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Post by daytonahoya31 on Sept 14, 2021 9:24:29 GMT -5
Talent wins and point guard play wins in college basketball and we have a lot of both. 10th is ridiculous. Middle of the pack is fine to predict, but honestly I wouldn’t be shocked if we finish top 4/5…. This roster has a ton of talent and versatility. And Dante is one of the best point guards in the conference ^this^ This team without Dante is probably in the 10th range but Dante proved to be one of the best PGs in the conference. Maybe country. Guard play dominates college bball and we have a dog that is going to be better than when we last saw him. I can't wait for the season to start.... Exactly. And it’s not as if we are only good at the point guard spot. Honestly, Bile is by far our biggest loss. Replacing what he did is going to be tough. But beyond that, if this team defends and shoots it well enough, we are going to be just fine. We have what it takes to be a tournament team
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EtomicB
Blue & Gray (over 10,000 posts)
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Post by EtomicB on Sept 14, 2021 9:25:06 GMT -5
All I needed to know about that was he said Jalen Harris was a key lost If someone says Jalen Harris is a key loss, they should not be a sportswriter. They are just lazy. Sportswriter ranking 350 out of 350. In fairness the writer never mentioned Harris in the body of the article... Definitely some items to quibble about in the write up but I think the person did their homework on the Hoyas
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Post by practice on Sept 14, 2021 9:30:30 GMT -5
I am concerned that this team will take a while to gel -- like some of the other Ewing teams. It's a potential shortcoming/strength in Ewing -- his teams all get much better as the season progresses but man do they start out slow. Personnel losses, COVID, etc. ... plenty of excuses/reasons, but it seems like this happens every year. With all of the new faces, I'll be really surprised -- pleasantly -- if this team comes out of the gate as a cohesive team. That being said, continuity at the PG position will help ALOT. 10 is a joke, hopefully.
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guru
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Post by guru on Sept 14, 2021 9:33:33 GMT -5
This isn’t 1984. You can be young and win. You just need to be talented. We are very talented. We have a roster more than good enough to win at a high level 1984? Kind of an important year in Hoya history. Though to be fair, that championship team had enormous contributions from 2 freshman and a number of sophomores. I think this year's roster has talent to compete with all the top Big East teams - it's just that so much of it is new, it's hard to know how they will come together. But overlooking Dante Harris again, as the entire national media seem to be doing, is sort of baffling. By the end of last season, he was really great.
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Post by professorhoya on Sept 14, 2021 10:19:18 GMT -5
I am concerned that this team will take a while to gel -- like some of the other Ewing teams. It's a potential shortcoming/strength in Ewing -- his teams all get much better as the season progresses but man do they start out slow. Personnel losses, COVID, etc. ... plenty of excuses/reasons, but it seems like this happens every year. With all of the new faces, I'll be really surprised -- pleasantly -- if this team comes out of the gate as a cohesive team. That being said, continuity at the PG position will help ALOT. 10 is a joke, hopefully. I think it's better to gel and peak at the right time (Rick Pitino and Jim Calhoun teams) then start off fast and fall flat (which seemed to be a trend with the JTIII teams)
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Post by practice on Sept 14, 2021 10:30:49 GMT -5
I am concerned that this team will take a while to gel -- like some of the other Ewing teams. It's a potential shortcoming/strength in Ewing -- his teams all get much better as the season progresses but man do they start out slow. Personnel losses, COVID, etc. ... plenty of excuses/reasons, but it seems like this happens every year. With all of the new faces, I'll be really surprised -- pleasantly -- if this team comes out of the gate as a cohesive team. That being said, continuity at the PG position will help ALOT. 10 is a joke, hopefully. I think it's better to gel and peak at the right time (Rick Pitino and Jim Calhoun teams) then start off fast and fall flat (which seemed to be a trend with the JTIII teams) I agree 1000% percent -- however, with preseason expectations of 10 in the conference, the Hoyas don't have the luxury of Calhoun's Huskies and Calamari's teams ... post the COVID break, the team and the coaches "figured it out" culminating with the BE tournament ... wouldn't it be better though, to start the season with wins against SDSU, USC, Syracuse, etc ... and get inside the bubble early on? Despite late season improvements, Hoya slow starts have put us outside the at-large designation pretty consistently. But, yes, you are right ... peaking at the end of the season is key ... but let's not start out with epic losses (UALR at home anyone?)
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Post by TrueHoyaBlue on Sept 14, 2021 12:54:05 GMT -5
All of the players have been on campus and in the gym since June, which is a huge leg up for chemistry and continuity compared to last year, when the first time they were able to get in the gym was October. That should have some positive effects.
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Post by trillesthoya on Sept 14, 2021 12:57:02 GMT -5
This is a team that will need time before it hits its stride. We are young, but not SO young to where we can't be a good team. Between Carey, King and Rice that's three guys that will get major minutes and have been through it already, along with Igohoefe and Dante who obviously have a fair amount of reps themselves. Having an easy-ish non-conference slate should hopefully give us the time we need to figure things out so by conference time we're ready to go, but we really need to be careful to avoid dropping a game or two to cupcakes.
I am anticipating somewhere in the 5-7 range, which is optimistic, but also a reflection of my confidence that Dante will take his game to the next level and the fact that people are entirely glossing over our two freshmen studs in Riley and Mohammed. Losing Pickett, Blair, Wahab and Bile hurts, but I think we'll make up for a good chunk of that drop off in production with our transfers, freshmen and current sophomores that have a year under the belt now.
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Post by hoyalove4ever on Sept 14, 2021 13:05:48 GMT -5
Those are akin to my thoughts as well!
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Post by hoyasaxa2003 on Sept 14, 2021 13:58:06 GMT -5
I agree that tenth seems too low. But, there are a lot of questions that will have big effects:
1. Will the defense be improved as it was a bit last year, or will it be abysmal like the three preceding years? Last year's 49th defense ranking (by far Ewing's highest) is a little misleading too, as our defense was more Jeckyll/Hyde. In some games, like the BET it was truly fantastic, whereas in others it was really bad.
2. Who is going to shoot and score two's at the rim at a high rate? Last year, Wahab shot two's at a very good 59.1%. Carey was at 49.2% (few attempts) and everyone else returning was a good bit lower than that, with several guys under 40%.
3. Will anybody other than Carey step up to shoot threes well? Nobody else returning shot threes well last year.
4. How good will Aminu and the other freshman be? I am optimistic, but big questions remain.
5. Will Ewing change his strategy now that he doesn't have a center who can post up and score at a decent rate? Or will he force the ball to Ighoefe/Mutombo/Wilson, even if they aren't efficient from there? If the latter, we are in for a long season.
Essentially, if we (a) put together good defense, (b) get guys who lift their game and score efficiently, and (c) Aminu and/or other freshman live up to expectation, I think we will easily be above 10th. But, I think whether we are 4/5 or 8/9 could depend on the factors above.
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hoyaguy
Golden Hoya (over 1000 posts)
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Post by hoyaguy on Sept 14, 2021 14:18:47 GMT -5
There is def a lot of questions to be answered and I can see 5th-8th, 4th would mean we hit really well and other teams are messing up. But yeah unless tim or Ryan evolved, Ewing better not dig in on his style otherwise it’ll be bad but I think it’ll be fine, I’ll say 6th for now with optimism as we have more raw talent and possibly better defends at least via effort (rice may be an issue as others have said) but overall I think king and aminu with be great defenders, Carey improved and I always thought Tim was better at defense than Q which isn’t a shabby thing if he plays and everyone else handles most of the scoring and just does his job
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rockhoya
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Post by rockhoya on Sept 14, 2021 14:28:22 GMT -5
Call me crazy, but I think we finish no lower than tied for third. This will be a much more dynamic team with much better talent than last year and an improved defense. As someone noted above, replacing Bile will be Ewing’s biggest hole to fill, but I think Tre King give us 75% of what Bile brought off the bat.
Time will tell, but when Dante/Jordan/Aminu are sharing the court I’m not sure they’ll be a better defensive (or two way) perimeter combination in the rest of the conference (Posh and Williams up there too, depending on their third). Tim is a better defensive big as well. Everyone adds a year of experience and the experience of a BET championship.
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Post by Lethal_Interjection on Sept 14, 2021 17:09:57 GMT -5
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Sept 14, 2021 18:07:24 GMT -5
I agree that tenth seems too low. But, there are a lot of questions that will have big effects: 1. Will the defense be improved as it was a bit last year, or will it be abysmal like the three preceding years? Last year's 49th defense ranking (by far Ewing's highest) is a little misleading too, as our defense was more Jeckyll/Hyde. In some games, like the BET it was truly fantastic, whereas in others it was really bad. 2. Who is going to shoot and score two's at the rim at a high rate? Last year, Wahab shot two's at a very good 59.1%. Carey was at 49.2% (few attempts) and everyone else returning was a good bit lower than that, with several guys under 40%. 3. Will anybody other than Carey step up to shoot threes well? Nobody else returning shot threes well last year. 4. How good will Aminu and the other freshman be? I am optimistic, but big questions remain. 5. Will Ewing change his strategy now that he doesn't have a center who can post up and score at a decent rate? Or will he force the ball to Ighoefe/Mutombo/Wilson, even if they aren't efficient from there? If the latter, we are in for a long season. Essentially, if we (a) put together good defense, (b) get guys who lift their game and score efficiently, and (c) Aminu and/or other freshman live up to expectation, I think we will easily be above 10th. But, I think whether we are 4/5 or 8/9 could depend on the factors above. I don't think the defensive ranking is a little misleading. I think if you look at the teams that torched us last year you'll find a common thread between most save UCONN who just bullied us in that second game. When teams had centers who could pick and pop/step out and hit shots we struggled. Mainly because while Q was great at protecting the rim his lack of lateral quickness made it tough for him to guard on the perimeter. Those teams would be St John's, Nova, and Colorado. When they had bigs who weren't a threat from the outside for the most part we played well defensively, especially after Bile started getting more minutes. Scheme can only take you so far imo.
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seaweed
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Post by seaweed on Sept 14, 2021 18:35:17 GMT -5
Fanta is more even handed in comparison or Posh and Harris. Althon has Posh as first team and Dante as no mention. I said it before and will say it again - two cats w very similar games and skill sets, will be really fun to watch them compete over the next three years. Posh is no better than Dante
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Post by Lethal_Interjection on Sept 14, 2021 20:06:18 GMT -5
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rockhoya
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Post by rockhoya on Sept 14, 2021 20:47:07 GMT -5
I agree that tenth seems too low. But, there are a lot of questions that will have big effects: 1. Will the defense be improved as it was a bit last year, or will it be abysmal like the three preceding years? Last year's 49th defense ranking (by far Ewing's highest) is a little misleading too, as our defense was more Jeckyll/Hyde. In some games, like the BET it was truly fantastic, whereas in others it was really bad. 2. Who is going to shoot and score two's at the rim at a high rate? Last year, Wahab shot two's at a very good 59.1%. Carey was at 49.2% (few attempts) and everyone else returning was a good bit lower than that, with several guys under 40%. 3. Will anybody other than Carey step up to shoot threes well? Nobody else returning shot threes well last year. 4. How good will Aminu and the other freshman be? I am optimistic, but big questions remain. 5. Will Ewing change his strategy now that he doesn't have a center who can post up and score at a decent rate? Or will he force the ball to Ighoefe/Mutombo/Wilson, even if they aren't efficient from there? If the latter, we are in for a long season. Essentially, if we (a) put together good defense, (b) get guys who lift their game and score efficiently, and (c) Aminu and/or other freshman live up to expectation, I think we will easily be above 10th. But, I think whether we are 4/5 or 8/9 could depend on the factors above. I don't think the defensive ranking is a little misleading. I think if you look at the teams that torched us last year you'll find a common thread between most save UCONN who just bullied us in that second game. When teams had centers who could pick and pop/step out and hit shots we struggled. Mainly because while Q was great at protecting the rim his lack of lateral quickness made it tough for him to guard on the perimeter. Those teams would be St John's, Nova, and Colorado. When they had bigs who weren't a threat from the outside for the most part we played well defensively, especially after Bile started getting more minutes. Scheme can only take you so far imo. Exactly, well said. Not to mention that that type of thinking assumes other teams ranked were more consistent than us. That’s just the nature of amateur sports. If we consistently played to our defensive potential we would’ve been a top 20 defensive team. But if every other team also played to their defensive potential who knows what the list would look like…
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Post by professorhoya on Sept 15, 2021 7:36:23 GMT -5
I don't think the defensive ranking is a little misleading. I think if you look at the teams that torched us last year you'll find a common thread between most save UCONN who just bullied us in that second game. When teams had centers who could pick and pop/step out and hit shots we struggled. Mainly because while Q was great at protecting the rim his lack of lateral quickness made it tough for him to guard on the perimeter. Those teams would be St John's, Nova, and Colorado. When they had bigs who weren't a threat from the outside for the most part we played well defensively, especially after Bile started getting more minutes. Scheme can only take you so far imo. Exactly, well said. Not to mention that that type of thinking assumes other teams ranked were more consistent than us. That’s just the nature of amateur sports. If we consistently played to our defensive potential we would’ve been a top 20 defensive team. But if every other team also played to their defensive potential who knows what the list would look like… This will probably be the most athletic team of Ewing's tenure. Plus athletes in King, Riley, Aminu. NBA level quickness with Dante. NBA level length with Big Tim. Lateral quickness wise this will also be the best set of players which should translate defensively. In the past, Blair was not a great athlete, same with Akinjo, and Mac did not have great lateral quickness. JaMorko didn't have great athleticism either (although he did have great length and his rebounding and defensive skill will be missed the most)
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Sept 15, 2021 7:51:12 GMT -5
Wow! I love it! Carey! I got to get my copy! I'm so excited for college basketball! The season can't come quickly enough! Can't wait to see my guys!
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hoyazeke
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Post by hoyazeke on Sept 15, 2021 8:40:07 GMT -5
Fanta is more even handed in comparison or Posh and Harris. Althon has Posh as first team and Dante as no mention. I said it before and will say it again - two cats w very similar games and skill sets, will be really fun to watch them compete over the next three years. Posh is no better than Dante I agree with the Dante/Posh assessment. Posh is stronger and a better finisher at the rim while Dante is quicker and a better shooter. They both are dogs on D.
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