SFHoya99
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Post by SFHoya99 on Nov 6, 2018 23:41:47 GMT -5
It’s game 1 and we were breaking in 3 freshman that will be in our top 7 rotation wise, as well as a transfer who missed a whole season. Give them a few games. I’m interested in the Illinois game when they will all be amped up and a stronger challenge is presented. Give it time. I'm obviously not giving up on them. But I am lowering some expectations; I was perhaps too optimistic but that game was rough against a not very good at all opponent. There's just a lot more improvement needed. Which is fine, we are young. But I was hoping we'd see a bit more lightning in the bottle.
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SaxaCD
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Post by SaxaCD on Nov 6, 2018 23:58:50 GMT -5
It’s game 1 and we were breaking in 3 freshman that will be in our top 7 rotation wise, as well as a transfer who missed a whole season. Give them a few games. I’m interested in the Illinois game when they will all be amped up and a stronger challenge is presented. Give it time. I'm obviously not giving up on them. But I am lowering some expectations; I was perhaps too optimistic but that game was rough against a not very good at all opponent. There's just a lot more improvement needed. Which is fine, we are young. But I was hoping we'd see a bit more lightning in the bottle. If Akinjo is still rounding into form after a high ankle sprain, I think he was fine. Yep, he pounds a bit too much and needs to make a few better decisions, but it's just his first game. Needs to add a little strength, too, like 98% of freshmen. Mac got caught a couple of times too far below basket and got blocked by the rim underneath. Once he gets by his defender, which he did pretty easily all night, he needs to figure out a way to draw a foul down there, or shovel it out for an easy deuce. To me it was a lack of cohesion, as Clyde Frazier used to say, that was most evident. I thought the defense in general looked pretty good, although Mourning got outmuscled a few times, and Jesse let smaller guy still get right around him by not just standing tall and not biting on fakes. But overall a pretty good defensive effort compared to what we've seen the past few seasons. If we get the control and the communication right on offense, that's when the score differential will become noticeable. I'd grade it a solid B for the first game of the year. We won't be the only team seeing one like this this week.
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beenaround
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Post by beenaround on Nov 6, 2018 23:59:04 GMT -5
Great to see our Hoyas in action again! Have to agree with much of what SF said, however. UMES lost to a DIII school in a scrimmage this year and we didn't exactly blow them out. Leblanc was a defensive presence and rebounder, as advertised and Pickett looked like he could have scored a lot more, if needed. But Jesse didn't offer much defensive resistance when challenged, and overall we were very sloppy passing the ball. Didn't break their press all that easily and our press didn't seem to faze UMES. Hey..its game 1 with a lot of new faces...probably means nothing in terms of how this season unfolds. But didn't feel all that warm and fuzzy by the end of this one.
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DFW HOYA
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Post by DFW HOYA on Nov 7, 2018 0:01:04 GMT -5
For all the posts selling delusion and a return to the good old days, this is the kind of game that reinforces the long road Georgetown is facing to climb up the Big East.
1. This is the kind of opponent which Georgetown should have hit the gas pedal and run right over, but the defense isn't there, the turnovers mounted up, and there still is no second option to Govan in crunch time. It was the kind of game where Pickett should have channeled his inner Keyshawn Johnson and just give him the ball. He took one shot from two point range. One. We know he can shoot the three but we need someone inside to take pressure off Govan. For this game, anyway, it wasn't him.
2. Govan will be contained in Big East play and there must be someone willing to step up down low. Losing Derrickson really hurts GU in this regard and it remains to be seen who the go-to option down low will be.
3. Starting Akinjo and McClung over Blair and Mosely sends a message, and I'm not sure it's a positive one long-term. Georgetown needs both of them to contribute and the two combined to go 1-6.
4. I'm hoping to see improvement at CCSU but Ewing still coaches this team like an NBA club, e.g., without urgency. Duke was able to put on a spurt versus Kentucky and never let off. We haven't seen this kind of intensity (or "havoc", to borrow a phrase from VCU) from Georgetown in years.
5. Kaleb Johnson's return figures to reduce Mourning's time but the others may all be around the range we saw tonight until January:
25+ Govan, Johnson 20-25: Akinjo, McClung, Pickett 15-20: LeBlanc, Blair, Malinowski 10-15: Mourning, Mosely <5: Carter <2: Walk-ons
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kbones17
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Post by kbones17 on Nov 7, 2018 0:28:39 GMT -5
I’m going to go back and watch again later in the week but it was an ok performance. It is about what you’d expect when you are playing three freshman and two redshirt guys (neither of whom have game experience with Ewing/Gtown) in big roles. Lack of cohesion, no real plan of attack in the half court, and the young guards trying to do too much. That said, it’s clear that the three freshman have a lot of potnetnial and all three showed impressive stuff in spurts. Akinjo and Mac need to rein in their flair for the dramatic a bit. Akinjo is going to have trouble finishing at the hoop. Leblanc was very impressive. I also like what I saw from Malinowski and Mourning. Govan was the best player on the floor by far and we needed to feed him more, but today seemed like just a “get everyone’s feet wet” kind of game.
As have been said on this board, the biggest opportunity for this team to improve is on the defensive side of the ball. Overall, I thought the D was solid enough and despite being sloppy with the ball we didn’t give up many easy baskets.
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jester
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Post by jester on Nov 7, 2018 0:34:30 GMT -5
For those getting on Akiinjo - 5 star recruit # 3 ranked guard Hagans put up 2 Pts 4 fouls in his debut. Granted it was against Duke, but it can take time for some players.
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Hoyas4Ever
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A Wise Man Once Told Me Don't Argue With Fools....
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Post by Hoyas4Ever on Nov 7, 2018 0:48:02 GMT -5
Only thing that was transparent to me from this game was LeBlanc has tremendous hands and motor. He's in constant motion and inhales the ball.
I'm going to double, no triple down on my statement when LeBlanc committed. He reminds me so much of Kawhi Leonard during his time at San Diego State.
LeBlanc has Defensive POY potential at some point during his time at Georgetown...
The rest of the game was pretty forgettable. Not unexpected as the team started 3 new players which included 2 freshman and in terms of playing time/game experience a sophomore in Mourning who hadn't played in a college game in over 18 months.
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Hoyas4Ever
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A Wise Man Once Told Me Don't Argue With Fools....
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Post by Hoyas4Ever on Nov 7, 2018 0:57:24 GMT -5
Also was impressed with Greg's defensive IQ and awareness. Kid knows how to play the game. His shot will fall. Not too worried about that.
Also I liked the lineups that Coach Ewing used. Like how he staggered McClung and Akinjo. Played Mosely with McClung. Played Greg and Blair with a Akinjo. Seems like Coach did that on purpose. We'll see on Saturday if those lineups reoccurs.
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hoyainla
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Post by hoyainla on Nov 7, 2018 1:25:52 GMT -5
That was far from impressive but I'll just focus on the positives. Thankfully we got Leblanc and Akinjo or else this team would be atrocious. Greg and Trey looked serviceable but shots didn't fall. That's about all I got while trying to stay positive.
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Post by bigelephant on Nov 7, 2018 5:02:20 GMT -5
OK! I WAS TOO SANGUINE. A LONGER ROAD AHEAD FOR MAC AMD AKINJO EVEN THOUGH THERE WERE SOME BRIGHT MOMENTS. I REVISE EXPECTATIONS DOWN A BIT - AT LEAST FOR A WHILE.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Nov 7, 2018 6:40:18 GMT -5
For those getting on Akiinjo - 5 star recruit # 3 ranked guard Hagans put up 2 Pts 4 fouls in his debut. Granted it was against Duke, but it can take time for some players. And Quinerly put up an all-star 1-4, 3 pt, 2 TO performance against #324 RPI Morgan State. So yeah, one data point. That said, doubt (but hope!) this Hoyas team sniffs the NCAAs. But will be fun (and frustrating!) to watch the frosh develop. Really humbling to see how far the blue bloods have separated themselves. I imagine Duke would beat Georgetown by 60.
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prhoya
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Post by prhoya on Nov 7, 2018 7:15:18 GMT -5
From hundreds of miles away and online, the kente design on the court looked like a gravel pit.
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prhoya
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Post by prhoya on Nov 7, 2018 7:25:21 GMT -5
Other than LeBlanc and maybe Mac, I didn’t get the sense that there was urgency in our play last night. It’s like the team and coaching staff knew we had too many weapons or that UMES didn’t have enough of them to beat us. Even Akinjo was caught being lazy against their gritty guards. Jagan was the same player as last season. I was expecting more solid play from our junior, but it was just one game. LeBlanc was fantastic, the best freshman and second overall to Jesse, who was just going thru the motions. I cannot believe Jessie is still made to expose himself to getting stupid body fouls 25 ft from the basket. As someone mentioned, I think Pat picked this game to give a lot of playing time to our new players and held back JP and JB.
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Post by SoCal Hoya85 on Nov 7, 2018 7:49:43 GMT -5
Things that went differently than I expected, starting with the positives: - Leblanc! Not only was he the athlete and defensive player I expected, but I was also impressed by his constant motor and the fact that he might have displayed the most basketball iq out there tonight. That was a low bar, but he made the right cuts, sealed off his man, and didn't really join the turnover parade that I otherwise saw.
- The defensive rebounding was a team effort, and despite the low level of competition, strong.
- ... that's about it.
Now for the negatives: - I expected the lack of cohesion, the inability to run the offense, the herky jerky style of play, and the turnovers by the young guards. What I didn't expect was the general terrible decision making including Pickett, Malinowksi and Mosely. Just ugly.
- I expected more out of Akinjo. He has the defensive skillset, but lost his man a few times off ball. He has the handle of a point, but doesn't really know how to run a pick and roll yet and pounded the ball way too much. Both he and Mack struggled to convert at the rim. Perhaps it is too early to judge, but I might have overestimated Akinjo's PG skills. It's always tough to be a frosh PG.
- Leblanc's intensity was great, but where was the rest of the team's? We generated turnovers through length, but his effort level made the rest of the team look sluggish and uninspired at times.
- Has Pickett made the leap? Early returns aren't so positive there.
- Glad to see Mourning and Malinowksi get time but both seemed to be exactly what'd you expect. Mourning has a nice jumper, but gets outmuscled down low and can't protect the rim; Malinowski looked okay on D and the shot looks fine, but dribbling against Eastern Shore felt a bit too far.
I'm not writing the team off by any means, and all this can change, but it was hard to watch this game and be optimistic through the lens of it. The team is young and improvement at the guard spot can change that quickly. I agree with all of this except for the comments about Pickett. What didnt you like about his performance? To my eyes, he played within the flow of the offense, hit just about every shot he took, and his handle looked much improved. His D was pretty solid too. From watching in person you could see he clearly has been putting in the work too. Bigger frame, more explosive, more confident. That being said, i dont see how were better than last year. Losing Derrickson was too much and the team looks like it has farther to go than most in terms of developing an identity. Ball movement could be a problem. Hope im wrong.
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guru
Platinum Hoya (over 5000 posts)
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Post by guru on Nov 7, 2018 8:00:01 GMT -5
From hundreds of miles away and online, the kente design on the court looked like a gravel pit. Agreed. It looked pretty awful on TV.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Nov 7, 2018 8:07:31 GMT -5
Impressed with LeBlanc, fine with Mourning, meh on Pickett and Blair and Mosely - those three need to step up this year for us to make progress as a program.
Pretty much what I expected from Akinjo, Mac, Malinowski, Govan (just stop with the dumb fouls).
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Post by blazers44 on Nov 7, 2018 8:08:40 GMT -5
This team is gonna be hurting big-time if and when govan comes out of the game.
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Post by HamptonHoya on Nov 7, 2018 8:09:44 GMT -5
Who wavered that it would take one game for Mac to make SportsCenter? The steal and the break away reverse slam was #6 on SC top 10.
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Post by blazers44 on Nov 7, 2018 8:13:09 GMT -5
This team is gonna be hurting big-time if and when govan comes out of the game. And Why didnt govan play as much as usual? He wasn't hurt or in foul trouble....
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Post by bigelephant on Nov 7, 2018 8:22:38 GMT -5
This team is gonna be hurting big-time if and when govan comes out of the game. And Why didnt govan play as much as usual? He wasn't hurt or in foul trouble.... Since he wasn't awesome , I guess it was to give all team members a chance to play.
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