The Legacy of Coach Jack's Son (Coach Jacks Jr.)

[MAK314]

Yeah so I'm going to try ONE more time guys. Wish me luck.

Nicholls State Hires New but Rather Familiar Head Coach

As you all may or may not have heard, Coach Jacks, the former Nicholls State coach who is now fully paralyzed from a horrible car crash, is still paralyzed. But his son, Coach Jacks Jr., has been hired by Nicholls State to do the same thing his father had done, help restore the Colonels. His father was a very good coach who got this program to the top of the Mid-Major Polls before leaving to go coach at Missouri State after his third year who was then hired by Gonzaga after 8 years with the Bears, but during his first season with the Bulldogs he was in a fatal car crash. Now his son has been hired to take the reigns of the Colonels program.



Ok I know that was stupid but I had to do some sort of *** intro thing. I simmed the first 2 years of his career. I'll do a very very very small recap of those 2 seasons and then I'll pick up from there.


Season 1: Overall good season for the Colonels. They finished the season 17-16, losing the Conference Tourny Championship game. They were not invited into the NCAA Tourny or NIT but were not expected to. Coach Jacks Jr. did sign a good 3* recruit that helped him in the next season though as he only had 1 scholarship to give. He recieved 5 attribute points for that season.

Season 2: Not as good regular season for the Colonels, but better post season. This season Nicholls State went 17-12, got 2nd in the Southland Conference, and then won the Conference Tourny. They were a 14 seed in the NCAA Tourny but lost to number 3 seed Stanford. During in-season recruiting, Jacks Jr. signed 1 3* recruit and had 4 more scholarships to give and had some other 3*'s getting close to signing, but that is where his career with Nicholls State ended. He recieved 2 attribute points at the end of this season.

[nemzep95]

Nice. I'll be following. And what do you mean by ONE more time?

[MAK314]

Saint Mary's College Gaels Hire New Head Coach

Since former Gaels' men's basketball head coach Randy Bennett has left for a brighter future to coach at Boston College, the Gaels' AD, Mark Orr, has been scrambling to find a new head coach. And although he has had to go all the way to the Deep South of New Orleans, La, his search is over. Mark Orr has hired Coach Jacks Jr., former head coach of Nicholls State, to coach the young, but talented Gaels.

Coach Mike Jacks Jr. is the son of Coach Jacks, who took the Missouri State Bears to 3 Final Fours, and within one of those Final Four trips, claimed a National Title in just 8 years of coaching there. But, some are skepticle of the hiring of Jacks Jr. Some think he is to young, to inexperienced to coach at St. Mary's. Mark Orr had a few choice words for those people. "He is a great up and coming coach," Orr told reporters just yesterday at a press conference. "Someone with any acknowldgeable athletic experience or backround could see the potential in Coach Jacks Jr." Some say Orr is crazy for hiring just a 27 year old to take on a Mid-Major Conference team, but enough about them. There will be another press conference with Coach Jr. himself tomorrow, on campus at 1:00 p.m.

[MAK314]

I tried doing one before but it didn't work out to well. This one should be better though since I've simmed the part that I hate. The first couple of years. And the talent I have with St. Mary's is awesome for just the third season so I can't wait to get the season going.

Press Conference

Reporter: Coch Jacks, how does it feel to be one of the youngest head coaches of a Mid-Major program, and a good one such as St. Mary's?

Jacks Jr: It feels amazing to be apart of this program and I'm very thankful that Mark Orr was able to see past my age and "inexperience."

Reporer: Speaking of that, what are your thoughts about the people who are saying that hiring such a young coach such as yourself is a huge mistake on Orr's part?

Jacks: Well, I'd have to say I don't compleely disagree with them. It is a big risk hiring a young coach for a rather large program. But sometimes you have to take chances and go with your gut. And I guess that's what Orr did.

Reporter: So coach, when will you post the 2009-2010 schedule and roster, and what are your goals for this season?

Jacks: I will be posting the roster and schedule very soon, probably in a week or so. But as to the season goals, I would love to be the West Coast Conference Champs, win the Hawain Island Classic Tournament, and be invited into the NCAA Tournament.

Reporter: Wow, those seem like some ambitious goals for your first season at a new school. Why aren't you adding the Conference Tournament to your list of goals?

Jacks: Well, I feel that the season Championship is much more important then the Conference Tournament, but I would like us to win that too. And yes, the goals do seem ambitious, but Coach Bennet has left me an amazing group of guys who can really play the game. Last season he acquired the #16 recruiting class in the nation, and that's no easy feat. And although the West Coast Conference is a pretty tough Conference, I feel we will do just fine.

Reporter: Thanks for your time Coach, can't wait to see what you can do with the Gaels.

Coach: Thank you.

[boomosby50]

I'm following, and this time you get right to the good part, huh?

[MAK314]

2009-2010 Roster

Starters

PG: 5* All American, #33 Happy Crosswhite (77), 6'2" FR.
Good ball handling and passing, can shoot the open 3 (77), will be assist and scoring threat, good Free Throw, great dunking for size. (Both in 80's)

SG: 3* #5 Dale Meredith (74), 6'5" FR.
Good all around player, good speed, great verticle (High 80's)

SF: 3* #22 Ibrahim Graham (73), 6'7" SO.
Anoter good all round player. No special talents but good close shot.

PF: 1* #21 Ben Allen (70), 6'11" SR.
Good down low, good standing dunk, can shoot the 3 (80)

C: 1* #50 Omar Samhan (77), 6'11" SR.
Awesome in close (93), beastly rebounder on both ends, good free throw shooter, awesome shot blocker, good standing dunk. Going to be deadly on both ends.

Bench

G: 4* #30 Johnnie Largent (74), 6'5" FR.
F: 2* #31 Ike Hager (68), 6'8" SO.
F: 2* #24 Kennedy Ballard (68), 6'7" SO.
G: 3* #25 Kim Cassier (68), 6'4" FR.
G: 2* (W) #1 J.J. Hoffman (67), 6'1" FR.

Transfer: G: 3* Marcus Lawrence (76), 5'11" SR.
Redshirt: F: 2* (W) #41 Nikola Kahrimanovic (67), 6'6" FR.

[boomosby50]

Where are Patrick Mills and all them? Mills should be a JR, cuz this is your 3rd year right?

[MAK314]

2009-2010 Schedule

11/7 vs. Missouri St.
11/10 vs. Utah Valley St.
11/17 vs. Oregon St.
11/21 vs. Lamar
11/28 vs. #3 Louisville
12/5 @ Air Force
12/8 @ Bradley
12/16 Hawaiian Island Classic
12/25 Shamrock Office Solutions Classic
1/2 @ Kansas St.
1/5 @ Hawaii
1/9 vs. San Diego
1/16 vs. San Fransisco
1/18 vs. Portland
1/23 @ Santa Clara
1/25 @ Pepperdine
1/30 vs. Loyola Marymount
2/1 vs. #24 Gonzaga / Coach Scott
2/6 vs. Santa Clara
2/8 @ San Diego
2/13 @ Portland
2/15 @ San Fransisco
2/22 vs. Pepperdine
2/27 @ #24 Gonzaga / Coach Scott
3/1 @ Loyola Marymount

Pre Season Top 10

#1 Tennessee
#2 Duke
#3 Louisville
#4 Texas
#5 Arizona
#6 USC
#7 Syracuse
#8 Florida
#9 Michigan St.
#10 Seton Hall

#24 Gonzaga (WCC)

[nemzep95]

Wow. That's a pretty tough schedule. Louisville will be a major battle. Good lucky, you can do well!

[MAK314]

Haha thanks. It's really not that bad of a schedule since my team has an overall rating of 81, but Louisville and Gonzaga will be tough. Luckily Louisville comes to me though so I will have the 6th man advantage. I'll start posting games tomorrow.

And if there's anything else I forgot then please tell me. And throughout the season if you want to know how your team is doing just ask.

[nemzep95]

I have a question: How does sixth man help? Everytime I get sixth man I either miss an easy shot or the opponent gets an easy layup.

[MAK314]

Haha well when you play on someone else's own court you can definitley feel the effects of it. Especially when shooting free throws. Playing at big schools and hostile environments will make the screen shake and distract you. But when you're at your home court that will never happen, since your fans will never cheer against you. And I guess it hurts the other team when you have momentum at your home court. Oh yeah, when you're playing an away game and the fans are bein loud, check out your players' confidence. It will probably be like -25 or something. And for tourny games when you play on neutral courts, either team can get the 6th man advantage, dpending on who has the momentum.

[Deuce2223]

Very nice. I will totally use Coach Jacks in my writeups when I play St. Marys..........

[nemzep95]

Haha well when you play on someone else's own court you can definitley feel the effects of it. Especially when shooting free throws. Playing at big schools and hostile environments will make the screen shake and distract you. But when you're at your home court that will never happen, since your fans will never cheer against you. And I guess it hurts the other team when you have momentum at your home court. Oh yeah, when you're playing an away game and the fans are bein loud, check out your players' confidence. It will probably be like -25 or something. And for tourny games when you play on neutral courts, either team can get the 6th man advantage, dpending on who has the momentum.

Yeah I experienced the screen-shaking. Sometimes when my opponent shoots free throws my crowd gets real loud (rhymes) and they miss free throws. I like that part, but the sixth man I could live without, especially on the defensive end.

[MAK314]

Where are Patrick Mills and all them? Mills should be a JR, cuz this is your 3rd year right?
Yeah this is my third season. I don't know where he went. He could have left early.

I don't know what his rating is but I know guys like Beasly and Augustine have already left on the game. Bill Walker is still playing for K State though, but he's only an 83 overall. I'll go check what Mills' rating is on the game and come back and tell you.

EDIT: Nevermind I think I know what happened. The guy who made the roster I started out with I guess didn't know about Mills too much because he only had a starting rating of 61. So when I got to St. Mary's and had to make cuts, I most likely cut him lol since my lowest rated player is a 67.

[MAK314]

OMG I just typed this long *** game review of the first game against Missouri State but it messed up and got erased. So:

St Mary's Kicks Off Season Against Missouri State

It was Coach Jacks Jr. and the 5* Freshman Crosswhite's first game debut with St. Mary's. Unfortunately, Missouri State led the whole 1st half. The 5* stud Crosswhite had a horrible game going 2-12 and 0-7 from 3, but stepped up in the end. Largent came off the bench and really helped spark the Gaels in the second half and Meredith had a nice game and won the POG Award. It was 59 to 56 with 1 minute left with the Bears winning, but Crosswhite scored his first bucket, stole the inbounds and scred again. He shot a 1/1 with 18 seconds left but missed the first, the Bears went down the court missed and Crosswhite got the ball and was fouled again. This time he made both of his free throws and made it a 3 point game. The Bears missed a half court buzzer beater to tie the game.

Sorry it's crappy but I was NOT doing a long one like I did before for the same game lol.

Stats

Dale Meredith: 10 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal. (2 for 3 from 3 pt.)
Ballard: 8 points, 2 assists, 1 steal (1 for 1 from 3)
Crosswhite: 6 points, 4 assists, 4 steals (0 for 7 from 3!!!)

Key Stat: 27 Bench points for the Gaels.

Next Game: At home against Utah Valley State (0-1)

Jack's Take: We should definately win this game, seeing as we have more talent. Hopefully Crosswhite can step it up and play better. I'm sure he will.

[CincyFan]

first college game out of the way. now his nerves should settle down and should have a decent game. Or maybe he was build up too high as a 5 star lol.

[nemzep95]

first college game out of the way. now his nerves should settle down and should have a decent game. Or maybe he was build up too high as a 5 star lol.

Yeah, my players didn't start playing will until the 4th game of the season. And recently they dominated in a difficult game.

[blue_apocalypse]

It's going to be interesting to see you wrestle control of the WCC from the Zags. Looks like you will be starting the season 2-0

[MAK314]

St. Mary's College vs. Utah Valley State

Freshman Star Crosswhite Steps Up Against the Wolverines

The Gaels looked to win their 2nd game of the season on Tuesday; unfourtunately, the first half didn't start off to well. St. Mary's was once again playing mediocre ball at best and only to keep the score tied going into halftime 34-34.

However, Coach Jr. must have said some encouraging words in the locker room because the Gaels came out hot. They were unstoppable on both sides of the floor, accumulating in 22 steals and 18 assists. They also shot much better from 3 point range this game, going 5 for 11. Crosswhite, who had a horrible performance in his first college game last week, really turned it on this game. He had 16 points, 5 steals, and was 1/1 from 3. But, he had alot of help from his teammates. Meredith, Hager, and Largent (Bench) were all in double figures, and Samhan was 1 point and 2 rebounds away from a double-double. The Wolverines only had 2 players in double figures, most notably Cortez who had 11 points, 4 assists and 6 steals. But, his good all around performance could not stop the Gaels as they demolished Utah Valley State with the final score being 81-53.

Stats:

Crosswhite: 16 points, 5 steals, 1/1 from 3. (POG)
Meredith: 15 pts, 3 ast, 3 stl, 3/4 from 3.
Largent: 11 pts, 2 stl, 1/1 from 3.

Cortez: 11 pts, 4 ast, 6 stl.

Key Stat: Gaels had 17 turnovers, while they forced 26.

Coach was unavailable for comment.

Next Game: Oregon State Beavers (2-2) visit St. Mary's (2-0).

Coach's Take: This should be a very good game. We are two equally matched teams, and Oregon State is really looking to get above .500 Our hom court advantage should give us a little edge though.

[nemzep95]

Wow, nice win! Good luck in your next game.

[MAK314]

Coach Jacks Jr. Announces Change in Line-Up

Because of size, Ike Hager will now be starting at the 4 spot, and Ben Allen will become the bench player and play the 5. Ben Allen is not being put on the bench because of lack of production or dedication but is needed in at Center when Shamhan needs a rest. He is being moved to the 2nd Center spot because of his height.

[MAK314]

St. Mary's Gaels vs. Oregon St. Beavers

Only 5 Points Decided the Oregon St. Game. Who won?

Coach Jacks Jr. was looking for his third straight win and a 3-0 record for his first season of being St. Mary's head coach, and yet again in the first half that didn't look like it was going to happen. The Gaels weren't shooting very well and especially from the 3 point line, going 4/11. The Beavers, on the other hand, were scoring at will and passed the ball around to give themselves open looks. The Beavers had 14 assists in the first half alone. They also made just as many 3's as the Gaels, but shot almost half of what the Gaels did, going 4/6 from 3 point range. Heading into the locker room the Gaels were down 41-32.The Beaver's best player, Hayes, was having a nice game thus far racking up 9 points, 3 assists, 1 steal, and going 1/1 from 3.

Coach Jr. must have said some inspiring words to his team at half though, because for the third game straight they rallied and made it a game. Just about a minute into the half, Dale Meredith got the ball on a fastbreak, corssed over a defender and jammed it home. On the inbounds, Crosswhite stole the ball and slammed it home himself, and then on the next inbounds he stole the ball and was fouled and made both, cuttingthe deficit to just 2. The Gaels obtained their first lead of the game going on a 14-5 with 9:30 left on the clock, just 2:30 into the second half. From then on it was back and forth for both teams but the Gaels pulled out the win by just 5 points, with the inal score 69-64. Crosswhite finished as POTG with his 14 points, 5 assists, 5 steals, and 5/6 from the free throw line. The Gaels also shot much better finishing the game with a FG % of .509, and going 6/17 from 3.

Stats:

Crosswhite: 14, pts, 5 stl, 5 ast.
Samhan: 10 pts, 7 reb, 2 ast.

Haynes: 13 pts, 4 ast, 3stl.
Tarver: 12 pts, 8 ast, 4 stl.

Key Stat: The Gaels' 22 fast break points.

Jack's Comment: "I'm so glad this team was able to regroup at halftime and pull out the W after being down by 9 at halftime. It shows slot about their determination. After going 3-0, we have to keep ourselves grounded and not get big heads. We have a rather easier opponent in our next game against Lamar and Louisville after them, who is now the #1 ranked team in the nation, but we can't let the Cardinals of Louisville distract us from the Cardinals of Lamar."

Next Game: Lamar Cardinals (0-4) visit Saint Mary's Gaels (3-0)

Coach's Take: Lamar isn't very a strong team. They don't have any real threats on either sides of the ball, and I think them coming to our sell out home court crowd won't make it any easier on them. But we aren't taking this game lightly and will prepare for it just like any other game.

[MAK314]

Saint Mary's College Gaels vs. Lamar Cardinals

Gaels Extend Win Streak to Four with Blowout Win

This wasn't as much of a game, as it was a brutal massacre. Saint Mary's never trailed once in the game and just flaunted their better talent with each grueling minute. The Gaels won in every battle including assists, blocks, rebounds, steals, and turnovers. They didn't shoot particularly well from 3, but they never do. The final score ended up being 78-51, but that makes it look closer then it was. Lamar was never in this game, and it had to have hurt their confidence, especially since they still dont have a win, with a record of 0-5.

What was a nice change of pace was Ben Allen was the leader of all scores with 13. He had a nice game coming of the bench for the Gaels, accumulating 13 points, 6 rebounds, 1 steal and 1 assist.

Stats

Ben Allen: 13 pts, 6 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl.
Johnnie Largent: 12, pts, 5 reb.
Ibrahim Graham: 11 pts, 2 ast, 1 stl, 1/2 from 3.
Dale Meredith: 10 pts, 2 reb, ast, 2/4 from 3.
Omar Samhan: 8 pts, 8 rebs, 1 ast, 1 stl.

Key Stat: The Gaels only had 8 turnovers to Lamar's 17.

Coach was unavailable for comment.

Next Game: The #1 ranked team Louisville Cardinals (6-0) visit Saint Mary's Gaels (4-0)

Coach's Take: This WILL be our hardest game of the regular season. The Louisville Cardinals come in on a 6 game win streak and a perfect record thus far. Hopefully, we can give them their first loss. It's definitley going to be tough, and we have to concentrate on stopping their 2 star players, Edgar Sosa (PG) and Jerry Smith (SG), who are both tremendous threats, especially from behind the arc. Thank the basketball god we have homecourt advantage.

[Deuce2223]

Nice Start to the season. Good luck against Louisville, I am guessing you havn't knocked off the #1 school yet so that will be another nice attribute point.

[nemzep95]

Yeah, just work the ball and be patient. I found out I went on a 3 game losing streak cause I was getting frustrated and impatient. Being patient in a game pays off. And not to mention I would like Louisville to lose in your game and in real life xD.

[MAK314]

K 93 Bill and Rob in the Morning Sports Talk Radio Show has Special Guest

Monday November 23, 2009

Bill: Hi this is Bill and Rob sports talk in the morning on K93 the Zone. We have just recieved this week's new and improved NCAA basketball National Top 10 and Mid-Major Top 10 polls.

Media Top 10

#1 Louisville
#2 Duke
#3 Tennessee
#4 USC
#5 Florida
#6 Arizona
#7 Texas
#8 Cal
#9 Ohio State
#10 North Carolina

#18 Gonzaga (WCC /Coach Scott)

Top 10 Mid-Major

#1 Gonzaga (WCC)
#2 Kent State
#3 Old Dominion
#4 St. Mary's
#5 Fairfield
#6 Utah State
#7 Wichita State
#8 Florida Atlantic
#9 Boston University
#10 Towson

Rob: Now that that is taken care of, we are proud to announce we have a special guest today. Today, we have St. Mary's College head basketball coach, Coach Jacks Jr. It's nice to have you on here Coach.

Jacks: It's nice to be on here guys.

Rob: So coach, the first thing we want to talk to you about, and I'm sure you already know, is the big game coming up this Saturday against the #1 ranked team in the country, the Louisville Cardinals. How excited and nervous are you about this match up?

Jacks: Well fellas, I can't quite explain it. It feels like this season has flown by but since the day after the Lamar game, everything has slowed down and it feels like forever until the game on Saturday. I really want it to come.

Rob: Ha, I can only imagine how you must feel. So everyone knows that Louisville harvests one of the best offenses AND defenses in the country thus far. Their offense has been ranked #4, while their defense has been ranked #10 by Rivals.com.

Jacks: Yes, they are definitely one of the most balanced teams in college basketball right now, and that offense has the top scorer in the country in Derrick Caracter who averages 25.5 points per a game. He's a tremendous scoring machine at that 4 spot, and it's going to be tough to stop him.

Rob: Yep, we all know about Caracter, and man what a player he is. What are you going to do to stop him and this explosive Cardinals offense?

Jacks: Well I don't want to give too much of our gameplan out, but the best way to stop a great player is to pressure hime, and cut off his sources. So we're not only going to pressure him alot, but his 2 amazing teammates, Edgar Sosa (PG) and Jerry Smith (SG).

Rob: Wow, well that is going to be a tough job. Do you think you have a chance to win this game coach?

Jacks: I of course believe in my team and myself, and I think we can definitely give them a run for their money and possibly pull of the upset. Now, I'm not a big believer in the RPI System, but I am glad to say it is on our side. Our team is said to have an RPI of 13, while theirs is 17. And don't forget guys, our team isn't too shabby. Just this weekend, Rivals.com has ranked us as having the #10 offense in the nation, and the #94 defense. Hopefully our defense can contain that high scoring offense the Cards have. We also have homecourt advantage, which is a huge factor. We also hope this nationally televised game will give us some national recognition, especially if we win.

Bill: Yes well you definitely have a good squad over at St. Mary's. And speaking of your players, let's get side tracked for a bit and talk about how your recruiting is going so far this season. Everyone knows that the in-season signing period starts just 6 days from today, the day after the big game.

Jacks: Well guys, I am very happy with how recruiting has gone so far, and I'll be glad to share the info with you. This year, I have been granted 3 scholarships to give out, and I'm definitely close to getting all 4* recruits. Here they are:

1. Vick Gibson: 6'10" 227 pound 4* PF from Livermore, Ca. #39 Overall, #4 Position
He is our top prospect. He is 94% sure he wants to sign with us. We are his only scholly offer and #1 on his list thus far. But Stanford, Oregon, and Drexel are all close behind us in his interest. He has GREAT potential (A), ok shot (B-), very good defender (A-), and is an excellent rebounder (A).

2. Vidal Parkinson: 6'5" 197 pound 4* SG from Oakland, Ca. #60 Overall, #15 Position.
Vidal is 100% sure he wants to sign with us, but Cal and Stanford are close behind us. We are his only scholly offer so far. He has a very good shot (A-), good defense and skills (B+), and very athletic and intelligent (A-).

3. Derek Konate: 6'7" 204 pound 4* PF from Santa Ana, Ca. #75 Overall, #12 Position.
Derek is only 90% sure he wants to come to St. Mary's, and unfortunately his first choice is Pepperdine. But we are a close second and have interested him rather quickly. We are his only 2 schools of interest. He has great potential (A), a good shot (B+), and is a very good rebounder (A-).

Bill: Well Coach, you certainly have been doing alot of work on these recruits. I hope you land them all and wish you the best of luck for the big game on Saturday. It was nice having you on the show and you should come on again some time.

Jacks: Thanks for the luck and thanks for having me, and I'll hold you to that reappearance on the show.

[Deuce2223]

Looks like St Marys is going to be tough in the coming years. Those are some nice looking recruits.

[MAK314]

Yeah thanks Deuce. Just played the Louisville game, and it was a good one.

[CincyFan]

I see another coach who loves heigh. First with the benching of a starter for height, and now close to bringing in Parkinson and Gibson lol.

[MAK314]

Haha yeah I do like height, but for the recruits I didn't even look at that really. It just turned out that they were the ones interested in me the most. And if I didn't have Allen in at center then when I put in my bench players to give the starters rest, my center would be 6'8" lol. And he's actually a SF, not even a PF.

But yeah to be honest I usually do look at height for new recruits that are SF, PF, or C.

[MAK314]

Saint Mary's College Gaels vs. #1 Louisville Cardinals

Saint Mary's Takes on the #1 Team in the Nation

Coming into this game, Coach Jacks Jr. had said that in order to win this game, they had to stop Caracter, the number one scorer in the nation. In the first half, they did that perferctly. Caracter had ZERO points in the first half, and just 3 rebounds. He was taken out of the game almost completely, and it helped the Gaels keep the score close. Unfortunately, due to poor shooting, the Gaels went into haltime down by 7, the score being 31-24. And although Caracter wasn't having a good game, Sosa was with his 6 points, 2 rebounds, 3 steals, and 3 assists. Both teams weren't shooting particularly well, with Louisville shooting .452 and the Gaels shooting .385. No SMC players had a good first half.

In the second half though, both teams stepped up their game, and made it an interesting one. The Gaels scratched and clawed at the lead until they finally took it over. But Louisville wasn't giving up and both teams traded the lead multiple times. When 40 seconds showed on the clock, it was St. Mary's who was up by 1 and controlled the ball. The Gaels ran down the clock until the ball was stolen from Meredith, and the Cardinals stormed down the court, only for Clark to miss a three to take a 2 point lead with 8 seconds left. The Cardinals had many fouls to commit until they could send the Gaels to the line, and it looked like this one was in the bag and already an upset. But, with 1.8 seconds left, the Gaels through a bad inbound pass which a Cardinal caught and chucked up a 3 not too far from their 3 point line. But, the ball bounced off the rim and the game was over with The Gaels winning and upsetting the #1 team in the nation! The final score showed 63-62.

As the sold out crowd of 3,000 stormed the court, an ESPN reporter found Coach Jr. in the mass of chaos.

Reporter: Coach, you just handed the #1 team in the nation their first loss of the season, how does it feel?

Jr: It feels like a dream, I can't even explain it. I'm light headed right now.

Reporter: Do you think that this win will give you a spot in the Media Top 25?

Jr: I have no idea. I know the media isn't very considerate to most Mid-Majors, but this was a huge win for our program. I still can't believe it!!

Reporter: Coach, how did you manage to contain Caracter, the #1 scorer in the NATION, to just 4 point this game?!?!?!

Jr: All of the credit has to go to the players, the guys out there on the floor defending him. They did an amazing job and I could not ask for more.

Reporter: Well thanks coach and congrats on the huge upset.

Jr: Thank you.

Stats

Omar Samhan: 14 pts, 5 reb.
Johnnie Largent: 11 pts, 2 reb, 1 ast, 3 stl. (3/7 from 3)
Dale Meredith: 11 pts, 1 ast. (1/3 from 3)

Vern Owensworth: 12 pts, 11 reb, 1st, 2 stl, 2 blk.
Edgar Sosa: 12 pts, 3 reb, 4 ast, 2 stl.
Jerry Smith: 10, 2 reb, 4 ast, 2 stl.

Key Stat: The Cardinals are a great 3 pt. shooting team, but went 0/7 from 3 this game.

Next Game: SMC Gaels (5-0) @ Air Force (6-2)

Coach's Take: This game should definitely be easier then the last game. However, this is our first road game and this is not a small cupcake team. If we don't go into it prepared, we won't come out of this one with a W.

[MAK314]

St. Mary's College Gaels @ Air Force

The Road Doesn't Stop Gaels Win Streak

After a huge upset over Louisville, the Gaels were coming of alot of momentum, and it showed in their first road game / win. The Gaels came out on fire and never cooled off. Or Johnnie Largent never cooled off. He proved to everyone that Crosswhite, the 5* stud, and Meredith, the other freshman that starts, were not the only freshman on the team that could play this game. He led all scores with 29, giving him a career high, and went 3/4 from 3. He easily won the POTG award. Allen led assists and rebounds with 4 ast's and 10 reb's. Cassie was also shooting well while coming of the bench, racking up 11 points and going 2/4 from 3. As a team, the Gaels went 6/11 from 3 point range. They were unstoppable and it showed in the final score, 85-58, the Gaels biggest win yet!

I'm skipping stats.

Key Stat: The Gaels usually don't shoot well from 3, but this game they showed they can definitely shoot the long ball.

Next Game: St. Mary's Gaels (6-0) vs. Bradley University Braves (2-4)

Jack's Take: Bradley isn't a strong team and their record shows that. We should definitely win this game.

[MAK314]

In-Season Signing Period Ends, Recruit signings are Published

Coach Jacks Jr. was very happy with the outcome of the in-season signing period, since 2 out of the 3 prospects signed. Jacks is proud to announce that Vidal Parkinson, ranked #60 overall and #15 at his postition (SG), signed the first day possible with the Gaels. And Coach Jacks is also proud to announce that Vic Gibson, ranked #36 overall and #4 at his position (PF), signed on the LAST day possible with the Gaels. A reporter asked Coach if he was nervous last week while Gibson debated his decision to sign with the Gaels or someone else. "I was not nervous at all actually. I was confident that Gibson was smart enough to see what direction this program was headed, and that he could thrive with this program and really take it to another level with the help of his teammates," Jacks told the reporter.

The Gaels third prospect, 4* PF Derek Konate, signed with Pepperdine on the first day of the in-season signing period. "I'm sure Konate will be very happy with his choice at Pepperdine, and I wish him the best of luck. I can't wait to play against him and his team in the coming years," Coach Jacks said.

Oh yeah by the way guys, Louisville signed the #1 AND #2 recruits in the country!!!

[pretzelman94]

Hehe, please don't Gonzaga, nothing against you, though.

[MAK314]

Don't what Gonzaga? Beat them?

[blue_apocalypse]

Just caught up. That was a HUGE win over Louisville. Congrats on the 6-0 record.