The Long, Hard Road of Major Bone - A Legacy..............

[K Bomber]

Mount St. Mary's College Announces New Coaching Staff
July 07-2003

Emmittsburg, Maryland (AP) - At the end of a disasterous 5-17 campaign in the 2002-03 season, Dr. Harold P. Menninger, The Athletic Director for Mount St Mary's College in Emmitsburg, MD stood bowed but not defeated at center court in Knott Arena, Home of the Mountaineers.

"Obviously, changes need to be made. This season has been a washout for Mountaineers Basketball fans, but I still believe that the pursuit of athletic excellence should not come at the expense of academia. We shall strive to find a coach that embodies the core beliefs of Mount St. Mary's as an academic institution with athletic opportunities as opposed to the alternative. Mark my words, we will find that individual and become an athletic beacon of hope in the treacherous sea of athletic irresponsibility that has become the NCAA."

Fast forward to July and Menninger has found his man in the form of Major Bone, a virile sort with a mysterious coaching background, from Santa Barbara, CA. Flanked by University President Thomas H. Powell and College Provost Carol Hinds, Menninger happily welcomed Coach Bone as the new head man of the Mountaineers

"We've already made some finds here on campus, that I think will surprise some of the loyal Mountaineer following in 2003-04. I've always been a believer that ball players can be found anywhere and you just need to maintain a keen eye to spot potential diamonds in the rough"

When asked to expound on his coaching experience, Coach Bone refused to elaborate, instead suggesting that he was a specialist in the use of modern video techniques and that the Mountaineer faithful should rest assured in his experience directing both men and women to some of their finest performances

In addressing the results from last year's Mountaineer team, Bone offered, "Last year, the team here really only had difficulty winning on the road and at home. We're hoping to play a lot of neutral site games, to hopefully build the confidence of the team and start that winning tradition"

Adding an Assist
Additionally, Coach Bone introduced his coaching staff of Vincent Pierce of Dearborn, MI and Joel Boxler of Alta, UT.

Bone admitted that finding assistants was a difficult task and that many of the more highly regarded prospect had refused to consider tiny Mount St. Mary's as a viable career option and, additionally, had never heard of him before

Pierce, who played at The University of South Carolina, was the head coach at Woodlands Park High School in Oakwood, VA., last year. He doubled the team's win total from the previous year to 4-16 and he was selected as the head coach for the first annual BOAT Hoops Classic. Prior to getting the job at Woodlands Park, he served as the varsity assistant coach at his alma mater, Briarwood High School, from 1998-2000.

"Vince will be one of the young, up-and-coming assistant coaches in a short period of time," said Bone. "He is a winner and knows the game of basketball from both the player's and coach's point of view. His experiences will definitely benefit our players."

Boxler, joins the Mount after serving as assistant head coach at Sacred Heart Public School in Chatanooga from 1999-2002. While at Sacred Heart, Boxler handled scouting, recruiting, academic affairs, helped run practices, and was director of the summer camps.

"Joel is a tireless worker who has a passion for the game," said Bone. "He is a hungry coach who is always trying to learn more about the game to add to his experiences."

Boxler played for four years at Niagara College in Welland, Ontario for former Mount St. Mary's assistant coach Bob Flynn. He started 3 of 101 career games played and holds the school records for charges taken and offensive fouls

It looks like the Mountaineers are ready to start the daunting task of climbing to the pinnacle of competition in the NCAA

[vandnbyriver5]

Good start man!! we need more of these

[K Bomber]

Mount Announces 2003-04 Men's Basketball Schedule
Head coach Major Bone will face stiff competition in first season at the Mount
Sept. 24, 2003

Emmittsburg, Maryland (AP) - Mount St. Mary's head men's basketball coach Major Bone has announced the 2003-04 schedule. Bone, entering his first season after taking over for legendary Mount coach Jim Phelan, will face one of the most challenging schedules since the Mount joined Division I in 1989. The slate is highlighted by 11 home games and road games against marquee opponents Virginia (ACC), Notre Dame (Big East) and Maryland (ACC). It is the first time the Mount has played two teams from the Atlantic Coast Conference since the 1995-96 season.

Additionally, The Mountaineers will also travel to the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) to face another formidable road test for Coach Bone's young team

The Mount opens the season participating in the Guardians Classic, a 12-team tournament that will take place at Norm Stewart Court in the Hearns Centre, Home of the Missouri Tigers. Mount St. Mary's will face the New Hampshire Wildcats on November 16 for the opening round of the tournament. On November 17, the Mount will face Richmond or Mississippi Valley State in the second round of the tournament. If the Mountaineers win both games, they will face the winner of the other bracket on November 18 in the championship round.

"Playing high-caliber competition with our non-conference portion of the schedule will help prepare our team for the conference play. Unfortunately a lot of that high-caliber competition felt that we were a bunch of bottom feeders that had no place providing valet service at their home arenas, let alone even consider the thought of playing there" said Bone.

"We hope to play at a level of basketball that shows we could easily provide valet service and a whole lot more." stated the confident Bone


Rounding Out the Schedule
The Mount will return home for its final two non-conference home games versus High Point (December 6) and rival Loyola (December 13). The team then hits the road for six consecutive games, beginning at LaSalle on December 20. That will be followed by the Northeast Conference opener at St. Francis (N.Y.) on Dec. 23. The non-conference schedule concludes with a pair of local games, at Navy (December 27) and at Maryland (January 3). It will be the Mount's first game versus the Terrapins since opening the 1997-98 season at Maryland.

And Finally the Conference Schedule
It is all conference games from that point, beginning with a trip to Quinnipiac and Central Connecticut. That brings a crucial part of the schedule as six of the next eight games will be played at Knott Arena. The conference home schedule includes games versus Sacred Heart (January 17), Wagner (January 19), Fairleigh Dickinson (January 31), Central Connecticut State (February 2), Long Island (February 5), St. Francis-N.Y. (February 7), Robert Morris (February 19), St. Francis-Pa. (February 21) and Monmouth (March 1).

The top eight teams from the regular season will qualify for the Northeast Conference Tournament, which will be hosted by Wagner College on March 6-7. The championship game will be played at the home court of the highest remaining seed on March 10.


-- With thanks to files from Mount St. Mary's Official Website

[K Bomber]

Mount Men's Basketball Team Names Captains
Major Bone taps Grady, January and Booker to lead team
Oct. 30, 2003

Emmittsburg, Maryland (AP) - Mount St. Mary's head men's basketball coach Major Bone has named his team captains for the 2003-04 season. Seniors Antoine Grady (Aspen Hill, Maryland), Sherman January (Baltimore, Maryland) and sophmore Anthony Booker (Sanatoga, Pennsylvania) have been chosen as captains.

Expectations for the team have risen since the hiring of Coach Bone in July, and while announcing the team captains for the upcoming season, Coach Bone reminded all Moutaineer fans that the Mount will hold its annual Blue-White Scrimmage on Wednesday, November 5, at 12:01AM at Knott Arena

Tickets are still available through the arena box office

[K Bomber]

These Mountaineers Ready To Climb
Bone Assembles a Powerhouse for Play in the NEC
November 6, 2003

Emmittsburg, Maryland (AP) - Major Bone allowed himself a satisfied smile as he watched his team perform in front of the faithful fans at Knott Arena. Back in July, when Bone was unveiled as the new head man at Mount St. Mary's, he promised a new direction with new players that were, as of that moment, undiscovered

He wasn't kidding

At exactly 12:01AM on November 5, 2003, the method to Bone's madness became very apparent as the new Mountaineers took to the floor of Knott Arena for the annual Blue-White scrimmage. The crowd was left gape mouthed as they observed a new and promising team that will undoubtedly be led to, at very least, the peak of NEC by a fearsome foursome of unscrubbed freshmen.

Not since the days of the Fab Four at Michigan has a program found such promise in its incoming youth, and the only question left to ask is whether the new faces at Mount St. Mary's will provide similar success in their first year

You could almost hear a pin drop when the crowd first beheld the rookies, who all dressed for the Blue Away Team.

Isaiah Stone, a flashy 6'8" point guard began his warm-up with a dazzling display of ball handling that seemed more befitting of a much smaller man. Already a playground legend in the prooving grounds of Brooklyn, New York, Stone has come to Emmitsburg to fulfill the dying request of his maternal grandmother

In the lay-up lines, Ralph Peterson a 6'10" shooting forward of Grantham, North Carolina threw down monsterous jams and dropped rainbow-like jumpers that seemed to lose themselves in the rafters of the cavernous arena, before descending through the nets with little more than a whisper

As he stretched at mid-court, Rashad Dunleavy a 6'2" shooting guard smiled and joked with the coaches and training staff. Once the ball tipped off, the jovial expression was replaced with the hardened visage of a hoops assassin, who launched a veritable barrage of three-point artillery throughout the Blue-White Scrimmage with demoralizing cruelty

Finally, Bone glowed like a proud parent when his most incredible find strode onto the court. Moses Adeleke, the 7'2" son of a goat herder from Dakar, Senegal moved liked a caged lion. His massive frame belied an uncanny grace around the hoop, as he continually rose up above the outstretched hands of the White Home Team to grab rebound after rebound, while finishing with thunderous jams and deft hook shots using either hand with brilliant efficiency

There Came Four Horsemen
"We call them the Four Horsemen of the Hypoteneuse", joked the happy Bone after the game. "We found all four of those guys playing around on-campus in between classes."

"All four of those guys are honour students, here on Academic Scholarships in the Science, Math and Physics Departments. We've already come to the conclusion that it'll be surprising if Adeleke sticks around for the full four years"

Due to the NBA?

"No, he's already getting offers from NASA and Owens Corning. He's developed a heat resistant ceramic using an extract from goat droppings that has viable applications for use on both the next Space Shuttle and a new line of Corning Ware"

Unbelievable. Relative to the Blue White Scrimmage, the game was never close, with the Blue Team running away with a 108-52 win. And though the Mountaineer faithful had watched their team beat themselves in a variety of ways in the 2002-03 season, they knew this was different. As they shuffled out of the Knott Arena, they knew that they had seen a groundbreaking event in Mountaineers Basketball history

All the while, Major Bone grinned with the knowledge that the best is yet to come

[K Bomber]

RECAP: The Guardians Classic - Round One
Mount St. Mary's Mountaineers versus New Hampshire Wildcats
November 17, 2003

Columbia, Missouri (AP) - The Guardians Classic basketball tournament got off to a fast start on Monday night as the Mount St. Mary's Mountaineers ran roughshod over the Wildcats of New Hampshire 102-62 in first round action

Led by the self-styled Four Horsemen of the Hypoteneuse, the Mountaineers controlled the action from the opening tip, scoring virtually at will and controlling a shell-shocked New Hampshire in every conceivable means on a basketball court

Ralph Peterson provided a brilliant display of scoring prowess with 50 points on an astounding assortment of drives to the hoop and a surprisingly mature mid-range game. Peterson also added 6 boards and 3 assists in what can only be described as a coming out party for this brash Mountaineer side

In addition to Peterson, man-child Moses Adeleke, the humble goat herder with the large frame and even bigger game, manhandled the Wildcats in the paint, depositing 24 points and snagging 11 rebounds for the Mountaineers who dominated on the boards to the tune of 43-19, cleaning the offensive glass 20 times

Coach Major Bone conceded that the Mountaineers may have extended the beating beyond normal etiquette but added, "Our boys had a lot of pent up frustration lingering around from last year. In a way, this may have helped blow off some steam and get us off to a good start for the season to come."

Varney Faulkner who scored 13 valiant points for the toothless Wildcats could only shake his head in disbelief following the game. "Those were some really big guys and they just beat us like we stole something."

The secnd round of the Guardians Classic continues this evening with the upstart Mountaineers of Mount St. Mary facing the Misouri Valley State Delta Devils at 7:00PM

[K Bomber]

RECAP: The Guardians Classic - Round Two
Mount St. Mary's Mountaineers versus Missouri Valley State Delta Devils
November 18, 2003

Columbia, Missouri (AP) - Like the line in the old Chuck Berry tune, Missouri Valley State couldn't stop the train, they had to let it roll on. And roll the Mountaineers of tiny Mount St. Mary did, with a potent offense powered by an equally intimidating defensive presence and some freshmen who refuse to be overwhelmed in Division One competition

While the final score of 111-69 seems ultimately one-sided, at one point during the second half the Mount St. Mary's Mountaineers teetered on a precipitous brink while in competition with the Delta Devils. Although the Mountaineers had established a dominating 57-32 score by halftime, the Devils came out after the intermission like Michael Jackson in a Pepsi commercial, completely on fire

Antwan Marks, a courageous senior for the Delta Devils, seemed poised to provide freshman Moses Adeleke of the Mountaineers with some higher learning, by guiding his squad back to a six point deficit at 70-64 with 8:03 to go in the game. Marks was truly a devil on the boards and in the paint, compiling 16 points and 12 boards with fearless tenacity, taking many of his drives right at the Senegalese Giant

However, all was lost with 7:55 remaining when Marks committed a needless foul on an Adeleke dunk that the man-child threw down in spite of Marks' best efforts. From there, the Mountaineers, powered by an energized Isaiah Stone won going away, allowing the hapless Delta Devils only 5 more points in the final 8 minutes

Stone who had been held to merely 4 first half points alongside 5 turnovers, seemed to be a man possessed in the second half, finishing with 19 for the game.

When asked how he had inspired his young point guard's play in the second half, Mountaineer's coach Major Bone confessed, "I didn't have to tell him anything. As we were walking into the tunnel for halftime, one of the other team's guys, I think it was Hutchinson, was barking to Isaiah about how his recent paper on Quantum Physics was a deeply flawed quagmire of gobbledy****. Well you might just as well have called his momma a harlot, because that kid had fire in his eyes after that."

Stone himself had no comment on the incident, and was seen mumbling while performing calculations on a slide ruler post-game

The Mountaineers also received valuable contributions from Adeleke with 20 points and 15 rebounds, as well as Ralph Peterson who sparkled again offensively with 30 points and 9 boards

The Guardians Classic Finals run tonight at the Hearnes Centre with a 7:30PM tip-off. Justin Timberlake and Janet Jackson will perform a special rendition of the National Anthem prior to the game

[K Bomber]

RECAP: The Guardians Classic - Round Three
Mount St. Mary's Mountaineers versus University of San Francisco Dons
November 19, 2003

Columbia, Missouri (AP) - Having crushed the opposition in two previous rounds of the Guardians Classic, the Mount St. Mary's Mountaineers entered the final round of the tournament as a confident bunch. But by the end of the game Roger Buscher, a tiny, Redshirt, Junior Guard had sent a message to the town fathers of Emmitsburg, "Don't plan your parade route for April just yet"

One Tuesday night the Mountaineers barely escaped 83-73 against a lightly regarded Dons team. While the Mount again showed an impressive control of the paint, allowing the Dons their first bucket on the interior with 12:24 to go in the second half, the USF side may have shown the rest of the NCAA the blueprint for defeating the Mountaineers and their vaunted Four Horsemen of the Hypoteneuse

Using a game based on the effective use of the mid-range and three-point shooting, the Dons continually exposed the perimeter defenders of the Mountaineers as a step slow. Buscher, who also scored the bucket that ended the Dons futility in the paint, continually lobbed volley after volley from behind the arc, for a USF team that would only score four buckets inside a 10 foot radius of the net for the game

Tied at 36 entering the half, the Mountaineers appeared shaken. They had played arguably one of their most responsible periods of basketball by committing only one turnover (by Adeleke on a well USF run trap along the baseline) and having none of their shots blocked, but they were still neck and neck with an opponent more known for its Cheerleading squad than hoops excellence

Ralph Peterson, the Mount's emerging scoring machine seemed to be the only player playing up to his usual standards with 14 points and 9 first half boards. Others, wandered into the locker room with the wide eyed expression of shock that had been reserved for opponents of the Mighty Mountaineers. The facade of an irresistable force on offence sullied by a 0.345 field goal percentage on 19 of 55 shooting

The second half began with a January flurry in mid-November. Sherman January, the senior from Baltimore, began the second half at Shooting Guard, replacing an ineffective Darrell Daniels. The senior made a statement play to start the half by stripping the wily Buscher of the ball at mid-court and running in for an uncontested hammer dunk.

It was a lead that the Mount would not relinquish the rest of the way, due largely to the efforts of January who recorded 10 second half points en route to 12 for the game, bookended by 2 assists, steals and blocks.

Peterson matched his senior mentor's intensity down the stretch, finishing with 31 and compiling 16 rebounds and 3 blocks for a Mount team that snatched 17 boards on the offensive end

When asked to comment on the Mount's prowess in cleaning the offensive glass, USF Coach Phillip Mathews would only say "They call those 'offensive boards' for a reason." Mathews had reason to expect better as his team maintained an even rebounding pace with Mount, but could only record 2 rebounds against the stout defensive interior of Moses Adeleke (18 Rebounds) and Peterson

The Dons were led by the crafty performance of Buscher, who ended the game by matching Peterson bucket for bucket and a game-high 31. Johnny Acasio was a pillar of strength for the Dons, recording 12 rebounds, but was unable to score a single point on the inside against the Senegalese Goat Herder

Major Bone was also uncharacteristically short with the media. Commenting on the Dons dominance from outside, Bone snapped "At the end of the day, they were good from far, but far from good."

Easily read as an incendiary comment from a coach despondent with his team's performance. So put those parade plans on hold, Emmitsburg. While your team looks much improved, there's still a long road ahead to hoops glory

[baitman]

Hey my brother.....very nice legacy indeed.
I really enjoyed reading, and living the legacy of The Mount.

I hope you have the time and dedication to keep it coming...awesome.

baitman

[K Bomber]

Hey my brother.....very nice legacy indeed.
I really enjoyed reading, and living the legacy of The Mount.

I hope you have the time and dedication to keep it coming...awesome.

baitman
Thanks a lot for having a look

The good thing about crazy people is that they're always committed........

[vandnbyriver5]

great job, i thought it was the fab five but i could be wrong. Those are pretty dominant wins, keep em coming and youl be doing a little Flaminco dancing (or however u spell it) come March
[mumbling to himself] Cha cha cha cha cha cha
Did i say that out loud :oops:

[K Bomber]

The Mount Escapes at Home
Delaware Blue Hens Make Bone See Red
November 22, 2003


Emmitsburg, Maryland (AP) - "It's just not good enough!"

Those were the angry words used over and over by Coach Major Bone in timeouts as he attempted to light a fire under his his surprisingly disinterested Mountaineer squad as they played the Delaware Blue Hens of the Colonial League on Friday Night

"We have to realize that just because we do well at a preseason tournament doesn't mean that teams will be happy to just roll over for us on our way to wherever we think we're going", a frustrated Bone observed, "Those fans paid good money in the anticipation of seeing a committed effort, and for what they got, they should all get their money refunded."

Indeed. Friday's game represented the home opener for The Mount's men's basketball season and while the young Mountaineers were able to ultimately outlast the Delaware side by a score of 89-82, the game was tied with a 1:46 to go at which point Ralph Peterson converted a free throw on the back end of a confident drive to the hoop, to give the Mount a 3 point lead that they would extend and never relinquish down the stretch. But for the NCAA's leading scorer, his final tally of 18 represented a season low

As was the case in the final round of the Guardian's Classic, the Mount was exposed by a perimeter oriented team that sought to nullify the impact of Peterson and Moses Adeleke, the Senegalese Goat Herder, as they patrolled the paint.

Brandon McCormick, Delaware's plucky Junior Point Guard continually located Senior Dexter Cox in the Hens' half-court offense, and Cox's sweet stroke consistently found paydirt to the tune of 22 points. Cox was also magnanimous in sharing the ball, once the Mount's defensive focus shifted to him, distributing 9 assists, predominantly to Lloyd Abdullah who finished with 18

Even 45 minutes after the game, the steam was still rising from under the collar of a hot Bone as he fumed, "I know that we have a bunch of budding Astro-Physicists and Aeronautic Engineers on the team, but sometimes you just have to get your head out of the clouds and play some basketball"

Although the Mount ultimately prevailed on the court, they suffered a significant loss in the form of "Fearless" Freddy Gates, who was limited to only 4 minutes of play after straining his left achilles tendon. Details of how long Gates would be out were unavailable at the press deadline, but he was seen moving gingerly on crutches after the game, with a heavily wrapped foot

The recent play is all the more of a concern for the Mount who travel to Virginia to play the Cavaliers, of the powerehouse ACC, at John Paul Jones arena. The Mount will need to show a much large helping of grit and intestinal fortitude if they hope to compete with a well-regarded opponent

[K Bomber]

Gates Shut Down Four Weeks
Sophmore PF Out With Achilles Strain
November 23, 2003

Emmitsburg, Maryland (AP) - The timing couldn't be any worse for the Mount St. Mary's Mountaineers. With a trip to Virginia, to play one of the bigger teams in the NCAA, looming, the Mount has lost the services of PF "Fearless" Freddy Gates due to a severe achilles strain for four weeks

"I knew it was bad when I came down on it. I was so busy trying to fight off the two Delaware guys for a rebound that I kind of forgot about actually landing properly. I'm just glad it isn't broken, because it hurt so much at first that I was pretty worried", Gates said when asked of the injury

"It could always be worse", Gates opined.

The challenge for Head Coach Major Bone, as the team prepares to travel to Virginia, will be to overcome, not only an injury to one of the few legitimate interior players on the team, but also the malaise that has been evident in the team's recent play

"I promise you, we will show up and atone for our last couple of efforts", assured the cocky Bone as he hustled to his office on campus in scenic Emmitsburg

Bone will have the better part of a week to solve the issues currently enveloping his young squad, for the showdown on November 30 with a huge Cavaliers team

[K Bomber]

A Lesson in Respect
The Mount Stuns Virginia
December 1, 2003

Charlottesville, Virginia (AP) - Bob Morris had done nothing on the court. The string of zeroes next to his name on the scoresheet was nothing new for the Senior Shooting Guard, who has rarely seen any floor time in his four years on the Mountaineers basketball team. The humble Morris came to the squad as a walk-on, under the watch of legendary Mount Coach Jim Phelan. Phelan was so impressed with the work ethic that the young Theology undergrad displayed in practice, that he offered a full scholarship entering his Junior year

Last night, in an arena packed with fans waiting for a bloodletting, Morris stepped onto the floor as a starter for the first time in his college career. Major Bone, the unheralded Mountaineers coach, was intent on sending a message to his brash young team, who had begun to believe more deeply in their own press clippings than their coach's message.

If he was nervous, Morris didn't show it. He ran out during player introductions like a player who had started every game of his career. The slight 6'3" 175 pounder had nothing to lose and intended to prove it. Joined by Seniors Sherman January, and Antoine Grady, and Sophmores Anthony Booker, and Milton Nash, Morris completed a line-up formulated by Coach Bone, to teach the young Four Horsemen of the Hypoteneuse a lesson in respect

After winning the opening tip, the Cavaliers of Virginia stormed down the court intent on beginning the massacre. Elton Brown, a 6'9', 255 pound behemoth, laid siege to the lane with absolute disdain and was met by Morris who drew the offensive charge

Missing on their first trip down the floor, the Mount retreated on defense and Brown again drove the lane with impunity. But again Morris, without a moment of hesitation, twarted Brown with a hard foul, and thereby, sent his quiet message, "I will not be intimidated by you"

When the teams set for Brown's free throws, Major Bone inserted Moses Adeleke and Ralph Peterson into the line-up in place of Nash and Morris. Brown split the pair and from there the entire first half bacame a game of cat and mouse with a plethora of lead changes and no advantage of a greater margin that 3 until 4:38 was left in the half. At that point Virginia, began to assert themselves and built a 7 point lead on a Derrick Byers 3 pointer, the Cavaliers' only trifecta of the half.

When the next whistle sounded at 3:58, Morris trotted back onto the court, as much to his surprise as the Mount faithful, with his team down 5, 36-31.

From there the rest of the half was no contest. The Mount exploded

First Adeleke thundered home an alley-oop on a baseline drive that was set up by a beautiful feed from Peterson in the high post. Then Anthony Booker picked off an errant pass from Virginia's Senior PG Todd Billet that led to another Adeleke bucket. The Mount began to assert themselves on defense, which in turn sparked the offence, culminating in an unbelievable run which provided a 51-36 half-time lead for the Mountaineers over a stunned Virginia team

In the thick of it all was Morris, drawing another charge from the massive Brown, who could only shake his head in wonder at the determination of his much smaller opponent

Virginia Coach Peter Gillen read his team he riot act during the intermission and the Cavaliers began the final frame on a 10-0 run to close to five. The Mount woke up at that point and made every effort to match their more respected basketball foes the rest of the way. While their advantage would narrow to 3, the Mount held firm, led by the Senior determination of Grady and Booker, who each scored 6 in the final eight minutes

When the final whistle blew, the Mount had emerged with a 95-86 victory

While statistically Mount St. Mary's was led by Peterson's 38 points and Adeleke's double-double of 19 points and 13 boards, the biggest line of the night came up almost all zeroes

Bob Morris, 8 minutes, 0 points, 0 assists, 0 rebounds, 0 steals, 0 blocks, 0 turnovers, 4 fouls and 100% effort. That's the definition of the college game

[larrylegend]

hey man nice start to your legacy, I was wondering what settings your playings on

[K Bomber]

hey man nice start to your legacy, I was wondering what settings your playings on
I've been using elprez98's 4.0 setting

It's made for great games...........

[K Bomber]

A Stone Comes to Life!!
....and Other Assorted Miracles Seen at Fabled South Bend
December 03, 2003


South Bend, Indiana (AP) – Leprechauns and miracles, that’s how it’s always worked in South Bend. The list of teams that have gone on to inglorious endings while playing the Irish in the Joyce Center have included eventual National Champions, undefeated teams, Number One ranked squads and defending NCAA titlists

In 1971, John Wooden led his powerful UCLA team into the Edmund P. Joyce Center, then known as Notre Dame’s Athletic and Convocation Center, and was stunned when the Austin Carr led Irish provided those Bruins with their only taste of defeat in one of their legendary Championship seasons

With a 0.771 winning percentage at home, and playing in front of sold out crowds in excess of 11000 rabid Irish fans every game, Notre Dame’s Men’s Basketball team has grown accustomed to finding magic on the hardwood, although such wizardry has traditionally been of their own making

On Tuesday night, the Mountaineers of tiny Mount St. Mary’s accomplished what many more-storied teams had failed to do in defeating the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at home in the Joyce Center. By performing some magic of their own in the land of the Leprechauns, and led by the spectacular performance of Isaiah Stone, who was able to finally make his offence materialize out of thin air, the Mount pulled out a decisive 98-83 victory against another quality opponent

"You watch a kid like that, and you see how much work he puts in just to keep up with his studies, which are advanced. But beyond that, he's always driving himself in practice, both with the team and on his own, to become the best player that he can be", marvelled Mount Coach Major Bone, the man who has turned the fortunes of the Mountaineer program around in unconceivable fashion

"He's been harder on himself than any coach could be and tonight we caught a glimpse of the type of talent embodied by Isaiah Stone"

Indeed, with the Twin Towers of Ralph Peterson and Moses Adeleke, the Senegalese Goat Herder, struggling on the interior against the Irish big men, Stone came to life midway through the first half scoring 12 on an array of post-ups, drives, intermediate jumpers and long bombs from the outside. His size seemed to cause a great deal of trouble for Chris Thomas, the Junior PG for the Irish, as he forced him into four first half turnovers

The entire first half resembled a championship bout between two heavyweights as the two teams took turns throwing haymakers at each other. Soon it became apparent that Stone and and Irish Shooting Guard Chris Quinn would be the main antagonists as they traded buckets throughout the first stanza

The Irish held a distinct advantage on the boards throughout the first half finishing with 18 compared to the Mount's 13 and both Adeleke and Peterson seemed as though they hadn't yet recovered from their exhaustive efforts against Virginia two nights earlier. The Irish seemed to sense this and attacked the Mount's interior with tenacity, almost daring the two Freshmen to try and stem the tide

With 4:36 left in the first half, the Irish had built a 7 point lead, but the Mount once again displayed the ability to finish out strong at the end of a half, matching and surpassing the Irish to enter the intermission with a single point lead at 47-46

The two opposing gunslingers , Stone and Quinn, had both made their mark on the half scoring 12 and 14 respectively, but even those performances would be exceeded in the final frame

Stone sent the first salvo early, a three-pointer from well outside the NBA standard and the second half was off to a running start.

Unlike the trip to Virginia, the Mount seemed much more resolute in maintaining their efforts from the end of the second half. Where the Cavaliers had induced a swoon and a 10-0 run coming out of the intermission, in this contest the Mount was able to match the intensity of the desperate Irish, who fought against, not only their on court opponents, but also the expectations of 11,412 patrons intent on seeing a hoops demolition

As the battle between Stone and Quinn raged, Peterson began to find more of his game in the second half as did Will Carlson, the Freshman Shooting Forward, who played out of his usual spot in the line-up, assuming the reserve Power Forward position out of necessity in place of an injured Freddy Gates. Carlson may have been a fish out of water, but using his superior speed and ball handling, he was able to expose the the defensive footwork of Irish forward Jordan Cornette for 8 vital points in the half

As the clock slipped away, the Irish faithful came to the solemn realization that their heroes of the hardcourt wouldn't find any miracles on this day against a determined foe with a point to prove. The final buzzer sounded as catcalls of outrage rained down on the home side. The Mount had successfully cast their own spell with a well deserved victory

Isaiah Stone danced off the court having provided a magical 31 point effort. In support, Ralph Peterson tossed in 21, and Adeleke ripped down 8 boards, but the night, finally, belonged to Stone

Chris Quinn was similarly brilliant with 30 in a losing effort that included 6 trifectas, but the Irish could not overcome the two-way game of Stone who forced Chris Thomas into 7 uncharacteristic turnovers on the night to drop the Irish to no wins and two losses to start the young season

While the Irish will seek to recapture their magical touch, the Mount is beginning to prove that their act is no illusion

[terrapinfever]

Hey man, doing a nice job with this...I actually am a big fan of The Mount, I live about 30 miles away, and I've seen 3 of the 4 games I've attended this year go into OT, The Mount winning 2 of them, so it's a great place to spend an evening. I kinda wish you had used the real names, but, if you want some background...

Mount Saint Mary's College is the smallest division 1 school in the country by enrollment figures, and is located in the foothills of Western Maryland. Your "Isaiah Stone" is actually named Landy Thompson, and yes, he can dribble and shoot the 3-ball. Not sure who your low guys are exactly, but one of them is Nick Dodson, who is the only player I've ever seen actually dunk the ball in Emmitsburg, LOL.

The Mount is struggling a little in real life, last year 49-year coach Jim Phelan, who got on Sportscenter (gasp!) retired, and his assistant, Milan Brown, took over this time around. We are currently 6-15, 4-7 in the NEC...Nice work, keep it coming!

[K Bomber]

Hey man, doing a nice job with this...I actually am a big fan of The Mount, I live about 30 miles away, and I've seen 3 of the 4 games I've attended this year go into OT, The Mount winning 2 of them, so it's a great place to spend an evening. I kinda wish you had used the real names, but, if you want some background...

Mount Saint Mary's College is the smallest division 1 school in the country by enrollment figures, and is located in the foothills of Western Maryland. Your "Isaiah Stone" is actually named Landy Thompson, and yes, he can dribble and shoot the 3-ball. Not sure who your low guys are exactly, but one of them is Nick Dodson, who is the only player I've ever seen actually dunk the ball in Emmitsburg, LOL.

The Mount is struggling a little in real life, last year 49-year coach Jim Phelan, who got on Sportscenter (gasp!) retired, and his assistant, Milan Brown, took over this time around. We are currently 6-15, 4-7 in the NEC...Nice work, keep it coming!
Thanks for the background and your interest. In planning how I intended to handle this legacy, I looked at how the Mount had formatted their website and I borrowed some of the time frames for naming captains and such from the real events that happened in 2003

I took the time to enter the names of all the players in the really big conferences of the NCAA, but I wanted to get onto playing and there have been some issues related to entering names for all of the schools in the game. "Major Bone" was a freak mishap generated by the game, but struck me as kind of funny, so I've run with it

It's been great to read about the real Mount and beyond that, I wanted to share what I feel about the college game and some of its history in my written accounts of the games

I really like how a video gaming product has made me think about and explore the game that I love. Just for the write up on the Irish, I did a bunch of reading about the history of South Bend and its facilities, which just helps to expand my knowledge and appreciation for basketball as a whole

I'm going to continue to try to develop the story aspect so that the "players" will feel like real, three-dimensional en****** and not just animations on a screen. I don't get to share the real game by playing anymore, maybe I can share some of its stories

I've always said, and my signature is reflective of, basketball having made me everything that I am, with a sardonic twist of "arthritic and bitter". In essence, it's true and if I could have one wish in life, it would be for two new knees; these ones have had their day in the sun and don't really work anymore

Basketball is the greatest game in the world, celebrate it however you can...............

[terrapinfever]

HAHA, well baseball is the greatest sport in the world, but that's a moot point, lol.

[squidpants]

Landy Thompson is good man, I've seen him on TV somehow here in DC (it might have been ESPN or Comcast or something). His brother, also number 5, is TJ Thompson, junior PG at GW this year, who is also really good. Now if only my legacy team, Army, could find another Thompson brother to recruit...

[terrapinfever]

Yeah we got on Comcast the other night, bwahaha

[baitman]

Awesome job.... K Bomber, you always provide me with an informative read, from start to finish. I feel your passion and devotion to the game of bball. Thanx again....and march on Mount!!!!!!!!!

[K Bomber]

Size Is Not An Issue
Major Bone and the Mount Romp Over the Undesized Miners at UTEP
December 05, 2003

El Paso, Texas (AP) - Don Haskins himself would have told you, "You can't coach size". The legendary coach had seen his share of players through to the NBA, the most notable of those being Nate "Tiny" Archibald and Tim Hardaway, but he'd have been the first to tell you that the biggest difference maker in the game of hoops is a big man with some skills.

Looking up at the stars that lit the skies over his home in the Southeastern foothills of Senegal, Moses Adeleke probably never dreamed of joining them as a basketball constellation. Working as a goat herder for his family's flocks, probably the last thing that a younger Adeleke would have imagined was the type of budding hoops stardom that has begun to create quite a stir in the small town of Emmitsburg, Maryland. Adeleke's impact was felt again last night in Texas, where they love everything bigger and better, as the fans at the Haskins Center became familiar with the game of one of the biggest stories in the NCAA, the scene of Mount St. Mary's Mountaineers latest victory in Division One Basketball competition

Throughout the Mount's 84-71 victory on Thursday night, Moses Adeleke was the key difference in a game between two similarly talented teams at all positions other than center. Moses routinely parted the UTEP Miners' defense like the Red Sea as he stampeded towards the hoop en route to 35 points and 18 boards. When he sat recovering on the bench, the Miners would charge into the lane. When he returned, the Miners' shots were swatted away like minor annoyances, as he rejected 9 to flirt with a triple-double for the game

"That kid is a talent and one we just couldn't find an answer for", remarked Rookie Miners' Head Coach Billy Gillispie, "As good a game as he had, he just missed on a couple of rejections and probably would have had a few more assists if his perimeter guys would have made their shots. That kid is a pretty wonderful player"

For UTEP, Rod Reed provided the main spark on offence with 16 points 6 rebounds and 6 assists. Isaiah Stone hounded the Miners' Junior PG Doug Nichols into 18 turnovers, again using his size as a weapon on defense while picking his spots to score 13 and add 3 assists

Overall the Mount's defensive presence was tempered by some impatience of the offensive side of the ball as the Mountaineers committed 18 turnovers on the night. Ralph Peterson had another low scoring effort with 15 on 7 of 19 shooting for the night

The 7-0 Mount plays next on Sunday at home against the Thundering Herd of Marshall. After his performance against the Miners and from his experiences in his homeland, this contest should be right up Moses Adeleke's alley

[baitman]

Sounds like Moses is ready for a commercial spot once he enters the NBA draft........Got Milk?........goats milk that is.

Great job..and March on Mount.

[terrapinfever]

Mount Saint Mary's, clap, clap, clap-clap-clap, Mount Saint Mary's...

[K Bomber]

Home Cooking
Mount Grills the Thundering Herd
December 8, 2003

Emmitsburg, Maryland (AP) - If he hadn't said it, you knew that Major Bone, the intense coach of the Mount St. Mary's Mountaineers, was thinking it. While he had seen almost all of the Four Horsemen of the Hypoteneuse provide brilliant moments and games throughout his team's first seven contests, he had not yet found a way to motivate his young team to success as a collective

From watching him, you knew he had wondered if his young prodigies would ever find a way to gel through a solid forty minutes, or if they would only ever be an enormously talented gathering of individuals. If the Mount entertained any hopes for a march in March, Bone knew that the Mountaineers would need to find that type of commitment to a team oriented concept

The Thundering Herd of Marshall had not begun their season with great results entering into play at the Knott Centre on Sunday night. With a 1-3 record, the Herd was struggling to find an identity or a spark to lead them out of the doldrums that had personified their play. Unfortunately for Marshall, any hopes for iginiting their competitive flames in Emmitsburg were doused by a deluge of talent as three of the Four Horsemen opened the floodgates to drown the Herd 103-55 in a Sunday afternoon massacre

"Basketball is a funny game", remarked Coach Bone after the game, "While it allows the individual to make an indelible mark and impact the game much more than most other sports, it can also teach a great many lessons in the quality of teamwork"

"If you can convince talented players to play together in unison, their abilities as individuals actually become enhanced and the whole game becomes ridiculously easy. There's been examples of that throughout the history of the NCAA, like Tark's Rebels with Larry Johnson, Pitino's Wildcats, and just pick any of John Wooden's teams, because he created the blueprint as far as I'm concerned"

"As a coach, you just want to avoid talented players from feeling like they can't find a way to express their games on the court. But by the same token, the game has to be about the team. Individual greatness, must find its way within the framework of the team. Without that discipline, that's when you start to see the team concept fracture. That's when divisiveness can set in"

There were definitely no indications of a divided team against Marshall. As has been the case consistently, the Mount's offense channelled early through Moses Adeleke who parted the Herd for a couple of statement dunks right over an overwhelmed Andre Bouldin of Marshall. From there Anthony Booker, the Mount's sophmore point guard, began to locate Ralph Peterson in the gaps of the Herd's 2-3 zone, allowing the Freshman to rediscover his offensive game in recording 10 first half points. Finally Isaiah Stone, who had recently found greater success coming off the bench, torched the perimeter defense of Marshall for 14 while shooting 3 of 6 from beyond the arc

By halftime, the Mount had virtually grilled the Herd for a 46-27 lead that was as dominating as any stanza of college hoops ever seen in Emmitsburg.

That is, until the second half............

After scoring 8 and grabbing 6 first-half boards, Adeleke, the Senegalese Goat Herder with NASA aspirations, was a man possessed. With regular consistency, and usually two Marshall defenders draped over him like a cheap warm-up top, Adeleke stampeded through the lane to steal the Herd's thunder as the audio for his own personal blitzkrieg of punishing dunks. Defensively, the big centre controlled the glass alongside Peterson, grabbing 16 rebounds and blocking 6 attempts

When it wasn't Adeleke, Peterson and Stone took turns in making the Marshall players look like a collegiate version of the Washington Generals. By the game's end all three players had found a unified rhythm, and their individual virtuosity had combined in a symphonic display of team basketball that saw Stone throw in 25 and Peterson add 26 while Adeleke thumped the baseline for 29. As a team, the Mount shared the ball with charity, dishing out 32 assists, a season high

So complete was the Mountaineers' domination on the defensive end that only one Marshall player scored in double figures, Brandon Rowe with 13, while the Mount forced the Herd into 25 turnovers and blocked 12 shots

Suddenly at 8-0, and with their confidence building, the Mount finds itself in a groove. With an upcoming visit to the Koessler Athletic Center to face the Golden Gryphons of Canisius, it will be interesting to see if Coach Bone can retain the the team harmony so evident against Marshall

In the interim, maybe there'll be some time to teach a few fitting numbers in the hopes of playing at the Big Dance in March

[baitman]

It seems like Adeleke is too much for all the team that you've encountered so far. Forget herding goats anymore...that cat needs to be herding him some agents for the NBA draft.

Very solid performance indeed.....great reporting as always, you have a flair for words...and it shows in your legacy....nice job, man.

March on Mount,
baitman

[K Bomber]

The Truth About Myths and Legends
Mountaineers Shatter Golden Gryphons at Canisius
December 14, 2003

Buffalo, New York (AP) - Sometimes in journalism it is best to recognize the media as a crucible of the truth. With this in mind, we bring you a study related to separating fact from fiction, or in this case, mythology

MYTH: Gryphons are legendary creatures noted for their ingenuity, strength and ferocity

FACT: It probably would have worked out better had Michael Meeks brought his gym shoes
Meeks, currently a pro in the Yugoslavian League and a solid contributor on Canada's Olympic Team, had returned to Canisius, the site of some of his fondest basketball memories, on Saturday Night for an evening intended to celebrate his collegiate accomplishments in front of a sold-out crowd at the Koessler Center. The celebration ended early as the Mount St. Mary's Mountaineers mugged the home team in a 104-61 debacle

MYTH: If you're the smallest school in D1 ball, you're probably not all that good
Having struggled in the 2002-03 season, the Mount St. Mary's Mountaineers were obviously cast as a willing victim by the Canisius program, without the benefit of having seen the changes made under the watchful eye of Major Bone, the Mount's ambitious, young coach, to the Men's Basketball Program. After all, who would have assumed that the smallest school in Division One Men's Basketball would be able to field a team that has begun to turn heads in the NCAA, posting a perfect 8-0 mark heading into play with the Golden Gryphons

FACT: Scoring in basketball is difficult from your own end
It was apparent that sitting through the video footage and festivities celebrating the career of Meeks must not have rested well with the Mount. Off the opening tip, the Mountaineers charged down the Koessler Center floor and set up their vaunted offense. From the high post, Ralph Peterson found Moses Adeleke sneaking backdoor on the Canisius defence for an alley-oop dunk that was just the tip of the iceberg. Two Minutes and Twelve seconds later, when the Gryphons finally made it across mid-court for the first time, they were already down 11-0 as the result of 4 turnovers, which were as central to the festivities as the mortified Meeks, who will never be invited back to his Alma Mater as a lucky charm following the Gryphons putrid performance on his special night

MYTH: This Adeleke guy is pretty good
Moses Adeleke must have been one heck of a Goat Herder to keep him off a basketball court for most of his life, because he may be the greatest Freshman find in the NCAA this year. Having set the tone on the Mount's first offensive possession, the big man kept his foot on the gas, and the throats of the very surprised Gryphons, by filling the stat sheet like a feed trough on the old goat farm in Senegal. For the half, Adeleke recorded 16 points (on 8 for 8 shooting), 8 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 blocks as a throw-in.

When it wasn't Adeleke, Peterson and Isaiah Stone again took almost vindictive pleasure in torturing another overmatched foe with 16 and 13 points respectively on the half

FACT: There may be too much butter on the popcorn at the Koessler Center Confectionary Stand
Canisius Key First Half Stat: 15 Turnovers

MYTH: A little time for introspective reflection can be good for cleansing the soul
Down 60-32 at halftime, the Golden Gryphons merely needed to pause and re-focus, after all they were playing the Mount, the biggest sad sack of 2002-03

FACT: This isn't last year's Mountaineers
Having crushed Canisius in the first half, the Mountaineers had no intention of letting up in the second. Off a defensive stand, Stone boogied around Mark Young, the Canisius Junior Point Guard, with such zeal that Young was left staggering in futile recovery, as though his jock had been caught around his ankles, while Stone did the watuzi into the lane to score on an acrobatic lay-in. Much like Adeleke's punishing dunk to start the game, Stone's play made the appropriate statement to start round two

MYTH: Anything is possible in collegiate sports

FACT: When looking for miracles always side with the guy named Moses
Having dominated the first half, Moses Adeleke continued to control the second with his usual panache. When a wayward Gryphon would lose his way into the paint for a shot attempt, Adeleke would politely show them the way back to their end by blasting the ball back to mid-court. When the ball went unclaimed following misses from the outside, Adeleke found it a home in his massive hands. On his way to Player of the Game honours, Adeleke was incredible compiling 23 points, 18 boards, 8 assists and 7 Blocks

Peterson and Stone were equally brilliant with 24 apiece, while Peterson also added 9 assists with routine precision

As for Meeks, the game did nothing to diminish his accomplishments on the court in four solid years with the Golden Gryphons. Meeks scored over 1800 points for his career to finish as the second leading scorer all-time in Canisius history. Beyond this, Meeks represented an upstart Canadian National team at the 1993 World University Games that came within moments of defeating a USA squad that boasted Damon Stoudamire, Michael Finley, Ed O'Bannon, Eric Piatkowski and Sharone Wright, so he knew a little bit about unheralded greatness. After the game, he marvelled at the domination displayed by the Mount against his former team

"Those guys were unbelievable. I'd never heard of (Mount) St. Mary's from the US, I thought they were bringing in the team from Nova Scotia in Canada. They have some size that's world class at this level. I'm kind of glad I got to watch and didn't have to play in that one."

FACT: The Mount is for real, and their legend is growing

The Mount plays next at LaSalle on December 20

[larrylegend]

Thats amazing, the goat-herder almost had a qaud-double, 7 blocks is quite impressive, awesome start for u're team so far Good luck the rest of the season

[terrapinfever]

Hey dude, you're padding that record alright...I was wondering if you could tell us which real player Moses is?

He sure seems to be a hell of a ballplayer, I was wondering what his actual statistics are, lol.

(Probably not too good...)

[K Bomber]

The real guy's name is C.J. Walker and I borrowed him from NC Asheville, or NC A&M in the game

I think in the game his hometown is actually in California, but a Senegalese Goat Herder seemed like more fun. I wanted a story reminiscent of Hakeem Olajuwon, so I also changed his name to something more appropriate as well

One of the big things I looked at was Shot Blocking and Close Shot ability, the rest of the ratings to me are kind of pointless for a center, because I wanted some size in the paint

For the year Walker is averaging 2.8 points and 3.5 boards, he's doing considerably better for me as an ex-patriot of Senegal...........

[terrapinfever]

LOL, Considerably. I was wondering where you found that kind of player on the Mount and why I'd never seen him play, haha.

Maybe...Hey, maybe...Maybe if we recruit this guy for next year, the Mount will be undefeated starting the conference season.

[K Bomber]

LOL, Considerably. I was wondering where you found that kind of player on the Mount and why I'd never seen him play, haha.

Maybe...Hey, maybe...Maybe if we recruit this guy for next year, the Mount will be undefeated starting the conference season.
Yeah, overall the guys on the Mount are kind of knee high to a grasshopper with a bunch of 6'2" smurfs

I guess I kind of cheated, but it's not like I borrowed Sean May.........

[terrapinfever]

HAHAH, Sean May in the Northeast Conference...LMAO.

I'm getting excited just thinkin about that.

[elprez98]

Hey bomber...what's your team fg% for the season?...you guys are killin' cats out there!!!!

[K Bomber]

Hey bomber...what's your team fg% for the season?...you guys are killin' cats out there!!!!
For the year 0.563, but that includes some games that I haven't written up yet because I need to do a little BG research into some things

For the games that I have stat sheets on, opponents have shot 230/493 or 0.467

To me the biggest problem has been that my schedule is weak and I couldn't get a lot of teams to consider playing me. I still have Navy and Maryland as big non-conference games, but other than that I'm into relatively weak NEC play

[baitman]

Great legacy....KB

And I can vividly see the Sengalese goat-herder with a staff in one hand and a b-ball in the other...posing for a life-size poster... :lol:

March on Mount.

[terrapinfever]

Yeah I noticed that you pretty much ran with the actual schedule. When I'm scheduling, I have picked up on something...It first has you select a conference, then select a team from within that conference to ask for a matchup. I have discovered that if you pick a major conference, then you can simply try all the teams within that conference, and usually one of them will play you.

For my Fordham legacy I was able to get games @ Penn State, @ TCU, and @ Washington State, which isn't too bad considering I lost 2 of them.

You're doing a great job...Roll, Mount, Roll.

[K Bomber]

Yeah I noticed that you pretty much ran with the actual schedule. When I'm scheduling, I have picked up on something...It first has you select a conference, then select a team from within that conference to ask for a matchup. I have discovered that if you pick a major conference, then you can simply try all the teams within that conference, and usually one of them will play you.

For my Fordham legacy I was able to get games @ Penn State, @ TCU, and @ Washington State, which isn't too bad considering I lost 2 of them.

You're doing a great job...Roll, Mount, Roll.
I guess I should have explored the scheduling aspect a little more. I tried what you're saying to an extent, but because the first responses were pretty consistent I figured that they would be consistent from all the teams in those conferences

From there I looked at regionally located teams that were in more notable leagues and got pretty much the same types of answers. After that I just left the sched pretty much status quo, although I think Canisius was an add because I wanted to do a little shout out to Michael Meeks whom I've seen play at virtually every level going back to high school and at that game against the US in the WUG in 1993

My only concern right now is that I've got a serious cupcake schedule and don't really have a great read on whether my success is do to how well I'm playing or if it's because my schedule is too light

I guess I'll find out soon enough...........

[terrapinfever]

You've won at Notre Dame and beaten Virginia, and Marshall ain't too bad either. Now compare that to the real Mount, and I think that's your answer, lol.

[K Bomber]

A Freight Train Named Desire
Mountaineers Leave Explorers Searching for Answers at LaSalle
December 21, 2003

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (AP) - In any game there ultimately comes a time where the difference between victory and defeat comes down to desire. Who wants it more? The thrill of victory and the agony of defeat. At one point, that statement was the narrative for generations of fans on Saturdays, watching Wide World of Sports in the times before there were media empires and 24-Hour Cable Sports Networks. It was just Jim McKay and Vinko Bogataj, that Slovenian ski-jumper, wiping himself out that personified "the agony of defeat"

On Saturday night, the agony of defeat could very well have found a new face in the form of Winston Patterson, a sophomore center with the LaSalle University Explorers. Early on in the Mountaineers 103-74 drubbing of the Explorers, Patterson, showing either undeniable courage or unbelievably poor judgement, stepped in to take a charge as Moses Adeleke stormed through the paint like a force of nature.

While Adeleke wound up being assessed with an offensive foul, the immense collision left an immediately senseless Patterson wondering if anyone had written down the license plate number of the freight train that had just bowled him over. If they hadn't at that point, many of the LaSalle players would become very familiar with number 55 in the Mount's Blue and White road uniforms through the course of another dominating performance by the big man with the even bigger game

"There's no substitute for size", remarked Major Bone, the Mount Coach after the game. "Everything we do starts and ends with that kid. He really is at the center of everything for us."

"On defense our guys can be more aggressive and take some chances on the outside because anything coming into the paint has to go through him and that's pretty intimidating. He's like Ewing in his freshman year. You think he's off in the distance and then he comes from nowhere to swat you away like a bug. I've never seen a kid quicker off his feet"

"On offence, he's such a big target in the high post and he sees the floor well and can find his teammates in the rhythm of our sets. Beyond that he REALLY likes all the banging down low and is as tough to move as they come. It's rare that you see a guy that strong with a soft touch and great hands. The scary thing is, he's still learning the game"

And learning it well. While crushing young Mr. Patterson was an error of inexperience, the unintentional display of power set a definite tone against the Explorers. The Mount maintained an aggressive edge throughout the proceedings, led again by the usual triumvirate of freshmen.

Defensively, the LaSalle side was forced to, essentially, pick their poison. When it wasn't Adeleke rising up for monstrous jams or agile jump hooks, it was Ralph Peterson and Isaiah Stone practicing their usual form of inside-out torment, finishing with 24 and 25 respectively.

Additionally, Rashad Dunleavy the fourth Horseman of the Hypotenuse began to find his game by successfully penetrating the lane and dishing out 8 assists and nailing two triples for 6 points.

On offense the Explorers were led by Jimmy Green, their bold Sophomore Shooting Guard with 29, but his compatriots were ineffective largely due to the swarming Mount defense which forced 22 turnovers using their patented full court pressure, fortified by Adeleke on the back-end. Relishing his role in thwarting opposition while controlling the boards by grabbing 10 of his game high 15 rebounds on the defensive end, Adeleke also piled up 18 points in another Player of the Game effort

So while the Explorers were left dumfounded, another victim of the Mountaineer Express, the visitors maintained their perfect record. While the unheralded Mount may never look as good as Bo Derek running down a beach in a bathing suit, no one can dispute the aesthetics of their game, now sitting at a sublime 10-0 and counting

[baitman]

10-0......you gotta love that.

You guys should be gaining some bigtime national attention.

And Moses parted the paint....to allow safe passage for his people.

[K Bomber]

The Playground Game
Stone Rock Solid in NYC
December 24, 2003

Brooklyn, New York (AP) - There are a million playground legends in New York City, this is one of them.

Basketball is a religion here. Throughout the city, the sound of game is like the city's pulse, pounding out a rhythm on the blacktop, and finding its legends in playgrounds, recreation centers and gyms everywhere. Legend had it that Herman "Helicopter" Knowings once soared so high in a game at Rucker Park that he actually got called for three in the key while the rest of the guys playing that day waited for him to descend back down to Earth with the other mortals.

The names of Joe "The Destroyer" Hammond, Earl "The Goat" Manigault, Lloyd "Sweet Pea" Daniels and Edward "Booger" Smith are all as synonymous with hoops genius as they are with tragedy.

From the city that spawned those legends came Isaiah Stone, a lanky PG for the Mount St. Mary's Mountaineers, the surprising Division 1 team from tiny Emmitsburg, Maryland. As far removed from the mean streets of Brooklyn as Emmitsburg is, you had to know that Stone had probably circled the date of his return to his hometown early on. You can take the boy out of the city but you can't take the city out of the boy.

In the city the game is about so much more than just dropping a ball through a net. The game is respect. The game is expression. The game is an art form. The game is as vital to the players as breathing. The game is identity.

On a cold Tuesday night in December, Isaiah Stone paid his homage to the playground legends of New York City by making the McNurlin Phys. Ed. Building on campus at New York College his private playground in a 116-65 obliteration of the Lions on their home court

From the outset, Stone was everywhere. Following the tip, the ball came directly back to Stone and he skipped into the Lions side of half with a wry smile. Ian Gary, NYC's junior guard seemed to look forward to the challenge of guarding Stone, dropping into his defensive crouch and waving him in to face him just outside the three point arc. In response, Stone chuckled and threw up an attempt from what must have been 30 feet out that whispered his response to the challege. Swish.

There have been many incredible moments throughout the Mountaineers ten game run of hoops perfection. There have been so many incredible performances, in fact, that it has been easy to become jaded by the talents displayed by the Four Horsemen of the Hypotnuse and the other members of the Mount team.

But until last night, even the Mount faithful had never witnessed a more dominating exhibition of offensive basketball prowess than that shown by Isaiah Stone in his hometown during the first half. For the period, Stone was unstoppable, scoring 31 on 8 of 10 shooting. Five of his eight makes were from downtown, for an inconceivable 3-Point Field Goal percentage of 0.833. When he drove on a shell-shocked Gary, he continuously drew fouls as Gary's teammates attempted to help on defense. In 10 trips to the line for the half, Stone was immaculate in his execution with 10 made free throws.

Defensively, Stone was a fiend as Mount St. Mary's exceuted their Hell Mount defensive pressure, forcing 20 turnovers for the half. By the time the horn for the intermission sounded, the Mount was up 61-30 and cruising.

In the second half the Mount continued their onslaught, but Stone wound up sitting for extended periods as Major Bone attempted to avoid the perception of running up the score against a weaker opponent. Ultimately the effort, while appreciated in principle by the NYC Lions, failed, as the Mountaineers were able to score at will, finishing with a lopsided 51 point margin of victory

For the game, Stone finished with 39 points as the leading scorer for the game. Rashad Dunleavy was the grateful beneficiary of Stone's marksmanship, finishing with a season high 13 assists for the Mount, while Moses Adeleke finished with the quietest 17 point, 12 rebound and 2 assist line ever recorded in D1 ball.

The toothless Lions were led in scoring by Charles Blount with 18 and Edmond Wysocki who tossed in 17 points, but they were unable to overcome the careless play of their guards Gary and Sammy Colon who finished with 11 and 8 turnovers respectively

The Mount next sees action on Sunday, as they declare war on the US Navy Midshipmen at Alumni Hall in Annapolis

[K Bomber]

Mount Bombs the Midshipmen
Navy Goes Down Like A U-Boat to Hoops Juggernaut
December 28, 2003

Annapolis, Maryland (AP) - The last time the Navy was this surprised was at Pearl Harbour.

While whispers about the tiny school from Emmitsburg have been heard throughout Maryland, the Mountaineers of Mount St. Mary's have remained an enigmatic legend throughout the state. They can't be that good. They haven't played anyone. They've been lucky. Yet the Mountaineers have been the epitome of the state motto through 11 games; "Fatti maschii parole femine" -- strong deeds, gentle words; as they have carved a path through every opponent to have faced them.

On Saturday that path led the Mountaineers into hoops conflict with the Navy Midshipmen at Annapolis. You would have thought that the military would have maintained vigilance, especially in their own state, of a budding basketball superpower. But as was shown in a 78-48 lambasting, even the best defense can't control one Moses Adeleke,

Once again, Adeleke was the story for the Mountaineers as he lifted his team on his mighty shoulders like a modern day Atlas. So intimidating was his interior presence, that the Midshipmen were forced into four shot clock violations while they attempted to manouvre around the Senegalese Giant.

While laying siege to the paint throughout the game, Adeleke made the game look easy for both himself, en route to 30 massive points, and his teammates, such as Rashad Dunleavy who finished with 16 assists by routinely tossing the ball into the former goat herder for a variety of entertaining jams.

The biggest question in around Emmitsburg these days as a result of Adeleke's basketball brilliance has been less about where he's come from, but as to how Major Bone, the Mount head coach, will be able to keep him shielded from the eyes of NBA scouts and agents seeking to lure him to the big time riches found in the greatest league in the world.

"Actually, I don't really worry about the NBA. I think that they're in trouble, when you think about it. Right now NASA and Owens Corning are probably more than likely to start a bidding war for Moses's services that could be competitive to anything that the NBA could offer."

"While it's great that he's a prodigy when it comes to the game, he's a genius in the classroom as well and can write his own ticket to wherever he wants to go"

Adeleke augmented his offensive brilliance by adding 13 rebounds, 3 steals and 5 blocked shots to his point total for the evening against a Navy team that never found an answer to the secret weapon at the heart of the Mount's hoops arsenal. For the game Navy shot mostly blanks on 20 of 54 shooting for a 0.320 FG% that was of an exceedingly low calibre

In a week's time the Mount will face a stiff test in the form of the Maryland Terrapins. Hopefully they will view the Mount's game at Navy as their early warning

This Mount team is for real

[K Bomber]

Page 1 of 1

Major Bone

From: "Vince Pierce" <vpierce@msm.athletics.com>
Sent: December 24, 2003
Subject: Collier Meyer
Attachment: Scouting Report - CMeyer122303.pdf

Coach:

Just a quick report on Collier Meyer. I saw him play last night against one of the bigger powers in his high school league. His team won 70-51 and Meyer was everywhere. For the game he scored 10 points, grabbed 11 boards with a steal and 2 blocks

More than that, he has an Oakley-esque ability to lock more than one guy down to allow guys on his team to grab boards and may be the league leader in floor burns from the way he played

I think this kid can help us, but it's your decision. I've attached a scouting report for your review

Sincerely,

Vince Pierce
Assistant Coach
Mount St. Mary's


SCOUTING REPORT

Subject: Collier Meyer

Height: 6'8"
Weight: 241 lbs
Position: Power Forward
Location: Smyrna, Georgia - Campbell High School

Strengths:
1. A powerhouse, Collier Meyer is a beast and knows how to use his size
2. Rebounds like a fiend, especially active on the offensive glass
3. Gets after it on defense, very physical, which should translate to the college game
4. Very quick for his size, about as good as I've seen laterally
5. Plays longer than his size, real ability to get up in the air, has long arms
6. Did I mention this kid is STRONG?

Weaknesses:
1. Due to his physical nature, he's a little foul prone at the HS level
2. A little raw, tends to fall for head fakes
3. Wants to block everything, tends to look to reject O/B and make "statements"
4. Needs to work on post up offense, tends to score on put backs and junk

Season Averages:
PPG: 18.1
RPG: 15.7
APG: 1.2
STL: 1.6
BLK: 3.2
FLS: 4.4

USA Today Ranking: 68

Coach's Comment: Great kid, very bright. Spends a lot of time in the weight room. Mother is a Nurse, Father is a renowned architect. As a student he's an A- student, scored 1485 on his SAT test

Coach relates that Collier is the leader of his team and is an example of determination and work ethic








Mount St. Mary's College - Named by The National Review College Guide as one of the top 50 liberal arts colleges in the nation, 1993

[K Bomber]

Page 1 of 1

Major Bone

From: "Joel Boxler" <jboxler@msm.athletics.com>
Sent: December 24, 2003
Subject: Jamie Price
Attachment: SR.Jamie.Price.pdf

Coach:

Sorry it took me so long to get this in to you, but the IT Department was finally able to recover my hard-drive after that latest virus (Boy do I hate computers....)

Please find the attached scouting report for Jamie Price. I saw him play on Dec 15, 2003 against Poolesville High. Jamie's team lost 78-70 and he did okay with 8 points and 10 boards. I'm a little worried about his conditioning and he's got questionable footwork, sort of like a young Milton Nash

Anyways, here's the report, let me know your thoughts in the next little bit

Have a great day............

Joel Boxler
Assistant Coach
Mount St. Mary's


SCOUTING REPORT

Subject: Jamie Price

Height: 6'10"
Weight: 247 lbs
Position: Center
Location: Washington, D.C. - Quantico High School

Strengths:
1. A big kid with a mean streak (I love that....)
2. Good instincts on defense, waits for players to commit and then swats 'em
3. A real intimidator in the paint, but in a smart way
4. Nice hook shot from the left block, has that little Sikma face up move down pat
5. Is big, plays big; not one to prove he's a PG
6. A quality shot blocker
7. Really comfortable in playing within the context of an offense
8. Very subtle passing skills for a big


Weaknesses:
1. Footwork offensively, looks like a puppy still growing into his paws at times
2. Not very adept at running the break, more of a half-court guy
3. Transition D, plays better when defending against sets
4. Conditioning, he can look winded in the late stages of games
5. Looking for lots of playing time -- may not have heard of Adeleke, I guess

Season Averages:
PPG: 12.4
RPG: 13.2
APG: 2.3
STL: 0.6
BLK: 5.2
FLS: 1.8

USA Today Player Ranking: 142

Coach's Comment: His dad used to play under John Thompson at Georgetown, so he's had a decent pedigree. His mother is 6'2" and used to represent East Germany in the High Jump

Is a worker in practice, but can be tough on teammates because he gets the game and is pretty demanding.

Sometimes doesn't realize that he needs to impose himself a little more on offense, and be as intimidating on offense as he is defensively

Needs to develop something from the right block, it's like seeing two different players when he travels from one side of the key to the other








Mount St. Mary's College - Named by The National Review College Guide as one of the top 50 liberal arts colleges in the nation, 1993

[K Bomber]

Maryland's Finest
Mount Bags State Bragging Rights and Stun Terrapins
January 04, 2004

College Park, Maryland (AP) - The kid is a player. Even when you just see him walking around you can tell. From the way he carries himself you know that he has nothing but belief in himself and his talents. It's an attitude that all the greats have. He may be the most talented 18 year old in the world right now, and so far, there haven't been any challengers to that claim. From the reports that are out there and the interviews on ESPN, his name is on everyone's lips and they're all asking the same question. Where? Where will Darius Jones, the latest big thing in high school wind up? North Carolina? Duke? Michigan? Or will the young wunderkind find himself taking his talents all the way to the NBA? No one knows

For the Maryland Terrapins, they obviously held out hope that young Mr. Jones would consider plying his trade here at the beautiful Comcast Center. In his dreams, surely Gary Williams has envisioned the sight of Darius Jones running the floor on the break, throwing down his powerful assortment of dunks, playing his demonic brand of defense and leading the Terrapins to glorious victory in Maryland crimson.

Towards that end, Williams decided that the best opportunity to entertain the finest high school prospect in the land was during the Terrapins game with their sudden and surprising state rivals, the Mount St. Mary's Mountaineers. With the growing buzz around the Mount, a hyped crowd would definitely be in attendance and the rabid following would surely only add to Darius Jones' impression of life as a Terrapin.

And so, at 4:01PM the ball finally tipped off, beginning the end-game in the pursuit of Darius Jones

The Mountaineers of St. Mary's have heard it all as they have sprinted to a 12-0 record in Division One ball. They had heard how Notre Dame was merely a victim of an early season surprise against a prepared team that got a little bit lucky. Virginia, was having an bad start to the season. The Mount's schedule was weak and that had resulted in their sparkling record. In College Park the mission was clear, beat a major opponent that was ready for them, on the road and in front of almost 18,000 fans hoping to see the balloon get burst and return the Mount back down to Earth

At 4:04PM the game was beginning to shape to predictable results. THe Mountaineers started nervously and turned the ball over on their first two trips down the floor. Ekene Ibekwe responded to one turnover by throwing the ball down hard on Moses Adeleke, who didn't appear to be enthralled with the whole experience. Off the second turnover, Nik Caner-Medley, the Terrapins rugged Sophomore forward, took Ralph Peterson to the rack and ran roughshod over the Freshman for another flush. On his way back down the floor Caner-Medley signalled that the game was over, with only 2:46 gone in the first half. The crowd roared in agreement

After another stop and a Mike Jones jumper made it 6-0, Major Bone, his head turning shades of purple with anger, called a time-out, obviously having seen enough and wanting to voice his displeasure. He waited at mid-court while his starters sat themselves down in anticipation of getting blasted. Strangely, instead hearing the maniacal ravings of a frustrated coach, the only sound that emerged from the Mount bench was that of laughter. As the teams returned to the floor, some of the players were still chuckling. The Terrapins remained confident, and dismissed the joviality as little else but an act of desperate foolishness

At that point the real game began

First the Mountaineers returned to their usual offensive pattern by dropping the ball in low to Adeleke. With Jamar Smith and Ibekwe looking to stop him, the young man from Senegal threw down a two-hander that will be a staple on all the year-end highlight shows. The dunk gave the Mount players a bit of an adrenaline rush and they began to respond, moving on defense and executing on offense.

As the game continued, both the Terrapins and Mountaineers took turns making plays on both ends, running to a 26-26 tie with 8 minutes to go. At that point, Adeleke was replaced by Milton Nash the Redshirt Senior whom Adeleke had replaced as a starter at the beginning of the season. Nash, always a modest sort, had been a glowing example of Senior leadership, not begrudging the talented newcomer his minutes and by continuing to work hard in his limited minutes and in practice. All of his efforts paid dividends against Maryland as with Nash and the second unit in the game, the Mountaineers began to pull away from their surprised hosts.

First it was a four point lead that just sort of materialized off a Darrel Daniels drive into the paint. Then off a steal, Rashad Duleavy found "Fearless" Freddy Gates, in his first game back from injury, moving to the rack for a layup and an assist to move the lead to 9. Finally Isaiah Stone made a spin-o-rama circus shot that completely bewildered Will Bowers and Hassan Fofana to end the half with the Mount leading by 13 and a 50-37 score

You could have heard a pin drop. The Terrapin faithful were in shock. They were expecting a brave effort from the Mount, but the script was supposed to read that the Maryland players would overwhelm such an insurrection with their excessive talent base. The Mount was supposed to give it the old college try and then just lie down for the sacrifice.

The problem may have been that a guy like Moses Adeleke is used to guiding sheep, not being one, and his first half numbers of 18 points and 7 boards was key to the Mountaineers success. After the early crowning from Ibekwe, Adeleke played like a kingpin, continually changing shots with his defensive help, grabbing boards and playing smart ball. While other members of the Mount had come into the game with trepidation, Adeleke was the very image of calm, cool and collected. No other Mountaineer had scored in double figures for the half

The second half continued along the same lines as how the first half had ended. The only difference was that the Mount's first unit began to find their legs. Ralph Peterson, held to 5 in the first half as he concetrated on his defensive responsibilities, began to aggressively attack Caner-Medley off the dribble. With 11:35 to go in the game, Peterson's about face on offense had put Caner-Medley into foul trouble with 4 and put the Mountaineers into the bonus, while building a 72-50 lead

From there it was never close and the rout was on

Peterson exploded against whomever guarded him en route to 24 second half points and 29 for the game. Adeleke continued his overall dominance by finishing with 32 to go along with 11 boards, a steal and 3 blocks. Anthony Booker defended like a fiend in the context of the Mountaineers defensive scheme that forced 29 turnovers. Booker also added 8 assists for the game including one on an alley-oop to Peterson with 21.4 seconds left that the Freshmen grabbed and windmilled over Caner-Medley, who was also assessed his fifth foul on the play. As he strolled to the foul line, Peterson let the crowd know that the game was over, in the same way that the Maryland forward had early in the contest

The only difference was that Peterson was right

The frustration of the Maryland fan base was obvious. The boos began halfway through the second half and only grew in volume until the final horn sounded. Only Mike Jones the Freshman phenomenon for the Terrapins had legitimately showed up for the home side, finishing with 21. Only Caner-Medley finished the game without a turnover, although in battling Peterson he was only able to generate 6 points in a complete mismatch

The game couldn't have been more of a nightmare for Gary Williams. Not only had his side been smoked like a Christmas ham, but they had done so with the biggest High School prospect in attendance. Darius Jones, hustled out of the Comcast Center after the game saying only that he had a great weekend in Maryland on his way back to catch a flight to Akron, Ohio

For the Mount, victory couldn't have tasted any sweeter. If nothing else, this performance will only help to put them on the basketball map in Maryland. For this year, bragging rights are held in Emmitsburg by a team who have made the Maryland Terrapins unlucky number 13 in a perfect season to date

[K Bomber]

Page 1 of 1

Vince Pierce

From: "Major Bone" <mbone@msm.athletics.com>
Sent: January 05, 2004
Subject: The Jones Kid


Vince:

Maybe we should have a look and see if we can catch lightning in a bottle. I want you to take a little trip on over to Durham. Darius Jones is going to be playing at a major tournament being hosted by Mt. Zion on the weekend. It'll be a nice opportunity to see him against some high end competition

If you get a chance, try to get a word in about the program here, you never know


Go get 'em,


Coach Bone
Mount St. Mary's

PS: Maryland was kinda fun, wasn't it?

[K Bomber]

Page 1 of 1

Major Bone

From: "Vince Pierce" <vpierce@msm.athletics.com>
Sent: January 12, 2004
Subject: Darius Jones
Attachment: Scouting Report - DJones011104.pdf

Coach:

There's only one word for the play of Darius Jones. Wow.

Darius is as evolved a high school player as I've seen. He's kind of like a more agile version of Chris Webber, with a little bit of sandpaper to him.

Against Mt. Zion Christian Academy he flat out toyed with them, scoring 18, grabbing 18 boards and pitching 6 assists. He didn't play most of the third and all of the fourth in a blowout against a quality program. It was the same thing as watching LeBron last year. You knew that at any moment Jones could just open up the floodgates and take over the game with his talent. He was head and shoulders above everyone there

My gut feeling is that this kid won't be a going concern in the NCAA, he'll be ROY in the league. I've attached a report, you've probably already come to your own conclusions from the highlights on Sports Center


Sincerely,

Vince Pierce
Assistant Coach
Mount St. Mary's


SCOUTING REPORT

Subject: Darius Jones

Height: 6'8"
Weight: 217 lbs
Position: Power Forward
Location: Akron, Ohio - Saint Vincent - Saint Mary High School

Strengths:
1. Low Post Offense, great from both sides, slightly better from the left block
2. Unbelievable rebounder -- makes great reads of trajectories and angles
3. Lightning fast on defense. Quick laterally and vertically
4. A legitimate shot blocker, Jones will keep the ball in play to teammates
5. Comfortable in all phases of the game
6. Maturity, his game is ahead of where his teammates are, always thinking
7. Incredible fitness -- the guy has an NBA body and he's 18
8. Mammoth first step, explosive to the hole
9. Unreal vertical, easily 40-plus inches

Weaknesses:
1. A lot of pressure to go pro and probably will

Season Averages:
PPG: 22.6
RPG: 18.4
APG: 4.7
STL: 1.9
BLK: 4.7
FLS: 1.7

USA Today Ranking: 1

Coach's Comment: Darius is a hard worker in the gym and the classroom. A natural leader. Charismatic. Incredibly evolved skills coupled with a real understanding of the game. Looks to involve teammates. Knows when it's his time to take over a game. Doesn't cheat on defense and makes things look easy through fundamental execution

Bottom line Darius Jones is a basetball prodigy








Mount St. Mary's College - Named by The National Review College Guide as one of the top 50 liberal arts colleges in the nation, 1993

[K Bomber]

Page 1 of 1

Darius Jones

From: "Major Bone" <mbone@msm.athletics.com>
Sent: January 13, 2004
Subject: Invitation to Visit MSM

Darius:

I just wanted to drop you a line to give you some background on our program here at Mount St. Mary's. I know that you've got a great many offers from any number of schools, and these are most likely established programs with historic traditions.

Our program, however, isn't based on past glory. It's about building something in the here and now. It's not about being the second coming of a past star, it's about the possibilities of being the first Darius Jones and putting something new and exciting on the map

Think of the game you visited when we played Maryland. Right there you caught a glimpse of what you could be a part of. Giant killers. Visionaries. The next big thing

We'd love to have you down to our campus to see how we're building the future with the hopes that maybe you'll be a part of that growth. Let me know when and we'll be glad to fit to your schedule

Stars deserve to shine and here you'd be our universe


Go get 'em,


Coach Bone
Mount St. Mary's

[K Bomber]

Page 1 of 1

Major Bone

From: "Darius Jones" <supasta@yahoo.com>
Sent: January 14, 2004
Subject: RE: Invitation to Visit MSM


Coach Bone:

On the real, you got a nice squad, but I'm fixing for some other things

Nice game at Maryland. I'm surprised that crowd let your boys out of there in one piece, they were pretty upset about getting whooped like that. Your big man is sweet, but I'll be throwing down on him in the L -- you know it

Thanks for the offer, but it is how it is

Peace,

THE Darius Jones

[K Bomber]

Page 1 of 1

Collier Meyer

From: "Major Bone" <mbone@msm.athletics.com>
Sent: January 15, 2004
Subject: Invitation to Visit MSM

Collier:

I just wanted to take the time to invite you up to see some of the exciting things we are doing here at Mount St. Mary's College. We've been very impressed in watching some of your high school performances and believe that the Mount is well suited to your needs as both a student and as an athlete

Here at Mount St. Mary's, we are looking for players who want to lead the way towards building a new and memorable basketball tradition. You are the type of player and, more importantly, the type of person, that personifies our ideals in sport and education

Let me know if there is a date on our schedule that suits you, we'd love to show you what we're about


Go get 'em,


Coach Bone
Mount St. Mary's

[fanzo19]

are those real emails from the game or did u just make those up?

[squidpants]

Yah, and those scouting reports? If so, what is your assistant's ratings on stuff! I don't get any assistants saying "he's like Chris Webber" or getting season averages or anything.

[K Bomber]

I embellished a little as part of literary license. I just wanted to provide a rich legacy experience for the readers of this forum

Didn't mean to confuse anybody.............

[squidpants]

Ok, cool. It's definitely interesting, but i was like "hey, how come my assistant coaches aren't doing that?!" :lol: So the "like Chris Webber" parts you added, right? Or was that part of the assistant's email.

[K Bomber]

Ok, cool. It's definitely interesting, but i was like "hey, how come my assistant coaches aren't doing that?!" :lol: So the "like Chris Webber" parts you added, right? Or was that part of the assistant's email.
Yeah, that was an add. Basically, I took the comments that you get when you scout a guy and combined them with a scouting report generated when you visit a recruit's game. From there I built an e-mail around it by doing some research on schools in the cities that the recruits are coming from and realistic places that they might play (ie. Mt. Zion)

All of the legacies on this forum have a flavour and the bar has been set pretty high by all the guys (or girls) like baitman, elprez98, vandybyriver5, terrapinfever, etc. I'm just trying to live up to those standards and have some fun with it

So far it has been...........

[terrapinfever]

You're doing an excellent job, the scouting reports are awesome...My, my, that is good company.

[baitman]

K Bomber.......

Those emails are the bomb. I LOVE reading them. What a great idea, to take it to the next level of personalization. As I was reading them, I thought to myself.....this guy has a fabulous imagination.

H**L....I wanted to come play for The Mount.

That's a tremendous angle in the legacy idea....you sir, are to be commended for originality A+.

P.S....I amost fired my new assistant coach who does my scouting.....I thought man, my new assistant is really lacking skills... :lol:

As always bro.........in a word........awesome.

[K Bomber]

Page 1 of 1

Major Bone

From: "Collier Meyer" <clankgrabber@aol.com>
Sent: January 15, 2004
Subject: RE: Invitation to Visit MSM


Hey, Coach!

That would be awesome. I've been reading a lot about you guys (especially the big african dude, that guy can play) and I like what I've seen. My schedule is pretty clear right now, so let me know when and where and I'll be there.

I'd love to do it sooner rather than later, tho

Holla back,

Collier

[K Bomber]

Page 1 of 1

Collier Meyer

From: "Major Bone" <mbone@msm.athletics.com>
Sent: January 15, 2004
Subject: RE: RE: Invitation to Visit MSM

Collier:

We've got Central Connecticut State here on Saturday, January 17, 2003. I'll arrange everything with our Administration Department and get you flown up here for the weekend. You wanted sooner, you got it!

I'm looking forward to meeting with you, I've heard great things as well

Go get 'em,


Coach Bone
Mount St. Mary's

[K Bomber]

Page 1 of 1

Major Bone

From: "Joel Boxler" <jboxler@msm.athletics.com>
Sent: January 15, 2004
Subject: Jan Barnes
Attachment: SR.Jan.Barnes.pdf

Coach:

Sorry that this is a little late, but wow, what can you say about that Doom Virus? Completely dusted my HD again, good thing I had some hand written notes on a napkin.

Relative to the point of my e-mail, please find the attached scouting report for Jan Barnes. I saw him play on Jan 09, 2004 against Amityville High School. Jan's team won 67-62. Jan plays a really smart game and scored 12 points to go along with 12 boards. He shows really strong leadership and defensive skills -- very disciplined

Well, here's the report, I think he's a good find

Have a great day............

Joel Boxler
Assistant Coach
Mount St. Mary's


SCOUTING REPORT

Subject: Jan Barnes

Height: 6'8"
Weight: 223 lbs
Position: Power Forward
Location: Ithaca, New York - Ithaca High School

Strengths:
1. No real weaknesses -- very well rounded on both offense & defense
2. Great shot blocking instincts and technique
3. Smart, Smart, Smart ball player
4. Great outlet passer
5. Fundamentally solid on rebounding technique
6. Reads plays well, great at jumping into passing lanes
7. Great quickness and footwork+++, **also a city tennis champion**


Weaknesses:
1. Needs a bit more meat on him
2. Vertical is a bit suspect late in games, but is less of an issue due to his positioning
3. Jumper is a bit flaky outside of 10-12 feet
4. Cheats a bit on defense works off reads a bit too much
5. Alligator Arms


Season Averages:
PPG: 15.6
RPG: 12.7
APG: 1.3
STL: 1.7
BLK: 2.8
FLS: 1.2

USA Today Player Ranking: 92

Coach's Comment:
- A great young man
- Also has some interest from some tennis programs
- Throws the javelin on the track & field team
- Is active in community work








Mount St. Mary's College - Named by The National Review College Guide as one of the top 50 liberal arts colleges in the nation, 1993

[HotShot232]

bomber great legacy man, i have been getting alot of ideas from your legacy.

peace bro
HotShot

[K Bomber]

Page 1 of 1

Major Bone

From: "Vince Pierce" <vpierce@msm.athletics.com>
Sent: January 15, 2004
Subject: Rashid Roberts
Attachment: Scouting Report - RRoberts011404.pdf

Coach:

I scouted Rashid Roberts of Hueytown High School last night in a game in Hueytown, Alabama

Rashid has some real upside, especially on defense and he was a real shut-down defender in helping his team to a win against the visiting Pulaski Academy out of Little Rock, 60-55

Roberts dropped in 11 points and grabbed 7 boards, but he made 9 steals and blocked 3 shots and played most of the night inside his man's uniform. If he plays any tighter they'll have to nickname him "Skin"

This kid is worth it from my perspective. I've attached a scouting report for your review

Sincerely,

Vince Pierce
Assistant Coach
Mount St. Mary's


SCOUTING REPORT

Subject: Rashid Roberts

Height: 6'5""
Weight: 187 lbs
Position: Shooting Forward
Location: Hueytown, Alabama - Hueytown High School

Strengths:
1. A great defender, closest comparison is a Stacey Augmon type
2. Enormously active on both offense and defense, doesn't stop moving
3. Nice ability to slash into the paint, beauty of a first step
4. A decent rebounder, especially on the defensive end
5. The kid isn't quick, he's sudden -- just like the Wild Samoans
6. ***Makes effort plays***


Weaknesses:
1. Needs some more meat on him, looks like he's made of wire
2. Can get a little hyperkinetic on defense, prone to reach-in fouls
3. Tie his left hand behind his back on offense, very right-oriented on drives
4. Jumper is junky, bad form and puts a weird english on the ball, like a knuckler


Season Averages:
PPG: 14.2
RPG: 7.4
APG: 4.3
STL: 4.2
BLK: 2.9
FLS: 3.6

USA Today Ranking: 111

Coach's Comment: Rashid is a great young man and has grown a lot in his time at Hueytown High. Was 5'4" to begin his sophomore year and grew 6'3" leading into his junior season. Has started every game in the last two years and won the "Most Improved Player" and "Defensive Player of the Year" award for his county as a Junior

Has grown another 2" this year -- **late bloomer**. Dad is a former All-State in Football as a Defensive Lineman





Mount St. Mary's College - Named by The National Review College Guide as one of the top 50 liberal arts colleges in the nation, 1993

[K Bomber]

Dr. Dunk to Participate in Old West Shootout
Western High School All Stars Announced
January 16, 2004

Berkeley, California (AP) - Participants in the upcoming Western High School All Star Shootout were announced at a press conference outside the Haas Pavillion on Thursday. Leading the way is lauded D1 prospect Duncan Moore, better known as Dr. Dunk, and W.B. Carpenter the flashy point guard from Fairfax High School in Los Angeles. Other participants were announced as follows:

RED TEAM
Guards:
Gilbert Rice - PG (Anaheim), Jason Kantner SG (Cedar Glen), Christopher Wiley - SG (San Mateo), Elmer Smith - SG (Pleasant Hill), Nathan Hanson - PG (San Ysidro), Chauncey Russell - SG (San Bernardino)

Forwards:
Bob Holcomb - SF (Oceanside), Antwan Ward - PF (Mountain View), Robert Craig - C (Pasadena), LeBron Almond - SF (Los Angeles), Chad Ross - PF (Los Angeles), Duncan Moore - C (Hollywood)


BLUE TEAM
Guards:
W.B. Carpenter - PG (Los Angeles), Richie Iversen - SG (Del Mar), Reginald Miller - PG (La Quinnta), Lasrry Brown - SG (Napa), Owen Starks - PG (Oakland), Cecil Johnson - SG (Redwood City)

Forwards:
Frank Blanchett - SF (Santa Cruz), Micah Nash - PF (Santa Barbara), Richard Hill-Thomas - C (Modesto), Chauncey Roberson - SF (San Jacinto), Major Root - PF (Redwood City), Antwan Starks - C (Oakland)

The tip-off goes at 7:30 PM on Sunday, January 18, tickets are still on sale at the Haas Pavillion Box Office

[K Bomber]

DECLAWED
Mountaineers Tame Bobcats
January 11, 2004

Hamden, Connecticut (AP) - Rashad Dunleavy smiled with contentment, it was a long time coming. The Freshman swingman had fought with his game the entire season leading into the Mount's game with the Quinnipiac Bobcats, unsure as to whether his talents would ever translate into success at the College level as they had in every level prior to coming to Emmitsburg. Sometimes it happens that way, players who have enjoyed nothing but success flatten out, stall in their maturation or get caught by the pack always nipping at their heels.

Dunleavy wasn't sure, buts his Coach had remained faithful and on Saturday night his belief paid off as Rashad Duleavy led his team to an NEC Conference victory on the road against the Quinnipiac Bobcats by a score of 89-65.

The Mount was due for a letdown leading into the Quinnipiac game. Having recently mastered the Maryland Terrapins, it was very possible that Major Bone's young team would look past the Bobcats of Quinnipiac and approach the game with a more cavalier attitude then was fitting for any game in Division 1 competition. Much as he had anticipated, Coach Bone witnessed his team play some of the sloppiest ball of their season to start the game.

The Mount was missing on all cylinders. Defensive roatations were slow, recognition of offensive keys was lapse, the energy level was non-existent and the team was undisciplined in their shot selection. With a little over three minutes gone in the first half, Bone called Dunleavy down from the end of the bench and provided him with some stern instructions before sending him to the scorer's table to enter the game

With Dunleavy inserted into the line-up the Mount began to look organized

Dunleavy was like a whirling dervish on the floor, barking out instructions, calling plays and making great reads and feeds off the drive. On defense, Dunleavy played Aki Parkinson, Quinnipiac's junior point guard who had begun the game with 9 quick points, with intensity, playing a very physical and determined brand of defense. Throughout the half, Dunleavy found Isaiah Stone in the rhythm of the offense as he drove into the lane and kicked out the ball to his fellow frosh for open looks behind the arc. Stone wore out the mesh on 6 of 11 shooting, to finish the half with 15 points and a 38-29 Mountaineer advantage

Coach Bone inserted his starting unit back into the game to begin the second half, but again became frustrated as the starters played without a sense of urgency. Once again Dunleavy ignited the offence when he returned to the game, in conjunction with Stone and Darrel Daniels, by attacking the hoop and sharing the ball as the second string perimeter players asserted themselves and branded the game with their indellible mark.

Stone finished the game with 34 points on 13 of 19 from the field and 4 of 6 shooting from behind the arc, leading four Mountaineers in double digit scoring. Dunleavy finished with 12 assists for the evening and did not commit a single turnover, while adding 2 rebounds, 2 steals and a blocked shot

While the book on Dunleavy was to expect a dynamic scoring force at the Mount, the freshman has begun to show a flair for conducting the action on the floor in the role of a true floor general. Should his scoring touch re-emerge, Coach Bone may need to find a way to throw a couple of extra balls out on the court to make sure that everyone is getting enough shots, as there is no lack of willing marksmen on the Mount St. Mary's Mountaineers

The Mount plays next against Bridgeport Tech on January 12

[baitman]

It's looking good for the Mount's March......

Nice touch on the H.S. All Star game.


later,
baitman

[K Bomber]

http://sports.espn.go.com/i/columnists/bilas_jay_fpo.gif

Is "The Bone" Too Big for Tiny Emmitsburg?
By Jay Bilas
Special to ESPNvideogames.com
January 13, 2003

There's a little rumble being heard in the distance, emanating from the tiny town of Emmitsburg, Maryland. There at Mount St. Mary's, the smallest school in Division One Basketball, the Mountaineers are making some noise that has begun to be heard throughout the country as they continue to roll to victory after victory.

The list of surprised victims has included a very capable Maryland team, Virginia and Notre Dame, who are still wondering what hit them during an early season tilt when the Mount came to visit in South Bend.

The Mountaineers are led by a virtual stranger to the college scene in Coach Major Bone. I've been trying to find some background on just where Mount St. Mary's found this hoops genius, but for lack of any reliable information, we'll have to assume that divine intervention has shone on the Mountaineers program.

Rumours from a few sources in the know have already suggested that as many as three ACC and a couple of Big Ten schools may have already been inquiring about Bone's availability. In Emmitsburg, t-shirts exclaiming "We Love The Bone" have become hot sellers in a town that has nothing but appreciation for the leaps that the program has made this year and the man who's been the architect of that success

While the Mount hasn't been seen in around the top 25 to date, if they continue to pile up the wins the polls will have to take notice, sooner rather than later

Stay tuned.........

[K Bomber]

It's looking good for the Mount's March......

Nice touch on the H.S. All Star game.


later,
baitman
Thanks Bait, just trying to live up to the accepted standards of all the legacies on the board

Hope you like the Bilas piece. One note for anyone wondering, Jay Bilas isn't writing a column for me it is merely a work of fiction

Just to avoid confusion.........

[baitman]

Hey Bro,

The Bilas column was too sweet.......man that's tight indeed.

You have lived up to my standards my man....and beyond.
(Very nice indeed).

Keep it comin'
later,
baitman

[K Bomber]

Charity Begins on the Road
Dunleavy Donates 23 Dimes in Mount Win
January 13, 2004

Bridgeport, Connecticut (AP) - The mighty Mountaineers of Mount St. Mary's College continued their impressive run through the NEC on Monday night with a routine beating of the Bridgeport Tech Ducks 92-72

The usual stars of Isaiah Stone, Ralph Peterson and the former Goat Herder, Moses Adeleke, were integral contributors in the dismantling of Bridgeport, who played at home in the Mayer Athletic Center. But beyond those three, it was the quietest memeber of the self-proclaimed Four Horsemen of the Hypotenuse, Rashad Dunleavy, who seemed to take the greatest delight in carving up the Ducks with 23 assists to go against only 3 turnovers

"Rashad is really finding his game", said Major Bone, Head Coach of both Dunleavy and the Mount.

"I think that he's seeing the floor in slow-motion right now because he's finding passing lanes to his teammates that are only there for a split second. He's been diligent, learned the other guys tendencies and he's really getting comfortable in running the offense. We were expecting a sniper, but I'm not going to argue with a guy making everybody better. There's a maturity to his game that's really becoming evident when we play and he's become a very vocal leader, especially in practice. Other guys may score and lead the charge, but he's the general that's organizing and ordering them up the hill"

And indeed, Dunleavy's passing fancy made the balance of the Mountaineers' attack incredibly potent as four players finished in double figures in scoring Stone (23), Peterson (19), Adeleke (22) and Darrel Daniels (15). Adeleke also contributed 6 rebounds to lead the Mountaineers

The roasted Ducks were led by Andre Sherman with 15 and Regis Shaw who tossed in 12 and added 4 assists in a losing effort

The Mount continues to cruise through play in the NEC and with their schedule now entrenched in conference play, where they have looked like a juggernaut, the Mountaineers have few obstacles in the way of posting their best record in years.

The Mount next plays the Central Connecticut State Blue Devils at home in the Knott Center on January 17

[baitman]

Man......23 dimes.......that's huge.

I bet a Christmas time that kid buys everyone on the team a gift.
What an unselfish player.

He is becoming a bigtime floor general, for sure.

Keep it up...and good luck on the March to Madness.

later,
baitman

[K Bomber]

Man......23 dimes.......that's huge.

I bet a Christmas time that kid buys everyone on the team a gift.
What an unselfish player.

He is becoming a bigtime floor general, for sure.

Keep it up...and good luck on the March to Madness.

later,
baitman
You know what the funny thing is, I can't replicate that type of result with any other player on that roster. The real player is a guy named Mychal Kearse, an SG at that, and he only averages 2 assists per game, so it's not like he's an elite dish man

I don't think I play consciously different when using him at the point, but I can't generate assist numbers to the same extent with anyone else really

The big laugher is that he doesn't even start for me. Those numbers are off the pine with, primarily, the second unit.............

[baitman]

Yeah....I can relate to that, some players need to break their first sweat on the bench...rather than on the floor, so they can get into the flow of the game.

That's still a huge effort regardless.

later,
baitman

[K Bomber]

http://espn-att.starwave.com/i/talent/dickvitale/sensational16_story.gif

Dickie V's - Sensational 16
By Dickie Vitale
SPECIAL TO ESPNVIDEOGAMES.COM
January 14, 2004

Now that snooze time is over and we're into the Q.T. portion of the season, I'm going to be ranking the nation's top 16 teams each week -- those I believe are on track for the Sweet 16 come March, in conjunction with ESPN.com's Power 16

This week it was "Rock Chalk Jayhawk", baby as Kansas brought the W big time against Villanova 79-59, and buffaloed Colorado 100-57. Arizona beat the heat and looked like the All-Avis Team against Cal and Stanford. Those two schools are looking like the Rolls Royces of the NCAA. Here's the rest of my Sensational 16 for January 14

1. Kansas

2. Arizona

3. North Carolina

4. Syracuse

5. Oklahoma State

6. Pittsburgh

7. Wisconsin

8. Texas

9. Cincinnati

10. Xavier

11. UAB

12. Purdue

13. UCONN

14. Oklahoma

15. St. Joe's

16 Tennessee


My List of the Week:

ALL-RIP VAN WINKLE TEAM (GUYS WHO NEED MORE EXPOSURE)

Moses Adeleke (Mount St. Mary's) - The M & M'er, a real Surf & Turfer who'll feed you the Wilson Sandwich in the lane

Luis Flores (Manhattan) - Mr. Pac Man with a Perimeter J

Craig Smith (Boston College) - A real space eater and PTP

Kirk Snyder (Nevada) - High Riser, baby, the engine of the Wolf Pack

Derrick Tarver (Akron) - The Isolation Man, playing it on the Indianapolis Raceway

[baitman]

That's nice bro.....

I dig the Dickie V. thing (I wish he was in Hoops myself).

How do you guys get those logos?

HotShot told me something about the image button...but how do I get it to transfer them to my page?

Thanx,
baitman

[K Bomber]

The Mount That Roars
Dunleavy and Mountaineers Give the Devils
Their Due in 88-54 Beating at Home
January 18, 2004

Emmitsburg, Maryland (AP) - The US Government has dispatched a team of scientists to tiny Emmitsburg to study the effects of college basketball on human growth. It seems that the play of the Mount St. Mary's Mountaineers has everyone is this tiny college hamlet walking around feeling about a foot taller these days. On Saturday night, the roll continued as the Mount gave another dominating effort in an 88-54 victory over the Central Connecticut State Blue Devils

Well before the mania of the Mountaineers 2003-04 exploded, it was CCSU whom college hoops insiders had envisioned to lead the the entire NEC behind the play of some brilliant freshman talent, augmenting a talented core of returning players from last year. Many of the freshmen on the Mount had circled the date of January 17 on the calendar as an opportunity to send a message to their more vaunted frosh opposition, not only for the season at hand, but for the next few years as well.

As has been the case in recent games, the Mountaineer attack became most potent under the direction of freshman Point Guard Rashad Dunleavy. In looking to provide a "statement" game against a conference foe, Dunleavy was brilliant, verging on a rare Triple-Double by game's end, with 16 points, 6 rebounds and 18 assists in another virtuoso performance. The most impressive part of Dunleavy's emergence has been that his numbers are being generated in a supporting role off the bench behind sophomore point guard Anthony Booker, the Mount's starting floor general

"So far I've liked it when Rashad comes off the bench," mused Major Bone about his use of Dunleavy off the pines

"Sometimes you see it where a kid gets a little too keyed up when they start. He's just better when he sits for a bit and sees the flow of the game from the bench to start and has some time to calm done after warm-ups and all the pre-game hoopla. It re-focuses him and the results pretty much are self-explanatory"

The impact of Dunleavy was enormously evident against the Blue Devils as the Mount trailed by six, 14-8, by the time Bone inserted his secret weapon into the proceedings. With Number 3 on the floor, the Mount immediately became a different team as the defensive intensity ramped up and the offense began to hum. Isaiah Stone, who has become a favored recipient of Dunleavy's tasty dishes, led the Mount in scoring for the first half, delivering 12 points on 6 of 12 shooting from the field and 4 of 6 from beyond the arc as Dunleavy recorded 13 assists in the first frame

In the second half, Dunleavy looked to score and connected for 14 of his 16 points on the game by driving the lane with impudence and either scoring or drawing fouls against the CCSU interior players. As a result of the Mount's constant, driving attack both James Jackson and Joe Fuller, the Blue Devils starting post players, got into foul trouble allowing Moses Adeleke, the Former-Goat-Herder-Turned Hoops-Prodigy, to assert himself down the stretch towards a 21 point, 9 rebound effort. For the game, Isaiah Stone matched Adeleke's output with 21 as the Mount saw all Four Horsemen of the Hypotenuse land in double figures and none of their frosh counterparts on the Blue Devils do the same.

Central Connecticut State was led by their junior Shooting Forward, Robert Modica who finished with 11 points and 6 rebounds.

So the legend continues to grow, and with it, a town's populace is walking proud. After years on the bottom, the Mountaineers are starting to breath the rare air at the top of heap as kings of the hill

The Mount next sees action on Monday night at home against Wagner

[K Bomber]

Page 1 of 1

Major Bone

From: "Collier Meyer" <clankgrabber@aol.com>
Sent: January 19, 2004
Subject: About Your Team


Coach

I wanted to thank you for having me to the game against CCSU on Saturday. Sitting down with you was great and seeing what you're trying to build was really good too

Coach, you know that I'm looking for a school that will let me step right in and play. When I look at what you've got on your squad I see a lot of talented competition for PT and that's part of the reason why I've made the decision that I have about what I'm going to do

I'm coming to Mount St. Mary's.

I wanna work and be the best I can be and build something. Anything else is cheap and weak. Tell your boys they better get ready to bang every day in practice. Sharpen up them 'bows

Holla back,

Collier

[baitman]

As always K Bomber..........very, very good legacy...my man.

thanx again,
baitman

[K Bomber]

As always K Bomber..........very, very good legacy...my man.

thanx again,
baitman
Thanks dude. It makes it worthwhile to know that people are liking what you put together. It's the impetus to keep trying to improve and create

I'm backlogged on some write ups, I'm hoping this will be a big catch-up week

[Jackrabbit]

Hey - good to see you got Collier to verbal to the Mount! Any other verbals...

Great look on the emails and Dickie V was the best. The Bone is truly one of the benchmarks on the site - great work. Lookin for more!

[K Bomber]

DR. Dunk Operates at Berkeley
Moore Huge in Western All-Stars Shootout
January 19, 2003

Berkeley, California (AP) - Duncan Moore of Hollywood, California provided a tour de force perfomance last night in the Pepsi Western All-Star High School Shootout at the Haas Pavilion. In a building that was intentionally designed to encourage intimidation (http://calbears.ocsn.com/facilities/haas-pavilion.html), Moore was easily the most frightening spectacle on the court in leading the Red Team to a 100-63 demolition of the Blue All-Stars

Moore paced the Red All-Stars attack throughout the game by controlling the paint on both ends to finish with 36 points, on 15 of 22 shooting from the field, 6 of 8 from the free throw stripe, and by grabbing a game-high 19 rebounds, with 11 on the offensive end. He also showed scouts some of the defensive savvy that has characterized his play in high school by recording 2 steals and 4 blocked shots to cop Player of the Game honors

The Blue All Stars were led by Micah Nash, a Power Forward from Santa Barbara who finished with 16 point and 7 rebounds along with a steal and a block. W.B Carpenter may have hurt his value on the recruiting scene with a weak 7 point, 6 assist performance that was marred by 11 turnovers

Moore was seen after the game chatting with Devean George and Kareem Rush of the LA Lakers before leaving the the Haas Centre in his mother's customized BMW SUV along with several members of his posse

[K Bomber]

Page 1 of 1

Major Bone

From: "Vince Pierce" <vpierce@msm.athletics.com>
Sent: January 19, 2004
Subject: Progress Report - Recruiting


Coach:

I spoke with Jamie Price and his father last night and they've decided to send Jamie to DePaul as he has his heart set on playing in what they term as the "big time" in college ball. As a result I've made a scholarship offer to Archie Newsom, another prospect at center. I saw him last week in a game where he did a pretty brilliant job on the backboards with 26 rebounds and 9 points.


Beyond that, we've also made an offer to Rashid Roberts that I think interests him given that we'll have at least one senior graduating at his position in Sherman January, which makes playing time more of a reality for someone like hime coming in


Anyways, I know there are a couple of guys that you're working on recruiting as well, but I just wanted to keep you advised of where I was at with things as well


Sincerely,


Vince Pierce
Assistant Coach
Mount St. Mary's

[K Bomber]

Page 1 of 1

Vince Pierce

From: "Major Bone" <mbone@msm.athletics.com>
Sent: January 19, 2004
Subject: RE: Progress Report - Recruiting


Vince:

Too bad about Price. Just wondering if you might send me the scouting report on our newest scholarship offer-ee. You must have forgotten with all the travel.


Go get 'em,


Coach Bone
Mount St. Mary's

[K Bomber]

Page 1 of 1

Major Bone

From: "Vince Pierce" <vpierce@msm.athletics.com>
Sent: January 19, 2004
Subject: Archie Newsom
Attachment: Scouting Report - ANewsom011604.pdf

Coach:

Sorry about that coach. I thought I'd sent it to you the other day

Anyways, young Mr. Newsom is a real presence in the paint. He's only 6'10" but he's got a little Jamal Magloire in him, really strong and very committed defensively. He really is a tough hombre but isn't a cheap shot type of guy -- he plays "the man's game"

Against Loyola Academy the kid played a monster game with only 9 points, but he had 26 boards and 6 blocks. The Loyola kids had their heads on pivots after a while because some of his blocks were with absolute malice -- I loved it!!

Like you know, I've made the offer in light of Jamie Price's decision, because I thought with losing Milton at the end of this year we'll need something in the paint to back up Moses

Hopefully Moses doesn't hear about the NBA anytime soon or we'll be in deep doo-doo

Sincerely,

Vince Pierce
Assistant Coach
Mount St. Mary's


SCOUTING REPORT

Subject: Archie Newsom

Height: 6'10"
Weight: 247 lbs
Position: Center
Location: Chicago, Illinois - Naperville Central High School


Strengths:
1. Owns the lane defensively -- this kid would face his grandmother if she threw something weak up in the lane (!!!)
2. Great positioning on rebounds, very active and physical in boxing out
3. Attack mentality, points off put-backs -- very aggressive
4. Sheer brute strength
5. Smart-tough, not prone to fouls, but is great at establishing himself


Weaknesses:
1. Due to his physical nature, he's a little foul prone at the HS level
2. The offensive side of things not as developed as his defensive game
3. Antoher "statement" rejector, should look to establish possession with blocks more


Season Averages:
PPG: 12.2
RPG: 19.3
APG: 0.7
STL: 0.4
BLK: 4.7
FLS: 3.6


USA Today Ranking: 74


Coach's Comment: His coach loves this kid and says he's going to have a hard time replacing his intensity. Motivates others on his team with his work ethic -- nobody wants to disappoint him, almost Ray Lewis like in his approach, which is unusual for a hoops kid

Plays Defensive Line on his HS football team, led league in sacks

Looking at Early Childhood Education as a major or something to do with flower arrangement/home decorating







Mount St. Mary's College - Named by The National Review College Guide as one of the top 50 liberal arts colleges in the nation, 1993

[baitman]

Newsome sounds like quite a specimen....he would be a great compliment to your goat herder. (Twin Towers) on the Mount's campus.

good luck in recruiting....I'm digging your emails as always.

later,
baitman

[K Bomber]

Sometimes art imitates life

When I first started writing about Bone and the Mount St. Mary's Mountaineers, I wasn't really as familiar with the team, so I just started writing some things up, trying to make the story as interesting as possible.

In one of the write-ups, A Lesson in Respect, I chronicled a story about "Bob Morris" a senior player on the Mount. In that account I wrote:

Bob Morris had done nothing on the court. The string of zeroes next to his name on the scoresheet was nothing new for the Senior Shooting Guard, who had rarely seen any floor time in his four years on the Mountaineers basketball team. The humble Morris came to the squad as a walk-on, under the watch of legendary Mount Coach Jim Phelan. Phelan was so impressed with the work ethic that the young Theology undergrad displayed in practice, that he offered a full scholarship entering his Junior year
Today I was doing a little reading on the Mount's website wherein they've included a retrospective of the Mount's year. One of the entries is about some of the departing seniors

***i Adasi also finished (his) career at the Mount......Adasi, a walk-on, made seven appearances for the Mount on the season
When I wrote about Bob Morris I just fictionalized his BG. I just thought it was funny that it was as accurate to the real guy, although somewhat sight unseen

Just thought it was a strange case of life imitating art.............

[baitman]

That is pretty weird man......coincidence (or) sub-conscious premonition?

Either way that's kinda spooky, dude.

Keep us in the loop as always,
later
baitman

[K Bomber]

That is pretty weird man......coincidence (or) sub-conscious premonition?

Either way that's kinda spooky, dude.

Keep us in the loop as always,
later
baitman
My next post on the Mount will be found on the Psychic Friends Network.......

[baitman]

:lol: Hahahahahhaha...........I heard that.

[K Bomber]

The Mount Grills Some Seahawk
Wagner No Match for Powerful Mountaineers
January 20, 2004

Emmitsburg, Maryland (AP) - To give the Wagner Seahawks credit, they did do a great job of keeping Moses Adeleke off the boards. The young man from Senegal, so vital to the Mount's defensive schemes, had averaged over 12 rebounds per contest coming into action on Monday night and caused rebounding nightmares for almost every team that had faced the Mountaineers. So with a determined effort, the young Seahawk big men focused their energies towards stopping Adeleke's progress on the boards by continually ensuring that at least one, and many times two, Seahawk players endeavored to box big number 55 out of the rebounding picture in limiting him to a season-low, 5 rebound total

The only problem with that approach, was that as the Seahawks looked to stop the goliath from Senegal, other Mountaineers picked up the rebounding slack in registering an 84-51 roasting of the Seahawks in Emmitsburg

For his part, Adeleke found a novel way of reducing the importance of rebounding the ball by scoring on virtually every occasion he touched the rock in leading the Mountaineers with 35 points on the night, delivered while shooting 15 of 25 from the field

"Moses is our Gibraltor," noted Major Bone, the Mountaineer Coach.

"He's just been a steady contributor throughout the year and a guy that we have and continue to count on. He makes the game easy with his ability to grab boards, keep possessions alive, limit and change shots on defense and his uncanny feel for his role in our offense. For a guy with limited experience in the game, he's really beginning to grasp how to pass out of the low and high post, with some really nice touch"

Relative to passing fancy, Rashad Dunleavy continued to organize the Mountaineer attack with balance, lending 13 assists. The beneficiaries of many of Dunleavy's dimes were Isaiah Stone and Ralph Peterson who provided matching 16 point nights. Stone was a monster in picking up Adeleke's slack on the boards by grabbing 11, a season high

On defense, the Mount throttled the Seahawks with constant pressure, not allowing a single player into double digit scoring and limiting Wagner to shooting 0.355 from the field and 0.125 from behind the arc, while forcing 20 turnovers

The Mount is quickly becoming a story in the NCAA. Recently they have appeared in articles on the national stage and with a schedule liimted to NEC play, the possibility for an unblemished run through regular season play is becoming more realistic with every passing game

The Mount plays next on January 22 when they visit the Robert Morris Colonials

[K Bomber]

http://espn-att.starwave.com/i/talent/dickvitale/sensational16_story.gif

Dickie V's - Sensational 16
By Dickie Vitale
SPECIAL TO ESPNVIDEOGAMES.COM
January 21, 2004

Another week and a step closer to the big dance. I'll be ranking my top 16 every week in conjunction with the ESPN Power 16

This week Kansas kept it rolling as the Rolls Royce of hoops in the NCAA. These guys are playing like PTP's and don't look like they'll stop until they're cutting 'em down in San Antonio. I know that it's early, but the Jayhawks are looking like the creme de la cream so far, even without Roy Williams steering the ship

My Sweet Sixteen for this week looks like this:

1. Kansas

2. Arizona

3. North Carolina

4. Syracuse

5. Oklahoma State

6. UCONN

7. Xavier

8. Wisconsin

9. Cincinnati

10. Kentucky

11. Pittsburgh

12. UAB

13. Purdue

14. Oklahoma

15. St. Joe's

16 Texas

My List of the Week:

ALL-MICHAELANGELO TEAM (COACHES WHO ARE BRILLIANT ARTISTS AT WORK)

Bill Self (Kansas) - Doing some great things post-Roy Williams

Thad Matta (Xavier) - A-10 commissioner Linda Bruno can smile, Matta has made the Musketeers matta

Mike Anderson (UAB) - Take a bow, your guys have been drilling the Reggies and making the Pete Roses

Roy Williams (UNC) - The Master, always has his team playing Prime Time

Major Bone (Mount St. Mary's) - The Shadow, The Invisible Man. Looking to get the Mount deep into Maalox Time

http://espn-att.starwave.com/i/talent/dickvitale/vbytes_story.gif

Dickie V on his induction to the Basketball Hall of Fame (http://espnradio.espn.go.com/espnradio/audiochoose?id=1737329)

[Nothinbutnett34]

whoa...u must have nothin to do with ur life if u have this much time

[baitman]

Nice bro......Dickie V. always rules in my book

I like it alot.

later,
baitman

[K Bomber]

whoa...u must have nothin to do with ur life if u have this much time
Actually,once you strip out all the extraneous and mindless activities that can pollute your day, like being a fan of the BoSox, you'd be amazed what you can have time for

Thanks for your "interest"...........

[K Bomber]

Mountaineers Storm Robert Morris
Colonials Crushed at Home by NEC Juggernaut
January 23, 2004

Moon Township, Pennsylvania (AP) - The Mighty Mount continued to look like superheroes on Thursday night, as Mount St. Mary's travelled to this suburb of Pittsburgh to face the Robert Morris Colonials at the Charles L. Sewall Center. Dominating the play from the opening tip-off, the Mountaineers started fast and cruised to a 93-53 victory over the Colonials

Once again, frosh production was the story as the Four Horsemen of the Hypotnuse were the grim messengers of Hoops Apocalypse. Moses Adeleke, the unheralded big man from Senegal was a major contributor with 28 points and 11 rebounds, while anchoring the Mountaineer defense that recorded 16 steals and 5 blocked shots

Isaiah Stone and Ralph Peterson played a major role in support of Adeleke scoring 22 and 16 respectively, while Rashad Dunleavy paced the offence with 12 assists to go along with 6 points and three steals

The Robert Morris Colonials were led by senior Power Forward Lloyd Tinsley and his 12 points

For the game, the Mount held the Colonials to 0.320 shooting on 18 of 49 shooting from the field. The game was evenly officiated with the Mount earning 19 trips to the line compared to 25 for Robert Morris

Currently at a pristine 18-0, the Mount next sees action on Saturday when their road trip continues to play the St. Francis (PA) Red Flash at 3PM

[K Bomber]

http://sports.espn.go.com/i/columnists/bilas_jay_fpo.gif

The Fresh Faces of Hoops Success at the Mount
By Jay Bilas
Special to ESPNvideogames.com
January 23, 2004

Last week I told you about a tiny school currently making big waves in NCAA play when I related the story of the hoops renaissance currently ongoing at Mount St. Mary's in Emmitsburg, Maryland. This week, there's evidence that the play is finally starting to get noticed as the Mountaineers have surfaced as the 33rd ranked team in the NCAA by the folks here at ESPN

While I mentioned the efforts of their coach, Major Bone, a national man of mystery if ever there was one and whose rumoured to have been the subject of interest from a major program in the Northeast, this week I'm going to highlight a couple of fabulous freshmen responsible for the turnaround in the Mount's fortunes

The Mount is currently the highest scoring outfit in the entire NCAA and they are led by two players currently found in the top ten nationally in scoring. Not since Loyola Marymount has one team benefited from such a powerful one two punch as the Mount's Moses Adeleke and Ralph Peterson

Adeleke, who I can't see remaining in school for the full ride is currently fourth in the nation in scoring at 22.8 ppg and first in field goal percentage at 0.658. This kid is a monster on the blocks and, while still raw, is playing like the second coming of Hakeem Olajuwon

Peterson has played a valuable supporting role on defense while being a main cog offensively with a 22.4 ppg scoring average. The kid is a rugged defender and doesn't shy away from the physical parts of the game

You may not have heard of these two guys up to now, but the Mount is hoping the nation becomes familiar with their precocious freshmen in around tournament time

[K Bomber]

Page 1 of 1

Major Bone

From: "Rashid Roberts" <shutdown@yahoo.com>
Sent: January 23, 2004
Subject: Your Squad


Coach Bone

I was impressed with the game yesterday. I like your style and your team

I'm hoping you got a uni with a number 43 on it for me, because I'm in. Tell the team to work on scoring because I plan on shutting your opposition down on defense

Peace


Rashid Roberts

[K Bomber]

Could you post ya settings, half length, sliders using, ect......I am interest in finding out what most the legacies around here are using for their stats.......I have always used me and prez's sliders with 14 halfs. i am just trying to see what most people use also.

Welcome
Holla at ya boy
HotShot
I didn't think it was appropriate to post this in someone else's legacy

Up until the Maryland game in this legacy I used elprez98's revised 4.0 settings. Since that point, I have used the realism sliders developed in cooperation by elprez98 and HotShot232

When I get to my second season I'm going to throw the role play slider set and method at this legacy. I just want to finish this season with the current configuration set as I'm into the year end tournaments in play, although I'm a little backed up on written accounts

Hopefully those will be caught up so that I get into real-time should I make the Big Dance with MSM

Here's hoping...............

[K Bomber]

Red Flash Panned at Home
Mountaineers Make Quick Work of St. Francis (PA)
January 25, 2004

Loretto, Pennsylvania (AP) - In 1956 Julius Schwartz reintroduced a classic Golden Age character back into the world of comic books and with that re-introduction began what historians of "sequential art" have always refered to as the Silver Age of comics. The character in question was The Red Flash, which was almost immediately shortened to being just the plain, old Flash. You remember him, the super-fast guy running around in red long-johns with gold wings on the side of his head. Hopefully they didn't make him run around like that too often in the winter

It isn't known if the Silver Age comic book character was the inspiration behind the naming of the sports teams at St. Francis (PA) University, but after an ignomious 98-48 defeat at the hands of the Mount St. Mary's Mountaineers, it has become painfully obvious who plays the role of basketball superheroes in the NEC.

The Mount, as dominant in the NEC as any team in years, was led once again by their own version of Superman in Moses Adeleke who has yet to find his competitive equivalent of Kryptonite in conference play. Yet again, Adeleke was faster than a speeding bullet to gain control over virtually any karom coming off either the offensive or defensive glass in tallying 13 rebounds for the game. More powerful than a locomotive, the former Goat Herder bulled his way into the lane for 39 points against a St. Francis team that could find no answer for Adeleke's interior game. Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound, Adeleke rejected 5 shots with extreme prejudice leaving the Red Flash behind in a cloud dust by game's end

As with any good superhero, Adeleke had help from some of his super friends as Isaiah Stone and Ralph Peterson dropped 14 and 16 points in support of Super Moses. Marquis Lewis, the senior Power Forward for the Red Flash, gave a superlative effort with 19 points and 14 rebounds, but was ultimately vanquished in a match-up that was only missing the "POW!", "WHAP!!" and "SCA-TOOM!!!" sound effects to make the defeat more appropriately resonant

For the game the Mount's league of extraordinary gentlemen shot an impressive 0.597 while holding the merely mortal St. Francis Red Flash to 0.333 on 60 attempts

The Mount next battles for truth, justice and an improved record in conference play on January 31 when they are visited by the Knights of Farleigh Dickenson

Stay tuned, true believers......

[K Bomber]

Page 1 of 1

Major Bone

From: "Archie Newsom" <a.newsensation@aol.com>
Sent: January 25, 2004
Subject: Your Scholarship Offer


Coach

Thanks for having me out last weekend to see the Wagner game

I've been in touch with Rashid Roberts and he told me that he was in for next year. I think we see the game the same way, so I was glad to hear that.

With how great guys like Moses Adeleke and Ralph Peterson are doing, I thought for sure that the Mount is the place for me to learn the game because I think you've got some skills with teaching the game to big men

I'd like to take you up on your offer and attend Mount St. Mary's starting next year and play hoops for the Mountaineers. I won't let you down, Coach

Thanks again.......

Archie Newsom
The BIG Man in the Middle

[sphanlon]

Good job with this. Sometimes wish I did stuff like this. Mostly I make up dynsty details like you see posted on this board in my head and never actually put them down or share. Like how you do all the articles and emails and what I guess are ESPN.com features and stuff. Now am I missing something or do you never post your record? And please don't
sh-t on the Sox because of that goon!

[K Bomber]

Good job with this. Sometimes wish I did stuff like this. Mostly I make up dynsty details like you see posted on this board in my head and never actually put them down or share. Like how you do all the articles and emails and what I guess are ESPN.com features and stuff. Now am I missing something or do you never post your record? And please don't
sh-t on the Sox because of that goon!
Thanks for your interest in reading about this version of the Mount.

Relative to the Mount's record, it's currently 19-0 to this point of the written accounts

Relative to the Sox, sorry man, it's the first thing that came to mind.........

[baitman]

Nice run ya got goin' K Bomber....and it looks like the Mount has landed some "blue chippers" to gloss-up the media magazine for next season.

As always....you provide a GREAT read......thanx as always.

later,
baitman

[K Bomber]

Nice run ya got goin' K Bomber....and it looks like the Mount has landed some "blue chippers" to gloss-up the media magazine for next season.

As always....you provide a GREAT read......thanx as always.

later,
baitman
One note on the College Hoops forum. This is the best forum on the web in my opinion.

I started reading this website due to my interest in the NBA game. Brankles mentioned some good things about College Hoops in those threads that made me check out this part of the site. From there reading the legacies made me want to, not only get this game, but contribute my legacy as well

Elprez98, HotShot232, Vandnbyriver5, LarryLegend and, of course, Baitman, you guys were my in to this legacy experience. To me this is still the nicest celebration of the game of basketball that I have seen and the support that all the legacy writers have for each others work is pretty fantastic.

TO all the guys posting legacies out there, especially the newer guys, we read it all when we can and each version of the game offers something unique and noteworthy

I hope you all continue forward with your interpretations of the game..........

[HotShot232]

You got that right bomber.....I also wanna say how cool this board is cause we are not spammed to death with all kinds of childish post and actions. Instead we have a good mature group of guys that like the game of basketball. Best board to ever be apart of...Thanks guys

Holla
HotShot

[K Bomber]

http://espn-att.starwave.com/i/talent/dickvitale/sensational16_story.gif

Dickie V's - Sensational 16
By Dickie Vitale
SPECIAL TO ESPNVIDEOGAMES.COM
January 28, 2004

Alright, baby, it's Dickie V talking college hoops. I'll be ranking my top 16 every week as part of the ESPN Power 16

This week it was Rock, Shock Jayhawk as the Colorado Buffaloes stunned Kansas 73-71 at home. That's going to mean a brand new Numero Uno in the land of hoops

My Sweet Sixteen for this week looks like this:

1. Arizona

2. North Carolina

3. Syracuse

4. UCONN

5. Oklahoma State

6. Xavier

7. Wisconsin

8. Kanasas

9. Cincinnati

10. Kentucky

11. UAB

12. Texas

13. Purdue

14. Oklahoma

15. St. Joe's

16 Mississippi State

My List of the Week:

ALL-VELCRO DEFENSIVE STOPPERS TEAM
(GUYS WHO'LL SPEND THE NIGHT PLAYING D INSIDE YOUR UNIFORM)

Jakob Doumbouya (Colorado) - Covers like Saran Wrap and clings too

Jabahri Simms (Kansas) - The Carpet Man, taking it wall to wall

Maurice Dearman (Notre Dame) - Will steal your lunch money and feed you the Wilson Sandwich

Jarrett Jack (Georgia Tech) - The Vice Man, puts on the squeeze for 94 feet

Mark Swift (Memphis) - The Siamese Twin, he'll play you like he's attached at the hip

[baitman]

Awwwwww.....K Bomber, sweet...sweet...sweet.....ya know I'm a BIG Dickie V. fan........awesome post on the Sensational 16.

And I especially like the Rock, Shock Jayhawk intro....top-notch wit, baby.

I'll be in touch as usual.

later,
baitman

[K Bomber]

Stone Sticks it to the Knights
Mountaineers Romp at Fairleigh Dickenson
February 01, 2004

Teaneck, New Jersey (AP) - The roll continued last night in New Jersey for the Mount St. Mary's Mountaineers. Marching to the beat of a different drummer, the Mount exploded for 113 points in an absolute rout of the Fairleigh Dickenson Knights by a score of 113-55

While the Mount has become accustomed to riding on the coat tails of Moses Adeleke, their freshman sensation in the paint, it was Isaiah Stone who led the charge through the swamp this time around by posting 42 points on a 16 for 31 shooting night from the field. Especially lethal from behind the arc, Stone connected for 10 treys on 20 attempts as he continually fired up jumpers without conscience throughout the game

The Mount needed someone to step up as well after the Knights were able to limit Adeleke to 4 first half points. While the big Goat Herder didn't score, he did rack up 13 boards for the half

In the second, Adeleke found some of his scoring punch which allowed him to finish with 15 points on the night, to go along with 20 rebounds. Ralph Peterson, the forgotten man in the Mountaineer attack, scored a quiet 32, which went mostly unnoticed due to the fireworks provided by Stone who copped player of the game honours

The Fairleigh Dickenson Knights were led by Chris Jackson and his 16 point performance, but were otherwise limited to a wretched shooting night by the vaunted Mountaineer defense, which held them to 22 of 60 from the field

The Mount next sees action on Monday night when they visit the Central Connecticut State Blue Devils

[baitman]

WOW....an awesome offensive explosion bro.......that's incredible.

Stone went bonkers for sure.
The Mount is in the nether-regions of Scary-Land.

Great report.

later,
baitman

[K Bomber]

WOW....an awesome offensive explosion bro.......that's incredible.

Stone went bonkers for sure.
The Mount is in the nether-regions of Scary-Land.
I see you've been to New Jersey.........

[K Bomber]

Headless Man Found in Topless Bar
Not Really the Story, But Far More Interesting Than "Mount Wins Again"
February 03, 2004

New Britain, Connecticut (AP) - After a while, superlatives will fail. With time, anticipations can change, and what once seemed fantastic might comparably appear as the mundane. Entering into this 2003-04 season, the expectations for the Mount St. Mary's Mountaineers were modest at best. With a young team and an unheralded coach of mysterious origins, what could legitimately be expected from a team that had struggled to see a 0.500 record within the weakly regarded NEC, let alone on the national stage of the NCAA?

However, as this, the most magical season in the history of Mountaineer basketball, has unfolded, it has now become almost customary to expect the type of overwhelming dominance that was, yet again, on display in the Detrick Gymnasium, here at Central Connecticut State University, as the Mount crushed the Blue Devils by a score of 96-48

Where do you begin to define the incredible? Is it in describing the impossibly fast start, where the Blue Devils first basket, by senior Point Guard Damon Riddick and scored 4:47 into the contest, narrowed the Mount's lead to 21-2 to start the game?

Does the inconceivable begin with three Freshmen, from out of no where, who appear as though heaven sent, to stamp each and every game with their indellible mark, as did Moses Adeleke with 18 points and 11 boards, Ralph Peterson with 24 and 6, and Isaiah Stone who lent an additional 24 to the proceedings?

Is the magnificent explained by a defensive masterpiece that limits one of the elite teams in the NEC Conference to a 0.365 field goal percentage, while allowing only one opposition player, Riddick, into double figures in scoring with 10 for the game?

How do you rationalize it? How do you make sense of the nonsensical?

"I just take it each day as it comes and work to a simple mantra," said Major Bone, the Mount's rookie Head Coach

"Break three sweats a day, go like heck and have fun with the game while you have the opportunity to play it. We work hard and celebrate our victories, but we don't take them for granted. With the season we've had, we're becoming a marked commodity. The secret is out that the Mount is a good team and every team in our conference is looking to be the team that takes us down. It may come in the regular season. If not, the conference tournament is going to be a mine field and teams are going to lay it all on the line."

"We need to be prepared for that every night and so far the team has responded. As a coaching staff we're continuously on the lookout for complacency. At the first indications of that, we have to be ready to respond to drive it out."

"As a team, we still haven't done anything of real note but win games that, ultimately, will mean very little in the larger scope of things. Our goal now is to find our way into the promised land of the NCAA Tournament of 64."

If you're going to make out for the promised land, it's always good to follow the lead of guys named Moses and Isaiah, in any event. Adeleke, with his enormous range of low-post skills, may not be around much past this season given the buzz of the NBA and NASA scouts concerning his exploits, both athletic and scientific. With such, the emphasis for the Mount needs to be "WIN NOW".

With a peerless record of 21 and 0, the Mount is hoping to avoid the pitfalls of injury and complacency, thereby finding Cinderella a ticket to the ball

Hopefully Cindy's a hoops girl who can get her game on in regulation before the clock strikes twelve on the Mountaineers' fairytale season

[baitman]

Spotless my man..spotless indeed.

Your way with words, are unparalled...kinda like The Mount's March to Madness.

Best of luck to you and them, my man....cause I wanna see Moses snip-down the nylon....without using a ladder. :lol:

later,
baitman

[K Bomber]

Blackbirds Served Crow at Home
Mountaineers Bake LIU to Continue Win Streak
February 06, 2004

Sing a song of sixpence,
a pocket full of rye;
Four and twenty blackbirds,
Baked in a pie.

Emmitsburg, Maryland (AP) - With the way Nursery Rhymes have come under scrutiny in a world inundated with political correctness, kids nowadays never get to hear classic Nursery Rhymes like Sing a Song of Sixpence anymore. On Thursday night, the Mount St. Mary's Mountaineers re-enacted a part of the old verse as they cooked LIU's goose in a 119-64 lambasting at the Knott Center on campus at the Mount

In so far, the 2003-04 season has provided a fairy tale quality to the Mount's exploits. Core to the team's success has been the play of the Four Horsemen of the Hypotnuse, unheralded freshmen found by an unheard of coach. Playing against LIU, the Horsemen may have provided their most complete game as a collective, as behind Rashad Dunleavy and his 21 point and 20 assist night, the Fearsome Foursome all scored over 20 points apiece

The keys to victory in this one began with Dunleavy, who masterfully organized the Mount's attack. In a rare start, Dunleavy started fast and kept the pressure on the Blackbird's defense until the bitter end, continually locating and feeding teammates for high percentage scoring opportunities. The intelligence with which Dunleavy ran the show was breathtaking

Using dribble penetration he would drive and kick to Isaiah Stone on the perimeter. When the defense extended to cover the long range game Dunleavy exposed the soft underbelly with dishes to Moses Adeleke and Ralph Peterson for dunks. When the Blackbirds challenged Dunleavy to shoot he did and hurt them with an efficient mid-range game. The entire offence was set-up by Dunleavy's astounding ability off the bounce. Beyond all the offensive fireworks, Dunleavy also kept the Mountaineer defense on their toes, barking out instructions and calling cogent rotations

"Consistency", remarked Major Bone, Head Coach of the Mount

"All Rashad needs to do is find some level of consistency and the sky is the limit. He's a natural leader and his basketball IQ is through the roof. Once he puts it all together on a consistent basis, it's going to be unbelievable. He's as likely to throw 20 assists at the board as he is to drop a donut, though. Until he sorts that out, you're going to wonder which guy is going to appear"

As for the rest of the Mount's freshman gang, Isaiah Stone led all scorers with 31 points stroked mostly from the outside. Ralph Peterson and Moses Adeleke contributed 20 and 24 points, while Adeleke also owned the boards with 10 rebounds, for a Mountaineer team that held a 39-31 advantage on the glass

The Blackbirds were paced by junior Power Forward Seamus Ainge who had 13 for the game

The Mountaineers (22-0) continue their homestand on Saturday, February 07 when they host the New York College Lions at the Knott Center

[K Bomber]

A Festival of Bricklaying
Southern HS All-Stars Give New Meaning
to the Term "Shooting the Rock"
Feburary 06, 2004

Knoxville, Tennessee (AP) - The last time this many shots were fired in the South was, seemingly, during the American Civil War. Casualty numbers from that set-to, however, suggest that those opposing forces were most likely more accurate marksmen than the Southern High School All-Stars who descended on Thompson-Boling Assembly Center & Arena at the Univeristy of Tennessee for the annual Deep South All Star Shootout. In a horrendous display of shooting proficiency, the Red Team outlasted the Blue 78-61, in a game that didn't live up to its billing and came at a terrible cost for Bill Fox, the starting Point Guard for the Southern Red Team.

Fox, the fundamentally sound floor general from Laredo, Texas who has already committed to play for the Colorado Buffaloes in the 2004-05 season, lived through the absolute nightmare of any prospect halfway through the first half when he broke his left leg while landing awkwardly on a daring drive through the lane against the Blue All-Stars. While the prognosis was positive, the set-back will undoubtedly hamper Fox as his summer will be spent in rehabilitation and not preparation for his new school

Outside of Fox's dilema, the Red team was led to victory on the basis of their interior presence led by Kareem Gradner who posted a double-double with 13 points and 13 rebounds and Marcus Hendrix who contributed 12 and 12. Jack Thompson, an enticing Center from Plano, Texas, also grabbed 11 boards for the Red All-Stars on a night where they held a definitive rebounding advantage to the tune of 52-28

The Blue All Stars were led by Freddie Copeland and his 19 point effort in a losing cause.

Rumours persisted in Knoxville after the game that some of the Southern All-Stars may be retained to put their masonary talents to work in raising some of the new athletic buildings currently under development on the Tennessee campus

[StrikeThree]

Wow.. Great Job

Keep it up!

[K Bomber]

In Like Lions, Out Like Lambs
NY College Slaughtered in Emmitsburg
February 08, 2004

Emmitsburg, Maryland (AP) - King Richard the lionhearted was revered as an icon of the 12 Century through his courage in the front lines of battle. Throughout time, lions have always been portrayed as the nobles of all earthly beasts. Proud and powerful, these regal felines have often been adopted as a potent symbology wherever the associations to strength, power and noble ferocity have been required.

The power of the Lion as iconic symbology has not often translated to athletic pursuits, where in many cases, Lions have often produced mixed results in stadia throughout the world. Case in point, the New York College Lions, who travelled to tiny Emmitsburg on Saturday to do battle with the class of the NEC, the St. Mary's Mountaineers. Much like spring, New York College roared into the Knott Center like proud Lions, only to be lambasted 105-57.

Moses Adeleke may not be a fan of lions. In Senegal, Adeleke's trade was as a Goat Herder, so he may actually have had his distaste for the King of the Beasts engendered by his family's profession. Against NY College, Adeleke was at his best as he claimed dominion over the Knott Center with his usual array of scoring, defense, rebounding and intimidation

"Moses plays a hard game if you're his opponent, " offered Coach Major Bone of Mount St. Mary's

"Kind of like Hakeem Olajuwon, there a brutal honesty about his play. He expects you to play him tough and in return he'll play you with every ounce of intensity, determination and physicality at his disposal. With a guy that big, you may need to prepare for a beating, because he doesn't really undestand just how brutally strong he is and he doesn't let up. Like I said, brutal physical honesty."

That physicality was on display early and often against NY College as, off the tip, Anthony Booker found Adeleke storming down the baseline, feeding him for a alley-oop over the entire NY College front Lions. On the Lions opening trip down the floor, they obviously game-planned around taking the rock right at the Mount's center. The result of their scheme, was three straight blocked shots before a fourth weak attempt failed to connect and was rebounded by the Mount

By the end of the first half, the Mount had pretty much predetermined the outcome by posting a 53-24 lead while holding NY College to a pitiful 0.312 field goal percentage

The Mountaineers continued their torrid pace through the second half with Adeleke determined to contribute in a new way, by wearing the playmaker's hat in the low post. With the Lions seeking to double and triple team Adeleke down low, he was more than content to kick the ball out to the Mount's perimeter marksmen, thereby piling up the assists as the Lions were unable to rotate with enough efficiency to challenge the ensuing barrage of jumpers.

For the game, Isaiah Stone and Ralph Peterson both supplanted Adeleke in the scoring department with 28 and 32 points respectively, but it was Adeleke's triple-double that paced the Mount to victory as he recorded 20 points, 20 rebounds to go along with a game and season high total of 10 assists. Had the Lions made any attempt to penetrate the lane through the second half, Adeleke might have flirted with a rare quadruple-double as he recorded 7 blocked shots

The impact of Adeleke, Peterson and Stone has begun to be observed by college basketball pundits throughout the US. The Mount has finally emerged in the various national rankings, climbing to ranks of 29th according to ESPN, 33rd by the Associated Press and 21st in the RPI rankings. As a team, the Mount is ranked as the top offense in the land, leading in both points, field goal percentage, free throw percentage and assists per game

Individually, the Mount's high-octane offensive attack has vaulted the three freshmen into the top twenty in scoring nationally with Peterson sitting in 4th place, Adeleke in 8th and Stone in 11th spot

The Mount sees action next when they travel to New Jersey to face the Monmouth Hawks

[K Bomber]

http://espn-att.starwave.com/i/talent/dickvitale/sensational16_story.gif

Dickie V's - Sensational 16
By Dickie Vitale
SPECIAL TO ESPNVIDEOGAMES.COM
February 10, 2004

Okay basketball fans, Dickie V is back talking c-hoops after a week off. Like usual, I'm going to be giving you my take on the 16 college teams in the nation as part of ESPN's Power 16

No big changes at the top since last time. Arizona is still bringing the W's and holding off Roy Williams and his Tarheels. Arizona has a tough trip through movieland this week with away games at UCLA and USC

Here's my Sweet Sixteen for the week:

1. Arizona

2. North Carolina

3. Syracuse

4. Xavier

5. Purdue

6. Kansas

7. UAB

8. Oklahoma State

9. St. Joe's

10. Texas

11. Wisonsin

12. Cincinnati

13. UCONN

14. Pittsdburgh

15. Oklahoma

16 Mississippi State

My List of the Week:

ALL-MYSTIQUE TEAM: (THE MOST INCONSISTENT PERFORMERS IN DIVISION ONE BALL)

Rashad Dunleavy (Mount St. Mary's) - He's like Emeril Lagasse with the dishes one night and like Mrs. Vitale the next (Sweetie, I loved the veal....)

Channing Frye (Arizona) - Brings his lunch bucket every game, but sometimes forgets to eat it

Jawad Williams (UNC) - Mr. All-Baywatch, but more swimming, less floating, my man

Kelenna Azubuike (Kentucky) - His internal clock is sometimes stuck on snooze. Has only heard rumours of this thing called "the lane"

Dee Brown (Illinois) - Kind of like a Salvador Dali painting, the execution is beautiful, but the result can be pretty messed up. That J is no oil painting

[K Bomber]

Another One Bites the Dust
Mount Shoots Down Hawks in a 97-55 Laugher
February 11, 2004

West Long Branch, New Jersey (AP) - The basketball season for the Mount St. Mary's Mountaineers can't end soon enough. Having already decimated the competition to date in conference play, it has become apparent that the truest test of Major Bone's unit will only come at the NCAA Tournament when the Mount will experience a serious change in the quality of their opponents. This was held as a truism again on Tuesday night when the Mount dismembered another NEC opponent, this time the Hawks of Monmouth by a score of 97-55

As has been the traditional pattern, the Mountaineers found their game early behind the intimidating presence of the massive Moses Adeleke. Adeleke, who has established himself as an irresistable force in the NEC has taken to finding new challenges late in the Mount's season, in order to maintain his level of interest in games being played through the dog days of February. Most recently, Adeleke has looked to embellish on his passing skills, vesting himself as a playmaker in the face of the attention he has received from opposing defenses.

Against the Hawks, Adeleke's passes were razor sharp through the first twenty minutes as he continually voiced his response to Monmouth's defense by locating his teammates in the mid-range. The Mountaineers had difficulty connecting off Adeleke's thoughtful vision at points, as illustrated by their 0.432 field goal shooting percentage for the half, but managed find paydirt enough times to write 6 assists into Adeleke's stat line for the half

After realizing through the first half that his team was slightly off target, Adeleke took matters into his own hands for the second half, scoring 20 of his game-high 28 before leaving for good with 5:07 to go in the game. Adeleke wound up as the leading scorer on the night, with 28, while adding 12 rebounds and 8 assists. Isaiah Stone, a fellow frosh, hit for 17 on a 7 of 13 shooting night for the Mount now 25-0 on the season

The Mount next faces the Fairleigh Dickenson Knights for a date on Valentines Day

[K Bomber]

http://sports.espn.go.com/i/columnists/bilas_jay_fpo.gif


Recruit Roulette - The Search for New Talent
By Jay Bilas
Special to ESPNvideogames.com
February 12, 2004

While the college basketball season is currently well into schedule and the focus of our attention, another season is also in full swing, with as much importance as what is going on inside the gyms and arenas of the NCAA. For any coach, the recruiting season is almost without end and this year has been no different.

In some cases, there have already been winners. Duncan Moore, Dr. Dunk to his friends and fans, has established himself as a sure-fire Blue Chip prospect with his play in season, camps and All-Star events, most notably the Western All-Star Shootout in California where he showed as the class of the field.

Conversely, there have also been some losers in the field. Bill Fox, a highly regarded point guard in Texas, broke his leg in an All-Star event in his home state causing him a serious set-back. W.B. Carpenter, a flashy point guard out of the LA area, also adversely affected his standing as a recruit with a lackadaisical effort in the same Western Shootout in which Dr. Dunk shone.

Maybe the most impacted recruit, however, was "The" Darius Jones. Before playing the Great Lakes Classic in Chicago, Jones was reportedly considering bypassing college in order to declare for the NBA Draft. However in Chicago, whether it was a by-product of the competition being really focused on playing up to Jones' level, or a case of Jones underestimating his own talent, the end result was the same. Jones was held to 6 points a 3 rebounds in a game where he was overshadowed by more than a few other All-Stars from the Great Lakes area

A couple of the notable performances on that night included Ken Bass a 6'10" monster in the middle who logged a 16 point, 15 rebound effort and Antwan Payton who wore out his defenders in scoring 34

After such a lackluster effort "Team Jones" has reportedly committed to Kansas, seemingly based on the opinions of various NBA scouts who came away from the Great Lakes Classic feeling that Jones might not be ready to take it to the next level. Remember Ronnie Fields? While more and more high schoolers are trying their luck with pro hoops, what no one mentions is that for every Kevin Garnett, there are a legion of De'Angelo Collins. It's obvious that "The" Darius isn't looking to be this year's model of the NBA Draft flop and its one-way ticket to nowhere

So while you're watching and rooting for your school during season play, conference tourneys or the big dance, remember that what you're watching is like the duck gliding across the surface of a pond. While everything is looking cool and calm on the water, the real action is ongoing just below the surface

[StrikeThree]

Nice touch with the ESPN articles

[K Bomber]

A Good Night For Some, A Bad Knight For Others
No Love Lost Between the Mountaineers and Knights on Valentines Day
Feburary 15, 2004

Emmitsburg, Maryland (AP) - In 1929, while the United States was in the throes of Prohibition, one of the most infamous gang related events in history took place in a warehouse of the SMC Cartage Company. Billed as the St. Valentine's Day Massacre, this masterpiece of Al Capone's villainous malice saw seven murdered in an event that has been retold with relish through books, films and endless accounts in the 75 years since that dark day

While basketball is not as vicious a pursuit as organized crime, it does have its own brutal moments of competitive imbalance. Coming into play on Valentine's Day, the entire NEC schedule had been characterized as the battle for second place behind the team that has dominated the basketball scene in the NEC in the same way that Al Capone held sway over the world of organized crime in the 1930's, the Mount St. Mary's Mountaineers. True to the Capone characterization, and 75 years to the day, the Mount ran away with another win in a game that could only be described as a massacre in their 91-58 defeat of the Fairleigh Dickenson Knights

After being brutalized in their own building by a score of 113-55 exactly two weeks earlier, the Knights came into tiny Emmitsburg with a definite score to settle with the Mount. The Knights were a very sure bunch, even following their defeat, believing that they had unlocked the secret to limiting the production of the Mount's superstar center, Moses Adeleke, even though he had recorded a double-double in their previous meeting with 15 points and 20 rebounds. Be physical, the Knights surmised. The more so, the better in their opinion. And so, with malevolent intent, they began this matchup on the day of love with an approach towards the Mount's man in the middle that was anything but caring

Being overtly physical with Adeleke, in retrospect, may not have been the best way to go. After taking a couple of early elbows and absorbing some physical play, Adeleke set about teaching the Fairleigh Dickenson Knights a lesson of almost Gulliver-like proportions. Framing the game with his own brand of physical intimidation and intensity, Adeleke provided another giant performance in leading the Mount to another beat-down of Fairleigh Dickenson with 26 points and 15 boards to go along with 4 blocks, 2 assists, 3 steals and one BIG message.

"Adeleke is no shrinking violet when the going gets rough and tumble," beamed Coach Major Bone

"The Knights were obviously looking to take it to him and challenge him, but I think that might not have been the best way to go. While Moses is a great, big, sweetheart of a lug, I don't think you consciously want to get him mad. To me, what they did was like poking a grizzly bear with a sharp stick. You might get a few jabs in, but after a while so will he and his jabs might just do a bit more damage"

The rest of the Mount also gave as good as they got. Ralph Peterson played an inspired brand of basketball in scoring 24 points and hauling in 9 rebounds following a couple of games where he had not played with his usual intensity. Milton Nash, the senior center, also seemed to enjoy the more robust style of play as he grabbed an additional 13 karoms for the Mount who held a 46-27 advantage on the glass

The humbled Knights were led by sophomore point guard Danny Jackson's 18 points

The Mount next hosts the Robert Morris Colonials on February 19

[K Bomber]

Nice touch with the ESPN articles
Thanks, man

All the legacy guys try to bring a different flavour to their accounts of their legacies. To me, finding new and interesting ways to deliver the details is part of meeting the bar of expectations set by the other guys sharing their legacies in this way

We'll keep trying to maintain interest.............

[StrikeThree]

Nice touch with the ESPN articles
Thanks, man

All the legacy guys try to bring a different flavour to their accounts of their legacies. To me, finding new and interesting ways to deliver the details is part of meeting the bar of expectations set by the other guys sharing their legacies in this way

We'll keep trying to maintain interest.............

Well you've got mine high...

Great Job.. Keep on posting the updates

[K Bomber]

http://espn-att.starwave.com/i/talent/dickvitale/sensational16_story.gif

Dickie V's - Sensational 16
By Dickie Vitale
SPECIAL TO ESPNVIDEOGAMES.COM
February 17, 2004

Another week gone by and the surprises keep coming basketball fans. I told you that Arizona was up for a tough trip through LA-LA land and sure enough, they lost a big one against USC 68-67. So you know what that means, a new Number One in the country

Here's the latest Sweet Sixteen:

1. North Carolina

2. Syracuse

3. Purdue

4. Xavier

5. Kansas

6. Arizona

7. St. Joe's

8. Cincinnati

9. Wisconsin

10. Oklahoma State

11. UCONN

12. Texas

13. Pittsburgh

14. Mississippi State

15. Oklahoma

16 UAB

My List of the Week:

ALL-ALCATRAZ TEAM: (PLAYERS HAVING BREAKOUT SEASONS)

Luol Deng (Duke) - Mr. Swiss Army Knife, he's got an implement for every situation

Jameer Nelson (St. Joe's) - The 3-D Man, he drives, he draws, he dishes, a real blender

Rashad McCants (UNC) - He'll send you to the dentist because his game is so sweet. The guy you want taking the big shot at the end of a knee-knocker

Moses Adeleke (Mount St. Mary's) - The Human Space Ship and this one can fly. Leading the Mount to the promised land

Ralph Peterson (Mount St. Mary's) - Another one of Major Bone's Diaper Dandies. This kid is a true Surf 'n' Turfer

[K Bomber]

Page 1 of 1

Major Bone

From: "Vince Pierce" <vpierce@msm.athletics.com>
Sent: February 17, 2004
Subject: Progress Report - Recruiting


Coach:

Did you catch the Bilas piece on "The" Darius? Like Kansas really needed the help......Dickie V's been nice to us too, but he's always loved the underdogs

I've been staying in touch with Collier and Rashid like you asked, they're both having great years and are still really excited about next year at the Mount. The two of them are playing on the same team in the Southeast All-Star Jamboree this weekend. I'll swing by for that one and let you know how it goes for them as teammates (!!)

I think Joel is going to be keeping up to date with young Mr. Newsom and I hear Jan Barnes is in for the Robert Morris game -- here's hoping........

Any other big fish on the hook for next year?

Sincerely,


Vince Pierce
Assistant Coach
Mount St. Mary's

[K Bomber]

Page 1 of 1

Vince Pierce

From: "Major Bone" <mbone@msm.athletics.com>
Sent: February 17, 2004
Subject: RE: Progress Report - Recruiting


Vince:

Caught the Bilas piece, but to be fair that kid has got the weight of the world on his shoulders and people are coming out of the woodwork to get a piece of him. Kansas should be good for him, it'll give him a chance to grow -- he'll be a little more anonymous in that program and maybe he'll learn something about the bigger game while he's in Lawrence

I'm looking forward to sitting down with Jan this week. I think he's got something to offer as both a person and a player

As I catch 'em, I'll let you know............


Go get 'em,


Bone
The Coach - Mount St. Mary's

[K Bomber]

Colonials Go Down Shooting Blanks
Mountaineers Continue Their Torrid Pace In NEC Conference Play
February 20, 2004

Emmitsburg, Maryland (AP) - There's a love affair going on in the tiny town of Emmitsburg. Like most, this one started with indifference that grew into familiarity. From there this love story has just exploded and the people here are walking around in a daze, thinking only about the one they hold so dear. My, aren't the clouds especially fluffy today? And the sky, so big, so blue, it's almost the same shade as that worn by the passion of Emmitsburg, the Mount St. Mary's Mountaineers

On Thursday night a basketball game broke out at a love-in that was celebrating the Mount's hoops squad. You couldn't have squeezed another person into the Knott Center with a shoe horn and those 3200 people could be the loudest ever heard in anything short of the Alamodome. In one corner of the building was an entire section of students dressed as sheep, proudly proclaiming themselves as Adeleke's Flock. Moses Adeleke was surely touched by the gesture, even though his family is in the goat herding business back in Senegal

Throughout the game the crowd was in obvious high spirits and their team did little to suffocate that enthusiasm. During one time out a fan hit a three pointer to win a prize pack including a couple of T-Shirts and some other hoops related paraphenalia, and you would have thought by his reaction that he'd won the Powerball lottery. That's the benefits of a winning program

After every stoppage in play the crowd seemed to rotate between the traditional "Mount St. Mary's" clapping chant and a couple of newer chants like "We Love the Bone" and "Moses, Moses, he's our dude, if he can't do it then we're screwed" in celebration of a key pair of notables in the Mount's current run. Everything about the love of this team is huge, other than the size of the town in which they play. Basketball is big in Emmitsburg, and these fans deserve what they're getting from this special team

Oh, against the Robert Morris Colonials the game was never close as the Mount rolled to a 98-63 win, 6 Mountaineers went for double figures in scoring, led by Adeleke with 24 and even Bob Morris got into the game

BOB MORRIS SCORED 10 POINTS!!

Back to the festivities.....MOUNT ST. MARY'S!! (Clap! Clap! Clap-Clap-Clap!!!)

[K Bomber]

Mountaineers Trip Up The Red Flash
St. Francis Outclassed Again on Mount's Home Floor
February 22, 2004

Emmitsburg, Maryland (AP) - For the Mount St. Mary's Mountaineers, the NEC regular season is quickly turning into an extended practice scrimage played in front of wildly appreciative crowds at home. On Saturday night, the St. Francis Red Flash were run off the floor again by the might Mountaineers , this time by a score of 108-47 at the Knott Center in Emmitsburg

In an effort to conserve the energies of some of the more marquee players on the Mountaineers, Major Bone opted to start a senior-laden line-up that allowed him to play his fabulous freshmen only second team minutes. Even with those limitations, the Four Horsemen of the Hypotenuse took to the floor with fire in their eyes, scorching the Red Flash during their time in the game

Ralph Peterson led the second unit's charge against the Red Flash on this night by playing his usually efficient brand of hoops on both the offensive and defensive ends. Making great use of his looks on offense, Peterson led all scorers with 26 while also grabbing 12 boards for the Mount which again punished the Red Flash on both the offensive and defensive glass for a 46-23 advantage. When Peterson wasn't taking his defenders to the cup, Rashad Dunleavy was finding openings in the porous St. Francis defense as he shredded them for 16 assists. Moses Adeleke played a relatively quiet game, recording only 17 points and 16 boards while playing limited minutes, much to the chagrin of Adeleke's Flock found at the top row of the stands but heard throughout the Knott Center

With three games to go in conference play, the Mount has already clinched the regular season crown as the best team in the NEC and is guaranteed to enter the year-end conference tournament as the top seed

"We're going to be getting our guys ready and rested for the conference tournament," said Coach Bone

"We want to be peaking at that time and don't really want to wear guys out racing to somewhere we already have a reservation. Beyond that, this will be a great opportunity for some of the other guys to get their games in shape and for us to properly honour our seniors on March 1 against Monmouth with some PT (playing time)."

But doesn't that allow for complacency to enter into the equation?

"That's what I'm here for," smirked Bone, with a chilling gleam in his eye

So at 28 and 0 the Mount has controlled their own destiny and dominated all challengers. As they eye a spot in the Tournament of 64 they will need to focus on taking care of the various tasks at hand and covering off all bases. While they are 6 meaningful wins away from their goal, it might take only one poorly timed loss to see their dreams for a tournament berth shattered

The Mount plays next against at Sacred Heart in Connecticut on February 26

[K Bomber]

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Dickie V's - Sensational 16
By Dickie Vitale
SPECIAL TO ESPNVIDEOGAMES.COM
February 24, 2004

New week, new Numero Uno, baby! The Maryland Terrapins jumped up and bit the Carolina Tarheels by a score of 72-71 this week, so UNC is out as the class of the field

Here's my latest Sweet Sixteen:

1. Xavier

2. Kansas

3. North Carolina

4. Arizona

5. Syracuse

6. St. Joe's

7. Cincinnati

8. Oklahoma State

9. Wisconsin

10. UCONN

11. Pittsburgh

12. Purdue

13. Texas

14. UAB

15. Marquette

16 Oklahoma

My List of the Week:

ALL-WINDEX TEAM: (THE BEST REBOUNDERS IN THE NCAA)

Emeka Okafor (UCONN) - A high riser with more beef than the USDA

Kim Humpheries (Minnesota) - King of the Karoms, if it's off, he's on it

Sean May (UNC) - A space eater who only asks that you stay out of HIS lane

Jaime Lloreda (LSU) - He eats up rebounds like they're Junior Happy Meals

Leon Powe (California) - The Velcro Man, has got better mitts than Isotoner

[K Bomber]

Page 1 of 1

Major Bone

From: "Jan Barnes" <jbarn@aol.com>
Sent: February 24, 2004
Subject: Your Program


Coach Bone

Good to spend some time with you last week. The game at the Knott Center was cray-z good -- thanks

I'm going to keep it simple and tell you that I'm in for next year. Let me know what you want me doing work-out wise and I'll be in camp made to order

Your new PF..........

Jan Barnes

[J Hall]

all these ideas are really nice man....you ought to make a website for all this to make it that much better. to give you an idea of what i mean, here's a link to my old ncaa football 2004 dynasty site http://ukdynasty.tripod.com/ you could do something like that and make it look a lot better. keep up the good work. i know how much work those sites or these kinda pages are.

[K Bomber]

all these ideas are really nice man....you ought to make a website for all this to make it that much better. to give you an idea of what i mean, here's a link to my old ncaa football 2004 dynasty site http://ukdynasty.tripod.com/ you could do something like that and make it look a lot better. keep up the good work. i know how much work those sites or these kinda pages are.
First off, thanks very much your comments are greatly appreciated

Secondly, your dynasty website is really well done. I'd like to put something like that together, but I'm not sure if I could invest the time to do it justice

I'll keep it in mind for the future, for sure..........

Thanks again.......

[K Bomber]

Page 1 of 1

Major Bone

From: "Vince Pierce" <vpierce@msm.athletics.com>
Sent: February 24, 2004
Subject: Southeast All-Star Jamboree


Coach:

I attended the Southeast All-Star Jamboree this past weekend and I think we've got ourselves some winners in Rashid Roberts and Collier Meyer

Both guys started for the Blue All-Stars and they were both instrumental in leading that side to a 90-61 win over the Red Team

Rashid started slow, but really started finding the rhythm of the game and was an MVP candidate with 19 points and 7 boards. He was completely fearless attacking the rim and getting into the lane off the bounce

Collier played some great shutdown defense and still found his offensive game against some solid competition. He posted this one kid up and completely froze him with a spin down the baseline that was beautiful. Looks like he's been working on his footwork. He ended up with 15 and 8 rebounds for the game

They had a nice chemistry going with another kid off the Blue side who actually won the player of the game honours, Charles Boticki. I think that a lot of his 15 rebounds were the result of Collier pinning down a couple of guys on the blue team with his box out at every opportunity. The kid understands team rebounding really well

I've sent you a game video as well so you can have a look

Sincerely,


Vince Pierce
Assistant Coach
Mount St. Mary's

[J Hall]

First off, thanks very much your comments are greatly appreciated

Secondly, your dynasty website is really well done. I'd like to put something like that together, but I'm not sure if I could invest the time to do it justice

I'll keep it in mind for the future, for sure..........

Thanks again.......

Yea they do take a lot of time. That site has only about 2.5 years worth of info on my franchise, but it got to be too much after awhile. I think it took me 6 years to win a title, which was the last year I played with that team. I still have all the info and hope to updte the pagefully one day ;)

[K Bomber]

Okay Here Comes A Glum Report
Reporter's Notes Go Mysteriously Lost
February 27-2004

Guelph, Ontario (CP) - So I know that I should have a report or two in here about games played at Sacred Heart and Wagner, but for some reason my notes for these two games have gone completely AWOL. This is made worse by the fact that I'm currently at a place in my legacy that I can't even relate what the scores for these two games were

In any event, if anyone reading this could just accept that those two games against Sacred Heart and Wagner worked out okay for the Mount, I'll continue with my legacy from that point forward for which all my notes are intact, and with the Mount enjoying a 30 and 0 record

Sorry folks, too much popcorn for lunch, so I dropped the ball on this one. I just hope my notes weren't the victims of one of my wife's infamous "clean-ups"...................

[K Bomber]

A Night Of Honor And Rememberance
The Mount Provides Their Seniors An Emotional Farewell
March 02, 2003

Emmitsburg, Maryland (AP) - Antoine Grady understands the nature of change. During his freshman year, which ended with him being named to the All-Rookie Team for the NEC, Grady began the season as a reserve. Through his effort and his talent, Grady proved himself to legendary coach Jim Phelan until, given no other option by the freshman's play, the Coach inserted Grady into the starting line-up, thereby supplanting Vaughn Hayes, a senior.

Prior to the explosion of Mount-Mania that has gripped Emmitsburg, the 2003-04 season was destined to belong to Grady, Milton Nash, Sherman January and Bob Morris. But life is what happens while you're busy making other plans, and by the end of the first day of practice in August, the four seniors all understood that the incoming freshmen, billed as the Four Horsemen of the Hypotenuse, were more than just the future, they were present as well.

That the Mount's four elder statesmen handled their sudden relegation with such class has been a testament to their collective character, more as people than as players. On Monday night, in front of an appreciative Knott Center crowd that was packed to the rafters, Major Bone made a fitting tribute to the seniors' leadership by starting all four young men along with sophomore point guard Anthony Booker in the Mount's last home game of the year against the Monmouth Hawks

Following a presentation where the four seniors all received framed home and away Mountaineer jerseys, the Mount tipped off what would be one last opportunity for an opponent to deny them a perfect regular season record. While many would assume that the opportunity to complete such a rare accomplishment would sway Coach Bone to insert his fabulous freshmen into the proceedings at an early stage, Bone did not succumb to the pressures to do so, wanting to ensure that the seniors saw the majority of floor time in their last home game

The seniors responded and gave the fans what they hoped for. Following the initiative of their play, the Mount maintained their pristine record on the strength of a 71-62 victory. Grady was the Grady of old with 21 points and 16 rebounds, easily being awarded player of the game honours. Milton Nash played his usual aggressive game and finished with 10 points and 12 boards. January defended with purpose and slashed through the lane for 8 points and finally Bob Morris, the walk-on from four years earlier, summed up the feeling of the seniors as he dribbled out the clock towards the game's end, blowing a kiss to the crowd as the horn sounded

In the ensuing bedlam, as the crowd danced in celebration in the stands, the Mount St. Mary's Mountaineers huddled at center court around their coach. As they broke to join the festivities, one could see the resolve and comprehension in the eyes of every player that this night was not an ending, but the beginning of what is yet to come

The Mount plays next in the first round of the NEC Tournament on March 5th

[K Bomber]

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Dickie V's - Sensational 16
By Dickie Vitale
SPECIAL TO ESPNVIDEOGAMES.COM
March 03, 2004

Well here it is, my last Sweet Sixteen list for the regular season. A few teams got their thumbs stuck in the wall outlet this week and got shocked, so there's a little bit of movement in the ranks this week.

Next week we'll be seeing lots of Maalox moments as the Conference Tournaments get underway to determine who gets a ticket to the big dance. Hey Cinderella, bring your high tops, baby!

Here's the latest Sweet Sixteen:

1. Xavier

2. Kansas

3. St. Joe's

4. Arizona

5. Oklahoma State

6. Cincinnati

7. North Carolina

8. Syracuse

9. Pittsburgh

10. UCONN

11. Purdue

12. Wisconsin

13. Oklahoma

14. Texas

15. UAB

16 Duke

My List of the Week:

ALL-JACK-IN-A-BOX TEAMS: (THE BIGGEST SURPRISES THIS YEAR)

Kentucky Wildcats
The wheels have officially fallen off the applecart in Lexington, they'll need to win the SEC Tourney to get into the Big Dance

Indiana Hoosiers
Coach Davis, from the Penthouse to the Outhouse

Ohio State Buckeyes
A team of Dow-Jonesers eating a lot of Strawberry Shortcake

Mount St. Mary's Mountaineers
31-0 and rocking the Bone Dome in Emmitsburg, the feel-good story of the year

Xavier Musketeers
So small, they should be the Mouseketeers, but they have the hearts of lions

[K Bomber]

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The Butch is Back
By Jay Bilas
Special to ESPNvideogames.com
March 03, 2004

Well it's that time of year again when the NCAA announces its annual All-American teams and individual award winners. While Syracuse and North Carolina dominated the First and Second All-American Teams, the National Player of the Year and Naismith Award winner was none other than freshman center Brian Butch of the University of Wisconsin.

Butch, coming off a stellar year in which he averaged 21.6 points and 16.3 rebounds per game is expected to be a sure-fire lottery pick in the upcoming NBA Draft.

The First and Second All-America Teams were as follows:

FIRST TEAM ALL-AMERICANS
PG - Ray Felton (UNC)

SG - Rashad McCants (UNC)

SF - Alando Tucker (Wisconsin)

PF - Hakim Warrick (Syracuse)

C - Brian Butch (Wisconsin)

SECOND TEAM ALL-AMERICANS
PG - Gerry McNamara (Syracuse)

SG - Chris Hill (Michigan)

SF - Ivan McFadden (Oklahoma State)

PF - Jabahri Brown (Oklahoma)

C - David Padgett (Kansas)


INDIVIDUAL AWARD WINNERS
Brian Butch (Wisconsin) - Naismith Award

Hakim Warrick (Syracuse) - Wooden Award

Jabahri Brown (Oklahoma) - ESPN Sports Award

Bilf Self (Kansas) - College Coach of the Year

[K Bomber]

NEC Announces Year End Winners
Mount Sweeps Individual Awards, But Not Conference Teams
March 04, 2004

Staten Island, New York (AP) - The Northeast Conference announced their year end award winners and All-Conference Teams at Wagner University, the site of this weekend's NEC Conference Tournament. In the individual awards, Mount St. Mary's swept all categories as Moses Adeleke was named NEC Player and Rookie of the Year, while Major Bone was feted as NEC Coach of the Year

The surprises began with the announcement of the All-NEC Conference Teams as only Adeleke, placed on the First Team All-NEC, was named to any of the All-NEC Teams from the Mount squad that ran undefeated through the NEC schedule in 2003-04.

The NEC award winners and All-Conference Teams were announced as follows:

NEC Player of the Year - Moses Adeleke (Mount St. Mary's)
NEC Rookie of the Year - Moses Adeleke (Mount St. Mary's)
NEC Coach of the Year - Major Bone (Mount St. Mary's)

NEC All-Conference First Team
PG - Alan Brewer (Wagner)
SG - Danny Jackson (Fairleigh Dickenson)
SF - Shawn Bogans (LIU)
PF - Marquis Lewis (St. Francis, PA)
C - Moses Adeleke (Mount St. Mary's)

NEC All-Conference Second Team
PG - Aki Parkinson (Quinnipiac)
SG - Jay P Grace (Robert Morris)
SF - Robert Modica (CCSU)
PF - Linus Millage (Wagner)
C - Rashon Lloyd (Robert Morris)

NEC All-Conference Third Team
PG - Will Coleman (LIU)
SG - Todd Allison (Quinnipiac)
SF - Chase McGrath (LIU)
PF - Seamus Ainge (LIU)
C - De'Angelo McCleod (LIU)

[squidpants]

Hey, question? What were Adeleke's stats, and how many minutes did he get? I've had guys lead the conference in stuff but never get on the all-conference team, I think it's because they aren't playing enough.

[K Bomber]

Hey, question? What were Adeleke's stats, and how many minutes did he get? I've had guys lead the conference in stuff but never get on the all-conference team, I think it's because they aren't playing enough.
Moses Adeleke 2003-04 Stats:
21.6ppg 11.5rpg 1.9apg 0.79spg 4.2bpg

I didn't actually write down minutes per game and can't check that at my current point in my legacy -- sorry man

What I found weird is all the guys LIU placed on the All-Conference teams. They've got 2nd string guys being named All-Conference -- what's up with that?

[squidpants]

Cool, thanks. That was a bit better than my guy, I had one at like 15 ppg and not much else, but he was shooting like 60 percent, and my C was about 12 ppg 10 rpg, but neither got named to a conference team. I'm starting to think it's a bug, and having 6 LIU guys on the all-conference team is weird too. Did you have any other guys who had good seasons who didn't make it?

[K Bomber]

Cool, thanks. That was a bit better than my guy, I had one at like 15 ppg and not much else, but he was shooting like 60 percent, and my C was about 12 ppg 10 rpg, but neither got named to a conference team. I'm starting to think it's a bug, and having 6 LIU guys on the all-conference team is weird too. Did you have any other guys who had good seasons who didn't make it?
Ralph Peterson finished in the top ten nationally in scoring, Isaiah Stone was in the top 25

This may become a motivational issue moving forward............... :wink:

[Martin Dihigo]

Wow. all i can say is impressive.
I just started reading this , you inspired me to write a little about my legacy. Nice job

[K Bomber]

Wow. all i can say is impressive.
I just started reading this , you inspired me to write a little about my legacy. Nice job
Thanks man, I'll look forward to reading your take on the whole legacy experience

Have fun.............

[Jackrabbit]

Good work on the All-Conference and All-American list, the two UNC guards made my first team as well, but Wisconsin was nowhere to be found.

My man Cooley made second team All-Conference and that was it. Utaha State won the Big West tournament, and placed on one. Northridge finished 8th and got two on the first team. Interesting, but nothing near LIU-status...

Get it done in the tourney, where do you think you'll be seeded?

[K Bomber]

Good work on the All-Conference and All-American list, the two UNC guards made my first team as well, but Wisconsin was nowhere to be found.

My man Cooley made second team All-Conference and that was it. Utaha State won the Big West tournament, and placed on one. Northridge finished 8th and got two on the first team. Interesting, but nothing near LIU-status...

Get it done in the tourney, where do you think you'll be seeded?
Stay tuned.............

[K Bomber]

NEC Conference Tournament: First Round
Everything According to Plan as Mount Rolls
March 06, 2004

Staten Island, New York (AP) - There were few surprises in the opening round game last night between the Mount St. Mary's Mountaineers and the Quinnipiac Bobcats, as the Mount rolled to a 78-35 victory.

The Mount quickly established their dominance inside the paint as Ralph Peterson seemed intent on sending a message to the members of the All Conference selection committee, playing with incredible intensity while piling up 19 points and 7 rebounds for the game. Peterson was a man possessed on the defensive end as well continually jumping into passing lanes and generally making life miserable for whomever he guarded or dared to defend him

Anthony Booker also provided a major impact with his 18 point and 8 assist effort as Coach Bone shut down the starters early once they had established a comfortable margin, allowing the Mount to cruise using their bench players

For the game the Mount held the Bobcats to 15 of 38 shooting while forcing 16 turnovers. While Quinnipiac held a significant rebounding advantage (31-20), the bulk of those came against the Mount's second team players

The Bobcats were led by Dwight Annen, their junior center, who had a near double-double with 10 points and 9 rebounds

Round Two of the NEC Conference Tournament goes tonight as the Mount faces the Monmouth Hawks at 5:00PM, followed by the Central Connecticut State Blue Devils taking on the NY College Lions, surprise winners against Fairleigh Dickenson, at 8:00PM

[K Bomber]

NEC Conference Tournament: Semi Finals
Concerns Surface About the Health of Moses Adeleke in Mount Win
March 07, 2004

Staten Island, New York (AP) - While the machine that is the Mount St. Mary's men's basketball team continued to hum after their 90-53 poleaxing of the Monmouth Hawks, the health of a key cog in the Mount's attack has come under question.

Moses Adeleke, the NEC Conference Player and Rookie of the Year has only seen very limited minutes throughout the NEC Conference Tournament and in that time, the man who had been head and shoulders above all other players in the NEC has looked exceedingly ordinary. Speculation among Mount observers has centered around Adeleke's left ankle as the big man from Senegal has not looked as agile with his footwork, seeming much more labored than at any time previous. Against the Hawks, a team that Adeleke has owned, the former goat herder could only muster 7 points and 8 boards in limited minutes.

Thankfully for the Mount, senior Milton Nash was able to fill Adeleke's void for one evening as he compiled a double-double on the strength of his 12 point and 12 rebound performance. Also noteworthy for the Mount was Ralph Peterson, who provided another statement game after being snubbed by the All-Conference selection committee, dropping 22, along with 5 rebounds and 7 assists to cop player of the game honors

While the Mount might survive the NEC Tournament without their man in the middle, Adeleke's absence would be almost crippling should the Mountaineers advance to the NCAA National Championship Tournament. For the Mount, any stories concerning the health of Adeleke are being wishfully dismissed as just speculative. It would be a shame for the Mountaineer train to be derailed because their locomotive has come off the tracks at this juncture of the season

The NEC Final goes tonight at 8:00PM and pits the Mountaineers of St. Mary's against their biggest rivals in the NEC the CCSU Blue Devils

It's safe to say the prayer beads are out in Emmitsburg

[K Bomber]

NEC Conference Tournament: Championship Game
Adeleke Provides the Difference Against a Determined CCSU Squad
March 08, 2004

Staten Island, New York (AP) - Moses Adeleke may not have answered the many questions concerning his health last night, but against the Central Connecticut State Blue Devils, the Mount St. Mary's center gave resounding testimony to the nature of his heart and character in guiding the Mount to a 66-61 come from behind victory to claim the NEC Conference Championship

Give the Blue Devils their due, having lost convincingly in two meetings with the Mount during conference play, CCSU came out of the locker room to start the game with fire in their eyes, determined to pound the ball at Adeleke and test the limits of his health. Throughout the first half, the Mount's big man never looked comfortable and showed obvious limitations in his mobility and range. Playing with obvious signs of discomfort, Adeleke was largely ineffective and replaced after 5 minutes by Milton Nash who finished the half at center for the Mount.

Without Adeleke, the Mount looked less opposing, particularly on defense and the Blue Devils continued to attack at all opportunities. Even the Mount's perimeter defenders were less effective as they did not gamble into the passing lanes or play with any of their ususal defensive swagger without their pivot. CCSU pressed the advantage and entered the half-time intermission ahead 38-32. Adeleke's line for the half read an uncharacteristic 3 points, 2 rebounds and 1 for 6 from the field. Had it not been for Ralph Peterson's 15 points, the game would have been a blowout at that point

There are moments within any season where champions are defined. It is not always victory that lends meaning to what is special about those who succeed in any competition, it is their response to adversity. In the dark moments of doubt, when the games is simplified to its basic premise and there are no other answers than those which the competitor themselves can provide. The will to still compete even when victory seems out of reach

Moses Adeleke rocketed onto the NCAA scene in the 2003-04 season and had provided a virtually unblemished account of his skills. Now with his team down and his abilities limited, what answer could he provide to, perhaps, rescue the Mount's season from the brink of defeat and despair? As the second half began it seemed apparent that Adeleke would be unable to help determine the fate of his team as he began on the bench behind Milton Nash

The Blue Devils continued to assail the interior of the Mount's defense, and in doing so, built their lead to 12 with only 3 minutes gone in the second half. Even Peterson, so immense in the first half, had begun to go quiet offensively. With a little over 11 minutes to go and the Mount down by 14, Adeleke sat himself down next to Major Bone for a brief word after which he moved over to the scorer's table to check himself into the game

On the Mount's first set, with everyone in the building looking for the Mountaineers to pound the ball inside to their big man, the Mount worked the ball around with purpose until with 7 seconds remaining on the shot clock Darrel Daniels was left with a wide open look just off the left elbow from about 18 feet out. Daniels shot without hesitation but was slightly long on his range. From out of nowhere, up leaped Adeleke, with Robert Modica and Joe Fuller of the Blue Devils all over him, slammed the ball home with vicious intent

The Mount's bench exploded and the crowd roared its approval. From there, Adeleke was everywhere, imposing himself with authority on both ends of the court, stemming the tide on defense and crashing down on the offensive glass like a tidal wave. Slowly but surely the Mount began to creep back into the game. With Adeleke throwing all abandon to the wind, the rest of the Mount began to execute with confidence. Isaiah Stone began to aggressively take his man off the dribble after going scoreless in the first and following a huge triple the Mount was back to being down by only a single point

With 1:02 remaining and the Blue Devils called for a timeout, hoping to organize one last offensive to repel the hard-charging Mountaineers. The CCSU players came out of the break with an assured resolve. Looking to work the ball for a sure opportunity, they passed the ball with authority until they finally located Robert Modica along the baseline for what seemed to be a wide open drive to the goal. Modica moved in with confidence looking to simply lay the ball in, but as he released the ball, Adeleke materialized out of thin air to swat the ball away and into the hands of Peterson

The Mountaineers charged down the floor and with no timeouts left set up in their highpost offence. After a few seconds of deft passing the ball came to Peterson in the high post and with only a nanosecond to analyze the defense, Peterson lobbed the ball to a hard charging Adeleke for an incomprehensible alley-oop slam on which he was also fouled by Fuller. With the made free throw, the Mountaineers led for the first time in the game 63-61

Bringing the ball back up court, with less than 20 seconds left, Robert Riddick threw the ball into the hands of Isaiah Stone who found Peterson cutting to the net on Modica for an acrobatic bucket on which he too drew a foul. Peterson hammered the final nail into CCSU's coffin by converting his free throw attempt

On the strength of his second half performance, Adeleke finished the game with 15 points and 16 rebounds. It was apparent as the celebration ensued around the joyous Mountaineers that Adeleke was not in complete comfort physically even though he felt little pain during the celebration

Based on his performance throughout the NEC Conference Tournament, Ralph Peterson earned some measure of respect in being named the Tournament MVP based on his averages 20.0 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 2.6 ast and 2.3 steals in three games

Given their automatic berth into the field of 64, it will now be of interest to see how the Tournament Selection Committee will seed the Mountaineers. While undefeated, the Mount has played a relatively light schedule and in their upset wins outside their conference, the presence of Adeleke was an enormous factor. The continuing questions surrounding his health may provide mitigating consequences for a team that had finally made it into the ranks of the top 25 teams nationally during the closing weeks of the regular season

Regardless of their seeding, without a healthy Adeleke, there is little doubt that the Mount will resemble anything but a first round victim for one of the more notable basketball program

[baitman]

Great follow-up to an amazing season.....nice job K Bomber, as always.

I'm thouroughly enjoying reading all the legacies....it helps to inspire me, as I try to get back into the flow...once again.

later,
baitman

P.S.....Dickie V's Sensational 16 is top-drawer in my book.

[MacBryce]

Why don't post the ratings for the entire team so i can create them in ESPN Basketball.

[K Bomber]

http://espn-att.starwave.com/i/talent/dickvitale/vspeak_story.gif
Time to Talk About the Tournament
By Dickie Vitale
SPECIAL TO ESPNVIDEOGAMES.COM
March 09, 2004

Hey, basketball fans, it's time to start chatting about the upcoming NCAA Tournament. In the next two days I'm going to be previewing the West and South Regions and my learned brother, Jay Bilas, will be taking you through the Mid-West anbd East Regions. About the only thing better than watching the games is talking about them, so let's go..........

West Region

(1) UNC Tarheels vs (16) Coastal Carolina Chanticleers
The Tarheels are a true monster in the tourney and the Chanticleers are going to be playing the role of the Tokyo in this B-Movie Massacre. Even Jesse Holley is going to see PT in this one

(8 ) Nevada Wolfpack vs (9) St. Joe's Hawks
This one says Upset City to me, even if it isn't a big one. Jameer Nelson is the 3-D Man and will be the difference against the bigger Wolfpack

(5) DePaul Blue Demons vs (12) IUPUI Jaguars
DePaul has too much inside for the Jags, but I think that IUPUI will give them run before they get worn out in the second half. Like I always say, you can't coach size

(4) Arizona Wildcats vs (13) VCU Rams
I look for for VCU to get rammed by the Wildcats in a blowout. March is Lute Olsen's time and he'll have his team ready to dance. The Wildcats could be one of the surprise teams of the tournament and their seeding actually helps them out

(6) Colorado State Rams vs (11) Southern Illinois Salukis
I'd like to see the Salukis win this one, just because I like saying "Salukis", but Colorado State is my pick in this game. Derrick Stevens is going to be the biggest player in this one at 5'10"

(3) Clemson Tigers vs (12) Mount St. Mary's Mountaineers
The Mount has been Moses and the Miracles this year, but Moses Adeleke has looked like he's hurting during the the NEC Conference Tournament and my basic rule for this team is "No Moses, No Miracles". He won't deliver his team to the second round against a really tough Clemson team

(7) Michigan Wolverines vs (10) Siena Saints
Michigan isn't the team they used to be in the days of the Fab Five, but they'll have more than enough weapons to throw at Siena to advance in this game. This game will be Lester Abram's playground

(2) Oklahoma State Cowboys vs (15) Charleston Southern Buccaneers
A pirate walks into a bar and says, "Barkeep, bring me a beer."

The Bartender brings him a pint and asks him "What line of business be ye in, sir?"

The pirate turns to the Bartender and says, "Why I'm in the Pirate business"

The Barkeeper, puzzled, responds, "But where, then, are your buccaneers?"

To which the pirate answers, "They be under me bucking hat!!"

The moral to this story is to take the Cowboys in this one. I'll be back tomorrow to look at the South Region. It's almost showtime.........

[vandnbyriver5]

The moral to this story is to take the Cowboys in this one.
obviously.


welcome back
man

[K Bomber]

The moral to this story is to take the Cowboys in this one.
obviously.


welcome back
man
It was time to flex the old writing muscles again. Still the best board on the net, although there is an echo around here lately

Hellllooooo, Helllooooo, Hellllllloooooo, Hellllooooooooooo

[K Bomber]

http://sports.espn.go.com/i/columnists/bilas_jay_fpo.gif


The NCAA Tournament - East Region Preview
By Jay Bilas
Special to ESPNvideogames.com
March 09, 2004

My general rule is to never follow a headliner on stage, but I'll try to do my best in following Dickie V and his West Regional Preview. I think that there's at least one big upset brewing in the East, and that there's room for a couple of other possible surprises as well. Guard play is going to be a huge factor in the East and the fans in that region are going to see some brilliant competition and dream match-ups as the floor generals take center stage

(1) Oklahoma Sooners vs (16) Georgia State Panthers
Oklahoma has been dynamite all year with a relatively small team and I think that the Panthers might make them sweat a little before this game is done with the size of their interior personnel, but in the end I think that the quality of the Sooners guard play will carry the game and deliver Oklahoma to the second round

(8 ) Xavier Musketeers vs (9) Utah Utes
Xavier has derisively been called the Mouseketeers because of their relatively small size as a team, but I think that this match-up will be defined by the play of Xavier's backcourt of Sato and Chalmers. I was surprised when the brackets came out to see these two teams seeded in their respective positions and as a result I think this could be one of the most entertaining games of the tournament

(5) Auburn Tigers vs (12) Gonzaga Bulldogs
I'm calling this one my upset special because I just don't know how Gonzaga got a 12 seed in this tournament. The Bulldogs have made a habit of biting teams in the first round and I think they're going to have the Tigers by the tail in this game. The combo of Ronnie Turiaf and Blake Stepp will be one to watch here

(4) Tennessee Volunteers vs (13) UNC Wilmigton Seahawks
Tennessee has too many weapons and too many ways to exploit the plucky Seahawks. While I would never say "never", look for the Vols to run away early on the Seahawks

(6) Wake Forrest Demon Deacons vs (11) Utah State Aggies
The Demon Deacons will likely deliver a fire and brimstone sermon from the pulpit of hoops against the Aggies. Chris Paul is about as good as it gets for a freshman guard and as a combination with Justin Gray, there hasn't been a one-two punch as lethal this side of Muhammad Ali

(3) Pittsburgh Panthers vs (14) Pennsylvania Quakers
The Ivy League is a very wonderful gathering of schools that sends a sacrificial lamb to the tournament each and every year. This will be the closest thing to seeing a re-enactment of a Christian being thrown to a lion since the days of the Collisseums in Rome

(7) Mississippi State Bulldogs vs (10) Northern Illinois Huskies
Lawrence Roberts will make his mark on this game early and often as the Bulldogs will look to establish him in the post. This kid is a solid, and I mean solid, prospect to go pro after this tournament and he'll be looking to make a statement with his performances

(2) Duke Blue Devils vs (15) American University Eagles
Too much of everything for Duke against American who will be completely overwhelmed in this contest. Duke could probably run three regulars, a cheerleader and their mascot against the Eagles and still come out on top. This one will be pretty lopsided

Tomorrow I'll be back to look at the Mid-West to give you the lowdown on another intriguing region in this year's tournament

[K Bomber]

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The Beautiful South
By Dickie Vitale
SPECIAL TO ESPNVIDEOGAMES.COM
March 10, 2004

Time to talk about the best Region in this year's NCAA Tournament. Looking at the quality of the field seeded in the South Regional, I think that this is where the Creme de la Creme of this year's tournament plays. I won't be surprised if we see the eventual National Champion emerge from this bracket

South Region

(1) Texas Longhorns vs (16) SW Texas State
This battle will be about as one sided as Little Big Horn. Texas has got too many PTP's and these guys can smell the National Championship like it's a Sunday barbeque -- a nice rack of ribs would actually be beautiful right about now

(8 ) Southern Carolina Game***** vs (9) Louisville Cardinals
The Game***** have decent size and nice experience and I think that'll get them past the Cardinals, although I like what Francisco Garcia brings to the table. Him and Carlos Powell are going to be taking it mano-a-mano in a classic match-up that'll go a long way to deciding this one

(5) Miami (FLA) Hurricanes vs (12) Rice Owls
I'm hoping Mamadou Yamar Diene has a big game just because I love that name. Realistically though, this game is about Michael Harris versus Darius Rice and I feel that Rice, the player, is more than Rice, the team, can handle

(4) Cincinnati Bearcats vs (13) North Texas Mean Green
The Bearcats will be a team to watch out of the South Region. I think that behind the play of Tony Bobbitt and the beef of Jason Maxiell the Bearcats will make a run at coming out of the South to the Final Four. The Bearcats will be okay as long as no part of Bobbitt's game drops off in the next couple of weeks

(6) North Carolina State Wolfpack vs (11) UC Irvine Anteaters
This game is about the Wise Old Men of NC State and the Diaper Dandies of UC Irvine. I have to go with the experience of the Wolfpack in this one. I know Jimmy V will be watching from his box seats up top. I miss you brother

(3) Purdue Boilermakers vs (12) Vermont Catamounts
The AEC Champion Catamounts will provide a nice warm-up for the Boilermakers in this first round game. Purdue has too much size inside and a really balanced attack in which anyone can hurt you. The Boilermakers will find themselves a match-up to exploit and take it to the bank

(7) Providence Friars vs (10) Tulane Green Wave
This game says upset to me. Tulane is big and balanced. The Friars are quick and cover more ground than a baseball tarp in their press, but I think Tulane will be able to toss the rock over top of the pressure and score a lot of easy baskets. In the half-court, size will be even more of an issue in favour of the Green Wave who'll come crashing down on the Friars in this game

(2) UCONN Huskies vs (15) SE Louisiana Lions
UCONN may be the most talented team in the tournament since the Kentucky teams of the mid 90's or Jerry Tarkanian's champion UNLV team in 1990. The Huskies start at least two guys who are going to be lottery picks in Emeka Oakefor and Ben Gordon, and from there they can still throw Denham Brown, Charlie Villanueva, and Taliek Brown at you. These guys are deeper than the ocean. SE Louisiana will mimic spring in that they'll roll into this game like Lions, but will roll out like lambs

All the action starts tomorrow. Tell Mrs. Vitale that I'll see her on Monday............

[BAMJ6]

Hey bomber, wou will get the Midwest preview right? I'm wondering if the Irish made the tourney in your legacy.

Anyway good luck in the tourney with Mount St. Mary's

[K Bomber]

http://sports.espn.go.com/i/columnists/bilas_jay_fpo.gif


The NCAA Tournament - Mid-West Region Preview
By Jay Bilas
Special to ESPNvideogames.com
March 10, 2004

While I had a great many reservations about how the Tournament Selection Committee seeded the East Region, I think that the members have done a really fine job in setting up the Mid-West. As I looked at the first round pairings, I pretty much came to the conclusion that if there's to be an upset in this bracket, it will likely only come in the second round

On then to discuss what I feel will be the relatively predictable first round

(1) Kansas Jayhawks vs (16) Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils
Kansas ran roughshod through their season this year and other than one big surprise against Colorado, the Jayhawks have shown that they had what it takes to maintain their high level of play, even in the post-Roy Williams era. With their veteran core led by Wayne Simian I see this as the team that will represent the Mid-West Region in the Final Four

(8 ) LSU Tigers vs (9) UNLV Running Rebels
If there is to be an upset in this region, it will probably happen in this match-up. LSU is relatively young and does not have a great deal of size across the board. UNLV is similarly sized, but enjoys a greater wealth of experience under the leadership of junior standout Odartey Blankson. This will be a hardnosed, combative affair worth watching

(5) UAB Blazers vs (12) Butler Bulldogs
I think UAB is a team to watch in the later rounds in this region. The Blazers aren't huge but they are extremely athletic and have come from the highly competitive Conference USA which may be one of the best leagues in all of the NCAA. I'm not a fan of Butler's interior players, they're not an overly aggressive bunch and I think they're going to wilt under the physical style of play preferred by UAB

(4) Michigan State vs (13) Troy State Trojans
I think Michigan State was able to dine on past glories a little bit in order to get a 4 seed in this region, but I believe that they won't have many problems in dealing with Troy State. Prepare to see a lot of Paul Davis in this game because these Trojans can only cover small fries

(6) Charlotte 49ers vs (11) Morehead State Eagles
Ricky Minard is a wonderful player, but I think Charlotte will be able to contain him with Eddie Basden and Demon Brown. On the other side of the ball, the Eagles just won't have an answer for Curtis Withers who is the real deal. The 49ers, like UAB could be good for a surprise or two in the rounds to follow, as this will be the year that Conference USA makes a big dent in this tournament

(3) Wisconsin Badgers vs (14) Montana Grizzlies
Grizzly might be a good term to describe what to expect from this game as Wisconsin led by the surprise National Player of the Year in Brian Butch will be a whole lot more than Montana can handle. Beyond Butch, watch for Devin Harris to do some pretty special things in the tournament

(7) Marquette Golden Eagles vs (10) Iona Gaels
Expect another Conference USA wipeout in this contest. Marquette provides a formidable opponent with nice size and balanced scoring that can play any style of game under the leadership of Travis Diener. The only way Iona can make this one close is if the statisticians give them credit for made baskets during their warm-ups

(2) Syracuse Orangemen vs (15) Oral Roberts Golden Eagles
Given the ties that Oral Roberts University might have with higher powers, you would never want to preclude the possibility for a miracle, but in this case, their Golden Eagles' supporters could probably bring the prayer beads in by the truckload and it wouldn't matter unless Hakim Warrick slipped on some before this game. The Orangemen will likely abuse Oral Roberts by various means and then head off to a soul cleansing confessional thereafter, just to be sure no grudges are held

I know that every basketball fan can't wait for the madness to begin. I'm sure that offices around the US will notice a strange flu going around by about Thursday at Noon. I know I'll be glued to my set, working the remote like a junkie. This is always the best time of the year

[K Bomber]

Hey bomber, wou will get the Midwest preview right? I'm wondering if the Irish made the tourney in your legacy.

Anyway good luck in the tourney with Mount St. Mary's
As requested, sorry about your team though.

The Irish were a bubble team and didn't get in at the bitter end -- something to do with an unsightly blemish on their record from home loss to an unheralded team from Maryland :wink:

Who really understands how these selection committees work?

I hope you'll enjoy the coverage of the tournament to come....................

[vandnbyriver5]

Man, i cant imagine having enough time to do that....

u know what they say, in dreams u always wake up before u die and go to heaven :wink:

[ut_jazz]

yeah i know, that's a lot of reading :!:

[Brankles]

Dang K...

You spent a good amount a time on this...

It's real interesting to read...


Can't wait to hear how you fair against the Clemson Tigers in the NCAA tournament...


And I'm surprised none of your players managed to make an All-NCAA team... and only one of your guys made an All-NEC team...


Well, anyways... with this game, if you go undefeated in a season, you're going to go undefeated in March Madness....

Once you learn how to utilize your big guys, it's hard to lose to anyone...





Holla

[K Bomber]

Dang K...

You spent a good amount a time on this...

It's real interesting to read...

Can't wait to hear how you fair against the Clemson Tigers in the NCAA tournament...

And I'm surprised none of your players managed to make an All-NCAA team... and only one of your guys made an All-NEC team...

Well, anyways... with this game, if you go undefeated in a season, you're going to go undefeated in March Madness....

Once you learn how to utilize your big guys, it's hard to lose to anyone...

Let the truth be told, Brankles. I got this game based entirely on your endorsement. You believed in it and based on what I thought of your opinion, I got it and it's a great game

The report on the Clemson game will be up by Wednesday night..........

Thanks for the nice words, man. That you like it says a lot to me

Cheers.........

[K Bomber]

http://www.emmitsburgdispatch.com/mainlogoBIG.gif
HEY YOU MOUNTAINEERS, GO GET 'EM BOYS!!
Bone, Stone and Adeleke Lead Our Mount St. Mary's Team to the 2004 NCAA Tournament
By: Phil McCracken
March 10, 2004

Orlando, Florida - There was no fanfare to greet pride of Emmitsburg, the Mount St. Mary's Mountaineers, as they arrived in the metropolis of Orlando, Florida. Although people in the Orlando International Airport invariably stared, especially at the imposing regality of Moses Adeleke as he strode with his usual purpose, no media and no entourage accompanied The Mount on their pilgrimage to what amounts to the crucible of College Hoops, where those found unworthy will be burned away until there is but one true champion of the NCAA

They are all winners for merely being here. While our pride in them will vastly outweigh our reasonable expectations, we can be sure that Major Bone's unit will do their best and continue to prove themselves as worthy objects of our admiration with their determined efforts

Tomorrow afternoon the Mountaineers begin their journey with a quantum leap as they will challenge the Clemson Tigers of the powerful Atlantic Coast Conference. The Tigers will be huge favorites in this game and will likely enjoy the benefit of an enormous home court advantage in their home state. But our kids have surprised some big teams this year, and if there is any magic left in sports, it's annually found here at the NCAA Basketball Tourney, the Big Dance

If the Mount is going to have a chance in this one there are a couple keys things to watch. First and foremost, Moses Adeleke needs to play healthy. The big Goat Herder didn't look the same in the NEC Tournament and often looked like he was playing with an injury, not showing the same lift off the floor and agility that was so familiar throughout the regular season.

The second key for the Mountaineers will rest in their ability to contain Sharrod Ford, Clemson's monster in the middle. Ford is 6'9" and a rock solid 223 pounds of muscle who likes to mix it up on both ends of the court. Overall, Clemson isn't very long in the post, but they are thick with players like Chris Hobbs, Ola Bablola and Akin Akingbala throwing their weight around. This could be a physical test unlike any other for our boys

Finally, with Clemson trying to pound the Mountaineers inside, it's going to be important for our guards to defend like demons on the perimeter. If they can deny the Tigers entry into the lane and get some steals in the open floor, the Mount may want to turn the game into a track meet which they'll be better suited to than the burly Tigers

Regardless of what happens in the game, these kids have provided us with a season like no other. Here's hoping they make it last for just one more song.

[K Bomber]

NCAA TOURNEY RECAP: West Region - Round One
Surprises Abound in the Wild West Region
March 12, 2004

It didn't take long for the Madness to take hold in the West Region of this year's NCAA National Championship Tournament as two unheralded teams upset much more celebrated competition to kick off action in Round One

In the early game at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado, the 12th seeded IUPUI Jaguars ran the DePaul Blue Demons right off the court behind the determined play of Odell Bradley and Matt Crenshaw in an 88-55 blowout. Bradley was everywhere, scoring 23 on a variety of drives into the lane and fast break points for a Jaguar team that lived up to its namesake. DePaul never found an answer for the Jags frenetic, trapping defense and were completely shell-shocked by halftime. Quemont Greer paced the Blue Demons with 14

Following IUPUI's unlikely lead, the Mount St. Mary's Mountaineers, the West Region's 14th seed, stormed out of the gates in Orlando, Florida against the 3rd seeded Clemson Tigers, cruising to a 93-50 demolition that served notice to the field that the Mount is for real. Moses Adeleke played limited minutes while recording 14 points and 8 boards, with the real story being the play of Ralph Peterson who dropped in 22 while completely dominating Sharrod Ford defensively, making him a non-factor in front of an extremely partisan crowd at the TD Waterhouse Centre

In other games in the West Region:

(1) UNC Tarheels 93 - (16) Coastal Carolina Chanticleers 69
UNC led by Sean May crushed the Chanticleers on the interior, consistently punishing their smaller opponent with a barrage of big and talented bodies in the post

(8 ) Nevada Wolfpack 63 - (9) St. Joe's Hawks 61
Nick Fazekas lived a Freshman's dream while Jameer Nelson lived through a Senior's nightmare as the Wolfpack advanced on a desperation three pointer by Fazekas over Nelson with no time left on the clock in Nevada's win in a wild game that saw 27 lead changes

(7) Michigan Wolverines 68 - (10) Siena Saints 61
Siena threatened Michigan early by building 7 point lead at the half behind some deadly accuracy from beyond the 3 point line, but the Wolverines powered back through the second half, slowly grinding down the Saints with the power game of Courtney Sims and the athleticism of Lester Abram. Abram, the Sophomore from Pontiac, Michigan, finished with 18 points for the game

(2) Oklahoma State Cowboys 80 - (15) Charleston Southern Buccaneers 67
Charleston tried to run on the Cowboys early, but Oklahoma State roped in the Buccaneers by the half and pulled away due to the leadership of Tony Allen and his 29 points. Allen flirted with a triple-double by recording 9 rebounds and 8 assists in a masterful performance that capped the day's games at the HSBC Arena in Buffalo, New York

[K Bomber]

NCAA TOURNEY RECAP: South Region - Round One
The Favorites Hold Serve in the Deep South
March 12, 2004

The South Region has been rumoured to be the most talented in this year's NCAA Tournament. With all the upsets in the West, the South bore out Selection Committee's vision in seeding the Region. Not one underdog rose up to bite any of the favorites on Day One in the South and the average margin of victory was 23 points in a Region wher no game was ever in doubt

In Raleigh, North Carolina, the top-seeded Texas Longhorns began the day by making a statement against the 16th seeded SW Texas State to the tune of 91-44. Led by Brandon Mouton and his 24 point performance the Longhorns completely overpowered their opponent from the opening tip-off until the final buzzer with ferocious defense and a stampede to the hoop on the break.

Purdue, the 3rd seed, was similarly determined against the Vermont Catamounts in Denver, pounding the American East Conference champions into submission withn 87-53 mugging at the Pepsi Center. Ivan Cartelo loomed large over the diminuative Catamounts, scoring 14 points and adding 16 boards as the Boilermakers led from start to finish, never allowing Vermont to gain even the slightest momentum

In other games in the South Region:

(8 ) South Carolina Game***** 93 - (16) Louisville Cardinals 78
Louisville had no answer for the Game***** Junior forward Carlos Powell who seemed to be everywhere in the RBC Center in Raleigh. Bouyed by a large and loud Carolina crowd, Powell threw down 25 on a variety of enthusiastic and acrobatic plays

(4) Cincinnati Bearcats 75 - (13) North Texas Mean Green 66
Tony Bobbitt made the Mean Green look absolutely sick in scoring 19 points at the Nationwide Center in Columbus, Ohio. Absoutely no part of Bobbitt's game dropped off as he scored both inside and out while the rest of the Bearcats played Bob Huggins' defensive plan to abssolute perfection

(6) NC State Wolfpack 71 - (11) UC Irvine Anteaters 53
The Wolfpack played hungry and descended on the Anteaters like truly ravenous dogs in chewing up UC Irvine in the Pepsi Center in Denver. Marcus Melvin was immense with 17 points and 23 rebounds, soaring above the Anteaters in the thin air at altitude a mile above sea-level

Friday's matchups in the South Region will be highlighted by UCONN's opener in Orlando against the SE Louisiana Lions

[K Bomber]

NCAA TOURNEY RECAP: East Region - Round One
Turiaf's Zags Bite the Tigers as Gonzaga Does It Again
March 12, 2004

Ronnie Turiaf, likely an NBA first round pick in this year's draft, showed the college world in the Show Me State the depth of his talent as play began in the East Regional at Kemper Arena in Kansas City, Missouri. Behind Turiaf's 21 points, the 12th seeded Zags held off Auburn, the 5th seed, down the stretch to register the sole upset of Day One in East Regional play by a score of 78-73.

Blake Stepp, playing in his last NCAA Tournament for Gonzaga, controlled the tempo of the game by guiding the intelligent Bulldog attack and locating Turiaf for baskets whenever the Tigers got close.

Turiaf seemed intent on proving his maligned rebounding prowess to the NBA scouts in attendence against the chunky Tiger interior, by snagging 13 boardds for the double-double in the upset

In Buffalo, the top-seeded Oklahoma Sooners broke out early against Georgia State, going on a 16-2 run to start the game and were then content to play even up with the Panthers the rest of the way in winning their opening round contest 73-60. Jason Detrick began the explosion out of the gates with a 7 for 7 outburst before levelling off and finishing with 24.

Detrick was huge on the defensive end, ensuring that the Panthers were never able to get comfortable in their offensive sets as he pressured the ball with ferocity and pillaged the passing lanes for 6 steals

In other games in the East Region:

(8 ) Xavier Musketeers 85 - (9) Utah Utes47
Rick Majerus watched the "Mouseketeers" loom large in their contest with his bigger Utah squad, as Romain Sato and Lionel Chalmers bookended Xavier's victory with matching 18 point performances in the HSBC Arena in Buffalo. Xavier throttled with an intense full court press that completely frustrated Nick Jacobsen in his final college game and prevented the Utes from getting organized throughout the contest

(4) Tennessee Volunteers 70 - (13) UNC Wilmington Seahawks 59
Tennesse overcame a lacklustre first half performance to storm back against the Seahawks in Raleigh, North Carolina. The crowd at the RBC Center tried to make it tough on the Tennessee players with their vocal support of the local side, but C.J. Watson was determined to gut out the victory with his stellar play that resulted in 17 points, 6 rebounds and 8 assists

(3) Pittsburgh Panthers 74 - (14) Pennsylvania Quakers 55
In a battle for state bragging rights, the Panthers shook the Quakers behind Carl Krauser's all-around game. Krauser organized an efficient attack for Pittsburgh with 8 assists to go along with his 14 points, while playing with great activity on the defensive end

(2) Duke Blue Devils 88 - (15) American University Eagles 66
Luol Deng showed the reason why he is touted as a possible first round pick as the Blue Devils brushed aside the American Eagles in Kansas City. Deng ably demonstrated the various weapons in his arsenal as he came within two assists of a triple-double in recording 22 points, 11 Rebounds and 8 assists. J.J. Reddick contributed 15 by going 5 of 6 from beyond the arc in an uncomprehensible display of big league range

[Falkowski83]

Hey K Bomber, just went through your whole legacy!

I really don't have words to describe what I felt. Awesome, beautiful, meaningful, etc...

Just have one thing to say: GO MOUNT!

C Ya!

P.S.: Don't have ESPN College Hoops yet, but i'm definately buying it. And I'll share my experience throughout my future legacy with you guys! You set a high standard for us, so it will be tough to live up the expectations of legacy readers after yours! But I'll do my best!

[K Bomber]

Hey K Bomber, just went through your whole legacy!

I really don't have words to describe what I felt. Awesome, beautiful, meaningful, etc...

Just have one thing to say: GO MOUNT!

C Ya!

P.S.: Don't have ESPN College Hoops yet, but i'm definately buying it. And I'll share my experience throughout my future legacy with you guys! You set a high standard for us, so it will be tough to live up the expectations of legacy readers after yours! But I'll do my best!
I don't know what to say other than thank you. I'm glad to hear that you've enjoyed the journey and are on board to see how far it will go

You've made my day..........

[Jackrabbit]

Great job, looking forward to how the rest of the tourney ends up. You continue to be the pinnacle of legacy writing!

[K Bomber]

NCAA TOURNEY RECAP: Mid-West Region - Round One
The Curse of Tutt Nearly Crushes the Orange
March 12, 2004

The Mid-West Region may have fielded a light schedule of action on day one of play, but that by no means related to light menu of entertainment as the region's number two seed, the Syracuse Orangemen, narrowly avoided disaster at the Key Arena in Seattle by outlasting the Oral Roberts Golden Eagles by a score of 71-67. Ken "Funky" Tutt came close to being the architect of the Orangemen's demise by blistering the twine in an uncanny display of field goal precision in scoring 36 for the nearly miraculous Golden Eagles.

With fellow frosh Caleb Green battling a frustrated All-American Hakim Warrick to a virtual standstill, Tutt's heroics were just barely overcome by the comparative depth of Syracuse who saw four players produce double figure scoring performances and Gerry McNamara steal the game and the ball with 12 seconds remaining and the Orangemen hanging on by 2 points. Up until that point McNamara was on the verge of being fit with the goat horns as he seemed almost helpless in trying to slow down Tutt from the field

Even with the win, the Orangemen will likely be sleepless in Seattle as they attempt to regroup and rediscover their championship form of a year ago without the benefit of their key cog in Carmelo Anthony

In the only other contest played in the Mid-West bracket on Thursday, the region's other Golden Eagles soared as seventh seeded Marquette flew past the Iona Gaels 94-49. The pride of Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, Scott Merritt was huge in leading the Eagles to victory, recording 18 points and 17 rebounds. in a mature performance by a focused senior. Iona, a seriously undesized opponent for the massive Marquette team, failed to find a single player capable of scoring in double figures against the Eagles but should seek solice in the fact that there youth should provide a solid foundation that will require only some subtle tweaks and some focus on adding some interior size through their recruiting efforts

The Mid-West Region goes into high gear on Friday with a heavy slate of 6 games

[K Bomber]

http://www.emmitsburgdispatch.com/mainlogoBIG.gif
Mountaineers Tame the Tigers!!
Our Boys Stun the College World With a Landmark Win
By: Phil McCracken
March 12, 2004

Orlando, Florida - On Wednesday night, Major Bone admitted that he didn't know just how his team would react to being on the big stage. Sure, they had opened a lot of eyes with their play through a groundbreaking regular season and an incredibly strong run through the NEC Tournament, but this was something much different from those experiences. Here, in the part of our country where magic is only as far away as Disneyland, the coach knew that Clemson would be ready, willing and able to debunk the "myth" of the Mount St. Mary's Mountaineers and shower them with some cold and harsh "reality"

If Coach Bone had any doubt, his team washed those away right after the tip-off

In all the years of Mountaineer basketball, there has never been a team like this. On Thursday night, our boys grabbed the Clemson Tigers by the tail and swung them around like rag dolls as they trounced them by a score of 93-50 in front of a highly partisan crowd that was stunned by the spectacle before them. Ralph Peterson, who has played like a complete hellion since being left off any of the NEC All-Conference teams, seemed intent on treating any Tiger player like a hated member of the Conference Selection Committee as he ran roughshod for 22 points on a thunderous assortment of dunks, post-ups and authoritative drives to the hoop. On defense, the freshman muscled his opposition around as though they were the bullies and he was the guy from the old comic book advertisement after the Charles Atlas program. Peterson was simply a man among boys as he took charge and hoisted the mount up on his shoulders while carrying them to victory

Lest he be forgotten, Moses Adeleke looked decent in limited minutes compiling 14 points and 8 rebounds before shutting it down early in the second half with the game in hand. While the Mount looked impressive and the equal of anyone playing in Orlando on Thursday, resting Adeleke was simply prudent given that he has looked noticeably gimpy down the stretch through the NEC Tourney

Throughout the game the Mountaineers looked confident and in control. They passed the ball with smarts and gusto, generating 26 assists as a team and a rock-solid 0.603 field goal percentage. Clemson looked lost for most of the game, almost like a team that was watching from the perspective of a third person, realizing what was happening to them, but virtually unable to prevent it from happening. For the game they were led by Vernon Hamilton and his 14 points, but they were felled by an offense that sputtered in the face of a ferocious Mountaineer defense that held their opponent to 21 of 59 from the field

After the game, when asked to explain his teams performance and speculate on their prospects moving forward, Coach Bone said, "If anything, today will put us on the radar and ensure that our next opponent (either the Southern Illinois Salukis or the Colorado State Rams) comes ready to play. I don't think anyone is going to take us lightly anymore and we're going to be a target"

Here's hoping the kids are up to the challenge

[K Bomber]

NCAA TOURNEY RECAP: Mid-West Region - Round One
"Butter" Rules on the Parquet in Milwaukee
March 13, 2004

With a nickname like "Butter" you'd better be smooth and on Friday night, Kevin Johnson lived up to his nom-de-plume in leading his Charlotte 49ers to a big 101-94 win over the Morehead State Eagles at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee. With a pace more reminiscent of a Milwaukee Bucks game, Johnson used his surprisingly effective face-up moves in the post to a devastating effect, thereby leading all scorers with 24 points. Defensively, "Butter" spread himself all over the floor, showing signs of his elusive brilliance in all aspects of the game to disrupt the Eagles attack and control the boards as the 49ers held a decisive advantage in rebounding for the game by a margin of 46-33

In Columbus, Ohio, the top ranked Kansas Jayhawks offered a show of force in their dismissal of the Mississippi State Delta Devils by a score of 80-31. The Jayhawks left no doubt from the outset of action in this contest as to who was the superior team as they began the game on a 23-0 run and never looked back. Wayne Simian was stellar in the first half with 18 points, mostly off the fast break, before sitting for the entire second half. Aaron Miles looked similarly brilliant in guiding the Jayhawks' offense with 17 assists with several of the Houdini-like "Now you see it, now you don't" variety

In other games in the Mid-West Region:

(5) UAB Blazers 80 - (12) Butler Bulldogs 57
The Blazers joined their Conference USA counterparts Cincinnati and Charlotte in the second round with a fabulous display of athletic basketball led by Demarrio Eddins 21 points and Sidney Ball's 18. Unable to solve UAB's full court pressure, the Bulldogs committed 17 turnovers to help seal their own fate

( 8 ) LSU Tigers 89 - (9) UNLV Running Rebels 73
The LSU Tigers proved that this year's version of the Rebels couldn't run with them as they lambasted UNLV in the second half of the doubleheader in Columbus. Jamie Lloreda was an absolute force on both the offensive and defensive boards while controlling the lane to the tune of 24 points, 21 rebounds and 5 blocked shots. Brandon Bass was also a kingfish on the boards as he snagged 13 for the Tigers while contributing 11 points

(4) Michigan State Spartans 75 - (13) Troy State Trojans 37
Size was definitely an issue for the tiny Trojans as the Michigan State Spartans could simply not be contained by Troy State. With their abundance of size, the Spartans continually exposed the soft underbelly of Troy State's interior and were led by the towering Paul Davis and his 15 points and 22 rebounds. Kelvin Torbert added 16 for Michigan State

(3) Wisconsin Badgers 60 - (14) Montana Grizzlies 49
The Badgers overcame a sub-par performance by Brian Butch to defeat a plucky Montana team that actually was able to build a 7 point lead early in the second half by controlling the tempo of the game. Eventually, Wisconsin rode the coat tails of Devin Harris as he asserted himself down the stretch by exposing the Grizzlies defense off the dribble with 17 second half points en route to a game high 21

Round two in the Mid-West Region should promise some entertaining match-ups involving some very diverse styles of play as the bracket breaks down as follows:

Nationwide Arena - Columbus, Ohio
(1) Kansas Jayhawks vs ( 8 ) LSU Tigers

Kemper Arena, Kansas City
(4) Michigan State Spartans vs (5) UAB Blazers

Bradley Center, Milwaukee
(3) Wisconsin Badgers vs (6) Charlotte 49ers

Key Arena, Seattle
(2) Syracuse Orangemen vs (7) Marquette Golden Eagles

The winners from Round Two will advance to play in the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis for play in the Sweet Sixteen

[vandnbyriver5]

Great Job man, i cant compete with u in Legacy writing, great win over Clemson, did they play man and u just blew past em? thats wat happened when i killed UCLA last year

[K Bomber]

Great Job man, i cant compete with u in Legacy writing, great win over Clemson, did they play man and u just blew past em? thats wat happened when i killed UCLA last year
They were just flat. It's funny because I've had some non-legacy games where the computer has driven me crazy and really run me, but Clemson just laid down

Weird....................

BTW, for me the legacy writing is about seeing all the different styles and different takes on the theme. I wish some of the guys would come back and get back into their legacies because it was always interesting to me to see how guys related to the game

Come back, guys, come back..................

[nickm]

Man, I feel like I'm missing out. I just read the last couple of updates, and I really hope that your Mountaineers can pull it off. Good luck in the rest tourney!

[K Bomber]

NCAA TOURNEY RECAP: East Region - Round One
Demon Deacons' Win Leads Through a Gray Area
March 13, 2004

Day Two at the Bradley Centre in Milwaukee kicked off a light schedule for the East Region, but found another brilliant performance in the play of Justin Gray as the Wake Forest Demon Deacons outlasted the Utah State Aggies 71-60. Gray, a sophomore from Charlotte, NC, was relentless in attacking the lane off the dribble as he continually shred the Aggies perimeter defense and made life for the Utah State big men enormously problematic. In finishing with 27 points and 7 assists, Gray was the catalyst for the Demon Deacons, who were never really threatened by the Aggie attack that was led by Spencer Nelson with 15. By driving and dishing with aplomb whenever the Utah State big men chose to help against his breath-taking forays into the paint, or scoring when they were late in rotating, Gray demolished and demoralized the Aggies with stunning panache

Defensively Wake continually frustrated the Aggies' leading scorer, Cardell Butler, by forcing him into poor offensive options which led to an abysmal 3 of 18 shooting night for the Senior in his final college game. The Demon Deacons will now move on to face the powerful Pitt Panthers in what should be an intriguing match-up

In Kansas, the fans at the Kemper Arena saw a garden variety blowout as the Northern Illinois Huskies went cold against a Mississippi State team that emerged as the top dog in a 97-54 win. The seventh-ranked Bulldogs were led by the inside presence of Lawrence Roberts, the 6'9" behemoth who scored 16 points and grabbed 22 rebounds as Missisippi State rode their interior dominance to the convincing win

Roberts, a transfer who was eligible to play for the Bulldogs in his first year after moving to Mississippi from Baylor after the usual D1 transfer rule was waived, was a man among boys in controlling the paint and showing a deft shooting touch to accompany his brute power down low. ESPN broadcaster Robin Roberts glowed from the stands as she watched her nephew provide his tour-de-force performance in guiding his team to Round Two in the East

All eyes watching Round two in the East Region will be focused on the surprising Bulldogs of Gonzaga as they face the Tennessee Voluteers with college basketball fans looking to see if Ronnie Turiaf can repeat the eye-opening performance that tamed the Auburn Tigers and delivered his team to the second round

The East bracket breaks down as follows heading into the next round of play:

HSBC Arena - Buffalo, New York
(1) Oklahoma Sooners vs ( 8 ) Xavier Musketeers

RBC Center - Raleigh, North Carolina
(4) Tennessee Volunteers vs (12) Gonzaga Bulldogs

Bradley Center - Milwaukee, Wisconsin
(3) Pittsburgh Panthers vs (4) Wake Forest Demon Deacons

Kemper Arena - Kansas City, Missouri
(2) Duke Blue Devils vs (7) Mississippi State Bulldogs

The winners from Round Two will advance to play at the Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford, New Jersey and the Sweet Sixteen

[Falkowski83]

Hey K Bomber!

Question: What sliders do you use? And do you use role-play?

Tks!

And Go Mount! On the road to the Final Four!

[K Bomber]

Hey K Bomber!

Question: What sliders do you use? And do you use role-play?

Tks!

And Go Mount! On the road to the Final Four!
The season of Bone that I'm writing about didn't use the role play sliders. In this one I used elprez98's 4.0 set and the realism sliders that he and HotShot232 put together

You can find those in the College Hoops Discussion forum...........

[Kaline]

Wow, great work K-bomber, this must have taken a LOT of time to put together.

[K Bomber]

Wow, great work K-bomber, this must have taken a LOT of time to put together.
If you love what you do, you never work a day in your life

No job could ever offer so much reward...................

[K Bomber]

NCAA TOURNEY RECAP: West Region - Round One
The West is Sweaty Palm Central in Two Close Shaves
March 13, 2004

Day Two in the Wild West Regional continued to provide it's share of Maalox moments in a bracket that seems to be shaping up as one where no seed is safe, regardless of their ranking. While both games on Friday saw the higher seeds move on to the next round, the underdogs did a fair job of jumping up and biting their opponents in some of the most uncomfortable anatomy

(4) Arizona Wildcats 70 - (13) VCU Rams 66
Salim Stoudamire, cousin of the NBA's Damon, showed off his family's uncanny ability to make a difference in elevating the Wildcats past the feisty Rams at the Pepsi Center in Denver. Following a lacklustre first half that saw the Wildcats down by 3 in a 38-35 nailbiter, Stoudamire came up huge on both the offensive and defensive ends, finishing with 18 points, 8 rebounds and 6 steals. Playing with poise down the stretch, Stoudamire found his shots in rhythm and then iced the proceedings with 5 free throws in the final 1:04 to seal the deal.


(6) Colorado State Rams 78 - (11) Southern Illinois Salukis 71
The TD Waterhouse Center in Orlando officially became Mr. Robinson's neighborhood as Freddy Robinson had one of his patented offensive explosions in the second half to lead another come from behind victory for the Rams. Using his devastating first step to absolutely anihilate any Saluki attempting to defend him, Robinson struck for 15 of his 22 in the second half while giving a seminar on savvy offensive play, both with and without the ball. Michael Morris made sure to keep feeding Robinson as though he were Japanese Sumo Wrestler looking to add weight, thereby padding his own stat line in the assists category with 11 for Colorado State

Round Two kicks off Saturday with two of the upset surprises of the tournament, the Mount St. Mary's Mountaineers and the IUPUI Jaguars returning to play in uncharted territory for these two unheralded teams. All the Wild West match-ups for Round Two are as follows:


Key Arena - Seattle, Washington
(1) UNC Tarheels vs ( 8 ) Nevada Wolfpack

Pepsi Center - Denver, Colorado
(4) Arizona Wildcats vs (12) IUPUI Jaguars

TD Waterhouse Center - Orlando, Florida
(6) Colorado State Rams vs (14) Mount St. Mary's Moutaineers

HSBC Arena - Buffalo, New York
(2) Oklahoma State Cowboys vs (7) Michigan Wolverines

The winners from Round Two will advance to Sweet Sixteen play in the America West Arena in Phoenix, Arizona

[K Bomber]

NCAA TOURNEY RECAP: South Region - Round One
The UCONN Huskies Look Cool in the South
March 13, 2004

Emeka Okafor is a man on a mission, make no mistake about it

The UCONN center, ranked by many as the best player in all of College Hoops, regardless of what the awards say, is a sure-fire NBA lottery pick should he wish to enter this spring and some pundits argue that Okafor could even go as high as the first overall pick. Okafor has dominated the college scene this year and his rare blend of athleticism and savvy were on full display Friday as his UCONN Huskies descended on the TD Waterhouse Center in Orlando and tore a strip off the Southeastern Louisiana Lions 99-56.

Right from the start of the game, Okafor was everywhere, implicating himself in the proceedings, especially on the defensive end, where the Lions foolishly attempted to repreatedly challenge his authority in the lane. Okafor finished with 8 blocks and his energy on the defensive end seemed to further ignite his efforts on the offensive side of things as he continually demanded the ball down low and set about abusing the Lions in the lane with a sublime assortment of dunks, baby hooks and baseline jumpers. By the end of the game, Okafor ruled the Lions with a ridiculous line of 28 points and 22 rebounds in a night where he obviously threw down the gauntlet to the entire field in the tournament, thereby establishing UCONN as a team to watch the rest of the way.

Ben Gordon added 18 for good measure to further illustrate that these dogs have a whole lot of bite to back their bark

Beware the Huskies...

In other games in the South Region:

(5) Miami Hurricanes 55 - (12) Rice Owls 47
At the Nationwide Center in Columbus, the Hurricanes survived their own anemic effort on offense by outlasting Rice in what was a rare first round yawner. Darius Rice seemed to be the only player interested in shwing any form of hustle as he contributed 17 points and 9 rebounds to the Hurricane cause, while limiting Rice's Mamadou Yamar Diene and providing excellent help on Michael Harris down low

(7) Providence Friars 93 - (10) Tulane Green Wave 53
Providence was divine against the overmatched Green Wave in the second game in Orlando, as they followed the inspiration of Ryan Gomes and his 26 points and 14 rebounds into the second round of play. While Gomes is an undesized post-player, he illustrated the importance of desire by simply wanting the ball more and capitalizing on the fruits of his labors in the paint, leaving the Green Wave washed out in Southern Florida

The South Region shapes up with some interesting match-ups in the second round, as the tops seeds held serve across the board in the opening round of play:

RBC Center - Raleigh, North Carolina
(1) TExas Longhorns vs ( 8 ) South Carolina Game*****

Nationwide Center, Columbus, Ohio
(4) Cincinnati Bearcats vs (5) Miami Hurricanes

Pepsi Center, Denver, Colorado
(3) Purdue Boilermakers vs (6) NC State Wolfpack

TD Waterhouse Center, Orlando, Florida
(2) UCONN Huskies vs (7) Providence Friars

The Sweet Sixteen beckons the winners of Round Two in the South to the spacious confines of the Georgia Dome in Atlanta. Get ready to feel the heat in the South

[K Bomber]

NCAA TOURNEY RECAP: West Region - Round Two
A Surprise Comes at a Terrible Price
March 14, 2004

Orlando, Florida (AP) - For a while the silence was deafening.

As Moses Adeleke writhed in agony under the Colorado State basket early on in the Mount St. Mary's Mountaineers Second Rounder, the implications of what was unfolding could be seen across the faces of every Mountaineer player and fan in the TD Waterhouse Center. This one was bad. Adeleke had been the story for the Mount for the entire year, leading his team with actions and not words. Providing them with their identity as a team and much like another Moses of old, leading them to the promised land of the NCAA National Championship Tournament.

Now he was lying prone on the floor, with an ankle you knew was likely broken from the moment you saw him go down at exactly 4:13 into the game with the Rams of Colorado State.

The Mount have been the feel good story of the year and much of that has been built around the character of their team. While Adeleke was finished, for whatever time remained on their 2003-04 season, there was still a game to play and a spot in the Sweet Sixteen at stake. Now was the time, when everyone who has thought that the Mountaineers were essentially Moses and the Miracles, would plainly see what this team was made of. Did they have the jam to compete, especially in the face of this, their most oppressive obstacle, down 12-4 and with the soul of their team leaving on a stretcher?

The answer was yes, at least for today

In the moments follwoing Adeleke's injury, the Mount still played like they were in shock. Having lost possession of the ball on the play that cost them Adeleke's services, the Mount quickly gave up a three-pointer to go down 9 and then, after three more failed possessions on offense and subsequent converted opportunities by the Rams, the Mountaineers came down the floor down 21-4 and seemingly on their way home to Emmitsburg, having run out of surprises in what would be described as a "nice" year for them as a team

But their Coach, Major Bone, seemed to have other ideas. After calling a time out, Bone seemed to read his team the riot act on their bench. Coming back out onto the floor, the Mount began looking like a different team, resembling the group that had run the table through their season, like the team that had stunned the Irish on the sacred grounds of South Bend, like the team that had taken the Clemson Tigers by the tail and given them the ride of their lives right out of the First Round

Isaiah Stone seemed most interested in taking charge of the proceedings as the Mount began to inch their way back into the game. As his team began to make stops and convert opportunities, it was Stone who continually was everywhere good things were happening for the Mount. First it was a steal in the post from a surprised Matt Nelson to ignite a fast break. Then it was a feed in the lane to a ridiculously open Ralph Peterson that the frosh converted into a thundering jam. And finally there was a three from so deep in the left corner that his momentum carried Stone into the laps of the fans seated at courtside and his team to a half-time lead of 39-37

From there, the second half was lights out in another Mount win as they maintained their lead throughout the second half and emerged with a 74-69 win and a stunning berth to the Sweet Sixteen.

For the night, Stone was unconscious with a 20 point, 9 assist and 8 rebound night, providing inspiration through perspiration and, thereby, easing the loss of Adeleke for the night. Ralph Peterson added an 18 point and 9 rebound effort, while Milton Nash, who replaced Adeleke, ripped 13 boards and provided a tenacious presence on the defensive end coupled with some senior poise

But even with all of the character shown by the Mount, it is hard not to reflect on the loss of Adeleke as anything less than catastrophic. Even with him in the line-up, the Mountaineers were nobody's idea of contender in the field of 64. With Adeleke out for the rest of the year with what Coach Bone confirmed was a broken ankle, the Mount looks like a tenuous bet to continue much further in the tourney; the horses simply aren't there to get it done. Perhaps it is fitting that their next round of play will be held in Phoenix, because this team will need to rise from the ashes if they intend to advance any further

In the other games in the West Region:

(1) UNC Tarheels 87 - ( 8 ) Nevada Wolfpack 80
Rashad McCants and the depth of the Tarheels was the story in Seattle as the top-ranked Tarheels continued their run through Round Two. With his silky smooth stroke on full display, McCants bombed the Wolfpack for 26 paint and gave Nick Fazekas a freshman lesson in grit that should serve him well in future campaigns once he recovers from the beating he absorbed down low against the 'Heels.

For good measure, Raymond Felton added 16 and 8 assists for the victorious team from UNC

Play in the West Region continues Sunday with games in Denver and Buffalo to determine who will join the Tarheels and Mountaineers in Phoenix for the Third Round of play

[K Bomber]

NCAA TOURNEY RECAP: Midwest Region - Round Two
The 49ers Find Gold In Milwaukee
March 14, 2004

Milwaukee, Ohio (AP) - The Butch is back, in Madison that is.

Bryan Butch has lived through dream freshman season this year. WHile he was an obvious talent coming out of high school, he wasn't considered in the same light as some of the other freshman sensations that have dotted the College Hoops landscape in the 2003-04 season. However as the season wore on, it was continuously Butch's name that was on the lips of everyone in the NCAA, leading his team by example and with peerless performances that made an enormous difference in the Badgers difficult schedule of play.

In the end, that dream turned into an unfathomable nightmare on Saturday for Butch and his Badger teammates, as they were stopped cold on an unlikely trifecta at the buzzer by the University of Charlotte's Demon Brown, that lifted the 49ers into the Sweet Sixteen on the strength of a 73-71 decision and left the partisan crowd at the Bradley Center wondering just how it all could slip away so suddenly and so cruelly

Throughout this contest, you just knew that the 49ers simply weren't going to go away easily. While the Badgers were arguably a more talented side, whenever they began to see a little daylight and build a lead, the team from Charlotte would respond, more on grit and guile, hustling their way to a 38-37 advantage at the half. Curtis Withers and Eddie Basden were simply heroic in battling Butch and the much larger Badgers down in the paint, finding various means to secure boards in all the big moments, thereby allowing their offense additional opportunities while robbing the Badgers of second chances. For the Badgers, Devin Harris was stunningly effective throughout the first, scoring 12 of his 23 on the night, while showcasing a game that is easily pro-calibre

The second half emerged as a battle of wills, with no lead greater than 3 and featuring 20 lead changes alongside 4 ties. As the game wound down, a Harris three gave the Badgers a seemingly secure 71-68 lead with 1:13 left in the game. As the crowd went absolutely bonkers, the 49ers called a timeout to try and regroup.

Coming out of that timeout, "Butter" Johnson made a circus-like shot on a frantic drive at the 56 second mark that ensure that the 49ers would see the ball at least one more time. As the Badgers spent the clock on their possession, the ball again found Harris who looked to launch from about 18 until Basden materialized to get a piece of the ball from behind. While Harris protested that he was fouled, the ball was yet again in the hands of Charlotte with 21 seconds and a chance to win, the rest is now history. As Basden searched for an open teammate, Brown came off a Martin Iti screen like a speed Demon and launched a three that dashed the Badgers hopes and turned the Bradley Center into 18600 seat mausoleum

The 49ers didn't seem to mind the quiet as they whooped it up at mid-court

In the other game in the Midwest Region:

(1) Kansas Jayhawks 89 - ( 8 ) LSU Tigers 59
The Jayhawks sent another message to the NCAA field with a strong victory at the Nationwide Center in Columbus. Feeding off Wayne Simien's dominance in the paint and J.R. Giddens offensive fireworks from outside, the Jayhawks won going away while making short work of the Tigers. LSU could not have been more careless with the ball as they attempted to comeback from an early 25-7 deficit, thereby pressuring themselves into a horrific night from the field and compounding their early problems

For the game Simien recorded 16 points and 14 boards while Giddens dropped in 21

Round Two action continues from Seattle and Kansas City on Sunday

[squidpants]

hey K, good to see your legacy is up and running again. Go Mount!

[K Bomber]

hey K, good to see your legacy is up and running again. Go Mount!
Thanks squi, now the only thing is to finish this thing before 2K5 comes out.............

[K Bomber]

NCAA TOURNEY RECAP: East Region - Round Two
Every Dog Has His Day
March 14, 2004

Raleigh, North Carolina (AP) - It's often said that it isn't the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog. On Saturday, the Gonzaga Bulldogs drove home that point emphatically as they stunned the 4th seeded Tennessee Volunteers 82-79 in another frenzied finish on the opening weekend of play.

While Cory Violette and Ronnie Tauriaf are not the most towering front line players in the NCAA, they have shown an absolutely unmatched desire to compete and get after their opponents down in the paint. This trend continued against the Vols as Violette played with impressive physical zeal, banging with Brandon Crump on the interior and waging absolute war in contest of every single rebound. Tauriaf was equally ambitious, throwing himself through the lane without consideration for his body as he spent the day in attack mode on both ends; ripping down boards, battling for position and scoring on the interior with brutish efficiency while netting 24 and grabbing 16 boards.

While the interior battle kept going Gonzaga's way, on the perimeter another tale was being told as C.J. Watson and Scooter McFaddon made life miserable for the Bulldogs' guards. Watson was one of the only Vols willing to challenge the interior presence of Tauriaf and Violette. After one particularly breathtaking and punishing journey through the lane which scored a bucket and a foul in the second half, Watson could be seen urging on his larger teammates saying, essentially, "If I can do it, why can't you?"

With their bookend 20 point performances, Watson and McFaddon held the Vols in the game until late when the Bulldogs were able to establish a 5 point with 2 minutes remaining. With the Vols trying to make up ground, the only option in the dying minutes was to foul and let free throws decide the contest. The Bulldogs were able to convert on the enough of their chances down the stretch to come away with the upset win and move on to the Sweet Sixteen, carried largely, and we do mean largely, on the efforts of Taurief and Violette who shared Player of the Game honours.

In the other games in the East Region:

(1) Oklahoma Sooners 68 - ( 8 ) Xavier Musketeers58
In Buffalo, New York the Xavier Musketeers finally came up short against the larger Sooners as their shooting touch evaporated and their interior collapsed, leading to the ten point loss. While gamely competing throughout, Xavier had no reply for the balanced attack of the Sooners who saw three player score in double digits led by Jason Detrick with 16. Defensively, Oklahoma was sharp all night, making the Musketeers labor on the offensive end and contesting every shot with resolute tenacity

The Musketeers were led by Lionel Chalmers, from nearby Albany, with 14 points

Play in the East Region continues its schedule of play with games in Milwaukee and Kansas as teams will attempt to join the Bulldogs and Sooners in East Rutherford, New Jersey for play in the Sweet Sixteen

[K Bomber]

NCAA Tourney Recap South Region - Round Two
No Southern Comfort For Top Seeds as Upsets Abound in Second Round
March 14, 2004

Raleigh, North Carolina (AP) - It wasn't supposed to be like this, it said so on paper. On paper it was clear that the Texas Longhorns were a bigger and more talented team. On paper it said that man for man, the South Carolina Game***** were no match for the Longhorns and their talented cast of performers. On paper it was dead wrong.

In a quintessential exhibition of why they actually play the games on courts and not on paper, the South Carolina Game***** rode a wave of local support, although there was a well-represented Texan contingent in the packed RBC Center, to a mind-boggling 102-81 in a lop-sided final that actually flattered the losers.

Playing a gutsy and determined brand of team basketball, the Game***** simply used their varied approach on offense to keep the Longhorns guessing by always finding a mismatch or a man left open off a frantic defensive rotation. Through it all the one voice directing the dissection of the Texas side was Michael Boynton. Boynton, a senior, was like a second coach on the floor; ensuring that every set was run to perfection, that every rotation on defense was recognized and supported, that every shot provided a high percentage opportunity to drive another nail in the Longhorns' coffin and by midway point of the second half. Even the subs coming in seemed to have their mojo fully in gear as the battle of the benches became as one-sided as the competition between the two first teams.

For the Longhorns the shock was evident on the face of every player, coach and fan. Having steamrolled through their first round match-up with Southwest Texas State, the feeling was that the ball was just starting to get rolling in their run to what they hoped would be a deep journey down the road to the Final Four. Instead the wheels fell off the apple cart as shot after shot clanged off the iron and the offense that looked like a Lambourghini in Round One became a broken-down clunker in the face of the South Carolina defense.

No player better epitomized the offensive frustrations of the Longhorns more than their classy senior, Brandon Mouton. Mouton, generally a dependable shooter, couldn't have been any colder had he been dug out of glacier. While Boynton's stellar coverage had an impact on the performance, the ball just never seemed to leave Mouton's hand with the right kind of rhythm, unless you count the melodic sound of the ball clanging off the rim, which acted as the metronome that paced the team from Texas to ignominious defeat.

For the game, the Game***** were led in scoring by Carlos Powell with 17 points and 9 rebounds for a team that had 7 players score in double figures and every single team-member see the floor, while allowing the Longhorns to make the score seem more respectable against the usual USC bench-warmers in garbage time. Royal "Tannenbaum" Ivey was the lone bright spot for the Longhorns as he led his team with 21.

In other games in the South Region:

(6) NC State Wolfpack 87 vs (3) Purdue Boilermakers 84
Denver, Colorado - Another upset unfolded at Denver's Pepsi Center in the entertaining South region as the North Carolina State Wolfpack found a way to hang with the Boilermakers until Ilian Evtimov could find the range down the stretch to bring the Wolfpack all the way back from the deepest reaches of Three-Point Land. Having scored only 2 points until 4:46 was left in the contest, Evtimov heated up faster than Chernobyl, torching the twine for 5 treys down the stretch to help the Wolfpack overcome a 9 point deficit and emerge with the victory and a berth to the Sweet Sixteen.

While Evtimov's fireworks were the ultimate difference in the game, it was the steady work of Julius Hodge, who finished with 16, and Scooter Sherill, who contributed a double-double of 13 points and 11 assists, that allowed the Wolfpack to stay in the game until Evtimov's explosion at the end of regulation was able to seal the deal. In the Purdue locker room, Kenneth Lowe was able to take little solace in his 19-point performance that paced his team. His career as a Boilermaker went up in smoke as Evtimov heated up to burn away Purdue in the crucible of March Madness

Play in the South continues Sunday as the region's other half of the bracket is determined in games playing down in Columbus, Ohio and Orlando, Florida

[K Bomber]

NCAA Tourney Recap - MidWest Region Round Two
The Cream Rises To The Top Over Sinking Depth
March 15, 2004

Kansas City, Missouri (AP) - Depth. It is always revered in College Hoops. Georgetown under John Thompson would come at you in waves with his Hoya teams. Tark and his Rebels were the same, one kid who would be a star on any other team would rise off the bench and spell another star on teams that always seemed to be ten deep in quality. All the great dynasties were the same; Duke, UCLA and Kentucky.

But as kids started to declare for the pros out of high school and after their first two years of college, the concept of depth has taken a beating as coaches, trying to provide a "showcase" for young hoops savants, began to focus on accommodating the stars to much greater extent. Nowadays, kids are looking for one thing from many programs, with the hopes that it may deliver them to the pros and it has become one of the key vehicles that has brought parity to the NCAA; PT. Playing time. Immediate gratification for talent, sometimes it seems, at the cost of seeing the great teams and dynasties ever again.

The UAB Blazers have been a team of balance throughout the 2003-04 basketball season. With a roster of like parts, all working with hustle and muscle, the Blazers have been a study in consistency, with 8 players averaging in the neighborhood of 10 points a game, 9 within shouting distance of 4.0 boards and 8 players with at least 2 assists a game, the Blazers are virtually communist in their ability to share the wealth. By contrast, the Michigan State Spartans, the Blazers opponent in Sunday's second rounder in the MidWest, have essentially been the Paul Davis and Chris Hill show all year. So it seemed that this match-up would be a great opportunity to see how old-school depth might contrast itself to the new-school "Me Generation" of College Hoops

If this was the crucible, say "Goodbye" to the Old School, as State won going away 87-52

About the only thing balanced about the UAB Blazers performance in this one was their inability to limit both Davis and Hill's ability to make life miserable for them. Left to pick their poison, the Blazers ultimately chose both as when they looked to address the beating on the inside that Davis was giving them, Hill was torching them from the outside to the tune of 26 points on the night. When they turned their attentions to Hill, Davis began his assault the interior while pounding 18 points and 17 boards down their throats. To make matters worse, when the two State stars were ready for an offensive breather, Maurice Ager happily stepped up to score while compiling 15, while nailing a trio of trifectas, one from, seemingly, another county.

To their credit, the Blazers went out the same way they went in, with everyone sharing the load, although no one scoring or rebounding into the double digits, a model of consistency, however futile in this case, throughout.

While the Spartans looked impressive in this game, it will be interesting to see how they do when confronted with equivalent "star power" in future rounds

In other games in the MidWest Region:

(2) Syracuse Orangemen 91 vs (7) Marquette Golden Eagles 81
Seattle, Washington - Hakim Warrick was the key to victory at the Key Arena as his 22 point, rebound effort was as much the difference in the contest as was the keen leadership shown by Gerry McNamara in running the show. With the two Orangemen hitting on all cylinders, Marquette led by Scott Merritt's 16 after Travis Diener left early in the second with 14 and was unable to come back after injuring his left knee. While the Eagles were game and made every effort to stay even with Syracuse, the absence of their star guard was simply too much to overcome, especially down the stretch when the Orange began to assert themselves and take over the game.


The MidWest Region will now move to the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis next week as teams move ever closer to the Final Four. Some interesting match-ups will highlight the Sweet Sixteen, as in the MidWest, the games will be as follows:

MidWest Regional Semi-Finals
(1) Kansas Jayhawks vs (4) Michigan State Spartans
(2) Syracuse Orangemen vs (6) Charlotte 49ers

[K Bomber]

NCAA Tourney Recap - East Region Round Two
Panthers Escape From the Forest With a 70-69 Decision
March 15, 2004

Milwaukee, Wisconsin (AP) - The book on Taron Downey, the dynamic guard for the Wake Forest Demon Deacons has always described him as a deadly scoring threat when he is on, but with a maddening streakiness to his game that has, at times, limited the young man from Oxford, NC from realizing the upward limits of his potential. On Sunday, that inconsistency came back to haunt both Downey and the Demon Deacons, as with the clock winding down to zeroes, the ball found Downey, who had been enjoying a career night against Pitt, with the game and an opportunity to advance to the Sweet Sixteen on the line. Catching the ball in rhythm, after being left almost inexplicably open, Downey rose up from just inside the three-point line and released the final salvo of what had been a back and forth contest between the two sides. With all eyes on the ball and the crowd suddenly breathless with anticipation, Downey's shot looked like easy money until it just barely caught part of the front side of the rim, causing it to skip slightly and carom off the back iron, thereby allowing the Pittsburgh Panthers to escape with a 70-69 decision over the disconsolate Demon Deacons and a crushed Downey.

With how the game ended, it provided the most fitting example of what makes this time of year so intoxicatingly special for so many fans. The entire game was played with a ferocious intensity as the Panthers seemed intent on executing a plan that limited the Demon Deacons by attacking their two offensive stars, Chris Paul and Justin Gray. While the Panthers, and especially Jaron Brown were busy giving the two Wake stars headaches, Downey began to emerge as a threat by punishing the Panthers with his offense every time he was left open. Displaying a fearless intensity in attacking the rim off the bounce and finding his stroke from the mid-range, Downey held Wake in the game for the first half by scoring 17 of his 28 points in that stanza, allowing his team to enter the intermission with a 36-33 advantage.

For Pitt, Chris Taft was a monster in the half, dominating the interior and showing some nice polish in his offensive game, leading the Panthers with 13 points and 8 boards for the half to go along with 3 big blocks.

As the second half began, Pitt seemed more wary of the threat of Downey, which allowed Paul and Gray to finally get some breathing room to get some shots off, but both struggled in finding the range with consistency. With Taft continuing to pound the paint, the teams were a study in contrasts as they traded leads and found offense in diametrically opposed manners; Pitt throwing haymakers by powering their way through the paint and the Demon Deacons bobbing and weaving from the outside, finding their buckets through guile.

As the game ran down into the final moments, Pitt found themselves with a 5-point lead and only 2:36 left on the game clock. After one stop by Wake that was followed by a Chris Paul 3-pointer, the advantage was 2. After another failed offensive possession, Jamaal Levy was able to draw a defensive foul on Taft that sent Panamanian Demon Deacon to the line for two free throws, of which he only converted the front end. With one final defensive stand, Wake set the stage for Downey's big shot that decided the game

For the game, Pitt was lead by the efforts of Taft who finished with 25 points and 19 boards, winning him player of the game honors, with Wake riding Downey and his 28, which were just 2 points too few to get the job completely done on his own, right down to the wire.

Following the miss, Downey was inconsolable, even though the game had been his finest hour. This was the type of moment that he had dreamed of while growing up and playing AAU ball with guys like Chris Wilcox of the LA Clippers. Maybe the passing of time will eventually give him the appropriate perspective to realize how important his contributions were in just giving his team a chance in the dying seconds. All you can ask for is an opportunity and the rest is just another chapter of March Madness lore.

In other games in the East Region:

(2) Duke Blue Devils 70 vs (7) Mississippi State Bulldogs 53
Kansas City, Missoiri - At the Kemper Arena, the Duke Blue Devils provided another statement game against a plucky but overmatched Mississippi State team. With no answer for the talents of Chris Duhon, J.J. Reddick and Luol Deng, and Sheldon Williams battling the beefy Lawrence Roberts to a virtual standstill, the Blue Devils won going away. Deng in particular was a mismatch in every facet of the game for Duke as he amassed a triple-double with 16 point, 11 rebounds and 13 assists to go along with 3 steals and 4 blocked shots, thereby exhibiting the form that will likely entertain fans of the pro game for years to come following his career at Duke.


With the final two spots in the East decided, the Region will now move to the Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford, New Jersey next week to decide the East Regional representative in the Final Four. Next week's games will breakdown as follows:

East Regional Semi-Finals
(1) Oklahoma Sooners vs (12) Gonzaga Bulldogs
(2) Duke Blue Devils vs (3) Pittsburgh Panthers

[K Bomber]

NCAA Tourney Recap South Region - Round Two
Friars Get Burned By Cold-Blooded UCONN
March 15, 2004

Orlando, Florida (AP) - The UCONN Huskies have the look about them. In some years you can just feel the championship destiny surrounding a team. When UNLV brought those Running Rebel teams to play in the early 90's, you just knew that there was greatness throughout that roster. When UCLA brought its generation of great teams to play in the 60's and 70's, you knew that it was just a matter of how obscene the point spread would be, that the outcome would be victory was never a question. And now this uber-talented UCONN team has that same feel; the regal on-court bearing requiring only a coronation to fulfill the apparent legacy of this group of future NBA lottery picks. It seems that evident.

The latest victim for the Huskies on their way to a sure berth in the Final Four was the vastly overmatched Providence Friars who gave a great effort in playing UCONN, but still wound up on the losing end of a 92-72 decision. This game was surely never in doubt.

From the initial tip-off every part of the Huskies' performance was dominating and resolute. Bringing the ball down the floor purposefully, the Huskies began with a scenario that has become very familiar to the Friars in Big-East play against UCONN this year; by dumping the ball down into the post so that the incomparable Omeka Okafor could begin going to work in his office. With a vast array of weapons in his offensive repertoire, most developed in his time at Connecticut, Okafor was simply too big a load for the Friars in the paint. When the Friars' Ryan Gomes or Marcus Douthit tried to match-up with Okafor, the junior simply overpowered the Friar bigs by using his height advantage over Gomes and his brute strength against Douthit. When the double-teams started to come, the heady Okafor abused the Friar defense by finding Ben Gordon, Denham Brown and Rashad Anderson on the perimeter, allowing the trifecta trio to launch triple after triple without the distractions provided by interfering defenders

With their offensive fireworks torching the Friars, the Huskies ran away to a 52-30 halftime lead completely turning the Providence defense into mush. The second half provided more of the same as the Huskies built their lead into a 78-56 lead before sitting the regulars and allowing the bench to mop up in the closing minutes. For the game, Okafor was thoroughly dominating, recording 28 points , 22 rebounds, 7 assists and 8 blocked shots. Building off Okafor's brilliance in the paint, Ben Gordon added 21, many of which were of the uncontested variety. The Friars were led by Gomes, who's efforts against the UCONN second string allowed Providence to make the final score seem more respectable while pumping up his stats to a game-ending 22 points and 12 boards.

It may soon be time to start shining up the crown for the team that's got that championship glimmer in their eyes.

In other games in the South Region:

(4) Cincinnnati Bearcats 105 vs (5) Miami Huirricanes 78
Columbus, Ohio - While the respective seeding of the two teams in this game suggested that a close contest would be at hand, the Bearcats quickly cranked up all parts of the game to completely blow the Hurricanes away in a lopsided 105-78 ebacle. The story in this game was told by the offensive brilliance of Tony Bobbitt, the Bearcat senior and James White, the hoops prodigy who seemed committed to using the national stage to show what only true basketball insiders have known about the phenom from Kensington, Maryland; that he may be the most explosive player in the world not currently employed in the NBA.

While White slashed and dashed to the hoop on a variety of acrobatic forays, Bobbitt spotted up and let fly from the mid-range and beyond as Cincinnati's guard play definitively separated the Bearcats from the Hurricanes with devastating effect. White, in particular, used his talents to absolutely demoralize the opposition. On one drive to the hoop, it seemed as though Gary Hamilton and Darius Rice had a sure block on the way until White seemed to explode up and over the stunned Hurricane big men for an absolute posterization that will live on in College Hoops infamy for years to come. While the game might be named College Hoops, when White comes to play, it might just as well be named College Hops, because with White the game is played atmospheric heights.

When the flying circus finally ended with White sitting down in the late stages of the second half, the Bearcats had completely out-distanced the hapless Hurricanes behind his 22 and Bobbitt's 28-point performances. While Bobbitt had the better statistical day, White's game will become the stuff of legend, much like Michael Graham's performance with the Championship Georgetown Hoyas in 1984. Simply, amazing.


With the last two games from Round Two in books for the South Region, the semi-finals will see the following match-ups take place in Atlanta's Georgia Dome

South Regional Semi-Finals
(2) UCONN Huskies vs (6) NC State Wolfpack
(4) Cincinnati vs ( 8 ) South Carolina Game*****

[K Bomber]

NCAA Tourney Recap - West Region Round Two
Wolverines Rip It Up and Ride 'em Cowboys Right Out of Town
March 15, 2004

Buffalo, New York (AP) - For the Michigan Wolverines, this win began on a cold day in September before the season even started. On September 25, the Wolverine players knew something was up when Coach Tommy Amaker walked into practice. While Amaker is generally the serious sort, his smile that day spoke volumes to the players and before he had even spoken a word, they knew what was coming. It was on that day that the NCAA Infractions Committee reversed the decision to keep the Wolverines out of post-season play for 2003-04, and thereby erase the bitter memories of the scandalous Fab Five era that had so besmirched the program with the revelations that followed the years of glory.

With the renewed lease on life for the program provided by the hope of the post-season, a renaissance of Michigan Wolverine basketball had followed. The team, still hampered with the absence of a scholarship until the 2004-05 season continually built off the hope of that September day, with the momentum delivering them to a showdown with Eddie Sutton's Cowboys of Oklahoma State. The Cowboys were a confident bunch coming into this game, having dismantled the Charleston Southern Buccaneers behind the confident play of Tony Allen. With the weapons at their disposal and an apparent surplus in overall depth, Sutton and his team were licking their chops at the possibility of a berth into the Sweet Sixteen. It soured, oh so quickly, in an 89-66 pole-axing administered by the Wolverines in front of a crowd that seemed highly partisan to the Wolverine cause.

Lester Abram, for one, seemed determined to personally deliver the Wolverines into the Round of 16. Not content to impose himself on the proceedings from the offensive end, Abram also seemed to relish the opportunity to make life absolutely miserable for Allen who had been so huge for Oklahoma State in the first round. Playing an active and aggressive brand of defense, Abram was able to completely frustrate Allen into a 2 of 14 shooting performance, while finding various ways to find his own offense in accumulating 22 on 6 for 13 shooting, with a 4 for 6 night from behind the arc and making all 8 of his free throw attempts.

When Abram wasn't driving the offense, it was the work of Courtney Sims down low making the difference for Michigan. As he attacked the boards on both ends of the court, Sims found his offense by converting garbage buckets and extending possessions on the offensive end with his rebounding. On defense, Sims controlled the lane and kept the Cowboys thinking about where he was on defense as his 4 first half blocks set the tone on the way to collecting 7 for the night.

For the game, the Wolverines were led by Abram's 22 points and Bernard Robinson's 19. The Cowboys were led by Joey Graham's 15.

As the final buzzer sounded, the Wolverine players were jubilant and Coach Amaker was simply beside himself. Hope planted in the fall had finally begun to bloom in spring, and the Wolverines will be looking to reap even greater rewards as the tournament progresses towards determining a new national championship.

In other games in the West Region:

(4) Arizona Wildcats 81 vs (12) IUPUI Jaguars 37
Denver, Colorado - This game was a laugher early on and the mismatch was so great that no Arizona starter saw floor time in the second half as the second string closed out the Jaguars with relative ease. Exploding out of the gate against the Jags, the Wildcats went up by 32 by the time the half arrived. While Odell Bradley had been a quality performer throughout the season for the Jaguars, the defense of Andre Iguodala may have been a little more than he was equipped to handle at this point of his career. Iguodala was at his disruptive best, hawking the passing lanes being created by the Jags offense and providing great support from the weak side throughout the night as IUPUI was forced away from Bradley due to Iguodala's blanket coverage.

When all was said and done, the Wildcats were led by Salim Stoudamire and his 16 points, which led 6 Wildcats in double figures in scoring, in a game that was just never competitive, much to the chagrin of the Pepsi Center crowd who were obviously hoping that the Jags could duplicate their magic from the first round. Midnight came early for this Cinderella

With the final two spots for the Sweet Sixteen now finalized in the West, the scene will now shift to the America West Arena in Phoenix, Arizona, with the following match-ups highlighting the schedule in the next round:

West Regional Semi-Finals
(1) UNC Tarheels vs (4) Arizona Wildcats
(7) Michigan Wolverines vs (14) Mount St. Mary's Mountaineers

[K Bomber]

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How Sweet 16 is in the South Region
By Dickie Vitale
SPECIAL TO ESPNVIDEOGAMES.COM
March 16, 2004

Somewhere up in the clouds I know that my old friend Jim Valvano is smiling and if it weren't for the fact that he's already in heaven, he'd be in heaven. With how the North Carolina State Wolfpack has come out and played in this year's tournament, you'd almost think that Jimmy has been sending notes to the current coaching staff as this team has played some smart, tenacious and courageous basketball.

I knew that the South would be one of the best regions in this year's tourney, but it has been for different reasons than I thought it would going into the tournament. To me, this region was going to be about the elite teams slugging it out to be the creme- de-la-creme of College Hoops, but what it has been about is the upsets, baby. This is the only region where there is, not one, but two upset specials still alive in NC State and South Carolina. If that's not better than a hot dog at Coney Island, I don't know what is.

Here's my predictions for how this weekend will start to shape up as the Sweet Sixteen plays down.

(2) UCONN Huskies vs (6) NC State Wolfpack
This one will be where the Wolfpack's run ends. Sorry, Jimmy, but I can't say it any more plainly then that. While State is an experienced bunch, there are 5 or 6 kids playing for UCONN who could not only be NBA First Rounders, but also lottery picks, along with a guy a lot of people think will go Numero Uno this year in Emeka Okafor. This team looks like some of Jerry Tarkanian's UNLV teams of the early 90's and I still think that the coronation is all but a given in deciding these guys as the kings of College Hoops this year. State will put up a fight, but UCONN has too many horses and will win this game going away

(4) Cincinnati Bearcats vs ( 8 ) South Carolina Game*****
The Game***** simply undressed and paddled the Texas Longhorns in Round Two, but I can't see them doing the same thing to Bob Huggins' Bearcats, who are tougher than a $3 steak. This game will be a war on the floor as the battle cruisers collide down in the paint. One kid that I love for Cincinnati is Tony Bobbitt. This guy is open when he gets within a block of the arena and he's like an old west gunslinger once he gets started. It's his kind of explosive scoring that I think will cause problems for the Game*****, along with Jason Maxiell and Field Williams, who form the rest of the Bearcats three-headed beast on offense. With two teams like these two who like to shoot the ball with abandon, we could see more fireworks than the Fourth of July or when I forgot about my 16th anniversary with Mrs. V. Hopefully no one is throwing vases in this one

Watch out for the South, baby, because your eventual champion (UCONN) is still coming from this region

[K Bomber]

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The NCAA Tournament - Round 3 Preview: The East
By Jay Bilas
Special to ESPNvideogames.com
March 16, 2004


What a great weekend of College Hoops we saw during the first two rounds of this year's NCAA National Championship Tournament. Like every year, there have already been some big surprises like Mount St. Mary's, IUPUI and Gonzaga, but I think that things will calm down a little more in the Sweet Sixteen as some of the more established teams will start to rise to the tops of their games now that they can really get a sniff of the National Championship.

If there's a better time of the year than this that doesn't involve a big guy dressed in bright red, then no one saw the suit that Coach Vitale wore the other night on television. In any event, on to the predictions:

(1) Oklahoma Sooners vs (12) Gonzaga Bulldogs
Much as I suspected, Gonzaga has been a team to be reckoned with in the tournament to this point. Ronnie Taurief has absolutely been a man on a mission and I suspect that he's looking to parlay his performance this year into a bid to declare for the NBA Draft where his play will likely put him into the first round and possibly even a lottery position if he can continue with his dominant play. The only problem that I see for Taurief is the current obstacle of this team from Oklahoma whom I think bring enough intensity on the defensive end to trouble the Bulldog guards while having ample beef in the front line to battle with Taurief and Cory Violette.

For the Bulldogs to succeed, I think they will need to be aggressive in establishing their transition game and get the Sooners into a track meet. That's the way that they've been able to succeed all year and they've been great at playing that type of game. If they get bogged down into a focused half-court game, I think that they'll be in trouble and I look to the Sooners to successfully establish their type of tempo in a game that they'll win by a close margin but with relative comfort


(2) Duke Blue Devils vs (3) Pittsburgh Panthers
While on paper, Duke looks like a blowout winner in this one, I think the Panthers have a chance if they keep their wits about them. While the Blue Devils are a shopping list of McDonald's All-Americans, if the Panthers can get past the name recognition and just play ball like they know how, especially on defense, then I think they can hang with the Dookies. Even if they are at their best, I think that Luol Deng will give the Panthers headaches with his balanced game and all-around skills for which they won't have an answer. If he can establish himself in this one and if Chris Duhon can protect the ball and get J.J. Redick going early, then I think that Duke will roll. For Pittsburgh, their success is going to be predicated on setting their own tempo and finding someone to really step up and dominate. If they can hang with Duke early and be close or in the lead late, maybe the weight of expectations can help to tip the scales in their favor down the stretch.

In any event, it looks like it will be another banner week for College Hoops as the Sweet Sixteen play off to the Elite Eight

[K Bomber]

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So Sweet You'll Get Cavities - Round 3 in the West
By Dickie Vitale
SPECIAL TO ESPNVIDEOGAMES.COM
March 16, 2004

What a great first weekend of the NCAA National Championship Tournament. This time of year is always like Nirvana, the place, not the band, for College Hoops fans. Like usual, even if you think you know what's coming, there's a surprise around every corner waiting to trip you up and so far the West has been no different from almost any of the other regions in that we've already seen a couple of top seeds get dropped out by some underdogs who've put together some real Maalox Moments.

Looking forward to the Sweet Sixteen, I'm going to try and predict what's going to happen in the next couple of rounds, as we're only 2 away from seeing this year's Final Four. So with no further ado, I'm going to put up my dartboard, turn out the lights, blindfold myself and try to give you my best guess as to what to expect in the West

(1) UNC Tarheels vs (4) Arizona Wildcats
Oh Baby, talk about the Prime Rib Special. There's going to be a lot of Grade A beef in this little tilt as two of the premier programs in all of the NCAA collide and try to move on. Just look at the names playing in this one like Sean May, Ray Felton, Rashad McCants, Jawad Williams, Andre Iguodala, Hassan Adams, Channing Frye and Salim Stoudamire, it's like a who's who of future NBA First Rounders. Both these teams are deeper than a night of poetry at your local beatnik coffee house, with no real weaknesses.

It's a shame that one of these two will be dropped out, but if I have to pick, then I tend to think that it will the Tarheels who advance based on their slightly superior guard play as represented by Felton and McCants. The big bodies are going to bang all night long, but it'll be the little guys in the big moments who'll make the difference in this one. This game will go right down to the wire and be tighter down the stretch than a pair of polyester trousers after my Mrs. V has gotten a hold of them in the laundry. Don't worry baby, bad laundry happens to good people all the time

(7) Michigan Wolverines vs (14) Mount St. Mary's Mountaineers
First off, what can you say about this Mountaineers bunch? These kids have had their hard hats on all year and with the way they were able to absolutely stun Clemson and overcome the loss of Moses Adeleke in that Colorado State game, they have my respect and admiration. I know I described this team as "Moses and the Miracles" and with their win over Colorado State, he was on the sidelines for most of the game, but I can't see them getting past this buzz-saw of a team called the Michigan Wolverines. Michigan has just got too much of everything at every position for the Mount. More size, moer skill, more defense, more, more, more. While I love an underdog, this one is Benji versus the Sasquatch, and that Big Foot is going to boot the Mountaineers right back to Emmitsburg. But thanks for coming out and taking us for a great ride in those first two rounds, kids.

This one won't be close and with the big hole in the middle, the Wolverines are going to be dunking these donuts by a minimum of 20 points

I can't wait, boys and girls. Two weeks, 14 more games to go and then one National Champion, it doesn't get any better than this, even when Mrs. V has been shopping at Victoria's Secrets. But don't get me wrong, baby, because that's pretty good too

[K Bomber]

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The NCAA Tournament - Round 3 Preview: The East
By Jay Bilas
Special to ESPNvideogames.com
March 16, 2004

As I've mentioned before, I think that the Tournament Selection Committee did a great job of seeding the Mid-West Region and when you look at this regions representation in the Semi-Final Round, you'd have to agree as only one team still playing in the Mid-West is a relative surprise, with the Charlotte 49ers still in the mix with their sixth seeded teams. Given that this is another Conference USA squad which has been a growing concern as a league in College Hoops over the last few years. That Conference may be as tough as any in the land and is getting better every year

However, getting back on topic, the idea here is to preview the upcoming games in this round, and here is how I see it breaking down:

(1) Kansas Jayhawks vs. (4) Michigan State Spartans
That Bill Self was able to do the things he did with this program in his first year at the helm of the Jayhawks and given the talent in Nick Collison and Kirk Hinrich that left for the pros, there were ample reasons to expect that Kansas would take a little while to return to glory. But it looks like Coach Self has had other plans and he has delivered this team to the Sweet Sixteen by skillfully utilizing what tools he does have, and let's face it, a lot of coaches would look pretty smart with a player like Wayne Simian in their line-up.

I see Simian being the differnece against Michigan State as he is a true star supported by a strong supporting cast that overmatches anything that Michigan State can throw out on the floor at this point. I think this game can be close, but ultimately it's going to be "Rock, Chalk Jayhawk" right into the Elite Eight

(2) Kansas Jayhawks vs. (6) Charlotte 49ers
The top two seeds in this region are essentially mirror images of each other in that everyone thought that these teams found their success the year before due to the star power that had left the respective programs for the NBA. It looks like Jim Boeheim, Jerry McNamara and Hakim Warrick may have been more than just back-up singers to Carmelo Anthony's swan song in College Hoops and they have been massive in getting the Orangemen back to within sniffing distance of the Final Four.

I think that McNamara will be a key cog in getting the Orange rolling early against Charlotte. As a guard he makes great decisions on offense and I believe that this tournament has a greater focus on guard play than almost any other. Defensively, Hakim Warrick is as intimidating a stopper as there is on the back-end of a defense and I think that he'll be up to the task against a very game 49er team

Go with the favorites in the Mid-West and we'll see you in a week to talk about the Final Four and who will win the Holy Grail of College Hoops

[Leakfan]

Hey guess what, THE TOURNAMENTS OVER!!!! :wink:

Lol, better hurry up and get this one finished, you only got untill friday :D

[K Bomber]

Hey guess what, THE TOURNAMENTS OVER!!!! :wink:

Lol, better hurry up and get this one finished, you only got untill friday :D
That's what we're working towards

I've been busy with a few projects for the last little while.

I'll tell you about it sometime..........................

[K Bomber]

NCAA TOURNEY RECAP: East Region - Round Three
There's No Stopping Ronnie Turiaf as Zags Bag the Sooners
March 19, 2004

East Rutherford, New Jersey (AP) - In 1986 the NCAA National Championship Tournament became the personal showcase for Danny Manning as the Kansas Jayhawk senior put his team on his back and carried them all the way to claming the top prize in College Hoops in a series of performances that cemented his status as one of the greatest college players of all time. The performances of Ronnie Tauriaf for Gonzaga have taken on a similar tenor of excellence as he has been a one-man gang for the Bulldogs in carrying his team through the tourney with a remarkable determination and a robust effort in every single game so far.

While many pundits questioned the seeding of Gonzaga in this year's tournament, no one associated with the program seemed very outwardly concerned with the apparent slight. However in games, Tauriaf and the Bulldogs have looked like men possessed with hammering home the point that they are much more than a 12th seed and may have taken their relegation to the bottom half of the seedings in a very personal way. Tauriaf has been the embodiment of the Bulldogs efforts and against Oklahoma, the junior was once again the entire story. Using his overwhelming bulk against the undersized Sooner front line, Tauriaf was able to keep the Bulldogs competitive throughout the game by marking his territory in the paint with his single-minded effort and strong physical presence. With his dominance so firmly established in the lane, the Sooners were limited to striking from the outside. To their credit, the guard duo of Jason Detrick and Drew Lavender were up to challenge made by Tauriaf, holding their team in the game with their deft marksmanship from the perimeter. By halftime it was apparent that this game was going to be the College Hoops equivalent of matching a puncher against a boxer in the ring, in a battle that would likely go the distance.

And go the distance it did, as a see-saw battle raged, much to the delight of the crowd on hand in the Continental Airlines Arena. After the Bulldogs were able to enter the intermission with a slim 2 point lead at 38-36, the second half became a roller-coaster ride, with the two teams leaving everything on the floor and trading leads like two drunken sailors. On the interior, Taurief and Cory Violette were launching their punishing body shots while the Sooners bobbed and weaved while throwing counters from the outside. So it went, until 2:43 remaining when Taruief and Violette began to savagely prove Joe Frazier's credo that, "If you kill the body, the head will die with it", and building a 5 point lead during an offensive series where the two Gonzaga big men were able to keep a possession alive with 6 offensive boards, finally sealing the deal with a monster Tauriaf put-back dunk. From that point, the game became a free-throw shooting contest, which the Bulldogs won to send them into the Elite Eight.

For the game, Tauriaf was once again the man, scoring 23 and grabbing 17 rebounds. Violette's presence was also noteworthy on the interior as he donated 14 points and 16 boards for the Bulldogs who held a 56-38 advantage on the glass. For the Sooners, Detrick did his level-best to hold his team in, finishing with a game-high 25, although down the stretch, the physical nature of the game caused him to wear down and miss some shots that he had made with relative ease earlier in the game

In other semi-final in the East Region:

(3) Pittsburgh Panthers 65 vs (2) Duke Blue Devils 51
In what can only be called a stunner, Pitt outlasted the more heavily favored Blue Devils by playing a physical and rugged game that completely threw the more skilled Duke team off their game. Playing a style that resembled the scrappy Big East style of the mid-80's, Pittsburgh dumbed down the game to a war on the floor that complimented the physical nature of their personnel. No Duke player more thoroughly embodied the Blue Devils' frustrations than J.J. Redick, the silky smooth guard. Redick became so irate with the physical nature of the Pitt defense that he drew an ejection following a perceived foul by throwing the ball at Jaron Brown and then trying to attack the referee following the initial technical foul, which required teammates and Coach K to pull him away from the official. To that point Brown had held Redick to a measly 3 points on a field goal and free throw on 1 of 9 shooting.

As the game wore on and with Duke's discomfort more apparent with every passing second, the Panthers were able to take control and close out the game in an old-school blast from the past. For the game, Pitt was led by Karl Krauser and his 16 points, 7 assists and 4 steals. For Duke, Luol Deng amassed 14 and 8 rebounds although with maximum discomfort. It was likely not the prettiest game ever played, but it was enormously effective in moving Pittsburgh one win away from the Final Four in a game that may resemble a street fight to determine the East representative when the Panthers face the Gonzaga Bulldogs on Sunday

This one will likely need a steel cage around the proceedings

[K Bomber]

NCAA Tourney Recap South Region - Round Three
Huskies Go Dog Wild Against the Wolfpack
March 19, 2004

Atlanta, Georgia (AP) - The ascension of the UCONN continued in Atlanta on Thursday as the Huskies outclassed another opponent in outdistancing the NC State Wolfpack 99-67. Once again the depth of the Huskies was on full display and initiated on the interior through the efforts of Emeka Okafor who was the lead dog for the game with 22 points and 15 rebounds. Marcus Melvin and the other Wolfpack big men were completely overwhelmed by Okafor down low, which is nothing new to observers familiar with the Huskies' preferred method of operations.

Comparing this current version of Okafor to the raw freshman who first came to Connecticut, is a study of astounding evolution. The development of the smallest details, like his interior footwork and his recognition of every play on defense is incredible. This is a player dedicated to his craft who has spent countless hours in honing and perfecting his skills, and the end result is as NBA ready as anything previously seen from the college ranks

When UCONN got bored with pounding the ball into the post, the offense began looking for some of the usual perimeter threats like Ben Gordon, who comfortably unloaded his usual range of offensive ammunition to the tune of 24 points with 4 of 5 made from beyond the arc. With all of the accolades shown Okafor, Gordon has sometimes gotten lost in the mix, but there is great potential for him to follow right behind Okafor in quick succession should he choose to declare for the NBA Draft. Gordon is as pure a scorer as there is and on any other team he'd likely be the headline attraction

By the half, UCONN had opened a 58-32 lead and coasted through the second with their lead and victory never in doubt. As the subs continued the onslaught in the second, it was difficult to conceive of what team left standing in the tournament could possibly challenge the complete dominance and overwhelming talent level embodied by the UCONN roster. This team simply looks unstoppable. While the Wolfpack gave desperate chase to try and get back into the game, the team from NC State just couldn't manufacture baskets at the same rate or with similar diversity to the gang from UCONN. Scooter Sherrill and Ilian Evtimov were good in defeat with 16 and 15 points respectively, but their efforts simply weren't good enough against the class of the College Hoops field

In other games in the South Region:

(4) Cincinnnati Bearcats 97 vs ( 8 ) South Carolina Game***** 64
In a similarly dominant performance, Cincinnati laid a old-fashioned beating on the South Carolina Game*****. While interior players of the two teams battled to a standstill, it was the magic of Tony Bobbitt and James White that again made the difference for the Bearcats. White would have been hard-pressed to exceed the fireworks that he delivered against the Miami Hurricanes, but he gave it the old College Hoops try in scoring 20, two of which came on a colossal dunk in the lane where every Gamecock player was in the lane and making the effort to prevent exactly such a play. Bobbitt was once again unleashing his sweet stroke on the other USC, burying 23 on 8 for 15 shooting.

For South Carolina, the focus seemed to be on trying to get Josh Gonner rolling early. As streaky a shooter as there is, Gonner struggled early and seemed to press in trying to match Bobbitt who came out of the starting gates as hot as a pistol. When the Game***** moved from establishing Gonner to trying to go inside, the Bearcats were so far ahead that the plan seemed poorly considered and the lead began to increase, insurmountably through the middle stages of the second half. The Game***** were led at the end of regulation by the perturbed Gonner with 16, but his 6 for 19 shooting night just couldn't carry the mail for USC

With the win, the Bearcats earned the unenviable right to face the UCONN Huskies in the South Regional final. While the teams from Conference USA have shown remarkable resilience and toughness throughout the tournament and regular season, the Huskies are as formidable a foe as exists on the college scene. At the end of the day, they still them for a reason

[K Bomber]

NCAA Tourney Recap Mid-West Region - Round Three
Butter and the 49ers Melt Under the Spotlight While Kansas Rocks into the Elite Eight
March 20, 2004

St. Louis, Missouri (AP) - The history of the game of basketball is rooted in Jayhawk history. Dr. James Naismith, the inventor of the game of basketball, was the first coach of the Kansas Mens' program and is buried in the town of Lawrence. Some of the greatest players in the game, from the past of Wilt Chamberlain to the present of Paul Pierce have learned their craft while wearing Kansas Blue.

While many Jayhawk fans lamented the loss of Nick Collison and Kirk Hinrich as the most recent, best chance to deliver another championship to the hallowed campus at Lawrence. This year's team was not expected to contend so quickly with the loss of Coach Roy Williams to the UNC program and the two departing seniors. It was thought that the Jayhawks could be competitive, but not necessarily a championship caliber team. Guess again

While the Michigan State Spartans cannot be considered as the class of the remaining field, the Jayhawks performance in the Mid-West Semi Final went a long way to underlining that this group of Jayhawks shouldn't be underestimated. With Wayne Simian playing his rugged brand of power basketball in the paint alongside Jeff Graves and with the perimeter players launching their long-range salvos in support of the infantry in the post, Kansas is a complete and dangerous team, proving that with a 75-67 decision in St. Louis.

As the Spartans learned early on in the proceedings, the obstacles provided by Simian and Graves are as imposing as any. While Michigan State's Paul Davis has been very capable of filling a stat line when he has played within himself, the Spartan forward was overmatched by the brawn of the Kansas big men. Graves in particular was an absolute thug in the lane, laying down the law with a brutish performance that was a shining example of pure, power basketball. With no one to match-up with his strength and with the officials letting the players decide the outcome, Graves gobbled up the ball whenever it was tossed into the paint and went hard at the net thundering home 18 points. Not content to merely lay the smack down with his offense, Graves also snatched rebounds from the air as though they were menu items at an all-you-can-eat buffet, finishing with 13.

Simian was similarly active, but he seemed to relish Graves' opportunity to flex his muscles. While his 14 points and 10 rebounds were noteworthy as the Jawhawks pounded the team from East Lansing like a Charles Atlas bully, Simian was able to enjoy the proceedings and get an early night towards the end of the second half with the game comfortably put to bed. While the game ended with a relatively close 75-67 score, the Jayhawks were in full control throughout the game, without a serious threat to being hung with a loss

For Michigan State, while Davis was able to generate a double-double with 13 points and 11 boards, he was generally beaten like a rug down low and will likely spend considerable time icing his bruised and battered body.

The history of the game has been inextricably linked to past editions of the University of Kansas Jayhawks, but this team has its eye on making some more history in the very near future

In the other game in the Mid-West Region:

(2) Syracuse Orangemen 84 vs (6) Charlotte 71
Kevin "Butter" Johnson has been a smooth operator for the Charlotte 49ers. Heralded out of high school, Johnson has sometime struggled to define his game and develop some bread to go along with his buttery smooth talent for the surprise team from Charlotte. But while consistency has sometimes eluded Johnson, his play during this year's NCAA tournament has been rock solid along with that of the rest of his team. But while Charlotte has exceeded expectations, the test facing them in the form of the Syracuse Orangemen, as play in the Sweet Sixteen round of the tournament continued, was as formidable as any in the nation.

Much like the Kansas Jayhawks, last year's other finalist, the Syracuse Orangemen were thought to be at least one superstar, Carmelo Anthony, away from being a legitimate contender for the National Championship crown. But with a team led by the very steady Gerry McNamara and the interior force of Hakim Warrick, the Orange has been a sweet story along the road to this year's Final Four.

As the game tipped off, it quickly became evident that this game would be a battle for supremacy as the 49ers seemed intent to attack Warrick early with the tandem of Eddie Basden and Curtis Withers. The approach bore fruit early on as the Orangemen went with a man-to-man defense, looking to disrupt the 49ers by throwing something different than their usual 2-3 zone against the team from Charlotte, causing Warrick to pick up two quick fouls in the early going as the 49ers ran out to a 22-10 lead after only 6:38 was gone off the clock.

Butter Johnson also seemed to enjoy the man scheme at the outset of the game as he slashed his way into the lane to score four quick baskets and put Syracuse on their heels. However, once Warrick was forced to the bench, the Orangemen went back to what seemed to become their bread and "Butter" defense, the 2-3 zone. Even without Warrick anchoring the back line, the Orangemen began to roll. Working their defense into easy baskets off the fast break, Syracuse began to climb back into the game while limiting the 49ers attack. As the Orangemen closed out the first half with Warrick on the bench, an early 12 point deficit had turned into a three point lead with McNamara marshalling the troops on offense like the second coming of Stormin' Norman Schwartzkopf.

After the break, with Warrick able to get back into the game and being protected by the confines of the 2-3, the Orangemen were able to finally break the spirits of the 49ers and build their halftime advantage into a 20-point lead with 3-plus minutes remaining. Pulling the starters to the delight of the Syracuse faithful in attendance, the second string came in and closed out the game in garbage time, allowing the 49ers to get no closer than the 13-point spread that ended the game

With the Syracuse win, it will be interesting to see if the Jayhawks will be able to avenge their loss at the hands of the Orangemen in last years National Final. Two teams, left for dead on the scrap heap of public opinion following the loss of their superstars, will face off to see which team was more impacted by their past stars while searching for new stars to fill their universe in the coming days

[K Bomber]

NCAA Tourney Recap West Region - Round Three
The Mountaineer Miracle Continues to the Chagrin of Michigan
March 20, 2004

Phoenix, Arizona (AP) - Chalk another one up to "The Madness".

This is a well traveled road in March; the surprises, the twists and the turns. In 1985 Rollie Massimino brought a bunch of mutts into the tournament led by Ed Pinckney. In a championship game that was intended to be coronation for the Georgetown Hoyas, likely the best team to play that year under the legendary John Thompson, a no-name freshman led the most accurate onslaught of offensive basketball ever seen in a championship game to deliver the win and an unlikely National Championship to the Wildcats and their, admittedly, stunned followers

Every year there seems to be another one. From out of nowhere, some team of nobodies, with some obscure coach brings down the house on some unsuspecting and over-confident team with national acclaim. The only surprising thing about it seems to be that observers of the college game are always surprised when it happens. By now, you think that they would be more expectant of that type of bombshell.

Case in point for this year's tournament; the Mount St. Mary's Mountaineers. What is it in the water that is causing the Mountaineers to warp credible reality with their performance to date in not just the tournament but throughout this most magical Mount season? No one knows, especially after a stunning 61-56 victory over the incredulous Michigan Wolverines, but if they can ever figure it out, that would be a multi-million seller.

Entering into competition with the Michigan Wolverines, there likely wasn't a pundit in all of College Hoops who thought that the Mountaineers' ride wasn't over once the final buzzer sounded. This was Michigan, a school steeped in the tradition and history of the college game. The names, even those who had disgraced the program by having their hands planted firmly in the cookie jar, read like a who's who of basketball greatness. Someone is going to have to sit down and explain these little realities to Coach Major Bone and his group of overachievers sometime soon

If there was something working in the Mount's favor in this game, it was likely the make-up of the opposing Michigan Wolverines. While the Wolverines have some size at their disposal, their interior players would generally not be characterized as overpowering. The Mount might have had an advantage in the post were Moses Adeleke available, but even without him, the prowess of the Mount's savvy seniors, led by center Milton Nash, was a key on which Bone's young team would need to lean.

For anyone watching the start, there couldn't have been a better start for the team in Maize and Blue. With Lester Abram taking full control early on, the Wolverines ran out to a lightning quick 16-7 lead. With his team looking to be on the ropes, Major Bone called a timeout to settle his team. Whatever Bone said during the stoppage in play, it must have been effective, as it seemed to be a different group of Mountaineers. While Milton Nash has never been known as an offensive force on the interior, the first play coming back from timeout was drawn up to get him the ball in the deep post, which he converted with cool-headed surety. Going on a mini-run, the Mount was able to claw back into range and enter the half down by three.

While Michigan had found their offense from their usual sources in Abram and Bernard Robinson Jr, the Mount had hung in with an almost communist sharing of the offensive wealth amongst 7 different players. AS the second half progressed, this trend continued as there was no standout hero. Sure Isaiah Stone and Ralph Peterson led the Mount with 16 and 15 points respectively, but of greater note was that every active player on the Mountaineers scored and they needed every single one, especially down the homestretch. As the Wolverines struggled to find ways to get the ball to one of their two or three main offensive cogs, the Mountaineers were sharing the ball and scoring from everywhere. As the clock cracked the final two minutes, the Mount was suddenly ahead, first by one and then by three, as the Wolverines had no idea where to send their pressuring defense, because every time the defense moved, the ball seemed to skip away to another Mountaineer with an open look. In the end, free throws decided the outcome and the Mount was sure enough from the line to deliver the final 5-point spread.

With the win, it's official, Emmitsburg, Maryland must be fully located in the Twilight Zone, but their team is in the Elite Eight

In other games in the West Region:


(1) UNC Tarheels 95 vs (4)Arizona Wildrcats 66
For North Carolina, it's no longer a question of Sean may, Sean will.

Sean May the Tarheels' brute in the post proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that he is a force to be reckoned with against the Arizona Wildcats as his 23 point, 16 rebound performance led UNC to an overpowering win. Using his bulk and a cunning array of head fakes and jukes, May was able to land the Wildcats' Channing Frye into early foul trouble. With Frye watching from the sidelines the rest of the Wildcats were helpless to stop the Heels from driving their offense through the hands of May and Jawad Williams in the paint.

While Adams and Salim Stoudamire tried to keep things close by slinging away from the outside, their accuracy waned in the second as Ray Felton and Rashad McCants began to make the Arizona perimeter players work on defense by finding the range from outside through McCants and attacking the lane off the bounce with Felton's dribble drives.

As the wheels came off the Wildcats' perimeter offense, there was no support to be found in the paint against the strong UNC big men, which eventually allowed the Tarheels to build an insurmountable lead and rest the regulars down the stretch

With the win, the Tarheels are easily the odds on favorites to represent the West in the Final Four. For Roy Williams, his thoughts must focus on potentially making history as one of only a few coaches to deliver different programs to back-to-back Final Four appearances. With their upcoming game against the Mount, there may never be a better opportunity

[nickm]

The summaries are really good!

Go 'Zags :P

Just kidding, good luck in the rest of the tourney

[K Bomber]

The summaries are really good!

Go 'Zags :P

Just kidding, good luck in the rest of the tourney
Thanks very muc for the kind words -- always nice to hear that people are reading and enjoying the adventures of Major Bone

I'm hoping to have year one put to bed by Monday so that I can start playing College Hoops 2K5

Have fun.....................

[K Bomber]

NCAA Tourney Recap South Region Final
Huskies Turned To Mush By Surprising Cincinnati
March 20, 2004

Atlanta, Georgia (AP) - Hours later the shock was still evident and read as easily as a nursery rhyme across the faces of the UCONN Huskies. On the strength of an 84-80 loss to the Cincinnati Bearcats, March Madness had turned to disconsolate sadness for Connecticut, leaving everyone involved with the men's basketball program wondering how and why such an upset could have happened. Chalk it up to another chapter in the lore of College Hoops, which has always emerged as the Bermuda Triangle for the promise of sure victory for any number of "sure bet" contenders.

Emeka Okafor sat staring at the floor of the Georgia Dome long after the final buzzer had sounded following his team's ouster in Atlanta, unable to process what more he could have done to change the outcome. In looking at his stat line, there didn't seem to be much that could have been added to his 23 point, 19 rebound and 5 blocked shot effort, other than eliminating the foul trouble that emerged for him at the start of the second half that allowed the Bearcats to battle back into the game after entering the locker room down by 7 at the half. Throughout the first half, Okafor had established and maintained an intimidating presence in the lane. With the big man in the middle asserting his will, the other Huskies played a confident first half that gave no advance warning to the possibility of anything other than a UCONN berth into the Final Four. But that all changed as Okafor picked up a cheap reaching in foul followed by a charge on an ill-considered drive into the lane. It was at that very moment that the game changed irrevocably

With Okafor out, Cincinnati came down the floor and found James White who drove into the lane with impunity and threw down a dunk that was of absolutely mammoth proportions over Charlie Villanueva, who was late in rotating to help on defense. That moment seemed to energize the Bearcats and enervate Huskies. On the Huskies ensuing trip down the floor, Ben Gordon ran himself into another charging call while looking to aggressively respond to White's highlight reel jam. Down five and with possession, the Bearcats found Tony Bobbitt in the deep corner for a triple that closed the gap ever further and set the table for a fantastically competitive second half of college basketball

Once the Bearcats got close, they were like sharks sniffing blood in the water. Even with Okafor returning to the game and playing intelligently to avoid further fouls, his impact was mitigated by the Bearcats newfound aggression as a result of their confident play. With Bob Huggins frantically working the sidelines, the Bearcats refused to waste offensive possessions and competed gamely on defense. The Huskies, with their wealth of individual talent were obviously a going concern, but they seemed to be somewhat shaken by being unable to shake the Bearcats off and playing with either a tenuous lead or a minute deficit throughout the half. One could tell that the Huskies were far more accustomed and comfortable when they were pulling away from an opponent

With 1:06 left, the Huskies held a single point lead at 78-77 when James White drove into the lane with the obvious intent to go strong to the rack. As the Husky defense collapsed to contain him and Okafor rose to meet him in the stratosphere, White kicked the ball out to a wide-open Bobbitt who nailed the three-pointer with an absolute lack of outward expression. The kid was not just as cool as ice, he was stone-cold frozen. The Huskies were not in dire straits at that point, but they were mere seconds later when Denham Brown clanked an routine 18 footer and Jason Maxiell grabbed the biggest carom of his young life. With the Huskies seemingly in shock at the turn of events, Maxiell was able to get the ball to Bobbitt before UCONN could foul an inferior free throw threat, thereby allowing the Bearcats to send their most reliable shooter to the line. Bobbitt made both and the game was over as the next four points to end the game all came from the line

For the game the Bearcats were led by Bobbitt and White, who scored 21 and 18 points respectively, although with notably different means of finding their offense. After his monster first half, Okafor's play was somewhat more tentative as a result of him trying not to exacerbate his personal foul predicament, and his teammates, while competent, seemed to follow his lead and play more closely to the vest than they had throughout their dominating run through the early field. While it is almost a sure thing that Okafor will not return and head to the NBA, it is not as sure what players like Ben Gordon and Rashad Anderson have planned for the near future. While the loss of such accomplished players would be devastating to many programs, there is abundant depth at UCONN with a freshman recruiting class sure to provide new and diverse talents to the Husky program

But for now, there can be no denying the sense of an opportunity lost for Connecticut. In equal measure, there is an abundant sense of accomplishment and wonder for the Bearcat program that has been led by the flash of James White and the intensity of Tony Bobbitt. With their place secure in the Final Four, the Bearcats await the winner of Pitt versus Gonzaga and their opportunity to realize their place on the highest stage of College Hoops

[nickm]

Heh well you posted the news on monday, but probably not the monday you were expecting :P

[K Bomber]

Heh well you posted the news on monday, but probably not the monday you were expecting :P
I had a very hectic December and I thought I'd get at it over the Christmas holidays, but I admit, I had more fun going tobogganing with the kids all day long while I was off

You people in the sunny areas of the world have no idea what you are missing

Have fun...............

[Anonymous]

Heh well you posted the news on monday, but probably not the monday you were expecting :P
I had a very hectic December and I thought I'd get at it over the Christmas holidays, but I admit, I had more fun going tobogganing with the kids all day long while I was off

You people in the sunny areas of the world have no idea what you are missing

Have fun...............

Well spending time with the family is more important then a video game, so no problem, I was just making a joke.

I know what you mean, snow is the best.

[K Bomber]

A while back I'd pretty much given up on ever finishing the Long, Hard Road of Major Bone. Up until a little while ago, it would have been impossible, when I originally played these games, I actually kept stat sheets so I could remember the games that I'd had so I could use them after the fact to write up those games. A couple of years ago those sheets went missing in one of many "spring clean-ups". With that advent, the possibility of bringing Bone's legacy to a close were impossible, since I didn't want to just "fake it".

Happily, the other day while looking for other long, lost and misplaced treasures, I happened upon my stash of stat sheets from the Major Bone years. There they were, at long last. It was fun just to look through them again and remember. My wife thinks I'm insane.

College Hoops has always been the definitive 2K game for me, ever since I firsxt booted up the 2k4 release of the game and had the computer pick out the name "Major Bone" for the leader of my legacy. The rest, as evidenced by all the writing in this legacy, is history. I'm hoping to finally conclude this piece of unfinished business before the end of this year's March Madness. Over 4 years in the making, Major Bone is due for his conclusion

Have fun.........

[Jackrabbit]

Wow - whatta coinky-dink. I was doing the same thing. I saw CHoops laying there on my stash of gamres, and knew I had to break out some serious Long Beach State action.

It's so great...

How've ya been?