FIFY
2 Likes
I would have liked to have seen a burst in the early part of the second half. It is understandable that as the bench is emptied the team would get sloppy and less productive, but coming out of the half I would like to have seen a continuation of the first half for the first 8-10 minutes.
Not really a negative, but maintaining focus and consistency has been a hallmark of our best teams.
I think the biggest positive is just guys getting experience playing together. The biggest negative is that one of the guys we expected to be a starter is looking like he may be green team only. Maybe he’ll adapt as the season goes on but it’s going to be hard to get Minor floor time in competitive games. The flip side of that is that I love seeing Buchanan get the minutes for his development.
It’s not about running about the score. It’s about making sure opponents can’t come back. We don’t do that in practice (which I equate to games like last night’s against NC A&T) so we can’t do it in games that matter.
1 Like
My Bond takes are a watch in progress. He is far from smooth WITH the ball but his knack for the ball finding him is real. His energy of course is awesome and he is always in motion
I feel like he IS what this team has been missing since 2019
I asked TB once what we could expect from Sam Hauser (was an alumni zoom call) Tony quickly said “Sam is very sure of what he is as a basketball player”. I kind of think Leon is almost the opposite but has the ability to be lots of things as a basketball player depending on situations
13 Likes
WANT
So what you are saying is that we tend to coast in the second half of games, even really really big ones? That seems… bizarre
I feel like Minor and Rohde are the players currently the most in their own heads. Hopefully that’ll improve over the season as they get more comfortable. Perhaps related, sort of weird Buchanan only played 15 minutes.
1 Like
Reece definitely has more confidence in his 3 ball … still not hitting the mid-range like I hoped but the rest of his game is really filling in now.
3 Likes
Did I mention I love Rohdes mid game…
6 Likes
Tend to agree with this. I expected more from Rohde at this point but I’m not necessarily disappointed with what I’ve seen from him so far. He has honestly played pretty well each game, he just hasn’t had as much of an impact as others. Thankfully, McKneely seems to have really stepped up his game, so I’m not sure we necessarily need Rohde to take 15-20 shots per game.
Rohde’s defense has definitely been better than most of us expected and his shot selection has massively improved from last year. Shooting sample size is still too small but I’m confident he will be a capable shooter over time.
Only disappointment has been that he doesn’t look like a legit PG1 option. He can play it in spots but isn’t an every play PG. Still a very valuable skillset for his size.
3 Likes
I think Rhode will have a learning curve and take time to adjust to ACC play. I think he’s played well, but not overly impressed by what I’ve seen (not super bummed either). I would like to see him play as much as possible in OOC because not sure how he will play against faster, more athletic and skilled ACC players…
2 Likes
I am impressed with Rohde’s defense and movement. He does not seem to have the ability/strength/quicks to take his man off the dribble but he does know how to find space for his shot and he will look to take advantage of a smaller guard down low. Right now, he is not quite a replacement for Franklin at the 2 but he can get there I think over time.
2 Likes
Averaging 30mpg with two semi throw away games. Coaches are sold on him I think
5 Likes
I think this was good actually. Limit his minutes against weaker competition and let Minor build some confidence. He needs a rest after carrying the entire team on Friday night haha
11 Likes
Agreed. I fully expected him to get limited minutes in this one so Minor could get some run.
1 Like
It was encouraging to see him hold his own so well defensively against Florida’s athletic guards. And honestly, Tarleton State has better athletes than a few ACC teams oddly enough. As long as he can hold his own defensively and continue to be a good passer then he’s still providing value while his offense comes around.
I’m biased as president of the Rohde fan club but feel like it’s going to click offensively for him at some point this season.
8 Likes
If IMac is going to miss time on his ankle, then it needs to click soon, very soon.
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Yeah he would fit right in an 35 and under league right now
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(the following comment might be misconstrued as negative. It’s not. This comment is very positive and loves the Hoos and loves Tony. Without further ado…)
I wouldn’t say I’m really disappointed in Rohde. He’s clearly doing all the things that staff wants him to do to be an iron man. And while the shooting numbers are not awesome so far, he looks like he’s got “it” when he shoots.
The problem isn’t necessarily a Rohde problem (or purely a Rohde problem), but our 2 and 3 spots aren’t putting much of any pressure on the rim, and if I’m being honest, our 1s aren’t putting as much pressure on the rim as I was hoping for, if we are going to be a very good offensive team. And further, we are not really running stuff that is designed to put a lot of pressure on the rim. Maybe it’s moot if Blake the Snake keeps scoring well or if RD gets it going going (2 goins) to the rim. I keep hoping there’s another turn coming on offense, and there may be… (Groves is okay going to the rim, though, right? That guy, man… Was pretty meh about his commitment, but he can hoop…)
To be fair, I think someone said it earlier today or last night or whatever, we have some ways of getting easy buckets that we typically don’t rely on. Maybe stats would disprove this, or will disprove this, but my vibes tell me we are getting more live ball turnovers and maybe points off of those turnovers, and maybe even more ORs than we have recently? C’mon vibes.
5 Likes
While we want Rhode to round out this year, he’s not a 1 year rental. You would assume he’ll make a jump between this year and next…
6 Likes