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Post by WilsonBlvdHoya on Jan 6, 2005 10:49:50 GMT -5
1) Might a certain Pitt. Post-Gazette columnist be receptive to the idea that Bucknell replace Pitt in the BE?! 2) Troutman, like Bethel, was sick last night (threw up in 1st half) and disappeared in 2nd half (probably due to illness and GU defense). As great as the lads had played, if he was his normal self, they might not have pulled this one out... 3) Krauser and Taft exposed GU's perimeter and interior defensive weaknesses for all the BE to see. I love Roy but he got schooled on the defensive end inside. He's a hard worker and a great kid but lots of gym hours await him to be competitive nationally (and I mean no disrespect by that). Krauser also toyed with JW and even AC at times although I loved the charge AC drew on Krauser in the second half. I'm still, believe it or not, more concerned with the defense than the offense for GU. I see progress on the offensive end and you can tell the kids "get" the system, even if its implementation is still only partial. But GU was out rebounded last night and there were too many defensive lapses on which Pitt failed to capitalize. 4) Having said all this, I, too, can't wipe the smile off my face this morning! There was what I would call an "intimate" turn-out at Mr. Days last night and we were screaming our heads off at the end. More importantly, this was definitely a "statement" win that the program is on its way back. I wouldn't dare to venture a prediction for the season but this team is a lot more fun to watch, especially from an execution standpoint. And I especially enjoyed seeing how calm III was at the end, as if to say, "well, we expect to win every game we play." A little old school GU there....
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GIGAFAN99
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Post by GIGAFAN99 on Jan 6, 2005 11:05:00 GMT -5
Alright, Wilson this is not directed at you personally. I'm going to go off for a second.
Can we all collectively stop kissing Chevy Troutman's behind? It amazes me that half the time, the board says Ashanti Cook wouldn't start on any other Big East team but we seem to be in complete agreement that Chevy Troutman is an unstoppable force.
If Troutman played poorly because he was sick, he's been sick since mid-december because he's scored in double digits once in five games now. The reason Troutman was ineffective was because Georgetown did the right things. They cut off Krauser, they played a big guy in the middle, and they made Troutman make moves to the basket on his own (which he can't and more importantly, won't, do).
If anything, the Hoyas had an off night because Green didn't score and he can create his own shot, unlike Chevy. DO picked up the slack in a big way.
Let's not make excuses for poor Pittsburgh. The Hoyas picked up on what Bucknell saw in the Richmond games and executed it perfectly.
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MCIGuy
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Post by MCIGuy on Jan 6, 2005 11:10:02 GMT -5
Amen, GIGA. All that talk about Pitt having the three best players on the floor whe they play GU that even if Troutman was sick should't Pitt have whipped us on their own homecourt last night anyway? Troutman is just another in a long list of Pitt players who have no game but have a system that works perfectly for them/ Don't get me wrong. Troutman is good and works his tail off to be as effective as he is. But he's a 6'4 guy with zero perimeter game.
By the way if Krauser and Taft exposed Gtown's defense then I guess Bowman and Cook expose Pitt's?
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Post by WilsonBlvdHoya on Jan 6, 2005 11:13:58 GMT -5
GIGA, ok, ok. OTOH, Troutman has personally killed the Hoyas for the last couple of years so it's really great (for whatever reason) to see him become a non-factor, no, a cause for a late turnover at the end of a GU game!! That's all.
Also, people have been unnecessarily bashing Bethel when he's had the flu for the last 2 weeks. LET HIM GO! He's gone; most of us might think he made a big mistake (I certainly think he did, more from a non-basketball standpoint) but just let it go!!
I don't know if anyone else saw this but the GU bb-women suffered their worst loss ever at McDonough last night to the, ugh, Benedict Arnold Eagles (#13)... Still can't wipe that smile off my face though! ;D
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Post by WilsonBlvdHoya on Jan 6, 2005 11:18:01 GMT -5
Amen, GIGA. All that talk about Pitt having the three best players on the floor whe they play GU that even if Troutman was sick should't Pitt have whipped us on their own homecourt last night anyway? Troutman is just another in a long list of Pitt players who have no game but have a system that works perfectly for them/ Don't get me wrong. Troutman is good and works his tail off to be as effective as he is. But he's a 6'4 guy with zero perimeter game. By the way if Krauser and Taft exposed Gtown's defense then I guess Bowman and Cook expose Pitt's? Fair enough, MCI but I saw Cook bombing 3s and hitting pullups bigtime while Bowman took bigger men off the dribble. I never saw Cook or Wallace blow by the Pitt guards off the dribble the way Krauser did to GU on the offensive end. Not trying to rain on the parade but just setting the facts straight; Krauser was flat-out quicker off the dribble than anyone else out there.....
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HoyaFanNY
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Post by HoyaFanNY on Jan 6, 2005 11:35:41 GMT -5
troutman was a product of passes from knight and picking up the garbage when page, brown, and zavackas missed shots. there is a reason he shot 72% from the field when knight was there.
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the_way
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Post by the_way on Jan 6, 2005 11:41:37 GMT -5
WilsonBlvd, are you related to Bethel in some sort of way? He must be sick the whole season like, Troutman, eh? Just wondering. We beat Pitt, believe it man, believe it. Yes, we have things to work on, and yes this win does not guarantee a spot in the Final Four this year, but lets celebrate for a change. When have we had the opportunity to do so, the last 2-3 years? Lets be happy for our Hoyas, this is something we can build upon as a team.
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Cambridge
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Post by Cambridge on Jan 6, 2005 11:42:35 GMT -5
Krauser also got the benefit of some fanthom calls...
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Post by WilsonBlvdHoya on Jan 6, 2005 11:45:09 GMT -5
WilsonBlvd, are you related to Bethel in some sort of way? He must be sick the whole season like, Troutman, eh? Just wondering. We beat Pitt, believe it man, believe it. Yes, we have things to work on, and yes this win does not guarantee a spot in the Final Four this year, but lets celebrate for a change. When have we had the opportunity to do so, the last 2-3 years? Lets be happy for our Hoyas, this is something we can build upon as a team. Way, I'm very happy--can't you tell--how many times do I have to write that I can't wipe the smile off my face?? And there's obviously no relation to Bethel but schadenfreude is ugly, no matter in what form....
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MCIGuy
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Post by MCIGuy on Jan 6, 2005 11:46:04 GMT -5
Fair enough, MCI but I saw Cook bombing 3s and hitting pullups bigtime while Bowman took bigger men off the dribble. I never saw Cook or Wallace blow by the Pitt guards off the dribble the way Krauser did to GU on the offensive end. Not trying to rain on the parade but just setting the facts straight; Krauser was flat-out quicker off the dribble than anyone else out there..... Well, honestly how much penetration does this offense even ask for in the first place? Or perhpas I should ask how comfortable are the players at this time in knowing when to dribble and drive within the structure of the offense? That's why the Hoyas haven't taken many FT attempts, even against teams they are clearly superior to athletically. Also Krauser shot 2 for 8 while Cook shot 7 of 12. So if you want to make the argument that Cook can't break down a defense like Krauser, I can make the argument that Krauser can't shoot from the perimeter like Cook.
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1803
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Post by 1803 on Jan 6, 2005 11:46:40 GMT -5
Our biggest problem the last few years has been execution. Look at the talent Pitt has had, and the talent we have had. I don't think they have sent anyon to the pros. We had Sweetney, and Ruben. We also had Riley who was a good player, and Scruggs was hot for a while.
College basketball is about execution because the games are only forty minutes, and you need to maximize your opportunities. It was nice to see the Hoyas keep playing their game last night when it looked like Pitt was going to make their inevitable run to put us away. Pitt has been better than us, and one of the top teams in the Big East because of defense and execution. We are closing the gap, and it shows.
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SFHoya99
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Post by SFHoya99 on Jan 6, 2005 11:52:00 GMT -5
It was interesting being in the sports bar watching GU and Princeton side by side. We have a long way to go, obviously, but I like the fact that we were continually taking good shots. We did take some bad ones, but not as many as last year.
We took what Pitt gave us. I think where the team needs to improve (and it will happen) is learning to react to the defense and change on a possession by possession basis.
Pitt came out in a slow, packed in 2-3. We tried to go inside a bit early, but Roy couldn't handle Taft and Troutman (no shame there). So we just shot over it.
Pitt eventually reacted by extending their defense out to the 3 point arc. A lot of those open looks disappeared. And our spacing broke down as we forgot about the inside.
By the end of the game we were running back cuts, driving a bit, run pick and rolls and going to Jeff down low a bit, but it took us a good 20 minutes to transition from taking wide open 19' shots to going back inside the arc. It's almost like we run different facets of the offense but struggle to transition.
I'm looking forward to seeing this when we get this down. While Pitt may not be the Pitt of the last three years, is there any doubt now that talent was not the main issue at GU? Bowman destroyed everyone at SF for Pitt, and while Cook couldn't handle Krauser, Krauser certainly couldn't shut down Cook, either.
We may not have the greatest talent, but this team can compete.
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Post by uweblabisgod on Jan 6, 2005 11:53:41 GMT -5
The signature of Georgetown's decline was the inability to beat good teams on the road. That's why last night was important.
While I don't want to revert to Esh-bashing (although I miss those days, the stuff on the board was very entertaining), the coaching upgrade was obvious during the last two minutes of the game. They actually ran sets designed to get good shots, not the chuck and duck that used to kill them in close games.
I don't think much of what they did last night was in Esh's basketball vocabulary. For that reason alone I'm optimistic.
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Post by aussiehoya on Jan 6, 2005 12:15:17 GMT -5
gotta comment on Cambridge's post. I really don't think they were phantom foul calls on krauser. i think we were d-ing him up LAZILY and when he beat us, our guys would just do some kind of dumb lazy shove move. I saw this happen on like 3 consecutive possessions. The foul was called each time and it was correct. it REALLY Editeded me off, because he single handedly got them back in the game in the first half by being persistent and gutting it out, while we just didn't pursue properly on D.
(exhale).
there, i've said my piece
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the_way
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Post by the_way on Jan 6, 2005 12:37:24 GMT -5
The Difference between Esherick and JTIII is gigantic. First, Esherick, nice guy and solid loyal assistant coach, was not a good head basketball coach for G'town. JTIII is not only good coach, but a great coach. Plus, his assistants are great. Brandon Bowman was quoted how assistant coach Burke pointed out how he needs to exploit the mismatchs in the game, which led to the final game-winning shot. On the post-game footage, the players were hugging and shaking hands with the assistant coaches as well. I don't recall such unity during the Esherick years.
Right now we have the leadership in place to build basketball program. We will have our bumps and bruises along the way.
If last night's game against Pitt would have been close with Esherick at the helm, Pitt would have won. And THAT is the difference. Esherick's team, in close games, found a way to LOSE. Remember how many close games we lost down the stretch during the 2002-2003 season. JTIII's team found a way to WIN a close game last night. And that is a sign of great coaching.
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HoyaSox04
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Post by HoyaSox04 on Jan 6, 2005 12:56:28 GMT -5
What, you mean like the game against ND where Braswell had 4 different opportunities to win the game for us at the end of regulation and the first three OT's, only to have us choke in the 4th? That was super sweet.
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MCIGuy
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Post by MCIGuy on Jan 6, 2005 13:09:53 GMT -5
The Difference between Esherick and JTIII is gigantic. First, Esherick, nice guy and solid loyal assistant coach, was not a good head basketball coach for G'town. JTIII is not only good coach, but a great coach. Plus, his assistants are great. Brandon Bowman was quoted how assistant coach Burke pointed out how he needs to exploit the mismatchs in the game, which led to the final game-winning shot. On the post-game footage, the players were hugging and shaking hands with the assistant coaches as well. I don't recall such unity during the Esherick years. To be fair its hard to show such unity and hand shaking after repeated losses. Easier when it follows a major win.
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Post by showcase on Jan 6, 2005 13:37:59 GMT -5
The Difference between Esherick and JTIII is gigantic. First, Esherick, nice guy and solid loyal assistant coach, was not a good head basketball coach for G'town. Okay, who are you and what have you done with the_way?
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OldHoyafan
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Post by OldHoyafan on Jan 6, 2005 13:44:34 GMT -5
"JTIII is not only good coach, but a great coach. Plus, his assistants are great. " Whoa! Lets not get too excited. Last nights win was big and I predict will have enormous benefits for the program in the near and distant future, but lets not pin the title of "greatness" on JT3 and his staff at this point. He too, is not the finished product. I do believe ,given his history , will be a great coach. I believe he will have a record that may rivel his dad's, but not yet. That being said, you are right , an Esherick led team would not have won this game.
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Post by FromTheBeginning on Jan 6, 2005 13:46:48 GMT -5
The one thing that struck me was that it was FUN to watch a GU game again last night - even if they had lost. Not the normal gut-wretchng experience of the last few years where we just wondered from which direction disaster would strike. Thank you JTIII for making it a "game" again.
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