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Message: [QUOTE="Flacusian, post: 1209761, member: 264"] For myself this seasons start has been surprising in many ways. I went back and looked at some of the Iggy predictions that everyone made and it would seem to indicate that it's surprising for quite a few fans here. Although we've won every game but one people have expressed a lot of concern and doubt as to how far this team will go. Certainly... there are problems. But at the same time there is much to be optimistic about. Here's what gives me some solace with respect to the problems, and what I see as being things to look forward to. 1. Shooting The shooting, specifically from 3 has been horrific. I don't think anyone saw the 3 pt. shooting rising to this level of inefficiency. Some point to the fact that if we can't hit the 3 against the likes of the teams we've played so far, what will happen when we play against bigger, better athletes? When you go 0 for whatever, it simply can't get any worse. I believe that the 3 point shooting will come around and improve and in the meantime if we emphasize scoring down low and getting inside, that is where the teams real strength lies anyway. But when you aren't hitting ANY,things can only improve. Cooney will not miss every shot for the rest of the year. 2. KJ It's apparent that he is not as ready for prime time as Ennis was but he brings other things to the table that Tyler did not. By all accounts he is a hard worker and is very coachable and he will improve steadilly. The ability to do the things we need him to do and to take care of the ball will get better as the game slows down for him and he becomes more comfortable. 3. Rak Anyone who has watched the games to this point will have noticed that we are seeing the blossoming of Christmas as an offensive force. His game has improved dramatically from last year and he provides an answer for a team who's outside shots aren't falling. Rakeem, as the season progresses should be able to find a way to eliminate some of the calls. His ability to score is a huge improvement from him. 4. Chris McCullough While he is wearing Orange he is one of the best talents in all of college basketball and so far he has shown us that he could be the type of player to carry the team. He plays with such ease that it often surprises me when I hear how many points he has during the game. Defensively he has shown that he tends to lapse from time to time but I believe that will change as we move forward. 5. Defense While much has been made about the shooting woes of the team not enough has been said of the progress and potential that the defense has shown. It takes time for players to learn the subtle nuances JB's 2-3 one and all things considered they are making significant progress. While JB has experimented with different players in and out of the games there have been periods where the other teams have gone long stretches without being able to score. Some of that is due to inferior competition and some is due to the zone being effective. Last year we had a team which was scoring challenged and defense won many games for us. This year will be no different in that regard. 6. Youth With so many new and young guys on the team is should be expected that we are going to have some bumps along the road this season. The upside of this is that we have some players who have the ability to show some dramatic progress both individually and as a team as we move forward. I've found that it's easier to enjoy the games when I don't bring the expectations I've had the past few seasons and instead focus on the prospect of this being a team that will be playing it's best basketball at the end of the season when it counts the most rather than early on with the attendant high ranking nationally. LGO!! [/QUOTE]

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