The Downside - Boston College | Syracusefan.com

The Downside - Boston College

SWC75

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- Wow, being in the ACC sure hasn’t done anything for Boston College. Both their football and basketball teams are undermanned and can’t score. They can play defense and they did a good job of pressuring our perimeter, holding us to 4 for 17 from arc and producing 14 turnovers. But they have almost no offensive talent. Their only real scoring threat, Eli Carter, is only shooting 39% from the field and 30% from the arc. He scores 17 a game by putting up 32 shots a game- which their coach can’t complain about because they have nobody else. Elon was better than this.

- Because of that, I don’t know what we can take from this game. This was just not an ACC quality opponent and our victory over them doesn’t tell us a thing about what will happen the rest of the way. It was like beating Rhode Island in football.

- Trevor Cooney followed up his highly productive game vs. North Carolina, maybe the best team in the league, with a highly unproductive game against what is obviously the worst team. I didn’t see a jump shot from him that was on balance. He was often fading sideways as he put them up. He was two for 9 from the field and 1 for 6 from the arc. For 5 points and had 3 turnovers. it’s very frustrating. The guys’ a fifth year senior.

- JB, in his presser said he played Franklin Howard for 14 minutes “too see if he could do anything. It didn’t work.” Frank is our one hope for a true point guard to develop on this team. In this game he did manage two assists but had 1 turnovers, committed two fouls and was 0 for 4 from the field. Jim yanked him when he didn’t get to a loose ball.

- Jim Boeheim’s press conferences have ceased to be entertaining. Instead they are concerning. He’s not a loveable grouch, just a grouch. There’s a kind of desperation in his manner, like a guy furiously paddling upstream and being asked to hold a press conference as he reaches the rapids. A “perfect storm” of circumstances has created this mess for him, of course. But beyond that, I don’t see a lot of optimism in his face for what the rest of the season holds.

- That Clemson game still haunts me. We should be 2-3 in th conference right now and 12-6 overall, with what now looks like a quality win, since they’ve beaten Lousivlle and Duke since. When I think of that game, I feel like a child who has let go of his balloon and sees it rising into the sky, realizing it’s not coming back.
 
I think JB is harboring a lot of residual anger toward the NCAA over the investigation and subsequent penalties, and his press conference behavior reflects that.
 
Very disconcerting that JB said that about Howard. I thought the kid looked good out there. I love the fact that his head is always up when dribbling around picks, he's much more likely to hit a roll than any of our other guards that way. I can't stand that kind of absolute language from JB. It does nothing but hurt the kid further. Maybe some kids react positively to that, but I think those kids are few and far between now.
 
Very disconcerting that JB said that about Howard. I thought the kid looked good out there. I love the fact that his head is always up when dribbling around picks, he's much more likely to hit a roll than any of our other guards that way. I can't stand that kind of absolute language from JB. It does nothing but hurt the kid further. Maybe some kids react positively to that, but I think those kids are few and far between now.
I guess since it worked so well for Roberson...
 
He is behaving like his father. That is not a compliment. There's an element of cruelty that I have never liked in him (who would?) but I feel that he has worked most of his life to rise above it. He is recovering from the absolute misery of being cut off from his team but it's the middle of the season. Somehow he needs to put it on a back burner, but it may be impossible for him. I wonder what he has been like back in the office, back in practice? Is there a black cloud over his head? Is everyone walking on eggshells? I sympathize with the complicated emotions. I am worried about him. As he says over and over about his team, "He has got to get better."
 
Very disconcerting that JB said that about Howard. I thought the kid looked good out there. I love the fact that his head is always up when dribbling around picks, he's much more likely to hit a roll than any of our other guards that way. I can't stand that kind of absolute language from JB. It does nothing but hurt the kid further. Maybe some kids react positively to that, but I think those kids are few and far between now.
Considering our success at player development of late - I say go harsher!!
 
Considering our success at player development of late - I say go harsher!!

Took 4 years of that for Rak to blossom. No idea if the kinder/gentler approach would have brought that out in 2. Just seems like the kids are changing, but JB is not. Again, this is just what it seems like from Vermont. I have no idea what's the reality in the locker room.
 
Meh, Howard had as many assists as our fifth-year starting "point guard" and surely did no worse at initiating our offense. Probably best for Boeheim to ease up.
I also think it was notable that Lydon seemed far more engaged offensively with Howard in the game...
 
Howard showed some positive signs I thought. He needs those 14 minutes every game to get more comfortable and not look over his shoulder. That Clemson game bothers me too. Hopkins should have used SU's final timeout before Richardson's second shot and told the players to foul almost immediately if Richardson missed. Huge mistake.
 
"When I think of that game, I feel like a child who has let go of his balloon and sees it rising into the sky, realizing it’s not coming back."

Talking about watching a balloon rising in the sky never to come back, I wonder if BC rues the day they let go of Skinner. Maybe there is more to the story than I know, but from a distance it's a head scratcher.
 
Howard showed some positive signs I thought. He needs those 14 minutes every game to get more comfortable and not look over his shoulder. That Clemson game bothers me too. Hopkins should have used SU's final timeout before Richardson's second shot and told the players to foul almost immediately if Richardson missed. Huge mistake.
Clemson called time out before Richardson's second free throw so Hop almost certainly addressed his desired strategy at that point.
 
Clemson called time out before Richardson's second free throw so Hop almost certainly addressed his desired strategy at that point.
I assume you are correct on Clemson calling the timeout. SU had several opportunities to foul prior to the 3-pointer by Clemson. Simply a missed opportunity to put up what would have been a solid win.
 
I assume you are correct on Clemson calling the timeout. SU had several opportunities to foul prior to the 3-pointer by Clemson. Simply a missed opportunity to put up what would have been a solid win.
Yes, that game and the Wisconsin game were in their grasp and got away. This season would look a lot different with those two as wins, even with some of the other ugly losses.
 
I also think it was notable that Lydon seemed far more engaged offensively with Howard in the game...
Someone who goes to practices can confirm, but I would guess that Lydon and Howard play together a lot during scrimmages. That might explain the chemistry.
 
Yes, that game and the Wisconsin game were in their grasp and got away. This season would look a lot different with those two as wins, even with some of the other ugly losses.

A team with limited upside like our team this year absolutely CANNOT afford to let games like Wisconsin / Clemson slip through their grasp--especially when those are home games.

Those lossses could be the difference between qualifying for the NCAA or not. Not suggesting that we will, but the road to traverse became a lot more difficult when we choke games like that away.
 
Frank looked like the only guy who can distribute the ball to guys like a point guard does. The passing game looked noticeably different when he was in there. Hell we might be able to run something besides pick and roll when he's in there.
 
It's hard because I'll always defend JB to the ends of earth, but he really doesn't seem to be enjoying this
 
Very disconcerting that JB said that about Howard. I thought the kid looked good out there. I love the fact that his head is always up when dribbling around picks, he's much more likely to hit a roll than any of our other guards that way. I can't stand that kind of absolute language from JB. It does nothing but hurt the kid further. Maybe some kids react positively to that, but I think those kids are few and far between now.
He looked good out there??? We can't afford to have him on the court if he can't score. His field goal percentage from the field is .226. He is 0 for 9 from three. His free throw percentage is .500. This team needs a scorer not someone who can dribble with their head up.
 
Meh, Howard had as many assists as our fifth-year starting "point guard" and surely did no worse at initiating our offense. Probably best for Boeheim to ease up.
I don't like JB running a kid down in the media. Especially with a sensitive, quiet kid. At the same time this team struggles to score and we can't carry a guy out there who isn't going to score any points. Howard's offensive skills just aren't ready to justify major minutes for him.
 
I think JB is harboring a lot of residual anger toward the NCAA over the investigation and subsequent penalties, and his press conference behavior reflects that.
And don't forget the garish media that was all too happy to spray every negative tidbit about SU all over its website, especially items about its basketball coach.
 
He looked good out there??? We can't afford to have him on the court if he can't score. His field goal percentage from the field is .226. He is 0 for 9 from three. His free throw percentage is .500. This team needs a scorer not someone who can dribble with their head up.

He's 3 for his last 3 on free throws, 4 of his last 5, let's start him! He doesn't play much - I wouldn't judge anyone with 10 attempts on the season too harshly.
 
He's 3 for his last 3 on free throws, 4 of his last 5, let's start him! He doesn't play much - I wouldn't judge anyone with 10 attempts on the season too harshly.
I'm not trying to hate on Howard but he has done nothing and the stats show that. Yet people want more of him why
More Howard equals less coney and g proven scorers.
 
I'm not trying to hate on Howard but he has done nothing and the stats show that. Yet people want more of him why
More Howard equals less coney and g proven scorers.

I'm okay with one of those things.

G moves well off the ball, his game is far better suited to him being able to exploit that aspect of his game. We hamstring him a little by forcing him into the PG role for the bulk of his minutes. If he could shuttle himself between SF/SG/PG he would be better off, and the team. When Howard has played it allows him to assume that role a little bit more, and judging from yesterday, Lydon seems a bit more involved in the offensive flow as well.

He seems to be one of the more capable players when it comes to creating for himself off the bounce (and for others) - I know he missed the one attempt last night, but the announcer made a good point about his drive. Once the offense broke down, he was able to get to the rim and draw the defender - that opened up Roberson for an easy two off the miss. Often in those situations we just get a wild shot...

He's solid at getting to the rim - and has shown some aptitude for finishing. Obviously he's not killing it - you can see that in his FG percentage, but he's a Frosh and those are some of the growing pains you deal with. He's clearly better at anticipating openings underneath the rim than most of the roster. I don't know - we don't need him playing 40 minutes, but I see positives.

If he plays more, maybe he gets better, or maybe not...and the team falls apart and we start losing to crap teams! :)
 

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