calhoya
Diamond Hoya (over 2500 posts)
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Post by calhoya on Nov 25, 2023 12:42:25 GMT -5
Mutombo gets yanked for completely losing focus on an out of bounds play. Unplayable. Well it was well deserved but also the play of Fielder and Cook leaves much to be desired. Not sure how a team as aggressive on defense as JSU has escaped fouls in this game. I don’t usually complain about refs but this is ridiculous
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calhoya
Diamond Hoya (over 2500 posts)
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Post by calhoya on Nov 25, 2023 12:13:46 GMT -5
Team defense is nonexistent right now.
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calhoya
Diamond Hoya (over 2500 posts)
Posts: 4,352
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Post by calhoya on Nov 21, 2023 12:16:32 GMT -5
Still believe there is a role for Ryan on this team. It's not as if Ewing plucked him from the trash heap. Although the performance has not been there, he was a 4* recruit and had offers from schools like Florida State, Clemson, Georgia Tech, Texas A&M, and Vanderbilt. Not saying he could ever be a starter, but I still believe having watched him for limited minutes over the years that he can provide a few effective minutes each half for other posts to rest. Finally, when looking at the options, I am certainly not sold on Cook. Strong player and a banger but undersized.He is a poor FT shooter and seems to have no range away from the basket. Fielder is too thin to play in the post and certainly not a quality defender at this point. Massoud, was not a starter last year and made his mark on offense. Overall, there are no posts on this team who are close to complete players and it seems to me that Cooley is going to have to spend the year mixing and matching players to fit the situation.
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calhoya
Diamond Hoya (over 2500 posts)
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Post by calhoya on Nov 21, 2023 7:40:14 GMT -5
I am a little surprised that no one has mentioned how close American came to winning the game after Epps tied it from the corner. Not something I imagine a team works on but the guard from American dribbled the length of the floor and came within a few tenths of a second from winning the game had the layup gone in.
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calhoya
Diamond Hoya (over 2500 posts)
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Post by calhoya on Nov 19, 2023 21:46:26 GMT -5
Just finished watching the game because the failed box out was more than I could take and I turned it off. Have to give credit to Epps for an unbelievable effort down the stretch. Wins help no matter how ugly. However, there is so much to be done. FTs and not just from Cook. If the kid does not get better how can Cooley leave him in down the stretch. Not sure what the solution is to the ball handling problems against any kind of pressure. I did see a third player coming to help out against the full court press. Think that the role of Ryan will expand a little to give Cook a break. Don’t see how Fielder can play the 5 as he is every bit the liability on defense as Ryan and rail thin. However Fielder can be a problem for other teams at the 4 if his shot starts falling—of course it won’t fall if it is never taken. Think this may be a year of small ball with Styles playing the 4. Rowan and Bristol can really help if their shooting improves. Bristol is instant intensity when he comes into the game. But needs to become at least a credible offensive threat. Lots to be done but I really like the sideline coaching by Cooley and the expectation that every player will be held accountable. No more star treatment like the past couple of seasons.
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calhoya
Diamond Hoya (over 2500 posts)
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Post by calhoya on Nov 19, 2023 18:14:08 GMT -5
Can’t rebound, can’t shoot FTs, can’t take care of the ball and can’t defend the perimeter. Can’t win. We’ve seen it all before.
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calhoya
Diamond Hoya (over 2500 posts)
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Post by calhoya on Nov 19, 2023 17:02:41 GMT -5
Someone has to be able to rebound they are just getting out hustled on the boards like the Holy Cross game. Epps playing well.
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calhoya
Diamond Hoya (over 2500 posts)
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Post by calhoya on Nov 19, 2023 16:51:02 GMT -5
Just do not see how Cook is going to be a net plus this year. Works hard but is undersized for a post and offers very little on offense. Not impressed with perimeter defense today—at least at the start.
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calhoya
Diamond Hoya (over 2500 posts)
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Post by calhoya on Nov 18, 2023 19:02:30 GMT -5
20 TOs just kind of overrides everything else. Have to believe that Cooley is going nuts. Breaking the press with passes instead of dribbling through defenders. Inbounding to the center of the court instead of along the sideline when trying to break the full court press seems like another obvious change. When Epps picks up his dribble (another mistake) players have got to move to come help him out. Just a lot of mental mistakes that hopefully are corrected sooner than later.
Not all negative though. Styles looks to be a steal in the transfer portal. Have seen more aggressiveness from Cook, a moment of confidence from Fielder and the use of a zone to offset the quickness advantage of other teams. Need Rowan to calm down. Ditto for Epps and Fielder. Heath seems a little slow and I hope it is just conditioning after missing so much time. Still waiting for Bristol’s shot to arrive but recall that he was a decent shooter last year—unless age is clouding my memory. Massoud may be the key but I saw him last year and he was a very streaky shooter so not getting too excited yet.
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calhoya
Diamond Hoya (over 2500 posts)
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Post by calhoya on Nov 18, 2023 13:32:31 GMT -5
Mindless TOs just keep coming. Who is the leader on this team?
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calhoya
Diamond Hoya (over 2500 posts)
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Post by calhoya on Nov 18, 2023 12:50:26 GMT -5
It’s a 12 point lead and yet the horrible TOs make this feel like a game the Hoyas could lose. In fairness to Epps on a couple of his TOs his teammates give him no help and just stop moving. This team has to keep moving on offense and when they stop and start watching the PG it is never good. Agree that Fielder just seems lost out there and Cook offers little on offense so far.
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calhoya
Diamond Hoya (over 2500 posts)
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Post by calhoya on Nov 18, 2023 12:44:41 GMT -5
I don’t think there is a ball handler on this team that you can trust right now.
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calhoya
Diamond Hoya (over 2500 posts)
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Post by calhoya on Nov 18, 2023 12:01:01 GMT -5
Any one find this game on the Fox App? Cannot find anything.
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calhoya
Diamond Hoya (over 2500 posts)
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Post by calhoya on Nov 16, 2023 8:13:16 GMT -5
The stench from last night's game has still not worn off. I think that what is most depressing is the realization that some things cannot be fixed this year. Cook will likely remain a non-factor on offense, except for the occasional put back, Fielder is going to take considerable time and a major confidence boost to show a glimpse in the games what coaches are seeing in practice, my turn basketball is not going away unless and until the guards stop playing hero ball and have some options other than dribbling down the clock, and there is no obvious ball handler on the team. Who will be the leader for this team on the court? Massoud? Is there any other candidate?
What can be fixed are the careless, mindless TOs that have now become a hallmark of this program over the past several seasons, the ability to break a press defense with passing instead of requiring a guard to try and dribble through traps, the ball movement in the front court to find an open man and hopefully better shooting. Cannot win a game with the 3 guards going 4/12 (Epps), 3/13 (Rowa)n and 3/11 (Heath), particularly when most of those shots seemed forced and not in the flow of the offense.
Positives to me are the play of Styles in the first half and his drives to the basket. His 3 pt shots were nice but doubt he is going to continue to hit them at that pace and will regress to the mean. Ryan getting minutes is good to provide a little rest for the starters and while everyone can and will criticize his slow foot speed and poor mobility, was he really much worse than Cook? Cooley is engaged during game action and in the huddle--actually coaching the kids. I think we will see some improvement over the course of the season though nowhere near as much as I had hoped, barring some major change from the return of Massoud and the growth of the younger players.
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calhoya
Diamond Hoya (over 2500 posts)
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Post by calhoya on Nov 15, 2023 22:41:00 GMT -5
You cannot run an offense at this level if 2 of the 5 on the floor are not involved or contributing. Guards drive but without purpose.
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calhoya
Diamond Hoya (over 2500 posts)
Posts: 4,352
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Post by calhoya on Nov 15, 2023 22:31:28 GMT -5
20 TOs mostly due to poor ball handling and lazy play. Seems like we’ve seen this a lot in recent years. Was worried about Cook and Fielder before and now I would say that it is much more than a worry. These guys have no role in the offense. We will live and die with our perimeter shooting.
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calhoya
Diamond Hoya (over 2500 posts)
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Post by calhoya on Nov 15, 2023 22:18:42 GMT -5
Has Fielder taken a shot? How is this kid not involved in the offense? Not certain if the posts are supposed to be in the offense.
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calhoya
Diamond Hoya (over 2500 posts)
Posts: 4,352
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Post by calhoya on Nov 15, 2023 22:00:34 GMT -5
Game has really degenerated into an ugly mess. Hoyas have completely lost their composure. Clearly missing leadership on the floor. Have to say that at this point neither Fielder nor Cook are contributing anything on offense.
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calhoya
Diamond Hoya (over 2500 posts)
Posts: 4,352
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Post by calhoya on Nov 15, 2023 21:51:07 GMT -5
Team is reverting to stagnant offense with one guy dribbling and every one watching. Defense has fallen apart.
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calhoya
Diamond Hoya (over 2500 posts)
Posts: 4,352
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Post by calhoya on Nov 15, 2023 21:32:56 GMT -5
Epps is playing selfishly and killing this team with careless TOs and forced shots. Reminds a little of last year. Hopefully Rowan can stay on the floor in the 2nd half and handle the ball. Though they have had some defensive lapses in the zone it has allowed Ryan to play and provide a little more rebounding. Still waiting for Fielder to show some offense to offset his defensive deficiencies.
Styles playing smart and within himself. Heath looks a little out of shape still. Really like a coach who is coaching in the huddle and making adjustments on the floor. Now he needs to get his star guard under control and the Hoyas can stay in this game.
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