Hardwood - Discussion Forum: Hardwoods greatest teams

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Post ID	Date & Time	Game Date

#19558	01/18/2023 6:04:12 pm	Jan 19th, 2030
kauffdaddy Joined: 11/30/2020 Posts: 693 Inactive	SIOUX FALLS, 2026 President: stlouis40 Overall record: 46-4 (.920) RPI: .625 Average point differential: +27.3 Conference: II.1 Conference record: 28-2 Conference tournament finish: Finals National tournament finish: Finals In my opinion, in the 14 full Hardwood years since stlouis40 took over the Cougars in 2016, no president has been better. Sioux Falls was a Division 3 program coming off four consecutive losing seasons (one of them a 6-35 dumpster fire) when stlouis40 took control. Since then, the Cougars have won six conference regular-season titles and five conference tournament titles, promoted from Division 3 to LL2 over four straight seasons, and went from LL3 to Legends in two consecutive seasons. They swept Legends regular-season and tournament titles in 2027 and 2028. They racked up nine seasons with at least 33 wins. And they are rolling again in II.1 in 2030, with a 24-4 overall record and 14-4 conference record (tied for first) in league play, ranked ninth in the Division 1 Top 25. Statistically, the 2026 squad is the best of the bunch, winning seven more games than any other Sioux Falls unit with an RPI .007 higher than the next-best team (2027) and a scoring margin 2.7 points higher than the next-best squad (also 2027). The Final Four run also was two rounds further than any previous national tournament. The Cougars blitzed teams on offense to the tune of 102.7 points per game and 1.09 points per possession on 52.4% shooting, including 37.0% from deep making 9.4 3s a game, and a 58.9% eFGP. They made 5.3 more free throws per game than opponents and outscored them by 14.4 points in the paint, netting 44.4 points per game inside. On the defensive end, Sioux Falls held opponents to 0.82 points per possession on 43.2% shooting and a 49.1% eFGP. The Cougars enjoyed a +7.4 rebounding advantage and forced 19.5 turnovers a game, including a very good 11.3 steals, with a +7.6 turnover margin. Six regulars, including the five starters, scored at least 10.9 points per game, and the seventh man wasn't far behind at 9.4 points. Senior 6-5 wing Bill Herbert, a two-star recruit, stepped into a starting role for the first time and closed his career with an all-tournament honor. He led the team at 17.0 points per game on 45.3%/35.0%/72.8% shooting, making 2.9 3s a game, and added 1.9 steals with a 38.4% OFG on defense. Senior 7-foot center Sid Kelley, another two-star recruit who was a prolific four-year starter, a two-time all-conference honoree and an all-tournament selection this year, averaged 16.6 points on 66.3% shooting, 11.4 rebounds, 1.6 steals and 1.5 blocks with a superb 45.0% OFG on defense. I can't believe he didn't get a pro shot. Senior 6-7 small forward Sammie David capped his own prolific career as a four-year starter with his third straight all-conference honor, averaging 17.8 points on 49.8%/39.0%/85.4% shooting making 2.4 3s a game, 6.3 rebounds and 1.8 steals with good defense. He also didn't get a pro look. Sophomore 6-11 big man Kurt Butler, a four-star recruit who started each of his 170 career college games, averaged 15.6 points on 59.8%/43.1%/78.8% shooting, making 22 of 51 from deep on the year, and added 9.4 rebounds, 1.6 blocks and 1.3 steals. He earned all-conference honors two years later, then was drafted by Brooklyn and is in his second pro season as a very good starter, averaging 16.7 points on 56.5%/39.8%/87.5% splits, 9.7 rebounds and 1.9 blocks. Junior combo guard Brad Schafer came off the bench and averaged 11.1 points on 49.5%/36.1%/84.1% shooting, 3.8 assists and 1.3 steals with a very good 36.4% OFG on defense in 21.0 minutes per game. He started at point guard as a senior and averaged 15.7 points, 8.4 assists and 1.9 steals. Senior point guard Khalil Murphy, a four-year starter, earned all-conference honors for the first time, averaging 10.9 points on 51.7% shooting (he was a mediocre 31.0% from deep but didn't take many), 9.5 assists and 1.7 steals with a 38.9% OFG on defense. Sophomore power forward Dwayne Rush averaged 9.4 points on 51.9%/38.1%/84.1% shooting, making 16 of 42 from deep, and added 5.8 rebounds in 21.8 minutes per game. He started in his final two season, earning all-conference honors as a senior when he averaged 15.1 points and 9.6 rebounds. So many of these guys were four-year starting studs that I got curious and checked their rankings in the team career records. David is the program's No. 1 all-time scorer (3,088 points), Kelley ranks third (2,885) and Butler stands fifth (2,601). Kelley ranks third in rebounds (1,678) and Butler is fifth (1,615). Murphy is the program leader in assists (1,350). David ranks No. 1 in steals (393), Murphy is third (252) and Kelley is fourth (249). Butler ranks third in blocks (266) and Kelley is fifth (242). David is No. 1 in 3-pointers (435) and Herbert is ninth (238). Kelley is third in Game MVPs (53), Butler is fifth (31) and David is sixth (28).

#19561	01/18/2023 7:23:49 pm	Jan 19th, 2030
gards710 Joined: 05/17/2020 Posts: 441 Dominican Univ. of California Penguins I.1	AHHHH YEAHHH I THINK I KNOW WHO'S NEXT!!! EDIT: And that would be 2026 Central Washington. AND THEN. EDIT AGAIN: Kauffdaddy is probably going to make me wait in anticipation because 3 other teams qualify in 2027 (Central Washington AGAIN, Cal Tech, and Southern). Updated Wednesday, January 18 2023 @ 7:25:16 pm PST Updated Wednesday, January 18 2023 @ 7:30:12 pm PST

#19563	01/18/2023 10:36:18 pm	Jan 19th, 2030
stlouis40 Joined: 11/25/2020 Posts: 11 Sioux Falls Cougars II.2	Thanks for the write up on Sioux Falls Kauffdaddy! These are fun to read.

#19564	01/19/2023 4:17:54 am	Jan 19th, 2030
kauffdaddy Joined: 11/30/2020 Posts: 693 Inactive	I'm doing the writeups in order of year, then league level from Legends to LL4. So yes, Gards, you are "on deck" behind Central Washington. As much as I want to do a full "gag" writeup, I'll probably keep it serious.

#19565	01/19/2023 3:21:54 pm	Jan 24th, 2030
kauffdaddy Joined: 11/30/2020 Posts: 693 Inactive	CENTRAL WASHINGTON, 2026 President: regina21 Overall record: 45-3 (.938) RPI: .614 Average point differential: +25.6 Conference: IV.7 Conference record: 29-1 Conference tournament finish: Champion National tournament finish: Elite Eight And to think the Wildcats were just getting warmed up. Wait until we get to the 2027 version. After a mediocre first nine years in Division 3, Central Washington was starting to heat up as regina21 took over the program in 2012. Under computer control, the Wildcats had a three-year stretch from 2009 to 2011 in which they went 100-36 overall and 68-22 in conference play, promoting from Division 3 to Division 1. Under new leadership, they kept rising. They won 35-plus games in 2014, 2016 and 2019, and 30-plus in 2018. From 2018 to 2021, Central Washington promoted three times, rising from Division 2 to LL2. A couple lean years dropped the Wildcats back to LL4 before the 2026 season, but that was the calm before the storm of three straight conference regular-season championships, a national title (2027), two other Elite Eight appearances and a 159-27 record from 2026 to 2029 (including a ridiculous 91-5 in 2026 and 2027). The 2027 squad was the peak, and we will get to that year soon, but the 2026 unit (obviously with overlapping pieces) was pretty fantastic itself. Offensively, the Wildcats averaged 1.08 points per possession on 52.1% shooting, including 38.7% from deep making 7.8 3s a game, with a 58.1% eFGP. They outscored opponents by a whopping 16.4 points in the paint, and that inside strength also led to them making 5.6 more free throws per game than opponents. Defensively, they held opponents to 0.81 points per possession on 42.6% shooting and a 48.4% eFGP, with a +5.5 rebounding edge. They forced 18.7 turnovers per game, including 10.4 steals, with a +7.8 turnover ratio. The starters each averaged at least 13.2 points per game, with two key reserves checking in at 9.0 and 7.5 points per game. Redshirt freshman point guard Zion Langston, a five-star recruit ranked No. 3 nationally in high school, earned all-tournament honors and led the Wildcats at 19.0 points per game on insane 51.3%/43.6%/90.6% shooting, making 2.3 3s a game. He added 7.8 assists and 2.1 steals. This was the start of a prolific college career in which he was a three-time all-conference honoree, the 2027 player of the national tournament and an LL2 conference player of the year in 2028. Junior 6-6 wing Arnie Giles, another five-star recruit, averaged 15.3 points on 46.1%/39.8%/84.5% shooting, making 2.0 3s per game, and added 4.2 assists with a very good 36.4% OFG on defense. Junior 6-6 small forward Dean Stein earned the first of his two all-conference honors, averaging 14.5 points on 49.5%/39.6%/84.0% shooting, making 2.0 3s a game. He added 6.4 rebounds and 1.9 steals. Senior power forward Curtis Mann stepped into a starting role for the first time and averaged 13.8 points on 56.5% shooting and 7.1 rebounds. Sophomore center D'Andre Webb earned the first of two All-American honors, averaging 13.2 points on 61.8% shooting, 9.3 rebounds and a superb 43.2% OFG on defense.

#19571	01/20/2023 12:52:49 pm	Jan 26th, 2030
kauffdaddy Joined: 11/30/2020 Posts: 693 Inactive	DOMINICAN-CALIFORNIA, 2027 President: gards710 Overall record: 43-4 (.915) RPI: .621 Average point differential: +23.8 Conference: II.2 Conference record: 28-2 Conference tournament finish: Quarterfinals National tournament finish: Final Four Garbage team. No postseason trophy. Didn't even make the conference tournament semifinals, playing dreadfully in overtime of a 13-point loss to a University of New England team it beat twice in the regular season. Got completely embarassed in a 32-point loss to Central Washington (a truly great team, unlike these chump Penguins) in the national semifinals. Their president has been a charade for years now, fooling everyone into believing he's great at this game when he hasn't a sniff of a clue. I don't even know why I'm bothering. (That's the best I got, Gards. Good enough? And now for the real writeup ...) The Penguins were a bot team for the vast majority of the game's first 12 years, and aside from a three-year stretch from 2004 to 2006 in which they won 30-plus games each year and promoted from Division III (in which they reached the Final Four in 2004) all the way to LL3, they were pretty bot-like. Then gards took over in 2013, and they haven't had a losing season since, winning 20-plus game each year, 30-plus games seven times and 40-plus twice -- the Division 2 championship season in 2018 when they finished 42-6, and this year. As of this writing, Gards' record with Dominican-California is 363-177. The 2027 squad played at a relatively slow pace, scoring "only" 90.8 points per game, but did so with tremendous efficiency, scoring 1.08 points per possession on 52.5% shooting, including a superb 40.6% from deep making 9.4 3s a game, with an excellent 60.2% eFGP. They outscored teams by 10.2 points on 3-pointers, by 9.2 points in the paint and by 6.3 points at the foul line, a tough balance of perimeter and inside strength. Defensively, they held opponents to 0.83 points per possession on 44.2% shooting and a 49.5% eFGP, outrebounded them by 7.7 boards a contest and forced 17.7 turnovers per game, including 10.7 steals, though their turnover margin was only a modest +3.3. The Penguins surrounded one megastar with eight strong roleplayers, seven of whom averaged between 9.2 and 13.6 points per game. The megastar was senior 6-7 small forward Marcus Choate, who was the No. 3 national recruit coming out of high school, and whose list of college accolades is incredible: A three time all-conference and All-American honoree and two-time national player of the year, who also was the conference and tournament player of the year in 2027. He averaged 22.6 points on amazing 55.7%/49.2%/82.9% shooting, making 3.8 3s a game, which pretty easily makes him the most fearsome shooter I have profiled in this series. He added 8.4 rebounds (a ton for an SF) and 2.3 steals with a 39.4% OFG on defense. He was drafted third overall by Brooklyn and is in his third pro season playing at an all-star level, averaging 19.6 points on 54.4%/42.8%/83.8% shooting and 11.5 rebounds. Senior 6-11 big man Elwood Day, a load at 260 pounds, averaged 13.6 points on 58.3% shooting (and 90.6% from the foul line), 6.4 rebounds and 1.6 blocks with an incredible 35.7% OFG on defense (I haven't seen a post player with a lower number). The two-star recruit was drafted by Washington and is in his third pro season as a very good starter, averaging 14.7 points on 56.1% shooting, 10.1 rebounds and 1.8 blocks. Senior shooting guard Thomas Dawson averaged 10.5 points on 44.3%/36.6%/83.0% shooting and 3.0 assists. A two-star recruit, he was unspectacular but steady in his only season as a starter. Junior 7-footer Benjamin Granados averaged 9.9 points on 59.2% shooting and 6.4 rebounds with a 45.4% OFG on defense. Redshirt freshman 6-6 wing Marc Eldrige came off the bench and averaged 9.7 points on 51.3%/37.6%/73.0% shooting. He started his final three seasons and is averaging 16.1 points as a senior this year. Junior point guard Conner Pillar rounded out the starting five and averaged 9.5 points on excellent 49.2%/40.5%/79.6% shooting, 5.2 assists and 1.5 steals. Sophomore 6-7 power forward Booker Calloway averaged 9.2 points on 51.5% shooting and 6.1 rebounds in 24.5 minutes off the bench. He started the next two years, averaging 11.0 points and 8.0 rebounds as a senior, then was drafted by Memphis and is averaging 7.6 points and 6.6 rebounds in 21.5 minutes as a rookie.

#19572	01/20/2023 1:57:27 pm	Jan 26th, 2030
gards710 Joined: 05/17/2020 Posts: 441 Dominican Univ. of California Penguins I.1	YOU ARE SO BEAUTIFUL TO MEEE ok carry on now we can get to the champs, Central Washington, and the excellent 2027 seasons by Cal Tech and Southern! Awesome stuff, kauff. (haha, I thought you would include how in 2018 when I would beat Maryland, I would apologize to you) Updated Friday, January 20 2023 @ 2:05:27 pm PST

#19580	01/22/2023 10:58:35 am	Feb 2nd, 2030
kauffdaddy Joined: 11/30/2020 Posts: 693 Inactive	CENTRAL WASHINGTON, 2027 President: regina21 Overall record: 46-2 (.958) RPI: .627 Average point differential: +30.8 Conference: III.4 Conference record: 29-1 Conference tournament finish: Quarterfinals National tournament finish: Champion I detailed the rise of the Wildcats in the 2026 writeup, so we're going to get right to the 2027 specifics. The 2027 Wildcats finished the season with the highest point differential in the history of Hardwood Division 1. They are one of six teams to finish with only two losses, the Division 1 record for fewest defeats in a season (unfortunately, one of those came in a conference tournament upset). My personal opinion (which others can of course disagree with) is that the two best teams in Hardwood history are 2017 Azusa Pacific and this Central Washington squad. Offensively, the Wildcats scored 97.1 points per game and an insane 1.14 points per possession (the highest number I have seen) on 54.1% shooting, including 40.7% from deep making 8.4 3s a game, with a 60.6% eFGP (also the highest figure I have seen). I'll write it again: Their team shooting splits were 54.1%/40.7%/82.9% ... that's downright silly. They outscored teams in the paint by 15.6 points, in transition by 7.2 points and at the foul line by 8.6 points. They were nearly as good defensively, holding opponents to 0.79 points per possession on 42.6% shooting and a 48.5% eFGP. They had a +6.4 rebounding edge and forced 19.5 turnovers a game, including an elite 11.9 steals, with an +8.7 turnover margin. Junior point guard Zion Langston earned all-conference and national tournament MVP honors, averaging 23.0 points on absurd 53.9%/46.5%/96.1% shooting (seriously, stop it), making 3.1 3s a game. He added 8.4 assists and 2.2 steals per game. He would add two more all-conference honors, including a player of the year nod as a junior, and averaged 30.5 points as a senior (on 54.7%/46.0%/89.3% shooting, making 4.1 3s a game ... video game-like). He was drafted third overall by Phoenix and is averaging 15.2 points (on 44.6%/38.0%/90.0%) and 5.5 assists in 25.5 minutes per game (he came off the bench for half of his games, because the Suns are a bunch of morons). Senior forward Dean Stein, who alternated between the small and power spots, earned all-conference and all-tournament honors, averaging 18.7 points on 59.8%/40.7%/90.4% shooting, making 57 of 140 attempts from deep, along with 8.3 rebounds and 2.0 steals. He was drafted by Denver and in three pro seasons as a starter has averaged 17.4 points on 50.5%/36.4%/89.2% shooting and 8.6 rebounds. Junior center D'Andre Webb earned his second straight All-American honor, averaging 14.5 points on 61.4% shooting, 9.1 rebounds, 1.6 blocks and 1.5 steals with a fantastic 39.8% OFG on defense. He somehow didn't get drafted, you know, because two-time All-Americans suck and all that. Senior wing Arnie Giles earned all-tournament honors and averaged 13.9 points on average shooting splits, 4.3 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.5 blocks with a 40.2% OFG on defense. He was drafted by Philadelphia and has been mostly a bench player in his three seasons, averaging 9.0 points and 5.0 rebounds in 24.1 minutes. (He was a five-star recruit, and to be honest he's probably been a bit of a disappointment individually.) Sophomore 6-11 big man Alvin Wilcox stepped into a starting role and averaged 11.1 points on 62.4% shooting, 8.0 rebounds, 1.6 steals and 1.4 blocks with a fantastic 38.2% OFG on defense. He earned All-American honors as a junior and was drafted by Denver in 2029. He is averaging 12.2 points, 11.2 rebounds and 2.1 blocks as a starter in his rookie season. Junior guard Jimmy Heard was the team's sixth man, averaging 9.7 points on 48.2%/38.2%/75.0% shooting, 4.2 assists and 1.7 steals with a very good 37.3% OFG on defense.

#19582	01/24/2023 9:28:26 am	Feb 7th, 2030
kauffdaddy Joined: 11/30/2020 Posts: 693 Inactive	CAL TECH, 2027 President: beaver21 Overall record: 40-6 (.870) RPI: .617 Average point differential: +21.2 Conference: III.2 Conference record: 25-5 Conference tournament finish: Champion National tournament finish: Second Round This is the second appearance by the Beavers, the first coming in 2022. In the 2026 season, Cal Tech went 31-12 overall and won the IV.3 regular-season title with a 23-7 record, setting the stage for 2027. Offensively, the Beavers averaged 1.05 points per possession on 52.0% shooting, including a solid 37.0% from deep making seven 3s a game, and a 57.2% eFGP. They crushed opponents inside, scoring 45.1 points in the paint for a +16.6 advantage, and were also good in transition, scoring 14.1 fast-break points with a +6.5 margin. Defensively, they held opponents to 0.84 points per possession on 43.1% shooting and a 48.8% eFGP, outrebounded them by 7.5 boards per game and forced 17.2 turnovers with a +4.7 turnover ratio. The Beavers basically went seven-deep, with the top six each averaging at least 11.3 points per game, as they spread the scoring around. Senior 6-11 center Will Hagen led the way, averaging 15.3 points on 65.7% shooting, 9.7 rebounds and 1.5 blocks with a 45.2% OFG on defense. Junior power forward Tom Watkins ended his career as a two-time all-conference honoree (as a sophomore and senior). In 2027, he averaged 15.3 points on 54.7% shooting, including 41.3% from deep (26-for-63), 10.3 rebounds and 1.4 steals with a 44.7% OFG on defense. Senior point guard Jacob Kenny averaged 14.6 points on 50.1%/44.7%/66.3% shooting (he should have shot more from deep, as he only made 1.4 3s a game), 5.0 assists and 1.7 steals with a 39.5% OFG on defense. Junior shooting guard Arnie Berger was the top talent on the squad, a five-star recruit who earned all-conference honors in 2028. In 2027, he averaged 13.7 points on 46.3%/36.0%/69.2% shooting and 4.9 assists with a 40.4% OFG on defense. He was drafted by Utah and hasn't gotten many minutes in his first two pro seasons, averaging five points and three assists. Senior 6-5 guard Leonardo Olivaros only started 11 of 150 career games but was quite effective as a sixth man playing near-starter's minutes (25.6). He averaged 11.9 points on 47.5%/32.1%/80.6% shooting and 5.2 assists with a 38.7% OFG on defense. Senior 6-9 small forward Vincent Adams averaged 11.3 points on 47.1%/38.3%/85.7% shooting, 4.2 rebounds and 1.9 steals with a 39.0% OFG on defense. He was drafted by Chicago and has been largely glued to the bench for three seasons, averaging 4.4 points and 3.3 rebounds.

#19583	01/24/2023 11:34:06 am	Feb 9th, 2030
kauffdaddy Joined: 11/30/2020 Posts: 693 Inactive	SOUTHERN, 2027 President: perekoor Overall record: 45-3 (.938) RPI: .623 Average point differential: +20.3 Conference: IV.2 Conference record: 28-2 Conference tournament finish: Champion National tournament finish: Elite Eight Perekoor took over the Jaguars in 2020, and after three lean seasons they enjoyed a string of five strong years, including three straight 30-pkus-win seasons from 2023 to 2025 as they promoted twice back up to Division 1. That was merely a little taste of what was to come in 2027, as they used a smothering defense to crush the IV.4 competition and make some real noise in the national tournament, only bowing out when they ran into a Dominican-California squad already profiled here. Offensively, Southern averaged 1.06 points per possession on 50.8%/36.3%/74.2% shooting with a 56.8% eFGP. They had a modest advantage on most teams inside, outscoring opponents by 5.7 points in the paint. They also avoided turnovers, committing just 9.3 a game while playing a slow, ball-control style. The Jaguars truly excelled at the other end of the court, holding opponents to only 63.8 points per game and 0.82 points per possession on 46.1%/33.9% shooting with a 50.7% eFGP. It was a turnover margin of +8.8 that really told the tale, as Southern forced 18.1 turnovers a game, including 10.5 steals. More than any other team on this list, the starting five carried this team. They each averaged at least 13 points per game: No other regular rotation player scored more than 3.2. The starters scored 75.0 of the team's 84.0 points per game, an astounding 89.3%. This team is also unique in its lack of size, with its two frontcourt players standing 6-5 and 6-6. Senior 6-5 power forward closed his career with three straight all-conference honors. He led the Jaguars at 16.6 points per game on 56.9% shooting, 10.7 rebounds and 1.6 steals, though surprisingly (given the team's defensive success) his individual defense was quite poor. He was drafted by Golden State and has played only 11 minutes a game in his three pro seasons, averaging 6.5 points. Junior shooting guard Andy Carl earned all-conference honors, averaging 15.8 points on 43.7%/36.3%/68.9% shooting, 3.1 assists and 2.4 steals with a 38.4% OFG on defense. Senior small forward Tyrone Ware, an all-conference honoree as a junior, averaged 15.1 points on 47.2%/ 36.6%/75.9% shooting, 4.3 rebounds and 2.2 steals with a 37.1% OFG on defense. Senior point guard Leon Teal, who had some size at 6-4, earned all-conference honors after averaging 14.5 points on 48.7%/41.0%/80.7% shooting (another guy who should have taken more 3s, as he only made 1.2 a game), 9.2 assists and 1.8 steals. He was drafted by Portland has been a solid starter or sixth man in his three pro seasons, averaging 11.3 points and 7.2 assists. Junior 6-6 center Joe Payton averaged 13.0 points on 64.6% shooting, 8.0 rebounds and 1.8 blocks with a 49.0% OFG on defense.