We look like Georgetown again..so far

[the_way]

Man, its like i'm dreaming or maybe finally waking up from a nightmare that was the last 2 years of Hoyas Basketball.

I haven't enjoyed watching the Hoyas play like this in quite some time.

Its refreshing, isn't it?

And you know what, it seems like the guys are having fun playing out there.

Beyond all else, we finally have an identity as a team again. ITs seems like every player on this roster has a role to play and chips in with what he can provide, and it works like a well-oiled machine.

I know its early. I know we got a tough Big East schedule with a bunch of highly ranked teams.

But man, it just feels good seeing our guys play like the way they are playing, especially guys like Henry, Lubick, and Benimon. They may not light up the box scores, but they help keep the fire lit with this team.

Go Hoyas!

[MCIGuy]

If you really thought last season was a nightmare you need to have your eyes checked or get some more realistic expectations. While ultimately disappointing because of the Ohio debacle, last season wasn't some horror show. I have seen plenty of Esh seasons, the latter JT II years and Monroe's first season (as you mentioned) that make last season's Hoyas look like all-time greats in comparison. And any season which provides great wins against Washington, Butler, UConn, Duke (in front of the prez), the Villanova-blizzard game, the win against Syracuse in the BET and a respectable showing versus WVU in the BET Finals is something to be grateful for, not dismissed. A nightmare would be more like what St. John's had been going through the past six years.

Also last season's team looked as if it was having plenty of fun throughout most of the season.

[Coast2CoastHoya]

Last night the Hoyas played some beautiful basketball, flat out. They're really impressing this season. It is refreshing.

I won't go so far as to the say the last two seasons were a nightmare (I agree with MCI that there were some amazing moments last year, especially, and that the Ohio loss put a layer of tarnish on an otherwise sterling season), but the Hoyas were pretty inconsistent in 08-09 and 09-10, which--as a fan--made it tough to watch and understand what was going on (or what to expect) sometimes. The 11 team is #16 in consistency on kenpom.

And most importantly, they're fun to watch!

[blueandgray]

Nightmarish, maybe not. Confusing and frustrating ...absolutely. Forget the ohio game, what about our games against rutgers, odu, notre dame, usf, multiple games against st. John's, etc., etc.. Over the last 2 years we've lost at least 10 games to inferior teams simply because we came out flat and showed no fight. What I think The Way is saying is that unlike the past two years, this team is playing focused ball game in and game out and it's a pleasure to watch.

[crzyhoya]

Few topics push a lurker like me to post, but this has got to be one of them.

Did anyone at any point during the last few years that we would be ranked 18th in the country in points per game at 81?

But then you look at the rebounding rank at 201st, and you begin to see the bigger picture.

For all the people that decried the offense on which JTIII has built his teams during his tenure, shame on you. This year has proven that this coach has learned to adapt his offense to what he is given and make it flourish.

When he is given guards with some amazing ability, a great deal of experience, and a dirth of size and defensive prowess, he gives you a team that shoots LIGHTS OUT every night with consistency. He knows he has room for improvement (rebounds, rebounds, rebounds), but he puts the focus on what we do best and exploits it. So what if they get second chances, we don't need them and they definitely will. And we still steal clock time looking for that best shot and do well denying open looks from our opponents - and despite our size we hold them to relatively low shooting percentages as ours skyrockets. This is simply, in the classic sense, a good team.

I know this team can lose any given day. We've seen it every year and you can see it in their eyes the moment they hit the court sometimes. But I will say that I feel that fear less this year and any since Jeff Green wore the blue and gray. I don't avert my eyes nearly as often and, as has been said already, this team is simply FUN TO WATCH.

Georgetown is back, and I can't wait to see the looks on the faces of our doubters while we smash through the top-ten packed Big East. Bring 'em on.

[MCIGuy]

Dec 24, 2010 22:56:23 GMT -5 blueandgray said:

Nightmarish, maybe not. Confusing and frustrating ...absolutely. Forget the ohio game, what about our games against rutgers, odu, notre dame, usf, multiple games against st. John's, etc., etc.. Over the last 2 years we've lost at least 10 games to inferior teams simply because we came out flat and showed no fight. What I think The Way is saying is that unlike the past two years, this team is playing focused ball game in and game out and it's a pleasure to watch.

At the same time last year the Hoyas also had one loss. That was to ODU. All the other games they had won. Now you can claim that last season's early home loss to ODU was worse than this season's early road loss to Temple. But we sure did whine a lot a couple of weeks back after the defeat at Temple about how uninspired Gtown looked during that game. So what's the difference? We won't really know if this team is any less inconsistent or any more focused than last season's team until the Big East portion of the schedule gets underway.

the_way typically has an interesting take on things. Often his views are totally at odds with the take of most folks on these board. Nothing wrong with that of course but it does make me digest some of his points (like his assertion that this team looks to be having more fun than last season's squad) with a grain of salt.

[calhoya]

Sometimes a team is greater than the sum of its parts and other times the opposite is true. Last year we had three McDonald's AAs, but little depth and little experience on the bench--or at least none that the coach trusted enough to play. The key though--despite the trauma of losing to Ohio at the wrong point in the season--is that the team progressed by leaps and bounds over the year before and was poised to be a national title contender this year had Monroe stayed. For all the talk about Monroe being soft and underperforming, the truth is that he would have been an incredible presence this year in the middle, particularly if the coach had used the depth that has now been accumulated and not overextended Monroe's minutes.

It turns out that without a "superstar" at the post, but with considerably more depth and some unexpected late and early "arrivals" (Sims and Lubick) this year's team may very well still be a national title contender. That remains to be seen and it certainly will take even more from Vaughn, Siims and Lubcik going forward into the battles with the Big East.

I met a successful college coach recently at a charity event and had an interesting conversation about the Hoyas. He claims to be a big JT III fan. FWIW he is also a big J Dixon fan and Bob Knight fan. His take is that coaches like JT III have a difficult choice to make in recruiting--they can go after 5 star recruits and simplify or adapt their systems so that a new player can come in and contribute quickly before likely moving on to the professional ranks or they can continue to run complex systems, like the Hoyas do, but focus on the 3/4 star recruits who will be there for 4 years. He compared Calipari to JT III and Dixon. Finally, he also noted that the senior Hoya guards, while heavily recruited, were not obvious NBA candidates at the time they came out and were likely 4 year candidates. Wright was deemed too small and Freeman was overweight and considered an "offfense-only" player. Interesting thoughts, but few can deny that it takes a while for players--no matter how good -- to learn the system thta the Hoyas run. I truly believe that given another year, Monroe would have been remembered as one of the best players this program has ever had.

[idhoya]

this year there are three things that stand out to me: there is greater depth, the improvement of Henry and there are energy guys contibuting; in particular Nate, JB and Vee.

[harlemhoya]

the_way is a Greg Monroe hater

[michaelgrahamfan]

I am not saying that the way is a Monroe hater, but he was an abundance of talent and a shortage of resolve. The intensity and poise of this edition outshines the panic which lead to many of the losses over the past two seasons. The team has clear team leaders in its backcourt. As long as Greg was there the roles of the players was ill defined as he was the logical leader but did not have the inclination or the personality to assume that role. I expect bumps in the road but the poise and focus of this group should surprise.

[MCIGuy]

What....Austin or Chris could not lead if Greg was around even though they were a year older? Give me a break. During Greg's first season so-called experts in the media claimed Gtown's problem was that Greg deferred leadership to the guys ahead of him, now its Greg was a bad leader and should have left the leadership to others? How about instead...the returning players are a year older and wiser and there is a deeper bench this time out?

[lichoya68]

i think were pretty good nuf said go hoyas beat ND at their house DEFEND THE THREE AND ONE

[bigelephant]

Monroe is history and it beats me why we keep bringing him up in re this year

I agree with The Way that this years team is really fun to watch - but the overarching Question remains can we do it in the BE season? IMO it will be harder but we can. This years team is stronger and deeper than last - a better Hollis, Jerrelle, and Sims also Nate, Vee and Markel - man I am just salivating. Not to mention an older, wiser and better starting 5.We can do so much more because of our strong depth - ie break, press and have outstanding fight and hustle. Rebounding is not as strong as I like but IMO the system trades those great backdoors for a few rebounds - our bigs rotate from the blocks to the corner to the elbow to the top of the key on O so we do get boxed out some. I have no answer why we come up short on the D end with the other team getting multiple O rebounds at times.

I know it, I feel it, I see it, this team will be special.

[HOYAPLAYA]

Dec 25, 2010 22:09:46 GMT -5 MCIGuy said:

What....Austin or Chris could not lead if Greg was around even though they were a year older? Give me a break. During Greg's first season so-called experts in the media claimed Gtown's problem was that Greg deferred leadership to the guys ahead of him, now its Greg was a bad leader and should have left the leadership to others? How about instead...the returning players are a year older and wiser and there is a deeper bench this time out?

MCI...you're wasting your time even responding to those posts. The common sense approach that you and most logical thinking fans would take on this subject clearly gets in the way of the "Greg Monroe" bashing agenda. The fact of the matter is that at this point this "team" is more talented from top to bottom and therefore we are seeing better results. It's easier to bash Monroe, then it is to ask why it has taken our point guard so long to understand "his role" OR why Sims wasn't prepared to at least contribute something in his Sophomore year OR why our upperclassmen (Sapp and Summers) showed no leadership skills whatsoever 2 years ago. All Monroe did was show up and play his tail off for 2 years and anyone who wants to blame him for us coming up short over the past 2 years really needs to have their head checked.

[prhoya]

Simply put, who wouldn't have wanted Monroe on this year's team? Who thinks the team is better off without him?

IMO, the answer is Greg would have made this team the National Champion. Without him, and looking at this year's competition, we can make it too if the guys keep playing like they're doing and improving through March/April.

[HoyaSinceBirth]

I think the best thing for this team would be for everyone to hae thought greg was gone having the team prepare for the season the way they did as if they didn't have greg and then have him some how come back at the last second. I think this team worked extra hard and developed skills because they knew they needed to if they wanted to succeed since greg was gone. I think the defense and rebounding are improved because we knew everyone would have to chip in in these areas to make up for the loss of greg. So if we could guarantee that everyone would do these things and then bring back greg in addition. that would be best. It's impossible to know if our players would be the same if greg had come back. Perhaps they don't work as hard. I'm fairly positive the guards would not be rebounding this hard if greg was back.

[lichoya68]

thinks coach knows what he was doing??? he seems to know his personal and adapt as such... nuf said AGAIN.

[the_way]

yep, today was a thing a beauty.

just a thing of beauty.

[SSHoya]

Paging HoyaSouth. . .

[superan]

I was really confused about some of these posts until I saw the date.


Anyways...agreed!