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Congrats to Troy Men's Hoops...

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For being the first administrator of an upset in the 2008 SBC Tournament…they took out ULL last night by 10 @ the Cajun's house…

Now, if we can just get UNT to do this to WKU, i think we are in business!
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Re: Congrats to Troy Men's Hoops...

The Caguns are crying …

SunBelt Basketball Tourney First Round: Troy pulls stunning upset over Cajuns

Joshua Parrott
[email protected]


As the final seconds ticked off the clock, the tears streaming down La’Ryan Gary’s face said it all as he walked off the basketball court.

Shock.

Frustration.

Disappointment.

Four days after No. 5 seed UL claimed a share of the Sun Belt Conference West Division title, No. 12 Troy stunned the Ragin’ Cajuns, 70-60, on Wednesday night at the Cajundome in the first round of the league’s conference tournament.

Overcoming a nine-point halftime deficit, the Trojans (12-18 overall) moved on to play No. 4 Middle Tennessee State, a 74-69 winner Wednesday over No. 13 UL Monroe, in a quarterfinal game at 3 p.m. Sunday at Mitchell Center in Mobile, Ala.

Troy coach Don Maestri, who spread the floor instead of running and gunning offensively, called the win one of the biggest in program history.

“The kids won this basketball game,” said Maestri, whose Trojans finished last this season in the SBC East Division. “They could have folded it in because they’d had a disappointing and frustrating year.”

It was a disappointing and frustrating end of the season for UL (15-15). On Jan. 27, the Cajuns rolled past Troy, 87-66, in their best offensive performance of the season.

In the second half of the rematch, the Cajuns shot 38.5 percent and committed eight turnovers. Troy responded with 63.6 percent shooting and three turnovers over the same stretch to pull the shocker.

UL, which out-rebounded Troy by nine, had won five of its previous six games.

“It hurts,” Gary said of the loss. “Even though it’s my first year, I don’t like to lose, especially going out like that.”

Chris Gradnigo led the Cajuns with a game-high 20 points on 8-of-15 shooting. Randell Daigle chipped in 16 points, and Gary added 11 as the nation’s third-youngest team shot 42.9 percent against Troy’s 2-3 zone.

O’Darien Bassett and Jerome Odem led Troy with 16 points apiece. Justin Jonus added 14, while Michael Vogler had 13 as the Trojans shot 54.8 percent from the floor and made 18-of-22 free throws.

When Troy players drove to the basket, they made a shot in the lane or kicked it out for an open look.

“We just couldn’t contain Bassett or their guys off the dribble,” UL coach Robert Lee said. “We gave up too much dribble penetration.”
In contrast, UL made only 4-of-6 at the line.

“It hurts, but what hurts even more is that we lost at home,” Daigle said. “We weren’t supposed to lose this game at all.”

Troy, which entered the night averaging 11 made 3s and nearly 80 points per game, slowed it down and showed patience in the first half. But that was not enough to slow the Cajuns, who took a 35-26 halftime lead behind Gradnigo’s 11 points.

In the second half, Troy whittled it to a one-point game before Justin Jonus’ 3 and
Jerome Odem’s dunk gave the Trojans a 47-43 lead with 10:14 left.

“They just hit a lot of big shots,” Daigle said. “They hit shots with people in their faces.”

UL never recovered.

“I missed a couple of easy shots early on,” said Bassett, a second-team all-conference pick. “We just hit some important shots when we needed them.”

On the other end, UL did not. Now the Cajuns are left to wonder what if until next season.

“This should help us to come closer as a team,” Gradnigo said. “We have to find a way to get better and not lose in the first round next year.”

Do you believe in miracles? Yes!

March 05, 2008
Drew Champlin
Dothan Eagle
OK, ok, that’s not what voice of the Trojans Barry McKnight said at the closing seconds of Troy’s 70-60 win at UL-Lafayette, but the classic line at the end of the USA’s hockey win over the Soviets in the 1980 Olympics was what first came to my mind.

Troy, the No. 12 seed, plays 7 guys the entire game, all of whom are 6-foot-6 or shorter and weigh 200 pounds or less (except for Justin Jonus, I think he’s around 210-220, but he’s no bruiser down low). One of the 7 played just 1 minute. Troy slowed it down and played exactly the opposite of how they had been for the entire season, so if you think Don Maestri and crew were just content to let the season play out, think again. He had some magic in him for a night. Jonus, Mike Vogler and Jerome Odem, who scored all 16 of his points in the second half, played all 40 minutes. Troy was down 35-26 at the half.

Too bad I wasn’t there, but I will be Sunday when Troy plays No. 4-seed Middle Tennessee at 3 p.m. in Mobile.

It didn’t stop there. The Troy women beat No. 6-seed UL-Monroe 66-65 on a shot by Kylie Morrissy with four seconds left and will play MTSU at 9 p.m. Saturday. Unfortunately I won’t be there for that as our paper’s deadline on the weekend will be earlier than the game ends until they get the press machine fixed downstairs. Troy has lost a ton of close games this year both men and women, but the Trojans gutted them out tonight.



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Re: Congrats to Troy Men's Hoops...

Ive never thought of Troy as a "bad team"…i do, however (and BMarkey please don't shoot me for saying this) think Don M. is a bad coach…or at least brinking on the definition of insanity:

"Attempting the same behavior repreatedly expecting a different outcome".

Even a blind man can see that the run and gun, full court press is NOT working…

Rewrite the offense…run a half court defense…and they will win double the amount of ball games next year…
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Re: Congrats to Troy Men's Hoops...

Congrats to Troy Men's Hoops...

Don Maestri is a wonderful guy. He personally meets with the Greeks and other campus organizations to get themn to games. He meets with fans after games - even away games (sat with us in Orlando after UCF games) - and answers questions and seeks out comments.

His players love him and he has roots deep with some legendary coaches. He is a loyal Trojan, having been at Troy for some 20-plus years. And his long-timer assistant is well received as well. Maestri was in the running for some larger position a year or two ago.

He loves the run and gun and three-point game and it works great sometimes. Troy had back-to-back NCAA and NIT bids a few years ago. But it has not proved successful in the SunBelt.

Maestri has been unable to get the real big man, and has relied on too many juco players, but maybe that was all he could get, given the state of facilities. So he went for the fast game and long ball, always knowing his team would be out-rebounded.

Trojan Arena was much like FAU Arena before FAU spruced up in Boca. It was renovated 10 or so years ago, but is not I-A quality and apparently does not draw recruits. Many people believe the team will never get over the hump without a new facility. That is coming in a few years. Officials are now meeting with architects to set up the design and site plan.

Troy has spent heavily on all other sports (baseball and football facilities lead the SunBelt, soccer and softball have nice new stadiums, and there is a golf course on campus) and I hope basketball gets its turn next.

Maestri deserves a chance to give it a try with a facility comparable to those of winning 'Belt teams.

Troy reportedly has some nice recruits and a big SEC transfer coming in for 2009. The team should be much improved.

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Re: Congrats to Troy Men's Hoops...

Who's the transfer??
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Re: Congrats to Troy Men's Hoops...

Richard Delk transfers to Troy
Wednesday, July 11, 2007

Former Jackson (Miss.) North Side High School basketball star Richard Delk has transferred from Mississippi State to play basketball at Troy University.

Delk told The Jackson Sun he signed with the Sun Belt Conference school “a few weeks ago” but waited until this week to make a public announcement.

Delk left Mississippi State in April along with his twin brother, Reginald, who transferred to Louisville.

“This is a fresh start and a new beginning,” Delk told the newspaper. “I’m excited about it.”

The 6-foot-4 point guard will have two years of eligibility after sitting out the 2007-08 season per NCAA rules. He started 40 of 56 games in two years for Mississippi State and averaged 5.7 points per game in 33 starts last season.

Here are some other recruits, the top two of whom are playing now:

Mike Vogler (chipola jc) PG, will be a Soph, 6'0 - 106 lbs
Tom Jervis (BSCC) C, will be a Jr, 7'0 - 220
Richard Delk (Miss St) PG, will be a Junior (must sit out a year) 6'4 - 175
Kyle Greenwood (Austin Peay) SF/PF, Will be a Soph (must sit out a year) 6'7 - 225
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Re: Congrats to Troy Men's Hoops...

cool!

i dont rmemeber seeing the 7-0'…he must not travel with the team…
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Re: Congrats to Troy Men's Hoops...

Troy pulls a rabbit out of a hat to win tourney opener

By Drew Champlin
Friday, Mar 07, 2008 - 06:00 AM Updated: 12:43 PM

With the season one loss away from being over, Troy coaches Don Maestri and David Felix decided to turn the clock back a few years.

In 1999, the Trojans lost to Samford by a wide margin, but changed their whole game plan just for the rematch a couple of games later. The run-and-gun Trojans became slow, small and dull, playing five guards and draining every possible second off the shot clock before forcing up a shot.

That time, Samford won in the last minute.

So Maestri and Felix decided after a 23-point loss at Middle Tennessee to end the regular season that they would bring that style back.

The intent was to play five guards — Brandon Hazzard, Jerome Odem, Justin Jonus, O’Darien Bassett and Mike Vogler — and play them the whole game.

“We had done it once in 26 years,” Maestri said. “We got them back into practice Sunday and told them this was what we were going to do. It meant some guys who had played a lot would not play.”

And it worked. Troy, the No. 12 seed in the Sun Belt Tournament, won its quarterfinal game on the road at fifth-seeded Louisiana-Lafayette 70-60 and will play Middle Tennessee Sunday at 3 p.m. at the Mitchell Center in Mobile.

The plan was kept secret until the game started. Troy coaches turned in the starting lineup of five guards, and when a ULL assistant saw that, he ran to the locker room and ran right back out to try to change the lineup to get 6-foot-9 center Abray Milson out, but couldn’t.

Milson started, played two minutes, and didn’t play again.

Even Barry McKnight, the radio voice of the Trojans, didn’t know anything about it until the Wednesday afternoon shootaround.

“When they told me, I thought I was going to have to prick my finger and we would become blood brothers,” McKnight said. “It was critical that it was kept secret.”

Jarvis Acker, Tom Jervis and Trayce Macon had played in almost every game this season, but not against ULL. Soon after the game started, the boos came out since the pace was so slow.

“We had prepared for that,” Maestri said. “I had my wife and son and the guys on the bench sitting in the stands during practice booing.”

Maestri found tape from that 1999 game with Samford and showed the team eight successful plays from each half to show how the offense could work.

It did, as Troy erased a 9-point halftime deficit while still playing the same style of game. Vogler, Jonus and Odem played all 40 minutes. Bassett played 39 and Mario Telfair, a 6-foot-6, 190-pound forward, played the final 22 minutes after Hazzard twisted his ankle.

Telfair wasn’t even in the game plan, but scored six points with five rebounds. Odem and Bassett led the way with 16 points, Jonus scored 14 and Vogler 13.

“The players really believed that it would work,” Maestri said. “Without them, it wouldn’t have happened. The coaches shouldn’t have the credit because this is a very difficult way to win a game.”

Maestri told Acker, who has been with the program longer than any current player, that he likely wouldn’t play in what could have been his final game.

“I told Jarvis the day before the game that we may be able to give you the thrill of a lifetime,” Maestri said. “He told the team before the game, ‘I want that thrill. I want to go to Mobile.’”

Now, the Trojans are on their way.

Ticket information: Tickets for Troy’s men and women’s programs are on sale in the Troy ticket office. The Trojan women play Middle Tennessee Saturday at 9 p.m.

The toll-free Trojan ticket number is 1-877-878-WINS.
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Re: Congrats to Troy Men's Hoops...

BMarkey said

Troy pulls a rabbit out of a hat to win tourney opener

didn't i just present this up top? ;)

Now, if he sticks with it, i think there is some success coming…

Not the five guard thing, but a different approach entirely…
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Re: Congrats to Troy Men's Hoops...

'Just a different look at the surprise win.
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