mfk24
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Post by mfk24 on Dec 15, 2018 23:35:10 GMT -5
Memphis is 5-5 with losses to Tenn Tech and Charleston, plus no wins to show for their tougher schedule. If we were 5-5 even with their schedule, I think folks would be more Editeded than they are now. UConn is 7-3, although they do have the Cuse win that we couldn’t get. I’ll give you Indiana, although they were 9-9 in the Big 10 last year and added 5 star stud Romeo Langford whose a better talent than anyone on our roster right now. And I agree Keatts did an amazing job at NC State getting into the tournament in year one. They too suffered some bad losses but earned quality wins during conference play. Memphis probably doesn’t belong in the discussion but their recent recruiting will transform them overnight. Uconn is 7-3 with losses to Iowa, Arizona, and Florida St. Three teams better than anyone we have played. That’s the same speculation that had folks thinking we’d be a surefire Tournament team given our freshman class. Making the projection on how a high school players is going to transition to college is tough. They’re going to have to prove it just like we are. If we had played UConn’s schedule I think we’d probably be 7-3 or 7-4 and I don’t think any one would be exceptionally pleased with that result. But obviously I can’t guarantee that. Look, I’m not making excuses for Ewing or for the team’s performance tonight or any other night. We’re not good and we need to get better in a hurry. Personally I was realistic coming into the season, knew there would be some growing pains and given the fact that SMU and LMU are better than most if not all the non conference teams we beat last year, we were going to have to earn these wins by limiting mistakes, playing defense, and taking advantage of our opportunities on offense. We couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn today and our defense is porous. Those two things are nearly impossible to overcome when it comes to winning games. Some of that is coaching for sure, but some of it is also player execution and decision making which our young guys need to improve upon and will only come with experience. The other important point is that personnel and cohesion are hugely important and college roster construction is a challenge that Ewing had no experience with in the NBA. Even with the addition of 3 of his type of guys he’s still got half a roster full of incomplete pieces that he’s somehow gotta make work together. Despite all that, I still think barring any other guys missing game time, we have the opportunity to win more conference games than we did last year, just have to take things ione game at a time.
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mfk24
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Post by mfk24 on Dec 15, 2018 23:41:35 GMT -5
We miss Marcus. Thought we would take a step back this year with Marcus gone. Ask yourself this, and be honest: 1) Who on our roster would start for another Big East team? 2) If not a starter, who would get substantial playing time off of the bench. 3) Would our record be better this year, if Jay Wright or Ed Cooley were the coach? 1.) Govan for sure and Akinjo could depending on the team (Providence starts a freshman in Duke) 2.) LeBlanc, Mac, Pickett, and possibly Greg 3.) IMO we’d have won the Syracuse game and at least one of LMUor SMU. Our roster is not nearly as short on talent as some believe. Top to bottom we are in the ballpark talent wise with PC, Seton Hall, DePaul, Creighton, Butler; I’ll only give you SJ, Nova, and Narquette as THAT much more talented than us. Jay Wright lost to Penn and Furman, Cooley lost to UMass and a so-so Wichita St team (probably as good as SMU) all this year, despite years more experience than Ewing coaching at this level. It happens.
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NCHoya
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Post by NCHoya on Dec 15, 2018 23:57:06 GMT -5
I would like to understand the rationale of the dnp coach's decision strategy. I understand Ewing has expectations, but holding a guy completely out of a game feels extreme and hurts the rest of the team. Honest question, does this happen often in college basketball? I have heard of benching starters, holding guys out a half, but I do not agree with the idea you leave a player out the whole game unless it is serious stuff. It also does not comfort me to know that the players are not falling in line with what Ewing is expecting.
That said, I am not surprised that it was our two second year players Pickett and Blair having these issues considering they must feel frustrated at the minutes (and shots) the freshman are taking away from them. I get this freshman class is Ewing's guys, but he needs the whole team to buy in to what he is doing or they will go nowhere. I mean Blair and Pickett are just sophomores they still have plenty of upside, would hate to see them shutdown mentally on this team.
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Bigs"R"Us
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Post by Bigs"R"Us on Dec 16, 2018 0:17:42 GMT -5
The freshman are getting minutes because Blair, Mosely and Pickett can’t create.
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calhoya
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Post by calhoya on Dec 16, 2018 8:20:21 GMT -5
I would like to understand the rationale of the dnp coach's decision strategy. I understand Ewing has expectations, but holding a guy completely out of a game feels extreme and hurts the rest of the team. Honest question, does this happen often in college basketball? I have heard of benching starters, holding guys out a half, but I do not agree with the idea you leave a player out the whole game unless it is serious stuff. It also does not comfort me to know that the players are not falling in line with what Ewing is expecting. That said, I am not surprised that it was our two second year players Pickett and Blair having these issues considering they must feel frustrated at the minutes (and shots) the freshman are taking away from them. I get this freshman class is Ewing's guys, but he needs the whole team to buy in to what he is doing or they will go nowhere. I mean Blair and Pickett are just sophomores they still have plenty of upside, would hate to see them shutdown mentally on this team. Just as frustrated as you by the performance, but keep in mind that the sophomore class are Ewing's guys too. The talent in both groups is evident, whether it's watching the young guards handle the ball, Pickett's stroke, Blair's release or LeBlanc doing almost everything he does (other than shoot). What is surprising is that the two recruiting classes do not seem to fit. The real shock is how two All-Freshmen Team players in the BE can become irrelevant this year after all the promise last year. With two ball-handling guards Pickett should be getting his shots. Ditto for Blair. Ewing's the only one who can fix this and I remain hopeful it can happen. But right now the team seems closer to blowing up than suddenly getting its act together.
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Bigs"R"Us
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Post by Bigs"R"Us on Dec 16, 2018 8:30:11 GMT -5
SMU worked the ball around well to get open threes. The extra pass on the perimeter or kick out from down low. That’s how we get Malinowski, Pickett and Blair more looks. The freshman guards are still learning, as well as Pat.
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madgesiq92
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Post by madgesiq92 on Dec 16, 2018 8:46:10 GMT -5
1.) Govan for sure and Akinjo could depending on the team (Providence starts a freshman in Duke) 2.) LeBlanc, Mac, Pickett, and possibly Greg 3.) IMO we’d have won the Syracuse game and at least one of LMUor SMU. Our roster is not nearly as short on talent as some believe. Top to bottom we are in the ballpark talent wise with PC, Seton Hall, DePaul, Creighton, Butler; I’ll only give you SJ, Nova, and Narquette as THAT much more talented than us. Jay Wright lost to Penn and Furman, Cooley lost to UMass and a so-so Wichita St team (probably as good as SMU) all this year, despite years more experience than Ewing coaching at this level. It happens. That is sophistry. Where are the good wins? Where is an example of a game where current coaching staff "coached up" the team to a victory over a more talented opponent. I can count 1 good win since Ewing took over program. Even in the dumpster fire that was JT3s final year, Georgetown beat a Final Four Oregon team and Syracuse at the Dome.
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madgesiq92
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Post by madgesiq92 on Dec 16, 2018 8:49:47 GMT -5
SMU worked the ball around well to get open threes. The extra pass on the perimeter or kick out from down low. That’s how we get Malinowski, Pickett and Blair more looks. The freshman guards are still learning, as well as Pat. Is a coach that "needs to learn" the best coach for an inexperienced freshman guard duo? Maybe a complete shakeup of the assistant coaching staff is in order. Have not seen such poor execution on both sides of floor since the final year of the Esherick era.
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jwp91
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Post by jwp91 on Dec 16, 2018 8:59:10 GMT -5
I think we all need to remember that this team is a work in progress, that PE took over a program in utter disarray, and that progress may be more challenging than we hope it would be. Also remember that progress is rarely linear.
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DFW HOYA
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Post by DFW HOYA on Dec 16, 2018 9:32:24 GMT -5
I think we all need to remember that this team is a work in progress, that PE took over a program in utter disarray, and that progress may be more challenging than we hope it would be. Also remember that progress is rarely linear. "Utter disarray" is an exaggeration and an affront to those who worked in the program at that time. The team was 14-12 as late as mid-February 2017 when the wheels fell off. The coach lost his touch and never regained it, perhaps not even now. At this point, he'll likely never coach a college team again. But when you read of programs where players are arrested, where there are lawsuits against coaches, or where the head coach left a stain on the institution as a whole, that's the kind of disarray that is being suggested, and which does not apply at Georgetown. www.theringer.com/2017/9/27/16377268/rick-pitino-louisville-cardinals-fbi-scandal-legacy
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daveg023
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Post by daveg023 on Dec 16, 2018 9:32:45 GMT -5
My counter to this discussion is that if JT III were still the coach or if we had hired Amaker or Christian would we be any better/worse? If we go 5-13 again this year, how is this progress? How much worse could it be if any of those other men were in charge instead of Ewing?
Why can Indiana, UConn, NC State improve in a shorter period of time under a new regime?
How much disarray could a program be that Ewing inherited one guy currently collecting an NBA paycheck and another preseason All Big-East player?
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DallasHoya
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Post by DallasHoya on Dec 16, 2018 9:41:56 GMT -5
I think we all need to remember that this team is a work in progress, that PE took over a program in utter disarray, and that progress may be more challenging than we hope it would be. Also remember that progress is rarely linear. I called for hiring Ewing on this board long before it happened. So while I continue to be hopeful, I see two big concerns: 1. Ewing needs to understand the difference is how officiating in college differs from the NBA with regard to pick and rolls. Well over half of our standard offensive sets include the PF (Mourning or Leblanc) setting a pick for Akinjo. In the NBA, the PF can hold that pick for a millisecond and then move like an offensive lineman to ensure the switch in defenders. That isn’t allowed to anywhere near the same extent in college, which usually ends in both the defending PF and PG double teaming Akinjo, whose too short to see over them to hit the PF rolling to the rim. And neither of our PFs can shoot outside well enough to run a pick and pop. As a result, I would bet that less than 10% of our PNRs lead to any advantage. By way of comparison, being in Dallas I watch all of the Mavericks’ games, and 5’10” J.J. Berea is currently averaging 11+points and 5+ assists in only 19 minutes a game, while playing with the second team for most of that time. Ewing needs to recognize Akinjo’s inability to run PNRs, and run fewer and/or figure out a way to make them effective. 2. Even more concerning is recruiting. I realize that it’s not over for next year, but as we sit here about a month since signing day, there is no one coming that will materially improve this team next year. We will lose our best scorer and our best three point shooter and have recruited no one who can replace those points (except maybe Yurtseven). On paper, the two FR rim runners will likely improve our defense, but unless we get some scorers next year’s team will look like the unwatchable teams of the last few years of Big John and Esherick. That translates into more losses and even lower attendance. I hope I’m wrong.
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jwp91
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Post by jwp91 on Dec 16, 2018 10:02:08 GMT -5
I think we all need to remember that this team is a work in progress, that PE took over a program in utter disarray, and that progress may be more challenging than we hope it would be. Also remember that progress is rarely linear. "Utter disarray" is an exaggeration and an affront to those who worked in the program at that time. The team was 14-12 as late as mid-February 2017 when the wheels fell off. The coach lost his touch and never regained it, perhaps not even now. At this point, he'll likely never coach a college team again. But when you read of programs where players are arrested, where there are lawsuits against coaches, or where the head coach left a stain on the institution as a whole, that's the kind of disarray that is being suggested, and which does not apply at Georgetown. www.theringer.com/2017/9/27/16377268/rick-pitino-louisville-cardinals-fbi-scandal-legacyDFW...point taken. When a program dreams of being in the NCAA tournament again after being virtually an automatic qualifier for a generation, it is in disarray.
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Post by aleutianhoya on Dec 16, 2018 10:10:39 GMT -5
I think we all need to remember that this team is a work in progress, that PE took over a program in utter disarray, and that progress may be more challenging than we hope it would be. Also remember that progress is rarely linear. I called for hiring Ewing on this board long before it happened. So while I continue to be hopeful, I see two big concerns: 1. Ewing needs to understand the difference is how officiating in college differs from the NBA with regard to pick and rolls. Well over half of our standard offensive sets include the PF (Mourning or Leblanc) setting a pick for Akinjo. In the NBA, the PF can hold that pick for a millisecond and then move like an offensive lineman to ensure the switch in defenders. That isn’t allowed to anywhere near the same extent in college, which usually ends in both the defending PF and PG double teaming Akinjo, whose too short to see over them to hit the PF rolling to the rim. And neither of our PFs can shoot outside well enough to run a pick and pop. As a result, I would bet that less than 10% of our PNRs lead to any advantage. By way of comparison, being in Dallas I watch all of the Mavericks’ games, and 5’10” J.J. Berea is currently averaging 11+points and 5+ assists in only 19 minutes a game, while playing with the second team for most of that time. Ewing needs to recognize Akinjo’s inability to run PNRs, and run fewer and/or figure out a way to make them effective. 2. Even more concerning is recruiting. I realize that it’s not over for next year, but as we sit here about a month since signing day, there is no one coming that will materially improve this team next year. We will lose our best scorer and our best three point shooter and have recruited no one who can replace those points (except maybe Yurtseven). On paper, the two FR rim runners will likely improve our defense, but unless we get some scorers next year’s team will look like the unwatchable teams of the last few years of Big John and Esherick. That translates into more losses and even lower attendance. I hope I’m wrong. I've got to disagree on PNR. Yes, the officiating is different, but PNR is still an enormous weapon in college and if run correctly results in switches or blow bys frequently. I mean, isn't this what virtually every team in the last five of IIIs seasons did to us constantly? Akinjo and Mac are both quick and explosive enough to run it credibly with either the PF rolling or Jesse either rolling or popping for a three. The issue is execution, rather than the skills of the players or the nature of the college game. Id like to see us pick and pop more for Jesse, which also forces the opposing five away from the hoop.
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the_way
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The Illest
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Post by the_way on Dec 16, 2018 10:26:36 GMT -5
"Utter disarray" is an exaggeration and an affront to those who worked in the program at that time. The team was 14-12 as late as mid-February 2017 when the wheels fell off. The coach lost his touch and never regained it, perhaps not even now. At this point, he'll likely never coach a college team again. But when you read of programs where players are arrested, where there are lawsuits against coaches, or where the head coach left a stain on the institution as a whole, that's the kind of disarray that is being suggested, and which does not apply at Georgetown. www.theringer.com/2017/9/27/16377268/rick-pitino-louisville-cardinals-fbi-scandal-legacyDFW...point taken. When a program dreams of being in the NCAA tournament again after being virtually an automatic qualifier for a generation, it is in disarray. It was disarray from a personnel standpoint. And we are still seeing the effects now. Probably will for another year or two, unless we get some solid recruits.
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Post by iheartdurenbros on Dec 16, 2018 10:30:10 GMT -5
"Utter disarray" is an exaggeration and an affront to those who worked in the program at that time. The team was 14-12 as late as mid-February 2017 when the wheels fell off. The coach lost his touch and never regained it, perhaps not even now. At this point, he'll likely never coach a college team again. But when you read of programs where players are arrested, where there are lawsuits against coaches, or where the head coach left a stain on the institution as a whole, that's the kind of disarray that is being suggested, and which does not apply at Georgetown. www.theringer.com/2017/9/27/16377268/rick-pitino-louisville-cardinals-fbi-scandal-legacyDFW...point taken. When a program dreams of being in the NCAA tournament again after being virtually an automatic qualifier for a generation, it is in disarray. Actually I thought jwp91’s original post was spot on. It seems to me that the loss of a prized recruit, the announcement of Trey’s intention to transfer, and the rumors that nearly the entire team would follow Trey qualifies as disarray. We can argue about the degree, but I accept his characterization. JT3 left behind an unbalanced roster whose pieces didn’t fit. Marcus and Jessie needed better guard play to complement their skills. We have two freshmen guards who can create opportunities for themselves and others. Let them settle in.
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the_way
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Post by the_way on Dec 16, 2018 10:41:46 GMT -5
DFW...point taken. When a program dreams of being in the NCAA tournament again after being virtually an automatic qualifier for a generation, it is in disarray. Actually I thought jwp91’s original post was spot on. It seems to me that the loss of a prized recruit, the announcement of Trey’s intention to transfer, and the rumors that nearly the entire team would follow Trey qualifies as disarray. We can argue about the degree, but I accept his characterization. JT3 left behind an unbalanced roster whose pieces didn’t fit. Marcus and Jessie needed better guard play to complement their skills. We have two freshmen guards who can create opportunities for themselves and others. Let them settle in. Yes, he was spot on. Not to mention Marcus was pretty much an enigma his 1st 2 years before Ewing arrived. Ewing finally got him to realize his full potential. We had one inconsistent, defensive liability in Govan as a proven commodity, no big east caliber backcourt, and Peak left when Ewing arrived. When III arrived he had 2 future NBA first rounders, and big east caliber players Cook, Owens, and Bowman. Just add Wallace and Sapp, and in the 2nd year you are in the Sweet Sixteen.
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Post by rtphoya on Dec 16, 2018 11:17:07 GMT -5
My counter to this discussion is that if JT III were still the coach or if we had hired Amaker or Christian would we be any better/worse? If we go 5-13 again this year, how is this progress? How much worse could it be if any of those other men were in charge instead of Ewing? Why can Indiana, UConn, NC State improve in a shorter period of time under a new regime? How much disarray could a program be that Ewing inherited one guy currently collecting an NBA paycheck and another preseason All Big-East player? Not making excuses for our poor performance but living in Raleigh and NC State being my 2nd team, I can tell you the talent Keatts was left and the talent Ewing was left are not even in the same universe. Really not a fair comparison. Keatts walked in with the following veteran players on the roster: Abdul Malik Abu, Al Freeman, Markell Johnson, Torin Dorn, and Omer Yurtseven. He also got high end recruits LaVar Batts and Braxton Beverly. This year he's gotten even more talent, mostly through transfers. Not as familiar with UConn and Indiana.
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prhoya
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Post by prhoya on Dec 16, 2018 11:55:47 GMT -5
My counter to this discussion is that if JT III were still the coach or if we had hired Amaker or Christian would we be any better/worse? If we go 5-13 again this year, how is this progress? How much worse could it be if any of those other men were in charge instead of Ewing? Why can Indiana, UConn, NC State improve in a shorter period of time under a new regime? How much disarray could a program be that Ewing inherited one guy currently collecting an NBA paycheck and another preseason All Big-East player? Not making excuses for our poor performance but living in Raleigh and NC State being my 2nd team, I can tell you the talent Keatts was left and the talent Ewing was left are not even in the same universe. Really not a fair comparison. Keatts walked in with the following veteran players on the roster: Abdul Malik Abu, Al Freeman, Markell Johnson, Torin Dorn, and Omer Yurtseven. He also got high end recruits LaVar Batts and Braxton Beverly. This year he's gotten even more talent, mostly through transfers. Not as familiar with UConn and Indiana. Welcome to the board. Pat really needs to look into the transfer/grad market to boost his roster. Now, tells us your impression of Omer if you watched him at NC St. What will he provide on both sides of the court?
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Post by rtphoya on Dec 16, 2018 12:30:43 GMT -5
Not making excuses for our poor performance but living in Raleigh and NC State being my 2nd team, I can tell you the talent Keatts was left and the talent Ewing was left are not even in the same universe. Really not a fair comparison. Keatts walked in with the following veteran players on the roster: Abdul Malik Abu, Al Freeman, Markell Johnson, Torin Dorn, and Omer Yurtseven. He also got high end recruits LaVar Batts and Braxton Beverly. This year he's gotten even more talent, mostly through transfers. Not as familiar with UConn and Indiana. Welcome to the board. Pat really needs to look into the transfer/grad market to boost his roster. Now, tells us your impression of Omer if you watched him at NC St. What will he provide on both sides of the court? Thanks for welcoming me to the board. Omer is a face up 5 with great touch, range is out to the 3 point line. Not much in lateral quickness and not a shot blocker, but good rebounder. Word is he transferred out of NC State after getting feedback from NBA scouts on needing expansion on his post game. Keatts wants his bigs to be rim runners and screen setters. Nothing wrong with that but not really the institution for post development Omer was looking for. Really wish Hoyas would have beat NC State out for Manny Bates (a medical redshirted this year). Having him and LeBlanc on the floor at the same time would have solved a lot of our lack of athleticism in the front court.
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