calhoya
Diamond Hoya (over 2500 posts)
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Post by calhoya on Dec 4, 2020 9:06:56 GMT -5
How about rooting for the team when the program is on hard times. Some of my favorite Hoya teams didn't necessarily win big or go to the final four. Last year's team of a 6-man rotation made me proud as a fan. Seeing those guys fight and work as a team. Didn't win too many games, but they showed a lot of heart.If anything, hopefully we can see that same grit and fight this year with this squad. Me too. Loved those kids, their heart and their effort. Made me feel that perhaps Ewing is the right coach, after all. Particularly watching them play team ball, seemingly unconcerned with who was the hero and who took how many shots. The 2nd half collapse in the BE tourney caused some doubt that maybe this hope was not warranted. Then came the recruiting misses, signing a series of unheralded prospects with assurances that they are all vastly underrated, with athleticism that will provide the style of play that the coach wants to implement. COVID hits and all hell breaks loose --limited practice time, 9 new players, no fans (well that is unfortunately something the Hoyas have been getting used to) and a delayed schedule all added to my confusion as to what to expect. Still we had promises of a cohesive team, without massive egos and with a chip on its shoulder to prove to all the doubters that this program is still worth investing the time, money and emotion in supporting. Not a good start at all and for reasons that have little to do with practice time. Effort, intensity, team ball--all lacking after two games. Team and coaches seem overmatched against the quality of opposition they will face. Some here have written them off already and I certainly understand why. I can't and still hope, perhaps irrationally, that the posts will suddenly evolve into much more complete players, the ball movement from last season can return, the intensity will return and while defeats are almost guaranteed, it will not be because the team played without heart or effort. I want this coach to justify the accolades given him when he was recruited for the job by the Administration and seize the opportunity he still has to restore some pride to a program that has become irrelevant to all but a handful of us. I want that, but my doubts are growing and it seems unfair to take shots at any fans here who look at the situation and see no hope without yet another change in leadership.
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calhoya
Diamond Hoya (over 2500 posts)
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Post by calhoya on Dec 3, 2020 8:31:37 GMT -5
Where’s that article that listed GU as the most (or 2nd) coveted head coaching job in the Big East? I would like to see Pat succeed at GU all the way to fulfilling his NBA head coaching dream, but the evidence points in another direction. Don’t be afraid. Yeah, I'd like to see that article because I don't think it's really all that coveted a position for most coaching candidates. Like I can't see a Hurley or Miller or Will Wade want to come here before they got the jobs they did. I think it might be different now. Easy to understand why someone outside the Thompson circle would be reluctant to take on this job with Big John sitting in the gym during practices and fans constantly drawing comparisons. All that has changed now. The dwindling fanbase just wants to see the program restored to relevancy. The Thompson influence will always remain (hopefully) but almost certainly be nowhere near as strong. It is still one of the highest paid coaching positions in the nation, located in a basketball hotbed and frankly expectations are so low that I can see any number of quality coaches willing to take the chance. Let's hope that a new coach is not needed, but the fact that the topic is even raised tells you a lot about the current state of the program.
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calhoya
Diamond Hoya (over 2500 posts)
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Post by calhoya on Dec 2, 2020 10:40:09 GMT -5
I know that I did not dream the style of play that briefly appeared for the last half of last season with a very limited team and no bench. That gave me hope that Ewing was the right guy after all. But nothing I have seen two games resembles the improvement I believed had occurred in year 3. He assembled these players--was it just to fill out a roster when he missed on preferred options or did he believe that these are hidden gems? Start of the Game. The team was flat from the start. Yet despite being outhustled to every loose ball or rebound there was no substitution to bring in someone who might generate the energy needed until well after the first timeout. Do we not have that player on this team? The team's strategy was apparently to force the ball in to a center who was double and triple teamed, and yet not willing or able to make the kick out pass to an open shooter. As a sophomore who has now played for several years that should just be automatic. Coach complained about after the game, but that should have been addressed immediately and if the player cannot do it, then find someone who can or change the strategy. Defense. This is a recurring problem for the past 3+ years. Lot's of different players, lot's of athletic players. Same inability to stop the opponent's 3 point shooting. Post Play. Neither of the two posts who play has shown any improvement on offense from last year so far in terms of developing a shot more than 3 feet from the basket. Wahab ends up with nice stat line against a short team, but this strategy makes it easier for a shorter team to defend and yet at no point did the Hoyas try going small against Navy and come up with a quicker, more versatile lineup. Is it a matter of not having the players who can do that? Where's the discipline? The team reverted to playing undisciplined, out-of-control ball on offense, reminiscent of watching the start of last year and the year before when guards would selfishly just chuck up shot after shot without running an offense and looking for the open man. It's still early, but newcomers, like Bile, should have been coached to play within a system instead of going into isolation mode on offense. Same for Carey trying to force a drive into the lane and charging. Does this team have more than 1-2 players who can drive and dish? Ball movement. There are three kids on this team--Pickett, Blair and Carey (as well as the mysterious Berger, who may or may not ever play this year)--who can hit the outside shot and yet on offense the ball movement to get to the open man that we saw when the Hoyas had only 5-6 players last year has still not reappeared in the first two games this year. Small sample size but have to assume that this is something the coach wants to do. Are the players just going mind numb out there? What the hell happened at the end of the game? Down in the last minute of the game but still within 5, why did so much time run off before stopping the clock? Even announcers wondered if they conceded. Did the players give up? Did their coach? It's not a young team and these kids should know how to lengthen the game by now. Why would you not fight until the end particularly with a new team that is trying to develop an identity. No offense have you been under a rock all of 2020 or did you really buy into AIs practice tirade? What do you expect 2 games in with 9 new players with virtually 1/4 of a regular offseason. Things take time to gel....yes you did see correctly. Ewing coaches them up. It takes time....for example Bile looked very shaky last night but you can tell he was rusty and moving too fast and too excited. The potential is there for some players, it’s time to dig in. I’d be willing to bet Blair and Pickett don’t go out without a fight... Believe me I want to share your optimism. Not at all interested in starting over yet again with a new staff and another change in direction. But from under the rock in which I live I believe that there is a difference between execution and effort. Execution improves with practice as you correctly point out. I hope that after 10 games we see that improve. But effort should not require practice. Coming out flat and being outhustled is not something that is explained away by lack of practice. Tactics that involve forcing a ball inside and never kicking the ball out is not a practice issue, that is a coaching strategy and should have been addressed when it was clear it was not working. Players abandoning ball movement and going iso is not a practice issue but a composure issue. Knowing how to extend the game is not something that these kids needed to practice. It may be a new team but the starting lineup consisted of 2 seniors, two senior transfers and a sophomore. As for Pickett and Blair, you cannot find someone who appreciates and roots for these kids harder than me. I think both deserve tremendous credit, even while acknowledging their flaws. Using timeouts to stop another team's momentum is a coaches decision, not dependent upon practice. You are clearly a passionate supporter of the team and someone whose defense of the current regime often counters the negativism that many of us feel when watching the product on the floor. We both want this team and this coach to succeed. He is an all-time great Hoya and you can tell he wants to win. But the problems after two games are not new for the most part. The faces are new, the lack of defense is not. Let's both hope for the evolution you expect to occur. Let's hope for Ewing to have a long career as the coach. But that does not change the fact that he needs to earn the job and we need to see the style of play we saw last year when he was up against incredible odds.
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calhoya
Diamond Hoya (over 2500 posts)
Posts: 4,362
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Post by calhoya on Dec 2, 2020 8:27:21 GMT -5
I know that I did not dream the style of play that briefly appeared for the last half of last season with a very limited team and no bench. That gave me hope that Ewing was the right guy after all. But nothing I have seen two games resembles the improvement I believed had occurred in year 3. He assembled these players--was it just to fill out a roster when he missed on preferred options or did he believe that these are hidden gems?
Start of the Game. The team was flat from the start. Yet despite being outhustled to every loose ball or rebound there was no substitution to bring in someone who might generate the energy needed until well after the first timeout. Do we not have that player on this team? The team's strategy was apparently to force the ball in to a center who was double and triple teamed, and yet not willing or able to make the kick out pass to an open shooter. As a sophomore who has now played for several years that should just be automatic. Coach complained about after the game, but that should have been addressed immediately and if the player cannot do it, then find someone who can or change the strategy.
Defense. This is a recurring problem for the past 3+ years. Lot's of different players, lot's of athletic players. Same inability to stop the opponent's 3 point shooting.
Post Play. Neither of the two posts who play has shown any improvement on offense from last year so far in terms of developing a shot more than 3 feet from the basket. Wahab ends up with nice stat line against a short team, but this strategy makes it easier for a shorter team to defend and yet at no point did the Hoyas try going small against Navy and come up with a quicker, more versatile lineup. Is it a matter of not having the players who can do that?
Where's the discipline? The team reverted to playing undisciplined, out-of-control ball on offense, reminiscent of watching the start of last year and the year before when guards would selfishly just chuck up shot after shot without running an offense and looking for the open man. It's still early, but newcomers, like Bile, should have been coached to play within a system instead of going into isolation mode on offense. Same for Carey trying to force a drive into the lane and charging. Does this team have more than 1-2 players who can drive and dish?
Ball movement. There are three kids on this team--Pickett, Blair and Carey (as well as the mysterious Berger, who may or may not ever play this year)--who can hit the outside shot and yet on offense the ball movement to get to the open man that we saw when the Hoyas had only 5-6 players last year has still not reappeared in the first two games this year. Small sample size but have to assume that this is something the coach wants to do. Are the players just going mind numb out there?
What the hell happened at the end of the game? Down in the last minute of the game but still within 5, why did so much time run off before stopping the clock? Even announcers wondered if they conceded. Did the players give up? Did their coach? It's not a young team and these kids should know how to lengthen the game by now. Why would you not fight until the end particularly with a new team that is trying to develop an identity.
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calhoya
Diamond Hoya (over 2500 posts)
Posts: 4,362
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Post by calhoya on Dec 1, 2020 21:22:58 GMT -5
Slow down folks. As someone who hated the “process” by which Ewing was hired and openly questioned whether loyalty to a former great alum should be rewarded notwithstanding a compete lack of head coaching or college coaching experience, it is still too early to nail the coffin shut. I want Ewing to have this year to prove that the flashes from last season were real and reflect his future as a coach. I do not want him to be given more time than this season, but i think that as pathetic as this game was, lets see what changes are made and whether the coach can elevate the play of some of the transfers and figure out a substitution pattern that won’t kill momentum. Hustle, rebounding and intelligent team play would be a minimum expectation for the next few games. If these first two games become a trend, i will be a loud but sad voice calling for change. After the chaos of last year, which is admittedly partly Ewings fault, he deserves the chance to show he can bring the program back. There is nothing magical about the BE this year.
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calhoya
Diamond Hoya (over 2500 posts)
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Post by calhoya on Dec 1, 2020 19:58:06 GMT -5
When a team is this bad coaches bear responsibility. It’s a failure in preparation, recruiting, tactics, game substitutions or all of the above. No excuses. This must be a prove it year for Ewing. He did not inherit this team, he put it together. Transfers are part of basketball. Still hoping that he turns it around this year but this a horrible start. No defense. No hustle. No rebounding. No chance.
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calhoya
Diamond Hoya (over 2500 posts)
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Post by calhoya on Dec 1, 2020 19:45:19 GMT -5
The sad fact is that this team is undisciplined and I have seen nothing from the three transfers to justify any hype. Not impressed with any player tonight and the two bigs are nowhere near as advanced as I had hoped.
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calhoya
Diamond Hoya (over 2500 posts)
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Post by calhoya on Dec 1, 2020 19:37:43 GMT -5
Still turning opponents into 3 point superstars.
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calhoya
Diamond Hoya (over 2500 posts)
Posts: 4,362
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Post by calhoya on Dec 1, 2020 19:01:30 GMT -5
I realize that expectations are low but this is simply bad basketball. Really hard to enjoy watching this on any level. No one is guarding the shooter on Navy. Some of the mistakes are just not understandable. Carey takes himself out of the game with two charges. Inability to pass the ball into the bigs, neither of whom has any range on their shot. I can accept players missing their shot—it happens. But to be outhustled by a smaller team to rebounds. There is no one on this team that is not Ewings player and watching the lack of intensity has to be killing him. Have to believe he saw something in each of these recruits but right now its hard for me to see how this gets better any time soon.
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calhoya
Diamond Hoya (over 2500 posts)
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Post by calhoya on Dec 1, 2020 18:34:13 GMT -5
I know its early but how far behind could Sibley be if he cannot play with this group?
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calhoya
Diamond Hoya (over 2500 posts)
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Post by calhoya on Dec 1, 2020 9:48:33 GMT -5
I don’t care what the wins don’t matter this year crowd says, this is one of the few games this year we can’t afford to lose. We have a decent recruiting class coming in and more importantly the big prize is still out there and deciding soon. One of our biggest competitors in that race steamrolled another BE team yesterday. It becomes very easy to recruit against us if we lose this one. We should be able to beat them like we beat all the scrubs we play, pound the ball inside and take advantage of our massive size advantage. I’m also expecting Jamorko to bounce back and Jalen Harris to actually make a shot. Agree, with the addition that some of us are very much in the wins do matter this year camp. Players do not come to losing programs. Georgetown needs to show definite signs of improvement under this coaching staff and winning games, particularly those you should win, is an important step.
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calhoya
Diamond Hoya (over 2500 posts)
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Post by calhoya on Nov 30, 2020 14:49:45 GMT -5
Was LeBlanc able to get a waiver? You know I don't even know. I was wondering what was going on with LeBlanc. I haven't seen anything on the kid. LeBlanc is on the LSU roster but has not played in either of their first two games. May not have eligibility yet until second semester.
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calhoya
Diamond Hoya (over 2500 posts)
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Post by calhoya on Nov 30, 2020 13:30:54 GMT -5
I think that the problem with that entire class is that Ewing recruited talent, not chemistry and assumed he'd be able to make it fit together. Yet both guards wanted/needed the ball and there is only one ball. The result was a competition between them that ended up hurting the team. Players like Pickett, Govan and Yurtseven were sitting there watching and the offense never flowed but devolved into an isolation game for the two guards. Who really knows how much chemistry was an issue for these two, but you could immediately see the difference when Akinjo left and Blair, Allen and Mosley ran the offense. I am sorry they are gone but not certain Ewing could ever have made it work. Hopefully this year's team has chemistry and talent.
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calhoya
Diamond Hoya (over 2500 posts)
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Post by calhoya on Nov 30, 2020 8:21:35 GMT -5
Bringing it back to Georgetown....during the telecast on ESPN2...McClung is quoted saying that he wanted to play for a coach that would be tough on him and hold him to the highest standards. The inference being that Ewing was not holding him to high standards and coaching him up. That was tough to here. Hard to root for him after hearing that. Interesting, because Mac went out of his way to praise Ewing when asked immediately after announcing he was transferring. I did not see any evidence Ewing wasn't being tough on Mac (or any of his other players) or not holding them to the highest standards. In fact, there were rumbles here that maybe he was being TOO tough and that was the wrong approach for today's kids. I am one who thought that Ewing's leash on McClung was not short enough at times as he allowed him to shoot freely when better options existed. Also worried that Ewing is too rigid and tough with some players while not being hard enough on others. I heard the same comment as blueandgray and assuming that the broadcaster was accurately relaying McClung's statement, it is an unfortunate slap in the face to a coach and program that cooperated so he could play immediately at Tech. Still I support the right of any kid to transfer for whatever reason. While McClung may be an ungrateful prima donna, all the transfers, the off-court issues and the very mediocre record have rightfully raised questions about whether Ewing is the right coach for this job. Now he has a new team, hopefully with the right chemistry and no more distractions, virtually no expectations from most college fans and an opportunity to justify his hire. After what has been an unimaginable year with COVID, the first game showed just how much work there is to be done with this team. The bar could not be set much lower and if Ewing can move this team up the BE rankings into the mid-range comments from transfers will no longer be newsworthy.
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calhoya
Diamond Hoya (over 2500 posts)
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Post by calhoya on Nov 28, 2020 10:46:10 GMT -5
Jamorko is going to have games where he scores 15-18 with 50+ shooting. He is also going to have games where he scores 6-8 and shoots 30% with 2-3 turnovers. If he can maintain his confidence we will see more of the former than the latter. I just want him to get 7-8 boards a game, a couple of blocks, and keep playing improved defense. Agree. Everyone here has a favorite whipping boy-usually someone who has disappointed them. Mine was Josh Smith. Pickett needs to tune it all out when he has a missed shot or TO, and fans need to remember that he is here (not Lubbock, Baton Rouge or Tucson), playing for the Hoyas, and not hopefully giving up on himself when shots don't fall.
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calhoya
Diamond Hoya (over 2500 posts)
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Post by calhoya on Nov 26, 2020 15:39:43 GMT -5
Tim looks like an athletic beast, but someone who is very much still learning the game. Would like to see him develop his offensive game much more and think that is got be a season-long challenge. Still optimistic about his future potential but his minutes this years may ultimately be diminished if the Hoyas go small with Bile in the post.
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calhoya
Diamond Hoya (over 2500 posts)
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Post by calhoya on Nov 26, 2020 8:31:37 GMT -5
I thought McNutt did a pretty good job as a color commentator. Hoya Saxa! I don't really understand the OP... is the claim being made here that Steve Buckhantz is not a "professional play by play announcer???" Because... that's obviously not true, he was the Wizards play-by-play guy for over two decades. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_BuckhantzI respect your opinion and am happy you were not as put off as I was by the announcing team. Don't really care about their credentials (which may be outstanding), but I, along with the 3 others watching with me (including my legally blind uncle) found it virtually impossible to know who was coming in the game, who was making the play and any sense of description of what was going on. For those of you who already know the players it was probably fine. For those of us who don't it was if we were watching a blowout from the start or a preseason scrimmage with a little bit of play by play surrounded by long stretches of stories and anecdotes about the DMV, past Hoya experiences, Big John etc. Just my perspective.
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calhoya
Diamond Hoya (over 2500 posts)
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Post by calhoya on Nov 25, 2020 18:14:58 GMT -5
Not worried about Pickett. His shot will come and his rebounding and defense were decent. Much more concerned about J. Harris, Tim I and Wahab, none of whom impressed me today notwithstanding Wahab’s final numbers. Like Carey, Blair (still streaky) and Clarke. Where is Sibley? Why not more Wilson? Please practice FT shooting. Finally, worst announcing job in some time. How about using a professional play by play announcer next time so we know who is in the game and who is making the play?
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calhoya
Diamond Hoya (over 2500 posts)
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Post by calhoya on Nov 25, 2020 16:36:44 GMT -5
THIS IS NOT A SCRIMMAGE!! Please get announcers who will call the game and stop with stories.
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calhoya
Diamond Hoya (over 2500 posts)
Posts: 4,362
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Post by calhoya on Nov 25, 2020 7:51:03 GMT -5
Hoping that this year's team can make the perimeter shot and defend it. Both would be significant steps forward.
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