Game Date: Oct 11th, 2044

East Central

Team: East Central Tigers [ID #409]

Location: Ada, OK (Plains)

Conference: I.1 [Division 1]

President: Tali
          [since November 18th 2021 | last seen April 07th 2025]

Coach: Clifford Church

Arena: Kerr Activities Center

Rank: #6

Rating: 542.51 - Overall Position: #7

Fan Mood: 135.90

Alumni Mood: 151.45

Prestige: 126

Team Notes:

• Sep 01 2044: Kurt Martell was hired as the new assistant coach.
• Sep 01 2044: Assistant coach Wyatt Lester leaves to pursue head coaching opportunities.
• Jun 28 2044: Lonnie Cushman was drafted round #1, pick #1 by Houston.
• Mar 13 2044: Made the national tournament field.
• Jan 16 2044: 3-star prospect Larry Ash committed.
• Oct 28 2043: 3-star prospect Ernest Pullen committed.
• Oct 24 2043: 5-star prospect Jon Jones committed.
• Jun 30 2043: Kendrick Dix was drafted round #1, pick #19 by Atlanta.
• Mar 15 2043: Made the national tournament field.
• Feb 26 2043: 2-star prospect Demarco Dunbar committed.

Record:

Wins: 0 Losses: 0 Pct: .000     Conf Wins: 0 Conf Losses: 0 Conf Pct: .000     Last10: 0-0 Streak: -

Pts Ave: 0.0 - 0.0     Pts Diff: 0.0     Team Power Index: 146.9

Press Releases:

Apr 02 2044: Graduating Class of 2044: Breezy, Paddles & Pinkers - by Tali on April 3rd, 2025

Greg "Pinkers" Pinckney (6' 6½" 245lbs SF pf c 139/10)
A bargain bin pickup. He mostly played spot minutes and always shot like he was rusty.

"Paddles" Marty Wade (7' 265lbs C PF 145/11)
Unheralded prior to his JuCo freshman season. East Central started showing some interest late in 2040 and by 2041 it was clear he was only interested in being a Tiger. He had a versatile offensive game, including some handles and mobility, was probably best shown off his junior year at PF where he was named an All-Conference PF. He was solid on the glass and surprisingly decent defensively overcoming a suspect recruiting evaluation.

Lonnie "Breezy" Cushman (6' 4½" 205lbs PG SG SF 212/15)
A highly regarded recruit. He had options to go elsewhere but joined an absolutely loaded ECU backcourt. He came off the bench for one and a half seasons, but won a starting role over some impressive team-mates, largely with his defense. Played 24+ minutes as a freshman. The shooting efficiency was rough, but the defense and distribution were already in place. As a sophomore he'd split time at SG and SF and the game slowed down for him as he slashed .458/.372/.828 whilst holding his opponents under 40% from the field, a mark he would repeat every year going forward. As a junior most of the backcourt had moved on and he formed a dynamic backcourt with senior Kendrick Dix, playing about a third of his minutes at PG. He was now a 20+ppg scorer, improved his efficiency once more and was averaging 4.7apg, all of which culminated in a trio of awards: All Conference SG, All Tournament Team & All American. His senior year he moved to regular PG duties, now joined by JuCo Alberto Estrella. He was an absolute menace as the point-of-attack defender, the biggest factor in the Tigers becoming one of the most disruptive teams in the nation. Whilst still scoring 20+ppg (at career best efficiency) he also went for 7.3apg 2.1spg as well as making it to the line more often. Good player as an underclassman, but a great player as an upperclassman.


Apr 04 2043: Graduating Class of 2043: Dix & Dial - by Tali on February 5th, 2025

Kendrick Dix (6' 1" 185 PG sg 190/13)
Kendrick was a high school prodigy. He logged minutes at all 5 positions as a HS freshman despite standing just 5' 5½". He quickly settled into his preferred position of PG and scored over 1750 points for Muskogee High. He was a 5-star recruit and rose to be the #1 recruit in the nation in the 2040 class. Ever up for a challenge he joined an already stacked ECU backcourt where he won minutes at both guard positions immediately and quickly moved into the starting lineup (25 starts as a freshman). He would help the Tigers capture the 2040 II.2 conference title, East Central had climbed the mountain and would promote to Legends for the first time in their history. A first round loss to American University fueled his fire for greater post season success moving forward.

In 2041 he became the full time starter at PG posting 12.8ppg 5.9apg including a career best .455 from three. The Tigers would finish 4th in their Legends debut season and reach the Sweet Sixteen for the first time (Tennessee > Houston Baptist > Alabama).

The weight of expectation loomed large in 2042 as the stacked backcourt were almost all upperclassmen, the exception being rising sophomore sensation Cushman. Dix was posted 12.7ppg 6.6apg but was a little less efficient and a bit worse defensively as the team never quite reached the heights expected of them, they slid back to 5th in Legends, though they once again made the Sweet Sixteen (VCU > Navy > Emporia State). Dix reached his peak 2042.

With much of the vaunted backcourt graduating at the end of 2042, it was undoubtedly time to shine for the duo of Dix and Cushman in 2043. Jumping up to 31+ minutes for the first time and the offensive focus shifting to the backcourt Dix put up 17.3ppg 7.2apg with a slight uptick in efficiency due to the increased number of 3PA. The Tigers once again finished 5th in Legends, this time making it to the Elite Eight (Westfield State > Texas Tech > Ursinus > UCLA)

Not gifted with blazing speed or amazing lateral quickness he utilised a combination of limitless range, scintillating passing and elite handles and driving to play at his own speed and get wherever he wanted to on the court. His arrival and success elevated the team to new levels for which the school and fanbase will forever be grateful.

ECU Records
1045 Assists (#2)
.386 3P% (#5)
.845 FT% (#5)
4971 Minutes (#6)
462 FTM (#7)
290 3PM (#8)
2384 Points (#9)
+1205 +/- (#10)


"T.E." Homer Dial (6'10" 240 C 138/10)
A 2-star recruit with limited upside would none-the-less start 137 games, 132 of them in Legends. I'm not sure I've ever had a player do more with less. Early in his career he had Stanley Sawyer and Kenny Day to learn from, but with Sawyer graduating after Dial's freshman season he was suddenly thrust into the starting lineup. He wasn't tall enough, he couldn't shoot, he couldn't finish, he wasn't strong enough, the scouts knocked his handles. He didn't care. No doubt he benefitted from some excellent guard play, but he was effective, often against some of the biggest name C's in the college game. He graduates with career averages of 10.8p (.560/.250/.640 eFG:.560) 7.8r 0.6a 0.8s 1.4b OeFG:.464, I think that last number might be the most impressive given the level of competition.

ECU Records
253 Blocks (#1)
1388 Rebounds (#7)
.560 FG% (#8)
+1151 +/- (#11)
1917 Points (#17)


Mar 29 2042: ECU's Graduating Class of 2042 - by Tali on December 12th, 2024

199/13 "Duke" Dexter York (4* 6' 4½" 195 lbs SF SG pg) 2038 NR #57
181/13 "MOTH" Brandon Huntley (5* 6' 4½" 215 lbs SG pg sf pf) 2039 NR #23
172/13 "Lord" Neil Beaumont (4* 6' 1½" 195 lbs PG SG) 2038 NR #67
156/11 "Sticky" Ricky O'Neil (2* 6' 9" 235 lbs PF C) 2038 SR #16

3 of them watched the promotion to LL3 whilst redshirting and then all 4 were involved in 2 promotions from LL3 to LL1 and 2 seasons in Legends for 4th and 5th placed finishes.

The Duke played SG as a freshmen and then split time at both SG and SF for his final 3 years. Eventually playing about two thirds of his time at SG. He was a very good perimeter defender (OFG:.406 OeFG:..489), a steady scorer (14.7ppg @eFG:.571) and generally did most things well. Some knocked his passing, but even that finished with career 1.9apg to 1.6topg.

Lord Beaumont might be the best guard I've ever not started for a season. He was behind former great "Sezz" Jayson Simon for 2 years, and then Kendrick Dix joined the team and leap-frogged him. He was a steady combo guard that averaged 16+mpg, about two thirds at PG and one third at SG. Until his senior year he was a reliable 3-point threat, but his outside shot abandoned him as a senior.

Sticky only started as a senior, behind some quality bigs for much of his career. A genuine ranged threat, he was solid defensively and on the glass, but his speed, driving and passing sometimes resulted in taking too many contested shots.

A year after that trio signed they were joined by 5-star Huntley. With Duke and Lord already on the team he was named "Master Of The Hunt", which was shortened to MOTH. Despite being a bit undersized for the position he played mostly and SF and even played some PF as a senior. A great secondary play-maker, defender and decently efficient low-volume scorer he was a luxury glue-guy who won a starting position early in his sophomore season and only relinquished it very late to the fast developing Lonnie Cushman.


As their collective stars rose, the quality of the frontcourt slowly degraded which was certainly a factor in them not having the senior year that they might have hoped for. Still, they were part of a number of very good teams and particularly epic backcourts. Truly their four seasons were a golden age for the East Central Tigers program.


Mar 30 2041: 2041 Legends Debut and Sweet Sixteen - by Tali on October 17th, 2024

2041 Highlights
Finished 4th in Legends
Finished the season #8 in the Top 25 Poll
TPI Rank #4 (164.5)
31-15 Overall record (.591 RPI)
National Tournament Sweet Sixteen (Eliminated by national champs Alabama)


End of Season Depth Chart
Dix(190) - York(190) - Huntley(174) - Day(158) - Dial(126)
Beaumont(169) - Cushman(170) - York(190) - O'Neil(144) - Day(158)
Huntley(174) - Beaumont(169) - Cushman(170) - James(136) - O'Neil(144)


Mar 31 2040: 2040 Golden Year - Promotion to Legends. - by Tali on August 21st, 2024

2040 Highlights
Won II.2 (22-8, two games clear of Gardner-Webb, Marist and Colby who were all 20-10)
Won II.2 Conference Tournament.
Finished the season #9 in the Top 25 Poll.
TPI rank #21 (158.5)
33-12 overall record (.601 RPI)
Signed overall #2 recruit Lonnie Cushman


End of Season Depth Chart

Simon(173) - York(174) - Huntley(161) - Day(154) - Sawyer(168)
Dix(175) - Beaumont(158) - York(173) - O'Neil(132) - Dial(111)
Beaumont(158) - Dix(175) - James(134) - Sawyer(168) - Day(154)



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