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Message: [QUOTE="RF2044, post: 1437734, member: 40"] Quick summary: it was fun to follow this team the last couple of weeks, and to watch them in "Orange" again. However, the team had some limitations that were exploited last night. For one thing, the other team had younger legs. It sounds crazy, but these were two very good teams--yes, they played a little bit slower than the college game, but this was a high quality match up, with great players on both ends. Comparable to a high-end college game [just a tad slower / less athletic, if that makes sense]. What surprised me was how much guys like Hakim Warrick had lost a step. Don't get me wrong--he can still play. But there was a lot of standing around after missed shots, etc. And our movement in the zone was what you'd expect from older guys, so there were a lot of offensive rebounds we gave up just due to them having a bit more of a bounce in their step while our guys watched the ball come down. Our younger guys were players like Keita and Rick Jackson, who are both still playing professional ball. And it showed--those guys were in great shape and could run. But the majority of our guys looked a bit slower than the competition. Secondly, we were a big team with lots of size, but the main emphasis was on the slow down, half court game. Makes sense, when you have Hakim Warrick, Jackson, Terrance Roberts, etc. But this city of gods team was just as big, and they made it tough for us to overpower them with size like we probably did against many / most other opponents in this tournament. Third, we kind of had an "off" offensive night, so we resorted to too much ill-advised one-on-one forcing. The announcers commented on this late--Warrick in particular forced some bad shots where he tried to back in from 10 into double and triple teams. Hakim Warrick from 4 years ago might have been able to do that stuff. Hakim Warrick today couldn't take over like that anymore and finish over people, in particular that guy from GW who also has spent time in the NBA recently. Lastly, it looked like the main offensive weapons for this team were Warrick, Nichols, and Devendorf. All three of them struggled. Tough to win when your top three guys can't put it in the ocean. Warrick forced all game long. He had his moments, but it just wasn't vintage Hakim. Devendorf was quiet most of the game, until a big flurry of shots at the end which vaulted him to about 13 points [I'd estimate that 8-10 of those came in the last 7 minutes of the game]. They made it a point of emphasis to guard Devo closely, and he spent the majority of the game unable to shake his man. Nichols led the team with close to 18ppg average in the tournament, but couldn't get on track. I think he finished with 6 or 7 points, and missed a WIDE OPEN three with 9 seconds to play that would have sent the game to overtime. Despite all that, we were right there with them. If any of the guys mentioned above hits a few shots, we probably win. Too bad--because as many have pointed out, the other team's coach was a grandiose of the highest magnitude, and I would have like to see our players win the prize money. So, while this team was an interesting experiment, it is clear that if they try again next year, the team needs to get a little bit younger, a little bit faster, and have improved guard play / depth. A kid like James Southerland would have gone a LONG way toward shoring up some of the teams deficiencies--in terms of both shooting and athleticism. Flynn, Triche, Rautins -- guys like these presumably would help stock a backcourt that was pretty limited. Harold Deane was terrific, but there was nobody behind him to run the point, and it showed when he went out of the game. Plus, he was 35, and he got tired too. Meanwhile, the other team had a backcourt filled with 20-something shooters who were lighting it up from deep. We need to make those guys run around more defensively so that they have tired legs. Too bad, but it was nice to see those players suit up again. Summer Syracuse basketball was a cool treat to enjoy. [/QUOTE]

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