Game Date: Nov 3rd, 2038
Dominican Univ. of California
Chris Poston - SG
Team: Dominican Univ. of California Penguins [ID #564] 
Location: San Rafael, CA (West)
Conference: I.1 [Division 1]
President:
gards710
[since May 17th 2020 | last seen May 13th 2024]
Coach: Darren Cahill
Arena: Conlan Center
Rank: #13
Rating: 787.10 - Overall Position: #2
Fan Mood: 152.68
Alumni Mood: 249.10
Prestige: 294
Team Notes:
• Oct 27 2038: 3-star prospect Eric Griffin committed.• Oct 12 2038: Randy Watson was inducted into the team Hall of Fame.
• Oct 12 2038: Bill Marshall was inducted into the team Hall of Fame.
• Jun 29 2038: Marques Ford was drafted round #2, pick #19 by Detroit.
• Jun 29 2038: Randy Watson was drafted round #2, pick #15 by Miami.
• Apr 05 2038: Won the national tournament.
• Mar 14 2038: Made the national tournament field.
• Mar 06 2038: Won the I.1 conference.
• Feb 06 2038: 3-star prospect Brian Godfrey committed.
• Nov 26 2037: 3-star prospect Stevie Jeffers committed.
Record:
Wins: 5 Losses: 0 Pct: 1.000 Conf Wins: 0 Conf Losses: 0 Conf Pct: .000 Conf Rank: 6 Last10: 5-0 Streak: W5Pts Ave: 91.2 - 62.0 Pts Diff: +29.2 Team Power Index: 140.8
Press Releases:
Oct 07 2038: The Penguins Are Now Hardwood Emperors! - by gards710 on May 5th, 202425 seasons ago (and nearly 4 years ago in the simulation known as "real life") Dominican University of California hired a precocious president who had cut his teeth playing fantasy sports and sim games and was now looking for a new challenge in a time of confusion, terror, and change. And no, I’m not talking about the change to make low level teams have a harder time recruiting highly ranked players after Hunter McWilliams committed to CSU San Bernardino to waste 4 years of his life. No, some would call it a pandemic (it was COVID. I was bored). Gards710 entered the Hardwood Universe and was immediately engulfed (I stayed up til 3 AM the first night and immediately told my friend about the game to get him to join). He scoured the forums for every piece of information that would help. That’s even before his first official game at Dominican.
It’s been quite the climb since, but finally, Dominican can call themselves not just a Legends Champion, but also a Division 1 National Champion, two trophies that have slipped from the Penguins’ grasp a few times over the past decade-plus. I don’t know what anyone expected for an aquatic animal with wet wings for hands. But it's a special club to just win one, and moreso to win both in separate seasons. But to win both in the same season? Only 4 other teams can stake that claim (2009 Butler, 2010 Misericordia, 2014 Butler, and 2035 Missouri Western). And now, 2038 Dominican University of California. What an illustrious club.
“I’m shocked. This team. THIS team. THIS TEAM. They did it,” said exhilarated head coach Darren “Doc” Cahill, who earns his first conference title since his first season at DUCA in 2027, and in his 12 seasons in NorCal, has amassed 394 wins (0.722 winning percentage), 3 conference tournament championships, 3 Final Four appearances, and now, ONE National Championship. “There were times when I thought this team needed to dig deeper to find themselves. We've all seen and experienced what happened to us in previous seasons. I had implored in them that when the going gets tough, the tough gets going. And come those clutch times, they did. We weren’t always the best team out there (please ignore that DUCA was both the preseason #1 team and also the top overall seed in the National Tournament). But we were resilient, we were tough, and we just got extremely lucky with a lot going in our favor and had a good enough team to take advantage."
On the backs of seniors "Mustang" Marques Ford (who was appropriately drafted to Detroit) and Randy “Rockstar” Watson, Dominican’s two and lone All-Tournament selections, the Penguins were able to survive. The two seniors have been big reasons for this recent run of huge postseason success, with both adding the titles to the Final 4 run last season and the Elite 8 appearance the season before (and Watson was a starter on the 2034 Final 4 team in his freshman season as well, totaling one of the best tournament resumés in the history of Hardwood). Ford, to his credit, was named to the All-Legends team and was the 2038 Player of the Tournament.
But it wasn’t just those two. Seniors Louie “Souweeeet” Hickman and Russ “All About That” Proffitt were crucial in forming the defensive backbone on the perimeter and provided key scoring at times as well. Jack "Ghost" Grace was crucial for his post defense, protecting Watson while also spreading the floor on offense. Sophomore Berry “Fusion” Ford provided a mix of everything as well as a glimpse of the future for the Penguins. Marshall “Celsius” Cooke, Kwamie “Kore” Farmer, Derek “Pittbull” Pittman, and Darren “The Mould” Mitchell were all important throughout the season.
And it wasn’t just this season’s team. Sure, they accomplished the dang thing. But it goes back all the way to “Fire Marshall” Bill Marshall, Marcus “MC Goat” Choate, Angel "Redbull" Reyes, Brian “Rings” Hofmeister, Bruce “Covers the C” Spann, Will “Get His Revenge” Clevenger, Dustin “Yankin for” Hankin, the first recruit Charlie Rowell, the first gards-era DUCA star Zack Neri and everyone else in between. They’re all a part of this program. They helped build to this point and they deserve this love as much as anyone.
Looking ahead to 2039, these emperors appear to be more like figureheads, and will likely relinquish their title without much of a fight to their successor. "Fusion" remains and will be looked upon as the leader in every facet of the game, except interior defense, which will be designated to lone senior Grace. Pittman steps into the starting lineup at point guard, and it appears likely Cooke and Mitchell will fill PF and SG, respectively. Coming off the bench will be Farmer and the new crop of redshirt freshmen Chris Poston, Lance Fish, and Joey Wilson.
A couple of out of state players make up the 2038 recruiting class for the Penguins. Big man Stevie Jeffers comes from Iroquois Point, Hawaii, with his well-rounded skillset. And late find Brian Godfrey hails from Newark, New Jersey, and was good enough to supplant a more local option on DUCA's radar. For now, the Penguins will focus on the next steps following the euphoric season. But it's always right back to work for these birds.
Mar 06 2038: DUCA Finally Rule the Legends Roost - by gards710 on April 22nd, 2024
After 14 seasons in the top conference of Hardwood, the last 10 being consecutive, the Dominican University of California Penguins have finally attained the elusive Legends conference crown. While it was a foregone conclusion for a few days, the team and program enjoyed the final buzzer sounding for their first conference title in 10 seasons, when the historic 2027 team won II.2.
This season took tremendous effort, as DUCA set a program record for Legends conference wins for a season at 24, on top of weathering the constant storm of facing the quality teams and programs that inhabit the conference.
Led by a strong group of upperclassmen and wunderkind Berry "Fusion" Ford, the team had it all going well. Now, the focus turns to the postseason and potentially accomplishing the Triple Crown. Stay tuned.
Oct 08 2037: Raise Your Hands 🙌 For Rafiki - by gards710 on March 10th, 2024
We would be remiss if we did not issue our warmest appreciation for former head coach Rahsaan "Rafiki" McCartney, who we learned was recently let go from his most recent post at Northwest Missouri State. Rafiki was the coach at the helm during the rise of the Penguins, and also helped the Bearcats rise to the upper echelons of Hardwood. The Bearcats made an awesome tribute to Rafiki as well.
McCartney coached the Division 2 National Championship team with one of the most dominant seasons ever. He recruited two separate two-time National Players of the Year and coached two other top 10 picks in the professional draft. He was regarded as one of the great teachers of the game, imparting not just basketball knowledge, but life lessons. His tenure was nothing short of legendary.
We wish Rafiki all the best and hope he can cruise into retirement back at home in The Dalles, Oregon or on a tropical beach somewhere.
Oct 08 2037: DUCA Revvin in 2037, Ping-Wins to Final 4! Want to Elevate in 2038 - by gards710 on March 10th, 2024
Each season has its own peculiarities and Dominican's 2037 was no different. The rumors that president gards710 would stay at Dominican over other obligations spread like wildfire. Once it was confirmed to be true following a trip to Berkeley where president Oski was AWOL, the Penguins breathed a sigh of relief only to get slapped with a loss to the Cal Golden Bears. A surprising non-conference loss to former rival Chapman University indicated that the team just wasn't built for true success. But as the conference season unfolded, the Penguins found themselves near the top of the standings. The upperclassmen-laden lineup was firing on all cylinders it seemed. However, a home heavy first half masked underlying issues and once DUCA went on the road, those issues reared around. An untimely injury, one of the few the Penguins suffered all season, led to a slump. Mysterious inconsistencies and turnovers plagued the team, and the team struggled to find offense at times.
Once things settled down come the postseason, the Penguins decided to get their rest to gear up for a run in the National Tournament. And run they did. All the way to the Final Four, the second in the past 4 seasons, and president gards710's fifth all-time. "Truthfully, I wasn't sure that the team was capable of a postseason run like that. But guys just seemed to come together," said head coach "Doc" Cahill. The run was ended in the Final 4 to eventual champion North Carolina Central, as the Eagles cut through the Penguins stalwart defense. Word is that DUCA's athletic administration is petitioning the IUCN to bestow penguins as "birds of prey" to join the club of eagles, hawks, and owls.
With the 2038 season on the horizon, Dominican appears primed to make some noise, being ranked at #1 in the nation to start the season. While that is no guarantee of anything, the Penguins have hope. It helps to have a stud like Randy "Rockstar" Watson anchoring the team, as Watson has one of the most extensive postseason resumés Hardwood has ever seen with a conference title, an Elite 8 appearance, and two Final Four appearances. Marques Ford has grown to be one of the more skilled players in the nation, but it remains to be seen whether he can be a true leader or if he's just the ultimate role player. Point guard Louie Hickman also returns, but his spot in the starting lineup is in question after his rocky performance last season with turnovers. The remaining two spots appear to be up for grabs between big man Jack Grace and wings Russ Proffitt and Berry Ford. While wunderkind Berry "Fusion" Ford has been tabbed as the next Penguin star, he may have to wait his turn, with such talent on the roster and the high expectations. Redshirt freshman Derek Pittman reportedly put in a lot of work while redshirting and now looks like the future at point guard. RS SO Marshall Cooke will be cooking something hot and invigorating as the first big off the bench, while RS FR Kwamie Farmer begins his work in the field to bring what he can to the table. And RS SO Darren Mitchell won't be left behind as he bides his time.
The job for the coaching staff is to figure out how to best piece together the lineup to maximize everyone's performance and development. There is a logjam of talent on this team, which is a nice problem to have, but can lead to some unhappy campers. On top of the chemistry off the court, the fit on the court, will need to be solved, as this team certainly has its flaws. We won't give them away here, but they could drown these birds. With how slippery titles can be in Hardwood, the Penguins know there is not much room for error. Strong teams lurk just behind the Penguins in the rankings, as Missouri Western, the Mississippi Rebels, and Sioux Falls also have their sights on some hardware.
Recruiting
The Penguins bring in 3 new birds to the huddle:
Chris Poston - a guard from Los Angeles, Poston looks like a potential sharpshooting shot creator.
Joey Wilson - a big from Anaheim, Wilson fits immaculately with what the Penguins look for in a big man - big (duh), strong, fast, and skilled.
Lance Fish - the wing from Philadelphia. Mentioned earlier after committing for the strange choice to forgo a 5* recruit, Fish brings an enticingly sharp and appetizing skillset.
All three will redshirt, watching, learning, and growing from one of the game's best programs.
Dec 13 2036: 2036-2037 Report: Penguins Pick Fish over (Mc)Man(us) - by gards710 on February 2nd, 2024
“It was beautiful.”
No, that sentence does not describe Berry Ford’s +21 development nor does it describe Dominican signing their top target Derek Pittman on the first day of recruiting in the 2035-2036 season. One would think that sentence would describe perhaps the best season in program history, having notched the team’s best performance in the top conference with a 23-7 record for second place, tying the Temple Owls for first place and only ceding the honors due to 18 points of point differential. It was a truly beautiful battle between two of the top programs, if not the top two, in Hardwood and led to one of the closest races for the top crown in history.
However, that sentence would best describe the season and nightly performances that Bill Marshall put on for observers of the Penguins on his way to best scoring season in Penguin history. Marshall never failed to score less than 10 points in a game, sometimes to the detriment of the team. “FMBM was incredible, but I think we got predictable, relying on him. I think that might have cost us the Legends title,” admitted head coach Darren "Doc" Cahill. The Penguins would bounce back in the conference tournament and take home the trophy, earning the #1 overall seed in the National Tournament.
There, they seamlessly swam through the tides of the tournament, avoiding a major upset that befalls many others. Until their matchup with the Ripon Red Hawks, who dismantled the Penguins en route to their national championship victory.
With FMBM graduating, the stage clears for the next emperor of the Penguins. While most would expect that to be former 5* recruit Marques Ford, many within the program get the sense that it is the other Ford, Berry (not closely related), who will take the reins sooner than later. The Penguins will have to figure out how to get the two Fords to coexist.
As Dominican gets off to a strong start to the 2036-2037 season, they continue to make splashes across the Hardwood landscape. The Penguins struck early with the commitment of their first recruit, two-star wing prospect Lance Fish out of Philadelphia. The Penguins reportedly only started scouting him recently yet were ecstatic with the catch. Hook, line, and sinker. With Fish's signature though, the Penguins revoked their offer to 5* wing Lenny McManus out of Fremont, CA. Reportedly, the Penguins were not enthused with the local star prospect's lack of evident improvement in his senior year, as well as other factors like rumors that president gards710 has decided to give up other pursuits and stay at Dominican beyond 2040. Still, the decision to cede a top level prospect in their own backyard may signal weakness to other teams. McManus's decision has not been made any easier however, as he continues to debate whether to play for USC or San Diego.
Perhaps the bigger sign of weakness for the Penguins is their non-conference loss to Chapman, a team that established a rivalry with Dominican under their former president. Rumors that gards receives money from Chapman to beat up on the plucky Panthers have bounced around, but with the loss, those rumors have been quelled. And just as the Panthers pulled up to the Conlan Center, gards noticed their president was AWOL, breaking any prior relationship between the two. Nonetheless, that is a "dangerous team over there in Orange," said Coach Cahill.
Cahill and staff have the Penguins sitting at the top perch of Legends at the moment. But the Penguins of all teams know how hard that is to maintain, having had the honor last season for two thirds of the season before fumbling it away to Temple. "It's still too early to lay any proclamations, so we're just taking it game by game."
The team appears to be a classic Dominican-style variant, one of balance and built around defense. Marques Ford brushed off questions of whether he would redshirt or not in his last eligible year and now finds himself leading the team. However, he has struggled at times to do that, reportedly due to friction with the golden boy Berry. Luckily, seniors Amani Merritt and Deon Woods, along with dominant post presence Randy "Rockstar" Watson have picked up the load more often than not. New starting point guard "Souweeeet" Louie Hickman has a lot of support as he finds his footing and makes his bacon setting up others. Wunderkind Berry Ford has settled into his role nicely, albeit that role has been ever-changing. And the rest of the bench and role players like Russ Proffitt, Jack Grace, Marshall Cooke, and Darren Mitchell play to their strengths and help cover the team with strong depth. The focus for the Penguins was on "Fusion" Ford's development being of the utmost importance, but with the strong start, will Marques "Mustang" Ford's frustration boil over or will the rest of the team dissipate any conflict within the huddle?