Team is soft

[orangezen]

After seeing SU get pushed around in every game they need to get stronger. Too many skinny guys…get them in a weight program and also make them tougher also in attitude.. have Fran talk to them distill some DART in them . Way too soft.

 

[cuseincincy]

I prefer the term finesse. Which, as hard as it is to believe, even our 6'11" 265lb center is a below the rim finesse player. Donnie could definitely use a dose of aggression. He's a skilled player that would be better off finishing at the rim with power right now than some of the finesse he uses. He should be finishing through contact, not absorbing it. Jyare Davis is not a finesse player but other than maybe Cuffe, it is hard argue against that description for the rest of the roster.

 

[kingtidge]

Based on the comments Red had in his show last night, it sounds like he agrees.

He said something to the effect that the young players think they are playing hard and that he's trying to get them to understand that it's not hard enough and they have to recalibrate and up their intensity... I am assuming exluding Choppa, who has gotten that message and acted on it.

Older players is a mixed bag...

Bell good effort on boards and defense last game then fouled taking a 3 and missing all 3 FTs??!! His effort is all over the place and focus/confidence is a coinflip issue for him based on the game... This is nothing new, unfortunately.

The rest - Carlos, Cuffe, McLeod, etc. - varied mixes of not good enough and poor decision making often.

Davis - I like and is hopefully someone who can help set some benchmarks/leadership on effort.

Effort is certainly a big part of it, but it's also ben difficult to determine exactly what they are SUPPOSED to be doing on defense and offense (schemes) since the effort has been so poor.

The coaching may be a big part of that deficiency as well.

 

[DilemaCuse]

After seeing SU get pushed around in every game they need to get stronger. Too many skinny guys…get them in a weight program and also make them tougher also in attitude.. have Fran talk to them distill some DART in them . Way too soft.

Sorry, but havent people been saying this for nearly 10 years

 

[Brooky03]

After seeing SU get pushed around in every game they need to get stronger. Too many skinny guys…get them in a weight program and also make them tougher also in attitude.. have Fran talk to them distill some DART in them . Way too soft.

It’s not a strength problem, it’s a will problem. We’ve been soft for a while. It started when the transfer stuff started.

 

[Cusefan0307]

Even JB’s best teams were finesse. It’s ingrained in our culture unfortunately. It’s why despite having largely more success overall than Pitt they would annually bully us the entire Howland and Dixon tenure. We haven’t been a physical team in decades.

 

[NineOneSeven]

I mean… Lampkin and Davis aren’t skinny. Freeman is a freshman and I wouldn’t call him skinny. Did I want him to dunk that one reverse attempt, of course. Soft gets thrown around sometimes when your team just isn’t good enough for x reasons.

 

[kcsu]

After seeing SU get pushed around in every game they need to get stronger. Too many skinny guys…get them in a weight program and also make them tougher also in attitude.. have Fran talk to them distill some DART in them . Way too soft.

I think that we have the size physical ability. The team's problem is that they are extremely soft/weak mentally. They lack effort and passion. We have a mental more than a physical issue

 

[billsin01]

I prefer the term finesse. Which, as hard as it is to believe, even our 6'11" 265lb center is a below the rim finesse player. Donnie could definitely use a dose of aggression. He's a skilled player that would be better off finishing at the rim with power right now than some of the finesse he uses. He should be finishing through contact, not absorbing it. Jyare Davis is not a finesse player but other than maybe Cuffe, it is hard argue against that description for the rest of the roster.

Donnie oddly has a similar issue as Benny did (there are major differences, of course, which is why Donnie has already been more productive than Benny at any point). But neither player was anywhere near ready -- mentally as much as physically -- for how physical and intense the college game is. He's getting pushed around. Think he'll figure it out but it's certainly been an adjustment.

But as a general rule, I would point out that Tennessee is a very physical team. It might not be the best measuring stick of our overall toughness. Hopefully we show up a bit more physical moving forward as a result of that beatdown.

 

[Red Holzman]

I marvel at how easy it STILL is for smaller opponents to move McLeod around.
A player may not develop good basketball skills or a clue regarding offense/defense concepts-
But IMO the easiest thing to learn is how to be physical/Beast Mode, and get position for rebounds, etc.
Naheem is a pinball -wonder why Griff hasn't made any apparent progress with him.

 

[two3zone]

After seeing SU get pushed around in every game they need to get stronger. Too many skinny guys…get them in a weight program and also make them tougher also in attitude.. have Fran talk to them distill some DART in them . Way too soft.

Disagree, near the bottom of our issues.

If they played smarter they wouldn't need to muscle anyone. Plus we've pretty much outrebounded everyone except for the number 1 team in the NET.

These guys just aren't good.

 

[SanDiegoCuse]

Only Davis, Taylor and Moore seem tough to me.

 

[baggerbob]

I prefer the term finesse. Which, as hard as it is to believe, even our 6'11" 265lb center is a below the rim finesse player. Donnie could definitely use a dose of aggression. He's a skilled player that would be better off finishing at the rim with power right now than some of the finesse he uses. He should be finishing through contact, not absorbing it. Jyare Davis is not a finesse player but other than maybe Cuffe, it is hard argue against that description for the rest of the roster.

Unlike the 1987 team with DC and Rony, who bullied. Florida and North Carolina, both had highly rated big men.

 

[shu 49]

I think that we have the size physical ability. The team's problem is that they are extremely soft/weak mentally. They lack effort and passion. We have a mental more than a physical issue

I have been saying same exact thing.

 

[BillSU]

Unlike the 1987 team with DC and Rony, who bullied. Florida and North Carolina, both had highly rated big men.

Yes, I wish people on this board could see tape of Coleman and Seikaly. We then had two of the best big men in the country. We were 31-7 in 1987 and National Champion runner - up. Some info about Derrick:

Coleman stayed at Syracuse all four years, helping the team to a school record 114 wins during that era, against only 30 losses. Along the way, the team would start his sophomore year as the #1 ranked team in the country and win the Big East Championship. As a junior, he moved to the center position replacing Seikaly, and played the position well. As a senior, Coleman would achieve a triple double against C.W. Post, would be named the Big East Player of the Year, and would make first team All-American. Coleman would be the NCAA's all-time rebounding leader when he graduated (later eclipsed by Tim Duncan in 1997).

Overall, while at Syracuse he would be named to the Big East All Conference First Team three times, after making the third team as a freshman.

In 1990, after graduation, Coleman was the #1 pick in the NBA draft by the New Jersey Nets. He would have a solid NBA career, though considered by many to be disappointing if only because greatness was expected from him. He would win the NBA's Rookie of the Year award in 1991 and make the NBA All-Star team in 1994. His first five years in the league saw him averaging 20 points per game, with 10 1/2 rebounds a game, and a little over 3 assists per game. Injuries and weight problems would hamper him after that, though he was still a solid NBA player.

Coleman spent 15 years in the NBA with the New Jersey Nets, Philadelphia 76'ers, Charlotte Hornets and Detroit Pistons.​

 

[cuseincincy]

There’s No floor general. At this point it doesn’t even have to be a vet though.

If Moore has the personality traits and confidence let him eat. Maybe even Lucas has shown more flashes when he’s locked in but if he’s ice cold shooting that doesn’t help us.

We know for sure it’s not Carlos or Bell. Maybe down the road it’s Donnie against certain teams where he can just dominate. Eddie seems like he can be the man if he’s healthy but he isn’t right now. JJ has too many mental lapses as well but I thought he might be on his way to breaking that bad habit but we’ll prob never know this year now.

I think its safe to say that 6-18 from the field including 1-9 from 3 that Lucas is ice cold.

 

[baggerbob]

Yes, I wish people on this board could see tape of Coleman and Seikaly. We then had two of the best big men in the country. We were 31-7 in 1987 and National Champion runner - up. Some info about Derrick:

Coleman stayed at Syracuse all four years, helping the team to a school record 114 wins during that era, against only 30 losses. Along the way, the team would start his sophomore year as the #1 ranked team in the country and win the Big East Championship. As a junior, he moved to the center position replacing Seikaly, and played the position well. As a senior, Coleman would achieve a triple double against C.W. Post, would be named the Big East Player of the Year, and would make first team All-American. Coleman would be the NCAA's all-time rebounding leader when he graduated (later eclipsed by Tim Duncan in 1997).

Overall, while at Syracuse he would be named to the Big East All Conference First Team three times, after making the third team as a freshman.

In 1990, after graduation, Coleman was the #1 pick in the NBA draft by the New Jersey Nets. He would have a solid NBA career, though considered by many to be disappointing if only because greatness was expected from him. He would win the NBA's Rookie of the Year award in 1991 and make the NBA All-Star team in 1994. His first five years in the league saw him averaging 20 points per game, with 10 1/2 rebounds a game, and a little over 3 assists per game. Injuries and weight problems would hamper him after that, though he was still a solid NBA player.

Coleman spent 15 years in the NBA with the New Jersey Nets, Philadelphia 76'ers, Charlotte Hornets and Detroit Pistons.​

And he played on Dream Team 2, with Shag, Wilkens, in 1994 in Canada, Kemp was also on that team.
Watch film on that some time, Dumars
was also on that team.

 

[teamco]

It’s not a strength problem, it’s a will problem. We’ve been soft for a while. It started when the transfer stuff started.

Call me old fashioned, but I loved the tackle basketball days of the Big East . . . thanks for the memories, Big East!