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Post by aleutianhoya on Jan 21, 2023 16:03:40 GMT -5
We are a poorly constructed collection of parts. Nothing more. There has never been any thought to roster construction or cohesive recruiting strategy. Remember we signed 3 project centers to the same class?! It’s been throw a ton of offers out there, finish as a bridesmaid, and scramble for the next best thing or transfer. It’s literally been throw s*** at the wall and see what sticks every year. This. And now we have three ball-dominant (to be charitable) smalls that all are dribble-first, time and space to score, guys. You can't really have all three on the court together. And yet we have tried. Probably would have been smarter to have two on the court together at all times and play 30 mins each. But, uh, no. Too simple.
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Post by aleutianhoya on Jan 21, 2023 13:28:41 GMT -5
Does Lee Reed go to all away games? He goes to many this season. But, in the fall goes to away soccer games for women and men's teams. Many. A senior administrator needs to be at all games.
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Post by aleutianhoya on Jan 21, 2023 8:19:41 GMT -5
I infinitely agree that Pitino is the right, best & perfect choice for Gtown but I'm not sure the folks running the program will be willing to give Pitino all the things I think he'll ask for. Will Gtown ante up for more staff members, a new S&C person(team)& trainer, a nutritionist, an analytics person etc.? These are all the positions he had on his staff at L'ville & many of the positions BE peers have as well. I believe Gtown will have to show Pitino they're serious about the MBB program, just offering 4 million dollars won't cut it either... Why not? We have a Top 15 budget that the Thompsons/Ewings throw away each year among Friends&Family. If we start from scratch and fire all the proven losers, then there's plenty for Pitino and the staff he needs to win championships. Serious question, PR: How much of our budget is available for the things you mention rather than tied up in facilities' payments? In 20-21, we had the 20th highest budget. How much of that goes to the downtown arena and thus isn't really available?
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Post by aleutianhoya on Jan 12, 2023 14:09:01 GMT -5
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Post by aleutianhoya on Jan 7, 2023 14:50:47 GMT -5
Just keep running stuff. Primo is still going to get opportunities either within the flow or late in shot clock. That possession before the timeout was brutal.
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Post by aleutianhoya on Jan 3, 2023 9:43:45 GMT -5
Levelle Moton Mike Jones Drew Valentine Grant McCasland Kim English Robert Jones Jared Grasso Matt Langel Dana Ford Ryan Odom Anthony Grant This is a list that could put the final nail in the coffin. You do your due diligence, you make an informed decision, and you live with it. The odds of our getting a coach with an established pedigree at a high-major school are slim. I know there are names out there that would fit that bill but it's more likely you get a coach that is either a retread at a high major (that is, already had a job at this level and failed at it), or one that has had some success at lower levels (some of the names above), or one that is a well-regarded assistant at a high-major school. Folks can disagree about whether one of the categories above is better than another, but it's almost surely going to be in one of those categories. And it may be that one of the categories above isn't generally your first choice, but there's an individual within it that nonetheless seems head and shoulders above any other candidates. So, you develop a robust process, you go through that process, and you make a call. At a certain level, it's a crapshoot. If you hire someone and it doesn't work, you do it all over again. That's the nature of the beast. Once (if?!?) you get the right guy, things can turn around extremely quickly. This remains a highly desirable job for lots of people. A team in a major conference. Basketball is the primary sport at the school. The team has been to four final fours in the "modern era" of the sport. Almost any job at a major conference school that is open will by definition be a big rebuild. With each passing year of incompetence it gets harder. No question. But there won't be very many if any jobs that are open that will seem more desirable.
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Post by aleutianhoya on Jan 1, 2023 20:06:17 GMT -5
I mean, try something else. Anything else. Put someone else in. Try a different defense. Resign in the middle of the game. Do something.
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Post by aleutianhoya on Dec 20, 2022 20:59:50 GMT -5
There were some nice things tonight. I thought Q was very effective going over his right shoulder. They clearly have worked on it. Good for the staff and to him. Of course...he missed a number of bunnies late that could have been the difference.
I thought that half court offense was crisper in its initial motion. It shows the guys understanding a bit more of money another and the overall plan. Of course....none of that initial motion ever ends up in an easy shot. It just leads inevitably to dribble drive or PNR.
Primo was very good overall. Of course....they were incredibly tough shots. Fool's gold.
We at times looked more connected on D. Of course....still too many breakdowns. UConn had barely any breakdowns. When we scored it was generally well defended.
So, some improvement. But ultimately nothing you look at and say it's the turning of a corner.
And still, of.course, inexplicably no use of the bench at all.
(On the flip side, boy, did UConn forget they had mma dominant post player? We would have been SCREAmING about shot selection and sets if the situation were reversed.)
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Post by aleutianhoya on Dec 16, 2022 15:51:45 GMT -5
There is a key line in this all that people seem to have glossed over: "..but we put a good deal of support around him." That to me, was the biggest tell in the whole thing. The excuses are nonsense, but that one line made me think he knows this hasn't been acceptable/will make a change. Yes, that stuck out to me too. His overall comments sounded like CYA type stuff. Not commendable. But not surprising.
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Post by aleutianhoya on Dec 14, 2022 18:27:36 GMT -5
What defensive strategy is best fitted for this current Hoyas team? That's a very fair question given the amount of time I've spent talking defense. - I'm not sure the "system" matters. There are so many different systems that we see have success. We watched Texas Tech "no middle" suffocate us. Houston makes a point of forcing dribblers middle to the "nail" in the middle of the court. Nova for years has done the switch everything. UVa and the pack line etc. And I really don't buy that all of these systems take time and that's the excuse. Everyone in the country is dealing with roster upheaval, we're so far down that just has to be off the table imo
- To me it's more about trying to take something, anything away from the offense. And then from there, understanding your rotations and responsibilities when the offense takes the thing you're conceding. So much of our defense feels like it's just asking players to guard straight up, once they're beat then the expectation is everyone helps, then you're supposed to recover. That's all well and good, but you're asking guys to be in two places, everyone helps instead of it being defined, and we end up scrambling for no reason and helping off the worst places
Specifics I would focus on within the existing system, no crazy overhaul - Closing out on shooters. There are so many times our guys are just short closing out, like they could be in position but don't want to take that extra step out because they'd be exposed on the perimeter.
- No help one pass away and off the corners. Make people actually finish over Q or Akok at the summit.
- Stop doubling the post. Enough. Live with the guy trying to beat Q in the paint. If that really becomes too much, 3/4 front the post and double ON THE PASS, don't wait for the guy to catch it, have the help defender moving while the ball is in the air.
- Ironically for a coach who mostly yells rebound, we don't. Gang rebounding, no leaking out.
- Ball pressure, outside of Primo we don't provide enough of it on the wings from Murray and Heath. Everything looks so comfortable for the offense, make them work and not want the ball in their hands
If you dont do these things, you sit. Even if its 2 minutes, Riley and Bass should come in. Start there
The biggest thing I would do is constantly passive press. Just make them take 6-8 seconds off the clock passing sideways while Akok jumps around. You have to defend that much less. Schematically, I'd actually suggest slightly less ball pressure. We get beat off the dribble way too often. Im not talking about PNR. I mean just straight dribble drive. The best way to not have to use help defense principles is to not need help in the first place.
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Post by aleutianhoya on Dec 13, 2022 14:14:28 GMT -5
I really think the donor thing could be a red herring of sorts. When JT3 was doing badly, guys like Michael Graham were making public comments against him. You cannot tell me that guys like Graham and others do not feel similarly now. The difference is that now they won't say it publicly because they are friends with Ewing, played with him, etc. Nobody wants to be the former alumnus to speak out against Ewing. While I have no doubt some of these guys donate to Georgetown, I am really doubtful that the program relies on Ewing, Mourning, etc. to fund big donations. Even Ewing's donation to the TAC was a split gift with Falk for $3.3 million. And right now, we are giving him $4 million a year and owe him the same for another 3 years. And there is no way Ewing is donating anything close to $4 million a year to Georgetown (if he was, the university would likely be bragging about this). I could be wrong and I am sure Ewing and Mourning and others have given plenty to the university, but I also think this is overstated. You simply cannot keep someone on because they have money that they might give you in the future. That's not the way you make decisions at a university. It'd be one thing if Ewing was a billionaire donating $100 million to build an on campus arena or something like that. Then I'd understand the concern. But, given current circumstances, I just don't think that Ewing's donor status can possibly be all that relevant anymore. Frankly, I think Patrick Ewing knows all of this. He knows he's not doing well. He's not a quitter, but at some point, even he has to realize this is not sustainable for much longer. If he gets fired and is angry at DeGioia, I am not sure what else we could do. Ewing already has been given a much longer leash than most college coaches would get in this situation. And it just keeps getting worse. There's really only one course of action left. The bold above is, I think, the key point. There's just no world in which anyone can reasonably complain if he gets canned. Including the man himself. For crying out loud, he said last year he knew this year had to be better and...well... Doesn't mean he has to be happy about it (or that some others do). But everyone would understand it.
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Dec 10, 2022 8:42:17 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by aleutianhoya on Dec 10, 2022 8:42:17 GMT -5
I don't think anyone would call this a "win" in terms of comparative offenses. That said, an American (though, a divisive one for some) was brought home. That's a good thing, no? Of course. Wonder if she’ll appreciate her country now. On a positive note a WNBA trade got news coverage so that’s progress. Whenever any deal is made with a hostage-taker it's going to be uneven almost definitionally. And the public desire to make a deal only increases the more "unfair" the hostage-taking is (which makes any ultimate deal all the more unfair by any objective measure). There's no real good solution. You either let people rot unfairly, or you encourage the behavior by deal-making, or you engage in the behavior yourself. None is a wonderful option. This one was somewhat of a perfect storm given the massive current enmity and lack of leverage.
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Post by aleutianhoya on Dec 7, 2022 20:08:41 GMT -5
Really liking the announcers repeatedly calling out help defense where it isn't needed and drastic over helping. That is elementary school basketball with chasing the ball, that usually is stopped in middle school. Why is this happening in college? If a player does this in a high school or college player does this in a gym run they don't get in many runs. Agreed. It continues to be true. It's inexplicable. Switching one through four has helped. But we still get pulled in way too often. Of course, if we were better on ball defenders it wouldnt matter so much.
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Post by aleutianhoya on Dec 5, 2022 8:32:51 GMT -5
It's really not that unusual. Virtually every private university operates in a somewhat similar role. Generally, as a practical matter, the administration selects the board. That's because generally either the current members of the board select their replacements or some sort of alumni group votes on board members. Either way, the potential nominees are usually developed and vetted by the administration (read: the President and staff). True grass-root selections are very rare. IOW, most institutions do not have independent boards. Thanks for the info but doesn't sound like good governance but what the heck do I know. It's not. But it's not that easy to create a viable alternative. Even if you have the alumni base elect some of their "own" to sit on the board (as some schools do) it's hard to imagine the names that emerge being truly independent. Even "independent" board members of private companies generally are nominated by an insular group. We certainly have board members that would be deemed independent in the private company context (some non-GU affiliated Jesuits and one or two folks without degrees or parental connections). And...as with any corporation without actual shareholders, although the board certainly has fiduciary obligations, they are necessarily much more toothless because there aren't shareholders with financial interests. Your typical corporate board would be concerned right now about a lawsuit, etc.
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Post by aleutianhoya on Dec 5, 2022 8:17:47 GMT -5
That's a discredited social media account (see Calipari www.on3.com/teams/kentucky-wildcats/news/good-news-oscar-tshiebwe-shaedon-sharpe-john-calipari/) - and given Aidan's appraisal of the current situation, isn't valid - hilltophoops.substack.com/p/georgetown-patrick-ewing-questionsAlso - To understand some of the behind-the-scenes politics at work here with DeGioia and the board, it’s important to know that because of Georgetown’s status as a private institution, the board is essentially hand-picked by DeGioia. The board is also not a fiduciary board, meaning that it essentially serves at DeGioia’s behest.
To reinforce this point, sources say that DeGioia has not received an official yearly performance review from the board since he became president of the university, indicating the lack of accountability that exists at the top of the food chain at Georgetown.Wow we are so dedicated to theme of the city we reside in that we somehow are in competition for most rotten and least responsible institution. Also this isn't even just about basketball anymore but how can the president not be subject to any kind of serious review especially when so many horrible and controversial decisions have been made. If this was wide spread knowledge the school would, like its current basketball program, look like a joke. It's really not that unusual. Virtually every private university operates in a somewhat similar role. Generally, as a practical matter, the administration selects the board. That's because generally either the current members of the board select their replacements or some sort of alumni group votes on board members. Either way, the potential nominees are usually developed and vetted by the administration (read: the President and staff). True grass-root selections are very rare.
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Post by aleutianhoya on Nov 28, 2022 15:04:18 GMT -5
I have no idea who any of the suggested coaches are with the exception of Pitino. But why aren't we looking at what worked at the most successful program in the history of the Big East? Jay Wright was a Pennsylvania/Philly kid who understood not just how to coach but how to build a program. He was invested in the Philly basketball scene and brought his energy and commitment to the entire Nova community. Rather than look all over the country for a coach why not stay local (like we did with JT2) and get a guy (not older than 40) who grew up in the DMV, who has documented coaching cred, and who is HUNGRY. Leave it up to those on this Board with more knowledge than I of the local basketball scene to come up with some names. I'm not sure what you're recommending. Wright had been a head coach for six or seven years with an almost unimpeachable track record of improvement year over year. He was one of the absolute hottest coaching commodities the year he was hired. So, to get the equivalent, you'd need someone with close to that level of success at a mid major consistently, and with deep DC ties. That's.......a tall order. Or are you suggesting a young top HS coach (like we had with JT Jr)? That's an incredible risk.
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Post by aleutianhoya on Nov 28, 2022 13:29:15 GMT -5
Got it - but what about off ball screening. Too bad Bass and Mutombo are not part of the regular action. Still have not heard what's going on with Murray. Absolutely. I think when we do more side ball pick and roll screens then I think there definitely should be some other action on the other side of the court. I think it's a little tougher with a middle ball screen but certainly need something. That's absolutely right. When you run a high PNR, it's much more difficult to screen off the ball because you don't know which way the ball handler will go and where the roller will go. And you obviously need two guys on the same side to make an off ball screen work. (Occasionally, you see teams run cross screens but it takes nearly perfect timing.) We do run a fair amount of off-ball actionsbut it's usually to either get the post player open for an entry or we screen for the guy that is coming to set the ball screen (trying to confuse the help). We very infrequently run off the ball stuff to get someone an open look. More broadly...my main critique has long been failing to have some sort of four or five out motion set. I don't care what it is (Flex...a Princeton type set...UCLA cuts....whatever). But it's nice to run some continuous motion every few sets just to keep the defense off balance.
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Post by aleutianhoya on Nov 24, 2022 4:36:06 GMT -5
Do you realize just how bad American is? Or Coppin State for that matter? When I said that tying Coppin State in regulation was arguably worse than losing to Dartmouth (in the sense of what it tells us about our team) lots of people gave me crap, yet today we had the worst loss in Georgetown history (at least in modern history). We may not be talented enough to be world beaters, but we are talented enough to beat a team like American soundly (or Coppin State). We may not have better talent than the Big East, but we clearly do have better talent than American and yet we lose to them (and Loyola Marymount) anyway. I agree with you there are some body language and effort problems, but I think that’s a direct reflection on Ewing. And I think the lack of coaching is taking its toll on our guys who have no direction, and it’s making them seem worse than they actually are. We have almost an entirely different roster from last year and yet the results are still putrid and the same problems exist (no defense, particularly on threes). And all the assistants are different. The only constant is Ewing. Look, I realize that I’m kind of out on a limb because “blame Pat, almost exclusively” is the dominant theme here. But please show me where the “talent” is coming from and what it is— other than wish- casting on transfers, none of whom really set the world on Leave elsewhere. At some point, it’s up to players to show toughness and skill, both of which I think is lacking, Ewing or not. I saw a team that was outplayed and outhustled tonight. The easy route is to lay it on the Coach, but people here are knowledgeable enough to know that has to come from within as well. I notice, looking at the board, that there are virtually no threads showing on individual players, as opposed to past years. On balance, that may be a good thing since Ewing is highly compensated to take the heat and isn’t doing the job. But, with the exception of Akok and occasionally others, I see a lack of leadership and toughness. That’s not all on Pat. I think it is likely a group of individual players that all were sold on promises of playing a certain (largely one on one) way that they each believed best suited their skill set. There is talent within the group but neither coach nor player seems able or willing to harness it to maximize wins. Just to pick on two guys and the way they're coached: Spears is a talented mid-range pull-up jump shooter. Unfortunately, that's the most inefficient shot in the world. It's still a very valuable skill. There's often end-of-clock situations where that presents the best option. He needs to be coached accordingly, both for his and the team's good. If the shot clock isn't running down, move the ball, take a three, or get to the hoop. Don't do it? Out of the game for a spell. Wahab: You've got one skill offensively. We can complain all we want about his inability to do other things but very clearly all he can really do is catch it low, take a dribble, and jump hook over left shoulder. I actually find it impossible to believe they havent tried relentlessly to diversify his skillet. But plainly it hasnt worked. So here's the thing. If he can't make that shot very consistently, he has very little value on the court. He is an atrocious passer. Has (as just stated) no other real way to score. Isn't good on D. And doesn't rebound well for his size and position. So? If it ain't going in....he sits. Period. Maryland plainly understood that last year as the season wore on. It's not that these guys can't do things to help the team, it's that all of them are limited. That's not a criticism and it's not unusual! But the staff seems wholly unable to harness the good and discourage the bad.
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Post by aleutianhoya on Nov 23, 2022 14:30:01 GMT -5
The biggest indictment? That game was neither enjoyable nor surprising. AU didn't even play all that well.
Let's face facts: There's no shame in losing to this year's Northwestern team but they aren't world-beaters. We also lost to LMU (ranked 137) and now AU (ranked 280). Our only wins are against the No. 357 ranked team in Pomeroy (that's sixth worst in Division 1). We were taken to overtime (but beat!) the 299th ranked team in Pomeroy. And we beat the 189th team in a close one.
We are 3-3 against the 311th ranked schedule in America.
We stink.
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Post by aleutianhoya on Nov 23, 2022 12:08:15 GMT -5
I like the movement and lack of ball-stopping on offense.
Defense has been atrocious. Sure, some steals, but the constant doubling the post to leave wide open threes (and continued over help) is inexplicable.
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