Slow starts

[jester]

Maybe short of a trend but

In last few games - with “verterans” -gave up 17-0 run to DePaul in first 14 minutes. Against Seton Hall we have up an 18-3 run in the first 14’minutes. This game we came out cold too - not just shooting but focus wise. One was playoffs one was start of season, yet still similarities.

Does this team struggle a bit to find rhythm at start if games/ is their anything coaching wise / set wise that might mitigate? Or is it that it takes a while for players to hit their shots more consistently?

(I do think some of our players rushed to much / didn’t let game come to them this game)

[sleepy]

Are we lumping games 8 months apart with different seasons and different players together? How is Hoyatalk already in midsession form after game 1? should we grow into this level of crazy?

[jester]

Yes, because it concerns me that the core of the team remains the same and slow starts have carried over from last season...like I said small sample size but it does concern me.

Maybe it just that we aren’t a great shooting team or defensive Team therefore these spells are likely..

[FrazierFanatic]

We played like a team that was favored by double digits and let it go to their heads. Jester you are right that we have seen this more than once last season, but hopefully this group learns its lesson from this.

I also think James was maybe too focused on getting everyone involved in the first half, not uncommon for a first game.

[smokeyjack]

Nov 7, 2019 0:47:04 GMT -5 sleepy said:

Are we lumping games 8 months apart with different seasons and different players together? How is Hoyatalk already in midsession form after game 1? should we grow into this level of crazy?

It’s three of our last 5 games. I thought the issue last season was Govan and his lack of leadership and chemistry with youngsters - JT2 as much as told the kids at camp that was his take. I’m hoping it’s a leadership thing that rights itself with our supersophs taking charge.

But it is 3 of our last 5 games (and we weren’t exactly smoking vs Harvard either) and all should have been hype games. Last night might have been against a 20-pt dog, but it was our first game in months - dudes should have been hyped.

James strapped the team to his back last night and made it happen. We are putting a ton on this kid, but I think he’s got to be our emotional tone-setter. Pat just smolders and calls TOs; he isn’t inspiring any confidence IMO. Team won in spite of him last night in my opinion, not because of his moves.

[HometownHoya]

If anyone thinks we didn't greatly miss Josh last night then they are delusional. A lot of the things people are complaining about are solved with him at the 4:

1. He's clearly the leader of this team (just look at his interactions with Mac and James)
2. He will be our off-ball help in the PnR defense which will allow the scheme to work better
3. He plays with fire and emotion, at 100% all the time, and doesnt underestimate opponents, which will translate to his teammates.

Add in his rebounding, transition game, and opportunistic shooting and his presence was missed. Plus I have a feeling he might be taking opening tips (which we lost) over Y7.

[LCPolo18]

Nov 7, 2019 9:37:41 GMT -5 smokeyjack said:

Nov 7, 2019 0:47:04 GMT -5 sleepy said:

Are we lumping games 8 months apart with different seasons and different players together? How is Hoyatalk already in midsession form after game 1? should we grow into this level of crazy?

It’s three of our last 5 games. I thought the issue last season was Govan and his lack of leadership and chemistry with youngsters - JT2 as much as told the kids at camp that was his take. I’m hoping it’s a leadership thing that rights itself with our supersophs taking charge.

But it is 3 of our last 5 games (and we weren’t exactly smoking vs Harvard either) and all should have been hype games. Last night might have been against a 20-pt dog, but it was our first game in months - dudes should have been hyped.

James strapped the team to his back last night and made it happen. We are putting a ton on this kid, but I think he’s got to be our emotional tone-setter. Pat just smolders and calls TOs; he isn’t inspiring any confidence IMO. Team won in spite of him last night in my opinion, not because of his moves.

I have a slightly different perspective from the stands of last night's game.

First, to address last year, it seemed like the team ended the season with a series of big emotional wins followed by hangover losses. Beat ranked Villanova, get smacked by Creighton. Beat Seton Hall in double OT, get embarrassed by DePaul. Beat ranked Marquette on the road, run into a Seton Hall buzz saw at the BET (then having a let down game in the NIT). However, looking beyond that finishing stretch, the trend that I typically noticed was that the team would come out to a fast start and win the first half, but then the opponent would adjust and beat the Hoyas in the second half, plus on top of that the Hoyas would have a hard time closing the game. So it felt like the Ewing was putting together a good game plan and the team would take an early lead, but then the opponent would make mid-game/halftime adjustments and would make the game close or beat the Hoyas.

In contrast, the opposite played out last night. The Hoyas made halftime/mid-game adjustments that got them back in the game, they closed the game out convincingly, and they ended up with a comfortable win.

While I was certainly disappointed in the first 25 minutes of play last night, I was actually pretty excited that this team could make adjustments like they did. I feel like that's an encouraging development compared to last year that they were able to make adjustments and also close the game out strong.

[95hoya]

We had to full court press the Mount to wear them down and get back and win the game. That's not good. I see a bubble team. I was hoping for more in Year 3.

[bigelephant]

Nov 7, 2019 13:08:56 GMT -5 95hoya said:

We had to full court press the Mount to wear them down and get back and win the game. That's not good. I see a bubble team. I was hoping for more in Year 3.

Gosh - it was just the first game. We didn't look good for most of the game but I for one, am willing to wait a little more before I start thinking about giving up on them.

[njhoya78]

Nov 7, 2019 0:47:04 GMT -5 sleepy said:

Are we lumping games 8 months apart with different seasons and different players together? How is Hoyatalk already in midsession form after game 1? should we grow into this level of crazy?

We spent all off-season preparing for this level of crazy, and were definitely ready to start the season in mid-season meltdown form.

[hoyarooter]

I was expecting us to go undefeated this season, culminating in a national championship. AND THIS IS WHAT WE GET?? We should have won this game by 80 points. Maybe only 60 because Josh was out.

P.S.: I'm also expecting James to be a first team All-American this season, and be the number 2 pick in next year's draft behind Cole Anthony.

[Bigs"R"Us]

We’re still undefeated! 😎

[sleepy]

Nov 7, 2019 13:30:24 GMT -5 njhoya78 said:

Nov 7, 2019 0:47:04 GMT -5 sleepy said:

Are we lumping games 8 months apart with different seasons and different players together? How is Hoyatalk already in midsession form after game 1? should we grow into this level of crazy?

We spent all off-season preparing for this level of crazy, and were definitely ready to start the season in mid-season meltdown form.

I’m an equal parts shocked and impressed by this boards level of insanity after one game. It’s like we picked up arguments from March and dragged them into November as if no time had passed at all.

[smokeyjack]

Nov 7, 2019 23:28:48 GMT -5 sleepy said:

Nov 7, 2019 13:30:24 GMT -5 njhoya78 said:

We spent all off-season preparing for this level of crazy, and were definitely ready to start the season in mid-season meltdown form.

I’m an equal parts shocked and impressed by this boards level of insanity after one game. It’s like we picked up arguments from March and dragged them into November as if no time had passed at all.

This is a fan site, as in fanatic. Fanatics are literally by definition illogically emotional about their teams. I think what you saw from many of us on Wednesday night was a reaction based on the following factors:

1. First game of season - yes, most teams are rusty, but both players and fans have waited 8 mos to play. Those games tend to be highly emotionally charged. The team maybe didn’t see it that way,. They were awful, like historically awful, for 25 min, and the emotional impact of that was at least trebled because of wait and tiny sample. Not logical, absolutely fanatical. From a purely selfish standpoint for someone who looks forward for months to Hoya Hoops, it was incredibly deflating - like unwrapping a turd on Christmas morning.

2. Expectations - in year 3 of PE era with 4 returning starters plus Yurt and some interesting recruiting pieces expectations were high. Performance for more than half game was worse than anything we saw last season. Disappointing any way you cut it.

3. Ruts - Shooting and PnR defense were both tragicomic, leading one to wonder what this team has been practicing. It’s hard for guys off the street to shoot as poorly as these guys shot for 25 minutes. And the PnR defense was atrocious and Pavlovian, as slow, needless?? hedge after hedge led to wide open layups. It was almost as if our bigs were conducting a drill for MSM. At some point you have to stop hedging and give up wide open 3s over layups or dunks. Play some zone. Stop hedging. Nah, let’s beat our heads against the wall for 30 minutes. GLACIAL coaching adjustment.

Akinjo was jaw-dropping when he strapped the team on his back, but there were way more reasons for concern than optimism against a pretty pedestrian team on opening night. Akinjo basically willed us to victory in spite of ourselves.

I never said the season was over or we should just quit playing, but it did temper my expectations. I had thought all the “experts” in the media were sleeping on us, and that we would be better than our 5-7 BE finish (VERY few had us 4 or higher). Based on Game 1, I think that second tier is prob right. We still might end up better, but evidence from Wed says skew down, not up.

[jwp91]

Nov 8, 2019 10:06:46 GMT -5 smokeyjack said:

Nov 7, 2019 23:28:48 GMT -5 sleepy said:

I’m an equal parts shocked and impressed by this boards level of insanity after one game. It’s like we picked up arguments from March and dragged them into November as if no time had passed at all.

This is a fan site, as in fanatic. Fanatics are literally by definition illogically emotional about their teams. I think what you saw from many of us on Wednesday night was a reaction based on the following factors:
.....

4. An inability to regulate emotions.

[hoyarooter]

I don't think it's possible to come up with a better description of our play for one-half plus than unwrapping a turd on Christmas morning.

[justsaying]

Nov 8, 2019 10:06:46 GMT -5 smokeyjack said:

Nov 7, 2019 23:28:48 GMT -5 sleepy said:

I’m an equal parts shocked and impressed by this boards level of insanity after one game. It’s like we picked up arguments from March and dragged them into November as if no time had passed at all.

This is a fan site, as in fanatic. Fanatics are literally by definition illogically emotional about their teams. I think what you saw from many of us on Wednesday night was a reaction based on the following factors:

1. First game of season - yes, most teams are rusty, but both players and fans have waited 8 mos to play. Those games tend to be highly emotionally charged. The team maybe didn’t see it that way,. They were awful, like historically awful, for 25 min, and the emotional impact of that was at least trebled because of wait and tiny sample. Not logical, absolutely fanatical. From a purely selfish standpoint for someone who looks forward for months to Hoya Hoops, it was incredibly deflating - like unwrapping a turd on Christmas morning.

2. Expectations - in year 3 of PE era with 4 returning starters plus Yurt and some interesting recruiting pieces expectations were high. Performance for more than half game was worse than anything we saw last season. Disappointing any way you cut it.

3. Ruts - Shooting and PnR defense were both tragicomic, leading one to wonder what this team has been practicing. It’s hard for guys off the street to shoot as poorly as these guys shot for 25 minutes. And the PnR defense was atrocious and Pavlovian, as slow, needless?? hedge after hedge led to wide open layups. It was almost as if our bigs were conducting a drill for MSM. At some point you have to stop hedging and give up wide open 3s over layups or dunks. Play some zone. Stop hedging. Nah, let’s beat our heads against the wall for 30 minutes. GLACIAL coaching adjustment.

Akinjo was jaw-dropping when he strapped the team on his back, but there were way more reasons for concern than optimism against a pretty pedestrian team on opening night. Akinjo basically willed us to victory in spite of ourselves.

I never said the season was over or we should just quit playing, but it did temper my expectations. I had thought all the “experts” in the media were sleeping on us, and that we would be better than our 5-7 BE finish (VERY few had us 4 or higher). Based on Game 1, I think that second tier is prob right. We still might end up better, but evidence from Wed says skew down, not up.

To know anything about the game in general; a team led by youngsters in itself will be inconsistent. If one don't think so just watch more games of young teams (lead by youngsters) at any level.