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Post by ColumbiaHeightsHoya on Feb 9, 2024 14:55:17 GMT -5
A random question occurred to me....who is better Massed or Kaiden Rice? Massoud. Kaiden Rice was not a basketball player. He was a run around the arc and fire guy. Might as well have never stepped on the other side of the halfcourt.
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Post by ColumbiaHeightsHoya on Feb 9, 2024 14:53:08 GMT -5
Predicted attendance: 9,000 with too many UConn fans. We had 10,500 for Marquette. I think they'll be 12,000. That is 9,000 UConn fans though.
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Post by ColumbiaHeightsHoya on Feb 8, 2024 13:10:21 GMT -5
Uconn 89, Hoyas 71
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Post by ColumbiaHeightsHoya on Feb 8, 2024 13:09:42 GMT -5
I predict pain. I can't see us sticking within 20 now that they have clingan back.
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Post by ColumbiaHeightsHoya on Feb 8, 2024 10:48:58 GMT -5
Every game is the same now. Epps has become Primo Spears reincarnated. Heath is walking accident, poor shots, bad passes and no defense. Yet he gets the minutes every game, especially at the end. Styles kept them close in the first half and then went missing for most of the second half. You have to give it to Cook. Outsized and less talented he fights for everything. He hits his free throws and he has two dozen points. Bristol overall is a better player than Heath has demonstrated. Watching the game, it looked like the varsity playing the junior varsity. Seton players must have outweighed GU players by at least 20 pounds per player. Not fat but muscle. You wonder if the weight room at GU is under rennovation. Why not Rowan or Fiedler is astonishing on this team and only makes it more likely they will be looking for a new place to call home next year. Rown is your only true point guard. If you don't play him then you put Epps in the position where he is both playmaker and shooter. Ish does his best but how often has he lost his man on defense? If Rowan & Fielder are gone next year then I quit. I don't think that happens. I think both guys realize they can be key pieces but at times, we all forget these guys are just freshman. I hope they are bought into the long term vision. I hated Epps shooting last night. I think there were at least four Costanza-esque chucks from 3 early in the clock. This team is tough to watch.
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Post by ColumbiaHeightsHoya on Feb 7, 2024 8:54:14 GMT -5
Does anyone know if Richmond is expected to play for Seton Hall tonight? Has there been any official news on why he missed some games? Seton Hall is a different team without Richmond He played in their last game. I would expect him to be playing.
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Post by ColumbiaHeightsHoya on Feb 6, 2024 14:19:52 GMT -5
The only damning stat there is Lee Reed -- but let's not forget that until last year, President DiGioia basically said he was the decision maker on men's basketball. Last time I checked, Jay Heath was part of a team. Dumping on Jay Heath seems to be in vogue today ... and let's face it, he's not helping himself. However, if he's to blame for his college basketball teams' records, then let's give him sole credit for winning 3 consecutive DCIAA championships. From his bio: Helped Woodrow Wilson High School capture its third consecutive DCIAA Championship in 2019. Agreed. Heath may not play the brand of basketball we want but coach keeps putting him out there. Those numbers are really contingent on the types of teams & situations people find themselves in. I'm not giving Heath/Reid credit/blame for the past few years of hoya basketball.
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Post by ColumbiaHeightsHoya on Feb 5, 2024 14:42:35 GMT -5
Understand a little of what you are saying but why did it take Bradley Hayes 3 years (it may have been 4) of no playing time to all of a sudden the coaching staff realizing this bench player should at least see some time for development (wasted talent in my opinion). We got beat by 34 points last game. Empty the bench - I say again empty the bench. Oh by the way we had two Muresan brothers - no development no playing time (wasted). Ryan is on this path. Not sure what the coaching staff is doing. Amen. No excuse. In fact, good bench play can inspire starters to play like they have cojones. Normally true. This year we don't have a bench though. The bench is Fielder, Brumbaugh, Bacote, Massoud & Mutombo. Our deep bench is Montgomery, Grant, Kazor, Asdallah & RS McKenna. You don't get any benefit from playing that deep bench unlike years when you have a lot of freshman. Bacote/Massoud are gone next year. So to me, I'm getting Brumbaugh & Fielder minutes but those are the only two bench players that matter.
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Post by ColumbiaHeightsHoya on Feb 5, 2024 11:54:05 GMT -5
Money is not a guarantee of wins, look at Arkansas, WVU, Indiana ect. As Jerry Carino noted in his tweet yesterday fit & coachibilty are much more important when recruiting transfers Anybody who has followed professional sports knows that money does not equal success. There are countless examples, but professional sports owners often throw money at problems thinking it'll solve things, and it doesn't. The same is true in college. Some guys won't pan out. Others might get injured (for example, Hopkins at Providence is likely getting some NIL money and it's essentially useless on the court now). Of course, money CAN help, and you need a certain minimum amount to be competitive. In my mind, that needs to be the short term goal -- having enough NIL to compete with the rest of the Big East on a basic level in recruiting. It needs to be adequate enough to get good commits, maybe on occasion getting a really excellent 5 star type, but I never expect it to be at the level of competing with the very height of the market--at least not until we have a lot of success on the court. Good point here. I'm hoping Cooley "the GM" is good. This is where finding the right fit matters. You don't need to look any further then Butler this year. Telfort feasted on us. Jalen Thomas & Davis are big pieces for what they are doing even though Brooks was probably the one transfer with the high profile. Our success hinges on development of Epps/Styles/Brumbaugh/Fielder/Williams/McKenna/Sorber/Mulready and keeping them on the roster. This upcoming free agency class (because that is what it is) can be a combination of stop gap one year guys with the right mindset as well as maybe guys with two years left. My eyes see the need for another guard and one or two bigs depending on what Cook does. We still need one if he stays as you can't rely on a freshman for extended minutes. Also, remember that Hoyatalk said Brandon Murray was a pro and that Wayne Bristol was killing people all summer. I like Bristol's energy but he is averaging 3.9 points a game on 38.8% (2) and 32% (3)
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Post by ColumbiaHeightsHoya on Feb 5, 2024 11:11:14 GMT -5
82 Gtown, 81 Seton Hall
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Post by ColumbiaHeightsHoya on Feb 2, 2024 15:03:42 GMT -5
MU 86 GU 72
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Post by ColumbiaHeightsHoya on Feb 1, 2024 13:52:52 GMT -5
Just found out that they are closing 400 Section. Moving folks down to 100 Section. Obviously, coupled with BOGO student tickets, hoping for a better looking TV turnout. Maybe in the "revamped" cap one this is what it would look like. 400's should be permanently closed.
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Post by ColumbiaHeightsHoya on Feb 1, 2024 9:31:07 GMT -5
Can't be that black and white. Get on the bubble and miss next season and go into '24-25 with Top 15-20 expectations (and play to that level)? Yeah, I'm good with that. 6-7 conference wins next year, never close - and go to 2024-2025 with hopes of a fringe NCAA-T team? not good enough. Despite what a lot of people think, you can have a pretty good basketball team and still miss the NCAA-T. I don't know. I feel like the bubble is extremely soft every year. If you look at this years BE, I'll assume 7 get in. That leaves us/depaul who have no viable path. You then have Nova & Xavier who have a path, but need to get it together. Butler/Providence/Seton Hall could fall out if things don't go there way. Those all are OK teams. They aren't second weekend contenders. If that is our year three I'll be disappointed.
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Post by ColumbiaHeightsHoya on Jan 31, 2024 8:35:50 GMT -5
Kolek is also a fourth year senior who will turn 23 in March. The reason for the comp is because of their pace while dribbling. Kolek dribbles around and through the defense while looking for shooters/cutters. Rowan has that same start & stop vibe. His pass to the shooter in the corner the other day was vintage Kolek. Kolek also had the benefit of year one playing in the A-10 vs. the BE. That probably benefitted him and allowed him to develop away from the bright lights. Rowan has an inch on Kolek. I think the comp is pretty solid although I admittedly never saw Kolek as a freshman. One can dream. I think we would be overjoyed if he becomes Kolek. However setting those High expectations often leads to disappointment. Rowan has been playing ok for a 2nd year freshman. Look at Hoyaboya’s chosen one Garway Dual. That kid has been absolute trash so far. Dual 4 Pts, 1.7 assists, 37% fg, 25% 3pt with 20 min a game. To your point, relying on a freshman guard is rough. It's why we are struggling this year (along with depth, cohesiveness, a new system, years of neglect, etc). Jayden is only a sophomore. Rowan is a RS freshman. Experience wins in this era of COVID 5/6/7 year players. So while I am extremely excited for the McKenna/Sorber/Mulready/Williams class, reality is we need some old dudes. I am not remotely worried about the "recruiting over" narrative because if we get a 1 to 2 year player at guard where we need depth or at PF, this incoming class should be primed for the 25/26 season while still getting valuable minutes in the 24/25 season.
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Post by ColumbiaHeightsHoya on Jan 30, 2024 16:49:09 GMT -5
Rowan is going to be really good. People pine for Jonathan Wallace but forget that people panned about his limited athleticism every year he was year. Everyone couldn't wait for Chris Wright. The point is you can win a lot of different ways. Kolek isn't all that athletic and yet his pace and composure help him be successful. I can see Rowan in that role. He will get stronger which he definitely needs and his height is a plus. He will figure it out. We need to stop comparing him to Kolek. As that is an unnecessary high almost unattainable expectation. Kolek is actually fast at this level with good lateral movement. Rowan isn’t slow but he’s about average speed at this level. Lateral movement isn’t great but defensively he makes up for it with great hands, technique, desire and defensive Iq. Kolek is also a fourth year senior who will turn 23 in March. The reason for the comp is because of their pace while dribbling. Kolek dribbles around and through the defense while looking for shooters/cutters. Rowan has that same start & stop vibe. His pass to the shooter in the corner the other day was vintage Kolek. Kolek also had the benefit of year one playing in the A-10 vs. the BE. That probably benefitted him and allowed him to develop away from the bright lights. Rowan has an inch on Kolek. I think the comp is pretty solid although I admittedly never saw Kolek as a freshman. One can dream.
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Post by ColumbiaHeightsHoya on Jan 30, 2024 15:03:34 GMT -5
Rowan is going to be really good. People pine for Jonathan Wallace but forget that people panned about his limited athleticism every year he was year. Everyone couldn't wait for Chris Wright. The point is you can win a lot of different ways. Kolek isn't all that athletic and yet his pace and composure help him be successful. I can see Rowan in that role. He will get stronger which he definitely needs and his height is a plus. He will figure it out.
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Post by ColumbiaHeightsHoya on Jan 30, 2024 11:01:38 GMT -5
Our breakthrough game has to happen at some point but man, I don't see it against Marquette. Maybe we get some offensive movement and more assists but for now, I think we have to look to Seton Hall, providence, depaul, Xavier, Nova or St. Johns for those W's. If I squint I can see 3 wins in there.
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Post by ColumbiaHeightsHoya on Jan 29, 2024 9:46:08 GMT -5
26 points on 27 shots is horrible. That level of inefficiency has to come to an end. I love it when epps gets a guy on his hip and gets to his lay-up. I hate when he shoots his step back. Even if it goes in its not a good shot and not one we can win with consistently.
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Post by ColumbiaHeightsHoya on Jan 25, 2024 8:42:42 GMT -5
Gtown 71, Providence 70
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Post by ColumbiaHeightsHoya on Jan 24, 2024 14:57:08 GMT -5
Any theories on why the student turnout was poor? Two words: customer experience. Why does someone pay more to shop at a Wegmans than a Kroger? Why does someone fly Delta but not Spirit? This is Marketing 101: a positive value proposition drives repeat business. I mentioned Wegman's. It is not in my area but its message to customers applies everywhere. it reads: "We set our goal to be the very best at serving the needs of our customers. Every action we take should be made with our customers in mind. We also believe that we can achieve our goal only if we fulfill the needs of our own people." Students are the customers of Georgetown basketball. They are the present and future of the program as alumni. They are treated as ancillary at best and forgettable at worst. Students attend games for one, two, or three basic reasons: 1) they enjoy the sport, 2) it's a social event, and/or 3) it is worth their time amidst all the other distractions of their lives. None of these apply right now. 1. Georgetown basketball isn't fun right now. Despite thousands of unsold seats (15,675 last night alone), they are placed in some of the worst seats in the building. Spontaneous demonstrations of support (or disapproval) are promptly tamped down by the Monumental security forces. Forget 50 cent beer at McDonough or the Stonewalls, any attempt at fan interaction is shut down--try bringing in a sign into the arena. GU does not invest in the student experience and they are not coming back as alumni, whether to Capital One Arena, the "Colossus of Alexandria", or whatever soulless facility is left after Georgetown kicks the can yet again. 2. Attending home games should be, but is not a social event. Today's students have no "Detroit 1978" or "Missouri 1982" or "Duke 2006" or "Syracuse 2013" in their collective memory. There are no pre-game events. There are no post-game events. There are no Hoop Club events for students, a group that was once closely tied with the student experience and is disengaged from this. If their friends aren't going, neither will they, and the memories that carry far beyond the event simply won't be there. 3. Georgetown basketball is not worth their time. People are not taking three hours out of their evening to sit in an empty building and hear some MC shouting over a microphone, or a free throw shooting contest at halftime. They are not going to spend three hours to see teams that are not competitive in the Big East, just as they do not spend three hours to see a football team that can't schedule beyond the bottoms of Division I and still can't win. I came across this video of a student at TCU speaking about why she goes to games. TCU is not some state funded football colossus but a school of comparable size to Georgetown in a rather large city (1 million) in a market saturated by pro teams and plenty of entertainment options. Yet she goes to the games. Why? Community. Georgetown basketball lacks community in a fundamental way. Agreed on all accounts. They need to move all the students behind the benches. Move all us old farts to the other side of the arena opposite the cameras. Put tarps over the endzones and lower the lights. Have the students bring signs, change the promotions, create some incentive to go. Last night was really sad because the product on the court stunk. We should have a loyalty program with an area restaurant/bar for pre-post game deals for the students. There is plenty of space down there now to do it.
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