Realistic expectations for Hop's nine games

[PoppyHart]

My $.02

(as of 12/11/15)
9-0 Forget coaching, let's get this man to the Vatican asap. He is clearly capable of the impossible and on this Earth for a greater purpose.
8-1 Let's fast track the JB retirement. The apprentice is already a master.
7-2 Likely held serve and certainly turned some heads along the way. SU nation is in good hands.
6-3 Likely showing signs of being wet behind the ears, and probably needs to cut his teeth more to win the road battles. 1 ACC win at least is a start.
5-4 Bare minimum. Likely lost all games of importance and really dug us into a precarious spot at 0-3 in conference with UNC en route. Tough to be excited.
4-5 Thank god that the future doesn't start for 2+ years. Perhaps time will absolve all memories. Somewhere Pete Gaudet aches.
3-6 Unless half the team contracts a Chipotle-born illness which lasts a fortnight, may want to seek out HCSS's real estate agent.
2-7 Even if half the team contracts a Chipotle-born illness which lasts a fortnight, should certainly seek our HCSS's real estate agent.
1-8 Let's get JB to the Vatican instead. We clearly under-estimated the greatness
0-9 One month in and the NCAA is already vacating wins against Colgate? We can't go there.

 

[orangefan13]

I watched Pitt against purdue and their offense looked real rough. 35% and 21% behind the arc.
They also have hit 90 plus points four times and 80 another 2-3 against cupcakes though.
only one loss, could make us the we underdog.

 

[20Plus]

I think we can take Clemson at home. The Pitt and Miami games - man, that seems out of reach to me, even if JB was at the helm.

If you really think that winning at Pittsburgh is out of reach????

You're not paying any attention and you shouldn't even watch!

 

[bballbeadle]

If you really think that winning at Pittsburgh is out of reach????

You're not paying any attention and you shouldn't even watch!

I will watch and you can't stop me!!

 

[UnderHisOwnPower]

1-1 with seven more to go. Even if the team doesn't play well we should win the next four games (@St Johns, Cornell, Montana State and Texas Southern. That would give Hop a record of 5-1. That would leave @Pitt, @Miami and home vs Clemson. Can the team steal one of the road games and go 2-1 and give Hop a 7-2 record. Is that realistic?

Bumping this thread with 1 game to go for Hop in the interim crucible. I used 6-3 as the O/U at the time, and I for one will breathe a huge sigh of relief if they are able to beat Clemson. At 5-4 then we can remain focused on the SJU debacle as the one really bad loss so far, which they can overcome with some good wins in the ACC. Lose to the Tigers and I think they stay on the wrong side of the bubble all season, and would then need a couple of top 50 wins to even play themselves back onto the bubble.

It has been very revealing to see Hop on the sidelines in these games so far. He seems to be coaching them as if they are pre-season equivalent games, as both he and JB keep up with the mantra that he is coaching someone else's team during the suspension, so everyone understands it as a difficult situation. But I have been surprised with the lack of fire from Hop at key moments, and the hesitation to put his stamp on crunch time decisions. I am a proponent of the extended bench time helping with individual development longer term, but for optimism this year I wanted to see Hop zone in on his key finishers and create ways to win, or at least take down to the wire the few competitive games they've had in those losses. I think everyone expected some challenges and second guessing with Hop, but I for one did not expect to see this prolonged exhibition mode of play that we have seen in stretches over his first 8 games.

So beat the Tiggers and that should give JB something to salvage from his absence. Lose and it is uphill the rest of the way, with less chance JB can work a signature turn around to squeak into the tourney.

LGO !!!

 

[br801]

Bumping this thread with 1 game to go for Hop in the interim crucible. I used 6-3 as the O/U at the time, and I for one will breathe a huge sigh of relief if they are able to beat Clemson. At 5-4 then we can remain focused on the SJU debacle as the one really bad loss so far, which they can overcome with some good wins in the ACC. Lose to the Tigers and I think they stay on the wrong side of the bubble all season, and would then need a couple of top 50 wins to even play themselves back onto the bubble.

It has been very revealing to see Hop on the sidelines in these games so far. He seems to be coaching them as if they are pre-season equivalent games, as both he and JB keep up with the mantra that he is coaching someone else's team during the suspension, so everyone understands it as a difficult situation. But I have been surprised with the lack of fire from Hop at key moments, and the hesitation to put his stamp on crunch time decisions. I am a proponent of the extended bench time helping with individual development longer term, but for optimism this year I wanted to see Hop zone in on his key finishers and create ways to win, or at least take down to the wire the few competitive games they've had in those losses. I think everyone expected some challenges and second guessing with Hop, but I for one did not expect to see this prolonged exhibition mode of play that we have seen in stretches over his first 8 games.

So beat the Tiggers and that should give JB something to salvage from his absence. Lose and it is uphill the rest of the way, with less chance JB can work a signature turn around to squeak into the tourney.

LGO !!!

I don't know what you mean by coaching "in exhibition mode." Hop is coaching to win these games with the short bench and limited options he has available, the same as JB would have done. I'm not sure what you were expecting to see, nor do I think you (or any of us) are in a position to judge something as subjective as the "fire" with which Hop is coaching. Just a strange post, IMO.

 

[TexanMark]

10-0

Actually 7-2 sounds about right...but 6-3 (worst case scenario) is possible too.

I was off just a tad...:bat:

 

[OrangeAl]

Hop has such a positive motivation approach. JB will come back and motivate by ripping some new ones for those who can't follow his instructions. Totally different guys.

 

[UnderHisOwnPower]

I don't know what you mean by coaching "in exhibition mode." Hop is coaching to win these games with the short bench and limited options he has available, the same as JB would have done. I'm not sure what you were expecting to see, nor do I think you (or any of us) are in a position to judge something as subjective as the "fire" with which Hop is coaching. Just a strange post, IMO.

Of course he is coaching to win, but he is also still learning how to do so. I have seen a deer in the headlights response from Hop at times, a Shaferesque judgement late in close games when it matters most. I get that there would be some on the job training for any assistant in this situation, I just didn't expect to see the drop off to be so extreme, and such a reluctance to make the necessary adjustments when it was clear what is and is not working. And I don't want to hear he is following some script, because no game is scripted or goes exactly as expected. The head coach puts his stamp with timely decisions on every contest.

I am not questioning Hop as the coach in waiting either, he has earned the job. But for this 9 game experiment, I think they need to win Tuesday to salvage something from Hop's time as lame duck head man, but if they lose then I think the hole has been dug too deep to have a successful season by SU standards.

 

[Newhouser]

with 20-20 hindsight the only real blot on Hop thus far is losing to St Johns. IF we beat Clemson I don't think anyone can say it was a disaster as winning at Miami and Pitt were going to be tough, and the G-town game came at a rough point of our schedule. (the fact that we had a chance makes it sting more). Get Clemson and play well against Carolina and get JB back and see where it goes.

missing FT's against Wiscy in regulation is the 3 minutes I want back thus far.

 

[MSOrange]

with 20-20 hindsight the only real blot on Hop thus far is losing to St Johns. IF we beat Clemson I don't think anyone can say it was a disaster as winning at Miami and Pitt were going to be tough, and the G-town game came at a rough point of our schedule. (the fact that we had a chance makes it sting more). Get Clemson and play well against Carolina and get JB back and see where it goes.

missing FT's against Wiscy in regulation is the 3 minutes I want back thus far.

Agree. As far as Hop's tenure, the only one I really really want back is the St John's game. I can live with the rest because I think Georgetown will end up having a good year even though their record isn't that great right now

 

[FrancoPizza]

Did Hop ever call a TO during his 8 game stretch so far? That's the one thing that I find a bit odd with his game management so far.

On a different note why do we keep saying we want the St Johns game back - as if we were a missed layup or turnover from winning the game? We were playing catchup the entire 2nd half. I don't want that game back - I flushed it into the sewers and I hope it gets smothered by the Honeywell condom that they are casting at the bottom of Onondaga Lake.