mdtd
Golden Hoya (over 1000 posts)
Posts: 1,567
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Post by mdtd on Feb 22, 2021 13:11:33 GMT -5
Beyond his game, I’m left admiring his leadership, his humility, and his work ethic. As a point of contrast, he has what Akinjo lacked (except work ethic). Our ceiling is higher with Dante even if Akinjo might be a bit better individually. Help me understand how Akinjo, the point guard, is/was better than Dante at this point. He's not working with the same crew, and there's no complaint there, but objectively tell me why he's better. I'm not disputing you, but don't understand your argument for Akinjo. I liked Akinjo, though he was ornery, and a bit cocky. That was a part of his cocky. I think Dante is at least as good, without the headaches, or testing of the coach. I'm not going to say Dante right now is the better player. But, I see the argument. Dante isn't going to win BePOY like Akinjo did. Though imo Posh would've won it the year Akinjo did if his season exact season was moved back two years. I think the main difference is that Akinjo settled a lot for longer twos and didn't shoot it that well, while Dante does shoot it well. Akinjo is an excellent player, but one who didn't fully trust his teammates. I think the offense itself has run better with Dante now, though the talent with Akinjo was better so that's why the numbers look better. At this point in Akinjo's season you could pin him for double digit points and to bring the intensity. Dante isn't there yet. Dante also though doesn't shoot it as much and a lot of his looks have been within the rhythm of the offense and are pretty solid looks. When Dante forces now, he doesn't have as much success as Akinjo did and where with Akinjo you could see a matchup and say "ok, he's going for 20 tonight easy) Dante isn't like that. Though, from all f the tools I've seen from Dante, I think Dante will be a better player by next season. James's numbers are very similar to his from his freshman season (assist to TO ratio has improved, as his TOs have dropped, but that's really it) and from all of the tools I've seen from Dante and how he runs the offense, I think he can pass James by next season. Maybe not per game numbers wise, but by effectiveness. Especially with having some more talent around him. He has all the tools and has progressed beautifully.
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mdtd
Golden Hoya (over 1000 posts)
Posts: 1,567
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Post by mdtd on Feb 22, 2021 12:46:54 GMT -5
Finally, I've got the time to write about this game. I watched it in full and man was it a fun one. The broadcast was not on point, but the Hoyas were. I bet there's a lot of what I've said on this board already, so I'll try to be brief.
Jamorko played an excellent game. Aside from leaving Mamu from deep, he was as good as anyone could've asked for. He played within the rhythm of the offense and did everything he could to make life difficult for Mamu.
Carey came up huge and hit some massive shots. Those two four-point plays were the most important plays in this game. They were absolutely crucial. They gave us momentum back and put us in a much better spot. His shots were gigantic.
And I thought Dante played an excellent game. He forced it in spots, but he's a freshman PG and if that's what I get from him, I'll take the occasional force. The move he had on Samuel in drop coverage was just excellent. The double-cross into the explode for a layup was just awesome. I've been looking for a move like that out of a Hoya for as long as I can remember. He has been our most improved player out of the break and I love to see it. His ability to run the offense, take shots when open, never forcing and get guys the ball in the right spots has been crucial. He's going to be an absolute star for us for years to come and I can't wait. Credit to his work ethic and to Coach Crouch. When a guy is on staff for player development, and you see clearly development, he deserves a ton of credit. That's a home run hire right there. Please keep him on staff. If he wants a raise, give it to him. Dante's progress is proof that it's all coming together. This is what has me most excited for next season. Let's see what he can get out of Sibley, Clark, Berger, etc. but what Dante and Crouch have done to get him to this point is amazing.
Speaking of improved players, I think I have to speak on Bile. I have read some of that thread and I don't understand all of the love after this game. I thought his defense was not great today, but his shooting was great. I thought it was a huge give-and-take game. I think putting him in the starting lineup more so helps him since he doesn't have to do too much. I think having the better guys around him helps Bile more than Jamorko or Blair. And if he keeps doing the little things and hitting his open looks, he's going to be a very solid player for the rest of this season and however long he wants to play. But, his defensive rotations have not been great imo and the jump pass will not always be there. He's jumping to pass every time and if it's not there, it's a guaranteed TO and bucket for the other team. But, I'd be foolish to not acknowledge his improvements after the break. I think what he said about the team meeting and team chemistry is completely true. This team is winning with team basketball. We don't have one guy who can get 25 a night, but we have multiple guys moving the ball well and playing smart. It's been great to see.
For Blair, I thought they ran the "make someone else beat us" defense on Blair, and he was best used as a decoy, which for the most part we did. He got a couple of looks (man I love the screen the screener into a pop play that Coach has run for Blair recently, it's just money. And Dante has made the right read every time) but he didn't force and did what was needed. Attract the defense and trust your teammates to make plays. This doesn't show up in the box score, but it helps. Though his defense today was not great. Molson torched him multiple times. I thought it was fine, but not great today.
Overall, you will win a ton of games when you shoot 62.5% from three and when your opponent shoots 28.6%. Officiating did help us, but that was not the main factor in why we won. Not at all. None of our threes (except Dante's heave if that counted) were bad looks though, so the percentage makes sense. Great game though. Fun watch. Let's steal a couple and hopefully snag Coach's first BET win.
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mdtd
Golden Hoya (over 1000 posts)
Posts: 1,567
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Post by mdtd on Feb 20, 2021 13:02:50 GMT -5
Problem is we play inside out and their inside defense is just too big for us. When we play smaller teams they need to double Q but SH can just let O take care of him. In my mind this has to be a real "coming out" game for Q for us to have any chance. Exactly, if our Bigs show up, we can beat their 1on1. Q mostly struggles when he is doubled and I doubt SH will do it often. Their bigs have destroyed ours in the two of the last three matchups. Gill dominated Yurt in game one last year and Obiagu dominated Wahab last game. They can defend the paint. I really think our best bet is to go small and use Bile or Pickett to drag Obiagu out of the paint and open up driving lanes.
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mdtd
Golden Hoya (over 1000 posts)
Posts: 1,567
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Post by mdtd on Feb 20, 2021 13:00:04 GMT -5
67-59 Pirates
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mdtd
Golden Hoya (over 1000 posts)
Posts: 1,567
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Post by mdtd on Feb 18, 2021 15:27:07 GMT -5
Yeah the staff should reach out. If he comes across as a knucklehead you hang up the phone. After finally getting over the last group Ewing can't take a chance of poisoning this next group.... 39% from 3...🤔 100% agree. If there are any red flags about the player, or the situation, the staff should run away. They do not need any "knuckleheads" in the program. It should not be too hard to get the real story about what happened from people at BC, or from local people in DC who know the young man. At this point there is not a spot available for another scholarship, but if one does come open I would think the staff would like an experienced PG or PF to add to the mix of players for next year. I fell like the season at BC was a really weird one. Their AD wanted them to play a game with 2 or 3 scholarship players active. So the school really gave up on them. If in this tough of a year the school just gives up on you, I don't blame the kid for maybe attending a party or something like that and violating covid guidelines. You've done so much to get to this point and playing in a pandemic is very difficult, and the school giving up on them could've been the last straw for Tabbs. Do due diligence for sure, but I can absolutely see Tabbs side if the violation wasn't super significant.
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mdtd
Golden Hoya (over 1000 posts)
Posts: 1,567
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Post by mdtd on Feb 16, 2021 11:44:36 GMT -5
From day one, this is how I've felt. People expected X of JT3, they expect X-100 of Patrick Ewing. People who posted that we need to fire JT3 to return ourselves to a perennial Sweet 16 / Big East Finals / Final Four type scenario are pretty much content with missing the tournament every year and 7 Big East wins under Ewing. Somehow the sort of results that demanded firing JT3 are totally acceptable under Ewing. This is a thread with a pretty straightforward title and you've got people doing all sorts of acrobatics to avoid answering it.Because it's a nonsense premise. What if we get another great class in '22 (probably done before the season is in full swing), then we go out and go 10-10 in conference and just miss a tourney spot? Or -- we have a crummy class, go 9-5, then Aminu pulls a Jalen Johnson & leaves under a cloud of bad feelings, and we finish 10-10 and out of a tourney spot? The 1st scenario means almost certain optimism for '22-'23, except maybe for the most jaded Ewing critics. The 2nd is a mess, and probably demands Ewing's removal. I think both of these posts make sense. In CBB record doesn't determine success. Though I think there's a way to still give a take without directly answering the question. I think it's tournament (or legit argument to why we were snubbed, then multiple NIT wins) or bust. I personally believe that there is a time where recruiting doesn't matter for how long a Coach should be at their destination and you take the risk of losing kids and losing short term to buy into a new coaches vision for the program. And I think if there's no success next year, that's the time. We know how it's gonna look for the next few years and we know success won't be sustained. I also think DePaul hit this point about 5 years ago and the sooner Leitao goes, the better. It doesn't matter who he brings in, that team will suck until he's gone. And I don't want the Hoyas to reach that point. That's why I think next year is make or break. It doesn't directly answer the thread, but it answers the general idea of it. There are multiple angles to this and the best answer is a wait and react as it happens, but I think you can still have a somewhat reasonable conversation on this topic.
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mdtd
Golden Hoya (over 1000 posts)
Posts: 1,567
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Post by mdtd on Feb 15, 2021 22:27:16 GMT -5
I'm sorry, but I'm inclined to ask. You ragged on another poster for saying "they" instead of "we" (other people like using they since the fans don't play, but I like using we occasionally) and using this to say he's against the Hoyas (which if you are on a Georgetown message board, you want the best for the Hoyas), but then here you wished for long term failure for the program. Why is this? No I am making a reference to the program constantly losing since Coach Thompson Jr left the program. I have been cheering on the Hoyas since I was a boy so I am a part of the "we". However, How many top recruits have we gotten since Big John left? How many losing seasons have we had since then? I make the contention that we have lost our brand recognition and thus is the reason why we can't get the best recruits to come play with us, which I believe is what you need to restore the program to national prominence. I am smart enough to know that it is going to take time to get top recruits to go to GU. I'm also smart enough to know that when Ewing does leave, and especially if it is a bad divorce (which I doubt it will be), it will be even harder for the school to get top recruits to come and play for Georgetown. So, I know that if and when a bad divorce happens between coach Ewing and the University, it is a wrap for collegiate sports for GU. No top kid would want to come here and the guys that on this board echoing Ewing dismissal will eat their words. GU will go back into obscurity before Coach Thompson rescued them when they were 3 and 30 and wishing for some local tournament every other year. I've been going for the Hoyas since I was very young also. And while I don't necessarily agree with everything you said here (I think there is much more to the legacy Thompson built than his coaching tree and there are so many excellent young coaches who would love to bring the brand of Hoya basketball back), this isn't the point I was trying to make. I believe next year should be make or break. But, again we will have these discussions so much during the offseason that I don't want to get into it now. My question was on the ending of your post. I don't deny that you are a Hoya fan. I absolutely believe you are. You wouldn't be on this board if you weren't. But when you were on another poster for saying "they" (which again, is a stretch argument imo), but then are here saying "I hope the curse of losing continues to befall on Georgetown, just so that you all can eat crow, but I hope it is ten times magnified if Ewing does resign" and wishing long term failure on the program. I was very confused by this, and still am. Why was this the end of your post?
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mdtd
Golden Hoya (over 1000 posts)
Posts: 1,567
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Post by mdtd on Feb 15, 2021 22:02:54 GMT -5
I hope after next year, after we start winning with Aminu and Mutombo, Aminu and Mutombo go pro and Ewing resigns. I hope the curse of losing continues to befall on Georgetown, just so that you all can eat crow, but I hope it is ten times magnified if Ewing does resign. I'm sorry, but I'm inclined to ask. You ragged on another poster for saying "they" instead of "we" (other people like using they since the fans don't play, but I like using we occasionally) and using this to say he's against the Hoyas (which if you are on a Georgetown message board, you want the best for the Hoyas), but then here you wished for long term failure for the program. Why is this?
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mdtd
Golden Hoya (over 1000 posts)
Posts: 1,567
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Post by mdtd on Feb 14, 2021 13:08:59 GMT -5
You guys keep knocking Bile but you all don't realize that Bile was the best player on the court today. Bile is the reason why the season is turning around. Bile has effectively given us a big 4. He has madw everyone in the starting lineup jobs easier. Bile was the best player in two of our three wins. He was not today. He got lost tons defensively and it felt like he had more than 2 TO's (then again, it felt like everyone had more than their total). They just didn't make us pay. Bile left David multiple times for his nine points, he would get lost defensively and cause a ton of panic rotations and he got lucky a couple times in the lane. He was good, but far from our best. I thought it's pretty clearly either Jamorko or Dante today. Both were solid defensively, both took shots within the rhythm of the offense and played every solid on both ends. Dante limited TO's today, effectively ran our offense and aside from one play (the drive against Hodges), I thought he played a very good game. For Jamorko, he was solid on both sides of the ball, shot it well and played his role. He didn't force and looked inside and out today. He had a tough matchup on the other end and he played pretty well. Jamorko was really solid defensively. He rotated inside but not too far and forced Butler to beat us from the outside, but also making them have to make quick decisions. Bile would rotate too far down and give them more than enough time to get set and hit shots. And Dante against Thompson, their most important player, prevented him from getting anything too easy and made him be a facilitator and not a scorer. I think these were why we won this game. These two, not Bile. Bile was good, but far from our best player, imo. I think Dante has also been a key reason for our success recently. Good defense from the perimeter, running the offense really well and being a complete defensive pest. He's letting guys get into their spots, making the simple play and not doing too much. I think he's been excellent in our recent surge.
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mdtd
Golden Hoya (over 1000 posts)
Posts: 1,567
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Post by mdtd on Feb 13, 2021 19:37:26 GMT -5
Games and practices are very different Yes but if you had access to practice that may inform your perception of a player. Most people on here are dealing with incomplete information since they don’t have access to all the practice footage I don't dispute that Ewing knows more than us about his players. But, seeing them in a game and getting them Big East action early on matters. It helps them adjust to the same and see where they fit in next to other guys on other teams. You see how other teams prepare for you and not guys you go up against every day. I think that helps.
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mdtd
Golden Hoya (over 1000 posts)
Posts: 1,567
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Post by mdtd on Feb 13, 2021 19:31:36 GMT -5
Ok, so today's game was an odd one. Defensively, I thought we were very solid. Against this Butler team, you can crash the paint. They can't shoot. They want to drive inside. And them not using Nze as a small-ball five like at all against Q was puzzling, but it played right into our hand. I thought we were very solid on this end. Offensively, I thought our ball movement was very good... when it wasn't going out of bounds. Not many games can you shoot 13 fewer shots than your opponent and still win handily. Not many games can you lose the TO battle by 8 and still win handily. An excellent shooting performance aside (these come and go), our offense was bad. The guys just did stupid things. Blair had 9 TO's. NINE. Pickett's four weren't much better. When a team has 23 TO's you would assume your freshman PG had at least 6 of those. NO, he only had one. Our vets killed us with TO's man. That has to change. Because not every game will you hit what felt like every single shot. But the guys got open looks and knocked them down. If we weren't beating ourselves, this could've been a 30 point win. Against the rest of the BE, you just can't beat yourself. This has to stop. I thought Dante played a very solid game though. He was a pest defensively, ran the offense well, and only took good looks (sans one out of control drive where Hodges swatted the shot). I thought the seniors were all good aside from the TO's. ANd Bile got lost defensively quite a bit, but they didn't make us pay at all. But, shoutout to Pickett and Blair for 1K. Pretty good day for that to happen. And lastly, the rotation. We were up big like all game, this is a spot where you should find a couple of minutes for Berger and Clark. It's beneficial to everyone. Give Blair and Pickett a rest, and give the young guys experience. I also thought Sibley played a very solid defensive game. I think you can find more than 6 minutes for him. Overall though, a pretty solid game. The guys shot the lights out of the ball. Just please, don't beat yourself. And in these spots let's try to get the young guys a couple of minutes. Onto the next one. 13 points is really not that much in modern basketball. You will have to admit it really is just a difference of 5 baskets/possessions It felt like so much more. We were up about 20 all second half. They closed the lead very late. And against a Butler team that struggles to shoot the ball and plays at a snails pace, 13 is a lot.
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mdtd
Golden Hoya (over 1000 posts)
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Post by mdtd on Feb 13, 2021 19:20:31 GMT -5
I don't think any of the freshmen will get Gtown to a championship-level team but I'd like to see if they can be contributors to a middle of the pack BE team... This is the key line. “You’d like to see” Does this change if you have access to watching every Hoyas practice? Games and practices are very different
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mdtd
Golden Hoya (over 1000 posts)
Posts: 1,567
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Post by mdtd on Feb 13, 2021 19:19:07 GMT -5
Ok, so today's game was an odd one.
Defensively, I thought we were very solid. Against this Butler team, you can crash the paint. They can't shoot. They want to drive inside. And them not using Nze as a small-ball five like at all against Q was puzzling, but it played right into our hand. I thought we were very solid on this end.
Offensively, I thought our ball movement was very good... when it wasn't going out of bounds. Not many games can you shoot 13 fewer shots than your opponent and still win handily. Not many games can you lose the TO battle by 8 and still win handily. An excellent shooting performance aside (these come and go), our offense was bad. The guys just did stupid things. Blair had 9 TO's. NINE. Pickett's four weren't much better. When a team has 23 TO's you would assume your freshman PG had at least 6 of those. NO, he only had one. Our vets killed us with TO's man. That has to change. Because not every game will you hit what felt like every single shot. But the guys got open looks and knocked them down. If we weren't beating ourselves, this could've been a 30 point win. Against the rest of the BE, you just can't beat yourself. This has to stop.
I thought Dante played a very solid game though. He was a pest defensively, ran the offense well, and only took good looks (sans one out of control drive where Hodges swatted the shot). I thought the seniors were all good aside from the TO's. And Bile got lost defensively quite a bit, but they didn't make us pay at all. But, shoutout to Pickett and Blair for 1K. Pretty good day for that to happen.
And lastly, the rotation. We were up big like all game, this is a spot where you should find a couple of minutes for Berger and Clark. It's beneficial to everyone. Give Blair and Pickett a rest, and give the young guys experience. I also thought Sibley played a very solid defensive game. I think you can find more than 6 minutes for him.
Overall though, a pretty solid game. The guys shot the lights out of the ball. Just please, don't beat yourself. And in these spots let's try to get the young guys a couple of minutes. Onto the next one.
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mdtd
Golden Hoya (over 1000 posts)
Posts: 1,567
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Post by mdtd on Feb 13, 2021 13:18:46 GMT -5
64-56 Hoyas.
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mdtd
Golden Hoya (over 1000 posts)
Posts: 1,567
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Post by mdtd on Feb 10, 2021 15:20:07 GMT -5
I really don't understand all the doom and gloom about next season. Like I really don't. It should be much better than this year.
First off, Aminu would be the best player whenever he steps foot on the floor. He's much better than anyone on this team. This and since he's effective at getting into the lane and dishing, he can create for himself and others where we don't have anyone who can consistently do that now.
Next, the main development year is in between your freshman and sophomore seasons. I really like what we've seen out of Dante, and Berger has shown that he can be a really effective player next to Aminu. They fit perfectly together. Sibley was always seen as a bit of a project offensively, but he has some basic skills, he just needs a ton of polish and work on those skills. The offseason will be a perfect time to work on all of those and get better. He has shown some plays that just need a lot of polish and I think a lot of work with Coach Crouch over the offseason will help that. Same with Kobe Clark, though to a lesser extent at this point.
I also think people are really overestimating the gap between what we lose and who we bring in. Assuming all seniors leave, I still think we have more than enough pieces. Tyler Beard looks like a really tough PG who can create on both ends and really defend. He's not a great shooter, but man he's an elite athlete. And oh man I don't think I've seen a guy with as much potential as Jordan Riley in years. He has NBA+ athleticism. He hasn't been focused on basketball for a long time and yet, he's an effective (not great) ball handler, who has elite athleticism. He's a better defender than anything we have at the two spot and he can create a bit for himself. He just needs work on that jumper and he can be a beast. It looks ok now, but an offseason of work will just make it even better. I really, really like what we have in these two. I think both can contribute immediately.
And with Pickett and Blair, I think Aminu replaces a ton of what they bring. Aminu is a very good rebounder and defender (better defender than Pickett), who also can shoulder the scoring load on a good team and is a great facilitator. That's legit exactly what they bring. Give Aminu Blair's offensive volume and I think he's putting up better numbers today, let alone with better guys around him. And he's better defensively than Jamorko right now, and I think the team will be able to make up for Jamorko on the glass.
I think this team is tournament or bust. It's fair to say that they won't be elite from Day one, but this team will have its moments early and should get much better as the season goes on. We just have to make sure to not panic on day one. But by BE play, this team will be ready. And if Pickett and Blair are ok with deferring to Aminu day one and playing complementary roles, I'd bring them back. They would have to accept that this is Aminu's team, though. As for Bile, if we get the three-game stretch Bile, absolutely. A perfect vet to have on a young team. Gritty, not demanding, tough, and can hit jumpers If not, he's a net negative on this team, it would be worse next year, so let him go. I don't think we lose a ton with these guys (especially since a growing Berger, Beard and Riley can take Blair's production and Aminu plus growing Sibley I think can take Jamorko's), but if they want to come back, we can take them. Don't guarantee them minutes though. Those will have to be earned.
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mdtd
Golden Hoya (over 1000 posts)
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Post by mdtd on Feb 10, 2021 15:02:24 GMT -5
I'm not as 'offended' by Ewing calling his team selfish as some. It's an accurate description that, absent a handful of plays, the guys did NOT move / share the ball at all and instead took shots with 2+ guys guarding them, tried to dribble through crowds in the lane, fired up shots as soon as the first pass came to them - all without the awareness to move it to a teammate that was in better position because of the situation the guy with the ball was in. I don't see it as throwing them under the bus - he's describing the way they played and yes, it is extremely frustrating especially after a couple of prior games against the best teams in the league where his team had done exactly the opposite. I am not offended either. I just wish that he doesn't criticize the players in front of the media. He should praise them when they win and when they lose, he should just say the other team was better and it wasn't his kid's day. I think at times, like last night it's very fair. But, he also has to take some responsibility when it goes wrong. You can give your honest take, but also you have to take some responsibility and acknowledge your shortcomings, since there isn't a coach anywhere who's perfect.
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mdtd
Golden Hoya (over 1000 posts)
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Post by mdtd on Feb 10, 2021 14:40:56 GMT -5
This game was just awful. Early on, the three were open and good shots off of good ball and payer movement. Then, for some reason, our guys didn't even look inside (to pass or drive) and were just stagnant as ever. No movement, just passing and bad threes. And we're lucky they didn't put up 100 because man they had so many looks they usually hit. This game was brutal.
First, our defense wasn't good. I don't care what the numbers say, I thought Creighton had so many open looks they missed. They got easy looks and we didn't rotate much. Pickett was the only one rotating ok defensively and even he missed multiple spots and I don't think played a good game on this end. We got lucky. Creighton should've won by 30. We weren't good on this end.
And offensively oh man. STagnant, stagnant, stagnant, trying to do too much oh man.
Firstly, Bile. Oh man, he was awful. Horrible. Just pathetic. Tried to do too much, forced shots, 6 TO's, terrible defensively in missing rotations, AND getting blown by many times by Jefferson, he was awful. He shouldn't have played half as much as he did. Just an awful performance. He was the best player on the floor the last time we played Creighton and he was by far the worst player on the floor this game.
When Blair isn't scoring well, he's not good. He is awful defensively. Oh man, he left Ballock open so many times and missed tons of help rotations. There isn't much else to say here. Creighton blitzed him every time and nobody flashed to the ball. Just why? And how do you leave Ballock like ever? He lost him not even in help, just by ball watching at least 6 times. Blair is a negative on the defensive end.
Dante had moments of very solid play (like when he split the screens) and moments of just plain awful play (not every full-court pass is open man). He couldn't hit anything today (all were open though) and had some bad TO's. But, with a freshman PG, you take the good with the bad.
Wahab has very slow feet. It's clear. This is something he has to address in the offseason. He's not a complete player yet because he can't switch defensively and unless he's in the lane altering shots, he's not there defensively. He has work to do. Still looks like a solid BE center though, but the way to beat him is obvious.
And I thought Jamorko was ok, making him easily our best player. I think he's solid defensively (not nearly as good as Allen or Mosely were last year, but might be our best defensive option this year, which isn't ideal) and he played within himself. Still chucked far too much, but he had a couple of nice pump fake, one dribble open shot plays. These were probably the highlight of the night.
As for the rest of the freshmen, Sibley has work offensively. He's solid defensively, is in the right spots and looks like a good athlete, but his offensive game has no polish right now. He had a nice drive last night and made a good move into a pull-up jumper, but that jumper looked bad. He needs work in the offseason, but I see a lot of potential here. He can take a jump for sure. COach Crouch has his work cut out, but Sibley has basic tools and needs polish. Clark is pretty much the same, except I haven't seen the jumper to make an assessment and I think he has good vision. I really think Berger can be a player. He's not a much worse defender than Blair right now and he seems to have a good handle of the ball. He's a very high IQ offensive player and he can really shoot it. He's someone I really want around next year and I think fits perfectly next to Aminu. Just need him to upgrade as a ball handler (in confidence and in creating for himself), but again here I see tons of potential. Lastly, I'm not going to give up on him, but I really haven't seen it in Holloway. He looks like a physical big, but he's undersized without a ton of athleticism or bounce. Lots of work here and I don't see a ton of potential yet.
Overall, a disaster and a massive step back. Just an awful game. Come out better Saturday, please.
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mdtd
Golden Hoya (over 1000 posts)
Posts: 1,567
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Post by mdtd on Feb 9, 2021 20:50:36 GMT -5
78-69 Creighton
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mdtd
Golden Hoya (over 1000 posts)
Posts: 1,567
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Post by mdtd on Feb 8, 2021 0:02:24 GMT -5
I have no complaints about how the team played. This team looked so much better. Offensively, we looked really solid. Defensively, forcing Samuels to beat you is about as well as you can do with our group. You stop some guys and leave one to try to beat you. He did today, but if he gets the exact same shots in another game (and the stripes call the game fair), this game could be ours. I don't think the stripes lost us this game, but they were not good.
One thing I just don't understand is why Tim got as much PT as he did. Nova going small took him out and when he went up soft and over-rotated in just bizarre spots, and was mismatched. He's a physical inside, catch and dunk big. He can't do anything else. Don't put him in a spot where he has to do something else. This is a bad spot for him and it was proven. Coach did adjust at half and I thought the team played a very good game. Well coached game too. This team has really taken a turn for the positive. Continue this momentum.
Q was great today. He was effective inside and he altered shots inside. He left Samuels and overrotated too much, but part of that makes sense. You have to help Pickett inside on JRE and he's just too slow. But man, STOP BITING ON HIS PUMP FAKES. Still, I thought he was very effective inside and should've played more if the stripes didn't give him that awful second foul.
I thought Dante was awesome today. I've been asking for flashes for so long and we saw them against St. John's, then he was bad. Since the break, he has come back and been so much better. He's much more under control, aggressive defensively, picking his spots very well (making great reads out of the PnR, and making some great plays in these spots too), and effectively tunning the offense. He's been much better.
Blair was solid today and Bile was ok. Both were ok. And I don't think Pickett has played great in the new games yet. He shot it well last game, but he was not great defensively in either. He's been ok, but not great. He didn't look great today. he wasn't very comfortable. He went invisible for long stretches. We need more out of him.
Defensively, I thought we were ok. Pump fakes were awful, but I can't blame that on Coach. And Nova got good looks, a lot by beating guys one on one. Systematically though, they took a decent amount of contested looks and were just the better team. Rebounding by our guys was awful (defense ain't over until you have the ball) and if we are rotating inside, you have to get boards. That and the zone...ugh. Coach recognized its shortcomings quickly which is good, and he did try multiple things to get them out of rhythm, like a press every so often. I have no problems with Coach on this end. Make Samuels beat you. He did. Just happens sometimes. Just beaten by their talent.
Big improvements from what we saw early in the year. Very happy with the team right now. Good momentum for the future. Keep it rolling.
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mdtd
Golden Hoya (over 1000 posts)
Posts: 1,567
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Post by mdtd on Feb 7, 2021 13:37:56 GMT -5
83-68 Nova
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