Daemen Postgame Thoughts.

[23Zone]

I am not so much worried about bells shooting. That can happen. My main concern is that his defense is absolutely atrocious. Easily one of the worst defensive players I have ever seen in a Syracuse uniform from the forward position. I forsee a lot of three or even four guard offense and a big

 

[Newhouser]

Back when Harrison Barnes was touted as like an all world future superstar, my friend used to downplay him and call him “stiff hips”.

Which I thought was a hilarious knock at first but once you watched him, low and behold - he’s got those stiff hips.

Benny might have the stiff hips? He gets roasted off the dribble.

Benny looks the same to me. He's a spot up jump shooter. He still looks like a guy with no instincts on how to play.

 

[NKR1978]

Cuffe and Copeland impressive

Cuffe is going to be a star. He seems to have all the tools.

 

[Orangezoo]

Cuffe is going to be a star. He seems to have all the tools.

It's been said before but there is so much Kyle Lowry in his game all the way to being a stronger kid.

 

[Orangezoo]

One other thing. 6 guys in double figures last night and McLeod as a bucket short of making it 7. 17 assists on 34 made shots.

 

[RyanCuse44]

It's been said before but there is so much Lyle Lowry in his game all the way to being a stronger kid.

Good comparison.

 

[Sherman20]

Exhibition games don’t always show a lot. We’re definitely playing faster. Three point defense was not good. Individual defense needs to get better so guys don’t have to help so much. That’s why they got so many open threes Benny did some good things on offense, but he’s a turn style on defense. Really, really bad. Cuffe is a solid player. You can tell he learned defense by playing under Self at Kansas. He has very little wasted energy or movement. Excellent at getting in the passing lanes. Defensive rebounding was pretty good, but very few second chance points. Second half was not good. Not having Brown was a factor in the second half. Red needs to be careful with rotations and combinations on the floor. Playing a deep bench is good, but you have to have a purpose with your rotations and not just getting players time. Carey is a walking foul. McCloud can be a force. Only he or Brown should play center. Taylor plays solid defense and has a strong body. His defense is night and day better than Bell. Bell had a hard time guarding anyone without fouling. I’m not sure how Red is going to find time for Cuffe, Copeland, Westry, Taylor and Bell when Judah and JJ will get major minutes. Focus and intensity have to be maintained for longer stretches. Not good in second half. Red has quite a few answers, but they have a long ways to go. Big, strong power players are going to be a problem.

I’m curious what kind of man defensive scheme we’re running, what the core principles are going to be. I like Mick Cronin’s approach where they work to keep guys out of the lane by funneling them to the sides. Cronin had great defensive teams at Cincinnati. Allen Griffin coached for 7 years at Dayton under Archie Miller, who ran a version of the pack line defense that his brother Sean runs. Dayton had some stout defenses for a few of those years including when we played them in the tourney and we struggled to score. I’m hoping Griff’s years of experience teaching man to man helps with the adjustment.

 

[FrancoPizza]

17 assists on 34 made shots.

all 17 of those must have been in the 1st half.

 

[Cusefan69]

Cuffe is going to be a star. He seems to have all the tools.

There's a reason why he was at Kansas. I agree he is going to be serious player for us. I am hoping that will be a good part of Reds approach each year, pulling former top 25 NE recruits in who want to get closer to home.

 

[Orangezoo]

all 17 of those must have been in the 1st half.

They weren't. You are making way too much hay out of the second half. It was game one against a well coached D2 team with no Judah, then no Brown in the second half. Red called it out - it wasn't like he was excusing it. Anyone expecting a finished product last night needs to chill.

 

[Dick_in_MI]

They weren't. You are making way too much hay out of the second half. It was game one against a well coached D2 team with no Judah, then no Brown in the second half. Red called it out - it wasn't like he was excusing it. Anyone expecting a finished product last night needs to chill.

The second half was much like a high school allstar game from our end, a bit ragged, but you are right. We aren't anywhere near a finished product. This is a young team, a lot of new faces who haven't played together before, and a new system for everybody. The chemistry will take some time. We will struggle at times but Red has a lot of chess pieces and they will be fun to watch.

Really rooting for the returning sophs. Any one of them could have left but they collectively decided that they wanted to finish what they started. Nice to see the growth last night. A lot of people are ragging on Chris, and he certainly had a bad night...and you could tell that he KNEW he was struggling. And despite that, he was about the only guy on the bench continually cheering for his teammates. Rooting hard for him.

 

[Orangezoo]

The second half was much like a high school allstar game from our end, a bit ragged, but you are right. We aren't anywhere near a finished product. This is a young team, a lot of new faces who haven't played together before, and a new system for everybody. The chemistry will take some time. We will struggle at times but Red has a lot of chess pieces and they will be fun to watch.

Really rooting for the returning sophs. Any one of them could have left but they collectively decided that they wanted to finish what they started. Nice to see the growth last night. A lot of people are ragging on Chris, and he certainly had a bad night...and you could tell that he KNEW he was struggling. And despite that, he was about the only guy on the bench continually cheering for his teammates. Rooting hard for him.

Yep. There were many good things despite much to be done and missing the best player on the team then the most important front court player the second half.

Bell is a great kid. I really do hope he figures it out.

I'm sure like many- I am myself a bit of a basketball purist. Its sad and annoying but even watching the best teams of the past few years- you see stretches of that AAU like chaos and lapses in focus and intensity. It's a big part of how things have changed in the game ( JB has sort of alluded to this more than a few times). It's also why having more options at guard and "dogs" along with as good athletes is so key now. You have to work through and fight through those stretches of play.

 

[OrangeFoo]

Agree but it is an exhibition team and you have used 3 centers, fourth is injured and you are playing PF at center. Why not let the freshman get a bit of floor time?

Patterson is being Boeheimed!

 

[NKR1978]

There's a reason why he was at Kansas. I agree he is going to be serious player for us. I am hoping that will be a good part of Reds approach each year, pulling former top 25 NE recruits in who want to get closer to home.

I really hope that in the not so far off future that people will say “There’s a reason he was at Syracuse.”

 

[OrangeFoo]

My H0T Takes after watching basically only the first half…
- man 2 man is fine, but they seem to be still installing it. Not sure if they have figured out a basic strategy for how they will handle screens and picks. There was one play where Taylor got picked and stuck with his man, but so did the guy defending the screener leaving the screener wide open on the wing.
- sideline out of bounds D might be interesting… they gave up a wide open 3 on one of those
- glad we saw the zone for a bit… don’t want to be a one trick pony
- I thought rebounding was decent which is better than the terrible grade I would have assigned last year or so
- love the offensive movement and ball movement
- I don’t think we have enough shooting… we will be zoned to death and I’m really fascinated to see how we attack it. I sense some rock fights in our future
- Copeland is still too loose with his dribble… his behind the back dribble was pretty funny. Try that against a ACC team and it will get picked
- Benny has talent, but he is still just so robotic. He needs time to set up his every move. But this could make him a really good clear out and iso player when we need a bucket… but can he handle the doubles that will come?

Fun team, fun game. But it’s really hard to make any conclusions w the huge talent mismatch. Last years team also looked like s fun, fast team early on.

 

[STEVEHOLT]

Agreed about Bell. It felt like he had a lot of hot streaks last year. I think he will have plenty of solid shooting nights.

Too one dimensional considering there are others who can shoot it near as well as he can but provide much more in D, boards, handle . He has no business starting

 

[Orangezoo]

My H0T Takes after watching basically only the first half…
- man 2 man is fine, but they seem to be still installing it. Not sure if they have figured out a basic strategy for how they will handle screens and picks. There was one play where Taylor got picked and stuck with his man, but so did the guy defending the screener leaving the screener wide open on the wing.
- sideline out of bounds D might be interesting… they gave up a wide open 3 on one of those
- glad we saw the zone for a bit… don’t want to be a one trick pony
- I thought rebounding was decent which is better than the terrible grade I would have assigned last year or so
- love the offensive movement and ball movement
- I don’t think we have enough shooting… we will be zoned to death and I’m really fascinated to see how we attack it. I sense some rock fights in our future
- Copeland is still too loose with his dribble… his behind the back dribble was pretty funny. Try that against a ACC team and it will get picked
- Benny has talent, but he is still just so robotic. He needs time to set up his every move. But this could make him a really good clear out and iso player when we need a bucket… but can he handle the doubles that will come?

Fun team, fun game. But it’s really hard to make any conclusions w the huge talent mismatch. Last years team also looked like s fun, fast team early on.

Only thing I don't agree on is comment on last year's team. They looked like they were wearing cinderblocks vs how this group played last night.

This was a good test vs a well coached team that should have bested UB in their first game. Great game tape for Red. Obviously we had much more talent but they are a team of guys that all played together one game already and all of last year.

Looking forward to the progress we show game by game.

 

[Cusefan0307]

My H0T Takes after watching basically only the first half…
- man 2 man is fine, but they seem to be still installing it. Not sure if they have figured out a basic strategy for how they will handle screens and picks. There was one play where Taylor got picked and stuck with his man, but so did the guy defending the screener leaving the screener wide open on the wing.
- sideline out of bounds D might be interesting… they gave up a wide open 3 on one of those
- glad we saw the zone for a bit… don’t want to be a one trick pony
- I thought rebounding was decent which is better than the terrible grade I would have assigned last year or so
- love the offensive movement and ball movement
- I don’t think we have enough shooting… we will be zoned to death and I’m really fascinated to see how we attack it. I sense some rock fights in our future
- Copeland is still too loose with his dribble… his behind the back dribble was pretty funny. Try that against a ACC team and it will get picked
- Benny has talent, but he is still just so robotic. He needs time to set up his every move. But this could make him a really good clear out and iso player when we need a bucket… but can he handle the doubles that will come?

Fun team, fun game. But it’s really hard to make any conclusions w the huge talent mismatch. Last years team also looked like s fun, fast team early on.

The wide open 3 given up on the out of bounds play was Bells fault.

I think Red wants to play switching m2m if the matchups are favorable. The communication is a work in progrwas.

I think if Taylor plays with Benny that should be enough shooting. Cuffe can shoot too. Jury is out on JJ.

We are going to have to live with the good and bad from Cope. To me he’s a more talented and athletic Scoop.

 

[cliftonparksufan]

My H0T Takes after watching basically only the first half…
- man 2 man is fine, but they seem to be still installing it. Not sure if they have figured out a basic strategy for how they will handle screens and picks. There was one play where Taylor got picked and stuck with his man, but so did the guy defending the screener leaving the screener wide open on the wing.
- sideline out of bounds D might be interesting… they gave up a wide open 3 on one of those
- glad we saw the zone for a bit… don’t want to be a one trick pony
- I thought rebounding was decent which is better than the terrible grade I would have assigned last year or so
- love the offensive movement and ball movement
- I don’t think we have enough shooting… we will be zoned to death and I’m really fascinated to see how we attack it. I sense some rock fights in our future
- Copeland is still too loose with his dribble… his behind the back dribble was pretty funny. Try that against a ACC team and it will get picked
- Benny has talent, but he is still just so robotic. He needs time to set up his every move. But this could make him a really good clear out and iso player when we need a bucket… but can he handle the doubles that will come?

Fun team, fun game. But it’s really hard to make any conclusions w the huge talent mismatch. Last years team also looked like s fun, fast team early on.

Benny had a couple really nice mid range jumpers where he created space for himself.

 

[Todoubled23]

Cuffe is going to be a star. He seems to have all the tools.

I may be remembering wrong, but did he block that layup attempt with essentially a standing vertical jump?

Then he grabbed a rebound from the clouds over everyone. His athleticism was very apparent.

 

[Orangezoo]

Benny had a couple really nice mid range jumpers where he created space for himself.

Benny giving 11 and 6 most nights would work just fine. Those early shots were in the flow and helped the team get rolling.

Benny also had some good moments defending around the rim too along with getting beat a few times guarding a smaller player.

 

[Orangezoo]

I may be remembering wrong, but did he block that layup attempt with essentially a standing vertical jump?

Then he grabbed a rebound from the clouds over everyone. His athleticism was very apparent.

He plays like a 6-5 guard with that athleticism.

 

[Orangezoo]

The wide open 3 given up on the out of bounds play was Bells fault.

I think Red wants to play switching m2m if the matchups are favorable. The communication is a work in progrwas.

I think if Taylor plays with Benny that should be enough shooting. Cuffe can shoot too. Jury is out on JJ.

We are going to have to live with the good and bad from Cope. To me he’s a more talented and athletic Scoop.

Cuffe looking as good as he has makes me a little less concerned about reliance on JJ's jumpshot. Also JJ's first step on the ball looks faster than last year. That adding strength has helped him a good bit. The stable of guards when Judah is back and eventually Chance will win their share of games this year. Should be a fun ride.

 

[CardiacCuse]

One other thing. 6 guys in double figures last night and McLeod as a bucket short of making it 7. 17 assists on 34 made shots.

i like that, as well...Red wants a whole team, balanced approach...and the players got the message

Looking at the box score (didnt watch the game), Daeman had more offensive rebounds than SU (7-6)

in theory, a benefit of playing man is offensive rebounding...or, a negative of zone is lack of rebounding...

im kinda surprised by that - thought switching to man would instantly help with rebounding...

perhaps a lot of these players have the muscle memory from the zone in a way? or simply havent developed as rebounders, especially offensively...

if youre going to play a lot of dribble drive, passing, share the ball...offensive rebounding seems like it should be a key.

 

[Orangezoo]

i like that, as well...Red wants a whole team, balanced approach...and the players got the message

Looking at the box score (didnt watch the game), Daeman had more offensive rebounds than SU (7-6)

in theory, a benefit of playing man is offensive rebounding...or, a negative of zone is lack of rebounding...

im kinda surprised by that - thought switching to man would instantly help with rebounding...

perhaps a lot of these players have the muscle memory from the zone in a way? or simply havent developed as rebounders, especially offensively...

if youre going to play a lot of dribble drive, passing, share the ball...offensive rebounding seems like it should be a key.

The team did shoot over 50 pct from the floor so not a ton of offensive rebounds to collect. Also that is where Maliq really excels and we had more misses in the second half than first when he was out.

Daemon is a good rebounding team for an undersized D2 team having out rebounded UB actually and they really rally to the ball. Something we have to be better at. Naheem had some tip outs... we need more of that too.