February 1, 2019

Our month begins with some bright news from the Sunshine State. Ben Miele will play his college basketball at Lafayette.


Now I wish I'd introduced Ben to you earlier. I'd become so tired of posting about recruits, only to see them go elsewhere, that I didn't feel like showing you his "hero card" unless he picked Lafayette. Now he's ours, so I'll point out that Ben is one of the most highly regarded players we've ever signed. He's a high 3-star recruit, ranked #112 nationally, and he's in roughly the same spots in the positional and regional rankings as players such as Joe Lien and Daniel Warnock. Players like Ben have good chances to develop into stars.

Ben is admittedly very raw for such a promising player. His shooting and passing are ahead of the other aspects of his game, but he'll need some polishing when he arrives in Easton. Then again, so did Hubert Song. And, like Song, Miele is exceptionally quick, and he's even stronger and more athletic.

It amazes me that nobody had offered him a scholarship until very late in the recruiting cycle, but I'm delighted things turned out this way.

We have three players signed now, with two scholarships still open. We need a big man, and I'd be open to looking at a taller wing player, too. Maybe a player like Rodney Lundgren will do.


Rodney is a "small forward" in the sense that Venceslás Castillo was. He doesn't have the defensive nous that most Lafayette players have, but his stats and scouted ratings indicate a role as a high-scoring sixth man.

I offer Rodney a scholarship and invest as much recruiting capital in him as I can.

There aren't a lot of big men left with any interest in playing for us. I'm thinking about saving the scholarship for the transfer period. Since we have money in our budget to do so, I'll check out an Australian player named Gerald Pilkington. He's not very interested in playing for us now, but perhaps he might be if we express interest in him first. Coaches Sims and Manion will enjoy a bit of Australian summer on their visit to the Pilkington family.

February 2, 2019
@Lafayette 70, Colgate 50
We shoot often but not accurately, and combined with another good defensive effort, it's enough to win against a scuffling Colgate team.

At first, I can't figure out how Jack Senn is named Player of the Game. He scores 8 points, but Todd DeHaven notches a 16/12 double-double, Daniel Warnock is nearly as good with 14/8, and Tim Hutchinson leads us with 17 points. Then I notice that Jack had 5 steals: one shy of Alvaro Kinard's team record. I'm guessing Alvaro played more than 19 minutes the night he set his record, too.

I'm going to try to find some minutes for Rob Prendergast. He's unhappy, and I'd like to keep him in our program.

Remember Roderick Gove? We recruited him in the fall of 2014, and I believed at the time he'd develop into an explosive scorer. He signed with Manhattan, and he's exactly the player I thought he'd be. He's currently leading the nation with 22.7 points per game.

Big Sazzy Block Watch: Three more blocks for Mr. Davis gives him 351 for his career and moves him up to #9 on the all-time list, passing Jose Forehand, East Carolina '17.
Record: 19-3 (6-1).


Right now, Army would join us in the NCAA tournament field, according to Bubble Watch.


February 5, 2019
#24 Lafayette 69, @Gardner Webb 56
We find ourselves back in the polls this week, and we return from a jaunt down South with our 20th win of the season.

Daniel Warnock and Tim Hutchinson score 17 apiece; Jack Senn adds 12 with another perfect shooting night (2-2 from three, 6-6 from the line); Todd DeHaven scores 9 with 12 rebounds.

Big Sazzy Block Watch: Samuel gets three more rejections tonight. He'll have to pick his pace up a bit to reach 400; he's on 354 now, but he passes Graig Simmons, Rice '14, to reach 8th place on the leader board.
Record: 20-3 (6-1).


February 9, 2019
#24 Lafayette 69, Army 46
Any pretensions Army might have had about being the best team in the Patriot League this season should have gone away tonight. We run our offense exceptionally well and keep Army from doing the same thing.

Tim Hutchinson's 19 points lead all scorers. Todd DeHaven (13) and Daniel Warnock (12) join him in double digits. Meanwhile, we hold Army's scoring duo to 9 total points: 6 for Chris Buckley and 3 for Eldridge Hawkinson.

Big Sazzy Block Watch: Samuel Davis must have heard me urging him to pick up the pace, because he turned away 6 shots tonight. He now has 360 career blocks. He passed Andreas Broenner, Vanderbilt '17, and tied Jerry Dixon, Albany '16, for #6 all time.
Record: 21-3 (7-1).


February 13, 2019
#21 Lafayette 77, @Navy 50
We're back up to #3 in the Mid Major poll, behind Temple and Utah State (as usual), and we have very little trouble with the Navy in Annapolis.

Daniel Warnock (19), Tim Hutchinson (16), and Todd DeHaven (16) are our three leading scorers. They're the three Leopards who average in double figures, so no surprises there. DeHaven, who adds 9 rebounds, is Player of the Game. Richard Leak keeps the shooters happy with 5 assists. Otis Hall comes off the bench to snag 9 rebounds.

Big Sazzy Block Watch: Three more blocks give Samuel 363 for his career. He's now in sole possession of 6th place on the leader board, and there's a very good chance that's where he'll remain. The player in fifth place, Lynwood Lane VCU '17, blocked 397 shots in his career.
Record: 22-3 (8-1).


February 16, 2019
#21 Lafayette 68, @Lehigh 50
At the conclusion of tonight's contest, Graham Sims stands in the visitor's locker room and humbly accepts a game ball in recognition of the 200th victory of his coaching career.

Graham's record now stands at 200-61. He won his 100th game on January 6, 2016, and since then he's run off a 100-17 record.


Graham is one of an elite group of young coaches who have proven themselves to be winners. He's 39 now; two years older than Tracy Norton and one year older than Blaine Boyd. Illinois' Daniel Chouinard, who spent two years at Creighton before taking the whistle at Illinois and winning a national championship, is only 44.

The starring roles in tonight's milestone victory are played by the usual players. Daniel Warnock is the leading scorer with 17 points. Todd DeHaven scores 14, Tim Hutchinson 13. Richard Leak distributes 10 assists.

Big Sazzy Block Watch: The senior center celebrates by smacking down 6 Lehigh shots. He's blocked exactly 100 shots this season, and his career total climbs to 369.
Record: 23-3 (9-1).


February 20, 2019
#19 Lafayette 74, @Bucknell 34
Some Bucknell fans voice their displeasure with coach Patrick Bear after tonight's game; the Bison haven't had a winning season since 2012/13, and the memories of a couple of Patriot League tournament championships are quickly fading. Meanwhile, we're clinching at least a tie for another Patriot League title.

22 points from Daniel Warnock and 19 more from Tim Hutchinson seal Bucknell's fate; the two of them outscore the Bison by themselves.

Todd DeHaven rolled his ankle and left the game after three minutes. He's listed as day-to-day, and at 75% efficiency, he won't see the floor for a while. Otis Hall will replace him in the starting lineup, after playing well in 30 minutes of long relief (13 points, 9 rebounds).

Big Sazzy Block Watch: Only two for the big man tonight. He's up to 371 now.
Record: 24-3 (10-1).


February 23, 2019
@#19 Lafayette 61, Holy Cross 51
Leopard Nation says goodbye to five seniors, all of whom feature in a rather unique starting lineup that works well enough to avenge our earlier loss to the Crusaders and sew up the Patriot League championship. The Class of '19, like the class before them, have the honor of winning the conference for four consecutive seasons.

Seven-foot "shooting guard" Otis Hall leads all scorers with 15 points and adds 7 rebounds. Point guard Richard Leak and center Samuel Davis, the only regular starters in tonight's lineup, score 8 and 6 respectively, and Leak has 4 assists. Raleigh McGinty encounters foul trouble and scores a single basket, and Johnathan Blouin snags 8 rebounds.

Daniel Warnock and Jack Senn score 12 and 10 points off the bench.

Big Sazzy Block Watch: Samuel blocks "only" two shots again tonight, running his career total to 373.
Record: 25-3 (11-1).


February 26, 2019
#15 Lafayette 77, @American 53
The Eagles had surged up the standings to second place, and that's where they'll finish after we beat them on their home court.

Daniel Warnock's 17 points lead the Leopards, with Samuel Davis (15) and Jack Senn (14) close behind. Davis has 3 steals and only one rebound, a strange stat line for a 6'11", rim protecting center. Otis Hall does work on the boards, with 11 rebounds.

Richard Leak's 13 assists are a new Lafayette record. He comes close to the Patriot League record of 14, shared by American's Patrick Robinson'13 and Victor Reed '13.

Big Sazzy Block Watch: Davis's 2 blocks give him 375 for his career.
Record: 26-3 (12-1).

March 1, 2019

Our recruiting class now has four members, as Rodney Lundgren joins the Lafayette basketball family.

Rodney is from a small town in New York, not far from Lake Ontario. He's done a little bit of everything in high school while still scoring 20 a game, so I can envision him filling a number of possible roles. Whatever role he plays for us, he'll have a year to apprentice under Daniel Warnock.

Gerald Pilkington turns out to be a good player, and five power conference schools figure that out, too. He doesn't have much interest in playing for us, so I won't pursue him further.

I'm seriously thinking about holding on to this last scholarship and trying my luck in the transfer period. The pickings are getting very slim now, and we have commitments from three players who are 6'8" or taller.


March 2, 2019
#15 Lafayette 72, @Colgate 50
Daniel Warnock scores 22 points, and we hold Colgate's George Volkman, the league's leading scorer, to only 9 as we close out the regular season in fine style.

Richard Leak and Tim Hutchinson join DW in double figures, with 13 and 11 respectively. We shoot over 50% from the field and nearly as well on our 27 three-point attempts, while holding the Red Raiders under 40% and 30%. That's a common winning formula for us, and it's good to see it as we head into postseason play.

Big Sazzy Block Watch: I can't remember the last time Samuel Davis blocked only one shot. He's up to 376 for his career now. I just noticed there's another active shot rejector climbing the list: Auburn senior Paul Stevenson. Tall Paul has 422 career rejections, third all-time. However, since the Tigers are a mediocre team (11-16 overall, 6-7 in the SEC), his season might be drawing to a close very soon.
Record: 27-3 (13-1).

March 6, 2019
Patriot League Tournament, First Round
(1) #14 Lafayette 75, (8) Lehigh 55
Todd DeHaven returns to action with an authoritative 13-point, 12-rebound performance as we advance to the semi-final with a tidy win over Lehigh.

Daniel Warnock, who is now #3 on Lafayette's all-time scorer's list with 1536 points, pours in 24 more points tonight. Tim Hutchinson's 15 leaves him at 991, with at least one more game to shoot for 1000.

#2 seed Army advances, but #6 Colgate upsets #3 American. They'll face each other on the opposite side of the bracket. We'll play #5 Navy, who edged #4 Holy Cross, 59-58.

Big Sazzy Block Watch: A modest 2 blocks gives Samuel 378 for his career. Barring an outburst of relentless rim protection that lasts for several games, he'll finish his career short of 400...but that's nothing to criticize him for.
Record: 28-3.


March 10, 2019
Patriot League Tournament Semifinal
(1) #14 Lafayette 69, (5) Navy 58
Todd DeHaven posts career highs in both points (24) and rebounds (14) to lead us into the tournament final. Daniel Warnock supports him with 19 points, and Tim Hutchinson joins the 1000 Point Club; his 12 points give him 1003 for his two-year career.

Oddly enough, we get only two points from our bench: a single basket by Johnathan Blouin.

Army beats Colgate, so we'll face the Black Knights for the championship.

Big Sazzy Block Watch: Our big man blocks three shots tonight, so his career total rises to 381.
Record: 29-3.


March 15, 2019
Patriot League Tournament Championship
(1) #15 Lafayette 74, (2) Army 68
Graham Sims' Lafayette Leopards win their second Patriot League tournament, knocking off a tenacious Army team in the finals.

Daniel Warnock leads us with 25 points. He's supported by Tim Hutchinson's 13 points, and the 10th double-double of the season for Todd DeHaven (10 points, 11 rebounds).

Big Sazzy Block Watch: Samuel blocks only one shot today, but he won't trade the tournament trophy in his hand for a dozen blocked shots.
Record: 30-3.

Now, it's time to get ready for the Big Dance.

March 17, 2019
The NCAA tournament selection committee awards us the #3 seed in the Midwest Region. Our first round opponent will be the #14 seed, Sam Houston State.

Army is placed in our bracket, too. They'll play Virginia Tech in the 12-seed play-in game; the winner faces #5 seed New Mexico.

American and Holy Cross will both play in the CIT. The 2-seed Eagles play Furman in the opening round; the 11-seed Crusaders face Texas-San Antonio.

Half the teams in the Patriot League are playing tournament basketball in March. This is the first time that's happened.


March 21, 2019
NCAA Midwest Region, First Round Game
(3) #14 Lafayette 55, (14) Sam Houston State 52
Anything can happen in tournament play, and our opponents from the Lone Star State come close to pulling off a bracket-busting upset. Marcellin Decourchelle had a chance to send the game to overtime, but his three-point attempt hit the front of the rim and bounced away.

Decourchelle and Daniel Warnock shared the scoring honors, each with 16 points. Tim Hutchinson had 13 for us, Todd DeHaven 12. We shot terribly from three-point range: 4-for-20.

Army won the play-in game, beating Virginia Tech 75-68. Our other conference mates don't fare as well; Furman upsets American, and Holy Cross loses, too.

Big Sazzy Block Watch: Two blocks for our senior center give him 384 for his career.
Record: 31-3.


March 23, 2019
NCAA Midwest Region, Second Round
(3) #14 Lafayette 78, (6) #19 Wisconsin 54
We're back in the Sweet Sixteen! Coach Sims earns his first win against a nationally ranked opponent, and his team does it in fine style. We're up 17 at halftime and put it on cruise control from there.

He doesn't earn Player of the Game honors, but in what many probably believed would be the last game of his collegiate basketball career, Samuel Davis rejects NINE Badgers' shots. That's a new Patriot League record.

The other four Lafayette starters all do their things well, too. We make 53% of our shots, and hold Wisconsin to 35%. Daniel Warnock scores 21 points. Todd DeHaven adds 14, and Tim Hutchinson 14. DeHaven grabs 9 rebounds, Hutch gets 7, and Otis Hall has 8 off the bench. Richard Leak hands out 6 assists.

A three seed is supposed to make the Sweet Sixteen, but it's still a lot of fun. Especially when you play in the Patriot League.

Speaking of the Patriot League: our other NCAA tourney team, Army, upsets New Mexico, 70-69, before Temple thrashes them, 94-59.

Big Sazzy Block Watch: 384 + 9 = 393.
Record: 32-3.


March 28, 2019
NCAA Midwest Region Semi-Final...the Sweet Sixteen
(3) #14 Lafayette 66, (7) Marquette 55

Almost everyone, myself included, think we're going to play Oklahoma next. Ranked #7 in the country, the Sooners won 30 games and went 11-5 in the super-tough Big 12. But Marquette pulled off a second-round upset, so we face the Golden Eagles instead.

They're a good team, led by explosive guard Elijah Lucky. They disrupt our game plan as thoroughly as any team has all year--we shoot only 36% from the field--but we take full advantage of our frequent visits to the free throw line. We take 24 foul shots and make 21 of them. Meanwhile, Marquette takes only 9, and makes 5. There's your ballgame, right there.

A rampant Daniel Warnock becomes a much more familiar name to college basketball fans with a 21-point, 11-rebound performance on a big stage. Todd DeHaven (12), Richard Leak (10) and Tim Hutchinson (10) join him in double figures.

Big Sazzy Block Watch: Samuel Davis, determined to play another night, turns back 4 Marquette shots. His career total is now 397, and he ties Lynwood "Stay In Your" Lane , VCU '17, for 5th place on the all-time leaderboard.

Meanwhile, Temple upsets second-ranked Illinois in the other Midwest semi-final. We'll face a semi-local rival for a spot in the Final Four.
Record: 33-3.


March 30, 2019
NCAA Midwest Region Final...the Elite Eight
(3) #14 Lafayette 73, (2) #9 Temple 30
You read that right. We dismantle Temple and...we're in the Final Four!


The score at halftime is Lafayette 38, Temple 14. Nobody can believe we're blowing out a Top Ten team like this, including Graham Sims.

The Leopards play a magnificent, complete game of basketball. We shoot .575 from the floor, and we hit 20 of our 26 free throws. We hold Temple to a Jack Senn, in particular, excels from the charity stripe; he's a worthy Player of the Game.

Big Sazzy Block Watch: You see above that Mr. Davis blocks three Temple shots. He and his teammates make their season last long enough for him to get #400. He's now in sole possession of 5th place on the all-time leaders list.

Look who we're playing in the National Semi-final:


Record: 34-3.

April 6, 2019
NCAA Tournament Semi-Final...the Final Four
#3 Vanderbilt 63, #14 Lafayette 54

Lafayette's marvelous season comes to an end, as Vanderbilt defeats us in the national semifinal.


Vanderbilt plays like we do, but they do it with four- and five-star athletes. That's really the difference here.

The Commodores do an especially good job of slowing Daniel Warnock down. He has trouble finding spaces for unchallenged shots. Elwood Sheffield and Denver Harden are superior defenders, and they harass DW into turning the ball over.

Tim Hutchinson plays superbly, with a big double-double.

Our key seniors all contribute meaningfully. Richard Leak has five assists without a turnover while battling foul trouble. Otis Hall is productive in a reserve role. And Samuel Davis's defensive presence, expressed in blocks and steals and solid positioning, helps keep Vandy's big men under wraps.

I'd expect a game featuring two of the nation's top defensive teams to look just like this. Again, I hate to lose, but we didn't beat ourselves tonight.

Vanderbilt will play Kentucky in the championship game. Coach Sims and the Leopards will be pulling for the 'Dores.

Big Sazzy Block Watch: Samuel records the final three blocked shots of his collegiate career. He finishes with a four-year total of 403, which puts him fourth in NCAA history.
Record: 34-4.

April 8, 2019
The Vanderbilt Commodores win the national championship, defeating Kentucky 78-66. Their victory eases the pain of their loss in the national semifinal last spring.

Denver Harden is named Player of the Game. He scores 15 points, hands out 3 assists, and makes 2 steals.

April 8, 2019

Here are the Patriot League's award winners for this season.


Daniel Warnock joins James Sanders as two-time Patriot League Players of the Year. Daniel's scoring average dropped a bit this season, but he became a much more polished, productive basketball player. I'm also almost positive DW is returning to Lafayette for his senior season. If I remember correctly, the email that would tell me he's entering the draft would arrive the same day the awards are announced...and there's nothing from Daniel in my inbox.

I have no real beef with any of the other selections. Todd DeHaven was a monster when he wasn't injured. Richard Leak deserves recognition for his ability to orchestrate our offense. And, as partial as I am to Samuel Davis, he's the second-best center in the league this year.

Tim Hutchinson simply got squeezed out by Army's excellent backcourt pair.

April 8, 2019


What a year! :D

• We're a perfect 13-0 at the Kirby Center.
• Our final ranking in the polls and our RPI are our best yet; we were #15 and #20 last season.
• We often lose most of our games against other top teams, but this year, we're 7-3 against teams in the top 50 in RPI.
• We are the second-toughest team to score against in the nation. St. John's allowed their opponents to score only 52.8 per game.
• Our opponents' FG% is second-lowest in the nation, and nobody forces their opponents to miss a higher percentage of three-pointers.
• We're in the top two or three in several other analytics related to team defense: PPS, adjusted FG%, and various margins connected to these stats.

• Samuel Davis was, of course, the Patriot League's leading shot blocker.
• I was surprised to see that Todd DeHaven led the conference in rebounding. He also led in free throw percentage.
• I was not surprised to see that Richard Leak led the conference in assists.
• Daniel Warnock was the #3 scorer in the conference.
• Those plus-minus figures are crazy. When you're one of the best teams in the country in scoring margin, this will happen. Daniel Warnock ranks ninth nationally in this stat.

Next: the Senior Tributes.

2018/19 Senior Tribute

RALEIGH McGINTY

In a recruiting class that features four big men, one (or more) of them would almost certainly find playing time hard to come by. This likeable player from New Jersey was, unfortunately, often the odd man out.


Raleigh was a prolific high school scorer, but he never developed into a dynamic offensive player at the college level.

However, McGinty's name will always produce a smile from Lafayette fans who will remember his outstanding play in the 2018 NCAA tournament. He hit a game-winning basket in our 61-60 first round victory over South Alabama, and grabbed a clutch rebound to deny the Jaguars a chance to steal back the lead.

Raleigh will graduate in May, and he's been accepted to the Masters in Social Work program at Howard University.

Thanks for the memories, Raleigh.

2018/19 Senior Tribute

JOHNATHAN BLOUIN

Another New Jersey product, Blouin was the most highly-regarded of the quartet of big men we recruited for the Class of 2019. However, he developed slowly, and two of his classmates ended up with much more significant collegiate careers.


Johnathan was a responsible defender and an especially strong rebounder, qualities he demonstrated well during his one extended stretch in the Lafayette lineup. As a junior, JB filled in admirably for the injured Todd DeHaven, and led the team in rebounding rate.

A bar where Johnathan spent quite a bit of off-court time has offered him a job as a bouncer, and he's learning the art of tending bar. No doubt, he'll tell patrons that he scored a basket in the Final Four, and he'll actually be telling the truth.

Thanks for the memories, Johnathan.

2018/19 Senior Tribute

OTIS HALL

O-Hall. The Big O. O-Zone. The Mayor. This seven-footer from small-town Ohio attracted nicknames as easily as he made friends. A poll of the Lafayette student section might easily have named Otis as their favorite player.


Otis wasn't expected to take the world by storm when we recruited him. However, he was very quick for a big, and his athleticism enabled him to play as a "small" forward and get him onto the court as a freshman.

The next year, he moved into the starting lineup, and earned an All-Patriot League selection. The arrival of Todd DeHaven enabled us to shift Otis into a reserve role and, to his credit, he accepted it with class. He remained productive, and he was occasionally dominant; we suffered very little let-down when O entered the game.

Gregarious Otis will pursue a M.S. in Communications at Northwestern University.

Thanks for the memories, Otis.

2018/19 Senior Tribute

RICHARD LEAK

When we recruited this guard from Massachusetts, I described him as a "pass-first, make-his-teammates-better point guard." What we saw was what we got.


I must repeat to myself: "A one-star recruit can be a very useful player if he fits our system well." Richard Leak's career proved this statement to be true.

He learned the art of guard play from Hubert Song and Joe Lien making regular cameo appearances and contributing more significantly as a sophomore. When his turn came to take the controls of the Lafayette offense, he was ready to do so with a remarkably steady hand. Look at the way his assist-to-turnover ratio climbed throughout his career! He ranked 15th in this category this season.

Richard holds every meaningful Lafayette record related to the assist: most in a career (412); most in a season (218, in 2018/19); most in a game (13, on 2/27/19). He ranked 21st in the nation, and first in the Patriot League, with 5.7 per game...nearly twice as many as any other player in the conference. He's now the gold standard for pure point guard play at Lafayette.

Nobody who knows Richard is surprised that he'd like to become a teacher and coach. He's accepted a position as a middle school math teacher in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, and he'll assist with the basketball and football teams.

Thanks for the memories, Richard.

2018/19 Senior Tribute

SAMUEL DAVIS

Big Sazzy came to us from North Carolina. I fully admit I underestimated his potential. "I envision him earning playing time with his defense and shot blocking," I predicted when Samuel announced his signing. When he became a starter, I wondered, "will we be roughed up in the post for the first time since Graham [Sims] arrived in town?

Those comments did not age well. I'm glad.


Never much of a scorer, Samuel still made defenses play him honestly. He liked to step out and shoot threes, and he was pretty good at it. He was also a decent rebounder.

It was, of course, as a rim protector that Davis truly distinguished himself.

Exhibit A:
Exhibit B:
Exhibit C:

Samuel was always an exceptional student. He will graduate this spring with a 3.88 GPA in history and a membership in Phi Beta Kappa. He has signed with an agent and is pursuing several opportunities to play professionally in Europe.

Thanks for the memories, Samuel.

April 13, 2019

Graham Sims levels up again this spring. He's now a Level 9 coach. Was it his 200th career win that did it, or his trip to the Final Four? Either way, I'll take it.

This time I raise each of Graham's scores five points each.

Graham's assistants, Steven Manion, Donn McClinton, and Thomas Liang have all leveled up, too; they're Level 5 coaches now. They'd all like raises, and I decide to honor their requests.

All three are all very good at their jobs. Coach Liang, in particular, hasn't received the credit he's due for his work to make Lafayette's defense so impermeable.

Once again, our AD decides to upgrade our training facilities. Our score is now 46, which is 13 points higher than that of any other Patriot League program.

No jobs that would interest Coach Sims open up this spring. It looks like it will be a fairly uneventful spring...and then Steven Manion receives an offer to become the head coach at Delaware State.

I'm not surprised that Coach Manion will get the chance to run his own program. I'll miss his recruiting expertise very much.

Now it's time for me to pick my new Recruiting Coordinator. Coach Manion was slated to earn $110,000 this season, so I have the funds available to hire a talented coach to replace him.

When I look at the list of available assistants, I notice that Lafayette alumnus Louis Hewett is looking for work. I also notice that I created him as a very talented recruiter! Coach Hewett is seeking a $90,000 salary. I offer him what we were going to pay Coach Manion...and he turns it down!

I'm amazed at Hewett's decision. I wouldn't have offered a Level 2 coach like him anywhere near that amount of money if he weren't one of Graham's former players.

In the next round, I offer the position to Gregg Woods. Coach Woods, 42, is a Butler alumnus. He's followed his mentor, Charles Burns, from Winthrop to Davidson to Niagara to Alabama-Birmingham. Coach Burns retired this year (with a fine 185-82 career record), freeing Woods up to look for a new job. When I offer him $100,000/year for two seasons, he takes the job. Welcome to Lafayette, Coach.

April 13, 2019
Transfer Time

The "experts" think this is the second-best recruiting class Coach Sims has ever had, behind the Daniel Warnock-Jack Senn-Todd DeHaven group he brought in three years ago. Remember, DeHaven took a redshirt his freshman year, so he's now a class behind his senior teammates.



Ben Miele is the conference's most highly-rated incoming freshman, #112 in the national listings.

I held on to one of the five scholarships I could have offered to this year's class, so I knew I'd be active in the transfer portal this spring. It turns out I'll have two scholarships to work with, because James Standard has chosen to leave the program.

In the first transfer round, we sign Asdrubal Cruz, a center who joins us from Savannah State.


Asdrubal possesses all the qualities of a Blue Collar Man except shot-blocking ability. He's a rugged defender and an eager rebounder, and he could develop into a decent low-block scorer. He'll spend a year in Lafayette's program, and he'll have three years of eligibility beginning in 2020/21.

We pick up another transfer in the second round: wing Joseph Hubbard, lately of Oregon State.


Hubbard is considerably more promising than the players we were looking at late in the recruiting period last year. He does no one thing exceptionally well, but he does nearly everything fairly well. At worst, James should be a helpful rotation player when he takes the floor for us in 2020.

James Standard, the hometown boy who decided to transfer, has picked Texas Pan-American, which is a long, long way from Easton, PA.

July 1, 2019

Let's meet your 2019/2020 Lafayette Leopards...


How will Coach Sims use these players? We'll find out after they break camp in November.

August 1, 2019

Graham Sims and his new recruiting coordinator, Gregg Woods, will have two scholarships to fill. Daniel Warnock and Jack Senn are both wings, but if a promising big man pops up on their radar, they would certainly check him out.

That's exactly what happens with David Maxson.

David is a high three-star player who seems to want to play close to his Pennsylvania home. He's a strong defender and dominant shot blocker whose style would fit our program well, and he's probably not scoring almost 24 per game by accident. He has an offer from Temple, but I'll take a flyer on him...as I tell myself to walk away if David doesn't show more interest quickly.

Coaches Sims and Woods will make the short trip to visit him this month.

Marlon Smith is a lean wing from Northampton, PA, which is 14 miles from our campus. We've known about Marlon for a while, and Donn McClinton says he's the real deal.


He's already a polished shot creator with the potential to be exceptional. Three area schools have already offered him. We're about to be the fourth. Can we lure him away from the less prestigious schools who have acted quickly? Both coaches will visit him this month, too.

We use the rest of our recruiting budget, which is just over $15,000/month, to send Graham and Gregg off to visit various other players we like.

Congratulations on the Final Four run! And that indeed is what leveled Sims up.

For contrast, my Level 0 coach did not level up at 100 wins or with winning Big West Coach of the Year. It's tied specifically to seasonal performances, it appears.

Thanks, Izulde. I've played FBCB off and on for a few years, but I've never had a team make the Final Four. I've usually started out with neophyte coaches and super-low prestige teams, and I've never had enough patience to watch them climb the ladder. Coach Sims started out with more talent, but there are coaches roughly his age who are a few levels higher than he is.

September 1, 2019

We're one of four schools who have offered scholarships to David Maxson. This month gives us our first opportunity to invite him to campus, so we'll do so this week, and Coaches Sims and Woods will visit him at home. If those efforts don't pay off, we'll cut our losses and move on.

Marlon Smith has narrowed our choices to Lehigh and Lafayette. I'd hate to lose Marlon to our arch-rival, and we're hoping a visit to our campus will sway him our direction. Right now, he lists Lehigh ahead of us. We'll do all we can this month to change that.

Three or four other players will be recruited heavily, including campus visits. I'll introduce them to you down the road if they become primary recruiting targets.

October 1, 2019

Marlon Smith has upgraded his interest in playing for us to Very High; it was only Average before. He still lists his faves in the same order, so it's looking like it's either Lehigh or us.

Their head coach, Gary Alaniz, is a good scout but not a very engaging recruiter. Their recruiting coordinator, Charlie Buchanan, can't hold a candle to Gregg Woods. Lehigh's facilities are 7th best in our 8-team league, and they've won 10 games in the past two years combined. Unless Marlon dreamed of playing for Lehigh all his life, we ought to be able to land him. Let's see what happens if we go max effort on him again.

As much as I like David Maxson, he's still listing us third in a group with Rutgers and Villanova after visiting our campus. David holds offers from both schools, so I don't see him passing both of them up. I pull our offer and decide to take a bit of a chance with it.

For the first time I can remember, a four-star recruit expresses Average interest in playing for us. His name is Jerry Sly, and he's a point guard from Carteret, New Jersey.


Jerry is a solid scorer and a good playmaker, with a fine assist/turnover ratio. His shooting numbers are good; I really like his accuracy from the free throw line.

He's expressed interest in two other schools, one more prestigious, one less. Neither have offered him a scholarship yet. Trusting the national rankings, I decide to make Jerry an offer before we evaluate him thoroughly. We'll do that this month, along with sending Graham and Gregg to visit him.

November 1, 2019

The plot thickens once again!

Jerry Sly ends up looking like a player. He's good a good handle, he plays defense well, and he's a fine shooter. Hofstra also offers Jerry a scholarship, and he prefers their program right now, but he's never visited our school. Let's fix that this month. We'll also make sure Coaches Sims and Woods spend some quality time with him.

The situation with Marlon Smith is unchanged. We're definitely giving Marlon and his family something to think about, because he hasn't announced his decision yet. Should I keep recruiting him, or turn our attentions elsewhere?

I look at the remaining players on our call list, and notice something intriguing. Thomas Lucy has been on our list since July. He'd never expressed much interest in playing for us, but it appears things have changed.


Apparently, we're the only program Thomas is still considering!

Our scouting report doesn't indicate much aptitude for the fundamentals of defensive play, although he'll steal anything that comes within range. He makes fewer than half his free throws...which isn't adequate for a JV player, much less a high three-star recruit. Still, there's a lot to like here.

I think I'd like to offer Lucy a scholarship. My instincts tell me that, barring a miracle, I'm not going to sign Marlon Smith. I've cashed in all my chips with Marlon, aside from continuing to send coaches to visit him. On the other hand, I still have the campus visit card to play with Jerry Sly and Thomas Lucy.

I sigh, and pull our offer back from Marlon Smith. He'll start from Day One at Lehigh, and I hope he doesn't destroy us for the next four years. We go all in with Thomas Lucy and hope we can snag him before it's too late.

November 10, 2019

Training camp has ended, and we're ready to start the season.


Todd DeHaven is a training camp warrior. I remember him absolutely owning a camp session his first year; now, he's a fully-evolved, Blue/Blue player, the second such player Graham Sims has coached (Hubert Song was the other).

Tim Hutchinson and Jack Senn are now Green players, and Senn possesses Blue potential as he enters his senior season.

Three starters return from last year's Final Four team. Senior Daniel Warnock is a reigning two-time Patriot League Player of the Year. The AI keeps trying to push him out of the starting lineup, but I won't have any of it. I am, however, going to switch him to the PF spot. He's got the post defense to make it work.

Todd DeHaven will be the starting center. A redshirt junior, Todd is the most complete big man we've had here since James Sanders. This summer's mock drafts project him to go undrafted, so hopefully this means we'll have Todd's services for two more years.

6'6" Tim Hutchinson is big and strong enough to handle the small forward role. He'll still be able to make use of the Grade A jump shot that is his most lethal offensive weapon.

The new Lafayette backcourt will feature senior Jack Senn and junior Jamie Kelso.

Senn will be promoted from the sixth man role, where he's demonstrated the ability to produce points in a hurry. Like Hutchinson, Senn features an outstanding shooting touch, although he's more of a spot-up shooter than Hutchinson, who is developing into a three-level scorer.

Kelso is the distributor who will be counted on to make the four scoring threats happy. He's an excellent ball handler and passer who has been clamoring for playing time. He'll get the first shot at locking down the point guard position, but freshman Ben Miele is waiting in the wings.

Miele and shooting guard Matthew Ackerman will be the first players off Coach Sims' bench as the season begins. Ackerman is a sophomore from England who looked promising in limited playing time last season.

Another first year player, Matt Robles, should be a key part of the rotation this season. Rob Prendergast, Jonathan Baldwin, and Rodney Lundgren will hopefully get the time they need to develop this season.

November 10, 2019
Coaches Invitational, First Round
(6) Lafayette 81, (11) Northern Iowa 56
Sixteen teams are invited to this preseason tourney, and we take care of business in our first round matchup against Northern Iowa. It's close for 20 minutes, before we pull away after the break.

The Panthers can shoot, but we held them to 27.9% from the floor. And they defended Todd DeHaven (4 points) and Daniel Warnock (also 4 points) as well as any team ever has...but Tim Hutchinson went 4-for-8 from long distance and scored 25. Point guard Jamie Kelso added 15, and so did sixth man Matthew Ackerman. DeHaven and Warnock had 9 and 8 rebounds, respectively, so they found ways to influence the game.
Record: 1-0.


November 11, 2019
Coaches Invitational, Quarter Final
(6) Lafayette 79, (3) #22 Pittsburgh 68
Pitt is one of the more prestigious programs in all of college basketball (94), but I'm surprised to discover they've never made it farther than the Sweet Sixteen. Still, a victory over one of Pennsylvania's two elite programs is one to celebrate.

Again, an opponent does a very good job of keeping the ball out of Daniel Warnock's hands, except when he gets rebounds; he does that 11 times, but scores only 7 points. Todd DeHaven plays only 12 minutes because of foul trouble and finishes with 5.

Again, it's Tim Hutchinson (18 points) who provides the offense, and this time he gets lots of help from Jack Senn (19). Matt Robles pours in 12 off the bench.
Record: 2-0.


November 17, 2019
Coaches Invitational, Semi-final
(6) Lafayette 80, (10) Air Force 60
Upsets in the early rounds of the tournament wreaked havoc with its bracket. The #1 seed, Texas, lost to #16 Long Beach State. #2 Wisconsin fell to #15 East Carolina. Air Force then beat ECU, and that's how they end up playing us. Again, it's a four-point game at halftime, but we take over in the final stanza.

Six Leopards hit double figures: all five starters plus Matthew Ackerman (11). Jack Senn is the high man with 17, adding 3 steals, and Daniel Warnock found a bit more room to operate and finishes with 10. Todd DeHaven completes his first double-double of the season (11 points/13 rebounds).
Record: 3-0.


November 18, 2019
Coaches Invitational Final
(15) East Tennessee State 79, (6) Lafayette 68
In the final nobody saw coming, ETSU shows everyone they're the real deal. They make half their shots and deserve their tournament championship.

Senior forward Chris Collado gashes us for 30 points. Tim Hutchinson leads us with 15; Daniel Warnock and Todd DeHaven are close behind with 13 each, and Jamie Kelso has 12.

We're ranked #3 in the first Mid Major poll of the year, but we might fall off a bit after today.
Record: 3-1.


November 20, 2019
Lafayette 88, @Virginia 76
Autumn in Charlottesville is beautiful, especially when you pick up a W while you're there.

The Cavaliers aren't nearly as good in this universe as you might think. The game begins in 2011, before the "real" Hoos' recent run of success. This edition of UVA basketball has never made the postseason, and their prestige (57) is the lowest in the ACC. If I had conference movement turned on, UVA would almost certainly have been relegated to a lower level. Still, beating a decent team on the road isn't a small feat.

Tim Hutchinson's outstanding season continues, as he posts 20 points, 7 assists, and 5 rebounds in an assertive all-round performance. Daniel Warnock's scoring touch seems to be returning: he finishes with 15. More foul trouble for Todd DeHaven means more playing time for Matt Robles, and the first year takes full advantage: 17 points and 5 rebounds in 22 minutes.
Record: 4-1.


November 23, 2019
@Lafayette 67, William & Mary 55
The new Final Four banner looks wonderful hanging from the Kirby Center rafters, and we continue the celebration with a victory over the Tribe in our home opener.

Balanced scoring--five in double digits, led by Tim Hutchinson's 18--and solid defense--the Tribe shoots 37.5% and makes only 6 of 27 three-pointers--are the winning ingredients tonight.
Record: 5-1.


November 26, 2019
@Lafayette 69, Canisius 68
Not a good night for Lafayette basketball. We win the game--barely--but we lose point guard Jamie Kelso for the next two months.

It takes a put-back dunk by Tim Hutchinson to put away the pesky, delightfully named Golden Griffins, who roar to a 49-38 halftime lead. Kelso goes down early, planting his foot awkwardly on a drive to the basket and breaking it.

Daniel Warnock leads the Leopards with 16 points. Todd DeHaven enjoys a 13/10 double-double, and Jack Senn adds 10 points with 6 assists.

Freshman Ben Miele will replace Kelso in the lineup.
Record: 6-1.


November 28, 2019
Lafayette 91, @#18 Ohio State 89
We end the month with an exclamation point, a big road win against a ranked opponent that is good for the ol' RPI.

There aren't any last-second heroics; we have a five-point lead as time dwindled down before OSU hits a long three with four seconds left. All we have to do was inbound the ball and escape Buckeyes with foul intent, and we do.

Tim Hutchinson reaches a career high with 27 points, but he also shatters the team records for field goal attempts and three-point attempts in a single game with 26 and 18 respectively. Matthew Ackerman scores a much more efficient 20 (3-3 from long range; 6-7 overall, 5-6 from the line). And it's another double-double night for Todd DeHaven, with 14 points and 14 caroms.

Ben Miele is a bit shaky in his first start (7 points, 2 assist, 4 turnovers), but I won't judge him too harshly. He has a tough assignment in All-Big Ten PG Sydney Whitfield.
Record: 7-1.

December 1, 2019

We go 1-for-2 in recruiting this time around, as Thomas Lucy commits to our program today!

Thomas is our first Mr. Basketball, earning that honor in his home state of Delaware. He's also our first Top 100 recruit. If we're scouting him accurately, he'll arrive as at least an Orange player with Blue potential.

Jerry Sly chooses Hofstra instead. And, as we expected, Marlon Smith signs with Lehigh, and David Maxson with Rutgers. All of the players we've recruited this season have picked the offer from the school they had highest on their Top Five.

Based on those results, the smart play for us would be to offer a scholarship to Carlton McFadden.


Carlton is one of the players I invited to campus back in September. He seems to like what he saw on his visit. Carlton is a local lad, and he'd be far from a consolation prize. He's shot well at the prep level, and it looks like he's got the skills to keep scoring as a collegian.

I offer Carlton a scholarship, and Coaches Sims and Woods will be traveling down to the Main Line to visit him and his family this month.

December 1, 2019
@#18 Vanderbilt 77, Lafayette 75
We have a chance to beat the defending national champions on their home court, and Matthew Ackerman's last-second three doesn't miss by much. At some point I'll probably stop calling outcomes like this one "good losses," but that time hasn't come yet.

If we keep scoring at this pace (77.8 per game), we'll set a new Lafayette record. We've also never allowed this many points per game (69.8), but we've played several top teams already. I'd be surprised if our conference opponents hang 70 per night on us.

Todd DeHaven pushes their center, young Brett Oliveira, around, outrebounding him 12-4 and outscoring him 22-0. Brett can, however, soothe his feelings by admiring his national championship ring.

Daniel Warnock (15 points, 7 rebounds) is slowly recovering his usual form, and Tim Hutchinson (16 pts/6 reb/6 ast) is playing the best basketball of his career. Ben Miele looks much more comfortable, too; he finishes with 5 points, 4 assists, 3 turnovers...and 7 rebounds, quite a feat for a 5'11", 163-pound guard.
Record: 7-2.


December 4, 2019
Lafayette 79, @Hartford 57
We don't have much trouble with the struggling Hawks. They suffer another tough break when their talented senior point guard, James Longmire, leaves the game with a ruptured disc that will force him to take a medical redshirt. Playing without their talisman, the Hawks respond with a barrage of poorly aimed three-pointers, shooting 5-for-27 from distance.

Tim Hutchinson scores 21 for us, Todd DeHaven 16 more. Jack Senn has 8 rebounds and 5 assists, Ben Miele 5 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists.
Record: 8-2.


December 8, 2019
@Lafayette 72, Dartmouth 64
Winless Dartmouth show gumption in coming back from a 37-22 halftime deficit to make the scoreline much more flattering.

Tonight's scoring star is senior Jack Senn, who establishes a new career high with an even 20 points. He's averaging 10.2 per game, which is actually more than Daniel Warnock is producing. DW is taking only 7.2 shots per game, his lowest figure since his freshman year, and he's making only 43 percent of those.

Todd DeHaven (8 points, 13 rebounds) and Ben Miele (9 points, 4 assists, 1 turnover) also play well for us.
Record: 9-2.


December 12, 2019
Lafayette 77, @Boston University 64
The Terriers have absolutely no answer for Todd DeHaven. The 6'10" junior center scores 24 points and snags a career-high 17 rebounds, tied with Clark Nolan '13 for second-most in "universal" history behind DeWitt Leiva '12's 22.

Daniel Warnock gets the "shoot more, please" memo and finishes with a much more Warnockish 15 points. Tim Hutchinson can't get a three to drop, going 0-9 from distance, but manages to score 11 points in other ways.

We shoot 24-26 from the line, which is probably a team record of some sort.
Record: 9-2.


December 15, 2019
It's difficult to believe there are really 14 mid major teams better than we are, but that's what this week's poll numbers would indicate. East Tennessee State, the team who beat us in the Coaches Invitational final, is 11-1, and they're ranked #9 overall. They're really good. I'm not as convinced about Montana or Mississippi Valley State.


December 20, 2019
@Lafayette 54, Fairleigh Dickinson 45
We get the better of this symmetrical score, the product of lousy shooting by both teams.

Todd DeHaven capitalizes on all those missed shots by rebounding 15 of them, giving him 32 in his last two games. Tim Hutchinson scores 14 points, and Matthew Ackerman pitches in 11 off the bench. Jack Senn complements his 9 points with 3 steals.
Record: 10-2.


December 24, 2019
Lafayette 78, @Syracuse 72
We climb to #8 in the Mid Major rankings prior to our Christmas Eve clash with the Orange, and we give ourselves an early Christmas gift with a satisfying victory. This isn't a great Syracuse team; their RPI is 131, but beating them in the Carrier Dome is still a tough task.

Jack Senn is the Player of the Game, scoring 18 points and grabbing 6 rebounds. Todd DeHaven adds 16 points and 9 boards, and Matthew Ackerman and Ben Miele score 12 and 10 respectively.

It's one of those games when both teams play well. We simply play just a bit better.
Record: 11-2.


December 27, 2019
@#25 Villanova 94, Lafayette 87
After a short holiday break, we return to action and lose a high-scoring game to Villanova. Again, Villanova isn't as good as they have been the last two years, but they prove tonight they're plenty good on their best days.


It's an interesting contest from several perspectives. All 10 starters score at least 10 points. I'm not sure I've seen that in this universe. Our point guard, Ben Miele, plays 32 minutes without recording a single assist--on a night when we make 30 baskets. We commit too many fouls and let them shoot too many free throws, and that's what makes the difference.
Record: 12-3.


December 31, 2019
@Louisville 74, Lafayette 59
We close out the year, and the Twenty-Teens, with another road loss to a Power Five team. This time we don't play well at all.

Daniel Warnock does play well, however. He scores 15 on 6-9 shooting, with 3-for-5 from distance. Todd DeHaven has 11 rebounds, and Tim Hutchinson 10 points.

Despite our loss, our RPI stands at 7, the result of playing such a demanding non-conference schedule to date.
Record: 12-4.

January 1, 2020

Happy 2020, everyone! It's indeed a happy day in Easton, where Carlton McFadden's commitment to play for Lafayette is announced.

There's a lot to like about McFadden's game. I've already mentioned his potential as a scorer. He's an unselfish player who can and will pass the ball. He's a strong 6'7", and he's willing and able to defend bigger players. He's a top 200 player for a reason.

Carlton has some developing to do; he's scouted as a Red/Green player right now. We shouldn't need him to start right away, however, unless Tim Hutchinson decides to try his luck in the pro draft next spring.

A fairly local player--his home town is 47 miles from campus--McFadden should enjoy playing in front of his family. It's good to have you aboard, Carlton.

January 3, 2020
Lafayette 77, @La Salle 65
Finally, a vintage performance from the reigning Patriot League Player of the Year, as the conference season approaches.

Daniel Warnock stung the Explorers with 24 points, hitting 6 of his 8 three-point tries. Tim Hutchinson supported him with 16, and Todd DeHaven fell a point shy of a double-double (10 rebounds, 9 points). Ben Miele was solid, with 11 points and 3 assists.
Record: 13-4.


January 7, 2020

Prestige-wise, the teams of the Patriot League have sorted themselves into two tiers. There's a Big Three--Lafayette, American, and Holy Cross--and The Rest.

Holy Cross beat Arizona on the road and edged a good Rhode Island team, but they also lost to weak St. Francis and Boston University teams. American hung tough with nationally ranked Georgia, but let a mediocre East Carolina team blow them out.

We don't have a soft loss yet; East Tennessee State has turned out to be surprisingly good, and our other setbacks have come to SEC and ACC teams. Meanwhile, we've beaten an ACC opponent and two Big East foes- one of whom is a Pitt squad that hasn't lost to anyone else.

Yeah that's pretty rad run you've had, I certainly don't have the patience to play this game with that kind of patience, so that's pretty cool.

January 8, 2020
Lafayette 84, Bucknell 81
I don't like to see us letting Bucknell score 81 points, but when we do, we better score at least that many. We barely do, and squeak out a win in our Patriot League lid-lifter.

Tim Hutchinson's 25 points lead all scorers. He adds 8 rebounds for good measure. Daniel Warnock scores an economical 14, taking only 8 shots, while grabbing 6 rebounds, blocking a shot, and getting a steal. Ben Miele (11) and Jack Senn (10) score in double figures, and each adds 4 assists.

Winning shootouts against 6-9 Patriot League teams isn't really how Graham Sims teams roll. I wonder what kind of team this year's edition really is?
Record: 14-4 (1-0).


January 11, 2020
@Lafayette 93, American 74
We rout the Eagles with perhaps the best exhibition of shooting I've seen from a Lafayette team.


We make 60.8% of our field goal attempts, and 16 of 18 from the line. You can see how well we found the range from behind the arc.

Todd DeHaven takes young James Zimmer to school. We recruited Zimmer hard, and he's going to be a very good player, but he's not there yet. DeHaven is.

Look how close Tim Hutchinson came to recording our first triple double!

Interesting coincidence: American has a new coach this year: longtime assistant Jose Black, in his first head coaching position. Black replaces Jimmy Reynolds, with whom Graham enjoyed a spirited rivalry for the past few years. Reynolds left for a new opportunity at Northern Iowa...the team Lafayette routed in the first round of the Coaches Invitational this year.
Record: 15-4 (2-0).


January 15, 2020
Lafayette 62, @Colgate 60
I seem to remember several tight, low-scoring matchups against Colgate. We win this one on a buzzer-beating floater by Todd DeHaven that caps off an 18-point, 13-rebound performance.

Tim Hutchinson enjoys a double double, too--11 points, 10 rebounds--and with one more rebound, Daniel Warnock (13 and 9) would have joined them. Jack Senn (10 and 6) is almost as productive.
Record: 16-4 (3-0).


January 18, 2020
Lafayette 81, @Lehigh 60
Jamie Kelso is upgraded to Day-to-Day, with 88% of his health restored. If this were a must-win game, I'd suit Jamie up, but it's January and we don't need to take chances with him. He won't play until he's completely healthy.

Without him, we hold a second straight opponent to exactly 60 points. That's a good recipe for victory.

Tim Hutchinson's 22 points lead us, with 18 from Todd DeHaven and 13 from Jack Senn. Ben Miele dishes out a career-high 6 assists, and his fellow frosh Matt Robles plays well off the bench with 9 points and 3 rebounds.
Record: 17-4 (4-0).


January 25, 2020
@Lafayette 74, Navy 57
The last three games have featured the level of defensive play we've come to expect from Graham Sims's teams. It's rare for Lafayette to allow an opponent, especially a Patriot League opponent, to make 40 percent of its shots. We hold Navy below that mark, which feels much more like Lafayette basketball.

Four players score in double figures: Jack Senn (17), Daniel Warnock (16), Todd DeHaven (13), and Tim Hutchinson (12). DeHaven collects his 9th double double of the year; the current Division I pacesetter in that category has 11. Hutchinson also adds 4 steals.

Jamie Kelso returns to limited action, and scores 6 points in 7 minutes.

We have a two-game lead in the conference standings, as the other seven teams are delighting in roughing each other up on an alternating basis.
Record: 18-4 (5-0).


January 29, 2020
@Lafayette 69, Holy Cross 59
Robert Wiley, whom we would have liked to sign coming out of high school, is enjoying an excellent senior season. He recently scored his 1000th career point, and he reminds us why we thought he was going to be good tonight; he scores 19, but we do a good enough job guarding his teammates to win comfortably.

It's 10 double doubles for Todd DeHaven now, as he records 13 points and 12 boards. He's now averaging a double double, which no Lafayette player has managed to do. Daniel Warnock follows suit with 16 points and 11 rebounds. Tim Hutchinson and Matt Robles add 10 each.

We're back up to #5 in the Mid Major poll, which seems like a more accurate assessment of how good we are. Alabama-Birmingham, Gonzaga, Temple, and Memphis are ranked above us.
Record: 19-4 (6-0).


February 1, 2020
@Lafayette 81, Army 70
We complete our sweep of the first half of the Patriot League season tonight, overcoming 23 points from conference scoring leader Chris Buckley.

Tim Hutchinson scores 21 of his own, while Ben Miele contributes 16, featuring 3-for-4 from three point distance. Daniel Warnock enjoys a 10-point, 11-rebound double double, and Todd DeHaven has 12 and 8.

Chris Buckley is closing out a remarkable career. He set a Patriot League record with 43 points in a single game earlier this month. He'll probably score the 2000th point of his career in his next game, and he'll almost certainly break Jack Jessie, Army '15's record for career points. Jessie finished with 2105.
Record: 20-4 (7-0).

Thanks, Young Drachma. It's been a great ride so far. At the end of the season, I'll post some of the career leader boards for coaches. There are some pretty neat things there.

Thanks for following along and commenting. I enjoy engaging in dialogue with anyone who's out there reading the thread.

February 5, 2020
#23 Lafayette 85, American 54
We begin the day ranked #2 in the Mid Major poll, which is our highest ranking ever. Then, we go out and play like we deserve our ranking.

A season-high 25 points from Daniel Warnock sets the tone, and three teammates score between 11 and 13 points: Jack Senn (13), Tim Hutchinson (11), and Jamie Kelso (11). Senn's 4 steals spearheaded another strong defensive effort.

(Today marks Kelso's return to the starting five. When his broken foot healed, I put him back in the depth chart as our sixth man. I meant to promote him a couple games ago, but I forgot...and because both he and Ben Miele were playing well, I forgot again.)
Record: 21-4 (8-0).


February 8, 2020
#23 Lafayette 70, @Bucknell 65
The Bison have scuffled this year; they're 3-6 in conference play, but they've given us two good games. In fact, they take a 35-34 lead to the locker room at halftime, and a big home crowd sends them off the floor with a wave of noise. We didn't take the lead for good until 3:34 remained in the game.

Daniel Warnock plays well again, with 18 points, 6 rebounds, and no turnovers. Matthew Ackerman contributes big-time during the second half and finishes with 12 off the bench. Jack Senn gets 11, Todd DeHaven 10 with 8 rebounds.
Record: 22-4 (9-0).


February 12, 2020
@#20 Lafayette 101, Lehigh 92
Wow. Take a long-standing rivalry, add a big, raucous crowd, throw in some non-stop action, and you have the recipe for a game you don't want to miss.


Full marks to Timothy Pinto, another of the Patriot League's senior stars. He always plays well against us, probably because he plays well against everyone.

Those 14 dimes from Jamie Kelso tie the Patriot League single game record, and break the Lafayette record of 13 Richard Leak '19 set last year.

I'm almost positive the 54 points Todd DeHaven and Tim Hutchinson combine to score are the most scored by two Lafayette players in a game. I'm even more positive no Leopards trio has ever scored as many as the 74 you get when you add Daniel Warnock's 20. I know no Lafayette team has scored as many as 101 in a game (the previous record was an even 100).

The game's most beautiful moment occurred when Daniel Warnock drains a three from the corner. The game is halted so Coach Sims can present Daniel the game ball in recognition of his 2000th career point. Earlier in the season, DW passed Joe Lien and Hubert Song '16 to become Lafayette's all-time scoring leader.
Record: 23-4 (10-0).


February 15, 2020
@#20 Lafayette 69, Colgate 62
We clinch our seventh consecutive Patriot League championship, and it's especially rewarding because we do it on Senior Night.

Senior Jack Senn celebrates the event with 19 points, 7 rebounds, and and 2 steals. Classmate Daniel Warnock focuses on rebounding, grabbing 11. The third senior's name has never been mentioned in our story. Scott Cavanaugh is a walk-on forward who has played for us for four seasons. He plays 30 minutes tonight, almost doubling his career total to date. He fouls out, but not before he scores 6 points (2-for-3 from distance) and snags 5 rebounds.

Todd DeHaven's 22-point, 11-rebound double double is almost a footnote, but that's OK. Tonight the spotlight belongs to the men of the Class of 2020.
Record: 24-4 (11-0).


February 22, 2020
#20 Lafayette 66, @Navy 55
I suppose it's easy to understand why our performance seems a bit "blah," after the emotion of our last game.

Jamie Kelso's 17 points and 3 steals are a high point, and Tim Hutchinson and Todd DeHaven add 14.
Record: 25-4 (12-0).


February 26, 2020
#15 Lafayette 89, @Holy Cross 86
We nearly let this one slip away. Leading 49-34 at the end of the first half, we allow the Crusaders to battle back and send the game into overtime. A three from Daniel Warnock with just over a minute left proves to be the winning basket.

Tim Hutchinson (23 points, 10 rebounds, 7 assists) is our leading scorer, but Todd DeHaven (15 points, 11 rebounds) is named Player of the Game.
Record: 26-4 (13-0).


February 29, 2020
#15 Lafayette 69, @Army 53
We complete a perfect Patriot League season with a victory over the Black Knights of the Hudson. The 14-0 run is the second of Graham Sims' career, the other coming in 2015/16.

Daniel Warnock scores 24 for the Leopards, and he's backed up by a 13-point, 11-rebound performance by Todd DeHaven and a 14-point effort from Tim Hutchinson, who shoots a forgettable 5-for-20 (!) from the field and 2-for-14 (!!) from three.

Army's Chris Buckley scores 17 points in his final regular season game. He's passed Jack Jessie to become the Patriot League's all-time top scorer.
Record: 27-4 (14-0).


The top of the Patriot League table is arranged by prestige. Off to the tournament we go!

March 4, 2020
Patriot League Tournament, First Round
(1) #13 Lafayette 77, Lehigh 59
Balance is a good thing, and that's the key to our victory over Lehigh, our third of the season.

Tim Hutchinson (17 points), Todd DeHaven (17 points, 10 boards), and Jack Senn (16 points), with help from Daniel Warnock (12 points) provide more scoring options than the Mountain Hawks can handle. Hutch adds 4 rebounds, 4 steals, and 3 assists.

Lehigh's Timothy Pinto scores 18 in the final game of his collegiate career. He's been a worthy foe.

Before the game, we learn we are finally ranked #1 in the Mid Major Poll.


Here's how the first day of the tournament played out:

So we'll play Colgate next, and it's a delightful Army-Navy contest on the other side of the bracket, as the service academies each pull off an upset.
Record: 28-4.


March 8, 2020
Patriot League Tournament Semifinal
(1) #13 Lafayette 100, (4) Colgate 72
Here's our side of the scoresheet, which tells the story just as clearly as words would do.

Once again, lots of players pitch in in lots of ways. Our guards combine for 16 rebounds. Twenty-six of our 32 baskets are assisted, and we commit only 8 turnovers. Good stuff.

Army beats Navy, so we get to see Chris Buckley one more time.
Record: 29-4.

March 12, 2020
Patriot League Championship Game
(1) #12 Lafayette 78, (6) Army 46


This game features a pair of seniors who have combined to score 4322 points in their collegiate careers. Chris Buckley and Daniel Warnock are #1 and #3 on the all-time Patriot League leader board. Chris ends his career with 2232 points, while Daniel will enter NCAA tournament play with a total of 2090. The two men shared some private words and embraced warmly at the end of the game.

Warnock will probably continue his basketball career in Europe. Soon-to-be 2LT Buckley will join the Long Gray Line as a member of the Adjutant General Corps.
Record: 30-4.

March 15, 2020
Today we learn we're the #6 seed in the East Region. We're #11 in the latest poll, but we're #18 on the RPI list.

Our first round opponent will be #11 seed Nevada, who went 20-12 and were upset early in the WAC tournament.


March 19, 2020
NCAA East Region, First Round
(11) Nevada 77, (6) #11 Lafayette 69
And just like that, we're done.

The Wolf Pack are a very good defensive team. In fact, they resemble the Lafayette teams of the last several seasons more than this year's Leopards do. They limit us to 32.8% shooting and force 14 turnovers. They earn their victory.

Todd DeHaven finishes with 17 points and 14 rebounds. It's his 16th double double of the year, second only to Werner Schneidel of Missouri, who has 19. Tim Hutchinson scores 15, and Jamie Kelso contributes 8 assists and 8 rebounds.

Daniel Warnock scores 11 points in his final collegiate game. He finishes his career with 2101 points, easily the most in Lafayette history.
Record: 30-5.

April 6, 2020

This year's Final Four is the Southeastern Conference's private party. Vanderbilt, who entered the tournament as an 8 seed, beat top-seeded Kentucky, 71-52, in one semifinal. In the other, 1 seed Mississippi State held serve against Tennessee, 68-60.

There hasn't been a team outside the SEC in the championship game since 2017, when Boston College beat Texas. The one constant is Vanderbilt, who has made the final three years running. This year's final is a rematch of the 2018 contest, and once again, Mississippi State comes out victorious. This year it's not close; the Bulldogs romp to a 81-51 victory.

April 6, 2020

The Patriot League seasonal awards are announced today, too.


Todd DeHaven accepts the crown from two-time Player of the Year Daniel Warnock. He is a deserving choice, and while it would have been cool to see DW win three POYs in a row, Todd had the better season.

Chris Buckley is the only non-Leopard in the first team. Joseph Alexander was a better player this year than our Jamie Kelso, but Alexander is denied because he and Buckley are both listed at SG.

Jack Senn led the conference in assists with 3.2/game. I didn't see that coming, did you?

It's good to see Matt Robles and Ben Miele on the All-Freshman Team.

And it's rewarding to watch Graham Sims win his fourth COY award, too.

And then came the email I was hoping I wouldn't receive...

C Todd DeHaven has decided to forgo his remaining college eligibility in order to enter the draft...

Honestly, this moment came closer with each passing double double.

April 6, 2020


This year's successes were based more on offensive excellence than defensive solidity. Our team shooting percentages were outstanding, while our defensive metrics were only good. The margins still look like those of a top team, however.

For the second consecutive season, we didn't lose a home game.




I've highlighted some of the leading statistical performances of the season.

Next...the Senior Tributes.

2019/20 Senior Tribute

SCOTT CAVANAUGH

A walk-on from Louisiana, Scott remained with the program for four years, unlike other non-scholarship players who became unsatisfied with limited playing time and moved on.


Scott liked to shoot three-pointers, and he was good at it. Three of his four made baskets came from behind the arc. In practice, he gave his teammates the opportunity to defend against a long-range marksman, which undoubtedly contributed to Lafayette's typical success against outside shooters.

An avid outdoorsman, Scott will graduate in May and will return to his native Louisiana, where he plans to become a licensed fishing guide with an eye toward opening his own business.

Thanks for the memories, Scott.

2019/20 Senior Tribute

JACK SENN

This former All-State player from New Jersey patiently waited his turn to shine, proving his value as the first guard off Graham Sims' bench for three seasons before asserting himself as a starter as a senior.


Jack arrived on campus with a reputation as a sharpshooter and, while he struggled a bit with his adjustment to college ball, he improved throughout his career. By his senior season, he was regarded as one of the best shooters on the East Coast, especially from three-point range.

He was far from a one-trick pony, however. Discovering he was realistically the fourth offensive option for his team, Jack made outstanding use of his playmaking skills and led the Patriot League in assists as a senior.

Jack ends his career in ninth place on our all-time scoring list, he's fifth in both assists and steals, and sixth in three-pointers made and attempted.

An aspiring physician, he'll spend next year preparing for and taking his MCAT exam.

Thanks for the memories, Jack.

2019/20 Senior Tribute

TODD DeHAVEN

I wonder if I jinxed us when I was recruiting this big man from Philadelphia. I said of him, "DeHaven might not turn out to be a four-year starter for us." He won't earn that distinction, but not because he wasn't good enough. He began proving that the minute he stepped on the court for the first time.


Todd's Lafayette career started with a redshirt season that, in retrospect, I wish I hadn't given him. His 2016/17 season was marred by injuries, but he played very well when he was able to take the floor.

Over the course of the next two years, Todd established himself as the most dominant post player in the Patriot League. An especially ferocious rebounder, he broke the school record for rebounds in a season in 2018/19 and then again this year. In both seasons, he was the conference's top rebounder. With one more year, he would have surely set a new Lafayette career record in this category.

A first team All-Conference selection for the last two years, he won the Patriot League Player of the Year award this season.

Because he redshirted, Todd will receive his degree in Philosophy in May. He'll then wait for Draft Night, when he'll discover if his dreams of playing professional basketball will come true.

Thanks for the memories, Todd.

2019/20 Senior Tribute

DANIEL WARNOCK

Daniel arrived on campus amid high expectations, coming in as our highest-ever rated recruit. He departs having lived up to those expectations, and then some.


No player we've seen so far has a list of accomplishments to rival DW's. Like his classmate Jack Senn, he never missed a game, and he always showed up ready to play.

Daniel's game evolved in interesting ways during his time at Lafayette. He flashed enough game as a first year to win the league's Freshman of the Year award, scoring productively and playing good defense.

During Daniel's middle two seasons, he was The Man; our primary scoring option, he frustrated opponents with his ability to score at the rim and from long range. Daniel was deservedly named Patriot League Player of the Year in 2017/18 and 2018/19; he joins James Sanders '16 as Lafayette players who have won the award more than once.

This season, we asked Daniel to evolve yet again. On a team filled with scorers, DW played less of a starring role on offense. He shot less often, but more accurately, and he developed new ways to affect a game. He became a more tenacious rebounder and continued to lock down his man on defense. He didn't win his third conference POY, but he was a deserving first team All-Patriot League choice on a team that won 30 games.

Teams for which Daniel played compiled a record of 123-21, won four Patriot League championships, and went to a Final Four. He graduates as our all-time leading scorer with 2,101 points, and holds high positions on several other leader boards.

Daniel has signed a contract with ratiopharm Ulm, who plays in Germany's Basketball Bundesliga. He'll graduate with a degree in economics and might pursue a career as a sports agent once he's no longer playing ball.

Thanks for the memories, Daniel.

May 1, 2020

The first year players who are joining the teams of the Patriot League this coming season are the most distinguished group the conference has ever seen. There are years when no team in the conference lands a Top 100 recruiting class. This time, five of the eight teams do that well, or better.


Thomas Lucy is the highest-ranked player in the class, and I think he's the first Top 100 recruit a Patriot League player has signed. Marlon Smith looks like he'll be the real deal, too.

The player poised to make the most immediate impact is juco signee Claude Pilkington of Colgate, who arrives as a polished Green/Green player.

Todd DeHaven was chosen with the 48th pick in the pro draft. Another Patriot League player, center Robert Wiley of Holy Cross, was the 60th, and final, selection.

May 1, 2020

Vanderbilt coach Joshua Moll retires at age 73. An offer from Vanderbilt would definitely have tempted me, but the Commodores prise Stephen Ruvalcaba away from Oregon instead. Ruvalcaba is a superb X-and-O coach and a fabulous scout, but he couldn't persuade a starving man to enter a grocery. Still, Vanderbilt simply isn't going to look at a Level 8 coach like Graham when guys like Level 11 Ruvalcaba are available.

All eight Patriot League head coaches will return for another year on the job. Graham's staff will be unchanged, too.

July 1, 2020

Here are your defending Patriot League champion Lafayette Leopards...


Goodness, there aren't any big dudes on this year's team. I'm used to seeing a couple of 6'10"-plus, 260-pound units on the roster. Will Coach Sims play small ball this season?

August 1, 2020

Because none of the players in the transfer portal appealed to us, we now have three scholarships available. Point guard Jamie Kelso and wing Tim Hutchinson are seniors this year, and we also have Todd DeHaven's scholly available.

There are only four true bigs in our program now, and they're all sophomores. I am definitely looking to bring a post player in with this year's class. Otherwise, I can look around for a player who's a good fit, without much regard for the position he plays.

Our prestige has risen to 72, and our facilities score is up to 55. I'm guessing that the money that's been spent on our facilities is the reason why our budget has been cut. I seem to remember us having over $400,000 to spend, and now we're at $370,500. Our first-rate assistant coaches are well-paid, so we're left with just over 10 grand to spend each month on recruiting.

We spend July evaluating players. Who do we see that we like?

The most intriguing big man is Kurt Richie, an all-state player from New Jersey.


He's slow and doesn't appear to offer too much offensively, but I like his rebounding and defense very much. We'll need to leap over four other programs to sign him. Perhaps a scholarship offer and a robust recruiting effort will do it.

Kory Edmondson's numbers and ratings don't leap off the page at you, but he looks like he can do several things fairly well. Again, I like his commitment to playing defense.


Our "reach guy" will be Byron Shores, Mr. Basketball from the state of Maine.


His scoring potential is off the charts. Joe Lien's shooting potentials were A-B-C-B. We think this young man is significantly better than that. Byron shows no real interest in playing defense, but those are god-tier offensive possibilities.

I make my move now and offer Shores a scholarship. If Boston College also offers this month, we could be in trouble, but I won't go down without a fight.

Our reduced budget means I can't max out recruiting on all three players. I decide to invite all of them to campus. Coach Sims will visit Richie and Shores, while Coach Woods will pay a call on Edmondson.

September 1, 2020

Our "stretch guy" is now looking like our most likely signee!

Byron Shores enjoys his visit to campus very much. Boston College don't offer him a scholarship, so we're the only offer he has in hand right now. We're now first on Byron's list, and he's expressing Very High interest in playing for us.

Our efforts with Kurt Ritchie pay off, too. He doesn't have any other offers right now, and he's moved us to the top of his Top Schools list.

Now Kory Edmondson looks like the long shot. We're the least attractive of the four offers he holds, and I've learned we never manage to sign guys who rate that many programs ahead of us. It looks like he might end up at Princeton. I withdraw our offer and take a look at the rest of our list.

Brendan Meehan looks like he might be a good fit for our system.


Brendan looks like could develop into a solid inside scorer, and he does other big man things fairly well. We'll have to lure him away from Lehigh, but I feel like taking a chance on this one. I offer Brendan a scholarship and invite him to visit our campus. Coaches Sims and Woods will visit Shores and Ritchie this month.

October 1, 2020

Neither Byron Shores nor Kurt Ritchie make their decision this month. Hopefully one more month of attention from us will be enough to secure their commitments.

Brendan Meehan still prefers his offer from Lehigh. He also indicate he'd choose Drexel over us, if they were to offer him. I think it's time to look elsewhere.

Jeffrey Hampton is an All-State center from Wausau, WI. He looks like he could fill the "post scorer" role even more effectively than Meehan.


We make Hampton an offer, and send both recruiters out to visit him. That means we don't have enough cash to send Coach Sims to visit Ritchie this month. That budget decrease is hurting us right now.

November 1, 2020

Two delightful pieces of news arrive in my inbox today! Byron Shores and Kurt Ritchie announce their decisions, and both of them choose Lafayette.

Neither of them are Top 200 players, but they look like players who can fill specific roles in our system. Ritchie could develop into a defend-and-rebound big man, Samuel Davis without the elite shot-blocking tool. Shores projects as an electrifying three-level scorer.

Jeffrey Hampton also received an offer from Northern Iowa, but he says we're his first choice. This month we can bring him to campus, and Coaches Sims and Woods will travel out to visit him again.

November 10, 2020

How did we do in training camp?


After taking a look at the training outcomes, I've decided to try playing some small ball at Lafayette this year.

The only true big man in the projected starting lineup is sophomore Matt Robles. He showed some potential as a scorer, and he is a willing rebounder and shot blocker.

Three of the starters are natural wing players. One of them, of course, is Tim Hutchinson, a two-time All-Conference selection. Tim is the one proven scorer in the Lafayette lineup; he's averaged at least 14 PPG in each of his first three years.

Junior Matthew Ackerman has patiently waited his turn to shine. Our English sharpshooter took a big step forward last season, significantly improving all his shooting percentages. Matthew has also turned into a resolute perimeter defender.

The third wing will be freshman Thomas Lucy. He's as good as we thought he'd be, with an offensive game that is very polished for a first year player.

Our second returning starter, Jamie Kelso, will run the point. Jamie worked hard in camp and came away as an even more dynamic ballhandler and passer. He'll be backed up by sophomore Ben Miele, who deputized for Kelso very well when the latter broke his foot last season.

Asdrubal Cruz is eligible this year after sitting out a season, following his transfer from Savannah State. If the small lineup gets punished too badly by teams who focus their attack on inside play, I can call on Asdrubal, who is a very good post defender. Sophomore Jonathan Baldwin has an even better reputation as a defensive player, with a little less offensive talent.

Rob Prendergast provides lockdown defense on the perimeter; we could use his talents, because Lucy is likely to contribute nothing but steals on the defensive end of the floor.

The remainder of the roster will pick up minutes here and there, unless they distinguish themselves in some way when they get onto the floor.

The "small ball" experiment is definitely something new for our program; we've fielded a traditional, two bigs/two wings/point guard lineup throughout Graham's career. So many of the best players on this year's team are perimeter players, though: Hutchinson and Kelso are Green/Green; Ackerman, Miele, and Lucy are Green/Blue. Robles is Yellow/Green, but all the other big guys are Red players now.

We'll see how it works out very soon.