DanMcQ
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Post by DanMcQ on Dec 8, 2014 9:06:56 GMT -5
I hope Donny Marshall learns DSR's name. Having said that, his stories about the BE and Pops were entertaining. Donny looked like he hesitated as he got info from the director in his earpiece during the transition from III to DSR.
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NCHoya
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Post by NCHoya on Dec 8, 2014 9:54:26 GMT -5
I was very impressed with the energy and focus on defense. After a long lay-off, you can never be quite sure of what you will be seeing. I thought the Hoyas did a great job of taking Towson out early and giving some of the young guys extended minutes. The real test will be Wednesday, but I really like what we are seeing from the freshman and Smith. Josh has been very active and looks like a much more engaged player than a year ago on both sides of the court. Paul White is so impressive. If he can be consistent from 3, that will be a real weapon for this team.
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Cambridge
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Post by Cambridge on Dec 8, 2014 10:31:42 GMT -5
Overall a very enjoyable game. Maybe I'm imagining it, but I get the sense that someone has (rightly) told Hopkins not to shoot so much and it looks like he is listening. There were several times in the game where he got the ball just outside the block and I thought to myself - here comes an ill-advised post move and clanking miss - and he surprised me with a savvy pass to a slashing cutter or dish out to the wing. Maybe I just imagined it, or maybe it was a one game aberration, but hopefully he's realizing that his best role on offense probably doesn't involve shooting the ball unless its a put back.
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OldHoyafan
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Post by OldHoyafan on Dec 8, 2014 10:46:57 GMT -5
Overall a very enjoyable game. Maybe I'm imagining it, but I get the sense that someone has (rightly) told Hopkins not to shoot so much and it looks like he is listening. There were several times in the game where he got the ball just outside the block and I thought to myself - here comes an ill-advised post move and clanking miss - and he surprised me with a savvy pass to a slashing cutter or dish out to the wing. Maybe I just imagined it, or maybe it was a one game aberration, but hopefully he's realizing that his best role on offense probably doesn't involve shooting the ball unless its a put back. I noticed that too. Hopefully he has bought into the idea that he is not needed to score, just need his defense and rebounding. Hope he adopts Nate Lubicks attitude about trying to score.
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AvantGuardHoya
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Post by AvantGuardHoya on Dec 8, 2014 10:52:05 GMT -5
Overall a very enjoyable game. Maybe I'm imagining it, but I get the sense that someone has (rightly) told Hopkins not to shoot so much and it looks like he is listening. There were several times in the game where he got the ball just outside the block and I thought to myself - here comes an ill-advised post move and clanking miss - and he surprised me with a savvy pass to a slashing cutter or dish out to the wing. Maybe I just imagined it, or maybe it was a one game aberration, but hopefully he's realizing that his best role on offense probably doesn't involve shooting the ball unless its a put back. And even then....
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seaweed
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Post by seaweed on Dec 8, 2014 11:00:25 GMT -5
I noticed that too. Hopefully he has bought into the idea that he is not needed to score, just need his defense and rebounding. Hope he adopts Nate Lubicks attitude about trying to score. Please no one ever adopt Nate Lubick's "scoring doesn't matter" attitude to scoring. Please! Not arguing Hop should see himself as Option #1, but damn, a team full of Nates could pass the ball beautifully for days without even realizing there was a hoop. And I am one who thought Nate had an aggressive scorer's mentality when he came here. Maybe it was four years on campus with too many catholic girls, but in the end he entirely gave up even trying to score. Hop can dish and Hop can dance, but Hop can't attack the rim - we all agree on that - and we don't want to play 4 v. 5.
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Post by hoyasaxa2003 on Dec 8, 2014 13:54:28 GMT -5
The main difference is that last year it was effectively 2 v. 5 because DSR and Starks were really the only scoring threats. This year, that's really not true. DSR and Smith are the only consistent scorers, but in every game we've generally had somebody else (be it Peak, White, Copeland, etc.) who has provided scoring too.
Hopkins is so inefficient on offense that he really shouldn't shoot unless he has a really good or open shot (which he often misses anyway). The difference with Lubick is that he was actually a pretty efficient shooter - he did not shoot enough. Hopkins has the opposite problem. He's not a good shooter, and he shoots way too much.
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Post by FrazierFanatic on Dec 8, 2014 22:17:59 GMT -5
My admittedly foggy recollection is that Hop had a passable 10-12 foot shot his first year and a half, then moved down to the post and tried to develop moves to the hoop that have never panned out. Of course he was not the shooter that White and Copeland already are, so I am not suggesting he become an option out there - but an occasional jump(set?) shot might be better than some of those inside adventures.
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SFHoya99
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Post by SFHoya99 on Dec 8, 2014 23:12:39 GMT -5
My admittedly foggy recollection is that Hop had a passable 10-12 foot shot his first year and a half, then moved down to the post and tried to develop moves to the hoop that have never panned out. Of course he was not the shooter that White and Copeland already are, so I am not suggesting he become an option out there - but an occasional jump(set?) shot might be better than some of those inside adventures. It looked good, but only hit at about a 33% rate. I don't think Hopkins should go the full Lubick, but then again, Lubick never really went the full Lubick. On a perfectly balanced team, everyone would use a possession/shoot 20% of the time. Nate was at about 12% most of his career (which was actually higher than Moses at the end). That's not even half a perfectly balanced lineup and not all that different than say, Jabril's current 15%. The good news is: Hop's shot % is already at 15%. That seems about right. Open shots and shots in the flow. His possession rate is still around 20% because he's been a turnover machine this year, though, so I can't tell if he really is forcing it less or if he's simply turning the ball over before he shoots.
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MCIGuy
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Post by MCIGuy on Dec 8, 2014 23:25:02 GMT -5
The main difference is that last year it was effectively 2 v. 5 because DSR and Starks were really the only scoring threats. This year, that's really not true. DSR and Smith are the only consistent scorers, but in every game we've generally had somebody else (be it Peak, White, Copeland, etc.) who has provided scoring too. Early in the season there are seven players on the team who thus far have scored at least ten points once (including Jabril and Aaron). Hopkins has come close twice with 8 points. And Cameron and Campbell could legitimately do so as well given time. The team has plenty of offensive options.
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tashoya
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Post by tashoya on Dec 8, 2014 23:40:45 GMT -5
Hook bank shot in fairly close looks like his best weapon right now. Especially with his right hand, I'd like to see him take a few of those a game to keep the defense honest. As others mentioned, there was one particular sequence against Towson that looked like he was going to drive the lane and draw or give a foul as we've seen him do but, instead, kicked it out. Personally, I'm not opposed to him attempting to drive the lane every now and then when he has a lane and the matchup allows it. He does make some of those (not as many as we'd hope) but, again, it will help to keep the defense locked on him as opposed to cheating into passing lanes. With his better decision making (not backed by stats, only my impression from watching him) has come more opportunities for put-backs and tap-ins. If he can continue to do that, that has a bunch of value for a team that has guys with solid mid-range games. It could lead to a lot of bunnies for Hop if he's in good position. He's obviously a guy that has put in work in the gym and, at times, is very vocal about directing the younger guys on both offense and defense. That stuff doesn't show up on a stat sheet and, while he has things to work on, there are also many things at which he's improved. He's like the anti-Lubick. Lubick got a bit of a pass for a while because he didn't look, athletically speaking, like he would ever be a really good player. But he knew what he could do really well and, sometimes infuriatingly so, kept only to that. Hop, on the other hand, looks like he could be more than he has been from a strictly physical standpoint and has, at times, tried to do too much. If he can find the balance between what he can already do and trying to do what he'll probably be capable of doing without overreaching, I think the results could be quite good both for him and for the team. As crazy as he can make me watching him at times, I find him really easy to root for.
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tashoya
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Post by tashoya on Dec 8, 2014 23:45:13 GMT -5
The main difference is that last year it was effectively 2 v. 5 because DSR and Starks were really the only scoring threats. This year, that's really not true. DSR and Smith are the only consistent scorers, but in every game we've generally had somebody else (be it Peak, White, Copeland, etc.) who has provided scoring too. Early in the season there are seven players on the team who thus far have scored at least ten points once (including Jabril and Aaron). Hopkins has come close twice with 8 points. And Cameron and Campbell could legitimately do so as well given time. The team has plenty of offensive options. Good point. Though, while watching the game against Towson (assuming it's not a complete outlier), watching White knock down 3's made me think that Cameron's leash is going to get nothing but shorter. I don't see what Reggie adds that White isn't already better at. That sucks for Reggie and I don't mean it as a shot at him. I mean it as a praise for how White has come along already. If Cameron can rebound effectively, it's a whole different conversation. There was one defensive possession that I noticed Reggie actively looking for a man to box out as a shot went up. That's something that could really help this team. If he does that consistently and he regains some consistency with his shooting, that opens up even more options for this squad.
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Post by eastcoastteddy58 on Dec 9, 2014 6:33:30 GMT -5
Didn't get a chance to read all the blog's on the Towson game but I would assume that Hayes is either hurt or he's on JTIII's hot seat due to academics. It was nice to see JTIII clear the bench hopefully we can do this again before conference play. Does anyone have any input on Hayes?
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GIGAFAN99
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Post by GIGAFAN99 on Dec 9, 2014 6:58:24 GMT -5
As the freshmen come along, Hopkins is going to be mostly a back-up center I'm thinking. In that way, a little Lubicking isn't bad. The problem with Lubick is he was our starting power forward with no chance of scoring and he was already playing next to a back-up center.
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SSHoya
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Post by SSHoya on Dec 9, 2014 6:59:54 GMT -5
Didn't get a chance to read all the blog's on the Towson game but I would assume that Hayes is either hurt or he's on JTIII's hot seat due to academics. It was nice to see JTIII clear the bench hopefully we can do this again before conference play. Does anyone have any input on Hayes? I see what you did there, not taking the bait!! Ha ha . . .
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hoyainspirit
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Post by hoyainspirit on Dec 9, 2014 10:27:53 GMT -5
The good news is: Hop's shot % is already at 15%. That seems about right. Open shots and shots in the flow. His possession rate is still around 20% because he's been a turnover machine this year, though, so I can't tell if he really is forcing it less or if he's simply turning the ball over before he shoots. I don't have the games on DVR, but seeing them once tells me that most of his turnovers happen when he puts the ball on the floor and attempts to make a play. Perhaps its my bias, but it seems to me that far too frequently those possessions end with a stolen pass, a strip, a travel, or an offensive foul. But overall Hopkins appears to be giving us what we need when he is on the floor. We almost always have better scoring options than Hopkins in the game this year, and, thankfully, he seems to realize that.
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PhillyHoya
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Post by PhillyHoya on Dec 9, 2014 13:34:48 GMT -5
If anyone wants a good laugh, read it. I especially loved: "though we still did get a better quality opponent this year than GU did." "GU likes to schedule some dogs but they also need to get some teams like Kansas to play at the Verizon Center to have a good enough OOC to have a chance at an at-large bid." Doesn't surprise me that GW fans can't read our schedule.
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calhoya
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Post by calhoya on Dec 9, 2014 14:32:58 GMT -5
Happy for GW to be such an improved program, but schedule comparison is not the way to try to promote a rivalry. Bloomberg, Grambling State, Longwood and UMBC are not exactly murderer's row for GW. Their games against Rutgers and Seton Hall and Penn. State do not compare to Florida, Wisconsin, Kansas and Indiana.
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