The View From Here III

[Lawrinson14]

Cooney really has composure issues. It almost seems like hes trying way to hard out there. He just needs to settle down a little a bit...maybe ennis can teach him a thing a two about composure.

Professor Panic.

 

[orangedave]

So Cooney has his first and only turnover of the 3 games and now he's not a very smart player?

Ok.
Yes - way too harsh on Cooney


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[alphaorange]

The second one is a matter of opinion. Regarding the first: he redshirted, played last year and this is his third year.

Then he has had two years in the program. After this year is finished, he will have had three in the program. Pretty basic.

 

[arbitragegls]

I think your thinking is short-sighted. DC2 needs to develop because if he does the team will be unstoppable. Got to try and get that.

Sure, it seems like Roberson can give more on O than Rak but once again doesn't seem to be big picture smart. Keeping Rak happy via a token start is the best way to keep him for next year, when Rak is key. No reason to rush the frosh into action.

DC2 and Rak...five star bigs coming in are playing like 3 star at best...have not progressed much going into their second year. It appears that neither has been "coached" well nor picked up their game. It has been shown that bigs don't mature and up their game for sometime vs smaller players.
But have to say that Keita whom no one believed was going to be THE BIG, is our BIG from a defensive and rebounding and blocking perspective. The expectation should be that a 5 star incoming freshman should blossom in their second year...or at least begin to make changes to their game that make them better. Neither RAK nor DC2 have done this. RAK still looses focus and looks as if he is loafing...and DC2 forever dribbles and looks down while lowering shoulder on offense...so easy to take a charge against and/or steal the bounce...nearly two years to better self and NO improvement. Question the Bigs' Coach (who is coaching these bigs and can he coach)...question the star system. Point is, if either of these Bigs played up to their supposed potential, 'Cuse would be a NC.
For August playing bball is terrific...what we need to improve on we have a good idea...unfortunately, for the Bigs it is the same as last year...frankly I would start Keita...but then both our supposed 5 star Centers would probably put in less mental focus than they do now...so, does DC2 and/or RAK improve this year or will Keita beat them out?

It's Good to Be 'Cuse!! The Order of THE 'Cuse Orange...

 

[Sgt Cuse]

For August playing bball is terrific...what we need to improve on we have a good idea...unfortunately, for the Bigs it is the same as last year...frankly I would start Keita...but then both our supposed 5 star Centers would probably put in less mental focus than they do now...so, does DC2 and/or RAK improve this year or will Keita beat them out?

It's Good to Be 'Cuse!! The Order of THE 'Cuse Orange...

Starting BMK would also be very short-sighted. As mentioned before developing DC2 would be a huge advantage. Then there is the possibility of frustrating/upsetting Rak even further. No need. BMK is content with his role. If BMK outplays the other 2, just give him more minutes.

But I doubt if BMK will ever give us anything on O. Getting some O from a center is a huge advantage and worth the investment to get DC2 on track. It is no coincidence to me that the last 2 NCAA exits were to teams with good centers - McCrary and Sullinger.

 

[RF2044]

Starting BMK would also be very short-sighted. As mentioned before developing DC2 would be a huge advantage. Then there is the possibility of frustrating/upsetting Rak even further. No need. BMK is content with his role. If BMK outplays the other 2, just give him more minutes.

But I doubt if BMK will ever give us anything on O. Getting some O from a center is a huge advantage and worth the investment to get DC2 on track. It is no coincidence to me that the last 2 NCAA exits were to teams with good centers - McCrary and Sullinger.

Not to mention, BMK has the mentality to come off the bench and not be bothered by non-starting. Removing Rak / DC from the starting lineup would probably send either into a tailspin that they wouldn't respond well to.

 

[LennX6]

GUARDS

I think we're all in love with Tyler Ennis by now. He plays like a senior.

Apologizing in advance for the potential hyperbole here (i also compared a frosh MCW to Magic) but Ennis' ability to drive, penetrate and dish put me in mind of Pearl. Ennis has the steering wheel of a power team in a power conference on day 1 and looks likes he's been there for 8 yrs. Like Pearl, if his jumper starts falling this guy is AA.

 

[IthacaMatt]

Unless we are playing a team with a lot of size, I'm starting to think we can't play Roc and DC2 together. They are just taking up space. Especially once Roberson is in the mix, he's got to see the floor so needs some of their minutes. This is not the first time BMK has been (by far) the most effective of the 3 bigs, either so maybe it's one at a time and roughly even time among the three unless a light goes on, or they learn some moves like Arinze developed. Ennis will need to play 35 mins+ a game a la Flynn. Amazing that we are already starting to take him as a given, after just 3 games. Already trust him and his decision making more than MCW. Impressive, gutsy win.

Neither one of them ever scores. If we get 6 points from either of them, that's a huge game. I'm tired of this experiment. Grant and Fair are going to be our starting forwards, and frankly, Keita ought to be our starting center.

 

[IthacaMatt]

SWC, I thought Gbinije was a big factor in our comeback. He might not have scored a ton, but he was instrumental on several defensive plays and helped push the ball on the other end. He also chipped in at the 3 after CJ got hurt and played well.

I agree. He has shown a good "floor game". But we need him to be able to score, especially with all the bigs who can't.

 

[RF2044]

I agree. He has shown a good "floor game". But we need him to be able to score, especially with all the bigs who can't.

2G is my biggest question mark heading into the year. Both Cooney and Gbinije [and to a lesser extent, Johnson] showed that they are capable of doing some good things. Will be interesting to see how they build upon this over the next couple of months leading up to preseason practice.

 

[IthacaMatt]

Cooney is a work in progress. He made a couple of big shots down the stretch. But at one point he missed 3 consecutive wide open 3's. He was 2-8 from the arc for the game. After 2-7 in the first game and 3-4 in the second game. 7-19 for the trip so far. I think he will improve but will it be enough especially this year? We really need him to shoot well and be a 3 pt threat opponents have to respect to open up driving lanes for others. I'd like to see BJ get some time at the 2g as he looks like the next best 3 pt threat.

I think what we've seen so far is what we're likely to continue to see from Trevor. Streaky shooting and ball hawking on defense. What we need is for Johnson and/or Gbinije to become reliable threats from 3. We need more shooters. Johnson looked the part last game. Silent G hasn't really found his offense yet. We need him to be more assertive.

 

[SBU72]

I can't understand all the criticism of TC. He makes one mistake in an otherwise well played 30 minutes and people go silly about it. There should be much greater concern about DCII and Roc. Right now if you put the two of them together you'd have less than you'd like. Cooney's mistakes are going to work themselves out because he is too much of a hard worker to be satisfied with his present game.
Our bigs just seem to think their size alone is enough to keep them in the game. Neither of them are playing very smart basketball at this point after being given every chance to succeed. It's a good thing we have two months before the season starts because they are going to need it.

I think the telling point is that in crunch time, when the team was down, the five out ther were, CJ, Jerami, Baye, Ennis and Gbinije. The only reason TC was out there was the CJ was hurt and on the bench.

 

[LennX6]

Starting BMK would also be very short-sighted. As mentioned before developing DC2 would be a huge advantage. Then there is the possibility of frustrating/upsetting Rak even further. No need. BMK is content with his role. If BMK outplays the other 2, just give him more minutes.

But I doubt if BMK will ever give us anything on O. Getting some O from a center is a huge advantage and worth the investment to get DC2 on track. It is no coincidence to me that the last 2 NCAA exits were to teams with good centers - McCrary and Sullinger.

If BMK can get us 8-10 a game , and I believe he can, from just put-backs and dump-offs. I see him being the recipient of 2-3 drive-and-dumpoff passes from Ennis a game. Last year that would have made me nervous but during the end of last year, his hands have gotten a lot better. 2012 there was a 10% chance of him catching a pass clean. Now its more than 80% if I could hazard a guess and he holds on a lot more rebounds than he used to by far.

 

[pfister1]

Couple of observations from the box score and this thread (I didn't get to see the game).

First just from looking at the ebb and flow of the game. It looks as though the team came out flat. After the first two games they may not really have been convinced that a Canadian team was going to give them a competitive game no matter what the scores of prior Carleton games should have told them and/or what the coaches may have said. It appears that we got punched really hard in the mouth in the first half. In the second half we woke up and started to play with a much greater sense of urgency, but had already established that this would be a contested game based on our lackluster play in the first half. Sometimes you convince an opponent that it can play with you and then they do, whether they should be able to or not is another matter.

In looking at the Box Score, I have to wonder if this is a preview of how JB will manage his bench when we play contested games. Yes, we have a deep bench, but the substitution pattern looks strangely familiar.

Ennis gets 44 of a possible 45 minutes. Cooney gets 31 of 45 and Silent G gets 26. BJ (7) and Bus (3) were largely forgotten especially when you consider that it was an exhibition and there were 45 minutes to allocate among the guards. Forwards were predominantly CJ and Grant and that is even with CJ playing reduced minutes with the injury. You have to think his minutes would have been much higher than the 31 he got if he hadn't had to sit down.

When we reach the games that difficult games that count I expect we're going to see a guard rotation that is primarily Ennis and Cooney with Silent G picking up minutes from Cooney depending on who plays better. If Roberson is as good as advertised he, CJ and Grant will dominate the available minutes at the forward slot, regardless of who starts. DC and RAK will be relegated to splitting time at Center and BMK will play more or less depending on whether either of those two can get their act together.

Cooney is going to continue to a lightening rod for public opinion until he finds his 3 point shot. He came in billed as possibly the best 3 point shooter we've ever had. Until we start to see some sign of that particular element (especially while it is a need) of his game he will continue to be criticized (fairly and unfairly) for every mistake that he makes. Similar to Paul Harris in some regards. Paul did some great things while a member of the Orange, but he never fulfilled the (unrealistic) potential that we was billed as having....and thus people always focused on his shortcomings rather than what he actually contributed.

 

[Sgt Cuse]

Neither one of them ever scores. If we get 6 points from either of them, that's a huge game. I'm tired of this experiment. Grant and Fair are going to be our starting forwards, and frankly, Keita ought to be our starting center.

Well, I appreciate that JB does not tire so quickly. Starting Grant and BMK may look justified today. But then you need to recognize the affect of that would be to demote Rak, hinder the development of DC2, and probably inflate the minutes of Roberson over those of DC2 and Rak.

No need for JB to panic. Especially over one exhibition game in August.

 

[HoustonCuse]

Cooney is going to continue to a lightening rod for public opinion until he finds his 3 point shot. He came in billed as possibly the best 3 point shooter we've ever had. Until we start to see some sign of that particular element (especially while it is a need) of his game he will continue to be criticized (fairly and unfairly) for every mistake that he makes. Similar to Paul Harris in some regards. Paul did some great things while a member of the Orange, but he never fulfilled the (unrealistic) potential that we was billed as having....and thus people always focused on his shortcomings rather than what he actually contributed.

I watched the game, and frankly thought that Cooney has shown substantial improvement. He hit several three pointers and all of them were very important shots. If anything, I think he forced a couple awkward shots in the first half when the team was frustrated by not scoring. I saw G do the same (force bad shots). But Cooney also brought the ball up court against pressure and did a fine job repeatedly.

Lost in all the worry about the offense is the fact that with a completely unproven backcourt and playing against a veteran pressing team, we had only 5 turnovers the entire game. Cooney was a big part of that success. I'm encouraged about him. DC2? I'm starting to waiver in my faith, but there is still time to improve.

 

[realorange]

I think the telling point is that in crunch time, when the team was down, the five out ther were, CJ, Jerami, Baye, Ennis and Gbinije. The only reason TC was out there was the CJ was hurt and on the bench.

And you know that because? Gbinije has been playing backup point more than the two. I think it was more that JB wanted another ball handler out there.

 

[Orange Barrel]

The second one is a matter of opinion.

That's your opinion. And it's not accurate.

Regarding the first: he redshirted, played last year and this is his third year.

He got here in the summer of '11. It's now the summer of '13. He's been here a hair over two years.

 

[rrlbees]

I think the telling point is that in crunch time, when the team was down, the five out ther were, CJ, Jerami, Baye, Ennis and Gbinije. The only reason TC was out there was the CJ was hurt and on the bench.

I'm not sure that says anything. We were down most if the game so picking a time when Cooney was on the bench, wasn't necessarily crunch time just because we were behind. Unless you believe Cooney wasn't going to play at all the last 12 minutes and those same 5 were going the rest if the way.


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[SoBeCuse]

How messed up yet how great it is that we have the bodies to pull it off. Your two McD PF/C guys are on the bench in crunch time. I mean it's obvious that you can't have them out there but still, sort of laughable and unfortunate.

 

[iommi]

How messed up yet how great it is that we have the bodies to pull it off. Your two McD PF/C guys are on the bench in crunch time. I mean it's obvious that you can't have them out there but still, sort of laughable and unfortunate.

I'm mystified by your post/ like ratio... It should be significantly better.

Paging Mr. tee...

 

[Madbiker]

Well, I appreciate that JB does not tire so quickly. Starting Grant and BMK may look justified today. But then you need to recognize the affect of that would be to demote Rak, hinder the development of DC2, and probably inflate the minutes of Roberson over those of DC2 and Rak.

No need for JB to panic. Especially over one exhibition game in August.

BMK thrives in the off the bench role. And you need to have someone who can come in and play with energy and provide a lift. I'm afraid if you relegate Rak or DC2 to that role they will sulk. Anyway it's more important who is in at crunch time and BMK will get lots of minutes.

 

[SWC75]

Then he has had two years in the program. After this year is finished, he will have had three in the program. Pretty basic.

OK. I should have said that he's in his third year in the program. The point is, he ought to know that you don't send a bounce pass to a 6-8 guy being guarded by a 6-2 guy.

As to whether he is a smart player or not, I ask you how much confidence you have in what is about to happen when Cooney has the ball. Mine is not high right now. Ennis is at the very beginning of his career here and my confidence in him is considerably higher than it is with Cooney.

 

[SWC75]

Well, I appreciate that JB does not tire so quickly. Starting Grant and BMK may look justified today. But then you need to recognize the affect of that would be to demote Rak, hinder the development of DC2, and probably inflate the minutes of Roberson over those of DC2 and Rak.

No need for JB to panic. Especially over one exhibition game in August.

We are obviously going to be better with Grant and Fair at forward than we are going to be with Christmas and Fair at forward. I, too want to see Coleman develop at center because he can give give things Christmas and Keita cannot. But that's on him. I don't want Grant on the bench because we are trying to develop Coleman and don't want to hurt Rak's feelings. With our schedule this year we can't afford experiments. We have to get our best guys as much playing time as we can.

 

[Sgt Cuse]

We are obviously going to be better with Grant and Fair at forward than we are going to be with Christmas and Fair at forward. I, too want to see Coleman develop at center because he can give give things Christmas and Keita cannot. But that's on him. I don't want Grant on the bench because we are trying to develop Coleman and don't want to hurt Rak's feelings. With our schedule this year we can't afford experiments. We have to get our best guys as much playing time as we can.

The idea that we have to get our best guys as much time as we can is the old JB philosophy, which I am glad to see he has moved away from. He used to play the 5 starters as much as possible and sub only for foul protection. It led to players being gassed and defense was an opportunity to gain rest.

The new JB philosophy starts people who may not be the best. He uses other factors. Now the D is energized and the minutes are distributed much better. The best will be in at the end anyways. Developing DC2 is not just done solely by DC2 (we saw what happened this summer), he needs playing time and coaching instruction.

It's no longer an experiment it's been a successful change. After 4 years of 30 wins per, it is no time to revert back just because our board residents have hyped an unseen, late arriving, Roberson to Paul Harris heights.