc. Ousmane Cisse, the freshman center, was the leading scorer for the Panthers. He had 14 points, 7 rebounds, and shot 100% from the field. "Cisse is going to develop into a great player I feel. He was very aggressive in going after the boards and he was very smart with his shots," Coach Jones stated. The Panthers bench scored 23 of the 65 points while the Warhawks bench scored only 4 points. The rebounding edge went to the Panthers who pulled down 29 boards. Mike Robinson (sophomore PG) did a great job dishing the ball with 7 assists (team total 17). The Panthers can't celebrate too much because they have a game tomorrow night against the visiting California-Riverside Highlanders (0-0).

[southernCEO]

Panthers Blow Out Highlanders
Lantz Arena (Attendance: 1590/5300)
Final Score: EIU 70, UCR 49

The Panthers defense continues to play well, only allowing California Riverside (0-1) to score 49 points. The Panthers offense did an exceptional job of running the offense to counter the Highlanders' 3-2 defense. The Panthers (2-0) shot 47% from the field and 43% behind the arc. Billy Parrish lead all scorers with 13 points. Ousmane Cisse and Jake Byrne each pulled down 7 of the 34 rebounds. The bench continues to play great; they scored 22 points combined. "I learned the importance of substituting while I was at North Carolina. Coach Williams did an excellent job using his bench," Panthers coach Cory Jones explained. Coach Jones wasn't too thrilled with the assist total (11) which can be attributed to Mike Robinson getting into foul trouble. The Panthers gave up 28 points in the paint, something Jones wasn't too happy about. The Player of the Game was Ousmane Cisse who had 10 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, and 1 block. The Panthers have to travel to Ames, Iowa to play against the Iowa State Cyclones (1-1)tomorrow. "Gee, I guess the AD was really trying to make sure we will be ready come tournament time. Playing three games in a row is tough, but I'm proud of how the guys are handling it. I have to thank the Strength and Conditioning Coach for that," Jones said as he ended the post game press conference.

[southernCEO]

Panthers Upset Cyclones
Hilton Arena (Attendance: 10,991/14,092)
Final Score: EIU 69, ISU 59

Coach Jones and his Panther squad went into a hostile environment and came away with a big win against the Iowa State Cyclones (1-2). "I am just proud of how these guys are playing together and how they handled the hostile crowd," Jones stated. Romain Martin, the freshman phenom from Minnesota came off of the bench and scored 27 points. The Cyclones defenders could not contain Martin from behind the arc, as he shot an amazing 88%. The Panthers (3-0) lead by as many as 18 points, but the Cyclones went on a run to close the gap to 9 points. With a little over 3 minutes remaining in the game, the Panthers turned up the defense. They ran a full court trap defense until the clock read 0:00. This defensive pressure caused the Cyclones to settle for threes. They only shot 27% from behind the arc. Coach Greg McDermott of Iowa State walked into the Panthers locker room to congratulate them on the win. "I must say you guys really played like a team, Coach Jones is doing an exceptional coaching job," McDermott stated to an exhausted Panthers team. "That means a lot for the coach of the opposing team to come and personally congratulate us. I know that helped boost this team's morale," stated Jones. The leading rebounder for the Panthers was Bobby Joliff who pulled down 5 boards. The assist total was 23, up from 11 against California-Riverside. The Panthers shot 58% from the field and 54% behind the arc. Up next for the Panthers, they travel to Chicago to face the Depaul Demons (2-0) on Friday evening in AllState Arena. "I'm going to give these guys Monday and Tuesday off...they deserve it!" Jones stated.

[southernCEO]

Sports Weekly

Upcoming Game

Eastern Illinois (3-0) at DePaul (2-0)

Eastern Illinois will travel to Chicago to face the DePaul Blue Demons. Both teams are on a winning streak. DePaul runs a motion offense and a man-to-man defense. The Panthers have already proven that they can play well against the man-to-man defense when they defeated Iowa State last week. The Blue Demons do not apply pressure while on defense so the Panthers should score a lot of points in this game. The Blue Demons have an advantage in the rebounding department; they average over 32 rebounds per game. They are very aggressive on the defensive boards. The Panthers have a scoring advantage over the Blue Demons, scoring 68.0 points per game, while the Blue Demons only score 60.0 point per game. The matchup to watch in this game is between Bobby Catchings (SG) of Eastern Illinois and Sammy Mejia (SG) of DePaul. The Panthers are 0-8 all-time against the Blue Demons. Game Pick: DePaul by 5

DePaul Blue Demons Profile
Head Coach: Jerry Wainwright (199-160)
Conference: Big East
Tournament Bids: 22
Last Tournament Appearance: 2004

[southernCEO]

Panthers defeat Blue Demons!
Attendance: AllState Arena (10,150/17,500)
Final Score: EIU 65, DU 59

The Panthers of Eastern Illinois (4-0) defeated the Blue Demons of DePaul (2-1)for the first time in 8 tries. "This was a big win for us, especially playing in Chicago. Maybe this win will help our recruiting efforts as we try to attract some of the Chicago talent," a jubliant Coach Jones stated. The Blue Demons got off to a fast 12-2 start to begin the game. Coach Jones called a timeout and told his defense to play more aggressively with the trap sets. The Panthers answered the call and closed the gap to 29-23 at the half. "I didn't really say much to the guys in the locker room at half-time, I told them they know what they have to do," Jones explained. Billy Parrish was unconcious from behind the arch as he went 3-for-3 in the second half. The Panthers were amazing from behind the arc, shooting 79% as a team. "I told Mike Robinson (PG) to drive the lane and dish it to a big man, then one of the big men will pass it out to an open man that's behind the arc," Jones shared. The Panthers defense forced 10 turnovers in this game. The Blue Demons out rebounded the Panthers 21-16 as well as scored 28 points in the paint. Down the strech, the Panthers defense shut down the inside causing DePaul to settle for jump shots and threes. Romain Martin was the leading scorer for the Panthers with 14 points. The Panthers will face Wiconsin-Green Bay (1-1) on Tuesday at home and then open conference play against Murray State (1-3) on Saturday in Kentucky.

[southernCEO]

Sports Weekly

National News
Top 10 Poll

Florida (4-0)
North Carolina (3-0)
Arizona (3-0)
Kansas (3-0)
Wisconsin (3-0)
Syracuse (3-1)
Duke (4-0)
Michigan (5-0)
Memphis (2-0)
Kentucky (2-1)Player of the Week
Caleb Green - Oral Roberts
37 points, 6 rebounds, 2 steals

Games of the Week
#16 Alabama (3-0) at #23 Xavier (3-0)
#1 Florida (4-0) at #4 Kansas (3-0)

Team News
Upcoming Games

November 21 - EIU (4-0) vs. Wisconsin GB (1-1)
Game Notes: The Phoenix of Wisconsin GB average 64.4 PPG and 29 RPG. They run their UCLA High Post offense at a slow pace, so the Panthers defense will have to make them play at a faster pace. The Phoenix use a 2-3 zone defense and does not pressure the ball at all. They are very aggressive on the defensive rebounding end. They shoot 42.7% from the field. Game Pick: EIU by 10

Wisconsin-Green Bay Profile
Coach: Tod Kowalczyk (60-59)
Conference: Horizon
Tournament Bids: 4
Last Tournament Appearance: 1996

November 25 - EIU (4-0) vs. Murray State (1-3)
Game Notes: This game will serve as the conference opener for the Panthers. They will have to keep an eye on the Racers' key player, Shawn Witherspoon. The Racers average 61.0 PPG, 25.0 RPG, and have a shooting average of 40.2%. The Racers run a motion offense and a 2-3 defense. They like to pressure the ball handler. The Racers lead the overall series 25-8. Game Pick: Murray State by 3

Murray State Profile
Coach: Billy Kennedy (105-129)
Conference: OVC
Tournament Bids: 13
Last Appearance: 2006

Weekly Press Conference
Opening Statement: "We feel really great about our progress so far. I would like to see us use our trap defense sets a little better. Our last two games we were outrebounded, so that will be one of our focal points this week for practice. I would like to thank Coach Greg McDermott of Iowa State for coming into our locker room after we defeated his team. The guys are still talking about that."

On freshman Romain Martin's play and progress: "I am really impressed with Martin's offense coming off of the bench. He's working very hard on the defensive end of the floor. The last couple of games he hasn't done that well defensively as we need him to. But I do believe that he is going to develop into a good defensive player. Everytime he shoots it I think it's going in, and that's a good feeling for a choach to have."

On the team's overall defense so far: "I am pleased with how this team has responded to my defensive philosophy, which is to frustrate the opposing team's offense. Our last game, the guy's responsed to the challenge when we were down.

On the decline of Ousmane Cisse and Jake Byrne's rebounding: "I really can't say they have declined, they just having grabbed many boards they last two games because they were shut down in the paint. This week we are going to focus on ways to get these guys rebounding numbers back up."

On thoughts of dethroning perennial conference power Murray State: "Right now we are focused on Wisconsin-Green Bay."

[southernCEO]

Anyone following my legacy??

[Superjames1992]

Anyone following my legacy??

I'm following!

**** Vitale would say this legacy is "Awesome Baby!":)

[southernCEO]

Panthers Blow Out Wisconsin-Green Bay
Final Score: EIU 86, WGB 57
Attendance at Lantz Arena (1,696)

Charleston, IL - "The game ball has to go to the entire team! What a way to play defense!" an excited Coach Jones stated as his team blew out Wisconsin-Green Bay. The Panthers defense did not allow any points in the paint, something Coach Jones stressed before tip-off. "Wow, zero points in the paint...I have to credit my assistant coaches for coming up with a scheme to shut down their inside scoring. What they came up with is everytime someone goes into the paint, they are immediately doubled," Jones stated. That scheme worked perfectly and the defense also pressured the Phoenix (1-2) so much that they turned the ball over 20 times. The team also responded to their coach's challenge this week in the rebounding department; they pulled down 39 boards. Jake Byrne was the leading rebounder with 14. The freshman shooting guard, Romain Martin, came away with 14 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 steals. "I experimented with using a three guard line up in this game and it worked to our advantage. We really outhustled the other team," said Jones. The three guard tandem of Martin, Mike Robinson (PG), and Bobby Catchings (SG) combined scored 41 points. The Panthers (5-0) will face the Racers of Murray State (1-3) on Saturday to begin conference play. "We have to take this same intensity to Kentucky when we face Murray State," said Jones.

[southernCEO]

I'm following!

**** Vitale would say this legacy is "Awesome Baby!":)

Thanks man!

[skarface2k1]

Anyone following my legacy??
Don't worry coach Jones we are all following your legacy.just return the favor.Coach Sanders of Wisconsin.

[supersigma2of21]

I'm following and you can follow mine if you like over at OperationSports.

Link:
The Coaching Career of A.Mumford (College Hoops 2K7) (http://forums.operationsports.com/vBulletin/showthread.php?t=197628)

[southernCEO]

Don't worry coach Jones we are all following your legacy.just return the favor.Coach Sanders of Wisconsin.

Yes I'm following yours man.

[southernCEO]

I'm following and you can follow mine if you like over at OperationSports.

Link:
The Coaching Career of A.Mumford (College Hoops 2K7) (http://forums.operationsports.com/vBulletin/showthread.php?t=197628)


Ok I'm going over there to check it out.

[southernCEO]

Panthers Fall Short Against Racers
Final Score: EIU 78, MSU 79
Attendance: Regional Special Events Center (3,440/8,600)

Murray, KY - The Panthers (5-1,0-1) came up short against their conference foe Murray State (2-3,1-0) in a thriller of a game. Eastern Illinois lead for most of the game, leading by as many as 10 coming down the stretch. The Racers closed the gap to five with 12 seconds remaining in the contest. A bad inbound pass by Ousmane Cisse of EIU gave the Racers the ball back with 3.5 seconds remaining in the contest. Shawn Witherspoon of Murray State was immediately fouled and sent to the line for the one-and-one; he made both free throws. "I have to tip my hat off to those guys in the other locker room for not giving up," Coach Jones said. "We have to put this loss behind us and get ready for our next opponent. This game is a lesson for all of us, we can't slack off with our pressure defense." The leading scorer for the Panthers was Romain Martin who had 22 points in the loss. Martin also played well defensively coming away with 6 steals. Jake Byrne was the leading rebounder for the Panthers with 11. Both teams scored 34 points in the paint and made a lot of turnovers; EIU had 19 and Murrary State had 20. "We had too many turnovers in this game, we were lucky to be up on the Racers coming down the stretch, but those turnovers caught up with us which is why we didn't win," Jones explained. The Panthers face Arkansas State next Saturday at home.

[bonbon3131012]

Anyone following my legacy??

yup I'm following. keep up the good work. :)

[southernCEO]

Sports Weekly

National News
Top 10 Teams

Florida (7-0)
Arizona (4-0)
North Carolina (4-1) lost to Indiana
Wisconsin (6-0)
Syracuse (5-1)
Michigan (7-0)
Kansas (4-2) lost to Ball State, Florida
Boston College (4-0)
Illinois (7-0)
Ohio State (6-0)Mid-Major Top 10 Teams

Gonzaga (5-1)
Nevada (4-0)
Old Dominion (5-1)
Creighton (2-1)
Utah State (5-0)
George Mason (3-2)
Northern Illinois (4-1)
Fresno State (5-0)
Drexel (3-0)
Hawai'i (6-0)Recruiting News

Brandon Sims (PF) signed with Colorado
Antwi Beagley (SG) top 3 schools - Villanova, Boston College, Syracuse
Trevor Jean-Pierre (C) signed with Duke
Hollis Burke (SG) top 3 schools - Syracuse, VA Tech, Maryland
D Holloway (sG) signed with Cincinnati*We lost our #1 prospect Tyrece Holmes (SF) to Loyola-Chicago

Team News
Upcoming Game

December 2 - EIU (5-1) vs Arkansas State (2-5)
Game Notes: The Panthers will look to rebound after their heartbreaking loss to Murray State. They should come up with a win in this contest because the Indians are averaging 58.3 PPG and turn the ball over often. Their shooting percentage is a dismal 37.6%. The Indians run an uptempo flex offense and a 2-3 defense. The Panthers lead the overall series 2-0. Game Pick: Panthers by 10

Arkansas State Profile
Coach: Dickey Nutt (164-160) *his name is hilarious
Conference: Sun Belt
Tournament Bids: 1
Last Tournament Appearance: 1999

Weekly Press Conference
Opening Statement: "I would like to first say that despite our first loss of the season, our team is in good spirits. We learned a lot about ourselves in that game and I know that the guys are going to play a lot better the remaining of the season."

On the success of the three guard offense: "Since implementing this offense, I've seen an increase in our scoring. The game is played at a faster pace, something which I like. So far our opponents have not adjusted to our speed. Murray State has been the only team that we have played so far that matched us speed wise."

On losing recruit to Loyola-Chicago: "Tyrece Holmes is a great kid and he wanted to stay close to home. We wish him and Loyola luck. We just have to move on and find other someone else. I'll email the AD today and make sure we put Loyola-Chicago on the schedule in two years (laughs)."

On the lack of fan support: "I am very grateful for the fans that have showed up to watch us play. There hasn't been much to cheer about in recent years, so I'm sure once we win consistently, the fan base will pick up. Tony Romo of the Dallas Cowboys has already called me and told me that he will be in attendance when we play our rival Western Illinois, so I'm sure that his presence will draw a crowd."

[southernCEO]

yup I'm following. keep up the good work. :)

Thanks I appreciate that

[southernCEO]

Panthers Win In Convincing Fashion
Final Score: EIU 112, ASU 82
Game Attendance: 1,696

Charleston, IL - Bobby Catchings scored 22 points as the Panthers (6-1) defeated Arkansas State (2-6). The Panther defense played exceptional by causing 21 turnovers in this contest. The reserves came up big as Bobby Joliff was the leading rebounder with 9 and Jon'Tee Willhite pulled in 7 assists. "It's great to see how these guys rebounded after losing last week, I'm proud with the way Joliff and Willhite contributed off of the bench," Coach Jones stated. The defense also did a great job of defending the paint, pulling down 28 of the 35 rebounds and only allowing 2 points in the paint. The Panthers next opponent is conference foe Tennessee Tech.

[doncoryell]

You're doing a great job with the kids so far. Keep up the good work.

Watch out for Tennessee State and Samford as well in the conference. The Tigers and Bulldogs, respectively, were among the favorites to fight with Murray State.

[southernCEO]

Panthers Sneak by Golden Eagles
Final Score: EIU 87, TTU 85
Attendance: Eblen Center (3,847) 38%

Cookeville, TN - Eastern Illinois (7-1,1-1) came away with a key conference win against Tennessee Tech (2-4,1-1). "We were lucky to come away with a victory, Tennessee Tech outplayed us in every way tonight," Coach Jones explained. Coach Jones is correct, the Golden Eagles shot better than the Panthers (53%), scored 44 points in the paint, made more assists (23), and won the rebounding battle 37-32. Romain Martin continues to be a scoring threat, he pulled in 20 points on tonight, bringing his season average to 15.5. He is currently the leading scorer in the Ohio Valley Conference; he's scored a total of 124 points so far this season. Bobby Catchings is the fourth leading scorer in the conference with 101 points. Jake Byrne has pulled in 58 rebounds so far this season and currently is the third leading rebounder in the OVC. Eastern Illinois will face Tennessee State (2-5,0-1) Saturday in Nashville.

[l0rdza0n]

Sports Weekly

On the lack of fan support: "I am very grateful for the fans that have showed up to watch us play. There hasn't been much to cheer about in recent years, so I'm sure once we win consistently, the fan base will pick up. Tony Romo of the Dallas Cowboys has already called me and told me that he will be in attendance when we play our rival Western Illinois, so I'm sure that his presence will draw a crowd."

lol is this true for you btw? I recently took over Villanova and on my very first ever game.. I noticed the sheer LACK of a home-atmosphere :( I was coming from Drake where every home game was crazy (due to my success? I guess..) and 'Nova was like.. a morgue :X empty seats, barely any noise..

lol it's jus ironic because I noticed it on my legacy, I guess this is part of why the prev-coach got fired, his team kept losing and fan support just dwindled but yea, color me surprised that a "power" team such as 'Nova when I took over could have such low fan support

[southernCEO]

lol is this true for you btw?
lol it's jus ironic because I noticed it on my legacy, I guess this is part of why the prev-coach got fired, his team kept losing and fan support just dwindled but yea, color me surprised that a "power" team such as 'Nova when I took over could have such low fan support

Yeah unfortunately I don't think Eastern Illinois had a big basketball following before I took over as head coach. I'm slowly seeing an increase in attendance. Maybe when I play Western Illinois (my rival) fans will show up.

[southernCEO]

Panthers Declaw Tigers
Final Score: EIU 114, TSU 70
Attendance: Gentry Complex (3,990) 38%

Nashville, TN - "I am happy with how the guys executed our offensive and defensive game plan tonight, more importantly its good to be above .500 in the conference," Jones remarked on his team's victory. Eastern Illinois (8-1, 2-1) forced Tennessee State (2-6,0-2) to cough up the ball 24 times and forced them to only shoot a dismal 16% from beyond the arc. Mike Robinson was the leading scorer for the Panthers, scoring 20 points, 7 assists, and 5 steals. Jake Byrne showed why he was the conference's leading rebounder as he pulled down 10 rebounds. The Panthers have next week off to prepare for semester finals.

[southernCEO]

Sports Weekly


Top 10 Poll
Rk LW Team
1 1 Florida (10-0)
2 2 Wisconsin (10-0)
3 4 Boston COllege (8-0)
4 5 Illinois (11-0)
5 3 North Carolina (6-2)
6 6 Michigan (10-1)
7 9 Arizona (6-2)
8 13 Xavier (10-0)
9 12 Syracuse (7-2)
10 11 Ohio State (8-1)



Top 10 Mid-Majors
Rk Team vs Top 25
1 Nevada (5-2) 0-0
2 Gonzaga (7-3) 0-1
3 Drexel (7-0) 1-0 beat Villanova
4 Hawaii (8-0) 0-0
5 Creighton (4-2) 0-1
6 Utah St (8-1) 0-0
7 S. Illinois (3-2) 0-0
8 New Mexico St (8-1) 0-1
9 Missouri St (4-3) 0-1
10 Wichita St (4-2) 2-0 beat LSU, Syracuse


Games of the Week
#8 Xavier (10-0) at Cincinnati (5-3) Rivalry Game
#11 Kentucky (6-1) at #14 Louisville (6-1) Rivalry Game


CONFERENCE NEWS
http://www.eiu.edu/~sprtinfo/images/ovc.jpg

Conference Standings

Team Conference Record
SE Missouri (3-0)
Austin Peay (2-1)
Eastern Illinois (2-1)
Murray State (2-1)
Jacksonville State (1-1)
Morehead State (1-1)
Tennessee-Martin (1-1)
Tennessee Tech (1-2)
Eastern Kentucky (0-2)
Samford (0-2)
Tennessee State (0-2)


Conference Leaders

Points Per Game

Player Team Average
Von Shavies (PG) Tennessee Tech 16.9
Sheldon Day (SG) SE Missouri 16.0
Romain Martin (SG) Eastern Illinois 14.9
Daniel Defares (SG) Tennessee-Martin 13.1
Mike Robinson (PG) Eastern Illinois 13.0


Rebounds Per Game

Player Team Average
Lee Ike (PF) Tennessee Tech 10.1
Daniel Clarke (PF) Tennessee State 9.1
Kareem Toole (PF) Eastern Kentucky 9.0
Chakowby Whaley (SF) Austin Peay 8.0
Barney Gourde (SG) Jacksonville State 8.0


Assists Per Game

Player Team Average
Mike Robinson (PG) Eastern Illinois 5.4
Chechukwu Ruffin (PG) Jacksonville State 5.1
Dominik Lane (PG) Austin Peay 4.7
Bamba Diaz (PG) Tennessee-Martin 4.7
Paco Rice (SF) Eastern Kentucky 4.1


TEAM NEWS
http://www.district87.org/bhs/athletics/baseball/images/school%20logos/Eastern%20Logo.jpg

Team Ranks

Conference NCAA
Points Per Game 82.9 #1 #1
Rebounds Per Game 29.3 #8 #243
Assists Per Game 19.4 #1 #4
Steals Per Game 13.0 #1 #1
Field Goal Percentage 52.5% #1 #1
3 Point Percentage 45.5% #1 #4
Free Throw Shooting 76.8% #1 #64


Weekly Press Conference

Opening Remarks: "We are above .500 in the conference and we are on 3 game winning streak. I am confident that the guys will continue to play hard. As many of you know we have next week off because of final exams. We will have two study days so that the team will be well-prepared for their exams. Following finals week, we have two conference games (Eastern Kentucky and Morehead State) and then we face our arch-rival Western Illinois."

On team's dismal rebounding efforts: "Well we are a bit undersized down low. We are looking at a few recruits that will help us in that department. I know we are ranked near the bottom in both the conference and NCAA, but that's something that we continue to work on. I'm concerned that will catch up with us as we head into the heat of conference play in January and February."

On not being ranked in the Mid-Major poll: "Rankings and polls do not concern me. I know that I have a good team and I don't need a poll or a rank to tell me that. Next question..."

On facing Eastern Kentucky after a long break: "Eastern Kentucky is a well-coached team. Coach Neubauer is doing a good job with those guys. He's a great offensive teacher and I'm sure he'll have his guys ready. They are 0-2 now in the conference, but as we know anything can happen. I am not concerned the the long break will make us lose our momentum because I know these guys are eager to win and silence the naysayers."

[knox33]

Nice legacy. Keep it up.

[southernCEO]

Nice legacy. Keep it up.

Thanks! I appreciate that.

[southernCEO]

SPORTS WEEKLY

Top 10 Poll

Rk LW Team
1 1 Florida (10-1) Last Game: Lost to FAMU, Up Next: vs Stetson
2 2 Wisconsin (11-1) Last Game: Lost to Pitt, Up Next: vs Pacific
3 4 Boston COllege (9-0) Last Game: Beat Sacred Heart, Up Next: at #20 Kansas
4 5 North Carolina (7-2) Last Game: Beat UNC Asheville, Up Next: Florida Atlantic
5 6 Michigan (11-1) Last Game: Beat N. Illinois, Up Next: at UCLA
6 8 Xavier (12-0) Last Game: Beat Arizona State, Up Next: Bucknell
7 4 Illinois (11-1) Last Game: Lost to Belmont, Up Next: Missouri
8 7 Arizona (7-2) Last Game: Beat Houston, Up Next: at Memphis
9 10 Ohio State (9-1) Last Game: Beat Cincinnati, Up Next: Iowa State
10 12 Georgetown (9-1) Last Game: Beat Winston-Salem, Up Next: Towson



*I wonder why Florida and Wisconsin are still ranked #1 and #2. Florida should've dropped because they lost to Florida A&M.


Top 10 Mid-Majors

Rk Team vs Top 25
1 Nevada (7-2) 0-0
2 Gonzaga (8-3) 0-1
3 Drexel (7-0) 1-0 Key Win(s): Villanova
4 Hawaii (9-0) 0-0
5 S. Illinois (4-2) 1-0 Key Win(s): Indiana
6 New Mexico St (9-1) 0-1
7 Wichita St (5-2) 2-0 Key Win(s): LSU, Syracuse
8 Missouri St (5-3) 0-1
9 Utah State (8-2) 0-0
10 Creighton (4-3) 0-1


Conference Standings

Team Conference Record
SE Missouri (3-1) Last 10: 5-4 RPI: 291
Austin Peay (2-1) Last 10: 3-4 RPI: 204
Eastern Illinois (2-1) Last 10: 8-1 RPI: 35
Jacksonville State (2-1) Last 10: 2-4 RPI: 330
Murray State (2-1) Last 10: 4-5 RPI: 112
Morehead State (1-1) Last 10: 2-5 RPI: 285
Tennessee-Martin (1-1) Last 10: 1-9 RPI: 335
Tennessee Tech (1-2) Last 10: 2-5 RPI: 219
Eastern Kentucky (0-2) Last 10: 3-4 RPI: 305
Samford (0-1) Last 10: 1-5 RPI: 269
Tennessee State (0-2) Last 10: 2-6 RPI: 261

[southernCEO]

Official Basketball Box Score
EASTERN KENTUCKY vs EASTERN ILLINOIS
December 18, 2006 at Lantz Arena (in Charleston, IL)
1st 2nd OT Total
EASTERN KENTUCKY............... 40 40 80
EASTERN ILLINOIS............... 60 46 106

HOME TEAM: EASTERN ILLINOIS 8-1

## Player Name PTS REB AST STL BLK TO FG-A 3PM-A FOULS MIN
41 BYRNE, Jake/C 9 3 2 0 0 0 4-6 0-0 2 20
14 CATCHINGS, Bobby/G 25 3 3 3 1 0 9-17 7-14 1 22
55 CISSE, Ousmane/C 0 5 2 1 0 0 0-2 0-0 3 13
10 MARTIN, Romain/G 26 0 1 2 0 1 9-13 8-9 0 24
03 ROBINSON, Mike/G 16 2 13 2 0 2 7-10 2-5 1 27
BENCH
12 PARRISH, Billy 5 3 2 2 0 3 2-4 1-1 1 17
15 ANTHONY, Julio 10 0 1 1 0 0 3-8 1-4 0 17
40 JOLLIFF, Bobby 7 9 5 0 0 0 3-7 1-2 1 27
20 BROCK, Justin 4 6 0 3 0 0 2-3 0-0 2 20
33 WILLHITE, Jon'Tee 4 1 2 1 0 1 2-8 0-5 1 13

ATTENDANCE 1696/3400
TOTAL FG% EIU - 53% EKU - 49%
3PT FG % EIU - 50% EKU - 50%
Free Throw %
Points in the Paint - EIU 4, EKU 2
Bench Points- EIU 30, EKU 21


Up Next:
vs. Morehead State (2-6, 1-2) on 12/20/2006

[southernCEO]

Ok I know I haven't posted in a few days. Stay tuned.

[southernCEO]

Official Basketball Box Score
MOREHEAD STATE vs EASTERN ILLINOIS
December 20, 2006 at Lantz Arena (in Charleston, IL)
1st 2nd OT Total
MOREHEAD STATE................. 38 53 91
EASTERN ILLINOIS............... 56 43 99

HOME TEAM: EASTERN ILLINOIS 10-1

## Player Name PTS REB AST STL BLK TO FG-A 3PM-A FOULS MIN
41 BYRNE, Jake/C 12 6 0 0 1 2 3-10 0-1 0 30
14 CATCHINGS, Bobby/G 18 5 3 4 0 1 7-19 4-14 1 29
55 CISSE, Ousmane/C 14 14 0 0 0 0 7-10 0-0 2 33
10 MARTIN, Romain/G 16 6 3 3 1 0 6-17 4-12 0 33
03 ROBINSON, Mike/G 17 1 10 3 0 4 6-8 3-4 3 34
BENCH
12 PARRISH, Billy 7 4 1 2 0 0 2-5 1-3 0 16
15 ANTHONY, Julio 6 0 0 0 0 0 2-2 2-2 0 4
40 JOLLIFF, Bobby 4 1 0 0 0 1 2-2 0-0 0 6
20 BROCK, Justin 5 1 0 0 0 1 1-5 1-1 0 11
33 WILLHITE, Jon'Tee 0 1 2 1 0 2 0-0 0-0 0 3

ATTENDANCE 1696/3400



Up Next:
vs Western Illinois (5-3) RIVALRY GAME

[southernCEO]

Official Basketball Box Score
WESTERN ILLINOIS vs EASTERN ILLINOIS
December 22, 2006 at Lantz Arena (in Charleston, IL)
1st 2nd OT Total
WESTERN ILLINOIS............... 36 28 64
EASTERN ILLINOIS............... 58 31 89

HOME TEAM: EASTERN ILLINOIS 11-1

## Player Name PTS REB AST STL BLK TO FG-A 3PM-A FOULS MIN
41 BYRNE, Jake/C 15 9 2 1 0 0 6-10 0-0 1 26
14 CATCHINGS, Bobby/G 15 6 1 1 0 1 5-14 3-9 0 27
55 CISSE, Ousmane/C 16 9 1 1 2 0 6-16 0-0 2 30
10 MARTIN, Romain/G 17 3 3 2 0 1 7-12 3-7 2 28
03 ROBINSON, Mike/G 7 5 8 2 0 2 3-4 1-1 0 29
BENCH
12 PARRISH, Billy 6 3 0 0 0 0 3-4 0-0 1 12
15 ANTHONY, Julio 5 1 1 0 0 1 2-6 1-3 1 13
40 JOLLIFF, Bobby 5 4 0 1 0 1 3-5 0-1 1 10
20 BROCK, Justin 2 5 0 1 0 2 1-5 0-0 1 14
33 WILLHITE, Jon'Tee 0 0 1 1 0 3 0-1 0-0 0 11

ATTENDANCE 5300/5300



Up Next
at Eastern Michigan (3-6)

[southernCEO]

Opening Statement: "I presented the game ball last night to all of the fans that came out to support us last night. It meant a lot to us to see all of the seats filled in Lantz. I would like to thank Tony Romo and Sean Payton for coming out to support us as well as we defeated our archrivals Western Illinois. The guys got a chance to meet Romo and Payton, two of Eastern's finest alums."

On what Romo and Payton told the players: "Both [Romo and Payton] really encouraged the guys to continue to play unselfish basketball and if we continue playing like we do, we'll be a sleeper team come tournament time."

On the winning streak: "After that devastating one point loss to Murray State, we've really stressed the importance of playing on what I like to call "40 minutes of Hell" basketball. This philosophy has helped us win 6 games in a row and I am confident that the guys are going to continue to play well coming down the stretch. We have an out-of-conference match up next week against Eastern Michigan, and then we come back after New Year's to face Murray State again, this time we'll be at home."

On the play of Romain Martin: "This young guy has come in and has played tremendously well. At the beginning of the season we had him coming off of the bench, but he proved himself the first time we implemented our 3 guard line up. I believe he is the second leader scorer in our conference and he is the team's leading scorer."

On the play of Ousmane Cisse: "Cisse is not a 7 footer, but he sure does play like one. He reminds me a lot of Tyler [Hansbrough] at North Carolina. Tyler isn't a big guy, but he plays like one. He had 14 rebounds the other night when we played Morehead State and that's really unheard of for a guy his size. So I credit the coaches for teaching him rebounding fundamentals."

On facing Eastern Michigan: "Coach Ramsey has a team that is great a rebounding so we will have to really prepare for the rebounding battle. They are also a good shooting team a well, so we are going to look at some game tape to get our guys prepared."

On coaching dream job: "Wow, you guys never cease to amaze me with these questions. I am at my dream job. This is my first coaching job and I've been blessed with a great team, a great school, and a great administration. <mumbles> I can't believe they just asked me about my ultimate dream job and this team is 11-1. On that note I'm ending this press conference. Any other questions that need to be addressed will have to wait."

[chestnutz6]

Keep up man I'm followin. Follow mine =D
Haha some funny *** names in this conference. Dickey Nutt, Von Shavies.

[southernCEO]

Keep up man I'm followin. Follow mine =D
Haha some funny *** names in this conference. Dickey Nutt, Von Shavies.

Yeah I'm following yours man. As long as you don't beat my Tar Heels, we're kool. LOL

[southernCEO]

2kSports Weekly

Top 10 Media Poll

Rk LW Team
1 1 Florida (12-1) Last Game: Beat Ohio State, Up Next: UAB
2 2 Wisconsin (12-1) Last Game: Beat Pacific, Up Next: Gardner-Webb
3 8 Arizona (8-2) Last Game: Beat Memphis, Up Next: California
4 7 Illinois (13-1) Last Game: Beat Idaho State, Up Next: at #11 Xavier
5 6 Michigan (12-1) Last Game: Beat UCLA, Up Next: Army
6 3 Boston Coll (9-1) Last Game: Lost to #16 Kansas, Up Next: Duquesne
7 4 North Carolina (8-3) Last Game: Lost to St Louis, Up Next: Rutgers
8 10 Georgetown (11-1) Last Game: Beat Navy, Up Next: at #5 Michigan
9 11 Louisville (10-1) Last Game: Beat Miami (FL), Up Next: Northeastern
10 14 Syracuse (9-4) Last Game: Beat Hofstra, Up Next: St. Bonaventure



Top 10 Mid-Majors

Rk Team vs Top 25
1 Nevada (8-2) 0-0
2 Gonzaga (9-3) 0-1
3 Wichita St (8-2) 2-0 Key Win(s): LSU, Syracuse
4 Creighton (7-3) 0-1
5 New Mexico St (9-1) 0-1
6 S. Illinois (5-3) 1-0 Key Win(s): Indiana
7 Hawaii (9-1) 0-0
8 Missouri St (6-4) 0-1
9 Utah State (9-3) 0-0
10 Drake (8-1) 0-0


Ohio Valley Conference Standings

Team Conference Record
Eastern Illinois (4-1) Last 10: 9-1 RPI: 7
Murray State (4-1) Last 10: 6-4 RPI: 143
Tennessee-Martin (3-1) Last 10: 3-7 RPI: 294
SE Missouri St (3-2) Last 10: 5-4 RPI: 144
Austin Peay (2-1) Last 10: 4-5 RPI: 205
Jacksonville State (2-2) Last 10: 2-5 RPI: 280
Samford (1-2) Last 10: 2-6 RPI: 293
Tennessee Tech (1-2) Last 10: 2-6 RPI: 295
Morehead State (1-3) Last 10: 2-7 RPI: 304
Eastern Kentucky (0-4) Last 10: 3-6 RPI: 254
Tennessee State (0-2) Last 10: 4-6 RPI: 220


Eastern Illinois Panther Team News
http://www.eiu.edu/~sprtinfo/images/07_MBB-casual.jpg

Leading Scorer
Romain Martin (SG) - 16.1 PPG, #2 in conference

Leading Rebounder
Jake Byrne (C) - 7.2 RPG

Assists Leader
Mike Robinson (PG) - 6.7 APG, #1 in conference

Steals Leader
Mike Robinson (PG) - 2.7 SPG, #2 in conference

Upcoming Opponent
http://www.scorehere.com/images/ncaa%20logos/EasternMichiganEagles.gif
at Eastern Michigan Eagles (3-7)
Conference: Mid American Conference
Coach: Charles Ramsey (10-22)
Offense: Flex
Defense: 2-3 Matchup
Season Stats: 55.0 PPG...30.2 RPG...12.6 APG...5.4 STL...2.6 BLK...14.5 TO
Leading Scorer: JJ Mayes (9.9)
Leading Rebounder: Milton Hester (6.4) INJURED
Prediction: Eastern Illinois wins by 18

[chestnutz6]

Haha we'll see. I beat the Dukies for ya =D. And now I play my team. Great...it's a lose-lose situation

[skarface2k1]

you are doing great coach keep it up.

[southernCEO]

Sorry guys I've been away for so long. Running a business is c-r-a-z-y. It seems like everyone wanted to utilize my services at the same time. I'm not complaining though, because that's $$$$$$. In the meantime, I've been neglecting my virtual coaches on here as well as my 360. So I'm going to sim some games to get caught up.

[southernCEO]

Simmed Games....

Jan 2, 2007
Murray State.....61
Eastern Illinois.....81

Jan 4, 2007
Eastern Illinois.....90
SE Missouri.........82

Jan 6, 2007
Austin Peay........60
Eastern Illinois.....68

Jan 11, 2007
Eastern Illinois.....71
Tennessee-Martin....69

Jan 13, 2007
Eastern Illinois....49
Eastern Kentucky....47

Jan 18, 2007
Tennessee Tech.....66
Eastern Illinois.......80

Jan 20, 2007
Tennessee State.....70
Eastern Illinois.....59

Jan 27, 2007
Eastern Illinois.....70
Morehead State.....64

Feb 1, 2007
Jacksonville State.....73
Eastern Illinois.....64

Feb 3, 2007 (HAPPY B'DAY TO ME)
Samford........63
Eastern Illinois.....68

Feb 8, 2007
Eastern Illinois.......62
Austin Peay.........56

Feb 10, 2007
Tennessee-Martin.....55
Eastern Illinois.........77

Feb 14, 2007
SE Missouri...........78
Eastern Illinois.......83

Current Record (23-3, 15-3)

[chestnutz6]

wow your team must be doing well if you simmed those games and they won all those

[southernCEO]

wow your team must be doing well if you simmed those games and they won all those

I lost two of them...Jacksonville State and Tennessee State

[chestnutz6]

I know but that's still plenty

[southernCEO]

2KSports Weekly Wrap Up

Top 10 Coaches Poll

Rk LW Team
1 2 Wisconsin (25-3) Last Game: Beat Penn State, Up Next: Michigan St.
2 1 Florida (22-5) Last Game: Beat Vanderbilt, Up Next: South Carolina
3 3 Xavier (25-2) Last Game: Beat Richmond, Up Next: Rhode Island
4 4 North Carolina (20-7) Last Game: Lost Boston College, Up Next: NC State
5 6 Oregon (23-4) Last Game: Beat Stanford, Up Next: Washington St
6 5 Arizona (18-8) Last Game: Beat USC, Up Next: Arizona State
7 7 Michigan (21-6) Last Game: Beat Indiana, Up Next: #9 Illinois
8 8 Syracuse (18-9) Last Game: Beat UConn, Up Next: Providence
9 10 Illinois (20-8) Last Game: Lost Northwestern, Up Next: #7 Michigan
10 18 Boston College (19-7) Last Game: Beat #4 UNC, Up Next: VA Tech


Top 10 Mid Majors

Rk Team
1 Nevada (18-6) Western Athletic
2 Hawaii (20-4) Western Athletic
3 Creighton (18-8) Missouri Valley
4 Drake (17-8) Missouri Valley
5 Fresno State (18-7) Western Athletic
6 Marist (21-5) Metro Athletic
7 Utah State (18-7) Western Athletic
8 New Mexico St (16-8) Western Athletic
9 Gonzaga (19-9) West Coast
10 Niagra (20-7) Metro Athletic
14 Eastern Illinois (23-3) Ohio Valley


RPI Standings

1 Xavier (25-2)
2 Wisconsin (25-3)
3 Eastern Illinois (23-3)
4 Oregon (23-4)
5 Hawaii (20-4)
6 Florida (22-5)
7 Marist (21-5)
8 Air Force (21-5)
9 Michigan (21-6)
10 UC Santa Barbara (17-5)
336 Richmond (3-22)


Bracketology

Worcester Regional
1 Xavier (RPI: 1)
2 Boston College (RPI: 20)
3 Nevada (RPI: 17)
4 Mississippi State (RPI: 25)
San Antonio Regional
1 Wisconsin (RPI: 2)
2 Hawaii (RPI: 5)
3 Illinois (RPI: 28)
4 Georgetown (RPI: 24)
St. Louis Regional
1 Florida (RPI: 6)
2 Michigan (RPI: 9)
3 Air Force (RPI: 8)
4 Arizona (RPI: 35)
San Jose Regional
1 Oregon (RPI: 4)
2 North Carolina (RPI: 18)
3 Texas Tech (RPI: 23)
4 Washington (RPI: 11)


Bubble Teams

RPI Team vs. Top 25 Resume
38 Drake 1-0 Key Wins: Creighton, Iowa, Iowa State
22 Oral Roberts 0-2 Key Opponents: Georgetown, Kansas
30 Cleveland St 1-1 Key Wins: Kansas State
52 UConn 4-2 Key Wins: LSU, Indiana, Syracuse
31 Oakland 1-0 Key Wins: Pitt, Cincinatti, UCLA
39 Army 0-1 Key Opponents: Michigan
47 Northeastern 2-2 Key Wins: Pitt, UConn, Boston College


Confernce Standings

Team Conference Record
Eastern Illinois (15-3) Last 10: 8-2
Murray State (12-6) Last 10: 6-4
Samford (12-6) Last 10: 7-3
Jacksonville State (10-8) Last 10: 7-3
SE Missouri State (10-8) Last 10: 6-4
Eastern Kentucky (8-10) Last 10: 7-3
Tennessee Martin (8-11) Last 10: 3-7
Austin Peay (7-11) Last 10: 1-9
Tennessee State (7-11) Last 10: 6-4
Tennessee Tech (7-12) Last 10: 4-6
Morehead State (4-14) Last 10: 1-9


Eastern Illinois Panther Team News
http://www.eiu.edu/~sprtinfo/images/07_MBB-casual.jpg

Press Conference:

"I am very proud with the way the guys are playing as the regular season comes to a close. We are anticipating a very tough conference tournament and anything can happen."

On Romain Martin possibly being the Conference MVP
"I tell the guys that individuals accolades are good, but the better reward is winning a team championship. There is not denying that Romain is well-deserving of this award because he has played exceptionally well this season. Last year Mike Robinson won honors as the conference's freshman of the year, so I'm sure that Martin will walk away with that award as well."

On first year experience as a head coach
"I am fortunate to coach a great group of guys and work with a great staff. You my record could be 3-23 instead of 23-3, so I have to give credit where credit is due. My team and my coaching staff are the reason why my first year has been successful.

Thoughts on this week's Projected Bracket Seeding
"To be honest I haven't really paid it much attention because we are trying to prepare for Jacksonville State a team that beat us a few weeks ago. I had a few people come to me and say we are a projected #6 seed. As we know, with college basketball, anything can happen. That seeding could change at anytime. So right now, we're focusing on Jacksonville State and when Selection Sunday comes, we'll be sure to tune in and see if we made the tournament.

On rumors of leaving
"You know...I have no desire to leave this team. I just got here. Anytime a coach has a successful season there will always be rumors of them leaving to take a job at a bigger program. I do not even have the experience to be considered to lead bigger programs."

Closing Thoughts
"I would like to send a special thanks to all of the fans, the administration, the students of Eastern Illinois for their support this season. I would also like to thanks Sean Payton and Tony Romo for their support as well."

[gdlmaster]

I'm following. Return the favor.

Link in sig.

[vols21]

good season so far. best of luck in the tourneys!
with such a high RPI, you'd expect a high seed.

[skarface2k1]

I hope you get that high seed in the NCAAs,beleive me it pays off.

[southernCEO]

2kSports Weekly

Top 10 Poll

Rk LW Team
1 3 Xavier (27-2) Last 10: 10-0
2 1 Wisconsin (25-5) Last 10: 7-3
3 4 North Carolina (22-7) Last 10: 7-3
4 2 Florida (23-6) Last 10: 6-4
5 5 Oregon (25-4) Last 10: 10-0
6 6 Arizona (19-8) Last 10: 6-4
7 12 Texas Tech (21-7) Last 10: 8-2
8 9 Illinois (21-9) Last 10: 5-5
9 8 Syracuse (19-10) Last 10: 5-5
10 11 Georgetown (20-8) Last 10: 5-5



RPI Standings
1 Xavier (25-2)
2 Oregon (25-4)
3 Eastern Illinois (24-4)
4 Hawaii (21-4)
5 Wisconsin (25-5)
6 Florida (23-6)
7 UC Santa Barbara (19-5)
8 Air Force (22-6)
9 Marist (21-6)
10 Alcorn State (19-6)
336 Richmond (4-23)



Regular Season Conference Champions
America East Albany (17-11) Conference RPI: 24
Atlanta Coast North Carolina (22-7) Conference RPI: 3
Atlantic Sun Gardener Webb (16-11) Conference RPI: 30
Atlantic 10 Xavier (27-2) Conference RPI: 13
Big East St. John's (20-8) Conference RPI: 4
Big Sky Northern Arizona (14-9) Conference RPI: 15
Big South Coastal Carolina (16-8) Conference RPI: 16
Big Ten Wisconsin (25-5) Conference RPI: 1
Big 12 Baylor (19-7) Conference RPI: 8
Big West UC Santa Barbara (19-5) Conference RPI: 20
Colonial Northeastern (19-10) Conference RPI: 14
Conference USA SMU (16-9) Conference RPI: 21
Horizon Illinois-Chicago (18-9) Conference RPI: 22
Ivy League Columbia (14-9) Conference RPI: 26
Metro Athletic Marist (21-6) Conference RPI: 11
Mid American Akron (15-10) Conference RPI: 18
Mid Continent Oakland (21-8) Confernece RPI: 23
Mid Eastern Delaware State (15-12) Conference RPI: 29
Missouri Valley Creighton (20-8) Conference RPI: 7
Mountain West Air Force (22-6) Conference RPI: 9
Northeast Monmouth (21-9) Conference RPI: 27
Ohio Valley Eastern Illinois (24-4) Conference RPI: 23
Pac 10 Oregon (25-4) Conference RPI: 5
Patriot League Colgate (17-9) Conference RPI: 12
Southeastern Mississippi State (19-8) Conference RPI: 2
Southern Appalachian State (18-8) Conference RPI: 17
Southland Texas A&M-CC (17-8) Conference RPI: 31
Southwestern Alcorn State (19-6) Conference RPI: 32
Sun Belt Troy (19-8) Conference RPI: 19
West Coast Loyola Marymount (16-12) Conference RPI: 10
Western Athletic Hawaii (21-4) Conference RPI: 6


Bracketology


Worcester Regional
1 Xavier
2 Michigan
3 Illinois
4 Mississippi State

San Antonio Regional
1 Wisconsin
2 Texas Tech
3 Arizona
4 Syracuse

St. Louis Regional
1 Oregon
2 Hawaii
3 Georgietown
4 Air Force

San Jose Regional
1 North Carolina
2 Florida
3 Nevada
4 Washington


Bubble Teams


RPI Team
26 Sam Houston State (17-7)
47 Gonzaga (20-10)
37 New Mexico State (18-8)
50 Marquette (19-10)
56 UConn (18-10)
58 Villanova (16-9)
57 Notre Dame (18-10)
35 Cleveland State (18-8)
55 Boise State (17-9)
34 Cal Poly (16-7)


Conference News

OVC Tourney Set to Begin!

The first round of the OVC Tournament will be played at the top 4 seeds respective schools. The Semifinals and Championship Game will be played in Nashville. The winner of the Tournament gets an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Eastern Illinois is the favorite to win the Tournament. The Panthers already secured the Regular Season Championship under first year head coach Cory Jones. Eastern Illinois is projected to be a #6 seed in the NCAA Tournament. If Eastern Illinois fails to win the Conference Tournament, then an at-large bid should be theirs because their RPI ranks in the top 5. The next three days should be an exciting time for the Ohio Valley Conference.

Tournament Tree

#1 Eastern Illinois (24-4, 16-4)
#8 Tennessee-Martin (9-20, 9-11)

#4 Jacksonville State (12-14, 11-9)
#5 SE Missouri State (13-14, 10-10)

#2 Samford (16-12, 14-9)
#7 Austin Peay (11-15, 9-11)

#3 Murray State (15-11, 13-7)
#6 Eastern Kentucky (12-14, 9-11)

[southernCEO]

Eastern Illinois Survives!

Eastern Illinois 74, Tennessee-Martin 72

The OVC Final Four will be played in Nashville. All top 4 seeds advance. The Winners of the two semifinal matchup will face each other on Saturday March 3 in the Tournament Championship Game in Nashville Arena. Tournament favorite Eastern Illinois survived a scare against the eighth seeded Tennesse-Martin Skyhawks. Number 2 seed Samford only allowed Austin Peay to score 25 points in their first round matchup. The defending tournament champion Murray State will have their hands full against a tough Samford defense. Eastern Illinois will face Jacksonville State, a team that beat them earlier in the season.

[southernCEO]

Last Second 3-Pointer Saves The Day!

Eastern Illinois 95, Jacksonville State 92

Bobby Catchings nailed the game winning three pointer as time expired in the OVC Tournament Semifinal matchup between Eastern Illinois (26-4) and Jacksonville State (13-15). In the second game of the OVC Semifinals, Murray State (17-11) beat Samford (17-13) 53-52. The Championship game should be a great one as Eastern Illinois and Murray State face off. Murray State is looking to defend their tournament title and keep their season alive. Eastern Illinois on the other hand is having a magical season under first year head coach Cory Jones. The Panthers have already secured the regular season title, their first OVC regular season title.

[skarface2k1]

Southernceo,good start to your legacy.I look forward to keep cheching in on your teams progress.Good luck with rest of the OVC touney and NCAA.

[southernCEO]

Panthers Get Ticket to the Big Dance!

Eastern Illinois 106, Murray State 77

Nashville, TN - Murray State (17-12) didn't have an answer to stop the speed of Eastern Illinois (27-4). The Panthers incorporated a 1-2-2 press all game long which frustrated the guards of Murray State causing them to turn the ball over 30 times. "Whenever you turn the ball over that many times, you will never win," a dejected Coach Billy Kennedy [Murray State] stated after the game. The Panthers are on their way to the NCAA tournament for only their third time in school history. The last time the Panthers were in the NCAA Tournament was in 2001. "We are very excited about having the opportunity to play on the big stage that is the NCAA Tournament," an excited Coach Jones stated. The Panthers will have to wait until next Sunday to find out who they will be playing and where they will be playing. Senior guard Mike Robinson stated that the team will be watching the other tournament games this week in between classes.

[southernCEO]

Southernceo,good start to your legacy.I look forward to keep cheching in on your teams progress.Good luck with rest of the OVC touney and NCAA.

Thanks man. Hopefully the Selection Committee will award my team with a high seed.

[southernCEO]

NCAA Tournament Teams

Worcester Region
1. Wisconsin
2. Arizona
3. Creighton
4. Nevada
5. Syracuse
6. Troy
7. Villanova
8. Marquette
9. Oakland
10. Baylor
11. Western Michigan
12. San Diego State
13. Columbia
14. Delaware State
15. Quinnipiac
Play-in Game: Youngstown State vs. UC Irvine

St. Louis Regional
1. North Carolina
2. Hawaii
3. Texas Tech
4. Georgetown
5. Fordham
6. Minnesota
7. Louisville
8. Memphis
9. Texas A&M Corpus Christi
10. Utah State
11. Oklahoma State
12. Chattanooga
13. Missouri-Kansas City
14. San Diego
15. Towson
16. Stephen F. Austin

San Antonio Regional
1. Xavier
2. Washington
3. Marist
4. Michigan
5. Eastern Illinois
6. Niagra
7. BYU
8. Duke
9. Alcorn State
10. Gonzaga
11. Cal Poly
12. Belmont
13. Montana
14. Hartford
15. Mississippi Valley State
16. Holy Cross

San Jose Regional
1. Florida
2. Oregon
3. Illinois
4. Air Force
5. St. John's
6. UC Santa Barbara
7. UMass
8. Mississippi State
9. Fresno State
10. New Mexico State
11. Cleveland State
12. Colgate
13. UCLA
14. Alcorn
15. Liberty
16. Central Florida

Bubble Teams
In: Cal Poly, Western Michigan, Cleveland St., Baylor, Colgate
Out: UNC Greensboro, Appalachian State, Drake, Boston College, Penn St.

The NCAA Tournament Selection Committee showed a lot of love to the mid-major programs. Officials from the ACC and SEC are furious that their leagues only have two teams selected from their respective conferences. The ACC's conference RPI ranks number 5 and only North Carolina and Duke received tournament invitations. Boston College was a bubble team, while Maryland was #3 in the ACC final standings, and the question remains, why is Duke in? They lost in the second round of the ACC tournament. The SEC's conference rank was #2 overall and only Mississippi State and Florida are playing in the tournament. Vanderbilt, Kentucky, and Tennessee each had 20 wins this season. Kentucky lost by 1 point to Florida in the SEC Championship Game. The Big East has 6 teams playing in the tournament (St. John's, Marquette, Villanova, Georgetown, Syracuse, and Louisville). The WAC has 5 teams playing in the tournament (Hawaii, Nevada, Utah State, Fresno State, New Mexico State). The WAC's overall conference rank is #3, just behind the SEC. The SWAC Conference (overall rank 31) has two teams in, Alcorn State and Mississippi Valley State. Alcorn State's RPI ranks #12 out of the 336 Division 1 schools. This year's tournament should be exciting with the number of mid-major programs. The conference breakdown is highlighted below:

Big East - 6
WAC - 5
Pac 10 - 4
Big 10 - 4
Big 12 -3
Mountain West - 3
Atlanta 10 - 3
ACC - 2
SEC - 2
WCC - 2
SWAC - 2
CUSA - 2
Big West - 2
MAAC - 2
MAC - 2
MidCon - 2
West Coast - 2

Final Four Projection: Creighton, North Carolina, Xavier, Oregon

[skarface2k1]

we are all awaiting the touney run your team makes.Good luck.check out my post.Coach sanders of Indiana(formerly of Wisconsin).

[southernCEO]

Panthers Win First Round Game Against Bruins

Eastern Illinois 108, Belmont 89

New Orleans, LA - Eastern Illinois (OVC) cruised past Belmont (Atlantic Sun) in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The Panthers pressured the guards of Belmont all game long with their 1-1-2-1 pressure defense. "Forty minutes of hell is what I like to call it, no one seems to have adjusted yet," Coach Jones stated after the game. The Panthers face 13 seed Montana who upset 4th seeded Michigan.

Other Notable First Round Games
#12 Chattanooga defeated #5 Fordham
#11 Oklahoma State defeated #6 Minnesota
#11 Cleveland State defeated #6 UC Santa Barbara
#12 San Diego State defeated #5 Syracuse
#14 Delaware State defeated #3 Creighton

Key Second Round Matchups
Worcester Regional
#4 Nevada vs #12 San Diego State

San Antonio Regional
#1 Xavier vs #8 Duke
#3 Marist vs #6 Niagara

St. Louis Regional
#2 Hawaii vs #7 Louisville

San Jose Regional
#2 Oregon vs #10 New Mexico St

[southernCEO]

How Sweet It Is! Panthers Advance to the Sweet 16

Eastern Illinois 75, Montana 60

Eastern Illinois set to face #1 seed Xavier in San Antonio.

The Sweet 16 Field

Worcester Regional
#9 Oakland
#4 Nevada
#2 Arizona
#14 Delaware

San Antonio Regional
#1 Xavier
#5 Eastern Illinois
#7 BYU
#3 Marist

St. Louis Regional
#1 North Carolina
#12 Chattanooga
#2 Hawaii
#3 Texas Tech

San Jose Regional
#1 Florida
#5 St. John's
#2 Oregon
#3 Illinois

[southernCEO]

Eastern Illinois Upsets #1 Seed Xavier!

Eastern Illinois 62, Xavier 60

San Antonio, TX - Forty Minutes of Hell is continuing to work for the Eastern Illinois Panthers. Coach Jones implemented this defensive philosophy at the start of the season and has yielded great dividends for his team. Can this young team continue to press their opponents into a frenzy? Eastern Illinois will face #3 seed Marist in the Regional Final.

Elite Eight
Worcester Regional Final
#4 Nevada vs #2 Arizona

San Antonio Regional Final
#5 Eastern Illinois vs #3 Marist

St. Louis Regional
#1 North Carolina vs #3 Texas Tech

San Jose Regional
#1 Florida vs #2 Oregon

[chestnutz6]

looks to be an easy road to the final four

[CincyFan]

yea talk about "following the yellow brick road"

[skarface2k1]

yeah,it looks like a easy road,but in my legacy Arizona is a tough outing.Good,luck !sounds like we have the same mind set for defense.With a young team press to the other team until they cann't stand it anymore.

[southernCEO]

Eastern Illinois Continues Dream Season, Next Stop - Atlanta!

Eastern Illinois 75, Marist 65

San Antonio, TX - Tears of joy streamed down the faces of the Eastern Illinois team as the victory against Marist secured their spot in the Final Four. "This is everything I dreamed of," said an emotional Romain Martin (SG). "I am so proud of these guys, they have played as a team all season long. I have to credit these guys for playing hard. I didn't think I would ever coach a team to the Final Four, especially in my first year," Coach Jones stated. The Panthers defense has been the story of this tournament. They have pressured teams into oblivion. "I have to credit the conditioning coaches for getting these guys in shape because you have to be well-conditioned to play our style of defense," Jones explained.

The Panthers will travel to Atlanta to face perennial power and one of college basketball's most storied programs, North Carolina. Coach Jones came to Eastern Illinois from UNC, where he served as the recruiting coordinator under his mentor Roy Williams. "Coach Williams called me up after our victory and sent his congratulatory remarks, he also told me to play like we normally play and not tighten up," Jones stated. Eastern Illinois has their hands full, they will face a very deep team that is well-coached. They will have to not only shut down Tyler Hansbrough on the inside, but have to watch out for Wayne Ellington and Ty Lawson in the backcourt. "Carolina has so many weapons and we're going to have to come up with a game plan to counter them, because Coach Williams runs a very fast offense and likes to pressure and trap on defense...just like me," stated Coach Jones. Clark Kellogg of CBS Sports picked Eastern Illinois to win this game because of their defense.

[southernCEO]

http://www.gwcc.com/news/images/2007FF.jpg


Game 1
#1 Florida (31-7) versus #2 Arizona (26-9)

http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/us/sp/v/ncaaf/teams/1/50x50c/ffa.gifFlorida Profile
Head Coach: Billy Donovan (291-126)
National Championships: 1 (2006)
Conference: SEC
Final Four Appearances: 4

http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/us/sp/v/ncaaf/teams/1/50x50c/aal.gifArizona Profile
Head Coach: Lute Olson (766-278)
National Championships: 1 (1997)
Conference: Pac-10
Final Four Appearances: 5
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Game 2
#1 North Carolina (31-7) versus #5 Eastern Illinois (31-4)

http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/us/sp/v/ncaaf/teams/1/50x50c/nnl.gifNorth Carolina Profile
Head Coach: Roy Williams (524-131)
National Championships: 4 (1957, 1982, 1993, 2005)
Conference: ACC
Final Four Appearances: 17

http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/us/sp/v/ncaaf/teams/1/50x50c/eed.gifEastern Illinois Profile
Head Coach: Cory Jones (31-4)
National Championships: 0
Conference: Ohio Valley
Final Four Appearances: First Time!

[knox33]

Nice run. Keep it up!

[southernCEO]

Panthers Lose Big In National Semi-Final

North Carolina 84, Eastern Illinois 64

Atlanta, GA - What promised to be a great game as indicated by the score at half-time, 44-40, turned into a blowout in the second half. The Tar Heels only allowed Eastern Illinois to score 24 points in the second half. This was a great run this young team put together, defying all kinds of odds. While they came up short playing in the National Championship Game, they still deserve to walk with their heads up. The title game will feature two number one seeds, North Carolina and Florida. Can Florida repeat as National Champions? Or will Carolina win their second title in three years?

[southernCEO]

Post Season Awards

National Champions: Florida Gators

National Player of the Year: Nick Fazekas (Nevada)

2k Sports Mid Major Player of the Year: Nick Fazekas (Nevada)

National Coach of the Year: Billy Donovan (Florida)

Defensive Player of the Year: Anthony King (Miami)

Pete Newell Big Man of the Year: Nick Fazekas (Nevada)

1st Team All American
Sean Singletary, Virginia
Chris Lofton, Tennessee
Arlando Tucker, Wisconsin
Nick Fazekas, Nevada
Michael Haddix, Siena

2nd Team All American
Jamont Gordon, Mississippi State
Richard Roby, Colorado
Jared Dudley, Boston College
Glen Davis, LSU
Jason Smith, Colorado State

[southernCEO]

Conference Awards

OVC Coach of the Year: Cory Jones

OVC Player of the Year: Mike Robinson, Eastern Illinois

OVC Freshman of the Year: Romain Martin, Eastern Illinois

1st Team All Conference
Mike Robinson, PG
Bobby Catchings, PG
Ousmane Cisse, C

2nd Team All Conference
Jake Byrne, C

All Freshmen Team
Romain Martin, SG
Ousmane Cisse, C

[skarface2k1]

Good run.Your young team showed what they could do.Re-tool and get back at the college world.