Curious why BJ got 0 minutes tonight...

[donniesyracuse]

Joseph was already good four games into his sophomore year.

 

[HoustonCuse]

So completely benching him after a bad game is going to build up his confidence? I don't know about that. He had a bad game. If you think about it that was his first experience in a "big game". It just seems like certain people are given slack, while others are not.

I dunno, it was one thought. BJ was so bad the first night, it had to impact the kid. I don't think coach was feeling like letting him play his way back to happy tonight. One reason BJ didn't get slack is because it's not just that he wasn't hitting last night, his decision making was terrible and he also missed his defensive assignment several times. That's too much of a liability in a one possession game (which this predictably turned into).

 

[Trueblue25]

Joseph was already good four games into his sophomore year.

Again, BJ is one of, if notthe youngest player of his class nationally.

 

[donniesyracuse]

Again, BJ is one of, if notthe youngest player of his class nationally.

I think Joseph averaged 11 points in his sophomore year and 13 or 14 in his final two seasons. I don't think Johnson ever gets there. Care to make a wager? I would love to be wrong.

 

[PoppyHart]

Again, BJ is one of, if notthe youngest player of his class nationally.

All the more reason why he should be a red-shirt frosh. Now he's basically gonna ride the pine for 2 years and may be supplanted next year by the incoming guys.

I just have a crazy theory that JB politely suggested he redshirt, BJ said no, and now JB is less likely to "invest" in the guy b/c he knows reinforcements are coming. He's got no choice with Joseph, and McCullough is too good to sit. But most frosh sit. I think in JB's mind, BJ is a frosh. A pretty stroke doesn't separate you much at the high-major level. Strength, conditioning, mental fortitude, awareness, are all crucial.

 

[SoBeCuse]

All the more reason why he should be a red-shirt frosh. Now he's basically gonna ride the pine for 2 years and may be supplanted next year by the incoming guys.

I just have a crazy theory that JB politely suggested he redshirt, BJ said no, and now JB is less likely to "invest" in the guy b/c he knows reinforcements are coming. He's got no choice with Joseph, and McCullough is too good to sit. But most frosh sit. I think in JB's mind, BJ is a frosh. A pretty stroke doesn't separate you much at the high-major level. Strength, conditioning, mental fortitude, awareness, are all crucial.

Not a bad theory at all.

 

[jekelish]

He's absolutely lost defensively. I'm guessing that's about 80% of the reason why he didn't get any PT. If you can't defend in JB's zone, JB isn't going to trust you to play much.

 

[tipphill]

BJ needs PT to build confidence. JB apparently may not be willing to offer, with a quick hook looming. It's a shame because with BJ's stroke, I feel he could eventually be the 3 who gives us a lot of consistent 3s which we desperately need. We'll see how things so this year and beyond (more likely beyond).

jb has never been a confidence builder. once in the dog house its like you have been sent to siberia to languish never to be seen again. that my biggest gripe with jb and the fact that he does not play enough guys and subsequently they do not develop---we have seen that repeatedly---which in the past always manifests at the end of the year when we need them most.

 

[memcorsu]

Ron, BJ, and Chino will get more run here in the next month. I would put money on it that, on JB's "Things that I hate and really TEE (no offense Tee) me off list, losing in MSG is one of the top bullet points. This team is a rookie mess right now. Once the young guy's start to get minutes, things will start to gel. JB has always done what he needs to do to win and yesterday there was no way in Hades he was going to loose 2 in a row to bigger named teams at MSG so he used the guys he knew are closest to to being ready or ready so that he could win.

BJ is 1, young (was 17 when he started at SU) and 2, nervous. As things start to settle down, he will get more time in the rotation. Joseph has been seeing more time on the bench then past starting point guards because he too has to grow. Its gonna be a young team and much like the teams of old where we are going to take some lumps but things will start to gel later in the season, and have a competitive team in the Tourney.

 

[jordoo]

Defense, defense, defense. Quick turn around no time to have a real film session to show him his mistakes. That is why he didn't play in a must win game. They will go over the defense with him and quick shots. He'll play in the next game.

His rebounding has been surprisingly good. Almost like Moten antisipating where the ball will be but he's quicker and more athletic. The number of rebounds he gets when it seems no one else has reacted yet is astounding and an unteachable natural talent.

 

[wallacecuse]

All the more reason why he should be a red-shirt frosh. Now he's basically gonna ride the pine for 2 years and may be supplanted next year by the incoming guys.

I just have a crazy theory that JB politely suggested he redshirt, BJ said no, and now JB is less likely to "invest" in the guy b/c he knows reinforcements are coming. He's got no choice with Joseph, and McCullough is too good to sit. But most frosh sit. I think in JB's mind, BJ is a frosh. A pretty stroke doesn't separate you much at the high-major level. Strength, conditioning, mental fortitude, awareness, are all crucial.

Ughhh, did you have to say, "reinforcements"?

 

[SoBeCuse]

If we had a another wave of studs to send in and if Boeheim or the media coined them "reinforcements"; we would be ALL about it and yelling at the TV, "Bring them in" or "Send them in!" I like it personally. Sort of clever yet confident.

 

[VaBeachOrFan]

I thought I heard JB say BJ played because Cal played zone -- I'll go with that.-VBOF

 

[jordoo]

I thought I heard JB say BJ played because Cal played zone -- I'll go with that.-VBOF

Iowa also zoned us for parts of the game.

 

[OGBJ20]

:noidea:

BJ will be fine.

 

[jordoo]

BJ will be fine.

We live, we learn, we get better!

BTW BJ has an awesome instinctive knack for rebounding which I touched on earlier in the thread.

 

[orangedave]

So completely benching him after a bad game is going to build up his confidence? I don't know about that. He had a bad game. If you think about it that was his first experience in a "big game". It just seems like certain people are given slack, while others are not.

Keep in mind that the game after his stinker was the very next night. The coaches had little or no opportunity to work with him, show him film and explain what he needs to change - especially when he did so many things wrong. Give them a chance to work with him back at Melo Center and some games against weaker opponents to show what he can do. That plus the fact that Iowa was a must win may have dictated what transpired.

 

[Ghost]

Yeah, for me it's still too early to tell. At times he has looked pretty good, and at times he has looked pretty awful. I would imagine he's going to fall somewhere in the middle. The next month will be huge for him though - hopefully he can improve the shot selection a bit, and get comfortable out there in game situations. Can't fault the kid too much for having an off night in his first game getting minutes at MSG. At least he rebounded a bit.

I don't know. I still think he'll have a few big games for us this year, but probably won't ever get consistent minutes. I just hate when you see the bench players come in and just start shooting at will - whenever a player is pressing like that it rarely works out well. The leash is too short.