Front Office Football Central - View Single Post - Coach Graham Sims: A Pennsylvania Story (FBCB)

MoonlightGraham · 04-16-2023, 02:09 PM

February 1, 2017
Here are the Patriot League standings at the halfway pole:

HTML Code:

2016 Patriot League Standings

 TEAM           CW  CL   Pct   W   L   Pct  RPI  Prestige
----------------------------------------------------------
 Lafayette       6   1  .857  19   4  .826   55        50
 American        5   2  .714  13   9  .591   64        42
 Lehigh          4   3  .571   9  13  .409  203        23
 Holy Cross      4   3  .571  13   9  .591   77        43
 Navy            3   4  .429  10  11  .476  276        25
 Army            2   5  .286   8  14  .364  280        19
 Colgate         2   5  .286   8  14  .364  234        28
 Bucknell        2   5  .286   6  15  .286  278        34

Lehigh has bounced back from a rough start, playing well enough to find themselves in the top half of the conference table. Colgate, on the other hand, has not coped well with the loss of coach Brian Smith, who led them to a 25-8 record and a trip to the Big Dance. Smith, you might remember, is now at Holy Cross...a twist of fate that has turned the Red Raiders and Crusaders into bitter rivals.

February 4, 2017
Lafayette 71, Colgate 60
Speaking of Colgate, we travel up to New York and hand the home team another Patriot League loss.

Our usual high scorers all reach double figures again: Good Alvaro (11), Joe Lien (14), and Daniel Warnock (16). The real story, however, comes from Samuel Davis. He ties the Patriot League record with 8 blocked shots, matching the performance of Navy's Gerald Bechtel on March 5, 2014.

The Leopards' victory gives Graham Sims his fifth straight season of at least 20 wins.
Record: 20-4 (7-1).

February 8, 2017
Lehigh 55, Lafayette 44
At halftime, we hold a commanding 35-19 lead, and another victory looks like it's in the bag. We score only NINE POINTS the rest of the way and suffer the most frustrating defeat of Graham Sims's career.

The only real highlights are another 6 blocks from Big Sazzy and 10 rebounds from his fellow frontcourt dog, Otis Hall.

The Bubble Watch says we're in the tournament field, but that might change after this result.
Record: 20-5 (7-2).

February 11, 2017
Lafayette 73, American 39
We take out our frustrations on an Eagles team that has struggled mightily of late. They've lost 4 of their last 5 games, and they're out of this one within minutes. That will happen when you make only 26 percent of your shots.

Joe Lien, the league's leading scorer, finishes with 19. Daniel Warnock adds to his case for Freshman of the Year with another 16 points. Samuel Davis turns away 4 shots. Otis Hall contributes 10 points and 11 rebounds. Johnathan Blouin relieves Davis and is even more fearsome, getting 3 blocks in 13 minutes.

I realized I'd accidentally buried freshman big man James Standard on the depth chart, and made him unhappy. I fix this oversight in time to get James on the floor tonight, and he rewards me with two rebounds in three minutes.
Record: 21-5 (8-2).

February 12, 2017
We're ranked #6 in the Mid Major poll this week. I'd stopped writing separate notes about each poll, but this week, I notice something fun. We receive 9 points in the national poll...the same number as Duke.

The Blue Devils have an interesting history in this universe. They've only made it as far as the Sweet Sixteen once, in 2012/13. The next two seasons ended with losses in the first round of the tournament, and they failed to make it past Round 2 of the NIT in 2015/16.

Their coach, Louie Smith, is an absymal recruiter (14). Assistant Paul Lowder (100) can charm peaches from a pine tree, but if I understand how the game's mechanics work, Paul can only make Duke's overall recruiting score rise as high as 57. No wonder the Blue Devils have never had the ACC's best recruiting class, and were the worst in this category last season.

I know there's much more to landing recruits than the coaches' scores, but on that measure, we have the Blue Devils beat. Graham Sims (77) and Steven Manion (60) combine for a score of 68.5.

February 15, 2017
Lafayette 64, Holy Cross 59
This matchup of the two top teams in the Patriot League ends with us holding a two-game lead in the standings. We don't shoot well (37.7% from the floor), but we avoid other kinds of mistakes and do enough to win.

22 points and 5 rebounds earn Joe Lien the Player of the Game nod. Good Alvaro adds an efficient 14 points, Otis Hall pitches in 10, and Daniel Warnock falls one rebound short of a double double (10/9).

Both teams attempt 53 field goals and make 20. We make one more three-pointer and 4 more free throws, and those things make the difference.
Record: 22-5 (9-2).

February 18, 2017
Lafayette 72, Army 44
Today is a festive day at the Kirby Center.

It's Senior Day, and point guard Armando Brown starts the game and plays so well that he gets much, much more than the obligatory few minutes of court time. Armando plays 29 minutes and delivers a 16-point, 5-assist, 4-rebound performance. When he leaves the game with 44 seconds remaining, he receives a standing ovation and a series of warm embraces from his teammates. Armando is a deserving choice for Player of the Game.

I wonder, somewhat poignantly, if Armando could have done this every night if I'd given him the chance?

His fellow senior, Alvaro Kinard, scores 11 points. Joe Lien leads all scorers with 19 points, and Otis Hall grabs 11 rebounds.

Our victory clinches Graham Sims' fourth straight Patriot League championship. Holy Cross is two games behind us, and we've beaten the Crusaders twice this season.
Record: 23-5 (10-2).

February 22, 2017
Lafayette 75, Navy 68
53 points from Joe Lien (29) and Alvaro Kinard (24) are enough to dispatch a feisty Navy team. That's a career high for Good Alvaro.

Armando Brown gets another start, and he plays fairly well--5 assists with only 1 turnover--but we don't play with our usual efficiency. Daniel Warnock doesn't adapt well to coming off the bench. We'll return to our usual starting lineup for our final conference game.
Record: 24-5 (11-2).

February 25, 2017
Lafayette 77, Bucknell 52
We close out the regular season with an easy victory out in Lewisburg.

Joe Lien (21 points) and Alvaro Kinard (15) are our leading scorers. Daniel Warnock adds 12 in his return to the starting five. Armando Brown gives us 27 effective minutes as our sixth man, Johnathan Blouin pitches in 6 points and 5 rebounds in 20 minutes, and Justin Judkins gives us a jolt of offense with 9 points in as many minutes. This eight-man rotation might be very effective in tournament play.
Record: 25-5 (12-2).

HTML Code:

2016 Patriot League Standings

 TEAM           CW  CL   Pct   W   L   Pct  RPI  Prestige
----------------------------------------------------------
 Lafayette      12   2  .857  25   5  .833   29        50
 Lehigh          8   6  .571  13  16  .448  196        23
 Holy Cross      8   6  .571  18  12  .600  105        43
 Navy            7   7  .500  14  15  .483  242        25
 American        7   7  .500  16  14  .533  112        42
 Colgate         6   8  .429  12  17  .414  201        28
 Bucknell        5   9  .357  10  19  .345  275        34
 Army            3  11  .214   9  20  .310  294        19

Graham's teams have a 50-6 record in Patriot League play over the past four seasons.

04-16-2023, 02:09 PM	#160
MoonlightGraham High School Varsity Join Date: Sep 2022	February 1, 2017 Here are the Patriot League standings at the halfway pole: HTML Code: 2016 Patriot League Standings TEAM CW CL Pct W L Pct RPI Prestige ---------------------------------------------------------- Lafayette 6 1 .857 19 4 .826 55 50 American 5 2 .714 13 9 .591 64 42 Lehigh 4 3 .571 9 13 .409 203 23 Holy Cross 4 3 .571 13 9 .591 77 43 Navy 3 4 .429 10 11 .476 276 25 Army 2 5 .286 8 14 .364 280 19 Colgate 2 5 .286 8 14 .364 234 28 Bucknell 2 5 .286 6 15 .286 278 34 Lehigh has bounced back from a rough start, playing well enough to find themselves in the top half of the conference table. Colgate, on the other hand, has not coped well with the loss of coach Brian Smith, who led them to a 25-8 record and a trip to the Big Dance. Smith, you might remember, is now at Holy Cross...a twist of fate that has turned the Red Raiders and Crusaders into bitter rivals. February 4, 2017 Lafayette 71, Colgate 60 Speaking of Colgate, we travel up to New York and hand the home team another Patriot League loss. Our usual high scorers all reach double figures again: Good Alvaro (11), Joe Lien (14), and Daniel Warnock (16). The real story, however, comes from Samuel Davis. He ties the Patriot League record with 8 blocked shots, matching the performance of Navy's Gerald Bechtel on March 5, 2014. The Leopards' victory gives Graham Sims his fifth straight season of at least 20 wins. Record: 20-4 (7-1). February 8, 2017 Lehigh 55, Lafayette 44 At halftime, we hold a commanding 35-19 lead, and another victory looks like it's in the bag. We score only NINE POINTS the rest of the way and suffer the most frustrating defeat of Graham Sims's career. The only real highlights are another 6 blocks from Big Sazzy and 10 rebounds from his fellow frontcourt dog, Otis Hall. The Bubble Watch says we're in the tournament field, but that might change after this result. Record: 20-5 (7-2). February 11, 2017 Lafayette 73, American 39 We take out our frustrations on an Eagles team that has struggled mightily of late. They've lost 4 of their last 5 games, and they're out of this one within minutes. That will happen when you make only 26 percent of your shots. Joe Lien, the league's leading scorer, finishes with 19. Daniel Warnock adds to his case for Freshman of the Year with another 16 points. Samuel Davis turns away 4 shots. Otis Hall contributes 10 points and 11 rebounds. Johnathan Blouin relieves Davis and is even more fearsome, getting 3 blocks in 13 minutes. I realized I'd accidentally buried freshman big man James Standard on the depth chart, and made him unhappy. I fix this oversight in time to get James on the floor tonight, and he rewards me with two rebounds in three minutes. Record: 21-5 (8-2). February 12, 2017 We're ranked #6 in the Mid Major poll this week. I'd stopped writing separate notes about each poll, but this week, I notice something fun. We receive 9 points in the national poll...the same number as Duke. The Blue Devils have an interesting history in this universe. They've only made it as far as the Sweet Sixteen once, in 2012/13. The next two seasons ended with losses in the first round of the tournament, and they failed to make it past Round 2 of the NIT in 2015/16. Their coach, Louie Smith, is an absymal recruiter (14). Assistant Paul Lowder (100) can charm peaches from a pine tree, but if I understand how the game's mechanics work, Paul can only make Duke's overall recruiting score rise as high as 57. No wonder the Blue Devils have never had the ACC's best recruiting class, and were the worst in this category last season. I know there's much more to landing recruits than the coaches' scores, but on that measure, we have the Blue Devils beat. Graham Sims (77) and Steven Manion (60) combine for a score of 68.5. February 15, 2017 Lafayette 64, Holy Cross 59 This matchup of the two top teams in the Patriot League ends with us holding a two-game lead in the standings. We don't shoot well (37.7% from the floor), but we avoid other kinds of mistakes and do enough to win. 22 points and 5 rebounds earn Joe Lien the Player of the Game nod. Good Alvaro adds an efficient 14 points, Otis Hall pitches in 10, and Daniel Warnock falls one rebound short of a double double (10/9). Both teams attempt 53 field goals and make 20. We make one more three-pointer and 4 more free throws, and those things make the difference. Record: 22-5 (9-2). February 18, 2017 Lafayette 72, Army 44 Today is a festive day at the Kirby Center. It's Senior Day, and point guard Armando Brown starts the game and plays so well that he gets much, much more than the obligatory few minutes of court time. Armando plays 29 minutes and delivers a 16-point, 5-assist, 4-rebound performance. When he leaves the game with 44 seconds remaining, he receives a standing ovation and a series of warm embraces from his teammates. Armando is a deserving choice for Player of the Game. I wonder, somewhat poignantly, if Armando could have done this every night if I'd given him the chance? His fellow senior, Alvaro Kinard, scores 11 points. Joe Lien leads all scorers with 19 points, and Otis Hall grabs 11 rebounds. Our victory clinches Graham Sims' fourth straight Patriot League championship. Holy Cross is two games behind us, and we've beaten the Crusaders twice this season. Record: 23-5 (10-2). February 22, 2017 Lafayette 75, Navy 68 53 points from Joe Lien (29) and Alvaro Kinard (24) are enough to dispatch a feisty Navy team. That's a career high for Good Alvaro. Armando Brown gets another start, and he plays fairly well--5 assists with only 1 turnover--but we don't play with our usual efficiency. Daniel Warnock doesn't adapt well to coming off the bench. We'll return to our usual starting lineup for our final conference game. Record: 24-5 (11-2). February 25, 2017 Lafayette 77, Bucknell 52 We close out the regular season with an easy victory out in Lewisburg. Joe Lien (21 points) and Alvaro Kinard (15) are our leading scorers. Daniel Warnock adds 12 in his return to the starting five. Armando Brown gives us 27 effective minutes as our sixth man, Johnathan Blouin pitches in 6 points and 5 rebounds in 20 minutes, and Justin Judkins gives us a jolt of offense with 9 points in as many minutes. This eight-man rotation might be very effective in tournament play. Record: 25-5 (12-2). HTML Code: 2016 Patriot League Standings TEAM CW CL Pct W L Pct RPI Prestige ---------------------------------------------------------- Lafayette 12 2 .857 25 5 .833 29 50 Lehigh 8 6 .571 13 16 .448 196 23 Holy Cross 8 6 .571 18 12 .600 105 43 Navy 7 7 .500 14 15 .483 242 25 American 7 7 .500 16 14 .533 112 42 Colgate 6 8 .429 12 17 .414 201 28 Bucknell 5 9 .357 10 19 .345 275 34 Army 3 11 .214 9 20 .310 294 19 Graham's teams have a 50-6 record in Patriot League play over the past four seasons.