OldHoyafan
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Post by OldHoyafan on May 11, 2021 20:58:06 GMT -5
looks like the rumors that Patrick Sr. was on shaky grounds in Milwaukee were probably true. AD and president probably hinted that his son committing to school would get a one year extension. You can't fault the young man for looking out for his dad. Good luck to him. Hope they have a great year and meet the Hoyas in the NCAAs
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OldHoyafan
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Post by OldHoyafan on Apr 17, 2021 22:59:34 GMT -5
Kid's quick release reminds me of another Rice, Glen Rice.
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OldHoyafan
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Post by OldHoyafan on Apr 12, 2021 22:59:14 GMT -5
Lets not understate Q's importance on the defensive end. Have not seen King guarding a 6'10-11' center like Watson for Providence. What is his weight? have seen 220 and 225 from initial reports. Ewings defensive schemes rely on positioning of his players such that the driving lanes are closed. Q did clog the lane on the offensive end but did provide a presence on defensive end.
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OldHoyafan
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Post by OldHoyafan on Apr 11, 2021 22:42:03 GMT -5
MCCLUNG was the same player at Texas Tech that he was at Georgetown. He was a scoring guard not a PG. Beard tried to hide his defensive deficiencies by pulling him from time to time. It may have just been my imagination but it seemed a lot of the time his teammates ignored gibbing him the ball because they knew he would take a shot most of the time. I am sure Beard had a Lott to do with him getting the ball most of the time. The last play of the season was indicative of this to me Shannon, who is good player in his on right had the ball and bypassed handing the ball off to McClung and took it all the way to the basket but missed the layup. I wonder if the media will ask Beard if he thinks that McClung will make an NBA team if he tests the waters again.
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OldHoyafan
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Post by OldHoyafan on Apr 11, 2021 11:19:11 GMT -5
I often wondered what happened to Mike Riley. If he was an architect of the Hoya defense in the Hoya glory years, then he would be an asset for Ewing's defense as would Gene Smith. It has been the Hoya guards mostly who have been lacking in defensive prowess in the recent years. The press utilized by the current staff is not an aggressive press like the JT2 defense of old. The press trap is not used much at all. I have always been impressed with the Syracuse trap in the corners when they press. Their trap always seems to be natural or second nature to the players although they don't play man-to-man defense. It would seem Orr would be able to teach this also. I think it is noteworthy that of the high profile players that jumped ship on Ewing (Mac, Akinjo and LaBlanc), Two (Mac and Akinjo will be playing for a different coach next year and the third, LaBlanc's coach was heavily envvoled in the coaching scandal that proved fatal for Miller. Ewing asked these players to help him to restore the Hoyas to a national power, their personal goals outweighed Ewing's dream however. Let's hope Aminu, Beard, Riley, Bellingsley and ?? will share his dream.
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OldHoyafan
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Post by OldHoyafan on Mar 26, 2021 21:11:05 GMT -5
Now that Wahab has entered the transfer portal, I now have to re-evaluate my initial take on his total of 5 assists for the whole year. I like most here thought Wahab was a "black hole" once he got the ball in the paint, and this was due to a lack of ability to see the whole court and a lack of passing ability. It could well have been an intentional blindness of his open teammates rather than an inability to see them or inability to make the correct pass to them. If it was intentional blindness, he could get away with it because of the inconsistency of the offensive abilities of the teammates around him. Next year this intentional blindness or inability to see open teammates would not have been so easily looked over with the offensive prowess of the incoming class. Maybe Wahab and his guardian saw the handwriting on the wall and decided to move on.
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OldHoyafan
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Post by OldHoyafan on Mar 25, 2021 22:35:22 GMT -5
I had forgotten the Ewing Quote that Q had the opportunity to be the best Big Man at Georgetown "if he stays" I too thought the "if he stays" was kind of strange at the time because I was thinking going pro and Remember saying to myself ' that ain't happening. The Colorado game where Ewing was forced to go small because of Q's inability to cover PNR and go out to guard mobile big man, may have foreshadowed for him what it will look like next year with the talent coming in(Beard,Rilley,Aminu, Mutombo, and Billingsley). The first three along with Dante can and will be slashing to the basket all game long. Q being camped out in the paint would not facilitate these slashing moves. '
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OldHoyafan
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Post by OldHoyafan on Mar 19, 2021 19:41:09 GMT -5
I hope the refs are not the story tomorrow as the were against Ohio State in 2007. I fear that the Buffalos' will be going inside a lot early to get Q in foul trouble. Got to be smart.
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OldHoyafan
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Post by OldHoyafan on Mar 13, 2021 22:42:14 GMT -5
Guys I have just now composed myself enough to write a post. What a win, What a gritty team. These are not 5 star and only one 4 star players, but they have the hearts of champions. I am an old old Hoya fan and I have to admit when Johnson said that today was the anniversary of Georgetown hiring Big John, the tears started to flow because I knew the Hoyas were going to win. I will always love this team. It is the same feeling I had watching Big John and Pat cut down the nets in 1984. Just dam proud of a great coach and his players. This one was for you Big John.
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OldHoyafan
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Post by OldHoyafan on Mar 6, 2021 17:24:28 GMT -5
There's not too much to say. In a game in which everyone was bad, Carey was a special kind of bad. The game was too fast for him. That's bad enough...but he didnt seem to know it. Too many passes to no one and drives with no chance of success. And...his defense is always subpar. Our lack of athleticism really showed, especially our bigs. Q's strength is being mechanically sound. He still can't improvise. At all. UConn shot the lights out, sure. But we get screened off the ball way too easily. And if you can't keep guys in front....you force help...which leads to offensive boards. There are some great game analysis on the board today. Someone mentioned the first UConn game that they reminded him of old Georgetown teams and this game exemplified that. Georgetown's teams of the 70-80's had athletes at every position. not all could shoot, not all could handle the ball to create their own shots, but all could hustle, play defense and rebound. This UConn team is similar. They have one super star in Bouknight but the rest are just athletes plus at least three gourds who can handle the ball to get where ever they want to be. the Hoyas are lacking this big time.The Hoyas' two centers are very mechanical in their moves around the basket. Their guards, outside of Dante, can not penetrate and score or set up other teammates. this is not to criticize these young men. They are members of a team of which I am a fan and will always appreciate their decision to play for the Hoyas, however it is what it is. The real transition begins next year with the four incoming freshman, who are all athletes and non are mechanical, even Mutombo whose father was very mechanical on offense. UConn And Providence, because of their athleticism and depth provide the most difficult matchup for the Hoyas in the BET. hopefully they won't face either early.
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OldHoyafan
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Post by OldHoyafan on Mar 6, 2021 16:28:24 GMT -5
Beard is our starting PG next season. Harris is a role player. I think some people are going to be very disappointed by Beard's PG ability. I have watched a couple of Beard's games and was surprised to see that he plays very little real pg. Number ! on that team plays the majority of minutes at pg. That's not saying he can not play it but I had thought originally that he was THE pg for that team.
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OldHoyafan
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Post by OldHoyafan on Mar 3, 2021 0:12:31 GMT -5
I think Xavier comeback has more to do with playing so few guys in a physical game. We gotta get more guys run in a half where you go into halftime up 15. Some spot minutes for Sibley could have helped take the load off the team. In the 2nd half we played 6 guys for the first 18 minutes. The comeback started around the 8 minute mark because of all those logged minutes. Had to stop reading posts to agree with this. If Ewing is to be blamed for anything tonight, it is getting caught up in the idea that the Hoyas might win this game and stopped substituting. if not for Cary fouling out, only six players would have played the whole second half. a sprinkle of Sibley and Berger early in the half would have allowed the starters to keep their legs under them. Xavier's run was due to dead legs of players who couldn't to corral defensive rebounds. HOWEVER, this was a big win for the team. For the staff to have this group of Hoyas one game below .500 with one game to play is amazing.
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OldHoyafan
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Post by OldHoyafan on Feb 24, 2021 17:56:39 GMT -5
Those who mentioned the difference in athleticism between the two teams being the key factor, I totally agree. It is what it is. Due to the transfers the last two years the team is really just not athletic enough to run the offense or defense that Ewing wants to run. The current makeup of the team is better suited for a walk the ball up court with multiple p & r until someone gets open for a 3pt shot or drive to the hoop. of course the only one who has the handle to take the ball all the way to basket is Dante. A zone defense would also be better for this less athletic team but neither is Ewing's forte. HE IS A JT2 player who loves to run and play man-to-man D. Next year the team will be more athletic with Beard, Riley and Aminu. Has anyone seen enough of Mutombo's game to see if he is athletic enough to fit in a running offense or is he also like Wuhab and Ighouffe?
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OldHoyafan
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Post by OldHoyafan on Jan 22, 2021 18:21:57 GMT -5
I was thinking about what Patrick quoted BIG John as saying when he asked him what he should he do to turn program around, "Find you a MF..ing Patrick Ewing!". There are no Patrick Ewing big men out there o be signed and even if there were any, the college game has changed such that one dominating big man could not revamp a struggling program. However a five star recruit with the total package as Aminu possesses could revamp the program if he had the complimentary teammates such as a real pg, true power forward and defensive/rebounding minded center. I hope Dante can continue to mature both in body and mind such that he could be that true pg next year or that Beard would use this extra prep year to assume that role. Sibley has all the tools to be the small forward to compliment Aminu. I hope Q can retool his game to be that defensive/rebounding center that will be needed next year instead of the focal point of offense that he I this year. I sincerely hope Aminu will stay at least 2 years until he has accomplished his goal number 4 above.
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OldHoyafan
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Post by OldHoyafan on Jan 12, 2021 21:39:57 GMT -5
Did not Berger play pg for his dad in high school?
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OldHoyafan
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Post by OldHoyafan on Jan 7, 2021 21:08:17 GMT -5
Ewing has a decision to make as to what is the best way to play out the rest of the schedule. We all have recognized that, though the staff tried, the stopgap talent they got in the grad transfers is not equal to the one grad transfer they got last year in Allen. Allen was a starter on a NCAA tournament team. Jalen Harris was a backup on a non NCAA team. Bile and Cary were starters on smaller conference teams. Maybe it was the best the staff could recruit given the covid situation, but it is fool hearted to think they could be true BE starters or significant contributors on a team that did not have legitimate go to players to begin with. The freshmen, Dante, Sibley ,Berger, Clark, and Holloway have talent ,but are at least a year away from providing game changing play. As Pete Gillin said Sunday, Wuhab is the best player the Hoyas have in terms of consistency, but he is still a work in progress. Ewing's decision is, does he continue to play the grad transfers along side of Wuhab and maybe squeak out a few more wins or play the freshmen more predominantly and lose a few more games but gain them more experience. If they are going to lose the majority of remaining games, which I think they will, he needs to bite the bullet and make the announcement to the team and fan base that he is going with the younger players to develop them for next year, when the highly regarded recruits will give him a true chance to do some damage in the conference and NCAA. I don't think J. Harris, Bile or Carey came to Hoyas thinking they were going to get an NBA invite after one year starting in Hoya uniform. Even though not starting they could play significant minutes which could give them exposure for possible overseas contract. Another decision is whether to continue to try to run a half court offense through Wuhab without a pg that can demand attention from help defense. Dante will get there but is not there yet so getting the ball to Wahab has been a problem, or he could try to limit their half court sets by demanding that they run on every rebound and try to get to the basket. Either decision will not make this team a winning team, but it could make it more palatable for us fans if we can see the future prospects for the team.
nc
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OldHoyafan
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Post by OldHoyafan on Jan 3, 2021 12:17:37 GMT -5
I haven’t taken the time to read the 25 pages plus on this thread...but I can imagine the board is melting down. All I can say is that i have zero expectations of this years team other than they played hard and het some experience for next year. They covered the point spread...anyone with any especiarĂan beyond that is fooling themselves. THIS! As someone else said no ball handlers or good decision makers on the team does not help. Does anyone remember how we used to moan because every team would play zone against the Hoyas because they did not have consistent 3pt shooters from wings? Now every team plays the Hoyas straight up man, even though they still don't have consistent 3pt shooters on the wings. Why? No ball handlers on the team that can pressure the defense. Last year and before they had Mac and Akinjo. It hurts to see defensive guys basically telling the Hoya players "you can't get by me, even with a pick " You literally can see the fear in Cary and Pickett as they dribble side to side without trying to make a move to the basket for fear of having the ball taken away from them. Bile tries, but unfortunately over estimates his talent to do so and gets stripped or loses ball off his legs. Dante tries also but is a freshman who has not totally adjusted to speed of his defender or height and length of help defenders in college ball, so his passes are intercepted or shot blocked. Blair has improved from his freshman year to now have the ability to drive to the hoop if he gets pick, but that is it. Have not seen enough of Berger or Clark to decide if they have this ability now or will have to develop it. Sibley seems to have it, but he like Dante has not gotten used to speed and size of college game yet. Even though I do not expect great things from this group of players, the thing that gripes me the most are the lazy passes out front and down low to the centers. I used to cringe when Moseley and Blair in their freshman and sophomore years would make these same lazy passes that would lead to turnovers. Last year those passes were gone and they made crisp, sharp passes. I think Allen had a lot to do with giving an example of how to make those passes. I would hope that the staff, in practice, stops practice when such lazy pass occurs and makes the passer run laps or something to bring home this point, but to date this group is still making way too many of these lazy passes.
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OldHoyafan
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Post by OldHoyafan on Dec 24, 2020 0:07:19 GMT -5
As someone mentioned above, you could not help but see the deficiency in talent on the Hoya team as compared to the Seton Hall team. The above poster remarked that the two best players on the Hoya team, Blair and Pickett would be the 7th or 8th place player on Seton Hall. I agree. This is not to knock these young men, they have worked hard to improve their games but it is what it is. Blair in his freshman year could literally not put the ball on the without fumbling it, getting it stolen or traveling. He now is able to bring the ball up court with pressure on him. He has always been able to shoot the three ball as inconsistent as it was. He now has added the drive to the basket to his game, although he needs a pick to get that first step on his defender, because he is unable to break his man down off the dribble to get to the basket. His defense has also improved greatly from his freshman year. Pickett was cursed with the moniker of "potential". We saw his height, body build, jumping ability and ability to hit the 3pt shot and immediately projected future NBA star.Unfortunately, he is now a senior with that same moniker, "potential". it just has not been realized and more than likely will not be at Georgetown. He has improved also from his freshman year, where he too was a turnover machine when he tried to put the ball on the floor. He has the confidence now to drive to the basket when there is an opening, but like all the other starters, he lacks the ability to break his man down and get to the basket without a clear path or a pick materializing first. Again, this is a stopgap team until the reenforcements arrive next year. Lets hope Patrick continues to expand the role of his freshmen, Harris, Sibley, Berger Clark and Holloway. Just keep repeating Aminu, Riley, Beard, Mutombo and Billingsleyand see them in these roles next year.
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OldHoyafan
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Post by OldHoyafan on Dec 14, 2020 13:14:25 GMT -5
I think we need to give Ewing and staff credit for assembling a stopgap team to give the Hoyas a respectable bridge from the disaster of last years defections to next year's top 20 class. I am not throwing this year in the trash bin, but my realistic expectations are not that high. lets look at what they did. (1) Just as in his first year they needed a pg to run the team so they worked their butts off and found an underrated 3 star guard from Tennessee, Dante Harris. I think we all now see this kid was greatly underrated. I now believe his coach who said he was the best high school pg in the the state of Tennessee. (2) They knew Dante would need time to adjust to division 1 college ball so they went to the transfer portal and found a serviceable senior pg in Jalen Harris that could steady the team until Dante could make the adjustment. Jalen has been a little more erratic than they thought but Dante has ben ahead of the learning curve so it is working out. (3) They needed a big forward to spell Pickett when he tired for rebounding and scoring so they went again to the portal and found Bile. He like Jalen has been erratic but has potential to be that stopgap big forward. If he accepts his role he can be very effective. His role should be a Boubacar Aw type forward. He should be a rebounder/defender forward. Take the 3pt shot only when teams overplay the double team on Wahab. (4) They needed a scoring guard to replace McClung so they went to portal and got Carey. He was nonexistent until yesterday, but now we know he can be a considerate contributor if he takes the initiative and shoot the ball when open (5) Also they have recruited two players in Clark and Berger who can play either small forward or big guard. We all were pleased with Clark from game one and saw his potential, but now from the last two games we see that they may have struck gold in another underrated player in Berger. Holloway right now is the only player we have not had the chance to see his potential. Again this team will not win the BE tournament or maybe not make the big dance but it also will not be an embarrassment to this storied institution, and given the events of last year that is a testament to Ewing and staff.
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OldHoyafan
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Post by OldHoyafan on Dec 13, 2020 12:45:00 GMT -5
I loved it when Akinjo signed with the Hoyas. I said then that the Hoyas finally had a real pg, the drought going all the way back to Wright. Ewing gave him the keys to the team out of necessity, only occasionally having to bench him for refusing to listen to what he wanted him to do. Akinjo has the Alpha personality that you love in a pg. He believes that there is no mountain he can't climb, despite his shortcomings, i.e. height(under 6'), lack of ups, weak left hand, etc. He makes up for these with an attacking tenacity that results to many of his shots being blocked and many open teammates being missed. I desperately wanted him to be more like Brunson of Villanova. Control the game and make sure your teammates are getting off first. He struggled with that because he did not physically have the attributes of Brunson, i.e. strength and lift on jump shot. After he bolted though, and Allen took over, I realized that the one he should have been trying to immulate was Allen. I am sure this is what Ewing had in mind when he signed Allen for that one year of eligibility, to be a mentor to Akinjo on how to run a team. I could see from his early statements that Akinjo and his family were thinking of him going pro like his mentor, Lilliard. The problem is he does not possess his size(heft) or his lift. The only way he can make the NBA is for him to be a prolific scorer and be able to hit the open man. He will do the same thing at Arizona that he did at Georgetown, that is hog the ball with excessive dribbling and have 2-11 nights but go 14-14 in ft to lead team in scoring. They will win a lot of games because the talent level is higher than the Hoyas, but I predict Miller will eventually start sharing his minute with the other pgs on his team unless Akinjo becomes more of a facilitator like Allen. McClung had the same desire to get to the NBA as Akinjo with more size and more ups, but as has been much discussed on this board, his only path is to be a pg. I have watched parts of a couple of Texas Tech's games and McClung is the same guard he was at Georgetown. He maybe labeled as the pg for them, but he is mostly a scorer. I wish both the best in achieving their dreams, but it is time to move on. Ewing has this year Dante Harris and Berger as freshmen and Beard next year that we can get excited about being the next trio of championship potential guards at Georgetown.
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