Western Illinois, Year 10, 2016-2017

Welcome back to Western Illinois’ quest to become the greatest college basketball program of all-time in ‘College Hoops 2K8’. If you’re new here, check out the About page for a full recap of the series.

Here’s what happened last season:

• We set out to defend our national championship after losing four senior starters. My new team struggled in non-conference, but closed the year undefeated in the Summit League … until we lost in the conference tournament title game to Oral Roberts.

• Somehow, we still got an at-large berth to the NCAA tournament as a No. 9 seed. Our first round opponent is No. 8 Ole Miss, who we beat by three. That set up a matchup with top-seeded Alabama. The Tide won by 20 and ended our season in the round of 32.

• We fill our only available scholarship with five-star point guard Billy Assel out of Indianapolis.

Year 10

Here’s a look at the roster heading into the year:

This team is loaded. We’re a 96 overall at the start of the season, the same rating we ended the season with the year we won the national title. This is easily the most talented team in program history.

It’s no surprise the NBA is starting to notice our guys. Burton Ballinger, my lone senior, is a projected lottery pick. Junior wing Phil Powell is also a projected lottery pick, while junior shooting guard Lubos Hatten is a projected first rounder. I would love to bring back my entire junior class next year, but it doesn’t seem likely. I haven’t lost a player early to the NBA yet, but it feels like it’s going to happen after this season if these draft projections are accurate.

We are bringing back four starters from last season. Let’s run through our lineup real quick:

• Armein Amous, redshirt junior: 6-foot pure point guard. Averaged 7.4 points and 4.8 assists per game in his first year as a starter last season. Grew an inch over the offseason. Some key ratings: 77 in three-point shooting, 92 in ball handling, 83 in passing, 93 in speed. Former No. 155 recruit with C+ potential.

• Lubos Hatten, redshirt junior: Led the team in scoring last season with 15.6 points per game. Dropped 32 points on 9-of-18 shooting from three-point range in an opening round NCAA tournament win over Ole Miss. Fades on every jump shot like he’s Kobe. A+ personal style. Some key ratings: 86 in three-point shooting, 84 in dunking, 68 in passing, 90 in speed. He should be getting buckets all year. Former No. 66 overall recruit with B- potential.

• Phil Powell, redshirt junior: Massive wing (6’10, 250 lbs) who averaged 8.7 points, 4.3 assists, and 4.6 rebounds per game last season. Averaged 21.5 points per game during last season’s NCAA tournament run. Was a major contributor off the bench on our national championship team in 2015. Some key ratings: 93 in close range shooting, 79 in three-point shooting, 78 in passing, 89 in offensive rebounding, 96 in vertical but 73 in dunking (?), 87 speed. Former No. 103 overall recruit with A- potential.

• Joseph Bowens, redshirt junior: My only new starter after being sixth man last season. Big forward with a nice face-up game. Key ratings: 74 in three-point shooting, 83 in speed, 91 in offensive rebounding, 80 defensive awareness. Former No. 106 overall recruit with B+ potential. Projected second round pick.

• Burton Ballinger, redshirt senior: Averaged 14.1 points and 6.8 rebounds per game last season. Dropped 23 points, 18 rebounds, and seven assists in a win over Ole Miss in the NCAA tournament. Key ratings: 94 in close range shooting, 93 in defensive rebounding, 91 in blocks, 82 in steals, 80 in speed, 92 in strength. Former No. 217 recruit with B potential.

The bench consists of redshirt junior Jordi Geli Holden at center, RS junior Ljubisa Copeland at two guard, RS freshman Bert Draughan at small forward, and RS sophomore Nikola Stockman (now up to a 80 overall) rounding out the rotation at point guard. I also have RS freshmen Najeeb Goode and Trevor Hoyer on the bench. I cut all the walk-ons because the game kept subbing them in last year. True freshman Billy Assel (a 77 overall with C+ potential) and sophomore Ime Terrell (80 overall, B- potential) both get a redshirt.

We only have one scholarship to recruit for this year. I have two thoughts going into this:

• I might need a wing to replace Draughan if he eventually turns pro early

• I’m going to need a backup big man regardless of what Draughan does

I think I ideally want a power forward with shooting ability here, because they can typically be moved to small forward or center without losing too many points on their overall rating. I’d also love it to be a JUCO to get him on the same timeline as Assel, but unfortunately JUCO players don’t have stats, so we won’t be able to guess their shooting.

I visit five-star JUCO power forward Raymond Harper out of San Antonio, and four-star (No. 32 overall) power forward Kris Bridgewater out of South Bend, Indiana. I decide to offer Harper the scholarship.

We start the season an early season tournament against Gardner-Webb.

We win, 87-38. LOL, 38! What is this, Game 3 of the 1998 NBA Finals? Ballinger goes for 23 points, 17 rebounds, and seven blocks. Whew. Then we face Missouri and get another win, 94-75. Ballinger with 27 points and six rebounds, Hatten adds 20.

Now we’re ready for my All Big Ten everything non-conference schedule

First up: Northwestern, an 84 overall.

We win, 71-60. Ballinger goes for 17, seven rebounds, and three blocks to lead the way. Western Illinois: Chicago’s Big Ten team. Put up the billboard.

As I simulate to the next week, WE GET RANKED FOR THE FIRST TIME IN PROGRAM HISTORY.

That earns us a coaching attribute point in the offseason. We enter the polls at No. 24 as we take on Illinois. The Illini are already 4-0 and ranked No. 8 in the country while rated as a 94 overall. This is a huge, huge game.

Damn, we take a 66-55 L. We turn it over 19 times and shoot 35 percent from the field. Just trash. Anyone have our overall record vs. the Illini to this point? It isn’t pretty.

We fall out of the rankings as we travel to face No. 7 Indiana. The Hoosiers are a 93 overall. Can we get a bounce-back win?

Gah, another loss, 75-68. Bowens has a nice game with 18 points and five rebounds but we need more out of our starters. What’s up with Powell this season? We have to get him going scoring the ball.

We face Purdue to close out the week, and win 71-60 behind Holden’s 18-8 off the bench and Powell going for 16-8-4-2-1. Hopefully that gets him back on track.

We blow out Fort Wayne (Hatten and Holden: 14 points each) and North Dakota State (Ballinger: 20 points, 13 rebounds, four blocks) in our two early conference games. Early recruiting period ends without us signing Harper, but all of his other suitors have dropped out.

Next up: a date with undefeated Michigan State, ranked No. 8 in the country and rated as a 95 overall. We lose, 69-64.

We have four Big Ten games left on the non-con schedule. Here’s how they go:

• Win over Ohio State, 76-62, with five scorers in double figures headlined by Ballinger dropping 16 points and 10 rebounds.

• Win over No. 4 Wisconsin — the defending national champs — 79-60, with Ballinger (26 points) and Hatten (17 points) leading the way.

• Win over Penn State, 88-84, with Bowens going for 23 points and Hatten going for 22 points.

• Win over Michigan, 87-72, with Hatten scoring 22 points and Ballinger adding 21 points.

We’re 10-3 entering Summit League play. My guess is that no one in the league should be able to touch us this year.

That proves to be correct. After starting out conference play on a five-game winning streak, we re-enter the polls at No. 23. We end the year undefeated in conference again (18-0), and are up to No. 18 in the polls by the end of the season at 26-3 overall.

Ballinger leads the team in scoring. Not sure what’s up with Powell who had a disappointing year offensively, but he’s still projected as a lottery pick.

It’s time for the Summit League tournament. We had the box score of last year’s championship game against Oral Roberts hung up in the locker room all season. This team is way, way, way too good to let it happen again.

Summit League tournament

First up: South Dakota State.

We win, 101-53. Holy hell, Ballinger drops 42 points, seven rebounds, four steals, and four blocks on 14-of-20 shooting, and hits 3-of-5 threes! That’s got to be the best individual game in program history.

Next up: UL-Calcutta. We win, 100-75. Five players in double-figures scoring.

Fort Wayne is our opponent in the Summit League title game as we climb to No. 17 in the rankings. Can we actually win it this year?

Boom. I think this is the year we finally get a seed in the single-digits in the NCAA tournament. It has to be, right?

NCAA tournament

Wooo, we get a No. 5 seed and draw Illinois State in the first round. Oh god, a 5-12 matchup!

Here’s a look at my roster heading into the tournament:

We’re rated a 99 overall. This team is a wrecking crew.

Illinois State is an 84 overall. No excuses: we’re expecting a deep run in the tournament this year.

No. 5 Western Illinois vs. No. 12 Illinois State, 2017 NCAA Tournament, opening round

As always, we’re watching this game, not playing it.

Let’s do this.

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Goddamn, we came out on a mission from the opening tip. That is the biggest beatdown I’ve ever witnessed.

Powell always steps up when it matters, man. His shot-making set the tone. I’m also thrilled with how the bench played in their first taste of March Madness. Draughan looked tremendous — how sick was that last bucket? — and Holden was unstoppable on the inside. I also think we have a secret weapon in Stockman, the backup point guard who is the best shooter on the team with a 92 rating in three-point shooting. He’s my Steve Kerr off the bench.

My reward for that victory is a date with the fourth-seeded Georgetown Hoyas.

No. 5 Western Illinois vs. No. 4 Georgetown, 2017 NCAA Tournament, round of 32

Oh shit, Georgetown is a 100-overall. How the hell are they a No. 4 seed?

Look at this damn roster:

The Hoyas have a perfect rating in every category but coaching, where they’re a 94. I usually bank on our “team unity” rating to carry us in these situations, but they have us there, too — 94 to 91.

Remember, we’re going to start live streaming in the Sweet 16 from here on out. This is a huge, huge game. I want another live stream party.

One time, Leathernecks. Let’s go!

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Maaaaaaan. Damnit! I wanted that game so badly.

I could feel a weight on a chest as the Hoyas took control in the second half. They just looked like the better team. We couldn’t get a stop, especially on the inside.

The final box score reads pretty even. We were 13-of-32 from three, they were 9-of-19. We finished with more offensive rebounds (9-7), but they still held an edge on the glass, 36-32. We had six turnovers, they had five. They shot 54.7 percent from the field, we shot 49.4 percent. You just aren’t going to win if let a good team score that easily.

I’m also pissed about the free throw disparity. They finished 17-of-19 from the foul line, we were 11-of-12. The NCAA will hear my thoughts.

This is a huge bummer, especially since I don’t know if one or both of Powell and Hatten will turn pro. It’s a small consolation, but I will say this is the second straight year we’ve lost in the round of 32 to a team with a better overall rating that us.

We end the season at 30-4 overall — our first 30-win season, though unfortunately I don’t get a coaching bonus point for that.

Offseason

• Texas wins the title.

• Phil Powell turns pro. Good for him — and it gets me a coaching point as our first guy to ever declare early. One of my all-time favorite players. I’ll never forget the way he responded as a redshirt freshman coming off the bench during our national title run in 2015 after a rough first game. Dude was nails the rest of the tournament. He didn’t have a big leap in numbers as an upperclassmen like I was expecting, but he always came to play on the biggest stage. He leaves school as a career 44.7 percent three-point shooter. He’ll represent us well in the league with Gio Nelke.

• Burton Ballinger also gets drafted. He leaves with 1359 points, 635 rebounds, and 170 blocks.

• I have two coaching bonus points. I put them both in scouting, where I’m now rated as a B. This will help me scout upcoming opponents and get a more accurate potential rating on recruits.

• I get offered the Syracuse job and turn it down.

Recruiting

We sign Raymond Harper on the first day of the late recruiting period. He’s a little undersized for a four and we don’t have any stats on him as a JUCO player, but I’m still jacked up about him. Tack another five-star onto Coach Rick’s career stats.

I was hoping I’d get another scholarship immediately after Powell turned pro early, but that doesn’t happen.

It’s time to set the schedule for next year. Part of me wants to go with a bunch of cupcakes and try to run the table, but I have a gut feeling that we’ll be better in March if we make our guys go through a gauntlet early.

This might be my toughest schedule ever. We go @ No. 21 Wisconsin, @ No. 1 Louisville, @ No. 19 North Carolina, vs. Michigan, @ No. 5 Kansas, @ Illinois, vs. St. John’s, vs. Illinois State, @ No. 18 Georgetown, and @ Alabama

Please note that we’re ending the non-con slate with the two teams that knocked us out early the last two years. With five seniors on the roster, this is a payback season.

Year 11

Wow, we’re ranked No. 11 in the preseason polls!

Here’s a first look at the roster:

To be continued

Back on Saturday. I can already feel the pressure. I also have six scholarships to recruit for. It’s going to be a huge year.

A few notes:

• Did anyone catch me on WGN talking about the Leathernecks? Thanks to my pals Josh Frydman and Larry Hawley for having me on.

• I think we need weekly Deke Van updates. Per Deke’s Twitter, he now plays for the Taiwan Beer:

Deke Van @deke_van

@ActorChad @SBN_Ricky Bud I play for Tobacco and Wine Monopoly Bureau Golden Dragons AKA Taiwan Beer. I play ball and get all the tobacco and beer I could ever want for FREE.

• Reader Mark Hagan put Deke on the cover of NBA 2K16

• I also want to give a shout-out to the fan-started Leathernecks Nation Instagram account. Give them a follow.

• If you bought a Deke t-shirt, those should ship soon.

• I received an amazing email from a reader last week. Here’s a snippet:

Hello Mr. Rick O'Donnell,

Sorry for being so informal. Anyway, my name is Thanh, and I've been following your Western Illinois series from Japan. I even tuned into the live stream and celebrated as Phil Powell had his paw on every single turnover at the end of the Kansas game.

To get to the point, I love your work and have an idea on how you can keep all the energy going. As a writer, I'm sure you're aware of fan-fiction. My idea is to combine both that and the documentary-style together into a tell-all narrative about your run as Coach Rick Charisma.

• He has already sent me a few chapters, and it’s awesome. More info next week, hopefully.

• I’m at Ricky-ODonnell-1 on Venmo. Thanks so much to everyone who has supported the series so far, Leatherneck Nation forever.