What has Benny done to deserve...

[pearl31]

I simply disagree with this as do many posters...as did the the officer scorer, btw.

Buddy needed to get the ball up to the taller player.

Yep it was a bad pass by Buddy and I laughed loudly when I saw JB immediately motion to the bench, knowing that he was going to sub Benny out

 

[br801]

Much better defensively. Jimmy cannot cover, nor rebound with power 5 competition. Like previously mentioned, the other 4 can score. 11-11 with this great offense isn’t where we want to be

If Benny could be a rebounding difference maker at this level right now, he would have shown it in the 200+ minutes he's played to date. Instead, his rebounds per 40 minutes are similar to what Buddy and Symir are pulling down.

 

[TrickySU]

I simply disagree with this as do many posters...as did the the officer scorer, btw.

Buddy needed to get the ball up to the taller player.

Benny was looking for a lob. Buddy was expecting him to seal. I will agree that if he gets it up then Benny probably goes up and gets it, but the better and more fundamental basketball play from Benny is to seal. I understand the sentiment of a lob. Looking back I think the pass was too late for a lob which is why Buddy was looking for more of a seal. Benny took a fine angle for a lob, but because he was going away from the ball it allowed the defender to get in front.

 

[pearl31]

Benny was looking for a lob. Buddy was expecting him to seal. I will agree that if he gets it up then Benny probably goes up and gets it, but the better and more fundamental basketball play from Benny is to seal. I understand the sentiment of a lob. Looking back I think the pass was too late for a lob which is why Buddy was looking for more of a seal. Benny took a fine angle for a lob, but because he was going away from the ball it allowed the defender to get in front.

eh Buddy made a pas that just wasn't there, plain and simple, esp for a veteran "savvy" player like him - and it sucked doubly because it was a nice confidence-building opportunity wasted

 

[TrickySU]

If he was slow, it was because nobody knows where to go when Buddy goes in to back down mode. It is the wild west out there when that happens. Do you clear out and let Buddy try to get to the basket? Do you cut? When Buddy gets the ball like that, he is in black hole mode for the most part. He passes out of it only when he has to. It's fine, because he does pretty well like that, but Benny didn't do anything wrong.

I agree. My counter would be that Benny was in perfect position for an offensive rebound if he seals the defender. So he either catches a pass or gets the rebound. My main qualm with the play is it's a pattern of positioning that could be better for Benny. I get his idea was it would be a lob. I just want to see better positioning overall.

 

[UpstateSM]

The senior guard involved in the play made a stupid pass not much more to it

 

[orangefog]

I agree. My counter would be that Benny was in perfect position for an offensive rebound if he seals the defender. So he either catches a pass or gets the rebound. My main qualm with the play is it's a pattern of positioning that could be better for Benny. I get his idea was it would be a lob. I just want to see better positioning overall.

Of course, my argument would be that increased playing time would help Benny to position himself better. He looks scared out there. Scared of being pulled, because he knows as soon as he makes a mistake, even if it isn't his fault, he is getting pulled. If he knew he was getting a few minutes out there, and he felt the confidence of his teammates and his coaches, he would settle down and start doing the things that got him 5 stars.

 

[CuseFaninVT]

As expected after JB's comments last Thursday, Benny played more minutes against Wake Forest, and he looked as good as we've seen. That was a game I would say he showed why he can deserve minutes as opposed to just the potential of it. He was active on defense, in better spots, attacked the rim on defense, and positioned himself in better positions for rebounds. He still missed a couple rebounds because he was in bad spots. He actually could get a lot of easy baskets if he was in better positions on the offensive glass.

Last night still showed improvement but also showed more work to be done.

He set a great screen to set up Buddy for a three. Even motioned for Buddy to get in a good position for it. That was excellent. Shows he's understanding the offense better. That's from practice and film.

The tip on defense was good. Shows his athleticism of course.

Footwork is still a problem on defense, but he's getting better. Positioning same thing. Gave up an open three because he got caught too far inside. Still needs to attack the glass better too.

I would've like to see him kick the ball out to an open Girard instead of taking the turnaround fade away jump shot once Joe's man helped to stop the drive, but I like that he was in attack mode and more confident. I'd love for him to set up at the mid post, seal his guy, call for the ball, and then swing through to attack the rim. He can use that athleticism to his advantage.

Then ultimately what got him taken out of the game was a hesitant, weak cut to a bad position where he didn't hold off a smaller defender and let the ball get tipped away. Right idea to an extent, but bad execution. These are things he will get better at with time. I have no doubt the coaching staff is working with him on these things. I'm encouraged by comments from the coaches that he's starting to get it more in practice. You can see it in these last two games. But you can also see where he needs work. And that's what the coaches see every day in practice. If he keeps making the improvement there, we will see it in games. And he can be very fun to watch next season.

You were doing so well until that last paragraph. That turnover was 100% on Buddy.

 

[TrickySU]

If Benny puts his butt into #10 and holds him off it's an easy pass. That's my only point. Buddy could've lobbed it, but once he decided not to, you could tell he realized the angle was going to be bad and it wasn't going to work, but he was already in the air. I'm not exonerating Buddy here. I'm just saying Benny could've made things easier with what in my opinion is generally a better fundamentally sound basketball play.

 

[TrickySU]

You were doing so well until that last paragraph. That turnover was 100% on Buddy.

Do I at least get a like for doing so well on 95% of what I said?

 

[orangefog]

View attachment 213508If Benny puts his butt into #10 and holds him off it's an easy pass. That's my only point. Buddy could've lobbed it, but once he decided not to, you could tell he realized the angle was going to be bad and it wasn't going to work, but he was already in the air. I'm not exonerating Buddy here. I'm just saying Benny could've made things easier with what in my opinion is generally a better fundamentally sound basketball play.

So you want Benny to slow down so that he can seal the defender that he has beat? Benny has a step, all his momentum has him on the clear path to the basket. A timely pass there is a confidence building dunk and possibly a three point play.

 

[djcon57]

View attachment 213508If Benny puts his butt into #10 and holds him off it's an easy pass. That's my only point. Buddy could've lobbed it, but once he decided not to, you could tell he realized the angle was going to be bad and it wasn't going to work, but he was already in the air. I'm not exonerating Buddy here. I'm just saying Benny could've made things easier with what in my opinion is generally a better fundamentally sound basketball play.

You think posting that pic helped your argument?

look at where Benny is standing and the hoop.

also, post the next frame and where Buddy actually passed the ball

(fwiw, no malice in my comments, didn’t want to come off mean. Thanks for posting the pic)

 

[orangefog]

View attachment 213508If Benny puts his butt into #10 and holds him off it's an easy pass. That's my only point. Buddy could've lobbed it, but once he decided not to, you could tell he realized the angle was going to be bad and it wasn't going to work, but he was already in the air. I'm not exonerating Buddy here. I'm just saying Benny could've made things easier with what in my opinion is generally a better fundamentally sound basketball play.

This is actually a great shot to show Buddy. He had options. He has to think and see things faster. He drew three defenders, Pippy and the Raggedy Andy twins. He could have kicked it to a hot Cole or fed it down to Benny. I love Buddy, he has a lot of strengths, but he doesn't see things like a guard. Marek saw things like a guard, he would have had that ball out right on time to either Cole or Benny. Definitely something for Buddy to work on, but I am not sure that is anything that can be taught. He is going to get double and triple teamed, he has to see it coming and get rid of it. It looks like Jimmy is setting a pick for Joe (Joe looks like he is half assing it), but one of them would have been wide open after that pick too.

 

[TrickySU]

So you want Benny to slow down so that he can seal the defender that he has beat? Benny has a step, all his momentum has him on the clear path to the basket. A timely pass there is a confidence building dunk and possibly a three point play.

I agree on the timely pass part. The problem was the ball was tipped from behind so it threw the timing off. Buddy had to collect the ball then jump up on two feet before he made the pass instead of making a fluid lob. In the end, Benny was looking for a lob. Buddy's timing was bad which led him to look more for a seal, but Benny's momentum was already making hit hard for where he was going. I agree the lob for a slam would be better. I'm just saying if the timing doesn't work out, now you don't get anything. Like I said, Buddy could've played it better. I just think Benny could have too. Either way no use arguing over whose fault it was when it was both were on different pages.

 

[orangefog]

I agree on the timely pass part. The problem was the ball was tipped from behind so it threw the timing off. Buddy had to collect the ball then jump up on two feet before he made the pass instead of making a fluid lob. In the end, Benny was looking for a lob. Buddy's timing was bad which led him to look more for a seal, but Benny's momentum was already making hit hard for where he was going. I agree the lob for a slam would be better. I'm just saying if the timing doesn't work out, now you don't get anything. Like I said, Buddy could've played it better. I just think Benny could have too. Either way no use arguing over whose fault it was when it was both were on different pages.

Ok, I can agree with that. But, you would expect the senior to make better decisions than the freshman. Benny got pulled and yelled at because of a bad decision by Buddy. I hope what JB was forcefully saying to Benny is "That was a great cut, but you have to consider that maybe the ball will get poked away from Buddy and if you see that, make sure you stop and seal the defender that was way behind you, so that you don't make my son look bad."

 

[TrickySU]

You think posting that pic helped your argument?

look at where Benny is standing and the hoop.

also, post the next frame and where Buddy actually passed the ball

(fwiw, no malice in my comments, didn’t want to come off mean. Thanks for posting the pic)

I completely get it. All good discussion. Like I said, the lob for a dunk is the best result. I didn't read Benny's intentions well the first watch through. Then on second watch I notice that he took the angle he did because he had a lob in mind. I think I even said in the original breakthrough that the cut was the right idea. Thought he meant to cut across to the open space on the right side of the hoop and generally you would want to take a better angle. That's where those comments came from. And I was just trying to make a broader point where I think Benny could be really effective and posting and sealing his defender to get better positioning. Hopefully that's a better point than whether it was Buddy's fault or Benny's. Because obviously the pass should've been better either way no matter who was more at fault.

 

[TrickySU]

Ok, I can agree with that. But, you would expect the senior to make better decisions than the freshman. Benny got pulled and yelled at because of a bad decision by Buddy. I hope what JB was forcefully saying to Benny is "That was a great cut, but you have to consider that maybe the ball will get poked away from Buddy and if you see that, make sure you stop and seal the defender that was way behind you, so that you don't make my son look bad."

Yeah absolutely agree. That was when Jimmy was at the 5 too with both Benny and Cole also in, so I'm guessing it just also served as a good excuse to get Frank back in the game and Jimmy and Cole were playing well, so it was Benny that was going to come out. I'm hopeful all these moments are learning moments for Benny even if it wasn't completely his fault.

 

[grepal]

Benny just needs to keep playing as hard as he can when he gets his chances. In a couple of years he may very well be "The Man" the offense revolves around. Hard to imagine that from what we see now but no one should deny the raw athleticism.

 

[Alsacs]

This thread just shows how much the fanbase is yearning for a great team.
We care. A portion of the fanbase thinks everything is fine and it is what is and others see the status quo as unacceptable.

 

[orangefog]

Yeah absolutely agree. That was when Jimmy was at the 5 too with both Benny and Cole also in, so I'm guessing it just also served as a good excuse to get Frank back in the game and Jimmy and Cole were playing well, so it was Benny that was going to come out. I'm hopeful all these moments are learning moments for Benny even if it wasn't completely his fault.

That snap shot shows what a weapon Buddy has become. He can create a lot of opportunities for the other players. But, he has to identify these opportunities faster. When watching at game speed, it is hard to see all that is going on, so I certainly don't blame Buddy for not spotting everything. But, if he studies the film he is smart enough to realize that he needs to see where the extra defenders are coming from and figure out a way to get the pass to one of the open men.

 

[richard224]

Benny on the court is the only thing that gets me up for this team at this point. Clearly not a yankable turnover but his shift was almost over anyway. Cole/Jimmy 35+ mins is laughable. Maybe im just trying to find a sliver of hope somewhere.

 

[djcon57]

I completely get it. All good discussion. Like I said, the lob for a dunk is the best result. I didn't read Benny's intentions well the first watch through. Then on second watch I notice that he took the angle he did because he had a lob in mind. I think I even said in the original breakthrough that the cut was the right idea. Thought he meant to cut across to the open space on the right side of the hoop and generally you would want to take a better angle. That's where those comments came from. And I was just trying to make a broader point where I think Benny could be really effective and posting and sealing his defender to get better positioning. Hopefully that's a better point than whether it was Buddy's fault or Benny's. Because obviously the pass should've been better either way no matter who was more at fault.

Absolutely valid points across the board. I think my only add on is that it’s being used as a reason for Jb to take him out of the game. That’s crap,imo.

 

[Zelda Zonk]

I try to avoid being critical of players, and especially of freshmen, but Benny has me confounded. I just don't understand.

I think i saw some impressive high school reel stuff—which i have learned to dismiss—but, he seemed to do so many things well. But, with us, it doesn't seem like—as an announcer said last night—it's a matter of moving up to the next level. He just doesn't do much especially well, except weak-side blocks...

He has a move that he tries with consistency, where it's a few dribbles, he ends up in at the FT line, he pulls up for a jumper... and then things get ugly. 1) the jumper is late on the release, and super flat; 2) that's if he manages to even get it off. Seems like he gets it blocked or so tightly contested that it alters his form and he misses badly. I'm kinda feeling like he's just so mechanical and predictable that defenders don't find it hard to contest whatever he's trying to do. But, at the same time, he's not awkward or uncoordinated, and it doesn't look 'slow' or anything. It's just weird.

And in other facets of the game... i dunno about positioning in the zone. Everyone always looks out of place, so it's tough for me to single him out, but, we don't get much out of him. There was one positive play in the previous game, where i thought it was a kicked ball, but i guess the player through it into his foot? And he ended up with a steal? I think the people here who really, really, really want to see increased Benny minutes were thrilled about that, but it didn't strike me as being so significant.

We all want him to succeed. Even just a few games ago, i suggested he's very close to having it all just 'click,' and we'd have the player we expected. But, the further it goes, the more it seems like just wishful thinking. It's hard to think we were so wrong. Not that i'm giving up, but the way things are going, he might just give up on the situation at Syracuse. I realize he said semi-recently that a transfer is not in his thinking, but things change, the relationships change, and other opportunities 'present' themselves. So, who knows. I'm kinda wondering what are the differences between Benny and Matthew Moyer.

 

[Jake]

You think posting that pic helped your argument?

look at where Benny is standing and the hoop.

also, post the next frame and where Buddy actually passed the ball

(fwiw, no malice in my comments, didn’t want to come off mean. Thanks for posting the pic)

The problem is, it’s not the fault of either one. They simply don’t have enough playing time together. This turnover is the kind you make in the non conference season where everyone is getting a feel for how other players react in game situations with real defenders.

Next time Buddy will have confidence in Benny’s cut and the ball will be delivered sooner and Benny won’t have to “compete” as much to receive.

It’s not anyone fault, but more minutes = better court communication = better results.

 

[CuseFaninVT]

Benny was looking for a lob. Buddy was expecting him to seal. I will agree that if he gets it up then Benny probably goes up and gets it, but the better and more fundamental basketball play from Benny is to seal. I understand the sentiment of a lob. Looking back I think the pass was too late for a lob which is why Buddy was looking for more of a seal. Benny took a fine angle for a lob, but because he was going away from the ball it allowed the defender to get in front.

How can it be too late for a lob? Sealing the defender takes far more time than a lob would this makes no sense.

Edit - nevermind, I see this has been debated enough