This is what I needed on a non-game night! Fresh is right- I am just wondering what Taine could do with 30 mins a night. Love his toughness which I think is missing from this years team heading into ACC play. Maybe someone emerges as the “Fire Guy”. Papi was that guy for a while. We had multiple when I played but it was a different era. Crotty was him- a tough guy AND a great player. Great competitor, great teammate, and great person.
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I get your point about toughness, and I think we are missing it to some degree. Are you approaching this as, “We should see if Taine is able to fill Rohde’s role as well or better, with the added beneft of toughness?” Or are you thinking more, “If we can extrapilate what he might be able to do with 30+ minutes, and use him in a smaller role that is effective and uses his toughness?”
Just seems like two ways of thinking about the same issue, which, as you said, is toughness.
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Total extrapolation. Lot of extrapolation going on.
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This discussion may have run its course. Just want Taine to get a real shot as I think he can help off the bench. He is my spirit animal.
Starting a new LRA Forum thread I am titling “Politics and Religion” where we can politely discuss abortion, securing the border, and election law. Join me for a whimsical yet factual journey.
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One more important point to make. I inadvertantly spelled “extrapolation” incorrectly, which is inexcusable for a UVA grad!
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Can we discuss Kihei though? I have some thoughts Ive held in that I want to air out.
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Taine is an example of a kid I wish redshirted, in hindsight. Problem was we thought we had a need for him immediately and he wasn’t ready. Maybe the outcome is the same either way, but I just feel like his skill took a step back after sitting on the bench his freshman year. His handle and shot regressed from when he stepped foot on grounds.
I do agee that it’s too late in his career and there are too many guys in front of him for things to change materially. There will be games where we’ll need him to step up but probably more games where he won’t play a meaningful minute.
Would have been difficult since he didn’t play his last year of high school either. Mostly sat the bench for an Australia Pro team. Would have been better off playing that year in the New Zealand league again.
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Redshirting: A political and religious perspective. The most cursed thread in LRA history, by @haney
Gonna miss the game this evening again … traveling… make your own hot takes
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What could possibly go wrong
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Theres a reason why Tony plays Rohde the most minutes on the team and Taine is the 9th man in the rotation.
I know Tony is not infallible but this really isnt that complicated if you’re not focused on extremely small sample sizes.
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Too hot a topic for the board
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It doesn’t surprise me at all that Taine is a fan favorite because he seems like a great kid, but it does surprise me that there’s a groundswell that there’s a big role for him on the team.
His biggest problem is his lack of quickness/change of direction and he just isn’t the defender, ball handler, or passer of players getting the time that would otherwise go to him. Specifically, McKneely and Rohde are better in almost all of the ways (you’d take Taine over Rohde in a stationary 3-pt shooting contest but, otherwise…) and then when you want to up the defense or athleticism over McKneely or Rohde you’d turn to Gertrude or Bond.
Assuming (and hoping, knock on wood) team health, there is probably a niche role for Taine where McKneely is exhausted (Rohde can basically play 40, when needed) and you need to keep stretching the defense and/or get back in a game relatively quickly… or maybe if one of the two is incredibly cold and playing poorly in the same scenario, but I fully agree with how he’s being utilized - not as a core part of the rotation in competitive games.
The Iowa game was a bit of an anomaly - he was playing the stretch 4 that game which is not a role he should be playing on a competitive team. They wanted to but couldn’t give him more run that season at 3 (and eventually 4) because of his defense. If you put this year’s Taine on that roster, I believe he’d have been a fine sub at the three because his defense, while not great, is better than it was; but McKneely and Rodhe are considerably better, and much more complete players, IMO, and both Gertrude and Bond offer things he cannot (and have more upside).
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Off topic here, but no other logical place to put it. It seems like in general we are looking past North Carolina Central. That may be the correct approach and we blow them out by 30. BUT we only beat them by 2 points in last season’s opener and had to really play to win the game. Both teams are largely new, but what isn’t new is coaching. Their coach is in his 15th season and has earned every conference accolade several times over. I think every UVA fan is aware of the significance of good coaching, so it seems like we should respect that. We are a much different team – thank God – than last year, but there have been some inexplicable losses by P5 teams to mid majors this season, and I don’t want us to be one.
We won by 12 points last year, but I get your point. If you’re looking for a team of this caliber that “could” give us a scare, this NC Central team doesn’t fit that profile. They don’t shoot the 3 well and they’re undersized, play mostly 4 guards and a forward.
No win is a gimmie though!
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Teaching guys like Isaac (a bit on the stocky side, not a speedster) to play solid on-ball defense seems to be a particular strength of Tony’s development. Big difference between Year 1 and Year 2 of Imac.
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Oh, sorry. I read it incorrectly. Still, I don’t think a 12-point win over a mid-major opponent is anything to feel good about; we should blow them out. I heard Tony say that he always tells the guys, “Never look past a team, and never be afraid of a team.” Seems like the appropriate way to view opponents.
They have a very good coach too and will play hard and not be intimidated. Bunch of guys with something to prove who win in their league, I think
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I didn’t check the score myself, but “Streaking the Lawn” says it was 63-61. Perhaps they had it wrong.
Yes we are and yes you are right. Games around exam break against mid/low majors are always dangerous, crowds can be spotty and always worry about where the kids heads are. They absolutely gave us issues last year which is why CTB will have us focused and good to go. Vegas has the Hoos -22.5
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