Virginia Postgame

[IthacaMatt]

We lack basketball talent. We have no good ball handlers, we have limited quickness, we can't shoot, we can't post. What basketball skill are we so talented at?

I'm sorry, but you're not being objective.

Nait George was the All-ACC point guard last year for Georgia Tech, not a great team.
The reason he is not doing well is because of the system, not the player.

Will Kyle is in the Top 5 in the country in blocked shots. Is that not talent?

JJ is a very good dribbler for a 2nd guard, and sometimes flies past the defense all the way to the hoop with his dribble.

Kingz is starting to make his threes. Betsey is a good shooter, too.

Soare is a pretty good defensive back-up center, especially when you consider that we've had to play string bean PFs at center many times in the last several years.

 

[OmahaCuse]

Why not give the AUS PG some run, he is a playmaker and passes the ball. Is it impossible to play White and Freeman together? White needs to play more he gives energy

 

[kcsu]

I don't agree with that. Toughness is missing. Execution is inconsistent. Effort is inconsistent.
That's not a talent deficit. That's team culture, and that starts with the head coach.
You don't see top teams quit on a game as often as our guys have done this past couple years.

Great post, you nailed it

 

[baggerbob]

I'm sorry, but you're not being objective.

Nait George was the All-ACC point guard last year for Georgia Tech, not a great team.
The reason he is not doing well is because of the system, not the player.

Will Kyle is in the Top 5 in the country in blocked shots. Is that not talent?

JJ is a very good dribbler for a 2nd guard, and sometimes flies past the defense all the way to the hoop with his dribble.

Kingz is starting to make his threes. Betsey is a good shooter, too.

Soare is a pretty good defensive back-up center, especially when you consider that we've had to play string bean PFs at center many times in the last several years.

On a team with Flynn, Devo and Rautins, JJ would have been a DNP almost every game.
He never should have been a starter on any good teams. And that's why this program has gone so far downhill. Because JJ is a starter and getting 30 minutes a game.

 

[Cusefan0307]

On a team with Flynn, Devo and Rautins, JJ would have been a DNP almost every game.
He never should have been a starter on any good teams. And that's why this program has gone so far downhill. Because JJ is a starter and getting 30 minutes a game.

He probably doesn’t play on any team from 08-13. The only team he starts on is any in the last 3 years.

 

[RF2044]

I don't agree with that. Toughness is missing. Execution is inconsistent. Effort is inconsistent.
That's not a talent deficit. That's team culture, and that starts with the head coach.
You don't see top teams quit on a game as often as our guys have done this past couple years.

Scathing.

But accurate.

 

[IthacaMatt]

He probably doesn’t play on any team from 08-13. The only team he starts on is any in the last 3 years.

He hasn't panned out, but as a McDonald's AA, he would have gotten run on those teams. Maybe not more than 10 minutes, but you don't keep getting Mickey Dee's by not playing them.

 

[Cstate]

On a team with Flynn, Devo and Rautins, JJ would have been a DNP almost every game.
He never should have been a starter on any good teams. And that's why this program has gone so far downhill. Because JJ is a starter and getting 30 minutes a game.

1 million % correct! These statistics absolutely cannot be from your 3 year starting “shooting” guard!!!! With the latest example being that line drive rocket from the corner against Virginia. That shot had a negative probability of ever going in.

 

[IthacaMatt]

1 million % correct! These statistics absolutely cannot be from your 3 year starting “shooting” guard!!!! With the latest example being that line drive rocket from the corner against Virginia. That shot had a negative probability of ever going in.

Yes, he has never turned into a decent 3 point shooter. He has had a shoulder injury and then a hand injury, and never really got his shot back together.

He has value, but he's not a good enough PG, and he's not a good enough shooter to be your shooting guard. He is a useful piece on a good team, but he is a flawed player in a couple respects. I do think JJ works hard on his game, and I do respect the role he has played this season.

It's not his fault that Donnie, Kiyan, Sadiq, and Nait George haven't had especially good seasons.

And before you say how great Donnie is, he missed 9 games that put a big hole in our season - again. And he just doesn't play up to the level of his talent. He coasts in games too much.

 

[bigmike]

Devo said on the radio this past week that the teams he was on would be fighting at practice regularly- that’s how competitive they and the practices were. I cannot picture this team doing that.

 

[IthacaMatt]

Devo said on the radio this past week that the teams he was on would be fighting at practice regularly- that’s how competitive they and the practices were. I cannot picture this team doing that.

I said a while ago that it wouldn't be bad for Donnie to get in a fight.
Anybody remember that?

 

[RCDICK44]

He plays in slow motion. He needs Marines boot camp.
He needs to dribble a ball for a couple hours a day, while he walking around from place to place in his everyday life.

When I was at that basketball playing age, I used to play pickup games on the South Side and in the Valley. I would dribble the ball as we walked many blocks to the court where we were going to play. I dribbled sitting on the curb, practicing close, fast dribbling with just my fingertips. You have to have the ball in your hands all the time, not just shooting, not just practicing your offensive moves. The ball needs to become an extension of your hand.

He just doesn't have that feel for his dribble. He gets the ball taken from him almost every time he drives the lane. It's just a question of whether the ref is going to bail him out with a call.

Semper Fi Marine

 

[IthacaMatt]

Semper Fi Marine

My dad served from 1952-1956. Staff Sergeant and MP.

 

[DaCuse]

I'm sorry, but you're not being objective.

Nait George was the All-ACC point guard last year for Georgia Tech, not a great team.
The reason he is not doing well is because of the system, not the player.

Will Kyle is in the Top 5 in the country in blocked shots. Is that not talent?

JJ is a very good dribbler for a 2nd guard, and sometimes flies past the defense all the way to the hoop with his dribble.

Kingz is starting to make his threes. Betsey is a good shooter, too.

Soare is a pretty good defensive back-up center, especially when you consider that we've had to play string bean PFs at center many times in the last several years.

The goal of basketball is not individual accolades. You are who your record says you are! This team is not talented.

 

[bigmike]

I said a while ago that it wouldn't be bad for Donnie to get in a fight.
Anybody remember that?

Not me. As far as fighters go, I guess you either are one or you are not.

 

[baggerbob]

Yes, he has never turned into a decent 3 point shooter. He has had a shoulder injury and then a hand injury, and never really got his shot back together.

He has value, but he's not a good enough PG, and he's not a good enough shooter to be your shooting guard. He is a useful piece on a good team, but he is a flawed player in a couple respects. I do think JJ works hard on his game, and I do respect the role he has played this season.

It's not his fault that Donnie, Kiyan, Sadiq, and Nait George haven't had especially good seasons.

And before you say how great Donnie is, he missed 9 games that put a big hole in our season - again. And he just doesn't play up to the level of his talent. He coasts in games too much.

Look I have said a lot of times JJ appears to be a great Person, but he is a big reason why this program has fallen through the floor
and hasn't bottomed out yet.

 

[Bulldog04]

Devo said on the radio this past week that the teams he was on would be fighting at practice regularly- that’s how competitive they and the practices were. I cannot picture this team doing that.

They don’t. I’ve been there. There’s energy and competitiveness, but it’s nothing like it used to be

 

[ManleyRocks]

They don’t. I’ve been there. There’s energy and competitiveness, but it’s nothing like it used to be

I was in Durham at grad school during the Christian Laetrner, Bobby Hurley, Grant Hill and Brian Davis years. The practices per the stories were particularly brutal Roman gladiator affairs. Coach K per one story came after Laettner one day and lifted him off the ground and body slammed him against a locker to make his point. Like those teams or not, they were undeniably tough and winners.

 

[IthacaMatt]

The goal of basketball is not individual accolades. You are who your record says you are! This team is not talented.

Disconnect - not winning games means this is not a very good TEAM.
It says nothing at all about talent.

It's about whether they play well enough together to win games. They don't.

 

[IthacaMatt]

Look I have said a lot of times JJ appears to be a great Person, but he is a big reason why this program has fallen through the floor
and hasn't bottomed out yet.

JJ's the problem and not the coach ???
Jesus, Bob, how much have you been drinking tonight?

 

[DaCuse]

Disconnect - not winning games means this is not a very good TEAM.
It says nothing at all about talent.

It's about whether they play well enough together to win games. They don't.

You’re right. Sorry, one too many gummies tonight

 

[IthacaMatt]

Not me. As far as fighters go, I guess you either are one or you are not.

Great teams have a guy like Derrick Coleman or Kenyon Martin, or some other physical presence as an enforcer - who also happens to be good at basketball. You need someone with a bit of a mean streak to win championships. Basketball is about imposing your will on the other team.

 

[STEVEHOLT]

Disconnect - not winning games means this is not a very good TEAM.
It says nothing at all about talent.

It's about whether they play well enough together to win games. They don't.

The talent and the coaching are lacking.

How many big time teams have zero inside presence ? Sure most teams are perimeter oriented, but you can’t have a front line of 6-6-6-9 string beans and expect to compete at the highest level.

Freeman is a skilled player with height but no strength .

Kyle is an undersized 5 with great athleticism but no actual basketball skill

Kings is a shooter who can’t create a shot

JJ is….JJ is…I don’t know what he is . He’s the most difficulty to characterize player of recent
memory.

George is a slow footed pg with mediocre handle and shooting

White is seriously over ranked running and jumping athlete without skill

Anthony is the converse of white

The team is the proverbial island of misfit toys

The coach is a net negative.

But I’m not buying the hype that this is a tourney team with even a decent coach