Recruiting note

January 31, 2009

By Drew Champlin

Rivals.com shows Dinwiddie, Va. WR Sam Haskins as a commitment. At first I wondered why so early, then realized he started his official visit Thursday, so he’s home by now.

Hopefully tomorrow I’ll get a chance to talk to him about his commitment and some others. Troy needs some more size at WR and 6-foot-4, as he’s listed on rivals, is perfect size.

At the Troy-Denver hoops game

By Drew Champlin

TROY WINS 76-72 in overtime over Denver.

Later, much later on tonight I’ll have some video up. I got the last couple of minutes of regulation AND overtime, plus player and coach interviews. Stay tuned.
3:56 left - These guys are up, 63-56. Seriously, take time to look at their mugs. However, a turnover caused by Troy’s fullcourt press gives the ball back to the Trojans. Probably last game update from me.

7:24 left - Denver just hit its 10th 3 of the night. Troy’s got guys in their faces of late. Some call for a switch to a man, but then the Pioneers would likely backdoor/screen them for easy shots down low. Denver 56-49, Delk at the line to shoot 2.

11:26 left - Still DU 46-42 and I can hear a pin drop. That means it’s up to the Trojans to make things exciting, but Denver’s offense will put anyone to sleep - especially defenders. Mike Vogler’s going to the line to shoot 2 shots.

12:36 remaining - Brandon Hazzard’s 3 cuts the lead to Denver 46-42, and Trojans will get the ball back after the media timeout because of an offensive foul. I have spotted football coaches. I’m sure recruits are here too, but I don’t know what any of them look like.

14:25 left in game - Seems like when Troy gets itself in position to tie or make it closer, quick, inadvertant shots are being hoisted up. DU called a timeout and is up 44-37. Troy went small and quick to start the 2nd half, with Josh Williams in instead of Antywan Jones. Trojans are much quicker, but aren’t playing smarter.

HALFTIME - As bad as Troy’s played in the first half, it’s just a 7-point defecit, with DU leading 31-24 at the break. Troy scored the last five points, with the buzzer-beating bucket from Mike Vogler on a rebound. Easily a winnable game if Troy takes care of business on the offensive end. Defensively, after the slow start, they’re doing fine.

Some stats - Denver is 11-of-20 from the field, 6-of-15 from 3-point land. Troy is just 9-of-26, so it’s clear the Trojans are pressing against Denver’s slow-it-down style. Denver has 9 turnovers, but Troy has just 7 points off those turnovers (3 buckets, so 6 were wasted). Delk leads Troy with 8 points and Nate Rohnert leads Denver with 10 points while Andrew Hooper and Rob Lewis have 9 each.

The crowd’s pretty dead at this moment. I’m guessing most didn’t realize Denver was in the Sun Belt until now. If WeSuck.com was here, I’m sure it would be quite lively.

3:35 left in first half - Patience might get Troy over the hump. At the moment, they’re not showing much of it. If you saw Denver’s team come in, you would have thought it was the chess team and not the basketball team, but they do what they do quite well. 29-19 Denver.

7:56 left in first half - Troy’s cut it down to 22-14 on a monster dunk by Delk, which finally got the crowd to its feet. This came after Denver was whistled for a moving screen. DU has no one that can stop Delk, so it’ll be interesting if he decides to take the game over. It looks like he’s on his way.

11:47 left in first half - Right now, Troy’s playing like garbage and Denver’s offense is setting it up for wide open shots off screens in 3-point land. Denver leads 18-7 and have hit 4 3-pointers. Troy, at the moment, has missed on four opportunities right under the goal. It’s clear that Richard Delk’s the best athlete out there, but he’s a very poor free throw shooter (around 50 percent), so while he’s driving to the bucket, if he gets fouled, it’s almost like a turnover if he missed both shots, like he did on the last trip.
————————
It’s shaping up to be a very good crowd if it keeps filing in at this current pace. The Denver women just beat Troy 64-54, hitting 22-of-25 free throws.

Troy has won five straight. I didn’t know this until looking closer at the game notes, because Denver has won away from its home arena this year, but the Pioneers have lost 40 straight true road games, the nation’s longest current streak. DU beat Texas-Arlington away from Denver, but at a tournament in Montana. So, if you’re superstitious, which Troy head coach Don Maestri might be, you’ll be a little nervous.

I think if Troy contains the backdoor cuts that DU likes to run, they should be fine. We’ll see.

Troy vs. Denver tonight

By Drew Champlin

Meant to post this earlier, but it slipped my mind. Sorry about that.

Troy puts its 5-game win streak on the line tonight against Denver, a team you wouldn’t think is very good, but the Pioneers run a sophisticated offense and defense almost to perfection. Give them the athletes from Western Kentucky and they’re probably 20-2, but they’re still a good team that hasn’t lost a Sun Belt game by more than 7 points (and in that game, they blew a 21-point lead). Second-year coach Joe Scott installed a Princeton-type offense and has done a great job with this program.

All of the Troy football recruits on their official visits this weekend will be at the game.

HERE are the Troy stats.

HERE are some Denver stats.

HERE is what I wrote leading into today’s game. You could call it a short feature on Troy forward Kenny Ware, who hit the big shot at North Texas to put the Trojans up 4 late in the game.

The women tip off at 5:15, the men at 7:30. Listen to the men on the radio as Barry and Jerry call the action.

Friday recruiting update

January 30, 2009

By Drew Champlin

If I continue to get more information throughout the day, I’ll just add to this one post.

12:54 p.m. CST - Fairfield, Ala. DB Mike Robinson has been listed as commitment to Troy. Well, this Birmingham News report says he’s bound for Arkansas State. No mention of Troy in there.

(SCRATCH THAT - ROBINSON IS HEADED TO TROY - The report listed him as headed to ASU in an error)

1:02 p.m. - I told you Gadsden City TE Darrell Smith was visiting Troy. Looks like the official visit happened Thursday (or during the middle of this week). This report says he’s visiting Clemson, who is looking at him as a defensive end. Problem is, Clemson hasn’t offered yet. Troy is looking at him as a tight end. WR Sam Haskins of Dinwiddle, Va., was also in Troy for a visit.

1:06 p.m. - St. Petersburg, Fla., defensive end Damond Brinson is still deciding between UAB and Troy and is supposed to visit Troy this weekend.

2:38 p.m. - Here is a list of official visitors for the weekend, aside from Darrell Smith (listed above) who made a 1-day trip this week.
WR Sam Haskins - Dinwiddie, Va.
WR Jamel Johnson - Montgomery, Ala. (Carver) - committed to Troy
DE Damond Brinson - St. Petersburg, Fla. - mulling offers from Troy and UAB
DB Willard Ross - Miss. Delta Community College
DB Sergio Perez - Mayo, Fla.
DL Aaron Williams - Leroy, Ala. - committed to Troy

DL Gabriel Mass - Jackson, Ala. - supposedly committed to South Alabama

- not coming to visit Troy after all
DL Anthony Payne - Leroy, Ala. - committed to Troy
DL Galatian King - Waycross, Ga. - same high school as Leodis McKelvin, KeJuan Phillips. Listed as a commitment to Western Kentucky on rivals
DB Darius Slay - Brunswick, Ga. - listed as a soft verbal to Mississippi State, but DT coach Mo Crain has been on him good
DB Barry Valcin - Coffeeville, Kan. CC - signed with Baylor out of high school, but grades sent him to JUCO it seems.

A couple of late names in the past few days to add to your commitment lists: Tony Gray, DB, Enterprise, Ala.; Jamel Johnson, WR, Montgomery, Ala.; Dominique Bonman, WR, Sulligent, Ala. (half-brother of Troy commit Caleb Massey), Anthony Payne, DL, Leroy, Ala.

OTHER NEWS AND NOTES: Kansas State has come in with a late offer to Troy commit Angelo Pease, and he might be visiting there this weekend. Word has it RB Demond Dennis took a trip to Kentucky and committed there, and might be visiting somewhere else this weekend and committing there. I think Troy coaches feel good about Greg Pratt and Shawn Southward at the RB position to move forward. DE Jonathan Massaquoi is expected to be here this summer. DT Eugene Kinlaw is the highlight of the signing class so far. Just pray he does well in his classes this spring and summer.

3:11 p.m. - Need to add Tampa DT Dontavious Pyron to the list. Just simply forgot to mention him in my earlier update. When schools sign upwards of 40 kids, it’s tough to keep up with them all.

3:15 p.m. - Gabriel Mass isn’t visiting this weekend.
————————————————————————-
UPDATED COMMITMENTS (As best as I know it. Bear in mind that some of these guys won’t qualify academically or will grayshirt.) The 2008 grayshirts are all in and count in this year’s class. I’m not sure how many of the JUCO guys are backcounted to last year’s class. I’m also not sure how many of these guys Troy will announce on National Signing Day, either. Remember, except for the guys that have already signed, these are all subject to change until Signing Day.

OFFENSIVE COMMITMENTS

Jason Bruce, WR, Copiah-Lincoln, Miss., CC SIGNED LETTER OF INTENT
James Brown, OT, SW Mississippi CC SIGNED LETTER OF INTENT
Tyler Graves, OT, Pearl River Mississippi CC SIGNED LETTER OF INTENT
Ray Carter, OT, Garden City CC SIGNED LETTER OF INTENT
Jay Stansberry, OT, Bremen, Ga.
Cody Jenkins, OT, Beauregard, Ala.
Nate Newland, OT, Hutchinson, Kan. CC
Greg Pratt, RB, Naples, Fla.
Shawn Southward, RB, Florence, Ala.
Anthony Williams, WR, Tampa, Fla.
Dominique Bowman, WR, Sulligent, Ala.
Jamel Johnson, WR, Montgomery, Ala.
Angelo Pease, ATH, Cairo, Ga.
Jimbo Arnold, OG, Belle Glade, Fla. (2008 GRAYSHIRT)
Felton Payton, WR, Fort Walton Beach, Fla. (2008 GRAYSHIRT)
Gavin Ellis, WR/TE, Cullman, Ala. (2008 GRAYSHIRT)
Corey Robinson, QB, Lone Oak, Ky., (2008 GRAYSHIRT)

DEFENSIVE COMMITMENTS

Emmanuel Dudley, DT, Northeast Miss., CC SIGNED LETTER OF INTENT
Riley Flowers, DT, Jones County Miss. CC SIGNED LETTER OF INTENT
Demarcus Robertson, DB, Garden City, CC (2008 RESIGN) SIGNED LETTER OF INTENT
Eugene Kinlaw, DT, Hutchinson, Kan. CC
Montavious Williams, DT, Cairo, Ga.
Jonathan Massaquoi, DE, Butler County CC
Shermane Teart, DE, Orlando, Fla.
Aaron Williams, DT, Leroy, Ala.
John Clark, DE, Oxford, Ala.
Anthony Payne, DL, Leroy, Ala.
Mike Robinson, DB, Fairfield, Ala.
Caleb Massey, DB, Sulligent, Ala.
Tony Gray, DB, Enterprise, Ala.
Dontavious Pyron, DT, Tampa, Fla.
Johnny Thompson, LB, Valley, Ala. (2008 GRAYSHIRT)

**Bear in mind that these commitments are verbal and are non-binding until National Signing Day, the first Wednesday in February.
The players with SIGNED LETTER OF INTENT by their names are midyear enrollees and should be eligible for 2009 spring practice.

Troy wins AGAIN! Trojans on a big roll

January 29, 2009

By Drew Champlin

Troy started a stretch of 4 road games out of 5. And, the team predicted to finish in last place in the Sun Belt won all five of them. Trojans are now 12-10 overall, 7-3 in the Sun Belt with home games coming up against Denver (Sat.) and Arkansas State (Thur.)

It makes 5 straight wins, and 7 of 8 overall.

This time, it’s a 77-69 win at North Texas.

HERE are stats and play-by-play.

HERE is the Troy release.

HERE is North Texas beat writer Brett Vito‘s blog.

HERE is the game story from the Denton Record-Chronicle.