saxamaphone
Bulldog (over 250 posts)
Yes III Can.
Posts: 259
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Post by saxamaphone on Mar 12, 2009 11:00:39 GMT -5
I know embedding images is frowned upon, but I don't have time to put this together in HTML. Below are Jessie's tempo-free numbers from all 4 of his seasons on the Hilltop, as compiled from KenPom.com. Looking at his True Shooting % (TS%), which factors in FT shooting and the extra point you get from a 3, it looks more like last year was the aberration - not this one. He hit a preposterous amount of threes at a 41% clip. Did anyone really expect him to replicate that? We all knew he wasn't a great shooter, as reference in the Blue Ribbon preview excerpt above. And as far as hustle and defense goes, he practically doubled his OR% and had his best year in Steal %, without a dramatic uptick in fouls called per 40 min. All of this while getting to the line at a better rate than last year, and nearly as much as when he had Roy and Jeff in the paint to open up lanes for driving. With respect to leadership, he was the lone Senior on a class that had seen 3 of his classmates and 2 from the year behind him transfer out of the program. Sure, he didn't respond well initially, but he never stopped caring and trying. What else do you want? I'm not arguing that he had a career year - if anything that was last year. I, for one, certainly had hoped for more from Jessie this year. But can we stop burying the kid? I'm frustrated too, don't take it out on Jessie. This season's failures don't lie entirely at his feet. And while some of you might argue that all of that goodwill was destroyed by this year, I think hindsight will prove you wrong.
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SFHoya99
Blue & Gray (over 10,000 posts)
Posts: 17,744
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Post by SFHoya99 on Mar 12, 2009 11:14:39 GMT -5
I didn't expect him to hit 41% from three, and I think the 36% is reasonable, even if it hurts a bit compared to prior year.
Where I am amazed at in regards to his stats is the 37% from 2 and the complete disaster that is his assist rate. Basically Jessie just stiooed being active. He was on a team that needed plays and he used less possessions than he did when he had Green and Hibbert on the team!
Some of that is role, but there's something else there as well. No layups off cuts, no drives to the basket. No sweet but slightly risky passes down low.
That said, it's not like Jessie was the only player who had a tough year. He had a great career and I'll miss him.
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saxamaphone
Bulldog (over 250 posts)
Yes III Can.
Posts: 259
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Post by saxamaphone on Mar 12, 2009 11:33:54 GMT -5
Agreed totally on the 2FG% and the assist rate, SF. As for the possessions used, how much of that do you think was him just being gun shy after starting out mired in a terrible shooting slump? He wasn't making the layups, but the the FT rate says he was at least trying to get to the rim.
Also, this might be fodder for another thread, but how much of the assist rate do you think has to do with having Greg at the 5, who was more likely to pass out of the low post than score?
And as I think about it, with the lineups we ran, who was he going to dish to? He and Chris were either fighting or not on the floor together. DaJuan was a disaster in his own special way, dribbling off his feet and taking contested Braswellian 3s. Austin never cuts. It wasn't like he was selfish - who was finishing the assists?
I agree that that "something else" wasn't there this year, I just wish I could figure out what the hell that was. For Jessie and for the rest of the team.
[edit: grammar]
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bmartin
Golden Hoya (over 1000 posts)
Posts: 2,459
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Post by bmartin on Mar 12, 2009 14:53:40 GMT -5
Sapp and Wallace had a very complementary partnership in the backcourt. Wallace was comfortable giving up the ball, cutting through the lane and setting up in the opposite corner or wing and waiting for the offense to come to him. Jessie was comfortable picking his openings to shoot or drive. He didn't force it. Jessie got open shots at the spots he likes to shoot them because teams were focusing on Hibbert inside and Wallace outside. He also got more assists because he was handling the ball more and was passing it Hibbert and Wallace who made shots.
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sleepy
Platinum Hoya (over 5000 posts)
Posts: 6,079
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Post by sleepy on Mar 12, 2009 17:33:37 GMT -5
Well obviously the people who actually talk to the players, see their interactions on and off the court, are with them in the locker room, and most importantly in practice saw it differently. But I am sure you know better. Personally I think Sapp should have been benched sooner than he was, it was obvouis during games he wasn't the same Sapp from the past two years. I think he has ended up finding himself, but it was too late. Oh yeah sorry I forgot. Your personal opinion is more important than mine seeing as your with him in the locker room and at practice too It has absolutly nothing to do with personal opinion, its what happened on the court. The people that see him in practice, on and off the court, and generally have a much better understanding of whats going on with the team disagreed with you. Once he was "benched" he started playing better.
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Post by hoyas big supporter on Mar 12, 2009 18:08:32 GMT -5
Oh yeah sorry I forgot. Your personal opinion is more important than mine seeing as your with him in the locker room and at practice too It has absolutly nothing to do with personal opinion, its what happened on the court. The people that see him in practice, on and off the court, and generally have a much better understanding of whats going on with the team disagreed with you. Once he was "benched" he started playing better. I was simply voicing opinion that he shouldnt have been benched. Even though you say he played better after the benching it doesnt matter because it was only for a couple games and wasnt that much of a change. If anything he was playing better in the beginning of the year than he is playing now
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Post by Hoya TMF on Mar 12, 2009 19:08:37 GMT -5
Play primarily off the ball and be a scorer instead of playing on it or half and half and being a facilitator. I'll give you off the ball, but Sapp was never asked to be a scorer, we had plenty of those. All he needed to do for us this year was play tough defense, and be a leader when things were getting rough and maybe hit a few open shots. He didn't do it. Simple as that. I personally think if he had just accepted his role things this season would have been much much different, but he didn't and now we are heading to the NIT, if we are lucky. sleepy if you're blaming sapp for this season taking a turn south, you're absolutely wrong. this is the same sapp that helped us to a 12-3 before a late collapse. we were a few bounces from an ncaa berth. maybe we beat seton hall if dajuan doesn't get hurt. maybe we beat st. johns the first time if austin plays. maybe the whole season doesn't go in the pooper if Greg doesn't get a phantom fourth foul called on him against Duke. Even when he was slumpng, Jessie played hard and defended the ball. Maybe if some of the other guys played defense, we could get a stop to save our life. Maybe if Summers wasn't wildly inconsistent or if Greg passed a little less, we'd have notched the two wins needed to get us to .500 in conference and definite tourney berth. At least Sapp was consistenly bad and slumping. Neither Austin or Summers (our primary scorers) could put together a string of games where they played well. There is a lot of blame to go around to every player and every coach.
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sleepy
Platinum Hoya (over 5000 posts)
Posts: 6,079
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Post by sleepy on Mar 12, 2009 19:25:06 GMT -5
I'll give you off the ball, but Sapp was never asked to be a scorer, we had plenty of those. All he needed to do for us this year was play tough defense, and be a leader when things were getting rough and maybe hit a few open shots. He didn't do it. Simple as that. I personally think if he had just accepted his role things this season would have been much much different, but he didn't and now we are heading to the NIT, if we are lucky. sleepy if you're blaming sapp for this season taking a turn south, you're absolutely wrong. this is the same sapp that helped us to a 12-3 before a late collapse. we were a few bounces from an ncaa berth. maybe we beat seton hall if dajuan doesn't get hurt. maybe we beat st. johns the first time if austin plays. maybe the whole season doesn't go in the pooper if Greg doesn't get a phantom fourth foul called on him against Duke. Even when he was slumpng, Jessie played hard and defended the ball. Maybe if some of the other guys played defense, we could get a stop to save our life. Maybe if Summers wasn't wildly inconsistent or if Greg passed a little less, we'd have notched the two wins needed to get us to .500 in conference and definite tourney berth. At least Sapp was consistenly bad and slumping. Neither Austin or Summers (our primary scorers) could put together a string of games where they played well. There is a lot of blame to go around to every player and every coach. I don't blame the whole turning south of the team on him, but I do believe he deserves a larger share of blame then most of the other players on the team, for the simple fact he was a senior and provided little to no leadership. Which is what they needed most.
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