The Legacy of Coach Piers

[steelerfan1129]

This is my first attempt at a Legacy thread so I hope the one person that will probably follow this thread will enjoy it. I am doing an open legacy and I am playing 2k7 becuase I just haven't had the desire to spend 60 dollars on 2k8. Besides I can buy it next year at a lower price and pretend that it is the 2k9 we won't get, and because no matter what EA couldn't pay me to play their basketball game. Now on to the Legacy.

Marshall Fires Head Coach

The Ron Jirsa era has officially ended at Marshall as the former Tubby Smith assistant was given his walking papers one year before his contract ended. It is a move that many Marshall fans had been calling for some time as Marshall has continued to struggle to find the kind of success they have previously seen in football. “Ron Jirsa was a great guy and the players loved him, but after several years of struggling we just felt the time had come to make a change and move in a different direction. It is never fun having to fire somebody, but now that we are in C-USA we feel that we now have the perfect opportunity to put together a competitive basketball team that can make the NCAA tournament year after year,” Marshall athletic director, Dr. Smith, stated at today’s press conference. When asked what the team would do from here Dr. Smith stated that a search committee would be put together and that they would take their time to find a quality candidate. Many Marshall fans think now that their team is in C-USA they are in prime position to make a run at a big name, such as Winthrop’s Greg Marshall. However, Dr. Smith warned fans that Marshall is committed to all of their sports programs, and as a result there is only so much money they could spend on a coach, which could reduce the chances of a big name candidate being brought in. Only time will tell and as always we will keep you up-to-date on the latest changes on the coaching search.

[steelerfan1129]

Marshall Hires New Coach

It only took three weeks for Marshall University to find their new basketball coach; however, it will probably take Marshall fans much longer to warm up to the new man chosen to lead their basketball program, as Mark Piers is young assistant that has no previous head coaching experience, which is a far cry from what many Marshall fans were demanding. Although Mark Piers does not have any coaching experience, it could be argued that he learned from one of the best as he has spent the past 6 years as an assistant on Coach Rick Pitino’s staff at Louisville. Before that he was a graduate assistant for two years at Western Kentucky University on Dennis Felton’s staff, where he also played for four years. “My dream was always to make it to the NBA, but when I realized I wasn’t good enough, I knew my next best option was coaching. I knew that I wanted to learn from the best and I wasn’t going to let anything get in my way as I always want to be the best,” Coach Piers commented during his first press conference today.

Coach Pitino gave the Marshall search committee a ringing endorsement by telling them, “There is no doubt in my mind the Piers will be the next big coach in college basketball. His drive and determination was amazing when I first met the young man, which left me with no choice except to add him to my staff. For the past six years he has been paying his dues by learning everything there is to learn about being a coach and there is nothing more I can teach him. If you don’t hire him then you will regret it one day.”

Still Marshall fans are disappointed that their team couldn’t make a run at a big name but Dr. Smith said that very few were interested and the ones that were interested simply wanted too much money. He went on to say, “It disappoints me to see the current fan reaction to our current hire as I feel that we have found a real diamond in the rough. People seem to forget that Billy Donavan had no experience when we gave him his first shot here and that hire turned out really well, not to mention Piers also learned from the same coach that Donavan learned from.”

Of course, fans still have a hard time hearing Donavan’s name mentioned as he was only here for two years before running to greener pastures at Florida. This could be a reason why Coach Piers was hired as his dad is an alum of Marshall and Coach Piers lived here for several years when he was a kid, which causes Dr. Smith to hope that Piers will stick around and build something special here, rather than leave for the first power school that will come calling if Coach Piers has the kind of success many hope he will have. “I love Huntington, WV with all my heart and it really is an honor to get to coach this basketball team,” Coach Piers commented. It will be interesting to see if Coach Piers can turn this team around, especially considering the struggles the football team has had as of late, this town is in dire need of a team that wins. Something they got a taste of last year when OJ Mayo and Patrick Patterson took Huntington High to a level not previously seen. For those of you that missed Coach Piers press conference be sure to click the link on our website to see a streaming video of it.

[steelerfan1129]

Coach Piers Press Conference

Reporter: Coach how do you respond to all the fans that have made it clear they are not happy that the team decided to hire a coach with no experience?

Piers: I can understand how they feel as I have a thin resume right now. However, I can say that I am here to win and bring this team to a level where teams will be sweating having to play us in the first round of the NCAA tournament. Trust me when I say that I love this team as much as they do and I will work as hard as it takes to win.

Reporter: You seem to have high expectations in the future, but what about this season. Any hopes of a NCAA tournament bid this year?

Piers: (Laughs) Well, let’s not get ahead of ourselves just yet. Believe me we are not considering this season a practice or trial run by any means; however, C-USA is a very competitive league and I need more time to asses where we are right now. Rome wasn’t built in a day so I hope many of you will stay patient because we will get there.

Reporter: What type of style do you hope to bring to this team?

Piers: I believe you run a style that fits the players so I will have to asses what our players strengths are and then decide where to go from there. I know fans talk about wanting to see an exciting play style; however, I believe that they would rather watch a boring style that wins and gets us into the tournament rather than a style that is exciting but results in a sub .500 record.

Reporter: Any ideas on how you plan to recruit?

Piers: Well I believe you have to search all over and find the best players that are available. Sure we like to look at the local kids, but we won’t hesitate to expand our horizons to find somebody that maybe other schools have overlooked. We are a C-USA team and with the success that Memphis has had I believe that we can convince kids that we can compete. Plus I believe that the weight rooms and facilities here are amazing and that will be a huge attraction to the kids. I believe that Coach Synder has had a lot of success bringing in great football players thanks to the facilities here, and I expect us to have the same kind of success.

Reporter: Coach thank you and good luck this season.

[jjredick4]

you're going to have some tough competition with Memphis

[CincyFan]

I would love to follow, but you and we both know we aren't the people to get along in the room. Still I will put my hatred aside just this once since I am a nice guy and give you the benefit of the doubt you will do something good in basketball.

[steelerfan1129]

Thanks Cincyfan for being a nice guy. I used to live in Ohio so if I am being honest I have to admit that I have a soft spot for Cincy when they aren't playing the steelers. But lets just keep that little fact between us, so don't tell any other steeler fans I said that.;) Back to the legacy.

Marshall Thundering Herd Schedule

UNC-Greensboro
Robert Morris
Great Alaskan Shootout
@Morehead State
@Ohio
@Memphis
Wright State
@Princeton
Bowling Green
Virginia Tech
Ohio
@George Washington
@UTEP
UCF
Tulsa
@Tulane
@West Virginia
Houston
East Carolina
UAB
@Tulsa
@UCF
SMU
Tulane
@East Carolina
@UAB
Rice
@Southern Miss


Marshall Thundering Herd Roster *Names were randomly generated*

Starting lineup
PG B. Munir, SR, 6’1’’
SG J. McCray, JR, 6’5’’
SG D. Harris, SR, 6’4’’
SF R. Kilgore, SO, 6’5’’
PF D. Fellows, JR, 6’9’’

Bench
SG R. Whittington, JR, 6’2’’
SG B. Haney, SR, 6’4’’
PG R. Webster, SO, 6’0’’
SO M. Meyers, SO, 6’10’’
PF M. Elder, FR, 6’8’’
SG J. Fitzgerald, SO, 6’4’’

Redshirt
C N. Smithson, FR, 7’0’

[steelerfan1129]

UNC-Greensboro (0-0) @ Marshall (0-0)

Marshall Holds On Despite Second Half Rally by Greensboro

UNC-Greensboro 43
Marshall 46

Basketball is a game of runs and Marshall fans learned that first hand while watching the Thundering Herds first basketball game of the year. Marshall looked great in the first half attacking the full court press by using their speed and quickness to get some quick and easy looks at the basket. It allowed them to carry a 15 to 28 lead into the half and it appeared that new coach Piers would be cruising to his first win as a head coach. However, at the start of the second half things started to fall apart as Marshall turned the ball over what seemed like every time allowing Greensboro to go on a 12 to 0 run. The two teams then went back and forth trading baskets but Marshall kept a hold of their lead until 1:20 left to go in the game when Greensboro hit a 3 pointer to tie the game at 40. Marshall then went down and hit a three as well and played great defense to get the ball back and hit another three with 36 seconds left to go up by six and went on to win the game despite a last second three by Greensboro. Coach Piers learned that there is no such thing as an easy win in college basketball.

Coach Piers Post Game Comments

“It is disappointing that we fell apart at the start of the second half and I can promise you that the guys will be walking around campus holding a basketball and treating it like their baby all week. We can not turn the ball over that many times and expect to win on a consistent basis. Still I am proud that we didn’t let their run at the start of the second half get to us and our guys hung in on what was a tough hard fought battle. Wins like these build character and will be important once we enter conference play.”

Player of the Game

J. McCray (SG): 16 pts, 3-3 from 3 point range, 5 assists

[steelerfan1129]

Robert Morris (1-0) @ Marshall (1-0)

Marshall Wins in a Night that Robert Morris would like to Forget

Robert Morris 18
Marshall 30

The cleaning crew at the Cam Henderson Center has their work cut out for them due to all the bricks Robert Morris left behind in a loss to the Thundering Herd. Robert Morris had an abysmal 23 percent field goal percentage compared to Marshall’s 42 percent percentage allowing for a somewhat easy win for the Thundering Herd. Still at halftime the Herd only had an 11 to 16 lead as even they were struggling to find a way to get the ball in the basket. Unfortunately for Robert Morris the Herd started to get hot after the break and Robert Morris never could close the gap as they continued to miss open shot after shot. The speed of the Thundering Herd took away any fast break opportunities for easy baskets allowing Coach Piers to get his second victory as a head coach. Still many fans aren’t ready to get excited after a big win since Robert Morris and UNC-Greensboro are a far cry from conference foe Memphis that the Herd will battle in just two short weeks. Next week the Herd travels to Alaska for the Great Alaskan Shootout and will face their first true test against the California Bears. It will also be the first time the Herd will have to leave the friendly confines of the Cam Henderson Center so we will see what the Herd are really made of next week.

Coach Piers Post Game Comments

“It was a big win but we have a lot of work to do. We gave them way to many open looks tonight and if they hadn’t just simply had a run of bad luck we wouldn't be celebrating tonight. I am proud of how this team continues to pass the ball around and look for open looks, but we need to shore up our defense as we have a tough test next week. Also we have to get much better at the free throw line as 33 percent from there is pathetic.”

Player of the Game

SF D. Harris SR, 9 pts, 1 steal, 1-1 from 3 pt range

[chestnutz6]

How many minutes are you playing? It's very well written, but I think the fact that the scores are so low and the names are generated (2kshare should let you be able to get rosters) is kinda throwing me off. Following tho

EDIT: never mind, youre playing 2k7. by the way, you can get 2k8 for like $30 i believe

[steelerfan1129]

That is a good point about the scores as I really didn't think about that as I am used to football games which still generate realistic scores even at shorter lengths. I was playing 10 but I was planning to up it to 12 for the rest as I am trying to get used to the game again, and I hope that will help with the scores. Normally I will type in the real player names for my team but because this is 2k7, I didn't bother and just generated the names. I did notice that 2k8 was now 40 at the game stores but I just haven't seen enough new features to buy it over this one. I am not big on recruiting as it tends to bore me and I don't have a lot of time so the AAU games don't interest me. I don't know though, does anyone think that it is worth the additional 40 or 30 dollars for the game? I have a feeling there is probably a thread on this topic when the game first came out so if someone has a link to that discussion that would be fine.

Also one more thing is that I am going to up the difficulty as it is starting to feel just a little too easy so expect the losses to be coming fast and furious, which should make it a very interesting read for all of my wonderful fans of this thread. I am sure all 4 of you will really enjoy it:lol: By the way if anyone else has any suggestions feel free to let me know as I am really enjoying writing the stories.

[MAK314]

I'm following keep it up.

[boomosby50]

I'm following, but maybe when you post a game, put a title or who your're playing as the title

[steelerfan1129]

http://www.sportslogos.net/images/logos/32/742/thumbs/2527.gif vs http://www.sportslogos.net/images/logos/30/630/thumbs/7456.gif

Marshall (2-0) vs. California (2-1)

Marshall fought hard but Bears obviously the dominant team

California 53
Marshall 41

Marshall received their first true test of the season against the California Bears tonight, and while their performance was a far cry from an A it still deserves a C for the fight they showed all throughout the night. From the very beginning of the game it was clear that California was simply too fast and too tall for the Thundering Herd. California exploited their height and speed by scoring 34 points from in the paint as Marshall struggled to find a defense to stop them, causing Marshall to trail at the half by a score of 18 to 29 and it was starting to look like it would be a long night for the Herd. However, they never gave up and with 8:48 left to go they went on an absolute tear by attacking the perimeter and forcing California to defend the arc more closely allowing Marshall to get more easy looks at the basket. It allowed Marshall to go on a 12-0 run and pulled Marshall within 10 with just 5:00 minutes left to play. However, the Marshall defense continued to look confused and as a result Marshall just couldn’t pull any closer. While some may see this as a disappointing loss it is important to note that this California team was far more talented than the Thundering Herd and yet Marshall had California sweating towards then end of the game. It will be interesting to see what this team can do the rest of the year.

Coach Piers Post game Comments

“I am proud that our guys never gave up out there and continued to fight all the way to the end. Still we have got to shore up our defense as we cannot give up that many points in the paint while only scoring 12 in there ourselves. Our three point shooting helped give us a fighting chance tonight, but it won’t be enough if our guys are running around with no idea as to who they are supposed to be guarding.”

Player of the Game

SF D. Harris (SR), 16 pts, 2 rebounds, 3-6 from 3 point range

[steelerfan1129]

http://www.sportslogos.net/images/logos/32/742/thumbs/2527.gif@ http://www.sportslogos.net/images/logos/32/761/thumbs/edishgehtue4c0cgjcod.gif
Marshall (2-1) @ Morehead State (1-2)

Marshall Gets first road win of the Season

Morehead State 37
Marshall 45

The game after a tough loss can tell a lot about a team and Marshall proved that they could put a tough loss behind them and focus on the game at hand. While Marshall did pick up their first road win of the season the story remains pretty much the same as Marshall continued to struggle on defense leaving guys wide open; however, Morehead State was unable to take advantage due to shooting only 15 percent from behind the arc. Not only was defense a problem but Marshall also struggled to rebound the ball as well giving Morehead State plenty of second chance opportunities and was the reason why Marshall only carried a slim 24 to 20 lead into the locker room at halftime. One area that Marshall is starting to show some strength in is three point shooting as Marshall shot an amazing 57 percent from behind the arc due in large part to the tough combo of Harris and Kilgrove, who have both shown that they can be deadly from long range, which is a lesson Morehead State won’t soon forget since their 2-3 zone helped both of them find open looks. A road win is impressive but with Ohio and Memphis up next we will see just how real this team is since a victory of Morehead State is not going to turn any heads.

Coach Piers Post Game Comments

“A win on the road is impressive but we have got to shore up our defense and really work on rebounding as we gave them way too many second chance opportunities tonight. It was a problem in our last game and it was really obvious tonight. We were lucky that they were unable to take advantage of it but it is something we will have to work on. I am especially proud of the leadership Harris and Kilgrove have shown on the court and hopefully their three point threat will force opponents to give us more open looks inside the paint.

Players of the Game

SG D. Harris (SR) and SF R. Kilgrove (SO), 23 pts combined, 7 rebounds combined

[steelerfan1129]

http://www.sportslogos.net/images/logos/32/742/thumbs/2527.gif @ http://www.sportslogos.net/images/logos/33/792/thumbs/4688.gif

Marshall (3-1) @ Ohio (2-1)

Marshall gets win despite second half collapse

Ohio 45
Marshall 48

The expression, ‘it’s not over until the fat lady sings,’ will be going through the minds of Marshall fans everywhere after tonight’s very close game that went down to the very last second. Marshall came out at the start of the game energized and ready to play by drilling threes from all over the court and playing very tight aggressive defense which caused the Herd to take a commanding 26 to 8 lead with five minutes left to play in the half. However, it was mostly downhill from there as Marshall started to go and a cold streak and allowed the Bobcats right back into the game. Marshall still took a 31 to 21 lead into halftime, but they were unable to hold onto that huge margin once the second half started as more shots continued to bounce off the rim and Ohio attacked with a very fast pace transition game plan that the Herd simply couldn’t keep up with. With only 17 seconds left to play the Herd was only up by one when Harris missed a wide open jump shot, but thankfully Fellows was there for the rebound and was able to get the ball in the basket with an easy lay-up. Ohio got the ball back and missed a three but they were able to come down with the rebound and with one second left they shot one more three in a hopes to take it to overtime, which they probably would have won due to the huge momentum that was on their side. However, it bounced off the rim and Marshall improved to 4-1 heading into a huge game against conference favorite Memphis.

Coach Piers Post Game Comments

“I guess the players forgot that I demand 100 percent effort no matter what the score is every time they step out onto the court. I am furious that we didn’t challenge Ohio’s fast break opportunities as our guys seemed to be moving in slow motion. Rest assured that our guys will be running a lot in practice and will learn that if they want to play for me they had better give me all of their effort.”

Players of the Game

PG D. Harris (SR) and SF R. Kilgore (SO): 22 points combined, 10 rebounds, 4 for 6 from 3 point range

[steelerfan1129]

http://www.sportslogos.net/images/logos/32/742/thumbs/2527.gif @ http://www.sportslogos.net/images/logos/32/746/thumbs/ggnwshndib1jekime6rg.gif

Marshall (4-1, 0-0) @ #13Memphis (3-1, 0-0)

Rebounding causes Herd to lose first Conference game

Memphis 65
Marshall 53

For some weird scheduling reason the Thundering Herd found themselves playing their first conference game in early December and unfortunately that did nothing to help the Herd suffer their first conference loss of the season. To be fair the two teams were playing two different versions of basketball, as Memphis was playing a game where if they missed their shot they got the ball back and could try again due to Marshall’s complete inability to get any defensive rebounds. Coach Piers was livid on the sidelines as he continually yelled at his players to get aggressive on the boards but it did little to help as Memphis out rebounded the Herd 17 to 6 in the first half, which gave them a 32 to 22 lead at the half. Things didn’t get much better at the start of the half as Memphis continued to dominate the glass and ended up taking a 50 to 33 point lead and with no end in sight it looked like this game could get out of hand. Coach Piers called a timeout and made sure to yell at each one of his players one by one to send them a message, one they obviously heard loud and clear as they responded with a 13 to 3 run by grabbing more rebounds and then working on gaining fast break opportunities for easy looks at the basket. Marshall continued to fight hard and even came within eight points of Memphis but couldn’t draw any closer as Memphis went on to win the game. However, Marshall’s big run and ability to make Memphis sweat a little proved that they will be able to play with anyone in the conference and it now appears that maybe Coach Piers can take this team somewhere. It will be interesting to see how the remainder of the season plays out.

Coach Piers Post Game Comments

“If we had played the whole game the way we played at the end of the second half then we might have been able to beat them on their home court so I think we proved tonight that we have a good basketball team. Harris continues to show the senior leadership we had hoped he would show and I hope the other teams in our conference were watching us tonight because I think we showed that we aren’t just some push over. That was a top 25 team we played tonight and we held our own.”

Player of the Game

SG D. Harris (SR): 19 pts, 2 assists, 2 steals, 4 rebounds

[steelerfan1129]

http://www.sportslogos.net/images/logos/35/917/thumbs/d8gx3ewbgbas9ghic3bi.gif @http://www.sportslogos.net/images/logos/32/742/thumbs/2527.gif

Wright State (3-3) @ Marshall (4-2)

Marshall runs out of steam in overtime period

Wright State 64
Marshall 55

Coach Piers could have been the Louisville mascot after last nights game as his face was a very deep shade of cardinal red when his team completely fell apart in the overtime period, which is obvious by looking at the final score. While most people will focus on this aspect there were many things Marshall could have done better that would have prevented the game from even going into overtime. They were out rebounded 19 to 30, they only shot 61 percent from the charity stripe, and their star player was injured and out of play for about 7 minutes. Add all of that together and it is amazing that this team was up 26 to 20 at the end of the half, and even more amazing that they actually had a two point lead with 20 seconds left to play. However, Wright State had the ball and due to Marshall’s inexplicable ability to not rebound they were able to get two attempts at the basket allowing them to tie the game at 46. Marshall still had 5.1 seconds to get a shot off and they called a time out to give their star, Harris one finally look at the basket, but the plan failed and the game went into overtime. Wright State simply had much more left in the tank as the Marshall players were just too worn out allowing Wright State to run up and down the court and get easy looks at the basket. Coach Piers was so furious that with 2:00 minutes left to go in the overtime period he simply sat down with a disgusted look on his face that told the whole story of how the night had gone. After Marshall played so well against Memphis people were starting to get their hopes up about this team, but after tonight it is obvious that this team still has a lot of work to do.

Injury update: During tonight’s game Harris suffered an injury to his right knee and sat out for about 7 minutes before trainers informed coach Piers that the senior shooting guard could go back into the game. He is expect to be at full health when the team takes on Princeton in three days.

Coach Piers Post Game Commnents:

“First thing I want to say is that this team will never use injuries as an excuse as they are apart of the game and all teams have to deal with them. So all questions about whether or not I think we would have won had Harris not been out are meaningless. On this team it will always be next man up when someone gets hurt and that didn’t happen tonight so we have to get better at that. The other thing I want to say is that we have to be able to rebound the ball much better than what we did tonight and is something we will really focus in on in practice. The third thing is that this team was obviously not prepared to play an overtime period and as the coach I take full responsibility for that. We clearly have a lot of work to do over the next few days and a lot of things that we need to improve on.”

Player of the Game

SG D. Harris (SR): 22 pts, 1 steal, 1 rebound

[steelerfan1129]

http://www.sportslogos.net/images/logos/32/742/thumbs/2527.gif @ http://www.sportslogos.net/images/logos/33/807/thumbs/8o45nnccr4ho5nohk2gq.gif

Marshall (4-3) @ Princeton (2-4)

Herd Stampede Past Tigers

Princeton 37
Marshall 60

Coach Piers gave a very animated press conference after his team lost in overtime to Wright State and he vowed that the mistakes his team made would be corrected, and after last nights incredible performance it appears that he did get through to his team. Marshall corrected their rebounding woes by out rebounding the Tigers 22 to 6, and they were also 100 percent from the charity stripe this time around. All of this allowed the Herd to take a 33 to 26 lead into the half and unlike the last game the Herd came out even more dominant in the second half. In the end the Princeton defense had no answer for the Herds speed and quickness as they moved the ball around and continued to get easy looks at the basket as the Herd scored an amazing 40 points from inside the paint. This was clearly a case of one team just being far more talented and it should help build the Herd’s confidence as they prepare to head into conference play in just 3 weeks.

Coach Piers Post Game Comments:

“I am proud of the way our guys took care of the ball and really crashed the boards tonight, but we have to remember that this is just one game and that we still have a lot of work to do. I am also proud of how our bench was able to step up and contribute tonight allowing our starters to get some rest, which was a problem during our last game.”

Player of the game

C D. Fellows (Jr): 12 pts, 9 rebounds, 4 assist, 2-2 free throws

[steelerfan1129]

http://www.sportslogos.net/images/logos/30/620/thumbs/6822.gif @ http://www.sportslogos.net/images/logos/32/742/thumbs/2527.gif

Bowling Green (1-7) @ Marshall (5-3)

Herd Continues to Improve

Bowling Green 35
Marshall 50

The fans might finally be warming up to Coach Piers after the Herd turned in their second dominant performance of the season. The herd continued to attack the basket by using their speed and quickness to penetrate and score points in the paint while also winning the rebounding battle for the second straight night. “I have tried to point out to my guys how important rebounding is and if they ever doubt me later in the season I will be sure to point out our past two games,” coach Piers commented after the game. The Herd really did dominate every aspect of the game as Bowling Green just couldn’t find any interior defense leading to an 18 to 30 halftime lead for the Herd. For the second straight game they also cut back on the turnovers and looked like a basketball team that is ready to put up a fight in conference play. However, they will face a real test when they travel to Virginia Tech next week, so it will be interesting to see if the trends we have started to see are the result of this team finally adjusting to the new coaching style, or if their competition has made them look a lot better than they actually are.

Player of the Game

SF R. Kilgore (So): 16 pts, 7 rebounds, 1-1 free throw shooting

*Busy weekend coming up so the next update probably won’t come until around Sunday. I know the suspense will be hard to deal with, but I think everybody will be able to manage.*

[jjredick4]

i hope you beat Memphis this year

[steelerfan1129]

Virginia Tech(7-4) @ Marshall (6-3)

Tech’s Press Overwhelms Marshall

Virginia Tech 46
Marshall 37

Perfection is something that all sports teams hope to achieve; however, that can be very difficult when every time Coach Piers addresses a problem on his young team another one seems to develop. For the past several weeks Marshall had been struggling to crash the boards and win the rebounding battle. However Coach Piers addressed the problem and the Herd started to win the battle on the glass, including tonight, but this time Marshall failed to take care of the ball losing the turnover battle 4 to 14. “You have to take care of the basketball if you hope to win games and tonight we weren’t able to control the ball and find ways around their full court press, which is something we will have to work on,” Coach Piers commented after the game. Virginia Tech’s relentless press contributed to them leading at halftime by the score of 26 to 18. Both teams had a horrendous night shooting the ball as Marshall only shot 42 percent from the field, while Virginia Tech shot an equally abysmal 38 percent leading to a very low scoring game. Part of the problem was that senior star Harris ran into early foul trouble and was forced to sit out for most of the first half. While Virginia Tech came out with the victory this game was much closer than the score indicates and should now quiet any critics who think Marshall can’t compete when conference play starts.

Player of the Game

SF R. Kilgore (So): 7 pts, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals

[Superjames1992]

I'm following! I used to live about 30 minutes away from Marshall's campus, acually. I went to Huntington a lot as well. It's a pretty nice place.

Also, you may want to up the minutes just a little more, but of course that is up to you. I will follow regardless!

[steelerfan1129]

http://www.sportslogos.net/images/logos/33/792/thumbs/4688.gif http://www.sportslogos.net/images/logos/32/742/thumbs/2527.gif

Ohio (9-3) @ Marshall (6-4)

Marshall Sweeps Bobcats

Ohio 37
Marshall 42

Basketball is an interesting sport because there are so many things that could go wrong on a given night and it is fascinating to watch a team try to overcome these unexpected problems. After tonight the Marshall University administration will finally be able to build that new science building after all the bricks both teams left on the court. Both teams shot in the low 40’s and there 3 point percentage was even worse. “Teams have bad shooting nights and it is important to not get flustered and to continue playing and I felt our players did a great job of doing that tonight,” Coach Piers talked about after the game tonight. Poor shooting night really is an understatement as the Herd continued to watch the basketball bounce off the rim for almost every shot they took, including lay-ups. Even the senior star Harris missed several wide open opportunities from behind the arc. Still Marshall was able to overcome their shooting woes with a strong rebounding performance and by taking care of the basketball to get their second win over the Bobcats this season.

Player of the game

PG B. Munir (Sr): 8 pts, 2 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals

[steelerfan1129]

Thanks for following Superjames! Huntington really is a nice place and Marshall’s campus is gorgeous, especially compared to my campus here at Western Kentucky, which by the way is in the SWEET SIXTEEN! UCLA will be tough but I think this year has shown that any team can beat any team and if we can hit some threes and play an up tempo game plan then I think we can pull the upset. Anyway back to Marshall, I really like Huntington and the people there really love them, especially the football team but they have had a run of bad luck lately. However, I really think Donnie Jones is ready to turn the basketball team around and all of the coaches in C-USA are saying that Marshall is a team to look out for next year.

[steelerfan1129]

http://www.sportslogos.net/images/logos/32/742/thumbs/2527.gif http://www.sportslogos.net/images/logos/31/685/thumbs/qa5ch1uxizg5ff4y5fxr.gif

Marshall (7-4) @ George Washington (3-7)

Herd suffers first blow out loss of the season

George Washington 69
Marshall 44

Coach Piers sat on the sidelines last night probably wondering why he didn’t take his parents advice to become a lawyer or doctor as those professions would have been far less stressful than watching his team fall apart right from the opening minutes of last nights game. Right from the very beginning George Washington came out and pressed and Marshall had no way around it as George Washington scored 8 points before Marshall ever got the ball past half court. Even when Marshall did get it past half court their small size caused them to lose the rebound battle and their poor shooting didn’t help matters much. This game was over by halftime as George Washington took a 17 to 41 point lead into halftime. It got so bad that with 3:00 minutes left to go in the half Coach Piers benched all of his starters and did not bring them back in until the start of the second half; however, this had no effect as Marshall continued to do everything wrong. “We would have lost to the South Park Elementary Cows last night after the way we played. Cartman would have outran everyone of our players last night so apparently I need to teach our players that kind of performance will never ever be tolerated,” A very irate coach Piers commented after the game. Marshall had been playing well in their past few game but now instead of getting a win heading into conference play they suffer a devastating loss that will not help their momentum as they now head into the heart of conference play.

Player of the Game

Coach Piers threatened to sue us for liable if we picked a player of the game, and considering how mad he was after last nights game we really aren’t prepared to call his bluff.

[steelerfan1129]

http://www.sportslogos.net/images/logos/32/742/thumbs/2527.gif http://www.sportslogos.net/images/logos/35/889/thumbs/2711.gif

Marshall (7-5, 0-1) @ UTEP (6-8, 1-0)

Rebounding woes continue for Marshall

UTEP 49
Marshall 40

After last night Coach Piers is probably making calls to the top medical minds in the country in attempt to find out if anyone can make his players magically taller in just three days before the team’s next contest against the Central Florida Knights, because right now Marshall players continue to miss rebound opportunities, which gives their opponents second chance opportunities. Perhaps this wouldn’t be so bad if the small guard lineup that Marshall runs could shoot, but last night the Herd failed to shoot above 40 percent to the field leading to a 17 to 24 lead for the Miners at halftime. “We run a smaller lineup and as a result we have to hit our threes and open shots because rebounding is going to be harder on us and when we don’t do that it is difficult to win basketball games. It is as simple as that,” A somber Coach Piers commented. Even though Marshall now falls to 0-2 in conference play there might be some good news to take from last nights game. Senior guard Harris had been having some trouble recently making threes and some thought it might be because of an injury he suffered earlier in the year. However, during the last few minutes of last night’s game he started to find his stroke again making 3 consecutive threes to pull the herd within four. The Herd was unable to complete the rally but maybe Harris is finally back, which could spell trouble for the rest of the conference.

Player of the Game

SG D. Harris (Sr): 19 pts, 1 rebound, 2 assists, 3 steals

[steelerfan1129]

http://www.sportslogos.net/images/logos/30/635/thumbs/jiclqofe1twyygfg6d1f.gif http://www.sportslogos.net/images/logos/32/742/thumbs/2527.gif

Central Florida (6-5, 1-0) @ Marshall (7-6, 0-2)

Marshall gets first conference win of the Season

Central Florida 40
Marshall 52

Coach Piers finally got a monkey off his back yesterday by getting his first conference win of the season. After two straight nights of watching his team struggle in just about every area of the game Coach Piers was rewarded by watching his team attack the glass on defense to limit second chance opportunities and hold Central Florida to just 38 percent shooting. While on offense the Thundering Herd attacked the paint to finally put together a decent shooting night, which allowed the Herd to take an 18 to 29 lead into halftime. It was a lead that they wouldn’t surrender allowing the fans to enjoy a game without having to stress during the final minutes. “We played well tonight, but we have to remember that it was one conference game and we still have a lot of work to do. One game does not erase all the mistakes we made in our previous contests,” Coach Piers stated after the game. Marshall is proving that they will tough to beat in the Cam Henderson Stadium as their only loss inside the building was the Wright State meltdown, so it will be interesting to see if they can use that to their advantage.

Player of the Game

SF R. Kilgore (So): 11 pts, 7 rebounds, 2 steals, 5-5 free throws

[jjredick4]

hopefully this is the beginning of a winning streak for ya

[nemzep95]

Yeah, keep racking up them W's!

[steelerfan1129]

http://www.sportslogos.net/images/logos/34/878/thumbs/2669.gif http://www.sportslogos.net/images/logos/32/742/thumbs/2527.gif

Tulsa (7-6, 1-1) @ Marshall (8-6, 1-2)

Marshall puts conference on notice

Tulsa 39
Marshall 60

After starting 0-2 in conference play it looked like Marshall would continue to be the same old team that was always right in the middle of the pack when it came to conference play as it had been under Ron Jirsa; however, Coach Piers is determined to change that mentality and he did it in brilliant fashion last night with a blow out win against Tulsa. Tulsa, a team that relies heavily on the fast break, was unable to use their speed to their advantage as Marshall was equally just as fast and were able to lock down the inside and as a result to force Tulsa to take shots from behind the arc. For about the first 11 minutes it appeared that Tulsa was up to the challenge as they were able to drain several threes, but Marshall quickly responded by hitting open looks from behind the arc as well and ended up taking a 32 to 22 lead into halftime. Things didn’t get any better for Tulsa as Marshall continued to pass the ball around to find holes in the Tulsa defense, which they attacked with ruthless efficiency before quickly running back to get set on defense. “I am proud of what they guys did tonight, we knew this was a team that loved to run up and down the court and we made sure to force them to play at our tempo and forced them to take outside shots. There is nothing more enjoyable then forcing a team outside their comfort zone and I feel like we did that really well tonight,” Coach Piers said. Indeed, this team looked like a team that was not going to just settle for an 8th place finish in the conference but instead are out to destroy any team that gets in their way, and tonight Tulsa will think twice before standing in the Herd's way again.

Player of the Game

PG B. Munir (Sr): 19 pts, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 1 steal

[steelerfan1129]

http://www.sportslogos.net/images/logos/32/742/thumbs/2527.gif http://www.sportslogos.net/images/logos/34/877/thumbs/2668.gif

Marshall (9-6, 2-2) @ Tulane (6-7, 1-2)

Herd wins defensive battle against Tulane

Tulane 34
Marshall 46

If you love basketball games where teams run up and down the court, take a shot every 5 to 10 seconds, and try to break the scoreboard then last nights game was not for you. In fact, only diehard basketball fans and people suffering from insomnia were probably the only ones able to stay awake for the entire game. It is hard not to be surprised however, as this has started to become a trend as Coach Piers has made it clear that he prefers his team to play solid defense and then work the ball around on offense. “I believe in a strong defense and playing this game as a team sport and I thought tonight was a great basketball game between two very tough defensive teams. Tulane plays great defensive and they did a really good job of keeping us out of the paint and forcing us to find looks from other areas. We also did a good job doing the same thing to them and in the end we simply did it more effectively, which is why we are walking away with the W tonight. It might not be sexy, but it wins basketball games and that is what I am paid to do.” Marshall certainly was effective as they took a 22 to 10 lead into the half, but Tulane didn’t go away as they used their aggressive defense to force turnovers and get much needed easy looks at the basket, but in the end it just wasn't enough. Marshall is really starting to gel as a team and it appears that Coach Piers may have figured out how to effectively use his starters, which could be trouble for the rest of the conference, especially if they continue to play such lock down defense.

Player of the Game

SG D. Harris (Sr): 14 pts, 3 rebounds, 1 steal

[steelerfan1129]

http://www.sportslogos.net/images/logos/32/742/thumbs/2527.gif

A quick glance at Marshall’s resume

Apparently many fans are starting to take notice of Marshall’s recent success and as a result many of you have been flooding my e-mail box asking about Marshall’s chances at actually making it into the tournament for the first time since 1986. Since I am a very busy man I figured I would take the time to post Marshall’s resume and then comment on it, instead of taking the time to tell the entire Huntington area one by one that it is a little too early to get your hopes up just yet.

Record: (10-6, 3-2) 3rd place in Conference USA
RPI: 49
Conference USA RPI: 20
Record against other teams based on their RPI
1-50: 0-2
51-100: 1-1
101-200: 3-3
201+: 6-0

If the season ended today Marshall would probably be heading to the NIT with that resume. Marshall simply had a very weak non-conference schedule, and while they don’t necessarily have a bad loss on their resume they have absolutely no signature win either and to consider them among the 34 best in the at large pool is probably just too far of a reach. Sure there is still the potential for the automatic bid but with Memphis in the conference and playing great basketball it is hard to imagine anyone but them winning the conference tournament, especially since it is played in Memphis. However, remember it is still way too early to really have these talks so please stop sending me e-mails about it and enjoy the remainder of the season. If there is still a realistic chance of Marshall making the tournament in March then we will keep you updated on all the latest developments.

[CincyFan]

yeah if you want to get to the dance the first year you either need to win the tournament like you said. If you don't you either need to win out the rest of the year and at least make the second round of the tourney. Either way I am still impressed for the year though.

[blue_apocalypse]

Memphis changes the whole landscape of C-USA..makes it a very interesting conference. It would be sweet though if you could get to the conference tourney finals and take down Memphis on their own court.

[steelerfan1129]

http://www.sportslogos.net/images/logos/32/742/thumbs/2527.gif http://www.sportslogos.net/images/logos/35/907/thumbs/4690.gif

Marshall (10-6) @ West Virginia (8-8)

Marshall comes up short against bitter in-state rival

West Virginia 54
Marshall 44

When Marshall and West Virginia play each other there is a really good chance that it will be an entertaining game because there is no love loss between the two. This game didn’t disappoint as the two teams were pretty even from the beginning, although West Virginia was much better at taking advantage of Marshall leaving the perimeter open and due to Marshall’s inability to take advantage of the same situation West Virginia took a 26 to 22 lead into the locker room at halftime. Marshall had a horrible time taking care of the ball allowing West Virginia to go on a 14 to 2 run by getting plenty of fast break opportunities. Marshall didn’t go away however as they countered with a 10 to 0 run, but in the end West Virginia was able to calm down and never let Marshall back into the game. “We played hard out there today, but in the end it just wasn’t enough because we turned the ball over too many times in the second half which didn’t allow us time to get our defense set. It is never fun losing to your rival and I can promise we will work a lot harder when we play them next year.” Coach Piers stated after the game. Marshall has really exceeded expectations this year but it is still hard to get a feel for just how good this team really is as they continue to play somewhat inconsistently, so it will be interesting to see how the rest of the season plays out.

Player of the Game

When Marshall loses to West Virginia we are simply too upset to pick a player of the game.

[nemzep95]

Sorry about your loss. Come back and get some good wins :D. Maybe later you'll get to play West Virginia in whatever tourney you might get in.

[Deuce2223]

Just got caught up. The year is looking good for the Herd. Like Blue said takind down Memphis would be huge. Keep up the strong play. Personally I think even a NIT bid would be a victory in itself.

[Superjames1992]

Marshall almost beat West Virginia this year. If it were not for a Joe Mazulla jumpshot with 5 seconds left, the game would have went to overtime, but instead it was a 66-64 win for the Mountaineers.

[steelerfan1129]

http://www.sportslogos.net/images/logos/31/700/thumbs/40q2gfqs0jfq0eusec0t.gif http://www.sportslogos.net/images/logos/32/742/thumbs/2527.gif

Houston (11-5, 3-2) @ Marshall (10-7, 3-2)

Marshall Grabs Key Conference Win

Houston 41
Marshall 51

Marshall may not win all of their games, but they make sure that their fans don’t suffer too long after a loss as yet again the Herd responds from a tough loss to in-state rival West Virginia to get a key conference victory against the Houston Cougars. The Cougars are a team that normally stays towards the top of the standings in the conference and beating them is probably proof that they Herd are in fact for real, especially when they get to play in the Cam Henderson Center. Both teams game out playing a very aggressive in your face defense that would have made even a football coach proud causing the Herd to only take a slim 21 to 18 lead into the break at halftime. At the start of the second half Marshall got off to a fast start and took a 32 to 22 lead before Houston scored 6 unanswered points before Coach Piers took a timeout to settle his team down. Marshall then went on a 13 to 3 run essentially ending any hope of Houston getting back into the game. “I am proud of the team but we have to make sure that we don’t give teams easy looks at the basket like we did in the middle of the second half. We may not have as deep of a bench as Houston but that still is no excuse to let the other team grab a defensive rebound and then get an easy layup in a matter of 5 seconds,” Coach Piers said in his post game press conference. Marshall won’t get any rest however, as they are tied for second in their conference with their next opponent, the East Carolina Pirates.

Player of the Game

SG J. McCray (Jr): 12 pts, 3 rebounds, 3 assists

[steelerfan1129]

http://www.sportslogos.net/images/logos/31/665/thumbs/ta0l7chh0emcns5gloig.gif http://www.sportslogos.net/images/logos/32/742/thumbs/2527.gif

East Carolina (7-9, 4-2) @ Marshall (11-7, 4-2)

Poor Shot Selection at the end Dooms Herd

East Carolina 51
Marshall 42

There is nothing more exciting than a basketball game that comes down to the very last minute. East Carolina and Marshall continued to go back and forth as no team lead by more than 5 until the last minute of the game where the Herd couldn’t tie the game up and East Carolina finally pulled away. East Carolina was very effective at shooting the ball, especially from three point land and the traditionally stout defense of the Herd just didn’t have an answer. However, the East Carolina defense wasn’t the best in the world and as a result both teams continued to trade baskets, but it was East Carolina that took a 23 to 25 point lead into the locker room at the half. Nothing really changed during the second half and with 1:50 left East Carolina was only up 44 to 40. They missed several of their shots and the herd had several opportunities to close the gap, but they failed to make their shots and East Carolina went on to win the game. “When a game comes down to the final minutes you have to have a mental toughness to win, and obviously that was something we were lacking on the court tonight. We didn’t have very good shot selections and we rushed our shots because we started to worry instead of playing our typical game of working the ball around and finding an open look.” Coach Piers was clearly not happy after the game and that comment sums up his feelings pretty well.

Player of the Game

SF R. Kilgore (So): 7 pts, 2 rebounds, 5 steals

[nemzep95]

Tough loss, get back on to winning.

[steelerfan1129]

Yeah it was a tough loss and really is all my fault because I started rushing shots at the end, but we did have some rebounding problems and that hurt as well. Still so far I am happy with the year I have had so far considering the team I am working with. Hopefully my recruiting will work out for me and next year I can be a little more consistent.

[boomosby50]

doin good so far, just got caught up. Conference USa doesn't have Mid-Major Poll right?
Or, its not included, I should say

[steelerfan1129]

Yeah, Conference USA is not included as the game considers it a major conference. Although for this season our conference RPI is 21 so essentially it is a mid-major right now which is why I have done so well so far. With the exception of Memphis the other teams just aren't very good.

[steelerfan1129]

UAB (8-13, 2-4) @ Marshall (11-8, 4-3)

Marshall Edges Out UAB

UAB 38
Marshall 48

Marshall had fans on the edge of their seat for yet another game, except this time they didn’t fall apart and managed to close out the game for a win. UAB was very effective shooting the ball and driving to the basket, which put center Fellows into early foul trouble hurting Marshall in the rebounding battle. Marshall at times struggled to hit open shots but they still managed to lead 22 to 26 at halftime. The two teams continued to go back and forth in the second half and Coach Piers was furious that his team was not able to pull away until the closing minutes of the game. “I have told our guys that we are not conceding anything and that we still have a chance to win this conference and perhaps get to play get a bid to the NIT or maybe even the NCAA if we can win the conference tournament, so it is important that we win games that we should and this was one of those games.” A somewhat irate Coach Piers commented. He is right about Marshall being in the thick of the conference race as Memphis has lost two straight conference games and has slipped to third place in the division. East Carolina leads but Marshall is only a game and half behind them for first place so if Marshall can finish strong then they certainly still have a realistic shot at the conference crown.

Player of the Game

PG B. Munir (Sr): 18pts, 2 rebounds, 4 assists

[blue_apocalypse]

Wow, what's wrong with Memphis? It works in your favor though..good luck bringing home that regular season title.

[steelerfan1129]

Marshall (12-8, 5-3) @ Tulsa (9-10, 3-5)

Late Second Half Run Gives Herd a Blowout Victory

Tulsa 34
Marshall 61

Coach Piers reminded his team before the game tonight that they had just as good a chance as anyone to win the conference and that little reminder seemed to work as the herd game out and took a 10 to 0 lead over Tulsa. Tulsa started to mount a comeback and at halftime the Herd lead 26 to 17. At the start of the second half Tulsa was effective at playing better defense and getting better looks at the basket and looked like they might be poised to rally and take the lead; however Marshall had different plans as they responded by going on a 16 to 2 run and then followed that with a 14 to 4 run, which ended any hope of Tulsa winning the game. “We played well tonight and were very effective at scoring from the paint, which is always a good thing and one of the reasons we shot 60% from the field tonight. Still we can’t get to excited as there is a lot of basketball left to be played and we have had a hard time maintaining any type of winning streak.” Memphis and East Carolina both won so Marshall is a game behind both of them tied for third in the division. They get to play East Carolina again but will not play Memphis again unless the two meet in the conference tournament.

Player of the Game

SG D. Harris (Sr): 16 pts, 2 rebounds, 2 assists

[nemzep95]

Nice win! Good luck with the season. How many more games do you have in the regular season?

[steelerfan1129]

There are seven more to go, and 3 of those are against teams in the upper half of the conference, which could go either way. I should be able to beat the other 4, but the way this season has gone there is no such thing as a sure thing. Realistically I am aiming to finish in the top four in the conference so I will get a bye in the conference tournament.

[boomosby50]

hey steelerfan, in my legacy, Marshall was a #3 seed in C-USA and beat Memphis in the finals to get a #15 seed

[steelerfan1129]

I like the sound of that and I might be able to do just the same as I was close to beating Memphis the last time. Of course, the way they are playing right now I might get lucky and someone else will beat them. Either way these last few games will be interesting.

[steelerfan1129]

Marshall (13-8, 6-3) @ UCF(11-8, 6-3)

Marshall Tied for First in Conference USA Race

UCF 35
Marshall 50

Coach Piers accomplished something for the first time in his young head coaching career, win 3 games in a row. It appears that Coach Piers has finally got this team to play with some consistency and it couldn’t come at a better time as a Memphis loss now has the Herd tied for first with East Carolina with 6 games left to go. Marshall got off to a rough start as UCF took an early 16 to 4 lead, but the Thundering Herd rallied and led at halftime by the score of 26 to 21. Marshall then continued to keep the run going into the second half as UCF just couldn’t get any of their baskets to fall and shot an abysmal 28 percent from the field. Marshall used this to their advantage and worked the transition game more too combat UCF’s tough set defense. “They have a strong defensive team but we did notice that they were a little slower than us so we tried to speed the game up to take advantage of that fact. If you can’t adapt to your opponent then you are going to lose a lot of games,” an upbeat Coach Piers commented. Marshall is playing the best basketball they have all year and it couldn’t come at a better time as this team makes a run for the regular season title and conference tournament title.

Player of the Game

PG B. Munir (Sr): 14 pts, 2 steals, 2 assists

[steelerfan1129]

Marshall makes Joe Lunardi’s First Bracket Projections

When Marshall started the season even coach Piers said it would be a stretch to think the team could make the tournament this season; however, it may appear that he was wrong as Marshall’s current resume has caught the attention of bracket guru Joe Lunardi, who currently has the team as a 12th seed playing the Kentucky Wildcats. Memphis is the only other conference USA team in the projections as a 10 seed. Coach Piers seemed happy that his team has a realistic shot to make the tournament but wasn’t afraid to admit that there is still a lot of work to do. “Those bracket projections change every hour on the hour in March so it is hard to get excited in February. We still have six regular season games left to play and a conference tournament so we could easily find ourselves on the outside looking in if we aren’t careful.” Marshall may very well be on the outside looking in as Marshall is considered a bubble team even by Joe Lunardi, which is typically the case for most 12 seeds so they may very well be the last team in right now. However, it is exciting to think that if the season ended today Marshall fans would actually have a reason to watch the selection show. Hopefully that will still be the case in March.

[ChrisPaul_3]

This looks nice man.

[steelerfan1129]

SMU (9-12, 6-4) @ Marshall (14-8, 7-3)

Marshall Takes Sole Possession of First Place

SMU 34
Marshall 45

I have a feeling that all of Conference USA is scared of Marshall right now as they are playing with a drive and determination that they had been desperately lacking for quite some time now. It is clear that the seniors know there college careers are about over, but that they can still accomplish something very special. As a result Marshall may be one of the hottest teams in the nation right now as they put away SMU very quickly in this contest. At halftime the Herd led 26 to 11 and things didn’t get much better for the Mustangs as they continued to miss shots while the Thundering Herd found their three point game. SMU started to rally late but by that time the contest was over and Marshall let their second string take over in a game that wasn’t as close as the score indicates. “I am proud of our team but we still have a lot of work to do and we cannot lose our focus. If we win our next 5 games then we will be the conference champions so if we don’t win it we will have no one to blame but ourselves,” commented Coach Piers. East Carolina lost tonight allowing the Herd to control their own destiny, and as a result Huntington has come alive as they all feel that something special could be about to happen if Marshall continues to play like they have.

Player of the game

C D. Fellows: 12 pts, 13 rebounds, 2 steals, 3 blocks

[BaRtacular]

gooodstuff

[boomosby50]

wow, nice win streak, keep it up. I assume you're in the tournament projection because youre winning your conference. Also, a 12 seed is one of the last 4 in usually

[steelerfan1129]

Tulane (10-11, 5-6) @ Marshall (15-8, 8-3)


Marshall Rallies Late to Keep the Bubble from Bursting

Tulane 43
Marshall 52

Marshall Fans with weak hearts probably had to look away from their TV’s last night after Marshall almost suffered a devastating home loss that could have destroyed any hopes of an at-large bid. Marshall has been in close games before but none of them have been as important as these last few as Marshall is still considered to be a bubble team for the NCAA tournament, and as a result these close games are tough to watch. Tulane came out with a very impressive and aggressive defense, which rattled the Herd and allowed to Tulane to lead at halftime by a score of 26 to 19. Things didn’t get much better for the Herd in the second half as Tulane continued to get key rebounds and force Marshall to throw up contested shots. Tulane at one point had a 21 to 31 lead and it didn’t look like it would be a good night for Herd fans. However, coach Piers called a timeout to yell at his players before sending them back onto the court where they finally came alive, attacking with a very quick and aggressive transition game plan that sent them on a huge run and allowed them to pull within one. Still Tulane didn’t go away but it was clear the run rattled them and finally with 3:00 minutes left to go in the game senior shooting guard Harris stole the ball and passed it to senior point guard Munir for the go ahead basket. From there Tulane continued to fall apart and their attempt to put Marshall on the line failed as Marshall drained their free-throws, allowing this game to be a lot closer than what they score might indicate. Still for now Marshall continues to lead the Conference USA race and they are probably the only team that has even an outside shot at an at-large bid into the tournament.

Player of the Game

C D. Fellows (Sr): 9pts, 11 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 block

[steelerfan1129]

I assume you're in the tournament projection because youre winning your conference. Also, a 12 seed is one of the last 4 in usually

Yeah I still assume that I need to win the conference tournament to get in because my resume is really thin. My RPI is around 54 I think, no wins against a top 25 team, no wins agains any teams with an RPI 1-50 and I think 2 losses against teams with above a 200 RPI so I just don't see it happening. However, the game still has me on the bubble list so I am still hopeful because I might not win the conference tournament.

[steelerfan1129]

http://www.sportslogos.net/images/logos/32/742/thumbs/2527.gif http://www.sportslogos.net/images/logos/31/665/thumbs/ta0l7chh0emcns5gloig.gif

Marshall (16-8, 9-3) @ East Carolina (10-12, 7-5)

Marshall Gets Their Revenge against East Carolina

East Carolina 41
Marshall 64

East Carolina is the only conference team this season that has managed to beat the Thundering Herd in the Cam Henderson Center, and it was clear that they desperately wanted to beat East Carolina on their home court last night. “I won’t lie, after we lost to them at home I circled this game on the calendar and posted it in the locker room where all they guys could see it. We really wanted to win this game more than any others because we took it personally when they came onto our home court and beat us,” Coach Piers happily said after the game. It really was a game Marshall controlled from the very beginning as East Carolina just had no answer for the Thundering Herds dynamic offense. Marshall was able to hit their three’s and when East Carolina tried to shut down the perimeter Marshall started to penetrate and take it to the paint allowing them to take a 30 to 19 lead at halftime. The second half was just more of the same as East Carolina tried a full court press to get back into the game, but the Herd used their quick speed to get very easy looks at the basket, allowing for an easy victory. Memphis lost again tonight now meaning that Marshall now has a two game lead in the conference with only 3 left to play, so it now appears that Marshall stands a good chance of taking home the regular season title. Also, Joe Lunardi has now moved Marshall up to the 11 line in his latest projections so it appears that Marshall’s position for an at large bid may be increasing. Of course, the way they are playing now, there is a good chance they will take the automatic bid instead.

Player of the Game

C D. Fellows (Sr): 10 pts, 6 rebounds, 1 block

[nemzep95]

Wow, congrats on the wins. The worst that will happen is you'll have to goto the NIT (which you would probably win ;).)

[steelerfan1129]

http://www.sportslogos.net/images/logos/32/742/thumbs/2527.gif http://www.sportslogos.net/images/logos/35/879/thumbs/n0le6ph9hfm6khoflu9f.gif

Marshall (17-8, 10-3) @ UAB(10-17, 4-9)

Turnovers Almost Doom Herd

UAB 43
Marshall 46

Marshall has been praised a lot lately and it might be starting to go to the player’s heads as poor ball handling skills almost cost them the game tonight that came down to the final seconds. UAB came out and took and early lead but the Herd quickly settled down and regained their composure and Marshall took a 22 to 24 lead into the locker room at halftime. UAB rebounded very effectively and also prevented Marshall from attacking with their transitional game and as a result they created several turnovers which they turned into easy baskets. UAB had the ball in the final 17 seconds but they were unable to get an open look beyond the arc and had to throw up a contested one that didn’t go in allowing Marshall to get the win. “We got careless tonight and it almost cost us so we need to refocus and remember that we haven’t won anything yet,” an angry Coach Piers said at his press conference. Marshall is now one win away from the regular season title, but their next opponent is the Rice Owls, who are tied for second in the conference. There also will be a lot of emotion in the air as it is senior night so it will be a basketball game that no fan should miss.

Player of the Game

SG D. Harris (Sr): 24 pts, 4 rebounds, 2 steals

[steelerfan1129]

http://www.sportslogos.net/images/logos/33/813/thumbs/2587.gif http://www.sportslogos.net/images/logos/32/742/thumbs/2527.gif

Rice (10-14, 8-5) @ Marshall (18-8, 11-3)

Marshall Wins Conference USA Regular Season Title

Rice 35
Marshall 51

When the season first started there were a lot of critics of the hire; however, you would be hard pressed to find one person in the Huntington area that was not a fan of Coach Piers after he has coached Marshall to their first ever regular season Conference USA title. “It is a huge accomplishment and to do it on senior night so these seniors will now have something very memorable to tell their children, is a huge honor and this team should be really proud of themselves right now,” the cheerful coach commented after the game. Rice gave the Herd some problems as the Herd only led by 3 at halftime and the Owls didn’t go down without a fight, but in the end senior shooting guard Harris put the team on his back and drained several threes from behind the arc, putting the game away. “I love the team and coach so much and to win this title so our fans could celebrate it with us is a huge accomplishment.” A very emotional Harris commented after the game. The Herd still have plenty of work to do but there will be some celebration going on for at least a few hours.

Player of the Game

SG D. Harris (Sr): 16 pts, 7 rebounds

[steelerfan1129]

http://www.sportslogos.net/images/logos/32/742/thumbs/2527.gif http://www.sportslogos.net/images/logos/34/843/thumbs/w9mfvlw7n5hci6gfikqy.gif

Marshall (19-8, 12-3) @ Southern Miss (10-14, 6-9)

Marshall’s Bubble Hopes almost Burst

Southern Miss 53
Marshall 56

Marshall Fans have been on an absolute high recently and it appears that the players may have been as well last night. The superior Herd team struggled with turnovers and rebounds all night long allowing Southern Miss to stay in the game and even lead at halftime by the score 22 to 23. The two teams continued to go back and forth and with only 60 seconds left sophomore forward Kilgore hit a three to give the herd a one point lead. Southern Miss took a timeout but Marshall surprised them by pressing, something they rarely do, and created a turnover to go up by three. Southern Miss then missed a three and Marshall got the rebound and a miscommunication allowed for Kilgore to be wide open in the exact same spot where he hit his last three. He was able to drain it and just like that Marshall survived a huge scare that could have cost them any shot at an at large bid. Instead their RPI is now 35 and Joe Lunardi has taken them off his bubble list and now has them as a very impressive 9 seed, which means the Herd may now be a lock for an at large bid. However, I am sure Coach Piers will feel much better if his team at least makes it to the conference championship game, as a quick exit in the conference tourney will make for a very nerve racking selection Sunday.

Player of the Game

SF R. Kilgore (So): 14pts, 6 rebounds, 1 assist

[steelerfan1129]

Conference USA Tournament Bracket

#8 Tulsa
#9 Tulane
#1 Marshall

#5 Rice
#12 UAB #4 UCF

#7 SMU
#10 Southern Miss #2 Memphis

#6 East Carolina
#11 UTEP #3 Houston

Be sure to keep checking back with us as we will have a special report looking at what it will take for Marshall to win the tournament.

[Superjames1992]

Good luck in the C-USA Tournament!!!

[nemzep95]

Yeah! Marshall vs. Memphis in the championship game, the herd march on!

[blue_apocalypse]

I just got caught up and wow..great job winning the conference title! I'm looking forward to a rematch against Memphis in the tournament

[nemzep95]

Watch memphis lose early in the tournament xD.

[steelerfan1129]

ESPN College Gamenight

Reece Davis: Welcome to College Gamenight here on ESPN where Digger and Jay will get you caught up on all the info you need to know about the upcoming conference tournaments. We start tonight in Conference USA where the surprise team Marshall came out of no where to win the conference title and pick up the top seed, while Memphis, which started in the top 25 finished second after losing 5 conference games and found themselves on the bubble for the NCAA tournament. So Digger what do you think about the Conference USA tournament?

Digger: Well I think it is a wide open race as none of the teams have been absolutely dominant. Marshall has put together an impressive winning streak, but a lot of the teams in the conference have almost beat them, including Tulane which could be a quarterfinal matchup for them. So I don’t think they are so dominant that they will easily win and Memphis has been a huge disappointment this year, but I think the fact that the tournament is on Memphis' home court, and the fact that they probably need to win it to make the tournament will give them the slight edge to win this tournament.

Jay: I think the tournament being in Memphis does give Memphis a huge boost but I really think that Marshall will win this tournament. They are the only team in this conference that has played with any consistency and I think the fact that they have been in a lot of close games will give them the confidence they need. Marshall fans will support their team and I think there will be plenty of fans wearing green and white even with this tournament being in Memphis. However, your right that this tournament really is up for grabs as there isn’t a dominant team, which I think means the most consistent team will win and that is Marshall.

Reece: Jay, our own Joe Lunardi currently has Marshall as a lock to make the tournament now and has them listed as a nine seed. Do you think Marshall should get an at-large bid if they fail to win the conference tournament?

Jay: I think it really comes down to what the committee wants to do about mid-major teams. Marshall has a had a great season winning the regular season title and 20 games under first year head coach Mark Piers, so if the committee wants to reward a mid-major team for having a good season then I am fine with Marshall making the tournament, as long as we admit that is what we are doing. Lets not fool ourselves, Marshall is not one of the 34 best at-large teams by any stretch of the imagination no matter what their RPI may suggest.

Digger: I think it is important to keep in mind that this is not your fathers Conference USA. Louisville, Marquette, and Cincinnati are no longer in the conference meaning that this conference is no better than any other mid-major conference. In fact, with a conference RPI of 19 they might be the worst of the mid-majors this year. When you look at Marshall’s resume they have no wins against the top 50 and three losses to teams with an RPI over 200. Plus 12 of their wins come from this group so only 8 of their wins were against teams with an RPI under 200. Their best win is probably against Houston, the third place team in their conference as Marshall even lost to Memphis in December. Conference USA should be a one bid league this year but the committee thinks about the past too much and remembers how strong this conference was years ago and will probably let Marshall in no matter what happens in the tournament.

Jay: Well I guess we will find out on selection Sunday. Of course, there are many more conference tournaments out there and when we come back we will tell you everything you need to know about the upcoming SEC tournament, so be sure to stay with us.

*I am out of town, which is why I haven't started the tournament yet. I figured I would go ahead and post this preview until I can get to my XBOX*

[steelerfan1129]

http://www.sportslogos.net/images/logos/34/877/thumbs/2668.gif http://www.sportslogos.net/images/logos/32/742/thumbs/2527.gif

Tulane (12-16) vs Marshall (20-8)
Conference USA Quarterfinal

Marshall Cruises into Semifinals

Tulane 32
Marshall 58

Earlier in the week an ESPN analyst made it clear that Marshall was not one of the 34 best at-large teams and that they should only make the tournament if they received an automatic bid. Coach Piers was asked to comment at that time and he replied by saying, “Digger is entitled to his opinion and being a former basketball coach I am sure that he is a great analyst. However, our team has a lot of pride and I can tell you that our guys were not to happy with his comments and I really feel that we have had our best practices this week. I think it would give our guys great pleasure to prove him wrong.” Obviously he was right as Marshall played at a level that not many had seen them play at this year. They attacked from the perimeter and inside the paint, on the defensive side they contested every shot and even made some amazing blocks when Tulane was trying for an easy transition basket. Tulane simply didn’t have an answer for a Marshall team that was clearly playing with a chip on their shoulder. It will be interesting to see if Marshall can continue that intensity into the semifinals tomorrow.

Player of the Game

SF R. Kilgore (So): 10pts, 5 rebounds, 1 assist

Conference USA Semifinal Bracket

#1 Marshall
#4 UCF

#2 Memphis
#11 UTEP

[BaRtacular]

Marshall against Memphis in finals gooodluck

[steelerfan1129]

http://www.sportslogos.net/images/logos/30/635/thumbs/jiclqofe1twyygfg6d1f.gif http://www.sportslogos.net/images/logos/32/742/thumbs/2527.gif

UCF(15-12) vs. Marshall (21-8)
Conference USA Semifinal

Marshall to Face Memphis in Tournament Final

UCF 36
Marshall 49

Against Tulane Marshall played with an intensity that not many of us had seen this season and at the start of this game it looked like that same intensity level was there as Marshall quickly ran out to a 30 to 11 lead late in the first half. However, UCF quickly calmed down and Marshall started to go cold and lost the rebound battle to UCF allowing them to make a comeback and pull within 10 with just 7 minutes left to go in the game. However, Coach Piers called a timeout to stress rebounding and then told his guys to pick up the tempo to get easy looks at the baskets which allowed Marshall to return to that same level of intensity they had at the start of the game to run away with this one. There is no doubt about it that senior shooting guard Harris was the star of the game going 6 for 7 from three point land to which he said, “I am a senior and I can’t take for granted that we are going to get an at-large bid into the tournament. If we don’t make it there is no next year for me and I have never been able to experience something like the NCAA tournament so I am going to do everything in my power to get my team into that tournament and for me that means winning the conference tournament.” If it wasn’t for Harris this team might have found themselves sitting at home tomorrow; however, they instead will face a very partisan crowd as they battle Memphis for the championship. Memphis is still on the bubble and many of their fans are still upset about the very disappointing season, but even Coach Piers knows that Memphis can get a lot of satisfaction out of beating the regular season champion again and locking up a bid into the tournament. It will be a game that all basketball fans won’t want to miss.

Player of the Game

SG D. Harris (Sr): 18 pts, 3 rebounds, 1 steal, 86 percent three point percentage

Conference USA Championship
FedEx Fourm: Memphis, Tennessee
1:00 EST CBS

#1 Marshall (22-8) vs #2 Memphis (21-9)

[Preo32]

good luck against Memphis

[jjredick4]

even if you don't beat Memphis, though I think you will, I think you'll get an at-large bid

[blue_apocalypse]

Nice! The rematch we have all been waiting for. Good luck!

[CincyFan]

I was really hoping that Memphis would lose in the semi's cause everyone had that matup for the finals. Oh well, good luck and like jjredick4 saids if you lose you'll still probably get an at large bid.

[steelerfan1129]

http://www.sportslogos.net/images/logos/32/746/thumbs/ggnwshndib1jekime6rg.gif http://www.sportslogos.net/images/logos/32/742/thumbs/2527.gif

Memphis (21-9) vs Marshall (22-8)
Conference USA Championship

Memphis Edges Out Marshall

Memphis 64
Marshall 61

Marshall fans went for a rollercoaster ride yesterday while watching the Conference USA Championship game. From the onset of the game Memphis did a good job stopping Marshall’s inside game and slowed their offense down, while Memphis absolutely crushed Marshall in the rebound battle. At the end of the first half Marshall only had 6 rebounds, and none of them were on the offensive side of the glass allowing Memphis to lead at halftime, 30-20. Marshall junior forward D. Fellows then quickly got two more fouls in the second half and forced coach Piers to sit him down, allowing Memphis to dominate even more on the glass. At one point Memphis was up 41 to 28 and it looked like they would run away with the contest. However, Marshall started getting much more aggressive on the defensive side of the ball creating turnovers and turning them into easy looks at the basket, and senior shooting guard Harris also stepped up to help the Herd pull within one of Memphis. From there the game was close and went back and forth but with about 30 seconds left Marshall started putting Memphis on the line due to the fact that they were up by 4. Memphis never flinched and made their free throws, but Marshall responded by making two straight very quick threes to pull within two with just 1.5 left before putting Memphis back on the line. Memphis missed the first but made the second before Marshall called timeout for one last desperation pass; however, the long pass was intercepted by Memphis and the game was over. In the end the Herd was out rebounded 30 to 13 as they never had a strong post presence to challenge Memphis. It is clear that a favorable matchup for them in the NCAA tournament will be a smaller team, like many of the ones in the conference.

Player of the Game

SG D. Harris (Sr.): 24 pts, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal

[desmin123]

That is a tough game against an awsome team!

[Superjames1992]

It was a valiant effort, though Coach!

Hopefully you can get an at-large bid, but if nothing else, you will at least be heading to the NIT, which is a pretty nice achievement!

[boomosby50]

If I was on the committee, I would put Marshall in, good resume, but not very tough schedule. Whatev, NIT would be cool too.

[steelerfan1129]

http://www.sportslogos.net/images/logos/32/742/thumbs/2527.gif

Marshall receives first Tournament Bid since 1986

Most people had Marshall as a lock for the NCAA tournament, but it was clear that the team didn’t feel that way while watching the Selection Show Sunday night. However, in the end they were able to breath a sigh of relieve when they found out that they had received a 9 seed and will play the eighth seeded Colorado State Rams in the first round Friday night in Columbus, OH. “I was just so worried that we wouldn’t make it so it was a huge sigh of relief when I saw our name appear,” Senior shooting guard Harris stated after the show. Coach Piers was also excited and commented, “We have a really strong team and I am glad to see that the committee didn’t punish us for the fact that this was a down year in the conference. We are thrilled to be in, but not to the point where we will just be happy that we are in the tournament, make no mistake about it, we are going to the tournament to win.” Marshall will need that optimism to advance far in this tournament as even if they get by Colorado State, they will more than likely face number 1 seed Wisconsin in the second round, but don’t talk to Coach Piers about Wisconsin. “I will worry about the second round when if we win the first round. If any of my players mention any team other than Colorado State this week they had better be ready to run more laps than they did all season combined.” Perhaps the biggest surprise in the selection is that Marshall gets to play just two hours away from Huntington, which is sure to cause plenty of Marshall Fans to be in the stadium rooting on the Thundering Herd.

[Deuce2223]

Congrats on the #9. Just think if you make it past the Rams and Badgers it will be smoothing sailing from there.

Good luck. Personally I have always been a big Rams fan, but for this game I will root you on.

[vikingfan1]

Congrats on the 9 seed! I will be rooting for you to do well in the tournament. Win that first game to at least have a shot at probably the #1 seed!

[steelerfan1129]

http://www.sportslogos.net/images/logos/30/648/thumbs/7491.gif http://www.sportslogos.net/images/logos/32/742/thumbs/2527.gif

#8 Colorado State vs #9 Marshall
NCAA Tournament 1st round

Marshall Advances to the second round

Colorado State 45
Marshall 56

Coach Piers is obviously an overachiever because when the season started most fans would have been happy if the team finished in the top 4 of the Conference. Instead, Coach Piers got his team to win the regular season title. Then most fans would have been thrilled with an NIT birth, but Coach Piers decided to get his team into the NCAA Tournament. Of course, Marshall fans were too giddy to think about anything else, let alone even winning the first game, except Coach Piers was only going to be satisfied by winning the first round and now being just one win away from the sweet sixteen. “I told this team at the beginning of the year that we were not going to concede anything, past performances have no effect on how we play this year and when they bought into that we had a confident team that was ready to make a splash. That philosophy hasn’t changed and just because Wisconsin has a one next to their name that doesn’t mean that we are going in expecting to lose. The game will start out 0 to 0 and we fully expect to win,” an elated Coach Piers commented. Colorado State just wasn’t prepared for Marshall quick attack offense and every time the Rams tried to press Marshall quickly took advantage and scored easy baskets. Colorado State also didn’t have a huge size advantage so the rebound war was even for most of the contest allowing Marshall to limit second chance opportunities. Marshall looked and played like a team that wasn’t afraid and fully expected to win the game and they will need every bit of that confidence for Sunday’s matchup against the top seeded Badgers.

Player of the Game

SG D. Harris (Sr): 13 pts, 5 rebounds, 5 assists

Next Game
Sunday 3:30 EST

#1 Wisconsin vs #9 Marshall

[Preo32]

nice game, but id be really made if i was an 8 or 9 in the tourney since i know if i win id play the #1 team, which will be a big challenge. in my 1st season, i wsa an 11 and i got blown out by Kentucky so at least u got to the 2nd round. thats an accomplishment all in its own

[steelerfan1129]

Yeah I was thrilled just to make the tournament so I wasn't upset with my seeding because I still feel that a case could have been made that we didn't belong. Wisconsin will be really hard but I am not going to go down without a fight. Sorry about you losing to Kentucky, but if it makes you feel any better Kentucky was a four seed in this tournament and lost in the first round.

[vikingfan1]

nice game, but id be really made if i was an 8 or 9 in the tourney since i know if i win id play the #1 team, which will be a big challenge. in my 1st season, i wsa an 11 and i got blown out by Kentucky so at least u got to the 2nd round. thats an accomplishment all in its own

Your not alone! Kentucky beat me (North Florida) by 28 in the second round in my first season. I was a 12 seed.

[steelerfan1129]

http://www.sportslogos.net/images/logos/35/914/thumbs/ydl01hfj8hw4p1mbg1zd.gif http://www.sportslogos.net/images/logos/32/742/thumbs/2527.gif

#1 Wisconsin vs. #9 Marshall
NCAA Tournament 2nd Round

Marshall’s Miraculous Season Ends

Wisconsin 48
Marshall 40

It was a season many Marshall fans will probably remember for some time, unless Coach Piers has anything to say about that. “I know a lot of people were excited about how much we accomplished this year, but rest assured I did not come here just to take this team to the second round. This is a great school with great facilities and I have my eyes set on a national championship someday and I won’t settle for anything less,” A somber but determined Coach Piers commented after the game. It was a game were Marshall yet again simply didn’t have the inside presence to compete with the badgers even though Marshall was able to effectively play an up-tempo game plan in the second half which allowed them to pull within five after being down 15 at the half. Still there was simply too much talent on the other side of the ball for Marshall to overcome and as a result there season is officially over. However, this season just might be the start of something truly great happening here.

Player of the Game

Since this was the last game we felt it would be nice to recognize the three seniors that will no longer be with the team.

SG D. Harris
SG B. Haney
PG B. Munir

All three of them will be missed as even Haney made strong contributions when coming off the bench and we would like to wish all three of them the best of luck in whatever they choose to pursue now that their college basketball careers are over.

[Superjames1992]

Tough loss but it was certainly a season of success!!!

[steelerfan1129]

Yes it was and I couldn’t be more thrilled. Also I wanted to let everyone know that I am getting ready to start my next season but I have taken some time to re-adjust some things, as I have decided that I am now ready to take on MOP difficulty after playing some exhibition games last night. I think I have the sliders where I like them but I will play around with those a little more after playing a full season. I really like to give things a full season before messing with sliders unless something is just really off. I am just trying to make sure that if I ever do win the national championship that it will really mean something and I think now it will as I prefer a challenge. I will talk more about this later but I had a very strong recruiting class so I should be ready to maybe possibly beat Memphis this year.:dance: Ah who am I kidding they will probably destroy me.:rotfl:

[steelerfan1129]

http://www.sportslogos.net/images/logos/32/742/thumbs/2527.gif

Marshall Welcomes New Recruits

Last year was an amazing year for the Thundering Herd as they hired a new head coach to turn around their mediocre program. Very few people had high expectations, yet Coach Piers refused to let that stop him from taking this team to the second round of the NCAA tournament. However, now he has had a full year to seek out new recruits and it seemed that he found some real talent out there as four scholarships were awarded to the following players.

PG Herb Burnette, JUCO (FR), 6’0” 5 stars
SG Bryant Walls, Sr, 6’3” 4 Stars
SG Amit Baker, Sr, 6’2” 4 Stars
PF Andres Gale, So, 6’9” 4 Stars

All of the following players are from overseas, which may be one reason the Herd was able to pull in such an amazing recruiting class that has many talking. “These were players that the big schools didn’t waist their time on because of little information and the hassle of trying to recruit them, especially when they have kids all over the country that they can get. However, we are a small school so we have to be a little more strategic about how we recruit and there are some really good kids out there that can play basketball and I knew with a little effort we would be able to land them,” Coach Piers explained.

The Herd will need a strong recruiting class to replace the deep thread of Harris and the quick speed that Munir brought to the table. It will be interesting to see how all of this plays out.

[Preo32]

damn good recruiting class. i go for the World players, but there are never any 5* players. in my first season i got a 2* from New Zealand and hes the best player on my team by far. when i play, i get an easy 20 from him. in my 2nd season, i had 3 scholarships, and 1 offer was accepted in season from a 2* New Yorker (Im Long Island so works out) and i am going for world players on teh next 2. i think i can get a 3* center and my other player will most likely be a 2* PG, since the 3* PG is like 35% interested in me, but the only team ahead of me (Clemson), he is 80% interested in. Maybe my amazing season will get him to come

[steelerfan1129]

Marshall Strengthens Non-Conference Schedule

Most Analyst felt that Marshall didn’t play a difficult enough schedule to warrant an at-large bid into the tournament last year, so Marshall has decided to strengthen that area by playing three teams currently ranked in the preseason top 10. “I think a hard schedule is necessary to prepare these kids for conference play and then the conference tournament. Not every game is going to be easy and it is always important to reach out and pick challenging opponents, especially considering the goals I have for this team,” Coach Piers commented today. Marshall will play two teams with rich tradition in Duke and Kentucky, and then Coach Piers will also take on his mentor, Rick Pitino, when Marshall travels to Louisville. While these games will be tough if Marshall can pull out victories then it will go a long way in improving the reputation for a school that is usually thought as a football school.

Florida A&M
at Fordham
Davidson
at Louisville
at James Madison
West Virginia
at Kentucky
High Point
at NC State
at Duke
at Tulsa
Rice
Tulane
UCF
at East Carolina
UTEP
at Houston
at Rice
Southern Miss
at Memphis
East Carolina
at SMU
Houston
UAB
at Tulane
at Southern Miss

[steelerfan1129]

damn good recruiting class. i go for the World players, but there are never any 5* players. in my first season i got a 2* from New Zealand and hes the best player on my team by far. when i play, i get an easy 20 from him. in my 2nd season, i had 3 scholarships, and 1 offer was accepted in season from a 2* New Yorker (Im Long Island so works out) and i am going for world players on teh next 2. i think i can get a 3* center and my other player will most likely be a 2* PG, since the 3* PG is like 35% interested in me, but the only team ahead of me (Clemson), he is 80% interested in. Maybe my amazing season will get him to come

Thanks, I was surprised also to see that many 5 and 4 stars available so I just got really lucky. I stayed on them the whole time and offered a scholarship as soon as I could, but I started to get worried when a few bigger schools started to look into them. However, they didn’t offer a scholarship to any of them meaning I was the only one and they all signed with me. I had a few three stars in the region lined up just in case things didn’t go my way but I didn’t need them so they all signed with some really small schools. However, I have started looking and this year there aren’t as many world recruits available, but there is a 5 star shooting guard that I am going after so hopefully it will work out.

[Preo32]

yeah hope it does work out. It only helps you when the big schools dont go for the great World recruits. helped me a lot so far, as the very last scholarship i offered as to the NZ player, and he was rated 11 higher than the next highest rated recruit i got.

[steelerfan1129]

Herd Releases Starting Lineup

It is amazing how much things can change in one year. Marshall only graduated three seniors, and yet there will be 4 new players in the starting line up this year, 2 of which are true freshmen. “The best players will play and I know there are some disappointed players that thought they might crack the starting lineup this year, or though that they would return to the starting lineup, but this is a business to win games and we can do that best if we make sure our best players are on the court. I think we are going to have a much more offensive power this year, and last year we only had one player that was 6’9” in the starting lineup whereas this year we will have two, which should help give us much more of a presence on the inside,” Coach Piers commented.

This team will be young and with a more difficult schedule it will be interesting to see if they can gel fast enough to make another run at the tournament. There is not doubt that this team will be a huge force in a few years, but most Herd fans are thinking about right now so it will be interesting to see if this is only a team for the future or one that might find its way to the sweet sixteen, or at least finally beat Memphis this year.

Starters
PG Herb Burnette, So, 6’0”
SG Bryant Walls, Fr, 6’3”
SG Amit Baker, Fr, 6’2”
PF Demetrius Fellows, Sr, 6’9”
PF Andres Gale, So, 6’9”

Reserves
PG R.J. Webster, Jr, 6’0”
SG Rashun Whittington, Sr, 6’2”
SF Rudy Kilgore, Jr, 6’6”
SG Jerrell Fitzgerald, So, 6’5”
SG J.W. McCray, Sr, 6’2”
PF Milton Elder, So, 6’9”
C Norman Smithson, Fr, 7’0”
PF Dante Grant, Jr, 6’7”
C Mohamad Meyers, Jr, 6’10”

Redshirt
SG Hassan Maldonrdo, Fr, 6’1”
C T.J. Day, Fr, 6’10”

[steelerfan1129]

http://www.sportslogos.net/images/logos/31/676/thumbs/6882.gif http://www.sportslogos.net/images/logos/32/742/thumbs/2527.gif

Florida A&M (0-0) @ Marshall (0-0)

Marshall Hangs on to Open the Season with a Win

Florida A&M 48
Marshall 52

Last year Marshall struggled in rebounding and some hoped that a taller lineup would fix that problem this year; however, it appears that rebounding will be the major weakness this year. Florida A&M started two tallest starters were 6’10” and that was enough to allow them to dominate Marshall in the rebounding battle, which caused the game to be tied at 29 at the half. Things didn’t change much in the second half as Florida A&M also used there speed to play a very fast transition game plan that allowed the to keep the game close. However, Marshall did prove that they have more offensive fire power this year and if the Herd had hit more of their open shots they would have ran away with the game. “We have to get better rebounding the ball, and we have to get back on defense faster if we want any chance of making it back to the NCAA tournament this year,” Coach Piers commented. The season is still young and the lineup is still so new that it is too soon to make any definitive conclusion, but as of now it looks like this is a team that will live and die based on how well they shoot the ball.

Player of the Game

PG H. Burnette (So): 20pts, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 1 steal

[CincyFan]

wow going with the freshman over the seniors. How bad did that kill your chemisty I wonder.

[steelerfan1129]

I start the game with only 3 bars, and by the end of last season it was usually filled all the way. They are still are really good so next season I should have a really good team with strong chemistry.

[CincyFan]

Hey I do the same thing. If I have a freshman who is like 2-3 points lower than a senior I always start the freshman just cause I know I have more years to build chemisty up and he will be better in time. No sweat just pointing out an observation.

[steelerfan1129]

Oh, ok see for a second I thought you were trying to sabatoge my franchise because I root for the Steelers:lol:

[CincyFan]

ohh no I would never do that. If anything since I am a mod now I would just delete it :) since you root for all things that are evil in this world.

[steelerfan1129]

http://www.sportslogos.net/images/logos/32/742/thumbs/2527.gif http://www.sportslogos.net/images/logos/31/680/thumbs/2484.gif

Marshall (1-0) @ Fordham (0-0)

Marshall Picks up first Convincing win of the season

Fordham 49
Marshall 58

After the first game of the season many Marshall fans were a little concerned that they may be in for a rough year, but some of those fears have probably subsided after Marshall put together a strong game plan against Fordham. One advantage Marshall had was that Fordham didn’t have a height advantage allowing Marshall to be much more successful in getting second chance opportunities and taking them away from Fordham. However, Fordham kept it close and at half they Herd only lead by the score of 29 to 25. Early in the second half is when Marshall went on the big run by creating turnovers and getting easy looks at the baskets and their three point shots started to fall for them as well, which is something this team will need to happen all year long if they hope to be successful. “I am proud of what our guys did today; we limited turnovers and rebounded the ball well and against a tough team on the road. We just have to remember that it is still early and there is still a lot of basketball left to be played.” Coach Piers couldn’t be more right as this is only the second game of the season and the Herd have shown that they certainly have their weaknesses.

Player of the game

PF A. Gale (So): 11 pts, 8 rebounds, 3 assists

[steelerfan1129]

http://www.sportslogos.net/images/logos/31/654/thumbs/6866.gif http://www.sportslogos.net/images/logos/32/742/thumbs/2527.gif

Davidson (0-3) @ Marshall (2-0)

Marshall goes into Louisville game Undefeated

Davidson 47
Marshall 57

Marshall increased the strength of its schedule this year in attempt to prove their resume and to help them be better prepared for conference play. The first three games were warm-ups and in two weeks this team will travel to Louisville, Kentucky where Coach Piers will take on his former mentor in Rick Pitino. So far Marshall has looked like a team that can compete with Louisville; however, they haven’t played the strongest competition so far and Davidson was no exception as Marshall was able to out play them in almost every aspect of the game to come away with the victory. Yet this team still proved to take a while to warm up as Marshall only lead 24 to 19 at halftime and it was after the half that Marshall started to play tough defense get better rebounds and found more open looks to keep Davidson winless. “We played well and I think we were able to keep Louisville off of our minds, even though I know the players have been thinking about this upcoming game for a long time. They will probably be thrilled that they are now allowed to mention them without having to run a mile. However, I don’t care what the media says, I will not use this game as a barometer to determine just how good we are.” Coach Piers may not use this game as a barometer but rest assured that Marshall fans everywhere are looking forward to this game just for that very reason.

Player of the game

SG B. Walls (Fr): 11 pts, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal