FireballPhil
2nd String
- Joined
- Aug 27, 2011
- Messages
- 621
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- 1,260
Jesse to me is easily the most improved player on the team. The amount of his growth, especially relative to his position, is astounding. He did show flashes of this last year, but lacked the consistency needed to be a true threat. Fast forward to this year, and his growth, consistency, and stat line has grown. His improvement is one of the main reasons why we have the potential to be in and win games.
I haven't heard JB's presser but reading some comments everyone is upset at how JB threw Jesse under the bus and they don't understand. Here is why: when a defensive player jumps in the air at every head fake two things happen. One, the player is going to foul out. Two, the other team is going to score a lot of points inside. That is exactly how Georgetown won the game yesterday. It wasn't that they had the better overall team, I don't think they do. They just found and exploited, especially in the second half, this weakness. All they had to do is drop the ball down low, have that player drive, head or pump fake. Jesse jumps in the air. Immediately either go around Jesse for a reverse layup or pass to a player cutting to the basket on the weak side. Jesse will try to adjust in the air and foul, or you will have an easy layup. My wife got tired of me screaming at the TV yesterday for Jesse to hold his position. When Jesse learns this watch out. I wonder how many other players will fake Jesse then drive under his legs for a reverse layup until he figures it out?
We also win this game easily if we make our bunny shots. How many did we miss? The flow of the game stays with us though if we make those shots, and we win by 10 or 15. Many of these were fairly uncontested shots, at least as far as D1 hoops is concerned. But that happens to even the best of players, it just seems we need to do a bit more around the rim work in practice.
Lastly, it would have been nice if Benny would have gotten in the game in the second half. Partly for his family and friends as he played in his hometown, and partly because I think his defense would have helped Jesse a little in the middle. I think Benny is active enough that he could have disrupted the flow more and playing in front of everyone he had something to prove. Sometimes that little motivation is all one needs to have that break out moment. I just feel like maybe we missed an opportunity for Benny to have that moment.
Overall, I didn't have a bad feeling about the game. I thought we lost a game that we 100% should have won. It doesn't make me nearly as mad if we lose a game that we deserved to lose and I was mad at this loss. Sure part of my anger is the fact that we lost to Georgetown, a team I want to beat 100% of the time. But at least this team continues to grow. Buddy is figuring out how to score with bigger guys on him and the face guarding. Jesse is learning to man the middle without fouling out. Joe is learning how to bring the ball up under pressure and the team is figuring out how to help him when he is doubled. Jimmy has been surprisingly consistent for being in a new offensive scheme. Cole needs to grow comfortable with his shot. He is one who right now needs to work inside first and work his way out. Get his shot going first and he can be lethal. Symir can be effective but as had trouble finishing around the rim. Frank has been good in limited time but you can see he is still raw. I would like for him to get a bit more time, but without having a cupcake non-conference schedule it hurts especially his development. Same with Benny. I think this team in general could have used an easier non-conference schedule to come together a bit more cohesively. We are what we are in large part because of this. You can only advance so much in practice against the same people. You need game time to grow and become more reactive. Then add in they are all learning basically 3 different defensive schemes, and you have the recipe for a 5-4 start to the season. The question is how much of these growing pains will help. I think in the long run it will, these guys want to win, and have already improved. I believe they will continue to improve, and as they figure it out we will see a more fluid cohesive unit that will win more games than it loses. I hope.
I haven't heard JB's presser but reading some comments everyone is upset at how JB threw Jesse under the bus and they don't understand. Here is why: when a defensive player jumps in the air at every head fake two things happen. One, the player is going to foul out. Two, the other team is going to score a lot of points inside. That is exactly how Georgetown won the game yesterday. It wasn't that they had the better overall team, I don't think they do. They just found and exploited, especially in the second half, this weakness. All they had to do is drop the ball down low, have that player drive, head or pump fake. Jesse jumps in the air. Immediately either go around Jesse for a reverse layup or pass to a player cutting to the basket on the weak side. Jesse will try to adjust in the air and foul, or you will have an easy layup. My wife got tired of me screaming at the TV yesterday for Jesse to hold his position. When Jesse learns this watch out. I wonder how many other players will fake Jesse then drive under his legs for a reverse layup until he figures it out?
We also win this game easily if we make our bunny shots. How many did we miss? The flow of the game stays with us though if we make those shots, and we win by 10 or 15. Many of these were fairly uncontested shots, at least as far as D1 hoops is concerned. But that happens to even the best of players, it just seems we need to do a bit more around the rim work in practice.
Lastly, it would have been nice if Benny would have gotten in the game in the second half. Partly for his family and friends as he played in his hometown, and partly because I think his defense would have helped Jesse a little in the middle. I think Benny is active enough that he could have disrupted the flow more and playing in front of everyone he had something to prove. Sometimes that little motivation is all one needs to have that break out moment. I just feel like maybe we missed an opportunity for Benny to have that moment.
Overall, I didn't have a bad feeling about the game. I thought we lost a game that we 100% should have won. It doesn't make me nearly as mad if we lose a game that we deserved to lose and I was mad at this loss. Sure part of my anger is the fact that we lost to Georgetown, a team I want to beat 100% of the time. But at least this team continues to grow. Buddy is figuring out how to score with bigger guys on him and the face guarding. Jesse is learning to man the middle without fouling out. Joe is learning how to bring the ball up under pressure and the team is figuring out how to help him when he is doubled. Jimmy has been surprisingly consistent for being in a new offensive scheme. Cole needs to grow comfortable with his shot. He is one who right now needs to work inside first and work his way out. Get his shot going first and he can be lethal. Symir can be effective but as had trouble finishing around the rim. Frank has been good in limited time but you can see he is still raw. I would like for him to get a bit more time, but without having a cupcake non-conference schedule it hurts especially his development. Same with Benny. I think this team in general could have used an easier non-conference schedule to come together a bit more cohesively. We are what we are in large part because of this. You can only advance so much in practice against the same people. You need game time to grow and become more reactive. Then add in they are all learning basically 3 different defensive schemes, and you have the recipe for a 5-4 start to the season. The question is how much of these growing pains will help. I think in the long run it will, these guys want to win, and have already improved. I believe they will continue to improve, and as they figure it out we will see a more fluid cohesive unit that will win more games than it loses. I hope.
