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

MoonlightGraham · 03-20-2023, 11:32 AM

December 2, 2014
St. John's 81, Lafayette 68

Again, we prove for 20-plus minutes that we can hang in there with a Power Five conference team, before their superior depth wears us down. We're tied, 39-39, going into intermission against a 3-1 St John's team. I shorten our bench, and perhaps our guys are gassed in the final minutes, when the Red Storm pulls away.

Two high-scoring freshmen guards go head-to-head, and it's their David Sullivan who wins the battle over our Joe Lien, 31-19. I think Sullivan's total is the most an opponent has ever scored against us. It took him 27 shots to do it, so there's that.

A healthy James Sanders returns to the lineup with 15 points. Venceslás Castillo scores 14, and Hubert Song adds 10. Hubert also dishes out 7 assists. Alvaro Kinard struggles again, finishing with 2 points and 3 rebounds.
Record: 5-2.

December 4, 2014
Lafayette 76, South Carolina State 66
A day's rest at home and we're back on the road again, traveling south to meet the 3-1 Bulldogs. This time we're the bigger team, and we wear down our scrappy hosts after going into intermission down by five.

Joe Lien takes six threes, makes five of them, and leads all scorers with 22. For the season, he's 32-62 from behind the arc; that's 51.6%. James Sanders double-doubles with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Venceslás Castillo comes in with another 14 points, and Hubert Song completes the double figures club with 12.
Record: 6-2.

December 9, 2014
Lafayette 72, Howard 63
Fans who like watching us shoot free throws are in for a treat today. We attempt 40 of them and make 24, and that's the difference in a game that's otherwise not much fun to watch.

Today it's Hubert Song who takes the scoring honors, with 20 points to Joe Lien's 18. James Sanders (13 points) and Venceslás Castillo (13 rebounds) contribute a tag-team double-double. Their point guard, Ian Moyer, has one of his own: 11 points, 10 assists.

I had already decided to shift the starting lineup for next game, benching Alvaro Kinard in favor of Dana Broughton. Dana gets hurt, however, so he'll be unavailable for about a week and a half. Now I'll move the Good King to the three and bring Clark Nolan in at the four. Perhaps AK will find his mojo coming off the bench.
Record: 7-2.

December 12, 2014
Lafayette 64, Rider 58
This is our first real defensive battle of the season, where neither team jacks up 60 shots and we score 120 points or so between us. It's good to discover that this year's team can win that kind of game, too.

Venceslás Castillo steps into a starring role with a rugged 14 points and 13 rebounds, playing a nifty inside-out game. Joe Lien scores his usual 19 points, adding five assists this time, and Hubert Song contributes 14 and four helpers of his own.

This year, our AD wants us to make the NCAA Tournament. I'd rather not have to depend on the outcome of the league tourney to earn a ticket to the Big Dance. Our RPI stands at 51 now, and with the Patriot League's increasing prestige, perhaps we could earn an at-large bid if we need it.
Record: 8-2.

December 14, 2014
Lafayette 73, Massachusetts 58
The Minutemen aren't a national power, but they're a higher-prestige opponent from the Atlantic 10. A convincing victory, one in which we pull away in the second half, is a notable achievement.

A look at the box score reveals some interesting things. Venceslás Castillo shoots an ugly 1-11 from the floor, but compensates for his poor shooting by grabbing 11 rebounds. Perhaps Alvaro Kinard is best cast as a sixth man; he submits a 12-point, 5-rebound, 3-assist performance in that role. And Willard Davis, a senior who has found playing time tough to come by, scores 10 points in 8 minutes.

The real story, however, is Joe Lien. He scores 30 points, tying Robert Castleman's record for the Graham Sims era. Joe adds 10 rebounds, a career high, and three assists.

I hadn't been paying much attention to the Mid Major Top 25. Apparently we spent a week in the polls back in November and dropped out. We're back again, coming in at #18.
Record: 9-2.

December 21, 2014
Lafayette 76, Pennsylvania 66
Joe Lien's shots won't fall at quite the same rate tonight, but his teammates pick up the slack and the result is a tidy victory over the Quakers.

Joe still manages 16 points, and the Big Colonel matches his total. Venceslás Castillo (15 points, 9 rebounds) and Hubert Song (14) give us four men in double digits, and Clark Nolan has 10 rebounds.

The Mid Major poll is released today, and we're ranked #11. This is our highest spot so far. Creighton, Houston, and Temple hold the top three spots.
Record: 10-2.

December 23, 2014
Lafayette 76, Princeton 63
Princeton has played well this season, they're 7-2 as they come into the Kirby Center today. We bring our A game defensively--the Tigers make only 35% of their shots, and they won't stop launching bricks from three-point territory (1-for-23).

For the fourth time this season and the second time this week, we finish the game with exactly 76 points. The guards contribute 34 of them: 23 for Joe Lien, 11 for Hubert Song.

But the big story is the Big Colonel. James Sanders abuses their center, 7'1" Nazaire Debuine, who fouls out after only 10 minutes. James finishes with 21 points and 13 rebounds. Both are season highs.
Record: 11-2.

December 28, 2014
After a Christmas week that, for once, doesn't have us playing two games, we learn we've moved up to #9 in the Mid Major Top 25.

03-20-2023, 11:32 AM	#102
MoonlightGraham High School Varsity Join Date: Sep 2022	December 2, 2014 St. John's 81, Lafayette 68 Again, we prove for 20-plus minutes that we can hang in there with a Power Five conference team, before their superior depth wears us down. We're tied, 39-39, going into intermission against a 3-1 St John's team. I shorten our bench, and perhaps our guys are gassed in the final minutes, when the Red Storm pulls away. Two high-scoring freshmen guards go head-to-head, and it's their David Sullivan who wins the battle over our Joe Lien, 31-19. I think Sullivan's total is the most an opponent has ever scored against us. It took him 27 shots to do it, so there's that. A healthy James Sanders returns to the lineup with 15 points. Venceslás Castillo scores 14, and Hubert Song adds 10. Hubert also dishes out 7 assists. Alvaro Kinard struggles again, finishing with 2 points and 3 rebounds. Record: 5-2. December 4, 2014 Lafayette 76, South Carolina State 66 A day's rest at home and we're back on the road again, traveling south to meet the 3-1 Bulldogs. This time we're the bigger team, and we wear down our scrappy hosts after going into intermission down by five. Joe Lien takes six threes, makes five of them, and leads all scorers with 22. For the season, he's 32-62 from behind the arc; that's 51.6%. James Sanders double-doubles with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Venceslás Castillo comes in with another 14 points, and Hubert Song completes the double figures club with 12. Record: 6-2. December 9, 2014 Lafayette 72, Howard 63 Fans who like watching us shoot free throws are in for a treat today. We attempt 40 of them and make 24, and that's the difference in a game that's otherwise not much fun to watch. Today it's Hubert Song who takes the scoring honors, with 20 points to Joe Lien's 18. James Sanders (13 points) and Venceslás Castillo (13 rebounds) contribute a tag-team double-double. Their point guard, Ian Moyer, has one of his own: 11 points, 10 assists. I had already decided to shift the starting lineup for next game, benching Alvaro Kinard in favor of Dana Broughton. Dana gets hurt, however, so he'll be unavailable for about a week and a half. Now I'll move the Good King to the three and bring Clark Nolan in at the four. Perhaps AK will find his mojo coming off the bench. Record: 7-2. December 12, 2014 Lafayette 64, Rider 58 This is our first real defensive battle of the season, where neither team jacks up 60 shots and we score 120 points or so between us. It's good to discover that this year's team can win that kind of game, too. Venceslás Castillo steps into a starring role with a rugged 14 points and 13 rebounds, playing a nifty inside-out game. Joe Lien scores his usual 19 points, adding five assists this time, and Hubert Song contributes 14 and four helpers of his own. This year, our AD wants us to make the NCAA Tournament. I'd rather not have to depend on the outcome of the league tourney to earn a ticket to the Big Dance. Our RPI stands at 51 now, and with the Patriot League's increasing prestige, perhaps we could earn an at-large bid if we need it. Record: 8-2. December 14, 2014 Lafayette 73, Massachusetts 58 The Minutemen aren't a national power, but they're a higher-prestige opponent from the Atlantic 10. A convincing victory, one in which we pull away in the second half, is a notable achievement. A look at the box score reveals some interesting things. Venceslás Castillo shoots an ugly 1-11 from the floor, but compensates for his poor shooting by grabbing 11 rebounds. Perhaps Alvaro Kinard is best cast as a sixth man; he submits a 12-point, 5-rebound, 3-assist performance in that role. And Willard Davis, a senior who has found playing time tough to come by, scores 10 points in 8 minutes. The real story, however, is Joe Lien. He scores 30 points, tying Robert Castleman's record for the Graham Sims era. Joe adds 10 rebounds, a career high, and three assists. I hadn't been paying much attention to the Mid Major Top 25. Apparently we spent a week in the polls back in November and dropped out. We're back again, coming in at #18. Record: 9-2. December 21, 2014 Lafayette 76, Pennsylvania 66 Joe Lien's shots won't fall at quite the same rate tonight, but his teammates pick up the slack and the result is a tidy victory over the Quakers. Joe still manages 16 points, and the Big Colonel matches his total. Venceslás Castillo (15 points, 9 rebounds) and Hubert Song (14) give us four men in double digits, and Clark Nolan has 10 rebounds. The Mid Major poll is released today, and we're ranked #11. This is our highest spot so far. Creighton, Houston, and Temple hold the top three spots. Record: 10-2. December 23, 2014 Lafayette 76, Princeton 63 Princeton has played well this season, they're 7-2 as they come into the Kirby Center today. We bring our A game defensively--the Tigers make only 35% of their shots, and they won't stop launching bricks from three-point territory (1-for-23). For the fourth time this season and the second time this week, we finish the game with exactly 76 points. The guards contribute 34 of them: 23 for Joe Lien, 11 for Hubert Song. But the big story is the Big Colonel. James Sanders abuses their center, 7'1" Nazaire Debuine, who fouls out after only 10 minutes. James finishes with 21 points and 13 rebounds. Both are season highs. Record: 11-2. December 28, 2014 After a Christmas week that, for once, doesn't have us playing two games, we learn we've moved up to #9 in the Mid Major Top 25. Last edited by MoonlightGraham : 03-22-2023 at 10:48 AM.