The Northern Kentucky Norse Topic

03/25 07:10 PM

Northern Kentucky University announces hiring of achampa1 as new head coach of men's basketball.

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I should say at the outset that I honestly don't know if this is going to be any more than a one-season thing. A brief diversion: I coached for several years a WHILE back, and had several tracking threads that were a ton of fun to maintain. I had a decent amount of success under this username, bomberball, and dahoss88, but the best I ever did was probably in D2 and D3 in the early days of Knight. I did OK in D1, too, even getting to coach Oklahoma State after a decent tenure at Boston U., but the change in recruit generation killed D1 for me and sapped most of my drive to be involved in the game (which was pretty evident by my record the last few seasons I was there).

That said, I had an itch to come back given the current basketball tournament. Northern Kentucky hasn't gone Sim since the very first season, and their coach just accepted a job at Air Force after 20 seasons at the school. The program has a B prestige, which is pretty good, and there's some pieces that return from a team that's won 45 games over the last two years.

This thread will track my recruiting and games that are played. If you want to check out samples of past tracking threads, look for West Florida and Boston U. in Knight, Jacksonville State in Phelan, and Hampton in Tarkanian (I tried to link them, but the board's not letting me do that).
3/25/2013 9:21 PM
A look at my track record:

Overall Record: 420-273 (.606)
Home: 189-97 (.661)
Road: 196-150 (.566)
Players Drafted: 0

Conference
Record: 242-142 (.630)
Championships: 10
Tournament Championships: 8

National Tournament
Bids: 10
Record: 4-10 (.286)


Season 30: Oklahoma St.
7-21 (overall)/2-14 (conf), RPI: 148




Season 29: Oklahoma St.
5-22 (overall)/1-15 (conf), RPI: 159




Season 28: Oklahoma St.
12-15 (overall)/5-11 (conf), RPI: 114




Season 27: Oklahoma St.
9-18 (overall)/3-13 (conf), RPI: 135

Season 26: Oklahoma St.
19-10 (overall)/10-6 (conf), RPI: 23


National Tournament At-large Bid
National Tournament - 1st Round


Season 25: Oklahoma St.
14-15 (overall)/5-11 (conf), RPI: 71


Postseason Invitational - 1st Round


Season 24: Oklahoma St.
17-11 (overall)/7-9 (conf), RPI: 88


Postseason Invitational - 1st Round


Season 23: Boston U.
21-7 (overall)/14-2 (conf), RPI: 39


Regular Season Conference Champion
National Tournament At-large Bid

Season 22: Boston U.
15-12 (overall)/10-6 (conf), RPI: 102




Season 21: Boston U.
21-9 (overall)/12-4 (conf), RPI: 68


Conference Tournament Champion
National Tournament - 1st Round


Season 20: Boston U.
18-10 (overall)/11-5 (conf), RPI: 77


Regular Season Conference Champion
Postseason Invitational - 1st Round


Season 19: Boston U.
17-11 (overall)/11-5 (conf), RPI: 85


Postseason Invitational - 1st Round

Season 18: Boston U.
14-14 (overall)/7-9 (conf), RPI: 116




Season 17: Boston U.
19-8 (overall)/14-2 (conf), RPI: 107


Regular Season Conference Champion
Conference Coach of the Year


Season 16: Boston U.
11-17 (overall)/7-9 (conf), RPI: 163




Season 15: Boston U.
20-9 (overall)/11-5 (conf), RPI: 79


Regular Season Conference Champion
Postseason Invitational - 1st Round
Conference Coach of the Year

Season 14: W. Florida #9
28-4 (overall)/15-1 (conf), RPI: 16


Regular Season Conference Champion
Conference Tournament Champion
National Tournament - Sweet 16
Conference Coach of the Year


Season 13: W. Florida
15-15 (overall)/9-7 (conf), RPI: 98


Conference Tournament Champion
National Tournament - 1st Round


Season 12: W. Florida
22-8 (overall)/14-2 (conf), RPI: 37


Regular Season Conference Champion
Conference Tournament Champion
National Tournament - 1st Round

Season 11: W. Florida
21-9 (overall)/12-4 (conf), RPI: 45


Conference Tournament Champion
National Tournament - 1st Round


Season 10: Anna Maria #16
24-8 (overall)/15-1 (conf), RPI: 40


Regular Season Conference Champion
Conference Tournament Champion
National Tournament - Sweet 16
Conference Coach of the Year


Season 9: Anna Maria
23-8 (overall)/16-0 (conf), RPI: 65


Regular Season Conference Champion
Postseason Invitational - 3rd Round
Conference Coach of the Year

Season 8: Anna Maria
22-8 (overall)/16-0 (conf), RPI: 50


Regular Season Conference Champion
Conference Tournament Champion
National Tournament - 1st Round


Season 7: Anna Maria
26-4 (overall)/15-1 (conf), RPI: 88


Regular Season Conference Champion
Conference Tournament Champion
National Tournament - 1st Round
Conference Coach of the Year


3/25/2013 9:26 PM
A look at the returning players for the Norse:

Name Yr. Pos. A SPD REB DE BLK LP PE BH P WE ST DU FT TOT
Grant Petrus Sr. PG 52 87 1 58 2 1 67 67 82 27 74 42 C- 560
Gordon Vaughan So. PG 47 80 11 45 10 8 41 51 42 66 63 61 C+ 525
Andre Barney Sr. SG 67 75 24 65 17 4 97 70 48 66 77 96 B 706
Ernest Staton Jr. SG 41 52 28 42 17 51 56 55 43 49 85 66 C 585
Charles Broome Sr. SF 53 60 59 77 44 24 76 60 39 53 66 39 C+ 650
Jonathan Moore Jr. SF 60 46 30 64 13 45 63 40 57 14 60 52 D+ 544
Ivan Candler So. SF 62 27 40 55 17 40 54 29 13 53 69 52 C 511
Randy Yardbrough So. PF 54 31 51 45 46 25 56 27 50 13 60 42 D+ 500
Steve Butler Sr. C 51 27 69 53 83 69 6 35 38 51 66 83 C- 631

The program had run a flex/M2M system in year's past, and I don't see any real reason to change that now. There's talent here; Barney is a stud shooter, Broome can score, and Petrus averaged six assists a game last year. Defensively, we're not superb, but we should be fine.

The issue I'm seeing is in the frontcourt. We obviously need to use multiple scholarships to get some post players into the program. Depending on how well recruiting is going, I may wind up cutting either Candler or Yardbrough if other players come up that fill our needs better than they do. Butler's not bad, but he needs help.
3/25/2013 9:32 PM
Just letting you know, Anna Maria is in good hands!
3/25/2013 11:42 PM
Posted by backboy13 on 3/25/2013 11:42:00 PM (view original):
Just letting you know, Anna Maria is in good hands!
So I see! Nice going. Happy the program rebounded; by the time I got to D1, it had really gone into the doldrums.
3/26/2013 12:40 PM
Our non-conference schedule:

04/02/13 am at CSU, Stanislaus 0-0 0 0 daenon      
04/02/13 pm Colorado Christian 0-0 0 0 Sim AI      
04/03/13 am Pittsburg St. 0-0 0 0 Sim AI      
04/03/13 pm at Valdosta St. 0-0 0 0 dacj501 1-0    
04/04/13 am Assumption 0-0 0 0 sl55090 3-2    
04/04/13 pm at Columbus St. 0-0 0 0 Sim AI 1-2    
04/05/13 am Clarion U. 0-0 0 0 kgilman18 2-0    
04/05/13 pm Oakland City 0-0 0 0 Sim AI 1-1    
04/06/13 am at Nebraska, Kearney 0-0 0 0 Sim AI      
04/06/13 pm N. Florida 0-0 0 0 nickjyd 0-3    


3/26/2013 7:08 PM
Infinity Sports News
3/28/2013 11:49:00 AM
Ivan Candler loses scholarship at N. Kentucky. Neither side commenting.

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Here's a comment: Candler was in a rough spot, considering he would have been the second small forward off my bench. Depending on how recruiting goes, I may end up taking a walk-on, but I knew I could find a better fit for the program in recruiting than by keeping Candler and not playing him.
3/28/2013 1:27 PM
The first two recruits signed exactly at 8 p.m. The first is Dennis Sickels, who was the #90 SF as a freshman and signed with D1 Marshall before being cut this off-season. I don't know his potential, and that's a little annoying, but the good news is that he's already very solid. He's got a solid inside game for a small forward, he guards pretty well, and he even has a B- IQ in the M2M. He doesn't know my offense, which is a little unfortunate, but unless he's completely tapped-out, he'll be a good back-up at the 3 this year and a solid starter for the two years after that.

Dennis Sickels

SF | Sophomore | 6'5" | 201 lbs. | 3.2 gpa
Triton Central HS Fairland, IN | Recruited By: coach_adkins (#90 SF)
SF
579

Athleticism 58
 
 
Speed 52
 
 
Rebounding 20
 
 
Defense 60
 
 
Shot Blocking 2
 
 
Low-post 52
 
 
Perimeter 27
 
 
Ball Handling 43
 
 
Passing 51
 
 
Work Ethic 78
 
 
Stamina 65
 
 
Durability 71
 
 
FT Shooting C  
3/28/2013 8:09 PM
My second signing wasn't highly-recruited, but he's a good get for me. I admit that Jim Underwood is a bit of a project, but most of his low overall rating comes from durability, rebounding, and shot blocking, which I don't necessarily look for in point guards. He's got great potential as a fast guard who can run the floor and make shots, and by the time he's done, he'll wind up a very good starter. His defense needs work, but it should get up to around 50 or so, and with his offensive skills projected to be what they are, I'll live with that. He won't play much his first year in a pretty crowded backcourt, but in due time, he'll be just fine.

Jim Underwood

PG | 6'0" | 174 lbs. | 3.2 GPA
North Hardin HS | Radcliff, KY
PG
440

Athleticism 26
 
Speed 63
 
Rebounding 1
 
Defense 37
 
Shot Blocking 1
 
Low-post 8
 
Perimeter 71
 
Ball Handling 61
 
Passing 46
 
Work Ethic 44
 
Stamina 63
 
Durability 19
 
Previous Season Stats
GP MPG PPG RPG FG% FG3% FT% APG SPG BPG
18 26 32.1 0.7 51.8 55.4 73.8 4.4 1.2 0.3

Potential
  Current
Rating
Potential     Current
Rating
Potential
Athleticism 26 High   Perimeter 71 High
Speed 63 High   Ball Handling 61 Average
Rebounding 1 Low   Passing 46 High
Defense 37 Average   Stamina 63 Average
Shot Blocking 1 Low   Durability 19 High
Low-post 8 Low   FT Shooting   Average
3/28/2013 8:12 PM
We obviously needed bodies in the frontcourt, and hopefully Kenneth Schell isn't the last big to sign with us. I do not know his potential, so we can only go off of what we see right here. He's slow, so he's probably only ever going to be a center for us. However, he can score already, and that's a big plus. Ideally, his rebounding/athleticism would both go up and he'd turn into a big, enforcer type on the low block, but I won't know that until I discover his potential. That aside, he'll be a very useful player off the bench in year one, and he could easily develop into a starter down the line.

Kenneth Schell

C | 6'9" | 229 lbs. | 3.2 GPA
White Co. High School | Sparta, TN
C
513

Athleticism 32
 
Speed 20
 
Rebounding 67
 
Defense 49
 
Shot Blocking 67
 
Low-post 73
 
Perimeter 10
 
Ball Handling 14
 
Passing 7
 
Work Ethic 28
 
Stamina 72
 
Durability 74
 

Previous Season Stats
GP MPG PPG RPG FG% FG3% FT% APG SPG BPG
31 21 27.0 8.9 67.4 21.6 62.2 0.5 0.6 1.7
3/29/2013 11:17 PM
I'm extremely happy we filled the final scholarship given the events that happened during recruiting (much more on that coming in my next post), and I'm pretty happy we got a player with Charles Weiss's skill set. He's a better athlete than Schell, and while he's not as good a defender, he probably fits the flex offense better because he's a better ball-handler and passer.

The bad news is I don't know his potential, and the thing that scares me a little is that, due to my lack of funds, I had to promise him a starting job in desperation so we would get another live body in the post. It's not like there's much competition there outside of Butler, but if he doesn't know the flex and/or the M2M, that could hinder his productivity early on. Still, you gotta do what you gotta do, and things could have turned out much worse. Here's hoping his potential is good.

Charles Weiss

C | 7'0" | 243 lbs. | 2.3 GPA
Pershing County HS | Lovelock, NV
C
508

Athleticism 39
 
Speed 26
 
Rebounding 67
 
Defense 38
 
Shot Blocking 79
 
Low-post 61
 
Perimeter 10
 
Ball Handling 30
 
Passing 19
 
Work Ethic 29
 
Stamina 56
 
Durability 54
 

Previous Season Stats
GP MPG PPG RPG FG% FG3% FT% APG SPG BPG
22 20 21.9 6.0 55.2 18.7 60.6 0.7 0.7 1.7
3/30/2013 6:56 PM
THOUGHTS ON RECRUITING

...phew.

That could have been an absolute disaster. I probably scouted one or two states too many in FSS, which set me back from the get-go. Next, I got bumped off a couple of very good recruits by higher-prestige D2 schools as a harsh reminder that a B prestige, while not bad, also isn't great.

Then, I settled on two recruits: A JuCo PF, and a freshman PF from New York. A D3 school within 40 miles of the JuCo got in on him and must have spent a large share of their cash, and after a few cycles of nobody else considering the freshman, New Haven swept in and got him. Ergo, I was left with nothing, and not much money, either.

That was when I saw Schell, and I pounced. Fortunately, nobody challenged me, and I got him for cheap. Still, that only left me with about $150, so I waited until I saw someone I could live with in my starting lineup drop to me. Weiss fit the bill the best of the remaining players; I had a few others on my watch list that still hadn't dropped from D1, but if I'd waited and had a high-prestige coach challenge me, I'd be left with nothing. Fortunately, nobody else went in on Weiss, and even though I had to promise him a starting spot, it was probably worth it to have that extra body in the frontcourt.

Not knowing the potential of 3/4 of my class makes giving a grade pretty tough. I do like Underwood, even though he's a developmental player; we're losing both starters in the backcourt after this year, so he should play a good deal as a sophomore after a year of refinement. Sickels is sort of an unknown, but I've got reason to be confident in him. He knows the M2M defense pretty well, and he was recruited by a human D1 coach last year, which indicates his potential shouldn't be THAT bad. He'll see plenty of time as a backup at the 3 and 4 spots, and he probably starts at the 3 next season after Broome leaves.

Schell and Weiss are where this class will be made or broken. If their potentials are high, it's a home run kind of class; yet again, there's no indication that that's the case, especially because I wasn't challenged for either of them. At worst, though, they're solid backups down the line, and while I need to play Weiss this season, he shouldn't be horrible (though his defense is a concern).

For now, I'm giving the class a C+, since that's the worst I can see it being with regard to potential. I reserve the right to up it once the potential email comes, and I expect time to move very, VERY slowly until it does.

3/30/2013 7:09 PM
Well, well, well - guess who's recruiting class was just ranked #25 by CollegiateInsider.com? Nice job! Everybody in the Athletic Department is really excited - I think I'm even getting the administration behind what you're doing. Keep up the good work!

Here's the article:
College Basketball Top 32 Recruiting Classes

James Garay
Athletic Director
N. Kentucky

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Can't say I expected THAT one!
3/31/2013 10:28 AM
Potential update:

Sickels, unfortunately, is almost tapped out in everything. With his high work ethic, my guess is that he had average potential in a lot of areas and reached it almost immediately. That's tough; he'll still get time off the bench, but I wish he could at least improve in areas other than ball-handling, stamina, and FT shooting.

Meanwhile, the news is much, MUCH better in the frontcourt. Schell is going to be a stud center down the line; he has low potential in speed, defense, and passing, but high potential in athleticism, rebounding, shot-blocking, low-post, and perimeter, and at least SOME room to improve everywhere else. He still won't be a horrible defender, and his offensive skills will get really, REALLY good down the line. In addition, he has a C- IQ in the M2M, which helps.

Weiss, unfortunately, doesn't know my sets, and he's got low potential in athleticism, low-post, ball-handling, and passing. However, he has high potential in stamina, FT shooting, and durability, and average potential elsewhere. He won't be a superstar player or anything, but he'll at least be a solid starter down the road, so that's good.

Originally, I rated this class a C+. Sickels knocks it down some, but Schell brings it way up on his own and Weiss helps a little as well. This is probably a B/B+class, and ultimately, I'm pretty darned happy with it.
3/31/2013 10:40 AM
Drury (0-0)
STARTERS MIN FGM-A FGM3-A FTM-A OFF REB AST TO STL BLK PF PTS
Bruce Mobley, c 24 1-4 0-0 1-3 3 14 0 2 1 2 3 3
Jason Davis, pf 28 8-14 0-0 5-9 4 11 1 4 2 0 2 21
Justin Heidrick, sf 23 2-4 0-0 5-5 0 3 3 2 0 0 1 9
Max Rone, sf 23 1-3 0-0 2-2 0 2 1 1 0 0 0 4
George Samaniego, pg 30 5-11 2-2 2-7 0 1 3 5 0 0 3 14
BENCH MIN FGM-A FGM3-A FTM-A OFF REB AST TO STL BLK PF PTS
Joseph Palmer, sf 17 1-2 0-0 1-2 2 4 1 1 0 0 1 3
Kevin Johnson, sg 17 1-4 1-3 0-1 0 1 1 1 3 0 0 3
Lee Gorman, c 16 1-2 0-0 2-2 3 7 0 2 1 1 1 4
Matthew Miller, pg 11 1-3 0-0 1-1 0 0 2 1 1 0 0 3
Harold Burke, pf 10 1-1 0-0 0-0 1 4 0 1 0 0 0 2
Kyle Oakes, sg 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Totals 200 22-48 3-5 19-32 13 47 12 20 8 3 11 66
Percentages   .458 .600 .594  

STARTERS MIN FGM-A FGM3-A FTM-A OFF REB AST TO STL BLK PF PTS
Steve Butler, c 31 3-5 0-0 0-1 2 9 1 1 1 2 3 6
Charles Weiss, c 18 2-3 0-0 0-0 2 5 0 1 0 2 5 4
Charles Broome, sf 22 3-9 1-4 0-0 3 5 1 3 0 0 3 7
Andre Barney, sg 32 6-23 4-18 0-0 1 4 1 4 3 0 1 16
Grant Petrus, pg 31 4-12 1-4 2-2 2 2 3 1 0 0 4 11
BENCH MIN FGM-A FGM3-A FTM-A OFF REB AST TO STL BLK PF PTS
Jonathan Moore, sf 18 1-5 0-2 1-3 0 2 1 2 1 1 1 3
Dennis Sickels, sf 16 1-3 0-0 0-0 0 0 1 0 1 1 3 2
Gordon Vaughan, pg 9 2-3 0-0 0-0 0 0 1 2 0 0 0 4
Kenneth Schell, c 9 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 1 0 0 0 1 1 0
Ernest Staton, sg 8 0-0 0-0 0-1 0 2 0 0 1 0 0 0
Randy Yardbrough, pf 6 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 0
Totals 200 22-63 6-28 3-7 10 31 10 14 7 8 22 53
Percentages   .349 .214 .429  

We were actually up at the half in our first exhibition against #16 Drury and played terribly in the final 20 minutes. I figured Barney would have plenty of chances from the outside, but 18 in the game? Yikes.
3/31/2013 3:21 PM
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