dense
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Post by dense on Nov 28, 2008 15:58:00 GMT -5
Maybe I'm alone but I feel much better about this team after watching that game. We have a lot of growing left to do, but we came and play with Tenn, showed a lot of things that previous Hoya teams have not been able to do (transition play, forcing turnovers). Clark & Wattad showed some improvement, Summers seems to have turned a corner, Monroe is going to be a solid, Jessie & Chris are getting more comfortable playing with each other. Freeman is showing more of his midrange game. If we keep improving quickly, we are going to be a team no one wants a part of in March. No Nathan I'm with you we just need one of the backup bigs to give us some good minutes cause right now neither of them are, and I expect that to happen we know Vaughn isnt 100%. I liked alot of what I saw today. Especially from DaJuan he didnt want to lose and played like it all day.
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hoya95
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Post by hoya95 on Nov 28, 2008 16:00:26 GMT -5
This game reminded me a lot of the Memphis game last year. Got involved in way too much of a track meet and eventually they ran right past us. Obviously there is a lot of rebuilding to do, but for the first time in a while it's probably more on the defensive side. We're going to play a lot of big, athletic teams this year. And it looks like a very scary proposition right now. This game was really nothing like the Memphis game last year. We had control of this game for the most part, where in the Memphis game we never really had any control and were just staying in it until they went up by 20 at one point I think. This game was a lot more like the Duke game from 06-07, imo, where we had control most of the game, but came up short the last 5 minutes. It happens with young teams, we will only get better, and even if we didn't improve at all from now until March, we would still probably make the NCAA tournament and could probaby even win a game or two. Thats a lot better than I expected from this team in November. It sure looked like it to me in terms of style of play. I never thought we were in control because the game was played at Tennessee's pace. I know this team isn't the same as last year's, but I have a hard time believing we're going to win too many 88-85 games against anybody.
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hoyaboy1
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Post by hoyaboy1 on Nov 28, 2008 16:01:18 GMT -5
Random aside since the main stuff has been covered - Austin's 3 was off all summer and that seems to have continued through the first 4 games. He's doing well around the basket but we need him to get his jumper going.
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RDF
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Post by RDF on Nov 28, 2008 16:13:22 GMT -5
Overall Thoughts on Game:
1. Liked the Effort and Attacking Style III is letting guys play with. 2. A lot of mistakes I saw are very correctible 3. DaJuan Summers played a solid game--not just one half--good sign. 4. Chris Wright had a much better game against pressure team. 5. Greg Monroe--just a pleasure to have him in Hoya Uniform 6. Omar Wattad--great minutes and competitiveness. Love the kid and what he brought to team today.
Things that need work:
1. Passing--specifically by the receiver cutting distance between himself/ball--you can't wait for ball--go get it and help the passer out.
2. Inbounds plays--guys have to move--cut hard not drift. That is easily correctible as is the first thing.
3. Rebounding--specific player in thoughts--and it was huge sequence in game--but again--is that something you can't correct?
Fun team to watch grow-they will take some lumps but they will also beat a few teams most think they won't. How good they perform overall depends on Sims/Vaughn--one of those 2 need to up their level of play/production--but I'm confident 1 will-although I'm partial to Henry which many will laugh at it based on what they've seen. He's got more size and skill and think he'll come along by mid/late season. Vaughn--just grab rebounds--especially off the missed FT's.
Look forward to Sunday's game!
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DanMcQ
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Post by DanMcQ on Nov 28, 2008 16:16:36 GMT -5
Just back from the game. Very encouraging overall as I thought the team looked much better than yesterday. Too many turnovers yet again - and the two TO stretch followed by the Tennessee free throw-offensive rebounding spree tipped what was a very close game.
This is still a pretty young team that is on its way to gelling into a unit. They have to get better play out of the Vaughn - Sims combination and have to cut down on the lazy passes.
Agree with others that there are not many teams that are going to shoot 65% from three on them.
The team is still a work in progress but I feel much better about them than I did last night. We sat in the second row behind the bench - and it's pretty clear the guys knew what they were doing wrong in executing the offense when they made mistakes. For those who seemed surprised, Wattad is going to be a big part of this team - and it's clear from watching them up close the team leaders (Sapp and Summers) know that as well.
The Hoyas have a fast break again too. A good one. Sweet.
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Post by hoyaddict on Nov 28, 2008 16:18:55 GMT -5
Outside of a poor decision or two I thought that Chris Wright had a great game and I definitely see him as an opposition run-buster with his ability to penetrate.
If we can figure out how to not only break but punish teams that press us and pull down some rebounds then we can pull off a few Big East upsets. Still, there seems to be a theme developing of poor rebounding and a glut of turnovers, and hopefully JTIII can figure out a way to improve that situation on both fronts.
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sleepy
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Post by sleepy on Nov 28, 2008 16:19:12 GMT -5
Overall Thoughts on Game: 1. Liked the Effort and Attacking Style III is letting guys play with. 2. A lot of mistakes I saw are very correctible 3. DaJuan Summers played a solid game--not just one half--good sign. 4. Chris Wright had a much better game against pressure team. 5. Greg Monroe--just a pleasure to have him in Hoya Uniform 6. Omar Wattad--great minutes and competitiveness. Love the kid and what he brought to team today. Things that need work: 1. Passing--specifically by the receiver cutting distance between himself/ball--you can't wait for ball--go get it and help the passer out. 2. Inbounds plays--guys have to move--cut hard not drift. That is easily correctible as is the first thing. 3. Rebounding--specific player in thoughts--and it was huge sequence in game--but again--is that something you can't correct? Fun team to watch grow-they will take some lumps but they will also beat a few teams most think they won't. How good they perform overall depends on Sims/Vaughn--one of those 2 need to up their level of play/production--but I'm confident 1 will-although I'm partial to Henry which many will laugh at it based on what they've seen. He's got more size and skill and think he'll come along by mid/late season. Vaughn--just grab rebounds--especially off the missed FT's. Look forward to Sunday's game! I diagree with you on Henry RDF. Well techinquly I agree with you, but based off what I have seen I am more partial to him as well. Not because of anything Vaughn has or hasn't done, except those rebounds he should have had on the freethrows. But because most of Simms mistakes in the game were execution problems. He had a great look for a backdoor, the pass was just off. And then he had a great cut, but he got a little nervous or confused when he got the ball and got stuck between a layup and a dunk and messed up the finish. I know people are critizing him now, but the were doing the same thing with Wattad three point shooting the first game and what are they saying now? You just have to give these guys time to gell on the floor and get better. Summers, Sapp, and Freeman(well not this game) have all been playing well and have showed improvement from last years. Give everyone else time to grow and learn from their mistakes.
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Post by ColumbiaHeightsHoya on Nov 28, 2008 16:20:40 GMT -5
You also have to admit that at the end those threes were just daggers. The bank three from the top was garbage and that will happen sometimes. I think we are going to be really good come tourney time and I think we are ahead of where I thought we would be at this point.
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McBricks
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What Rocks.
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Post by McBricks on Nov 28, 2008 16:27:02 GMT -5
I have to say, even in a loss, I am MUCH happier with this game vs. yesterday's. Team showed up and played extremely well against a quality opponent. Lots to work on for sure, but a ton better than yesterday. Let's get a win tomorrow and learn from today.
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sleepy
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Post by sleepy on Nov 28, 2008 16:26:57 GMT -5
You also have to admit that at the end those threes were just daggers. The bank three from the top was garbage and that will happen sometimes. I think we are going to be really good come tourney time and I think we are ahead of where I thought we would be at this point. Agree 100%, we are much further ahead of where I thought we would be at this time. We will learn from our mistakes and get better.
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Highsmith
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Post by Highsmith on Nov 28, 2008 16:30:41 GMT -5
I took a lot of positives away from this game. I was optimistic that we could win, but this early on with a young team I certainly wasn't expecting a win. I agree that we controlled most of the game up until the last 5 minutes or so. Then, we had a number of mistakes that have been pointed out and we lost. I hadn't looked at the 3pt percentage, but I wasn't surprised Tenn shot so well......and there were many shots that went in that were the type that just make you shake your head/tip your hat. It wasn't like we were giving them a ton of easy wide open 3's--they were doing some chucking out there and the shots were falling.
I thought our guys gave a great effort, showed they can compete at a high level and had every opportunity to win a team that will now likely be a top 10 team. To say that at this point in the season with the little experience these guys have as a team is pretty great. Yes, there are things to work on, but I saw some great improvements from yesterday's game--I don't know if the actual numbers support this, but I thought we did very well on the boards in the first half, then lost it a bit in the second.....especially that last 5 minutes. That goes back some to depth and needing Sims/Vaughn to get in there and board when they get their minutes. This should be a great game to build off of and I am anxious to see how these guys respond to a loss tomorrow--they responded well to a flat effort on Thursday despite losing this one, so a nice win tomorrow would be great.
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DanMcQ
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Post by DanMcQ on Nov 28, 2008 16:31:33 GMT -5
One other observation from behind the bench: Coach Thompson was incredibly calm and in control. The Siena and Tennessee fans near us both noticed it and commented on it. It also clearly seemed that he was still tinkering with lineups and situational teaching. This was a great learning opportunity and a loss that will not hurt come March.
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Post by HoyaSinceBirth on Nov 28, 2008 16:34:04 GMT -5
I haven't read any comments on the game. But I thought the Ref's were terrible this game. Completely inconsistent and missed tons of stuff on tennessee. We should've won that game. They called so many fouls on us where no one touched a guy and we got hammered inside without stuff getting called. Then they'd call soft touch fouls on both teams. We opened up a huge lead and the refs kept them in it. We made some mistakes down the stretch that cost us, but it should not have gotten to that point because we would've had a 15 20 pt lead if it wasn't for the refs keeping tennessee in it.
I was really proud of this team. We played great outside of a few stretches. It took some spectacular shooting from tennessee for them to win that game. We played great today overall. We learned a lot about this team today and we're going to be really good at the end of the year. After the game it didnt really feel like a loss since we had played so well.
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Post by Coast2CoastHoya on Nov 28, 2008 16:39:19 GMT -5
I was entertaining the parents at Mt Vernon today, so all I had was cellphone access to scores, and was surprised to see us up 8 with 10:04 to go, and surprised to see us lose by 12. Thanks for the analysis and thoughts, those who saw the game. A loss is always frustrating, but it sounds like we played better than yesterday and that it'll put us in a good place come BE play. And now, hopefully, we can take out some frustration on the Twerps on Sunday!
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tashoya
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Post by tashoya on Nov 28, 2008 16:39:38 GMT -5
Well... I think we all saw what needs work and it's been covered ad nauseum. All in all, I loved the way we played compared to yesterday. A lot more in the way of positives than negatives today I think. And, not the least of which, THAT'S DaJuan Summers. Full game. Some really nice defensive plays. Nice effort with regard to rebounding. GTown's DS > Nintendo DS.
Yeah... some really boneheaded plays. Laziness or focus or speedier opponents? Whatever the reason... can be corrected. Yes, we could have won. After yesterday, I didn't think I'd be able to say that about us playing a TN level team until at least a month from now. Yes, Chism was out for a long time. So was Greg. Loved the effort and the intensity. Just keep working gents. GO HOYAS!!!!
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EasyEd
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Post by EasyEd on Nov 28, 2008 16:39:49 GMT -5
I have not read any of the previous comments on this thread so if I'm repeating what others said, I'm sorry. If they disagree with my observation, I'm sorry you have to be wrong.
I thought we played a much better game than we did against Wichita State. We played even with an athletic, talented, well-coached team, at least for the first 35 minutes or so, despite giving some minutes to four reserves. Of course then there were the last 5 minutes or so!
We shot 53% from the floor, including 39% from beyond the line. Of course, Tennessee also shot 53% but hit an incredible 62.5% from three-point land. In the end, that was the difference in the score.
I thought this was one of DaJuan's best outings as a Hoya, particularly on offense. Seemed to play with lots of passion and took it to the basket on several occasions. I thought this was one of Jesse's worst outings as a Hoya, his turnovers being awful and very costly at the end of the game. Wright had a good game which was nice to see after the Wichita State game. 18 points and zero turnovers ain't too shabby. Despite 15 points, I thought Monroe played a bit tentative, mostly after he started picking up fouls. Austin did not have a good game, too many turnovers. Omar had a great offensive game but defensively it seemed like he was the one Tatum kept shooting 3's over. Clark took a step up, Vaughn contributed nothing and Sims still looks out of sync.
Our inbounds continues to be awful.
I thought our rebounding was satisfactory until near the end.
JTIII and staff should study film of this game to get some pointers from Tennessee on how to attack both man and zone defenses.
I'm going out tomorrow to buy some dark glasses to wear in case we play and lose to the Twerps. That would be hard to swallow.
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rhman
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Post by rhman on Nov 28, 2008 16:46:53 GMT -5
I have to agree with many of the posts recognizing the positives in this game. A W would have been great, but I think this will definitely help the team later on in the season. Considering how the team always seems to get better throughout the year with JTIII, and that this is November, I think we are in a good position.
Loved the shooting by Wattad, although he got burned on those late Tennessee 3's and the aggressiveness by Summers was great! So while I am disappointed by the L, I am still feeling good about this team come February, March and APRIL!!!
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MCIGuy
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Anyone here? What am I supposed to update?
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Post by MCIGuy on Nov 28, 2008 16:50:44 GMT -5
This game reminded me a lot of the Memphis game last year. Got involved in way too much of a track meet and eventually they ran right past us. Obviously there is a lot of rebuilding to do, but for the first time in a while it's probably more on the defensive side. We're going to play a lot of big, athletic teams this year. And it looks like a very scary proposition right now. This game was really nothing like the Memphis game last year. We had control of this game for the most part, where in the Memphis game we never really had any control and were just staying in it until they went up by 20 at one point I think. . Not that its all that important but in last year's game against Memphis the Hoyas controlled it for the first 12 to 14 minutes IMO.
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sleepy
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Post by sleepy on Nov 28, 2008 16:53:43 GMT -5
Also I think it should be mentioned that I think we were really trying to improve our zone defense in this game. If JTIII had take us out of if we probably could have won this game, but if he had taken us out of it our zone defense might not get any stronger and could end up costing us a game in February and March. Today we weren't playing to win as much as we were playing to get better. Keep that in mind as well.
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dense
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Post by dense on Nov 28, 2008 16:53:57 GMT -5
I cant get over how people think those 3's were somehow Omar getting burned...he had a hand in dude's face both times. he was helpside in the lane rotated out and closed on him the guy hit 2 tough shots. Happy birthday, and the 3rd bank merry christmas...But that was hardly Omar's fault, the other team sometimes makes plays.
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