TheRoyalIveyFund
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- Sep 7, 2011
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I'm not bothered that we lost to UConn, rather how we lost. From the opening tip, it was clear they really wanted this game...they were pumped. They could've been 0-10 but when you have two guards like that and are at home playing us for the last time, we knew it would be a game.
However, I'm disappointed that James tried to put the ball between his legs in between two fast guards during the scrum. He then tossed it away and absolutely nobody on our team tried to chase down boatright (or Nap) on the breakaway. Or heaved a 30 footer with 25 on the clock. Did anyone see if JB ripped them when he called the TO after nobody hustled back? I would've put five walk ons in, just to make a statement. I'm disappointed the Uconn guards beat Rak/Baye for several rebounds, etc, etc.
A few other thoughts:
-BT had a terrible game. It happens. He tries as hard as he can, sometimes he does this, sometimes not. If he does this in the tourney, we're out in 2nd round. If he plays like Ville, we're in all games. The good news is he, despite having a bad game, is still being aggressive in the 2nd. He's sooo much better when he doesn't have to be the designated 3-pt shooter. Maybe one flaw in recruiting is that JB is not getting enough shooters/scorers and instead, focusing too much on system (length, talent) guys??
-CJ, despite not a great game, is still the most important player. We need 20/10 for us to do anything in march.
-JB needs a way to get Grant on the court. There are not too many monster centers anymore, we can surely get away with him up front with CJ or James. Or, get get CJ and/or James to the 2 to spell BT/MCW and have Grant at the 4 with Rak. How did we not go with Grant in the middle all second half? Maybe we get a few less blocks but Baye/Rak easily canceled that out with just 2-3 bad positions on offense. Can we have Grant in the middle against Pitt, Marq? No Could we have yest and in a few poss tourney games, like a smaller ( UN Ash last year) team? Yes.
-For the love of God, JB, please find a way to get Herm Harried or someone like coaching our bigs. Baye and Rak's ability around the basketball is not much better than the day they got here.
-I, and I think many of you, overestimate our talent, or maybe mistake talent for being a top-notch basketball player. I get caught up looking at UConn's front line and laughing. However, our fives are doing nothing now and I don't want to see our guards drive and try to dump to Baye or Rak anymore. It's never positive. So, what good is it if they are fast, strong and can jump high if it doesn't translate to something tangible (I'm not discounted blocks, middle of zone abilities). Maybe we should be praising JB for getting this bunch to 20-4 and 8-3. I think that's where I am. At the same time, maybe the staff is not doing a good job with some fundamentals that seem to be missing?
-MWC - I don't understand why he doesn't try for layups like we all learned in layup line in 1st grade? Go right to the basket and use the glass on the side, or just over the rim straight on. He pulls up almost every time and makes shots so much harder than should be and also limits the chances at being fouled to shoot 2 or an and 1. Hop should be saying that 100 times a day. Napier is 165 and took it right to Rak and BT. He knew how to use his body, draw contact and almost put it in. MCW does the opposite.
-We need James, CJ, MCW and BT and Grant playing as much as possible. Rak, Baye and Trevor are not improving. Maybe JB is playing for March and since many complain he never played 8, they are now happy. However, if come NCAA's, TC is still taking ill-advised threes fading in one direction, or Baye and Rak are fumbling passes and missing bunnies, then I want the best five, and they are clearly the best five, playing nearly 40 a game.
I am at the point that I really don't care much about the reg season anymore. Sure, I want to take down Gtown, Ville and win a crown. However, I'll gladly trade a 5th place BE for an extra win or two in the NCAAs as after four years of top 10, we really need a FF run.
However, I'm disappointed that James tried to put the ball between his legs in between two fast guards during the scrum. He then tossed it away and absolutely nobody on our team tried to chase down boatright (or Nap) on the breakaway. Or heaved a 30 footer with 25 on the clock. Did anyone see if JB ripped them when he called the TO after nobody hustled back? I would've put five walk ons in, just to make a statement. I'm disappointed the Uconn guards beat Rak/Baye for several rebounds, etc, etc.
A few other thoughts:
-BT had a terrible game. It happens. He tries as hard as he can, sometimes he does this, sometimes not. If he does this in the tourney, we're out in 2nd round. If he plays like Ville, we're in all games. The good news is he, despite having a bad game, is still being aggressive in the 2nd. He's sooo much better when he doesn't have to be the designated 3-pt shooter. Maybe one flaw in recruiting is that JB is not getting enough shooters/scorers and instead, focusing too much on system (length, talent) guys??
-CJ, despite not a great game, is still the most important player. We need 20/10 for us to do anything in march.
-JB needs a way to get Grant on the court. There are not too many monster centers anymore, we can surely get away with him up front with CJ or James. Or, get get CJ and/or James to the 2 to spell BT/MCW and have Grant at the 4 with Rak. How did we not go with Grant in the middle all second half? Maybe we get a few less blocks but Baye/Rak easily canceled that out with just 2-3 bad positions on offense. Can we have Grant in the middle against Pitt, Marq? No Could we have yest and in a few poss tourney games, like a smaller ( UN Ash last year) team? Yes.
-For the love of God, JB, please find a way to get Herm Harried or someone like coaching our bigs. Baye and Rak's ability around the basketball is not much better than the day they got here.
-I, and I think many of you, overestimate our talent, or maybe mistake talent for being a top-notch basketball player. I get caught up looking at UConn's front line and laughing. However, our fives are doing nothing now and I don't want to see our guards drive and try to dump to Baye or Rak anymore. It's never positive. So, what good is it if they are fast, strong and can jump high if it doesn't translate to something tangible (I'm not discounted blocks, middle of zone abilities). Maybe we should be praising JB for getting this bunch to 20-4 and 8-3. I think that's where I am. At the same time, maybe the staff is not doing a good job with some fundamentals that seem to be missing?
-MWC - I don't understand why he doesn't try for layups like we all learned in layup line in 1st grade? Go right to the basket and use the glass on the side, or just over the rim straight on. He pulls up almost every time and makes shots so much harder than should be and also limits the chances at being fouled to shoot 2 or an and 1. Hop should be saying that 100 times a day. Napier is 165 and took it right to Rak and BT. He knew how to use his body, draw contact and almost put it in. MCW does the opposite.
-We need James, CJ, MCW and BT and Grant playing as much as possible. Rak, Baye and Trevor are not improving. Maybe JB is playing for March and since many complain he never played 8, they are now happy. However, if come NCAA's, TC is still taking ill-advised threes fading in one direction, or Baye and Rak are fumbling passes and missing bunnies, then I want the best five, and they are clearly the best five, playing nearly 40 a game.
I am at the point that I really don't care much about the reg season anymore. Sure, I want to take down Gtown, Ville and win a crown. However, I'll gladly trade a 5th place BE for an extra win or two in the NCAAs as after four years of top 10, we really need a FF run.
