The Accidental Career of Guy West (CH2k8)

[cgalligan]

This is great stuff

You've got me wanting to dust off the ole' CH2k8 haha.

[waytofailself]

November 13, 2014
vs
The Toast of the Town

In a tournament finale clash between the Big East and Colonial, all bets had to be in Villanova's favor. This is a classic game of style vs. style. The Dragons rely on a fast paced offense that attacks the basket and tries to create opportunities at the line. Meanwhile, the Wildcats play tough team defense and rely on controlling the game through running their half court sets.

The only true surprise coming into the game was West's decision to place Duncan Richard back into the starting lineup in place of freshman Woody Morandias. West's reasoning? "Maybe putting Woody in the starting line up put a little too much pressure on him this early in his career. He's been doing great in practice but he still needs to work on translating his practice play into game speed."

The decision would not prove to be particularly fruitful for West, whose team struggled through most of the first half both with shot selection, especially by Richard, and with foul trouble. Duncan Sow had to ride the bench early after picking up two early fouls, and Ramsey and Cottrill were not far behind him. Although Drexel has a lot of big bodies, their inability to stay on the floor allowed for Villanova's Joseph Ali to take control of the paint during the first half.

The game would not have been nearly as close going into the half, except that the Dragons were able to get to the line far more quickly and far more readily than the Wildcats. But with the Dragons down by six at the half, they were still within striking distance of a game that, to the naked eye, it looked like they had no business in being in.

The Dragons would need someone to answer the call, and that player would be Perry McCarthy. Cold all tournament, McCarthy continued his cold shooting in the first half by missing all three of his shots.

The second half was a different story. McCarthy hit two threes within the first two minutes of the half, and with an additional basket from Sow the game was tied again. But the Wildcats would not back down. With Ali contained by Drexel's big bodies, they would need to rely on A.B. Baker's shooting in the 2nd half to bust Drexel's zone. The results were mixed, and Villanova's offense managed to stay ahead of Drexel for nearly the rest of the half. The Wildcats could never put any distance from the Dragons, and eventually Drexel had the ball with under a minute to go down only one point.

West called the team's last time out and drew up the play they would run. Despite the significance of the game, the demeanor of the team was calm. Coach West didn't need to pump anyone up, or get anyone's head in the game. Instead, he reminded them, "We've been in this situation before, and we've managed to fight our way back. The pressure's on them to stop us. Keep making smart passes. And if it breaks down, attack the basket. They've been hacking us down there all game."

McCarthy brought the ball up and ran down the clock from the top of the key. Sow stayed on the low block while Peyton moved to the corner and then worked his way to the wing to meet Ramsey's pick. The Wildcats were not surprised, and collapsed on the action almost immediately. McCarthy picked up his dribble, but stopped himself before he passed to his well covered team mate.

"In that situation, I'm supposed to find Rich," explained McCarthy after the game, "and Rich was there with a shot. But we only needed 2 points."

Sensing trouble, Richard moved up the line to take a pass from McCarthy. But with the shot clock winding down Richard would have trouble getting a good shot. Two Wildcat defenders moved towards McCarthy to force a turnover, but unfortunately for Villanova they made one mistake. They left one man unaccounted for. McCarthy barely managed to squeeze a pass between the two defenders to preseason All-American Femi Ramsey, who was cutting towards the basket. And after a thunderous dunk, Drexel took a 66-65 lead with less than 10 seconds to play.

The Wildcats took a time out and brought in their best shooters. But with time winding down, Lamar Moliva never let go of the ball and never looked for anyone else. Instead, he attempted to isolate on Josh Payton, and in the end his shot in the closing seconds was wide off the mark and clanged off the rim after time expired.

The Dragons hold on to win the Palm Tree Shootout by a final score of 66-65.

Drexel Dragons at Villanova Wildcats
Nov 13, 2014	1ST	2ND	SCORE
Drexel (3-0)	32	34	66
Villanova (2-0)	38	27	65

Drexel Dragons
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
P. McCarthy	19	4-9	4-7	0-0	1	5	1	0	1	12
J. Payton	22	3-6	1-1	1-3	2	0	0	3	1	8
D. Richard	16	2-4	0-0	3-5	1	0	0	0	3	7
D. Sow	17	1-4	0-0	2-2	3	1	0	1	3	4
F. Ramsey	23	5-11	1-2	5-5	4	1	0	1	2	16
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
T. Cottrill	16	4-6	1-1	0-0	2	0	1	1	1	9
W. Morandais	16	0-0	0-0	0-0	6	7	0	0	4	0
D. Marsh	8	1-2	0-0	1-3	0	1	0	0	0	3
G. McLaughlin	7	3-5	0-1	1-1	3	0	0	0	0	7
J. Vassallo	2	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	0
D. Wilson	2	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	0
R. Burnette	2	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	1	0	0	1	0
TEAM TOTALS		23-47	7-12	13-19	22	16	2	6	16	66

Villanova Wildcats
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
L. Moliva	24	2-6	0-2	0-0	1	10	4	0	1	4
A. Baker	24	5-11	2-4	2-3	2	3	1	0	2	14
C. Atcinson	19	3-6	1-4	1-1	3	0	2	0	2	8
G. Armstrong	11	3-5	0-0	0-0	5	0	1	0	0	6
J. Ali	20	5-13	0-2	4-6	9	1	2	4	1	14
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
M. Collier	5	3-3	2-2	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	8
D. Valiulis	21	2-4	2-2	0-0	0	0	0	0	2	5
J. Santeo	17	1-1	1-1	0-0	2	1	0	1	2	3
M. Bird	1	0-0	0-0	2-2	0	0	0	0	0	2
T. Hoyer	2	0-2	0-0	0-0	1	0	0	0	0	0
D. Luz	2	0-3	0-1	0-0	1	0	0	0	0	0
I Shehan	3	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	2	0	0	0	0
TEAM TOTALS		24-53	8-18	9-12	24	17	10	6	10	65

Coach's Take: I want to give all the credit I can to the Wildcats. They didn't lose this game, we just won it. McCarthy was huge for us in the second half, getting us 3's when we needed them and making probably the best pass I've ever seen him make to Ramsey. So far Villanova has been by far our biggest test. Hopefully today the country has seen that Drexel is looking for a lot more this year.

Soloman Upton (TB Herald): You decided to go with experience over youth today by starting Richard. How do you feel about his performance and how do you feel Morandais handled the adjustment?

Coach West: It has been an adjustment for both of them. I'm sure Richard is more comfortable starting, but the biggest beneficiary should be Morandais over time. As he gets used to the level of play in the NCAA, he'll do better. Today he did good bringing energy off the bench. Sometimes he tried to hard and made a few too many turnovers, but once he gets comfortable and starts taking shots, it's going to be a big boost to our team.

Upton: You said over time. So this change is looking to be long term?

West: Ideally. That's why we have early season tournaments like this. To see how players react to pressure. To help see how the roster shakes out. Practice is important and valuable, but nothing can replace game experience.

What's Next: The Dragons continue their road tour by taking their team out west for a week long California tour. First up will be San Diego State, and after a short rest West's squad will travel north to face the #19 USC Trojans.

[waytofailself]

at San Diego State University: W 95-80

Notable: The midrange game of Tony Nwoke burned Drexel hard in the first half, giving him 16 first half points and allowing SDSU to get into the lead. But Drexel kept it close and closed down on defense better in the 2nd half. Eventually McCarthy and Payton would crank up the heat in the 2nd half, going a blistering 7-7 from beyond the ard in the 2nd half putting the game out of reach. Ramsey and Cottrill also contributed down low with 25 and 17 points respectively.

[waytofailself]

November 13, 2014
vs #17
The First True "Test"

After spending two weeks away from the friendly confines of the Daskalasis Center, the Drexel Dragons finish their California tour against the #17 USC Trojans. Considered one of the tallest tests on the schedule at the start of the season, Coach West has told his team to work a game at a time to build up to this point instead of circling the date and rushing to it. With the Dragons undefeated entering the contest, consider the message received.

But what became apparently very quickly on the floor was that the Dragons had a mismatch that they could exploit against the Trojans again and again and again: size. USC insisted on playing either Man-to-Man or a 3-2 zone to protect the perimeter. The result was that the Dragons got inside early and often. The result was that the first half was a high possession track meet. Both teams went down the floor quickly and took quality shots. USC's back court was outstanding, especially Braden Ferrell. Together with Chris Casey, the Trojans were able to stay afloat and light up the Dragons from range. However, the Dragons managed a blistering 61 points in the first half by sheer virtue of the volume of high percentage shots that were available near the basket.

At the half, Coach West commented, "If they're not stopping it, why should I stop going to it?"

And it took until the 2nd half for the Trojans to slow down Drexel's interior assault. But by the time USC adjusted to a 2-3 and started contesting the paint, the game was out of reach. Each of Drexel's four big men reached double figures. Probably the most outstanding of all was walk-on sophomore Gilbert McLaughlin. The backup center went a perfect 8-8 from the floor while spelling Duncan Sow and Femi Ramsay.

As a result of creating more easy scoring opportunities, the Dragons slayed the Trojans 101-87. But even with that large of a result on the road against a ranked opponent, the game was not nearly as close as the score line suggests.

Drexel Dragons at USC Trojans
Nov 17, 2014	1ST	2ND	SCORE
Drexel (5-0)	61	40	101
#17 USC (3-1)	47	40	87

Drexel Dragons
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
P. McCarthy	15	2-4	1-2	0-0	0	5	0	0	0	5
J. Payton	10	3-5	1-2	0-0	2	2	1	0	0	7
D. Richard	17	4-5	0-1	0-0	2	3	0	0	2	8
D. Sow	16	6-11	0-0	4-4	12	3	2	2	0	16
F. Ramsey	14	9-12	0-0	3-5	3	2	1	2	0	21
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
T. Cottrill	14	4-9	0-0	2-2	4	2	0	2	0	10
W. Morandais	13	2-5	2-3	0-2	2	4	0	1	1	6
D. Marsh	14	3-3	0-0	0-0	0	6	1	0	4	6
G. McLaughlin	16	8-8	0-0	0-0	4	0	0	0	1	16
J. Vassallo	8	1-2	0-0	0-0	2	2	1	0	0	2
G. Wilson	8	2-2	0-0	0-0	0	1	0	0	1	4
R. Burnette	4	0-3	0-2	0-0	0	2	1	0	1	0
TEAM TOTALS		44-69	4-10	9-13	31	33	7	7	10	101

USC Trojans
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
B. Farrell	23	8-12	3-5	1-2	2	5	1	0	2	20
D. Hornsby	24	3-10	0-3	2-2	5	2	1	0	3	8
C. Casey	23	9-12	3-4	0-0	21	3	3	0	0	21
M. Ingerson	17	5-10	1-1	4-4	5	1	3	1	0	15
A. Atchinson	26	1-5	0-1	1-2	5	2	1	1	0	3
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
J. Munir	1	2-7	0-1	4-4	0	7	1	0	2	8
A. Walsh	11	2-3	0-1	0-1	1	4	1	0	1	4
J. Desilos	8	0-5	0-1	0-0	1	1	2	0	0	0
J. Luz	6	4-5	0-0	0-0	3	0	0	0	0	8
B. Blue	-- DID NOT PLAY --
K. Turek	-- DID NOT PLAY --
A. Emerson	-- DID NOT PLAY --
TEAM TOTALS		34-70	7-17	12-15	25	25	10	2	0	87

Coach's Take: What I'm most proud of is our team's ability to maintain focus despite the hoopla surrounding the game and the national TV audience. And wins like this are great: the opponent knows what's coming, but can't stop it anyway. Our guys just kept producing, and our guards kept looking for the good pass instead of trying to hoist up contested shots. We have grown so much as a team.

What's Next: The Dragons return home for a repeat of last year's grudge match against Coach West's old team, the Norfolk State Spartans.

[waytofailself]

Happy Easter Everybody.

vs

A Year Later: Less Bad Blood, Little Fence Mending

As Jamar Ball turns away from the basket, he grimaces. He has been shooting after practice for almost an hour, with shot after shot slicing through the net. He posts up against an invisible defender. He runs and catches a ball from a friend who has stayed to help. Ball, last year's MEAC Freshman of the Year has prided himself on one thing in particular that has helped catapult him to one of the leading stars of the Spartans: perfection.

And on his last shot of the set? The arc of the shot wasn't high enough, "Against someone my height? That would get blocked every time."

This is the scene at Norfolk State: hard work, dedication, and extra hours of practice. The Spartans are full of players like Ball, ones who are fierce competitors that know game results come in large part from disciplined preparation. But according to Coach Hobbs, the man who replaced local legend Guy West, this isn't something new.

"When I got here the players were already taking the game seriously. Playing pick ups with high intensity. Breaking down the flaws or lapses in each others' play. When I took on this job I was told I would need to shape this roster and help give them a basketball mindset instead of letting them jump to playground ball," remarked Coach Hobbs, who had handled previous rebuilding jobs throughout the NCAA earlier in his career. "But what I was told and what I saw were two entirely different pictures. Coach West had instilled a culture of preparation in this squad. Everybody's gotta pull their weight, from the headliners to the bench warmers. It made my job a lot easier"

Hobbs' attitude seems one shared by many who have gotten to know West over the years, and one that has only recently come to light since West has raised his Drexel squad to new heights. West would fight for his players, but let them know when they had let him down. West would pick his coachs' brains regarding game tape, and would make sure to get the know the names of everyone on the basketball staff whether it was a paid employee or a student intern, "Everyone by now has heard about his 'professor meets college hoops' story by now." remarked a former Norfolk State staffer, "But what really made an impression on people was his willingness to talk to people face to face. He doesn't like pandering to the camera and he isn't looking for the bright spotlight. And maybe that's why it finds him instead."

When asked about the climate surrounding the school last summer when Coach West was allowed to walk, the staffer's response was, "Maybe that's why things got so out of hand so fast. No one talked to him about it until the final decision was already made."

One year later, and there is a definite shift in tone when people discuss Coach West. After he was run out of town by reports of losing control of the team, it seems like his success in reaching the Elite 8 last year has validated his legacy with the Spartans as well. And after West's emotional return and subsequent drubbing at the hands of Norfolk State last year, this year's matchup at the Daskalakis Center looks to have a very different tone as well.

The Dragons are riding high and are currently undefeated on the year after facing some very stiff competition. The Spartans are not slouches either, with the trio of Jamar Ball, Jerold Doss, and Greg Seymour leading their very talented squad into MEAC play. All three of them are West's recruits, and in fact this will be a game with West's fingerprints all over it.

But without last year's emotional charge, this year's game should feature an interesting matchup of the Spartans' and Dragons' strength in the interior. Both teams are built to attack the basket and look for open shots around the perimeter when available. The difference once again will be whether Drexel can win the defensive matchups.

As for Norfolk State's AD? When asked to respond to this story, he refused to answer questions. However, he did offer this two sentence statement: "We are pleased with the success Coach West brought to our program. We stand by our decision to bring Coach Hobbs on board, and give him our full support."

When asked about his relationship with his former Athletic Director at Norfolk State, Coach West was a little more jovial, "We sent him a ticket request a few months ago. I hope he can come by so the DAC Pack can give him a warm welcome."

Tension or bad blood? Maybe not as much between these two teams as there was last year. But I bet something boils up on the surface after the first whistle.

After all, these two teams were build by Coach West to compete. Nobody is going to back down.

[VandyRedskins21]

Can't wait to see what happens in this game

[xlegendkillax]

Awesome game preview! Looking forward to the results.

[Houndy]

Can't wait to see the results

[waytofailself]

November 24, 2014

vs
Too Much Firepower

If there's such a thing as going home again, there's also such a thing as laying down new roots. And today's early contest finds Norfolk State marching north to Guy West's new digs at Drexel. And the Philly crowd had not forgotten either the thumping the Spartans gave their team last year, nor the showboating that went with it. From the opening tip, the Dragon faithful let their opponents have it every time they touched the ball. The DAC Pack had their coach's back for sure.

But Coach Hobbs' Norfolk State squad did not wilt under the pressure. This is a team that has had some very strong victories (at Dayton & at Wisconsin) but is also capable of some head scratching defeats (home vs Central Michigan). Today's Spartans were more of the former and less of the latter: they came to play and immediately worked to exploit their size advantage at the 1-3 slots. Both Logan Thompson and Jamar Ball came out shooting from all over the floor and Drexel's zone was struggling to keep up.

But as the first half progressed, Coach West's squad regained their composure and took advantage of the Spartans' lack of depth in the middle. Yes, Jerrold Doss and Greg Seymour can hold their own in the paint against other MEAC teams. But the departure of Tom Friend, whose decision to transfer at the end of last season after finishing first team All-MEAC at Center despite not starting and only playing 8 minutes per game, came back to haunt the Spartans like it has in losses earlier this season. Coach West told his players to keep attacking the basket to prey on Seymour's aggressiveness. The result was first half foul trouble and a disappearing inside out game for Norfolk State.

Soon the shots stopped falling entirely. And soon the Dragons were able to seize control. West's attacking offense wore down on the Spartans, who did well on their own by scoring 45 points on what many consider to be a stout Drexel defense. But with a 12-4 surge at the end of the half to break open what had otherwise been a close game, the Dragons hanged 56 first half points on the Spartans to enter the break with an 11 point advantage.

The key stat at half time? Drexel had 12 more free throw attempts than the Spartans at the half -- a clear showing of West's willingness to attack the basket vs. Hobbs not wanting to fight the trees in the middle.

But the second half started much like the first, with Norfolk State once again focusing on the outside game to force Drexel's defenders out of position. Add to it a seemingly overconfident or lackadaisical effort by the Dragons out the gate, and the Spartans suddenly found themselves within 2 points. Coach West was furious during the time out, reminding his players how many times they've taken advantage of teams who loosen their grip during half time.

He pulled every starter (including Woody Morandais, who started for Joshua Payton due to a minor injury) except for defensive stalwart Duncan Sow. The message was received: it was going to take a lot more energy to put away the Spartans -- this was a team who was starting to smell blood in the water.

The result was there as well. Tracey Cottrill, who had a quiet first half, began to take over offensively -- especially when he posterized Ron Hancock on a one-on-one fast break. Before long, the lead was back to a comfortable 12, and West was able to insert his starters with fresh legs while Norfolk State's were sweating it out.

But just as the crowd at the Daskalakis Center began to sense victory, Lamar Thompson dropped a double salvo from behind the arc. Coach West was unable to call time out before Jamar Ball swished another jumper to bring the Spartans within 6.

Fortunately for the Dragons, they had players lining up to answer the final bell. Just as Norfolk State looked like it could snatch the game out from under Drexel's noses, senior PG Perry McCarthy broke the Spartans with a double salvo of his own. Suddenly the lead was back to double digits, and from there it was a march of player after player to the free throw line.

And although the Dragons were not perfect at the line, they were efficient enough on both ends of the floor to close out a well deserved 106-91 victory to avenge last year's loss. Oftentimes, 91 points would be more than enough to coast to victory for the Spartans. But on this day, the Drexel Dragons had too many weapons.

Norfolk State Spartans at Drexel Dragons
Nov 24, 2014	1ST	2ND	SCORE
Norfolk State (3-2)	45	46	91
Drexel (6-0)	56	50	106

Norfolk State Spartans
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
R. Casey	23	4-9	1-4	2-2	3	6	1	0	3	11
L. Thompson	21	5-14	5-10	3-3	2	3	1	0	3	18
J. Ball	20	11-20	3-6	1-1	6	1	4	0	0	26
J. Doss	20	1-6	0-0	2-4	9	4	0	0	0	4
G. Seymour	14	4-7	0-0	0-0	4	2	2	0	0	8
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
D. Mihailovic	12	4-12	1-4	0-0	2	2	0	0	0	9
T. Schmidt	6	0-3	0-1	2-2	0	2	0	0	0	2
E. Cowen	5	2-5	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	1	4
R. Hancock	5	1-4	0-1	1-2	0	0	0	0	0	3
F. Stevanovic	9	2-5	0-0	0-0	7	1	0	0	0	4
D. Boyden	15	1-2	0-0	0-0	8	0	1	0	1	2
B. Hedges	-- DID NOT PLAY --
TEAM TOTALS		35-87	10-26	11-14	41	21	9	0	8	91

Drexel Dragons
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
P. McCarthy	20	5-10	4-8	2-2	0	7	3	0	2	16
W. Morandais	17	3-6	2-4	1-2	1	2	1	0	1	9
D. Richard	15	3-5	0-0	3-4	1	1	0	0	2	9
D. Sow	22	7-11	0-0	4-6	16	3	0	3	0	18
F. Ramsey	19	6-11	0-0	4-5	5	5	0	1	1	16
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
T. Cottrill	16	5-8	0-0	7-8	4	3	0	2	1	17
D. Marsh	11	1-4	1-3	2-2	0	4	0	0	0	5
G. McLaughlin	10	1-3	0-0	0-0	11	1	1	1	0	2
J. Payton	10	2-6	2-4	0-0	1	2	0	0	2	6
J. Vassalo	4	1-3	0-2	0-2	0	0	0	0	0	2
D. Wilson	4	2-4	2-3	0-0	1	0	0	0	0	6
R. Burnette	3	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	2	1	0	0	0
TEAM TOTALS		36-71	11-24	23-31	40	30	6	7	9	106

Coach's Take: This win doesn't take away any ghosts from last year. There are not any ghosts from last year. Norfolk State played very well, and so did we. This was the hard fought game we were all expecting, and I'm glad our boys rose to the challenge and came out on top.

Reporter's Note: Norfolk State's AD did not accept West's personal invitation to attend the game.

What's Next: The Dragons have a heavy schedule as they wrap up their in season recruiting, including their first CAA game against the Old Dominion Monachs followed up by a home date against Gonzaga followed by a trip to face defending National Champion Kentucky. This week will be a good test to see whether West and company can keep up the momentum.

[xlegendkillax]

Revenge is sweet. Great win. The next couple of games are gonna be big, especially that contest vs. Kentucky. Games like that are a big indicator of how you'll fare come tournament time.