This is the outlook for the upcoming season:
This is a thread where members of the league can discuss and track their team's progress as we build the conference.
Final Standings (LAST YEAR)
East Standings
| TEAM |
Conf. |
Overall |
Home |
Road |
Top 25 |
Last 10 |
STRK |
RPI |
SOS |
| #4 Delaware State |
14-2 |
30-4 |
9-0 |
15-2 |
6-3 |
8-2 |
L1 |
4 |
14 - NT Final 4 |
| #35 Hampton |
10-6 |
21-8 |
12-2 |
8-4 |
1-4 |
4-6 |
L2 |
37 |
50 - NT 1st Round |
| Norfolk State |
10-6 |
18-11 |
7-6 |
10-3 |
1-6 |
6-4 |
L2 |
50 |
31 - NT 1st Round |
| Bethune-Cookman |
7-9 |
16-12 |
4-4 |
12-7 |
0-4 |
3-7 |
L2 |
88 |
112 - PI 1st Round |
| Maryland Eastern Shore |
3-13 |
8-19 |
4-9 |
4-9 |
0-5 |
2-8 |
L5 |
150 |
51 |
| South Carolina State |
0-16 |
1-26 |
1-12 |
0-13 |
0-7 |
0-10 |
L20 |
270 |
47 |
West Standings
| Team |
Conf. |
Overall |
Home |
Road |
Top 25 |
Last 10 |
STRK |
RPI |
SOS |
| #6 Florida A&M |
16-0 |
29-1 |
10-0 |
16-0 |
6-0 |
9-1 |
L1 |
2 |
10 - NT 1st Round |
| Morgan State |
11-5 |
19-11 |
10-3 |
7-6 |
4-5 |
8-2 |
L1 |
23 |
3 - NT 2nd Round |
| #29 Morris Brown |
10-6 |
21-9 |
10-3 |
9-4 |
1-6 |
5-5 |
L1 |
27 |
18 - NT 2nd Round |
| Howard |
8-8 |
22-11 |
8-3 |
12-6 |
1-7 |
7-3 |
L1 |
44 |
62 - PI Championship Game |
| North Carolina A&T |
6-10 |
15-14 |
9-5 |
5-8 |
0-6 |
4-6 |
L2 |
63 |
12 - PI 1st Round |
| Coppin State |
1-15 |
6-21 |
3-10 |
3-10 |
0-6 |
1-9 |
L2 |
199 |
63 |
CURRENT COACHES:
OVERALL RECORDS (All Worlds) - RECORD WITH CURRENT TEAM BEFORE START OF SEASON 201: (As of 8/16/23)
Bethune-Cookman Wildcats - kevbo65 - 3213-2041 • 116-11
Coppin State Eagles - Fregoe - 6313-5520 • 131-253
Delaware State Hornets - chapelhillne 15841-5664 • 1276-316 (31 Championships)
Florida A&M Rattlers - Gillispie - 2392-915 • 685-214 (7 Championships)
Hampton Pirates - upsetcity - 3350-1921 • 885-450 (1 Championship)
Howard Bison - zlionsfan - 5882-4559 • 153-111
Maryland Eastern Shore Hawks - Franklynne - 10387-9088 • 336-443
Morgan State Bears - osubucks635 - 2122-1379 • 241-266
Morris Brown Wolverines - rowle1js - 5030-2648 • 40-27 (2 Championships)
Norfolk State Spartans - collegeboss7 - 2112-1007 • 290-135 (4 Championships)
North Carolina A&T Aggies - SIM
South Carolina State Bulldogs - bobby2c - 4962-5133 • 68-156
Team Power Ratings at Start of Season 202:
Equals Average rating of all players, except walk-ons, minus durability, and minus Work Ethic. 9 Points are added for each senior, 6 for each junior and 3 for each sophomore to account for IQ.
Deduct the following per walk-on, ineligible or redshirt depending on the offense and defense:
FASTBREAK
1 = -2 • 2 = -5 • 3 = -10 • 4 = -16
ANY OTHER OFFENSE
1 = -1 • 2 = -2 • 3 = -5 • 4 = -10
FULL COURT PRESS
1 = -2 • 2 = -5 • 3 = -10 • 4 = -16
ZONE
1 = 0 • 2 = 0 • 3 = -2 • 4 = -4
MAN TO MAN
1 = -1 • 2 = -2 • 3 = -5 • 4 = -10
SEASON 202 POWER RATINGS
| TEAM |
Rating |
Last Yr. |
Change |
| 1. Delaware State |
678 |
677 |
1 |
| 2. Florida A&M |
642 |
738 |
-96 |
| 3. Howard |
640 |
639 |
1 |
| 4. Norfolk State |
627 |
607 |
20 |
| 5. Morgan State |
620 |
610 |
10 |
| 6. Morris Brown |
594 |
655 |
-61 |
| 7. Bethune-Cookman |
593 |
640 |
-47 |
| 8. Hampton |
591 |
631 |
-40 |
| 9. North Carolina A&T |
588 |
584 |
4 |
| 10. Maryland Eastern Shore |
585 |
584 |
1 |
| 11. South Carolina State |
574 |
588 |
-14 |
| 12. Coppin State |
558 |
535 |
23 |
| TOTAL |
7290 |
7488 |
-198 |
The conference took a beating in recruiting this year and overall decreased by 198 points. Strangely, 7 of the 12 teams increased but three only increased by one point each, and the most improved team was Norfolk State which improved by 20. There were big losers, led by Florida A&M who got battered by two EES and lost 96 points. The Rattlers are still # 2 in the Power Ratings though.
There is only a 120 point gap from top to bottom, compared to 203 last year. Delaware State at 678 is a small margin ahead of Florida A&M (642) and Howard (640). But the Hornets only have 9 players, so one has to orderif perhaps the Power Rankings need to be adjusted more for pressing teams that are very understaffed. Florida A&M is also very shorthanded with 8 players, so the top spot in the conference is kind of wide open. Besides Howard, which has a realistic chance at the top spot, keep your eyes on Norfolk State because they are always solid, Morgan State (with 5 seniors), Morris Brown because they are on the rise and a pressing team, Bethune-Cookman, with 11 players, and possibly Hampton. Hampton is a bit of a strange case because they are extremely young, and they are switching to Fast Break, Full Court Press this season, but that combo could be lethal to the thin teams, and their players will be very improved in talent and IQ b the end of the year, so they could pose a threat at tournament time. Maryland Eastern Shore could play a factor as well because of their 5 seniors and 12 deep roster. The bottom two teams on the power rankings, South Carolina and Coppin State, are hoping to get out of the basement of their divisions. Both have a shot at doing that this year, though with neither having 12 players on their pressing teams, they still face challenges.
North Carolina A&T, with Coach Sim (barring a last minute new coach), may finish at the bottom, which is a shame because if a coach had taken over, they might have a shot at a decent season with four seniors and four juniors.
One thing to note about the rankings is that they do not take into account potential/improvement of younger players, but there is no real way to measure that.
COACH BACKGROUNDS/HISTORY
(In order of when each joined the conference).
Chapelhillne came out of a 16 year retirement in season 152 to try coaching a lower level Division 1 program as a challenge. Previously he spent over 40 years at Georgia Tech where he won two National Championships and was named National Coach of the Year four times.
Upsetcity was named coach of the Hampton Pirates at the start of season 157. He came to the team after a successful division 2 run, capped by a National Coach of the Year award at Virginia Union in his last season there. Hampton is his first venture into Division 1 in Tarkanian. He comes with a lifetime record of 226-124.
Gillispie came out of a 92 year retirement in season 173 to take over the Florida A&M Rattler program. With this ID he has a record of 1677-688 with 6 National Championships at schools including Kentucky, Colorado and Texas A&M.
Franklynne was named head coach of the Maryland Eastern Shore Hawks in season 174 after an extended period at Division 2 Winston Salem State where he led the team to seven straight Conference Championships. This will be his first Division 1 coaching experience in the Tark World where he currently has a 346-414 record, but he has a lot of experience including at Division 1 in HD overall, with 505 seasons under his belt and a record of 7834-6566.
osubucks635 comes to North Carolina A&T in Season 183 from Ohio State where he spent the last 5 years, and led the Buckeyes to a second Round NT appearance in Season 181. He has a career HD record of 1869-1065, and is hoping to bring the Aggies back to their first winning season since Season 175 when garmansouth coached them to a 15-14 record. The school seems to be a launching pad for other MEAC schools, with Garmansouth now coaching the South Carolina State Bulldogs, and Utthead taking over the Coppin State Eagles. The coaching carousel continued following a 1-26 season at North Carolina A&T as OSU Bucks took over a very successful Morgan State program beginning in season 184.
Fregoe takes over a Coppin State program in season 188 that was on the rise under Utthead who went 111-70 there, but forgot to submit his renewal paperwork. He spent the last four seasons at San Diego State earning an impressive record of 95-26. Previously he coached at Appalachian State for six years. Overall in the Tark World, he has a record of 745-527, and an HD overall record of 4803-4093.
collegeboss7 takes over a Norfolk State program in season 188 that went 19-36 under sim coaches the last two years. The team has 5 seniors that were recruited by Row1e and wfudd, so fans are hoping for a good season to right the ship. This is collegeboss7's first D1 team in Tark, and only his 4th season, but he demolished opposition in D3 and D2 with an 81-12 record, and overall in HD his record is 1235 and 680 with two National Championships.
Zlionsfan joins the MEAC beginning in Season 193 after a four year tenure at Nevada where he went 52-58, although the last two years were 38-18. He has a 459-310 record in the Tark World, and a 4736-3743 overall record in HD in 301 seasons.
Kevbo65 takes over a Bethune Cookman Wildcats team after a 35 year stint from azhawg. The team has struggled recently with a seven year post season drought. Kevbo spent the last seven seasons at Washington, guiding the Huskies to a 109-78 record, making the NT four times. He has a 277-182 overall record in the Tark World, and a 3089-1911 overall record in HD.
Bobbyc2 became the latest coach to return to the MEAC after leaving, as he returns to coach the South Carolina State Bulldogs in Season 194. He previously served as head coach of Maryland Eastern Shore from season 157-163. Maryland Eastern Shore was his first Division 1 coaching stop in Tarkanian, so he returns as a much more experienced coach, and hopes to turn around the fortunes of a South Carolina State team that has not made the NT in 11 seasons. He comes via UNLV with a lifetime record of 639-725 in the Tarkanian world. Bobbyc2 left the MEAC to coach at Auburn at the end of season 163, and made stops at Memphis, NC State, Northern Iowa, Wake Forest, Dayton, and UNLV.
Rowle1js returns to the MEAC beginning in Season 199, taking over traditional powerhouse Morris Brown, which had fallen on hard times the last few seasons and could be officially classified a major rebuild. He coached Norfolk State from Season 169 to 183 turning the program around and making it competitive, finishing in the top 20 each of the final three years and ending with a record of 220-226 with 7 NT appearances including a second round and two sweet 16 appearances his last three years. After leaving Norfolk State, he had a very successful 15 year run at LSU.
RETIRED COACHES
Mahnk began coaching Morris Brown in season 123, and coached there for 38 years. He finished with a record of 1027-534 and 19 Conference Championships. He left the Wolverines to coach in his home state with the University of Nebraska. VegasKevin took over the helm for season 161
tompkinsaj (Retired) - tompkinsaj comes to the Florida A&M Rattlers in season 156 after a very successful run of 8 seasons at Binghamton, with the last 6 being 20 win seasons, and after compiling a 55-5 record over the last two seasons. He has a 344-103 record in the world and a 1094-350 record in HD. Florida A&M was 10-18 last year with six straight losing seasons.
jetsfan777 (retired) – In season 156 jetsfan777 takes over the upstart South Carolina State Bulldogs who swept all three human coached teams to win the CT last year. Coach jets fan has a 666-404 record in 37 seasons, and comes from Central Connecticut State, where he coached for five seasons including two consecutive 20+ win seasons most recently. However, after the season, he decided it was time to retire.
VegasKevin took over the Morris Brown Wolverines in Season 161 after a successful nine year run at VMI, where he led the team to a 216-53 record with eight conference championships and two National Tournament appearances. At the end of his first season, VegasKevin announced his retirement.
Cuck took over as the coach of Morgan State in season 158, and retired after Season 162. He added a number of new recruits and set the team up for his successor, JimmyChino. He leaves with a record of 62-79 in his five seasons, along with a PI first round appearance.
Stoph came to Norfolk State in season 154 from Division 2 Southern Indiana, and left at the end of Season 162 compiling a 110-137 record. He left to take over a struggling Campbell program in North Carolina.
Bobbyc2 became head coach of Maryland Eastern Shore at the start of season 157. He came to the team after five seasons at division 2 Central State. Maryland Eastern Shore is his first Division 1 coaching stop in Tarkanian. He comes with a lifetime record of 149-168 in the Tarkanian world. Bobbyc2 left the MEAC to coach at Auburn at the end of season 163.
Zizzer took over a hapless Norfolk State team in season 166 and did manage to get the team prestige up to a C- in his three seasons, before moving to Long Island. He compiled a 30-52 record during his tenure in the MEAC. The program has only had one winning season in the last 16 years. when he took over. Zizzer had his best season in Division 1 at Chicago State in season 165 where he lead the team to the National Tournament and sported a 27-3 record. He has a 282-228 record in the world, and 1483-1124 record overall.
Verdiman, in season 158, took on the challenge attempting to lead the Howard Bison to its first winning season since season 149. He compiled a 142-167 record before leaving at the end of season 168. He managed to bring the Bison to the big dance in season 162 with a 21-9 record. Previous to his tenure at Howard, he spent the last 8 years at Wright State compiling a 132-94 record with two conference championships and a National Tournament appearance. He sports a 333-320 lifetime record in the Tark world.
Greiss13 took over a good looking Florida A&M team in season 159 after six seasons at BYU and a previous stint at Rutgers and Eastern Kentucky. He left Florida A&M to take a position at Notre Dame following season 172 with a record of 255-156 at the helm of the Rattlers.
Duece112 spend a long run at Division 2 before joining South Carolina State at the start of season 158. His resume included two National Coach of the Year honors, and he sported an all-time record of 442-274. Duece retired from South Carolina State following the conclusion of Season 173 with a record of 292-175.
DexterDDuane took over the helm of Maryland Eastern Shore in season 165 after a one year stint at Gonzaga. He previously coached for 30 years at Auburn in the Tarkanian World. His Tark record was 1193-662 and his HD record was 4905-2535 with six national championships to his name. With a proven track record he should be able to keep the Hawks heading in the right direction. Dexter retired at the end of Season 173 with a record of 126-135 at Maryland Eastern Shore.
Benis took over a Howard program that has been decent, but just below the level to where it could grow in prestige. In 11 years before he started, Verdiman led the team to four winning seasons and one NT appearance to go with two PI bids. Benis retired at the end of Season 175 with a record of 112-90 in 7 seasons as the coach.
uwrjl93 retired at the end of Season 176 with a 224-299 record at Coppin State. He took a job with the Purdue Boilermakers.
Rollo75 retired from Morris Brown at the end of Season 179 and leading the Wolverines to a #13 ranking in his final year. It was the second highest ranking in the team's history. He finished with a 286-211 record.
cubcub113 took over the Coppin State Eagles at the beginning of season 177 and retired at the end of season 179. He compiled a 13-68 record during his tenure, but he laid the groundwork for the next coach to take over a team that is developing into a talented group. Coppin State extended its drought to 41 years since they last had an NT appearance and they have now had a losing record nine years in a row.
JimmyChino retired as the coach of Morgan State at the end of season 180, having been the coach since season 163. He finished with a very impressive record of 364-152 at Morgan State.
ardthomp retired at the end of season 180 from the head coach position at South Carolina State after amassing a record of 75-95.
phurier answered the call of the Coppin State Eagles, which reached down to Division 3 Knox in an effort to create some kind of magic for the team, which seems to struggle every year. In his first experience at the coaching Division 1 level phurier retired after two successful seasons at Coppin State, where he amassed a record of 40-16 with two conference championships. After his retirement, Utthead vacated his position at North Carolina A&T to take the helm of the Eagles.
LittleGiant0 took over the Howard program from Benis in season 176, and in a six season run which ended in Season 181, he led the Bison to a 93-76 record with four PI appearances.
gators55 took the reigns of a successful Morgan State program in season 181 after the retirement of JimmyChino. He left Central Florida after two seasons there, and had coached at 5 schools in the last six years. The Bears were hoping for a long term commitment, but Gators retired after three seasons, leaving at the end of Season 183 and finishing with a record of 45-38.
Rowle1js came to perennial bottom feeder Norfolk State in season 169 with the goal of turning the program around and making it competitive. He was the 4th coach for the Spartans in the last 8 years and the team had only had one winning season in the last 20 years when he took over. The first three years were rough, but the final three seasons were extremely strong, finishing in the top 20 each of those years. He finished with a record of 220-226 with 7 NT appearances including a second round and two sweet 16 appearances his last three years.
2xRedRaider took over a Howard Bison program in season 182 which has been consistently average over the last 8 seasons with more than 10 wins and 10 losses in each of those seasons. He joined the conference after one season at Colorado State, which followed five seasons at Army. At Army his first season was 5-22, and he left after a 49-11 record in his final two seasons. His HD record is 712-642. He retired at the end of Season 186 with a 52-60 record at Howard, and retired from HD entirely.
wfudd77 came to Norfolk State in season 163 directly from a National Championship season at Division 3 Randolph Macon, where he won two National Championships in 15 seasons. He also finished runner up and made a final four and five elite 8 seasons. His Tark record is 460-92, and his HD record is 2763-1115 with six championships in 127 seasons. He hoped to turn around a Norfolk State program with just one winning season in its last 13, but left at the end of season 164. However he would return to Norfolk State in Season 184 and 185 before retiring with a lifetime record 44-67.
Utthead was forced from his position because he forgot to submit his renewal paperwork, so he ended up leaving Coppin State for Division 2 West Georgia. He came out of a seven year retirement to take over a North Carolina A&T squad. His final record with the Aggies was 26-55.
Following his third season at North Carolina A&T, he accepted a position as the head coach of MEAC rival Coppin State. He coached there for Six seasons amassing a record of 111-70. (He returned from retirement in season 190)
garmansouth moved from North Carolina A&T to Pittsburgh at the end of season 177, after compiling a record of 344-289 in 22 seasons with the North Carolina A&T Aggies. He returned to the MEAC in season 181 to take over at South Carolina State, where he coached until the end of Season 189, with a record of 129-36 with the Bulldogs. He left to take the position at St. Johns.
afatrain joined the MEAC from Wyoming in season 186. During his seven year tenure (seasons 186-192) he led the Bison to a 95-92 record with three 1st round NT appearances and one PI Championship.
AZHawg22 took the helm of a Bethune-Cookman program in season 158 and coached there for 35 years during which time he achieved a record of 416-571 with 1 NT appearance and 6 PI runs. He left to coach the Arkansas Razorbacks before the start of Season 194.
Utthead returned to the MEAC in Season 190 to take over the South Carolina State Bulldogs for four years, leaving at the end of season 193 compelling a record of 42-69 - This was his third team in the MEAC. He was forced from his position at Coppin State because he forgot to submit his renewal paperwork, so he ended up leaving Coppin State for Division 2 West Georgia. Before his stint at Coppin State, he came out of a seven year retirement to take over the North Carolina A&T squad. His final record with the Aggies was 26-55. Following his third season at North Carolina A&T, he accepted a position as the head coach of MEAC rival Coppin State. He coached there for Six seasons amassing a record of 111-70. So, his MEAC combined record is 179-194.
jgsolari came out of a 54 year retirement in the Tark world and took over a Morris Brown squad in season 180 that was coming off a strong #13 ranking and amassed a 380-186 record until his retirement following season 198. During that time he reached the final four once and elite 8 twice, and the NT 14 times.
mumcoach took the position at North Carolina A&T in Season 186 and left at the end of Season 201, when he departed for Wichita State, his Alma Mater. Though he finished his 16 year tenure at North Carolina A&T with a 201 and 253 record, the record was skewed a bit by the first six seasons which began at 46-116. In his final 10 seasons his record was 165-137. The team appeared in two national tournaments and had 5 PI Bids.