tyus wow

[xc84]

This team can’t play that way. We don’t have the horses. JB is essentially playing his version of the burn offense this year to shorten the game. Our games are going to be ugly win or lose. If you want to watch an uptempo team you’ll have to wait until next year.

Well, I think they can burn minutes by passing a lot more and looking for better shots. I didn't say "uptempo." Waiting 15 seconds to start your offense leads to crappy shots. Work it around.

 

[CuseFaninVT]

Teams know a lot about our team now - Tyus won't pass and will settle for tough(bad) shots, Frank can get flustered with tight D, and OB does not have to be guarded. Our best teams are when we have willing passers - this team has 2, and with our offensive limitations that isn't enough. Any team that guards OB from the foul line out the rest of the season should have their coach resign immediately.

That one play where Frank got absolutely mauled with no call late in the second half still bugs me. And it got in his head a bit as well. It was a 4 point swing to them, as was said by the announcers. You can't miss that call. The defender hammered him and then threw his arms up like there was nothing there. Refs have to get sanctioned for missed calls like that. DO YOUR JOB!!!!

 

[cuse10]

That one play where Frank got absolutely mauled with no call late in the second half still bugs me. And it got in his head a bit as well. It was a 4 point swing to them, as was said by the announcers. You can't miss that call. The defender hammered him and then threw his arms up like there was nothing there. Refs have to get sanctioned for missed calls like that. DO YOUR JOB!!!!

That's the problem with college officiating; this is just a part time job. They don't care.

 

[Trueblue25]

Battle has definitely struggled recently, but it's hard to play 3 on 5 on Offense with only 2 of those 3 able to hit from outside

Chukwu had double figures and Howard has seemed to almost effortlessly find Moyer in space on the baseline several times this year.

Theres a difference between having no other options and not searching for other options.

 

[MikeSU02]

Here is where our three main players stand in national leaders, for all D1 schools, in minutes per game:
#6: Oshae
#9: Tyus
#12: Frank

When you change this to just P5:
#2: Oshae
#3: Tyus
#4: Frank

Besides our three point shooting, our lack of depth is going to kill us.

We have talent, but you cannot run these guys into the ground like this and not expect bad games. Especially road games in conference.

What happened? Our guys are human beings that are beat up and tired. We're going to lose some games we shouldn't because we just won't hit shots or have any energy.

 

[longislandcuse]

Howard Washington, as pathetic as he's played, needs to give Frank and Tyus a few minutes each throughout the game. Even if it's just 2 minutes for each guy, each half. Stop playing every game like it's a National Championship. Same thing with Dolezaj giving a few minutes of rest for Brissett, and not just Moyer and Chukwu. It's not ideal but neither is having your "finishing five" sucking air down the stretch.

Also, Tyus Battle needs to be better. Too many times this year I'd rather have the ball in Brissett's or Howard's hands at crucial times over Tyus trying to go poor man's Kobe out there.

You know a loss stings when it still bothers you the next day... That was a tough one to take, knowing we will likely be a bubble team and let a conference road win just slip away like that.

 

[CuseFaninVT]

Howard Washington, as pathetic as he's played, needs to give Frank and Tyus a few minutes each throughout the game. Even if it's just 2 minutes for each guy, each half. Stop playing every game like it's a National Championship. Same thing with Dolezaj giving a few minutes of rest for Brissett, and not just Moyer and Chukwu. It's not ideal but neither is having your "finishing five" sucking air down the stretch.

Also, Tyus Battle needs to be better. Too many times this year I'd rather have the ball in Brissett's or Howard's hands at crucial times over Tyus trying to go poor man's Kobe out there.

You know a loss stings when it still bothers you the next day... That was a tough one to take, knowing we will likely be a bubble team and let a conference road win just slip away like that.

There's the SWC75 question for JB this week (or next). I'm sure JB will take that well.

EDIT - I completely agree. I think JB would have multiple championships if he had relaxed just this philosophy a hair over the years.

 

[Trueblue25]

Frank Howard’s our best player right now. He’s not our most talented, I’m not saying that. But he’s scoring, and when he’s not scoring he’s finding other players in position to score.

He’s had a few absurdly awe inspiringly bad turnovers, but the strides he’s made since last year are incredible.

Oshae’s game, as a freshman, at the moment is limited and I’m happy getting 10 and 8 from him if it means he’ll be more efficient.

Tyus’ game is not limited. If he learns to expand his game, as Frank’s trying to, we’re top 20 or potentially better.

 

[cusefan88]

He's allowed to look human. He's the kind of guy that I expect a huge bounceback game on Saturday. We should all remember preseason what we thought of the team. They are going to take more lumps in conference play. It's all about learning from the experiences and getting better.

 

[Deano]

For all the folks who say enjoy Battle this year... I ask where he is going? D-league or Europe at best.

Wake isn't even upper echelon and they were able to contain him.

A lot of folks said same thing about Lydon and look what happened with him, just saying.

 

[longislandcuse]

Frank Howard’s our best player right now. He’s not our most talented, I’m not saying that. But he’s scoring, and when he’s not scoring he’s finding other players in position to score.

He’s had a few absurdly awe inspiringly bad turnovers, but the strides he’s made since last year are incredible.

Oshae’s game, as a freshman, at the moment is limited and I’m happy getting 10 and 8 from him if it means he’ll be more efficient.

Tyus’ game is not limited. If he learns to expand his game, as Frank’s trying to, we’re top 20 or potentially better.

Frank has been a beast in our 2 ACC games so far. I agree that he's been our best player lately. Brissett can score and rebound, Tyus scores but is not showing much more floor game besides that... Frank's floor game has been very above average recently.

 

[longislandcuse]

He's allowed to look human. He's the kind of guy that I expect a huge bounceback game on Saturday. We should all remember preseason what we thought of the team. They are going to take more lumps in conference play. It's all about learning from the experiences and getting better.

Probably comes from the fact everyone else on the team that gets minutes has played better than we thought they would and the "1st Round Pick" has been meh given his talent and green light from the coaches on offense.

I expect him to step up and prove this wrong as the season plays out but as of right now I think our best players are Howard and Brissett.

 

[xc84]

A lot of folks said same thing about Lydon and look what happened with him, just saying.

Has played a total of one game / two minutes this year.

 

[CuseFaninVT]

Has played a total of one game / two minutes this year.

Dollars per minute has to be one of the leaders in the NBA so far though.

 

[RF2044]

Here is where our three main players stand in national leaders, for all D1 schools, in minutes per game:
#6: Oshae
#9: Tyus
#12: Frank

When you change this to just P5:
#2: Oshae
#3: Tyus
#4: Frank

Besides our three point shooting, our lack of depth is going to kill us.

We have talent, but you cannot run these guys into the ground like this and not expect bad games. Especially road games in conference.

What happened? Our guys are human beings that are beat up and tired. We're going to lose some games we shouldn't because we just won't hit shots or have any energy.

One thing that stands out blatantly from that breakdown is that two of those three guys are our starting backcourt. And the only viable "replacement" for Oshae is Battle, who already is barely coming out of the game.

In terms of "what happened," I think there were numerous factors. The dominoes started toppling when we went all-in on Quade Green, eschewing other guard prospects like Isaiah Washington who would have bolstered depth. We weren't able to convince Ayala to reclassify. We took a guy like Howard Washington, who could have a nice future here but is a developmental prospect who probably isn't going to contribute much early. To compensate, we sought out and landed a combo guard 5th year transfer who [on paper] would have helped address the backcourt depth issue -- and enabled Battle to spell Brissett if need be.

But at SF, the coaches thought we were going to land a versatile wing in Brandon Randolph, but his recruiting visit didn't go well [putting it mildly]. We didn't recruit Lonnie Walker actively enough. And we lost out on Jordan Tucker at the 11th hour, who is now transferring from Duke after one semester.

Another factor is that Dolezaj, who by all accounts is a helluva player who is going to be a brilliant contributor throughout his career, doesn't offer much perimeter scoring at this stage of his developmental curve -- so he's seeing the majority of his time at the 4 and 5. And of course, if we'd done a more effective job recruiting wings like Randolph / Walker / Tucker, than our depth / shooting situation at the 2 / 3 would be different, and give us a lot more lineup flexibility.

Overall, it seems like a bit of bad luck, compounded by a few key misses on the recruiting trail. Things would probably look entirely different from a depth / minutes distribution standpoint if Tucker had opted for SU. Or if Randolph's recruiting visit hadn't taken a wrong turn. Or if Thorpe hadn't abruptly left the team.

 

[CuseFaninVT]

One thing that stands out blatantly from that breakdown is that two of those three guys are our starting backcourt. And the only viable "replacement" for Oshae is Battle, who already is barely coming out of the game.

In terms of "what happened," I think there were numerous factors. The dominoes started toppling when we went all-in on Quade Green, eschewing other guard prospects like Isaiah Washington who would have bolstered depth. We weren't able to convince Ayala to reclassify. We took a guy like Howard Washington, who could have a nice future here but is a developmental prospect who probably isn't going to contribute much early. To compensate, we sought out and landed a combo guard 5th year transfer who [on paper] would have helped address the backcourt depth issue -- and enabled Battle to spell Brissett if need be.

But at SF, the coaches thought we were going to land a versatile wing in Brandon Randolph, but his recruiting visit didn't go well [putting it mildly]. We didn't recruit Lonnie Walker actively enough. And we lost out on Jordan Tucker who is now transferring from Duke after one semester at the 11th hour.

Another factor is that Dolezaj, who by all accounts is a helluva player who is going to be a brilliant contributor throughout his career, doesn't offer much perimeter scoring at this stage of his developmental curve -- so he's seeing the majority of his time at the 4 and 5. And of course, if we'd done a more effective job recruiting wings like Randolph / Walker / Tucker, than

Overall, it seems like a bit of bad luck, compounded by a few key misses on the recruiting trail. Things would probably look entirely different from a depth / minutes distribution standpoint if Tucker had opted for SU. Or if Randolph's recruiting visit hadn't taken a wrong turn. Or if Thorpe hadn't abruptly left the team.

Great post.

One of the saddest things about Howard Washington is that because so many of our players are 'challenged' on the offensive end, the expectation for him to score is far too high, given his skill set. If Oshae could hit a three with any regularity, and Marek could knock down a mid-ranged jumper, and Moyer could do anything but dunk all by himself, and PC could do anything at all on offense (dunk a lob would be a great start), then Frank could slide to the SG slot, giving Battle a break. I love a pass first PG, but we need scoring, and a pass first PG isn't going to see the floor at SU. Maybe someday, but it will not be this year.

 

[OttoMets]

Here is where our three main players stand in national leaders, for all D1 schools, in minutes per game:
#6: Oshae
#9: Tyus
#12: Frank

When you change this to just P5:
#2: Oshae
#3: Tyus
#4: Frank

Besides our three point shooting, our lack of depth is going to kill us.

We have talent, but you cannot run these guys into the ground like this and not expect bad games. Especially road games in conference.

What happened? Our guys are human beings that are beat up and tired. We're going to lose some games we shouldn't because we just won't hit shots or have any energy.

Pssht! College kids don't need rest.

 

[Deano]

Has played a total of one game / two minutes this year.

That's not my point.

 

[xc84]

Great post.

One of the saddest things about Howard Washington is that because so many of our players are 'challenged' on the offensive end, the expectation for him to score is far too high, given his skill set. If Oshae could hit a three with any regularity, and Marek could knock down a mid-ranged jumper, and Moyer could do anything but dunk all by himself, and PC could do anything at all on offense (dunk a lob would be a great start), then Frank could slide to the SG slot, giving Battle a break. I love a pass first PG, but we need scoring, and a pass first PG isn't going to see the floor at SU. Maybe someday, but it will not be this year.

He does not need to be a "pass-first" but to move the ball around. In the end, passing it around may help HIM get the better shot instead of all the dribble a while and drive stuff.

 

[longislandcuse]

You have to play the cards you're dealt and HW was supposed to be a good shooter coming into college.. He's shook right now but if/when he hits a couple, I think it's reasonable that he can play 5-8 minutes per game as a body and only shoots if he's wide open. I mean, it's not like he's taking shots away from Marius Janulis out there..

He has to play so our guards don't die from exhaustion and that means playing defense, passing the ball along the perimeter and being an outlet who will shoot the ball when wide open.

Beggers can't be choosers, let the kid do basic basketball things for a few minutes per game and don't freak out if he misses a 3 or doesn't adequately defend the 3 because friggin nobody else hits threes or defends them either.

The bigger worry for me is how to get Brissett a breather because a frontcourt of Moyer/Dolezaj/Chukwu has shenanigans written all over it.. basically have to throw the ball at the basket and hope they play volleyball off the backboard for a few minutes while Oshae rests. Ideally HW can at least make a wide open 3 and we can move Battle to the 3 while resting Brissett.

 

[two3zone]

I thought that too if for no other reason than it would have been crazy enough to just maybe work. A 6'9", 6'5", 6'8", 6'8", 7'2" roster on the floor is NBA level size. Marek is quick, but I don't know if he's quick enough for the slides up top.

I said it before this year, I could give a crap about size and length at this point. Hear it every year and we're a middle of the pack ACC tears seemingly every year now.

Give me ballers.

 

[two3zone]

You have to play the cards you're dealt and HW was supposed to be a good shooter coming into college.. He's shook right now but if/when he hits a couple, I think it's reasonable that he can play 5-8 minutes per game as a body and only shoots if he's wide open. I mean, it's not like he's taking shots away from Marius Janulis out there..

He has to play so our guards don't die from exhaustion and that means playing defense, passing the ball along the perimeter and being an outlet who will shoot the ball when wide open.

Beggers can't be choosers, let the kid do basic basketball things for a few minutes per game and don't freak out if he misses a 3 or doesn't adequately defend the 3 because friggin nobody else hits threes or defends them either.

The bigger worry for me is how to get Brissett a breather because a frontcourt of Moyer/Dolezaj/Chukwu has shenanigans written all over it.. basically have to throw the ball at the basket and hope they play volleyball off the backboard for a few minutes while Oshae rests. Ideally HW can at least make a wide open 3 and we can move Battle to the 3 while resting Brissett.

If he isn't capable playing 5 minutes a game his freshman year then we had no business bringing him in.

I personally think he can play 5 minutes a game.

 

[MikeSU02]

Howard Washington, as pathetic as he's played, needs to give Frank and Tyus a few minutes each throughout the game. Even if it's just 2 minutes for each guy, each half. Stop playing every game like it's a National Championship. Same thing with Dolezaj giving a few minutes of rest for Brissett, and not just Moyer and Chukwu. It's not ideal but neither is having your "finishing five" sucking air down the stretch.

Also, Tyus Battle needs to be better. Too many times this year I'd rather have the ball in Brissett's or Howard's hands at crucial times over Tyus trying to go poor man's Kobe out there.

You know a loss stings when it still bothers you the next day... That was a tough one to take, knowing we will likely be a bubble team and let a conference road win just slip away like that.

Totally agree. HW just needs to get these guys a blow here and there or else we'll see a lot of games like Wake where we just run out of steam. HW can play 4-5 minutes.

Same with the bizarro front court of Chukwu, Moyer and Dolezaj - they have to be able to play 3-5 minutes a game together to give Oshae a blow.

We keep running like we are, besides tired guys, we're going to get injuries. It will happen and we'll be playing walk-ons.

 

[xc84]

I said it before this year, I could give a crap about size and length at this point.

That's what she said?

 

[Fly Rodder]

I said it before this year, I could give a crap about size and length at this point. Hear it every year and we're a middle of the pack ACC tears seemingly every year now.

Give me ballers.

I don't disagree, but I have zero reason to suspect that JAB wants Washington anywhere near ACC minutes. Marek can stand at the top of the key and pass the ball back and forth with Frank until there's 10 seconds on the shot clock just as well. Plus he brings a little more reach to the top of zone. My thought was only for that point in the game with Tyus on the bench... I don't think it is a realistic option as a strategy.