Georgetown - Maine 11/28/17 Discussion

[drquigley]

Nov 29, 2017 11:59:56 GMT -5 EtomicB said:

Nov 29, 2017 11:38:28 GMT -5 drquigley said:

What bothered me about last night's game was the total lack of enthusiasm and effort by the Hoyas in the second half. PE saw it too and was, according to the TV announcers, yelling at them to "Wake Up". I hate to say this but maybe we are suffering a sugar crash after all these cupcakes. Get the feeling that a game against a quality team right now would get their energy and intensity level up to where it needs to be for BE play. Definitely sleep walked through the second half.

Geez! We just went back to back miserable seasons, go 5-13 last year in the BE, lose our only two scorers, have no super studs coming in, get a new coach, and people are saying the schedule is too weak. C'mon, enough already! We aren't going anywhere this year. This is a rebuilding year. Let PE get a feel for his players and build some team chemistry before the BE season starts. Cut PE and this team some slack.

How quickly you forget.. haha!!

I think it was Emerson who said, "Foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds". Anyone watching the Hoyas last night could see that it might be time for a game against serious competition. I still believe getting clobbered by a Kansas or Duke in a pre season tourney makes no sense for this team but I am beginning to think that maybe a whole wheat muffin instead of a cupcake might now be in order. But thanks Etomic for pointing out that I'm not one to be foolishly consistent.

[hoyasaxa2003]

Nov 29, 2017 12:25:52 GMT -5 bigskyhoya said:

Yes! Baby steps. If we can’t yet handle Maine’s press where is the logic in thinking we would benefit now from facing a more skilled team?

Except, we did handle it. We might not have handled the press well. We might not have attacked the press as we should have. But we handled it, and still won by 21. If you're playing at your absolute worst and still easily win a game by 20+ points, it means the competition simply isn't at a sufficient level to allow your team to grow. It was clear the team wasn't focused last night, and consistently playing terrible teams isn't going to get guys up for games.

I am sure that Ewing will go back to the team and make it clear he didn't like the things he saw out there. But, our next game is against an even worse team that we blew out by 52 points last season.

And again, nobody is saying to replace Coppin State with bluebloods, but rather some teams that are still pretty bad, but a step above these bottom 50 "cupcakes," which are more icing than cupcake. When you get to the MEAC/SWAC type teams in the bottom 50, it's an entirely different level of bad.

[ColumbiaHeightsHoya]

Nov 29, 2017 11:11:42 GMT -5 LCPolo18 said:

Nov 29, 2017 10:42:33 GMT -5 ColumbiaHeightsHoya said:

That game was horrible to watch. I am not sure what is better. Beating teams when you know you would lose to hundreds of decent college squads with that level of effort and execution or just getting a hollow W? Until we seem someone who can bang inside with Jessie & MD, it is going to be hard to know what we have. I don't see the next three games really doing anything to test that. Cuse will be the first & only measuring stick for this team and I think the players realize that and phoned it in a bit.

A Tuesday night 8:30 tip was pretty tough for the crowd. I am guessing we were close to 2000 butts in the seats. The girls in front of me got on the big screen three times and it was either the camera man being fixated or the fact that there were very few energetic options in the crowd. In addition to the guaranteed money we paid Maine, that had to be a big red ink night for the program.

The late tip on a Tuesday night against a cupcake was definitely rough on attendance. Though I will say that I was impressed with the student turnout. It wasn't amazing, but more than I expected given the game time and opponent.

Also, pretty sure we're in the same section since the girls behind me were on the big screen a lot.

I am also pretty sure those girls were cheering for Maine for what it is worth. To give Maine credit, they did play a pretty solid press and decent D. Good effort by them.

[SFHoya99]

Nov 29, 2017 12:22:55 GMT -5 bostonfan said:

Nov 29, 2017 12:07:09 GMT -5 TrueHoyaBlue said:

Best case for Blair is that he winds up like a Roosevelt Jones on recent Butler teams, putting up way more points than you'd think with a lot of scoops and floaters. If he adds a consistent 3-point shot, that's a solid asset for the team.

I really like Blair so far and think he has been the most consistent freshman. I think Pickett has more upside, but Blair just knows how to get buckets. I think he has a really smooth looking shot and he is not afraid of the moment. He may force it occasionally but most of his shots are a function of him being aggressive and good shots. I can see him growing into a really good player for the Hoyas over the next few years.

Yeah, I just think it is impressive that he's managed a 118 ORating and decent true shooting while taking over 30% of the shots while he's on the floor. He hasn't shot great from 2, but he's shooting 40% from three, hitting his FTs, getting the line at an okay rate and not turning the ball over. That last one is very impressive.

You just don't expect it out of a frosh. Pickett is a better example -- flashes of nice play, good shooting form, good length, but he's not hitting his threes, not finishing his twos, and turning the ball over way too much even before yeaterday. This isn't meant to criticize Pickett five games in; it's just to compliment Blair.

It's crappy teams, but a freshmen looking to shoot that much and being efficient is impressive.

[guru]

Nov 29, 2017 12:25:52 GMT -5 bigskyhoya said:

Nov 29, 2017 11:59:56 GMT -5 EtomicB said:

Geez! We just went back to back miserable seasons, go 5-13 last year in the BE, lose our only two scorers, have no super studs coming in, get a new coach, and people are saying the schedule is too weak. C'mon, enough already! We aren't going anywhere this year. This is a rebuilding year. Let PE get a feel for his players and build some team chemistry before the BE season starts. Cut PE and this team some slack.

How quickly you forget.. haha!!

Yes! Baby steps. If we can’t yet handle Maine’s press where is the logic in thinking we would benefit now from facing a more skilled team?

This isn't directed at you, just at where this thread has gone - The schedule for this season isn't changing - the endless debate on here about its merit (or lack thereof) serves absolutely no purpose, and only becomes relevant if this schedule becomes the norm for this program. We don't know whether or not that will happen and won't know until next summer. Posters writing the same thing over and over on this subject and citing their misunderstood KenPom stats are simply clogging the board. Can we talk about the team and how it looks?

[bigskyhoya]

You are right. I made the same point yesterday. On to the next topic for me.

[michaelgrahmstylie]

I didn't have a chance to read all that has been said, but let me just say, what I saw last night, did not instill a whole lot of confidence in me in this team. I hope I am wrong, and it was the fact that our opponent wasn't as much of a cupcake as advertised.

[guru]

Nov 29, 2017 15:05:08 GMT -5 michaelgrahmstylie said:

I didn't have a chance to read all that has been said, but let me just say, what I saw last night, did not instill a whole lot of confidence in me in this team. I hope I am wrong, and it was the fact that our opponent wasn't as much of a cupcake as advertised.

We do not have a good team this year. We have known this for quite some time. There's no reason for a whole lot of confidence in this group - we are going to take our lumps this season and hope that Ewing is building something for down the road.

[EtomicB]

Nov 29, 2017 14:21:00 GMT -5 guru said:

Nov 29, 2017 12:25:52 GMT -5 bigskyhoya said:

Yes! Baby steps. If we can’t yet handle Maine’s press where is the logic in thinking we would benefit now from facing a more skilled team?

This isn't directed at you, just at where this thread has gone - The schedule for this season isn't changing - the endless debate on here about its merit (or lack thereof) serves absolutely no purpose, and only becomes relevant if this schedule becomes the norm for this program. We don't know whether or not that will happen and won't know until next summer. Posters writing the same thing over and over on this subject and citing their misunderstood KenPom stats are simply clogging the board. Can we talk about the team and how it looks?

You're right that the schedule won't change but the discussion of it is relevant now imo..

How can folks discuss the games Gtown will play without discussing the opponents?

How can folks discuss the progress being made by the team each game without discussing their opponents?

This topic will more than likely stay at the top of the board until the BE season gets underway..

[NCHoya]

The Hoyas effort/attention to detail last night reflected the dead atmosphere of the game. The 830pm start did not help and it is hard for a young, inexperienced team like the Hoyas to generate the same energy every night in an empty building. Call it an excuse if you want, but I will call it an explanation.

I am not sure it is fair to expect even performances from game to game from these Hoyas, they are all getting used to their roles and youth invites bouts of complacency and swings in confidence. I am looking for macro trends that show improvment.

Big picture so far, I have been very happy with what I have seen from Johnson and Mulmore. I would not have expected such improvement coming into this season. Govan has taken a nice step toward consistency as well - 65% from the field, all double digit scoring games. Plenty to work on, but no doubt Govan is headed in a good direction.

[calhoya]

It is embarrassing to have the national television audience see an empty arena. This is the biggest problem with this schedule. Hoyas could have one of the lowest season attendance figures in the past 30 years.

[HoyaChris]

Nov 29, 2017 12:07:09 GMT -5 TrueHoyaBlue said:

Best case for Blair is that he winds up like a Roosevelt Jones on recent Butler teams, putting up way more points than you'd think with a lot of scoops and floaters. If he adds a consistent 3-point shot, that's a solid asset for the team.

Jahvon shot the 3 well this summer and is currently shooting 42% from 3. How much more consistent is he supposed to be?

[HoyaSinceBirth]

Nov 29, 2017 16:09:04 GMT -5 HoyaChris said:

Nov 29, 2017 12:07:09 GMT -5 TrueHoyaBlue said:

Best case for Blair is that he winds up like a Roosevelt Jones on recent Butler teams, putting up way more points than you'd think with a lot of scoops and floaters. If he adds a consistent 3-point shot, that's a solid asset for the team.

Jahvon shot the 3 well this summer and is currently shooting 42% from 3. How much more consistent is he supposed to be?

Yeah I don't get that comparison at all. Right now he is a good 3pt shooter.

[Bigs"R"Us]

I am hopeful that the Cuse game will be full. I will be there.

[TrueHoyaBlue]

Nov 29, 2017 16:09:04 GMT -5 HoyaChris said:

Nov 29, 2017 12:07:09 GMT -5 TrueHoyaBlue said:

Best case for Blair is that he winds up like a Roosevelt Jones on recent Butler teams, putting up way more points than you'd think with a lot of scoops and floaters. If he adds a consistent 3-point shot, that's a solid asset for the team.

Jahvon shot the 3 well this summer and is currently shooting 42% from 3. How much more consistent is he supposed to be?

Good point -- I'll blame small sample size for my perception, as some of his misses stick with me as overly quick shots. Also, I feel like Jones killed us in most of our games against him, so I didn't mean that as a slight.

If Blair keeps playing the way he's been playing, even against better competition, I'm going to be really happy with the results.

[hoyainla]

A couple things.

Marcus is our 4 but he has bad hands and isn't that athletic. That is going to really hurt our rebounding all year. That mixed with the fact most anyone else in the rotation with size is used to playing on the perimeter I am not sure how it gets fixed.

When do we start employing more 2-3 zone. I don't think Pat really wants to but we have no guards that can stay in front of anyone and Jessie isnt exactly a rim protector. If guards from Maine are getting baskets at the rim what is any real guards going to do to us. The 2-3 is bad for offensive rebounding but we already suck at that so who cares. Just bite the bullet until we get some perimeter defenders on campus. Besides now that Duke is running pretty much exclusively 2-3 its no longer a bad thing (i kid sorta).

[bigskyhoya]

Nov 29, 2017 16:36:52 GMT -5 hoyainla said:

A couple things.

Marcus is our 4 but he has bad hands and isn't that athletic. That is going to really hurt our rebounding all year. That mixed with the fact most anyone else in the rotation with size is used to playing on the perimeter I am not sure how it gets fixed.

When do we start employing more 2-3 zone. I don't think Pat really wants to but we have no guards that can stay in front of anyone and Jessie isnt exactly a rim protector. If guards from Maine are getting baskets at the rim what is any real guards going to do to us. The 2-3 is bad for offensive rebounding but we already suck at that so who cares. Just bite the bullet until we get some perimeter defenders on campus. Besides now that Duke is running pretty much exclusively 2-3 its no longer a bad thing (i kid sorta).

That one guard from Maine looked very quick. Of Course, that could just be in comparison to our defenders.

[hoyasaxa2003]

Nov 29, 2017 16:07:28 GMT -5 calhoya said:

It is embarrassing to have the national television audience see an empty arena. This is the biggest problem with this schedule. Hoyas could have one of the lowest season attendance figures in the past 30 years.

As anybody reading HoyaTalk knows, I hate the schedule, but even if we scheduled better opponents, I still think attendance this year for the OOC would be bad anyway. We are coming off losing seasons, and enthusiasm for the team is really low at this point. Until we start booking meaningful wins (likely at least a season off, if not two), I think it'll be a huge uphill battle to get attendance for OOC games.

[professorhoya]

Nov 29, 2017 16:19:53 GMT -5 TrueHoyaBlue said:

Nov 29, 2017 16:09:04 GMT -5 HoyaChris said:

Jahvon shot the 3 well this summer and is currently shooting 42% from 3. How much more consistent is he supposed to be?

Good point -- I'll blame small sample size for my perception, as some of his misses stick with me as overly quick shots. Also, I feel like Jones killed us in most of our games against him, so I didn't mean that as a slight.

If Blair keeps playing the way he's been playing, even against better competition, I'm going to be really happy with the results.

He's already a better 3 PT shooter than 6 years of supposed 3 PT specialist in Cameron and Domingo combined. He's a bit of a gunner like Sapp but we need people who aren't afraid to shoot. That was a problem the last couple years were we were essentially playing 3 on 5 on offense because you had guys who couldn't and wouldn't knock down wide open 3s.

[iowa80]

Nov 29, 2017 16:58:18 GMT -5 professorhoya said:

Nov 29, 2017 16:19:53 GMT -5 TrueHoyaBlue said:

Good point -- I'll blame small sample size for my perception, as some of his misses stick with me as overly quick shots. Also, I feel like Jones killed us in most of our games against him, so I didn't mean that as a slight.

If Blair keeps playing the way he's been playing, even against better competition, I'm going to be really happy with the results.

He's already a better 3 PT shooter than 6 years of supposed 3 PT specialist in Cameron and Domingo combined. He's a bit of a gunner like Sapp but we need people who aren't afraid to shoot. That was a problem the last couple years were we were essentially playing 3 on 5 on offense because you had guys who couldn't and wouldn't knock down wide open 3s.

Emphasis on "wide open."  And I absolutely don't intend that as criticism--a make is a make.  I'm going to be interested to see how Blair does when he's more closely guarded or has to work harder for his looks.  It doesn't appear to me that he elevates much.