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2024-25 Equality Games

This heard at the 44 Group Board of Directors Meeting:

Board Member 1: "To celebrate the accomplishments of the greatest Black Basketball coaches ever, how about we talk to Ed Cooley and Leonard Hamilton to see if they would be interested in having their teams participate?"

Board President: "Too obvious".

Board Member 2: "How about a game involving Temple and Arkansas, given the long history that John Chaney and Nolan Richardson had at those schools".

Board President: "Next".

Board Member 3: "How about we find two of the most non-descript college basketball teams in the country and send them to Long Island to play, let's say, just spit-balling here, UMass and Louisiana Tech?"

Board President: "Why aren't you on the phone already?!!"
How do you know that they didn’t try?

2024-25 Equality Games

This heard at the 44 Group Board of Directors Meeting:

Board Member 1: "To celebrate the accomplishments of the greatest Black Basketball coaches ever, how about we talk to Ed Cooley and Leonard Hamilton to see if they would be interested in having their teams participate?"

Board President: "Too obvious".

Board Member 2: "How about a game involving Temple and Arkansas, given the long history that John Chaney and Nolan Richardson had at those schools".

Board President: "Next".

Board Member 3: "How about we find two of the most non-descript college basketball teams in the country and send them to Long Island to play, let's say, just spit-balling here, UMass and Louisiana Tech?"

Board President: "Why aren't you on the phone already?!!"

September Tweets

Least surprising thing ever. I think Yormark is sincere about his idea, and I can't knock a guy for thinking about new ways of doing things, but it's always going to be an impossible sell to the Big XII ADs and presidents, and, of course, the media platforms. A basketball-driven school just doesn't represent enough of a value to any of those conferences or the media outlets to make give the idea any legs.

It's interesting how the relative lack of basketball's worth to the media platforms/networks is at once damning to schools and leagues like ours, but yet also saves the league from having to deal with this sort of departure.
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Non Conference Schedule is Live

The schedule is underwhelming, but that is by design, and hopefully it plays out positively giving our kids a chance to gel together as a team.

I think that Rutgers game on December 14 is going to have plenty of juice, maybe even more so than usual. Living in Bergen County, I cannot tell you how many people have already mentioned to me the charity exhibition they have against St. John's because so many more general sports fans/casual college hoops fans around here are so tuned into Rutgers hoops with Ace and Harper in the fold.
Agreed about the schedule, dehere23. And there are different "scheduling" paths, all viable, to make a run for the NCAA tournament. If this is what Coach Sha deems as the appropriate path for our team, I'm good with it.

So, assuming we win all the home games by decent margins, beat Hofstra, and play tough at the RAC, to me, the OOC schedule comes down to must-wins against VCU and the Vandy/Nevada winner in Charleston. Those are likely top 75 NET teams and if you want be a tournament team, you have to beat teams like those.
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Yacine Toumi

Anyone have insight to share on this, from the staff or otherwise: Went 11/6 in MVC, shooting 21% from 3, 58% from ft.

Perhaps an injury? Poor system/fit. Kids get better all the time, especially a year-older, so there's that too. But just curious on what folks are hearing re: this player and how that squares with those numbers from last year in a mid-major league.
Hey dehere23, no insight on the issue, but fwiw, Missouri Valley Conference was decent last year (Indiana State and Drake) and some of his better games came against good competition:

Cincy (Big 12) [17/9]
BYU (Big 12) [13/7]
Indiana State [19/10]

Look, I'm a big Toumi fan (and think I even got accused of writing him a "love letter" when he committed). ;) But more than anything for me, I got excited because he absolutely fit a need after we had whiffed on so many other big men.

Maybe the real issue, as expressed by other posters, is whether his frame can withstand the rigors of Big East competition.

Yacine Toumi

2023-24:
  • Started and played in 33 games
  • Led the Purple Aces while finishing 11th in the MVC with an average of 6.45 rebounds per game
  • Converted 54.3% of his attempts (6th in the MVC)
  • His average of 5.15 defensive caroms per contest was 8th in the league
  • Set career scoring mark with 22 points against UIC; connected on 8 of his 10 shot attempts
  • Previous scoring high of 20 points came at UNI and in road win over SEMO
  • Recorded two double-doubles (10 pts, 10 rbs vs. Tennessee Tech and 19 pts, 10 rbs at Indiana State)

Non Conference Schedule is Live

Is anyone else underwhelmed by this schedule? Charleston Classic, Oklahoma State and then everything else is local mid-majors.
The schedule is underwhelming, but that is by design, and hopefully it plays out positively giving our kids a chance to gel together as a team.

I think that Rutgers game on December 14 is going to have plenty of juice, maybe even more so than usual. Living in Bergen County, I cannot tell you how many people have already mentioned to me the charity exhibition they have against St. John's because so many more general sports fans/casual college hoops fans around here are so tuned into Rutgers hoops with Ace and Harper in the fold.
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