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Post by michaelgrahmstylie on Nov 10, 2019 18:25:30 GMT -5
Even though those first 2 games have been closer than they should have, I see good signs in this team. Yurtseven is fantastic and the low post / rebounding / high energy guy that Jesse wasn't. Jamorko looks more confident this year. He had some drives today where it looked like his handle has improved since last season. Akinjo and Mac will be fine. Only disappointment so far is that Mac's deficiencies seem similar to last year (defense and lack of passing vision on his drives). Alexander will be good for us. It will be hard to keep him out of the lineup. Allen is a great backup PG. We are lucky to have 2 vocal floor generals. I have a very positive review of Patrick over his first 3 years so far. Even if we aren't getting 5 star recruits (yet) or contending for Final 4 spots every year, we are playing an exciting up and down style that is enjoyable to watch. If we keep playing this style, are reasonably successful, and get guys into the league, the high level recruits will come. Totally agree with your assessment of first two weeks and Patrick Ewing. Alexander and Allen are welcomed additions.
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Post by eastcoastteddy58 on Nov 10, 2019 18:32:58 GMT -5
Even though those first 2 games have been closer than they should have, I see good signs in this team. Yurtseven is fantastic and the low post / rebounding / high energy guy that Jesse wasn't. Jamorko looks more confident this year. He had some drives today where it looked like his handle has improved since last season. Akinjo and Mac will be fine. Only disappointment so far is that Mac's deficiencies seem similar to last year (defense and lack of passing vision on his drives). Alexander will be good for us. It will be hard to keep him out of the lineup. Allen is a great backup PG. We are lucky to have 2 vocal floor generals. I have a very positive review of Patrick over his first 3 years so far. Even if we aren't getting 5 star recruits (yet) or contending for Final 4 spots every year, we are playing an exciting up and down style that is enjoyable to watch. If we keep playing this style, are reasonably successful, and get guys into the league, the high level recruits will come. Totally agree with your assessment of first two weeks and Patrick Ewing. Alexander and Allen are welcomed additions. Still waiting to see Gardner explode I had high hopes after seeing him in the Kenner League. Furthermore, I'd like to see our other two centers even if they have to play at the PF position.
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kettlehill
Golden Hoya (over 1000 posts)
Posts: 1,145
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Post by kettlehill on Nov 10, 2019 18:33:59 GMT -5
This discussion brings up an issue that has been bothering me since last season: Patrick clearly does not see Mac as a point guard. While I agree that for as long as he is a Hoya, James is the #1 point guard, I think Mac would flourish in the riole of the #2 point. I don’t think it’s going to happen this year- not with Allen here, but I think it’s something that should be considered. Even last year, when Jams was out, it was Mosely who ran the point. Mac has the handle, the vision and the passing to do it and it would help his overall game, IMHO.
As to Macs defense, it has not looked good. But is that because he can’t do it, or because the scheme is flawed?
Despite all the above, I think we are in for a solid year: Mosely and Pickett have shown solid improvement. With the “kids” and Yurt, it looks good
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Bigs"R"Us
Platinum Hoya (over 5000 posts)
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Post by Bigs"R"Us on Nov 10, 2019 19:00:46 GMT -5
Mac is deadlier from the wing. Next year, Dante will take Terrell’s role as backup PG.
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Nevada Hoya
Blue & Gray (over 10,000 posts)
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Post by Nevada Hoya on Nov 10, 2019 19:31:08 GMT -5
After the UCA game the Hoyas are ranked 126th in the Saragin rankings.
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Post by michaelgrahmstylie on Nov 10, 2019 21:37:37 GMT -5
Totally agree with your assessment of first two weeks and Patrick Ewing. Alexander and Allen are welcomed additions. Still waiting to see Gardner explode I had high hopes after seeing him in the Kenner League. Furthermore, I'd like to see our other two centers even if they have to play at the PF position. I'm waiting to see if we will have some twin towers like Zeke and Dikembe. Or has the game changed too much for that?
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MCIGuy
Platinum Hoya (over 5000 posts)
Anyone here? What am I supposed to update?
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Post by MCIGuy on Nov 11, 2019 3:25:36 GMT -5
Unless we step up defensively I can't see us hanging with a half decent team. Sorry but I can't allow this level of hyperbole to go unchallenged. Last season, with an even inferior personnel for defense, this same team not only hung with decent squads but beat some very good ones. Last season's team also began with tighter than expected wins against bottom tier competition. Let's not go overboard.
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SaxaCD
Diamond Hoya (over 2500 posts)
Posts: 4,401
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Post by SaxaCD on Nov 11, 2019 4:24:44 GMT -5
Totally agree with your assessment of first two weeks and Patrick Ewing. Alexander and Allen are welcomed additions. Still waiting to see Gardner explode I had high hopes after seeing him in the Kenner League. Furthermore, I'd like to see our other two centers even if they have to play at the PF position. I think Gardner is just looking like a first year guy right now. A little tentative. I think he will be just fine with some seasoning. I have seen some things that make me think we could have a very good team by year end, but the ceiling will be defined more by gelling than by talent this year. If the guys get in sync sooner than later, we will be tough. If not, we better be prepared to score a lot to make up for it.
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Bigs"R"Us
Platinum Hoya (over 5000 posts)
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Post by Bigs"R"Us on Nov 11, 2019 6:50:21 GMT -5
Agree, that Gardner will be good. He is well-suited for a fast-paced offense like you see in Kenner. He just needs to figure things out in a half court set environment.
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jwp91
Platinum Hoya (over 5000 posts)
Posts: 6,014
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Post by jwp91 on Nov 11, 2019 7:14:59 GMT -5
Agree, that Gardner will be good. He is well-suited for a fast-paced offense like you see in Kenner. He just needs to figure things out in a half court set environment. I say it differently. He seems really comfortable in the transition game. He is great at rebounding and then having the vision to see teammates up the court who can attack. He also showed in the Bahamas that he was very talented pressuring the ball on transition defense to disrupt the break.
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rhw485
Silver Hoya (over 500 posts)
Posts: 742
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Post by rhw485 on Nov 11, 2019 7:45:55 GMT -5
Some thoughts through two games • Will start with most positive development I’ve seen: Mosely and Pickett look much more comfortable on offense shooting the ball. Right now we look like a team that has players that are offense-focused and defense-focused. Mosely and Pickett are part of the defense-focused players, if they’re legitimate threats on offense in Big East we’ll have a lot more balance
• Ewing was basically running lines w starters together and bench together. It’s highlighting the imbalance that the 1st team is a good offense / bad defense team and the bench is a good defense / bad offense team. It’s not surprising to me that our run at end of first half was a better mix w LeBlanc and Akinjo out there together
• Defense continues to look problematic. It’s simply way too easy to open up our defense for an easy look. Too many times our guards overhelp (Mac got caught too far away from his man very early in game for no reason, Blair almost doubled a guard where Allen had him covered which led to open 3 in second half)
• Smart counter by UCA to have the big man slip the screen, we’ll see that a lot given our plan to have big man out past 3 point line. The big man crashing caused our defense to collapse and help, which leads to too many open 3s. A couple of times the near side defender who is one pass away from the ball got sucked in. Way too easy
• We are going to learn so much on this team and Ewing’s plan for the rotation on Thursday. Penn St. is legitimate competition, we probably will not be favored. LeBlanc is so critical to this team. If there are any minutes where Akinjo, Mac, and Yurt7 are all out like they were on Saturday, will be very concerned.
• I have no problem with Ewing using the first two games to give everyone run and see how they look, but it’s a little shocking we’re heading into our first big test and there’s lineups we’d expect to see that have had zero minutes out there together.
• I personally don’t care who starts, but I will continue to argue one of Mac or Akinjo should be on court at all times. Pairing one of Mac / Akinjo w Mosely / Allen in backcourt gives us way more balance and a chance on defense. Start Mac / Akinjo then break them up after under 16 timeout and go from there.
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calhoya
Diamond Hoya (over 2500 posts)
Posts: 4,352
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Post by calhoya on Nov 11, 2019 7:58:36 GMT -5
Unless we step up defensively I can't see us hanging with a half decent team. Sorry but I can't allow this level of hyperbole to go unchallenged. Last season, with an even inferior personnel for defense, this same team not only hung with decent squads but beat some very good ones. Last season's team also began with tighter than expected wins against bottom tier competition. Let's not go overboard. Agree with this that it is too early for any predictions. Disappointment comes from expectations that were probably much too high to start the season, given the number of new players being integrated into the team. Not wearing rose-colored glasses though and I agree that there are some early issues that need to be addressed if this team is going to come close to finishing in the upper tier of the Big East. Akinjo needs to be engaged and productive as he was for half of the first game. McClung needs to show some significant progress as a defensive player and either improve his consistency from deep or scale back the number of shots he is taking. Pickett and Mosley need to show that the first two games have not been a mirage and someone from the second unit (Alexander, BLair, Gardner)needs to provide some shooting from the perimeter. While I love Wahab's energy and effort, I am concerned that when Yurtseven is on the bench there will be no offense coming from the post. Lots of questions to be answered and little time to prepare for a very tough challenge next Thursday. That's why they pay Ewing the big bucks.
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Bigs"R"Us
Platinum Hoya (over 5000 posts)
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Post by Bigs"R"Us on Nov 11, 2019 9:10:05 GMT -5
I would say the upperclassmen have been steady and the underclassmen a bit erratic, much like you would expect.
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Post by ColumbiaHeightsHoya on Nov 11, 2019 9:44:52 GMT -5
D was troubling that game. Our pick and roll D stinks! Ewing needs to coach to his players talents on this and the hard hedge is giving up secondary opportunities just about every time. I was never concerned during this game but the fact we couldn't close out when up 15 was troubling considering the whooping Baylor gave these guys. The tall shooter for them was a good test for Yurt though.
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drquigley
Diamond Hoya (over 2500 posts)
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Post by drquigley on Nov 11, 2019 10:43:18 GMT -5
D was troubling that game. Our pick and roll D stinks! Ewing needs to coach to his players talents on this and the hard hedge is giving up secondary opportunities just about every time. I was never concerned during this game but the fact we couldn't close out when up 15 was troubling considering the whooping Baylor gave these guys. The tall shooter for them was a good test for Yurt though. FWIW that tall guy had the prettiest 3 point shot I'd ever seen from a big man. Granted, our defense gave him plenty of open looks but I wouldn't be surprised to see that guy on an NBA roster in a few years. Needs to bulk up though.
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hoyarooter
Blue & Gray (over 10,000 posts)
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Post by hoyarooter on Nov 11, 2019 15:21:03 GMT -5
Color me unimpressed, although I acknowledge it's early. Like pretty much everyone else on the board, I was particularly concerned with the defense (poor PnR defense and way too many open looks) and the turnovers. 19 turnovers against a team the caliber of Central Arkansas is way beyond unacceptable.
Now a few positives. I liked the way both Mosely and Pickett played on Saturday. I hope that continues. I also thought Alexander played well, and it was certainly good to see Matt back out there. I was surprised to note that Yert7 played only 20 minutes, as he was dominant when he was in there (but for turnovers and that one failure to get back on defense which resulted in his being briefly benched), but I think it's good for Wahab to get quality minutes early on. The split between the two of them, foul trouble aside, is likely to be roughly 28/12 going forward, so it's good for him to get the extra minutes when possible. I liked that baby hook shot that he made. I think it's very possible that one of the other bigs ends up redshirting.
I hope we don't see too many other games where Mac and James both shoot this poorly, because we won't beat many (any?) good teams if that occurs.
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Post by Ranch Dressing on Nov 11, 2019 17:55:21 GMT -5
Color me unimpressed, although I acknowledge it's early. Like pretty much everyone else on the board, I was particularly concerned with the defense (poor PnR defense and way too many open looks) and the turnovers. 19 turnovers against a team the caliber of Central Arkansas is way beyond unacceptable. Now a few positives. I liked the way both Mosely and Pickett played on Saturday. I hope that continues. I also thought Alexander played well, and it was certainly good to see Matt back out there. I was surprised to note that Yert7 played only 20 minutes, as he was dominant when he was in there (but for turnovers and that one failure to get back on defense which resulted in his being briefly benched), but I think it's good for Wahab to get quality minutes early on. The split between the two of them, foul trouble aside, is likely to be roughly 28/12 going forward, so it's good for him to get the extra minutes when possible. I liked that baby hook shot that he made. I think it's very possible that one of the other bigs ends up redshirting. I hope we don't see too many other games where Mac and James both shoot this poorly, because we won't beat many (any?) good teams if that occurs. I think with Allen and Mosely, who have both proven to be steady, if unspectacular, Division I guards, we have enough depth to overcome poor dual performances from Akinko/Mac to squeak out a game against a conference opponent. But it will require the combination of Josh/Jamorko/Galen/Myron/Yurt/Wahab to step up. I thought before the season started that James and Mac would easily command 30+ minutes a game. Have no doubt about James in that regard. But if we continue to struggle defensively in the early season, I wonder if Ewing might mix it up by bringing Mac in as a sparkplug off the bench. Hope we never have to consider this option, but I see some merit to the idea if we struggle early and need to shake things up defensively. Allen and Mosely are probably better straight-up defenders. One thing is for sure, Ewing has no problem switching up the lineup (he employed multiple starting 5s last year).
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Post by trillesthoya on Nov 11, 2019 18:36:33 GMT -5
One thing is for sure, Ewing has no problem switching up the lineup (he employed multiple starting 5s last year). Which is one thing I really appreciate about Ewing. He doesn't get too sentimental about the starting five, I'm sure he recognizes its important in so far as setting the tone early, but I he wouldn't give switching any member of the starting five around any second thought if it meant giving us a competitive advantage even at the cost of potentially hurting someone's ego.
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SFHoya99
Blue & Gray (over 10,000 posts)
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Post by SFHoya99 on Nov 11, 2019 19:34:20 GMT -5
Unless we step up defensively I can't see us hanging with a half decent team. Sorry but I can't allow this level of hyperbole to go unchallenged. Last season, with an even inferior personnel for defense, this same team not only hung with decent squads but beat some very good ones. Last season's team also began with tighter than expected wins against bottom tier competition. Let's not go overboard. Agree. I've seen nothing from this team that makes me think it will be worse than last year's. Yurt has looked good, and most players look improved even if the defense still clearly has issues.
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Post by HoyaSinceBirth on Nov 11, 2019 21:13:29 GMT -5
Sorry but I can't allow this level of hyperbole to go unchallenged. Last season, with an even inferior personnel for defense, this same team not only hung with decent squads but beat some very good ones. Last season's team also began with tighter than expected wins against bottom tier competition. Let's not go overboard. Agree. I've seen nothing from this team that makes me think it will be worse than last year's. Yurt has looked good, and most players look improved even if the defense still clearly has issues. My friend group is relentlessly negative about the hoyas, and I think it's starting to rub off. Going back to look at the start last year I forgot how close those games were as well 68-53 over Maryland Eastern Shore and 85-78 over Central Connecticut state. So actually we're looking a lot like last year right now. Hopefully we'll have forgotten about these close games by BE play again. I just hope this team can take a step forward to being a tournament team and not be plagued by the same issues as last year.
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