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Happy Ourer: “Happy Ourer with Joshua Doe and welcome to the Linndale pregame show! We are live from Northeast Ohio, and as you might expect, the city and in fact the region is still buzzing after the Cleveland Browns playoff clinching victory on Thursday Night Football, and it seems that some of that buzz is showing up here to watch our favorite basketball team take on the VileOnes. Joshua, what should we expect?”

Joshua Doe: “Happy, we Browns fans have been telling everyone who would listen that these ain’t the Browns you want, Flacco ‘round and find out!”

HO: ‘I see you working there Josh!”

JD: “Happy, you asked what should we expect. Number one, a nack to basics approach from Pio Reina’s squad. They’ve made some additions and the energy seems much better. Number two, expect surprises, starting with our guest, Coach Pio Reina. Coach, how are you doing, and what can the fans expect?”

Pio Reina: “I’m good, Joshua. Thanks for asking. Happy, good to see you. Joshua, fans can expect us to start being who we say we are. They can expect us to going back to the brand of basketball they’ve been accustomed to. We will defend, we will rebound, and we will take care of the basketball. This is what Linndale basketball is, this is who we are, and what we do.”

JD: “Coach, tell us about Joy Beko’s game and what the fans can expect to see.”

PR: “Joy is going to lock someone down. He’s a 7-footer who can guard any position on the court. You might see him on a guard at times, a forward at times, or in the paint. He’s a talented rebounder. He’s the best passing big we’ve seen, but it’s more than that. This young man has the potential to be the best passer we’ve ever had, period. He’s raw offensively, but he’s far too talented to keep off the court or limit to just backup minutes. You’re going to see some of what he can do tonight and it’s going to surprise you.”

HO: “Coach, what can you tell us about the team’s newest addition, Leandro Leao.”

PR: “He’s a young point guard with a lot of upside. He’s raw, but he’s ready to give us some quality minutes. He was brought in to be the backup point guard and grow into a larger role. Whether that is a starting point guard, shooting guard, or combo of the bench remains to be seen, but he’s good enough to be logging meaningful minutes for us right now.”

JD: “Coach, what are expecting to see tonight? What do we need to do to get the win?”

PR: “We need to show up and play our game. Jordi Bover can and will get you. Averaging 32 a game and has hit for 50 plus points at point guard and small forward, so you know they aren’t afraid to move him around. We’re going to find out real quick if our revamped perimeter defense can hold up, and if he gets inside we’ll see how that goes also. If he gets off for 50, we have to shut everyone else down. For us, we need to simply remember who we are and what we do. We’ve always been about team ball. That starts with defense, rebounding and ball security.”

JD: “Thanks Coach! We know you gotta go, we’re looking forward to watching tonight’s game!”

PR: “Thanks, Joshua! Thanks Happy! Happy New Year, and go Browns!”

HO: “That was Coach Pio Reina, and we’ll be back with more during the postgame show. Linndale and the VileOnes coming at you right after this break for the news!”

Sam Walsh:
Guys this was the locker room 20 minutes before tip off

Coach Stephenson:
All right now listen up! Yeah I know what you guys have been hearing and seeing on ESPN, the newspaper, radio, X, Whatever! Right now that doesn’t mean anything. (points outside the door) In a few minutes Fort Wayne is gonna be on OUR floor! It doesn’t matter that the record says they’re 3-5! It doesn’t matter that they’re in 6th place! It doesn’t matter they’re in Redland!

You know what does matter! What matters is we’ve scouted these SOBs! We’ve studied them. We know their habits. We know their strengths and weakness and we have a plan. We’re going to run and we’re gonna pound. And we’re gonna do it again. Run and Pound! Run and Pound until when they go to sleep tonight they’re gonna be seeing us!

I want this win! I want it! You want it! But I can live with a loss. If they come out and shoot threes like the 2nd coming of Jerry West! Fine! I can live with that! But if they outrebound us! Outhustle us! I swear to every last one of you! Whoever is the person who allows that happen their New Years Resolution is gonna be for puking bucket! Now let’s go and defend this house!

Sam Walsh:
I spoke to both Coach Stephenson and Coach Gordo Long just as starting lineup was announced. Both confirmed that the Warriors are going to go with a pound it inside approach with their speed and athleticism and hopefully whittle down a Fort Wayne team with their superior depth. Back to you Pete & Matt!


Last edited by Coach Stephenson at 12/30/2023 8:21:37 PM

Happy Ourer: “Well folks, there you have it! A 105-61 win at home over the VileOnes. Joshua, what did you see tonight?”

Joshua Doe: “It started on defense, and I’m not talking about the 13 steals or 4 blocks. Pio Reina went into the lab and pulled out a defense we haven’t seen used here ever. Pio Reina expected the challenge of Jordi Bover and dialed up a defense to make him work. He didn’t know Bover would be a DNP, but that defense held the VileOnes to 27.5% shooting from the field, 3 of 20 from deep, and only 2 players scored 10 or more for the VileOnes. Aaron Durham, the talented young guard, scored a game high 34 points, but it took him 38 shots. In other words, they made him work. Linndale rebounded. Your starting power forward and center and their backups had at least 11 rebounds apiece. Pio is not going to be happy with the 12 turnovers, but they forced 19.”

HO: “Let’s talk about the newcomers for a bit. What did you see tonight?”

JD: “I don’t know how to describe what I saw for Joy Beko. He was all over the court. He was efficient shooting the ball, he crashed the boards, and defensively he was everywhere. Meanwhile, Leandro Leao had a very solid debut. It’s going to be a lot of fun watching them grow together.”

HO: “Joshua, any other night, the story would likely be Midas Kops and his 27 point night. What else is being overlooked about tonight?”
JD: “The physicality. You don’t grab 61 rebounds without physicality. You don’t have 4 guys grab at least 11 apiece without physicality. You don’t hold a team to 22 of 80 from the field without being physical on defense. There was also physicality on offense! Happy, when was the last time you saw a goaltending call and a shooting foul for the and one? We got that today. Linndale only took 5 three point shots because they were busy attacking the rim. Oh, and the best player on the court tonight? Trenton Tovar. When Trenton Tovar is the best player on the court and he didn’t hit a three, that tells me he bought in to what’s brewing with this team. He didn’t even take a three, and his nickname is Shooter!”

HO: “Joshua, you sound like you expect a playoff run. I don’t think this team is there yet.”

JD: “Happy, I’m not ready to go that far… yet. Linndale is right now looking like that team you don’t want to face in relegation. Next season, however is going to be different. And there is the chance they decide to accelerate the timing to make things happen this season. Roberto Gurgone is not afraid to make a move, and clearly Pio Reina is the coach to take advantage of whatever move that is. Are they a playoff team now? No. We are what the record says we are. Are we close? I think we are, but we don’t know how close. I think we’re going to find out over the next few weeks. Go 3-1 or 4-0 over the next four games, that’s going to change the conversation dramatically.”

HO: “We’ll be back with more after this commercial break!”

Gameday with Pio Reina...

*inside the coaches meeting*

Air Allnite: We have to contain Blanco. The problem is he’s moved around and played everywhere but center. He’s the only true guard of note right now.

Marshall Richards: Valentin is a scoring machine. He’s been seeing the bulk of his work at power forward, but he’s listed at small forward and seen time at both forwards spots, shooting guard, and center.

Byron Helm: Watch for Hayes. He’s active. Adam Kozdrowski doesn’t scare me, but we better respect his board work. We’re going to need an answer for Praznik. His rebounding combined with his shot blocking is a serious game changer.

Pio Reina: They seem to like a lot of zone, and they lack depth. Here’s the thing: I don’t care what they seem to like. What we’re going to do is defend, rebound, and take care of the basketball. We’re playing man defense. If they move Blanco around, so be it; I’ll take our chances. I’ll be interested in seeing what Valentin does against our front line. We’re gonna play it straight.

BH: I like our guys to handle theirs. If there’s a wildcard, it’s gonna be Blanco. He’s gonna need to get hot and stay hot.

AA: If he’s shooting, Valentin doesn’t have the ball. Isn’t that what we want?

PR: We need to find out about our front line. We know they aren’t what we think they will be. We need to find out what they are right now. This ought to be a solid test. Besides, Blanco ought to give us a good indicator on what we do with Shooter. I’m not playing a guessing fame to figure out who’s gonna play where. Either our guys are up to task, or they aren’t. Air, my front court is up to this challenge.

AA: So is the back court.

*After the first quarter*

PR: Alright guys, good start. Give me three more quarters of this! Do not get complacent. Valentin will get hot. Their rebounding will keep them in the game. Hilliard and Blanco are dangerous. This is not going to be easy.

*at halftime*

PR: WHAT IN THE ABSOLUTE---

BH: All that good ya’ll did in the first quarter, that’s gone.

PR: Cerri, ya getting cooked. Shooter? Cooked. Enfes? Cooked. What in the… I can’t. Marshall, talk to these people and get them right. *walks out the locker room*

MR: I don’t know what that second quarter was, but I’m telling you that was not Linndale basketball. That was not what we practiced. We prepared you for this. Ya’ll ready to be serious and get back to what we do?

PR: *Charges into the locker room* WHERE’S YOUR PRIDE? WHERE’S THE EFFORT? I TAKE THIS PERSONALLY!!! WHERE’S YOUR FIRE AND PASSION? I AM PISSED OFF! THAT WAS DISGUSTING!!! UNACCEPTABLE!!! *knocks over table, throw chairs at wall* IF YOU’RE NOT PLAYING LINNDALE BASKETBALL, DON’T COME BACK TO THIS LOCKER ROOM WHEN THE GAME IS OVER.

*after third quarter*

PR: Ya’ll better have another way home from the game. You are not going home with me playing like this. Don’t know who you people are, but this is not MY basketball team.

*on-court, post game interview*

PR: We rebounded and took care of the ball, but for some strange reason this team decided they didn’t need to defend. We knew Hayes would be active. It was a priority to have the bench bigs show up. We knew their starting 5 would be a problem in various areas. We did not expect to see our point guard, shooting guard and small forwards get blown off the floor. Our defense did not show up. All I can tell you is that you should probably expect changes to personnel and in roles. That’s a tough team over there, but this was a game I absolutely think we should have won. This was unacceptable.

Day 9 (Saturday 30 December 2023) : Performances by (https://www.buzzer-manager.com)

Night results
Mindless Zombies 🧟‍♀️ 114 - Dragmort Dragons Utd 50
Fort Wayne Pistons 87 - San Dominica Warriors 105
Balls to the Walls 86 - Lion Rebels 103
CB Bethesdorf 74 - Shandong Golden Lions 82
Tasty Tardsicles 86 - F.Day Internet Lovers Club 98
VileOnes 61 - Linndale 105
Jumpstop Jumpers 91 - Muffin Men 67
Super Sonics 109 - 209’s MostWanted 92

Best collective performance of the evening
Points : 114 : Mindless Zombies 🧟‍♀️
Rebounds : 62 : Shandong Golden Lions
Assists : 28 : Mindless Zombies 🧟‍♀️
Steals : 13 : Lion Rebels, Linndale
Block Shots : 11 : F.Day Internet Lovers Club

Personal best performances of the evening
Points : 42 : R. Squires (Fort Wayne Pistons)
Rebounds : 21 : L. Praznik (Jumpstop Jumpers)
Assists : 11 : É. Blanchet (San Dominica Warriors)
Steals : 5 : S. Huerta (Lion Rebels), J. Zhizhuo (Shandong Golden Lions)
Block Shots : 4 : M. Coedo (Mindless Zombies 🧟‍♀️), J. Bégin (San Dominica Warriors)

Top 5 of the evening
Point Guard : É. Blanchet (San Dominica Warriors) (23 Points, 7 Rebounds, 11 Assists, 1 Steals, 0 Block Shots) : Efficiency : 38
Shooting Guard : B. Pascual (Balls to the Walls) (21 Points, 3 Rebounds, 6 Assists, 1 Steals, 2 Block Shots) : Efficiency : 24
Small Forward : Z. Levin (Super Sonics) (27 Points, 10 Rebounds, 2 Assists, 0 Steals, 1 Block Shots) : Efficiency : 30
Power Forward : I. Tabrizi (F.Day Internet Lovers Club) (34 Points, 17 Rebounds, 2 Assists, 0 Steals, 2 Block Shots) : Efficiency : 50
Center : M. Coedo (Mindless Zombies 🧟‍♀️) (16 Points, 20 Rebounds, 4 Assists, 0 Steals, 4 Block Shots) : Efficiency : 36

MVP of the evening
I. Tabrizi (F.Day Internet Lovers Club) (34 Points, 17 Rebounds, 2 Assists, 0 Steals, 2 Block Shots) : Efficiency : 50

The bad performance of the evening
G. Cinovskis (VileOnes) (2 Points, 5 Rebounds, 0 Assists, 1 Steals, 0 Block Shots) : Efficiency : -6

All kinds of statistics
The player who forgot to remove his mittens : G. Cinovskis (VileOnes) : 8 Turnovers

Player targeted by the referees : M. Albright (Dragmort Dragons Utd), J. Bégin (San Dominica Warriors), É. Blanchet (San Dominica Warriors), S. Aranda (Fort Wayne Pistons), C. Hofstätter (Balls to the Walls), D. Thomson (Lion Rebels), S. Johnson (Balls to the Walls), E. Diršliokas (CB Bethesdorf), D. Conaghan (Tasty Tardsicles), C. Wui Kwong (Tasty Tardsicles), V. Abat (F.Day Internet Lovers Club) : 5 Personnal Fouls

The iron-man : M. Coedo (Mindless Zombies 🧟‍♀️), M. Albright (Dragmort Dragons Utd), R. Braswell (Dragmort Dragons Utd), A. Guilla (Mindless Zombies 🧟‍♀️), S. Huerta (Lion Rebels), A. Durham (VileOnes), L. Praznik (Jumpstop Jumpers) : 48 Minutes

The shooter : R. Squires (Fort Wayne Pistons) : 6 Three points

The best performer : T. Freeman (Mindless Zombies 🧟‍♀️) : Rating : 18.5

The worst performer : A. Handy (Lion Rebels) : Rating : 3.5

Day 10 (Tuesday 2 January 2024) : Performances by (https://www.buzzer-manager.com)

Night results
Dragmort Dragons Utd 117 - Fort Wayne Pistons 111
San Dominica Warriors 135 - Balls to the Walls 73
Lion Rebels 115 - CB Bethesdorf 60
Shandong Golden Lions 100 - Tasty Tardsicles 110
F.Day Internet Lovers Club 98 - VileOnes 69
Linndale 111 - Jumpstop Jumpers 120
Muffin Men 76 - Super Sonics 129
209’s MostWanted 78 - Mindless Zombies 🧟‍♀️ 108

Best collective performance of the evening
Points : 135 : San Dominica Warriors
Rebounds : 61 : F.Day Internet Lovers Club
Assists : 39 : Super Sonics
Steals : 11 : Lion Rebels
Block Shots : 10 : Lion Rebels

Personal best performances of the evening
Points : 46 : J. Valentin (Jumpstop Jumpers)
Rebounds : 22 : M. Watkins (Lion Rebels)
Assists : 12 : L. Petrinski (Dragmort Dragons Utd)
Steals : 4 : M. Granja (San Dominica Warriors), D. Branimirović (F.Day Internet Lovers Club)
Block Shots : 5 : T. Armstead (Lion Rebels)

Top 5 of the evening
Point Guard : J. Valentin (Jumpstop Jumpers) (46 Points, 8 Rebounds, 1 Assists, 2 Steals, 1 Block Shots) : Efficiency : 41
Shooting Guard : U. Jaén (Fort Wayne Pistons) (29 Points, 12 Rebounds, 7 Assists, 0 Steals, 1 Block Shots) : Efficiency : 40
Small Forward : Z. Levin (Super Sonics) (24 Points, 7 Rebounds, 1 Assists, 1 Steals, 0 Block Shots) : Efficiency : 28
Power Forward : A. Pakzat (Dragmort Dragons Utd) (25 Points, 15 Rebounds, 3 Assists, 0 Steals, 0 Block Shots) : Efficiency : 37
Center : M. Watkins (Lion Rebels) (12 Points, 22 Rebounds, 1 Assists, 1 Steals, 4 Block Shots), J. MacNeur (Linndale) (23 Points, 16 Rebounds, 3 Assists, 0 Steals, 0 Block Shots) : Efficiency : 34

MVP of the evening
J. Valentin (Jumpstop Jumpers) (46 Points, 8 Rebounds, 1 Assists, 2 Steals, 1 Block Shots) : Efficiency : 41

The bad performance of the evening
L. Boga (209’s MostWanted) (6 Points, 1 Rebounds, 4 Assists, 1 Steals, 0 Block Shots) : Efficiency : -10

All kinds of statistics
The player who forgot to remove his mittens : J. Zhizhuo (Shandong Golden Lions) : 5 Turnovers

Player targeted by the referees : G. Reinhardt (Fort Wayne Pistons), S. Aranda (Fort Wayne Pistons), J. Zhizhuo (Shandong Golden Lions), A. Kozdrowski (Jumpstop Jumpers) : 6 Personnal Fouls

The iron-man : R. Larson (Fort Wayne Pistons) : 51 Minutes

The shooter : L. Ma Ying (Mindless Zombies 🧟‍♀️) : 7 Three points

The best performer : T. Freeman (Mindless Zombies 🧟‍♀️) : Rating : 19.0

The worst performer : J. Graf (VileOnes), C. Maddock (Mindless Zombies 🧟‍♀️) : Rating : 5.5

Roberto Gurgone was frustrated. “I can’t believe this market,” he muttered to himself. A guy with the skill set at guard I want goes for $120k, and we miss out because of stupid luck. Another one goes for $625k which is almost three times what he should have gone for. This market is insane!”

“I thought we just got a power forward for $1,000,000.” Pio Reina had perfect timing, as he usually does.

Roberto was used to it. “Well, the guard that got away wasn’t going to be here to help us last night. Maybe I can get some help in time for Saturday. Pio, you know what that means, right?”

Pio was ready; he knew what his friend was getting at. “Yeah. I hope the kid improves because we need him. But, I said defense first and I mean it. I know you’re trying to get that guard we need, but if that guard turns out to be a forward, I have to tell you Kops looks like that guard, and Enfes looks like he could be with a bit of work, too.”

Roberto handed three files to Pio. “The first one is the guy that got away this morning. The second one is one I think you’ll like.” Pio read the first file. “I see.” Looking at the second file, Pio was smiling. Then he saw the third file. “Come on, man! He absolutely in no way fits the defense first mentality I want us to get back to.”

“I expected you to say that, and while I agree, even you have to admit we have to be able to put the ball in the basket, and this kid does it better than anyone you or I have ever seen. He’s got the skills you want, has the potential for that positional flexibilty we covet, and consider another point. With Beko, Kops, and Cerri on the court with him we only need him to be playable on defense. He doesn’t have to be the best defender. Or, we can have him on the second unit and get the scoring punch we’ve always wanted to see.”

“Neither addresses Beko’s request.” Pio wasn’t going to give up on that.

“You’re gonna have to give on something. Regardless, we make an expensive acquisition, I’m gonna have to make a corresponding move. That means your current starting center. And we’ll still need to coach guys up. Speaking of coaches, I’ll bet Allnite was chirping earlier when he saw how low the turnovers were yesterday.”

“He was. Byron also reminded me he wants us to get a shot blocker or two.” Pio wanted one also.

“Tell Byron he just has to coach up what he has. Enfes, Beko, and Hatfield all show promise. I’d like to find one at guard also, but this market is crazy as it is.”

Pio thought for a moment. “Go get that guy if you can, the one that had me smiling. That third guy, too. If it means we lose Shooter and MacNeur, I’ll get over it. I want him, Cerri, Kops, Beko and Hatfield on the floor together. We can go short bench, use that for development purposes, and start kicking the crap out some teams.”

Roberto Gurgone checked his computer. “And just that quick, your guy is out of our range. I told you this market was insane. I’ll keep looking, but it looks like there aren’t going to be many chances to add outside help.”

Linndale staff meetings, part 1
Roberto Gurgone led this meeting of the coaching staff, and was straight to the point. “Sell me on your players. If you can’t, they’re probably gone. Pio, you get to name three untouchables, but you have to state the case for each. Air, you have point guards. You will split duties on shooting guards with Marshall. Marshall, you get small forwards, and you’ll split duties on power forwards with Byron. Byron you get centers.” Each of the men nodded. Pio spoke.

“Joy Beko is untouchable. Young, affordable, one of the most talented and versatile players I’ve ever seen. He’s the 2nd best player at both forward spots and center. He’s close enough that he’ll likely overtake the best player we have at small forward by season’s end. The distance between him and third best guy at power forward and center both is considerable. You can play him at either guard spot and do well. Despite being the third best at point and 4th best as shooting guard, he could easily overtake all for the top spot at both spots. We’re talking about a kid who can be the best player at all 5 positions by plenty. His biggest weapon is that versatility right now. This is a guy you build around. The second guy is Cafer Enfes. His youth, versatility, and his higher ceiling than Beko are reasons. I recall we brought him in and told him if he can beat out Kops, and we expected him to, he’d be the starter. Well, he’s at the point where we need to have that conversation. We continue to coach him up, and we have us a stud to play next to Beko at worst, and at best two studs to move all over the court and stymie opponents.”

Roberto asked a simple question. “Who’s the third player?” The easy answer was josh MacNeur, and they all knew it.

Pio continued on. “The easy answer isn’t always the best, or even right answer. I reserve the right, and in fact invoke the right to keep the third spot open. I have reason to think that MacNeur could be the guy or maybe not. Same for Midas Kops. We haven’t seen enough to know about Leandro Leao, but what we’ve seen is promising. Let’s wait and see who makes themselves into that guy. It could be Kops. It could be MacNeur. It could be someone not currently on the roster.”

“That manes sense, but it’s crazy at the same time,” Byron Helm blurted out. Josh is that guy for us right now.”

“Byron,” Pio started, is he that guy, or is he the best guy we have now? Is the best guy we have now going to be the best guy in 2 or 3 seasons? He won’t be the best all around player by season’s end. That’s going to Beko, if it isn’t already.”

Marshall Richards spoke. “Byron, look objectively at the differences between Beko and MacNeur. Now look at the three year difference. Remember who we are. Defense first. No question who the better defender is. The other things are either razor thin advantages for Josh, or can be accounted for by the age difference. Even if Beko doesn’t reach Josh’s skill level in a few of those areas, he’s there or past him in just as many. The kid is the real deal.”

Byron admitted defeat. “OK guys; I surrender. Moving on, Damian Hatfield gives us a big who defend inside and out. He rebounds. The impetus on the bigs right now is only going to benefit him more, and as a result, us. He’s not Beko, nut he could be something of a Beko-lite. Pemwieser is the best shooting big here. Again, our inside focus should benefit him short term.”

Roberto went to the door, and had a brief conversation with his secretary. “No need to discuss MacNeur; same for the small forwards; I think his status is established. Before we go to the guards, Pio and Air, I think you’ll be particularly interested in this acquisition. We have acquired another point guard.”

“He’s another friggin’ rookie! What is this, a day care?!?” Air was not pleased at all.

Last edited by Speedtraps at 1/6/2024 4:33:15 AM

Part 2
“He’s as big as Weinstein and better than both the other rookie point guards already. He’s raw, toolsy, and there’s a chance he moves to the shooting guard spot. We insert him with the bigs for training immediately; I want him to learn to use his size to his advantage.”

“So What I’m hearing is we get to beat guards up some more. Hear that Byron? I told you we’d get more chances to beat those smurfs up!” Marshall was pleased. So was Byron, as evidenced by his smile. A very large smile.

Roberto spoke. “It seems we have a consensus on the status of small forward. So I’m going to make a minor change. Seeing as we’re down to the guards, evaluate Kops as a guard. I like the idea of a two-headed monster at small forward. Enfes and Kops are similar enough defensively that the difference is negligible. Offensively, they are nearly identical. Air, make the case for Kops as a guard. Marshall, make the case for forward. Specifically what do he need to do to excel at that spot.”

Air jumped all over this. “He’s just gotta tighten the handle a bit and make a bit better decisions with the ball. Do that and his turnovers cleanup. His range has to improve; he’s got a pretty jumper, he just needs to increase his range. If his range increases, his efficiency will increase. He’s leaving points on the court at the free throw line. I think it’s why he relies on his jumper. He has to improve his free throw shooting and get more aggressive. I think the free throw issue is why he isn’t as aggressive attacking the rim. Even when you see the kid’s talent and recognize his potential, he’s sneaky good. He’s the kind of guy that other teams are going to forget about because we will have bigger threats, but he’s going to absolutely wreck teams. He’s going to become a matchup nightmare.”

Marshall was a little disgusted. He was about to agree with Air. You could literally see it on his face. Roberto saw it. “Marshall, you ok?” Marshall cleared his throat and took a drink of water. “I’m ok; must have been something I ate not agreeing with me.” Never one to accept a win with grace, Air retorted. “That must be the crow I just force fed you, son.” Without missing a beat, Marshall replied. “Air, if memory serves, that delivery was for you.” [Editor’s note: for those of you who weren’t around, see the Season 60 thread. This is a call back to when Linndale got into the playoffs and someone had to eat crow.]

Marshall continued. “I hate agreeing with him, but everything Air said was dead on. To be the best small forward he can be, we want him to make those same improvements. We also want to see him get more aggressive inside, both offensively and defensively. That includes on the boards. He has the talent. We just have to unlock it. Not much to say there, so I’m just gonna get to Shooter. He has no inside game whatsoever. He’s a guard. Not a true point guard, but he can play there. He’s a Rod Guyton point guard.”

Air interrupted. “My colleague forgets Guyton was not a point guard.”

Marshall coldly replied, “While my colleague argues, the fact remains he was the starting point guard on a team that quite literally made him eat crow, and I will forever be in debt to Mr. Guyton for his contributions to that effort. Now, back to Shooter. His defense is improving. The guy can shoot it. Build around him? No, but if we were a playoff team seeking scoring, he’s a guy we’d go after. Put him out there with Enfes and Kops? I wouldn’t want to have to try and guard that. He’s tremendous getting to the basket and a proficient enough passer to get the ball to the open man. Those three on the court together could prove deadly. Add Beko and MacNeur? That’s going to be a problem for the rest of the league.”

Part 3
Pio sat quietly and listened intently. Roberto noted that. “Air, your floor. Point guards.”

“I see Tovar as a point; we’ve already discussed him. Weinstein is a developmental project who likely slides in at small forward. Probably as a bench piece long term if he sticks; he's a project. Gets to the basket, strong passing skills, strong in the paint on defense. Plus, you can’t teach being 6 feet 6 inches. Jimenez has a far better inside game than Tovar. He shows strong skills driving to the rim and finding the open man. He also shows up with his perimeter defense. Definitely a point guard in there, but very raw. The new rookie, his defense plays right now as a backup point guard. He can get to the rim. He’s also very raw. He’s also 6 feet 6 inches, so you might see him develop the versatility you like. Start trying to get him ready now and watch it pay off next season. Ball skills and shooting need work. The other new guy, Leao, his inside game is trash. A pure drive and dish point, can defend, and can shoot some, but lacks range. He gives you the option to start him at point or back up the position. He is playable, but still raw. Long term, point guard appears to be in solid hands. Now Cerri, he’s interesting. Can get to the rim with ease and finish. Can’t shoot from the outside. Not gonna scare you at the free throw stripe, but can handle, drive and dish it. If he ever gets any range, it wouldn’t be a question of who’s the guy. His defense is tremendous on the perimeter. Overall, he still has room to grow. He’s not the long term guy, I don’t think, but he’s not easily replaced.”

Roberto spoke. “I want a consensus best offensive 5, and best defensive 5. Pio, you sit this out. I want to see what they think.” Pio smiled. He liked where this was going. After a few minutes of sometimes heated discussion, the three assistant coaches were ready. “Best 5 on offense would be MacNeur, Pemwieser, Kops, Enfes, and Cerri.” Air explained. “Pemwieser is weak passing; that's his weakness offensively. The others can cover for that, except for Enfes. While that’s his biggest weakness, he’s too good to keep off the floor. Enfes, Kops, and Pemwieser can provide shooting. All 5 can attack the rim. The big weakness as a group is free throw shooting. Tovar can’t shoot all the free throws; so one of his strengths is minimized in that regard.” Air sat down.

Byron took over. “The 5 best on defense starts with Beko. Add Enfes and Kops, Hatfield, and Cerri. You want perimeter defense? The weakest of the bunch on the perimeter is a prominent defender. The second weakest is prolific. Neither of those guys is a 7 footer. Want to bang inside? You’ll have a better shot at that, but that doesn’t make it easy, plus the argument can be made that Cerri could be replaced by Uzek on defense. The difference between them on the perimeter defensively is erased when you compare them defensively on the inside. There’s also the promise of shot blocking from Uzek, Hatfield, and Enfes. The rebounding could be better; Beko is a beast there, and Hatfield and Enfes are not bad either.”

“Gentlemen, you’ve given me much to consider. Pio, we have more to discuss.”

“Agreed,” Pio replied as both men went to Roberto’s office.

“Marshall,” Air asked, “what was that in there?”

“Someone was looking for information. I’m not sure who was looking for what.” Marshall wondered about that too.

“I have a few ideas about that,” replied Byron. “Let's go grab a bite and continue this.”

Air cackled, “It's almost like you respect my thoughts. What’s this warm feeling I’m having? I don’t like it.”

Marshall, rarely passing a chance to stick it to Air, whiffed. Byron didn’t.

“Marshall, you drive; that man is not getting in my car after pissing himself.” Both erupted in laughter.

“Oh, that’s right; I friggin’ hate you guys” Air mumbled.

San Dominica Huddle Coach Stephenson miced up

Coach Stephenson:
If you thought coming to this bench with a four point lead was gonna stop me from unloading on y’all. Y’all were dead wrong! (points to the other team bench) They’ve come to play. I know you thought our size advantage was gonna make this a cake walk. Well you were wrong. D-Up! We’re giving them easy points. This is our house! Our house! Now you go out there this quarter and defend it!

(zips back to Samantha Walsh)

Sam Walsh:
Guys Coach Stephenson was not happy with his team when they came to bench at the end of the first quarter. Both he and Gordo Long were letting the players have it. He told me just as the quarter began that his team was playing too lax and too hesitant and probably were a little shell shocked from that early barrage of three points. Back to you guys!

Charles:
Yeah from what we heard, no Stephenson is not happy at all. He probably still not happy as the Warriors are now up 44-32

Last edited by Coach Stephenson at 1/6/2024 8:34:41 PM