#355 R.P.I. Delaware State @ #58 R.P.I. Virginia Tech:
Virginia Tech men’s basketball opens the defense of its hard-fought hard-won Atlantic Coach Championship 2o21-2o22 title as the regular season goes Monday nite over in a downright nearly hot Indian Summer New River Valley. As we are now officially a basketball, school!!!
The Hokies open said defense via hosting a buncha o’ tomato can bums.
Seriously. This is a very suspect roundball team ladies and gents. Someone call Hostess and tell ’em one of their cupcakes is missing. Nevertheless, what you wanna know is… who is gonna win and by how much, rights? So, read on… to find, out!
Delaware State Head Coach: Stan Waterman: Age=56, 2–25 (.074) overall, and @ Del.State. Has a rep’ for, hard man-to-man or pressing defending.
$125,000,oo
Waterman grew up in Wilmington, Delaware, and attended Howard Career Center High School. Playing point guard, he was named Second Team All-State as a senior and earned an invitation to the Delaware High School All-Star Basketball Game. Waterman led the team to the state championship game in 1981 and the state semifinals in 1983. He received a scholarship to Delaware. Waterman sat out the 1985-86 season to focus on his studies. He made his first career start in February 1988 and finished with six points, seven assists, and five rebounds more than you or I combined. Waterman earned a degree in sociology in 1988.
Following the close of his college career, Waterman pursued a coaching career. Waterman served as an assistant coach at Wilmington during the 1989-90 season. In June 1990, he became an assistant coach at the Sanford School, while maintaining a job with Child Protective Services in Wilmington. Waterman was named head coach at the Sanford School in April 1991, after the resignation of Thom Shumosic. Waterman was named dean of students in 1993. He coached a girls’ team known as the Warriors in 2006, which won the Urban Youth Inc Fall League Championship and featured his daughter Paris as its star point guard. In 2016, Waterman earned the Tubby Raymond Award as Coach of the Year from the Delaware Sportswriters & Broadcasters Association. He was named an assistant coach for the 2019 USA Nike Hoop Summit Team. During his 30-year tenure, he led the Warriors to 571 victories and eight state titles, including in 2019 and 2021. His 2019-20 team reached the state semifinals before it was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
On June 3, 2021, Waterman was hired as head coach of Delaware State. He replaces Eric Skeeters, who was fired after finishing 3-16 in the 2020-21 season. Villanova head coach Jay Wright stated, “His passion and dedication to the state are unmatched. Delaware State University has made a great choice in Stan Waterman.”
Daddy Waterman and wifey Robin are the proud parents of daughter Paris Dupree and son-in-law, Vernon Dupree, along with grandson Cairo Dupree
Del.State at a glance:
- 72nd in Turnovers Forced!
- 95th in FG percentage D allowed!
- 246th in 3-point shooting.
- 311th in Rebounding Margin.
- 335 in scoring O!
- 345th in apg!!
- these guys are really bad… like I L count on just how…
Returning Starters=o!
Strengths:
- G/F, Martz Robinson is back. So are his: 7.3 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 2.6 dimes, and his 32.7% shooting from the floor overall.
- F, Khyrie Staten is back. 4.7 ppg, with 1.3 rpg and 0.2 apg, and his FG% 44.7 have returned as well.
- One #2, off-G, Corey Perkins is back. 5.7 ppg, 2.1 rpg, with 3.2 apg and so is his FG% of 39.6%.
Somehow, this kid did get a few all-M.e.a.c. 3rd-string sniffs preseason. I do not see this, tho’ M.e.a.c. writers did; so there is that. G So. 6-2 Delaware State Wilmington, Del.
His old man is Hornets’ assistant coach Shahid Perkins, a former high school and college standout (East Tennessee State), and a professional player overseas… so there is that I suppose. There is also his Delaware (single-A) sized championship bling. As this kid was something of a good-get recruiting-wise for the Hornets. - After the departure of the top five scorers from last year, Delaware State coach Stan Waterman will count on 6-11 transfers Brandon Stone (Robert Morris) (6.5 ppg and 3.5 rpg); and Raymond Somerville (Cal State Bakersfield) (1.3 ppg with 1.7 rpg).
- …and that’s that.
Weaknesses:
- everything?
LOL… I mean this is one suspect squadron folks. Like Alabama State years back suspect.
Bench: (depth=not much or ???)
Illation, conclusion(s) and OPT digits:
Number of Delawares who could State @Tech=o. Not one, literally.
the takeaway:
The takeaway here is…
…not much to be taken with in this one unless you are a Burnt-Orange and Chicago-Maroon momma-bear, poppa-bear, or guardian of a V.P.I. backup or 2 or 3 at any given spot.
As this will be one of the few times to get your phone ready to take pictures of
your Gobbler son out on the court.
***
Our handy-dandy friend the so-called Forum Guide of Graham Houston fame is calling for a December ask back.
The annualized year-to-date vitals say that… in shooting percentage margin, in 3-point percentage margin and in rebounding margin. They say nothing, yet.
The most recent 5-game metrics say that… in shooting percentage margin, in 3-point percentage margin and in rebounding margin. They say nothing, yet.
Armchair Pt.Guard’s:
Nobody is + anything in R&R.
VeeTee was up +8% at the charity stripe last year.
VT is a .ooo host; whereas Del’ State is .ooo as a guest.
(Tho’, Del’ State has not won a road game since: 25th, Feb. 2o19!!!)
The Call…
No.357 Net Ranking Delaware State @ no.22 Net Ranking Virginia Tech:
On an absolute basis, things can only go up for the Hornets this year. They are the most hated preseason team in the league by Vegas at +4000; and yet there is a silver lining: last year, the Hornets covered the spread 56% of the time.
This time they are a mere +35.5 opening line underdog out on the Vegas big-board on Sunday nite.
Delaware State is predicted to be one of the worst teams in the nation by KenPom and should maintain its stranglehold on the last-place spot in the league.
Tho’ they did win this…
–oOo–
“Centenary Award,” given annually by our staff to the worst team in Division I!
Winning the bottom dormant cellar-dweller award for the 2nd time since 2o18!!!
360th best ovearll. Delaware State (8th in MEAC) (per: Sports Illustrated)… or, 3rd from last or getting better?
The Closer…
…and there you go… beyond Rice who is a no-go (St.Phillip bless, ankle; possible late November getback for Young and Staff.
Then…
So, all my preview hoops magazines were gone before I got home to the mailbox on Friday afternoon. Ergo, therefore, to Whit… this may be one of my few previews until eBay and so forth can find me some replacement ones.
Sorry, this is so thin… tho’ Lindy’s is MONEY.
Empty mailboxes and not so much.
Coach God forgive.
☦️🏀☦️
1, 2, 3, 4, 5.
As this one should be close right up until it tips off… after that Coach Mike Young and Co. can pick their number more or less.
Kinda ‘pends on just how much Mr. Popcorn wants to line up/combinations experiment.
🍿
As Delaware State’s top-5 guys from 2o21-2o22 are all 100% gone.
(Including one Pt.G., who coulda prolly helped @Tech).
This one has multi Owens Dining Hall utensils in it, plural.
And the Jenny Craig lady has already… sung.
What with… Virginia Tech returning its three most accurate shooters from last year’s team that ranked No. 3 in Division I with a 3-point success rate of 39.2 percent. The marksmen are Darius Maddox (50.6 percent), Sean Pedulla (44.7 percent), and Hunter Cattoor (41.7 percent).
Mutts or not… what does it R.A.T.T. matter, here?
As this is a club on a o fer’ their last 24 games streak.
We make it zero hyphen twenty-five.
💯
(1oo% confidence interval)
Virginia Tech=88, Delaware State=44
“LETS GO!”
“Hokies!”
bourbonstreet**