Well, we scored 42 against a good team instead of scoring 42 against a bad team, so the advanced metrics say we are better offensively.
6 Likes
Stayed up for the whole game. Clearly our problems offensively are that we only have one guy who can touch the paint, and he isnāt really looking for (or is he not capable of) finding a shooter. Rohde looks a little more aggressive this year, but thatās it. TBH, Bliss strikes me as a smart floor general but I donāt think he is going to zip by defenders. Hope I am wrong about that.
When we get 5 quick guys glued to us and no one is able to make them pay for that, we got a problem. I am sure any team that can will play us that way. Fortunately, not a lot of them will be as strong as Tennesee in carrying that out.
Power is such a disappointment. He is so weak and slow off his feet. Doesnāt (canāt?) box out his man. Oh, he is in a season-long shooting slump.
4 Likes
Agree with all of this. But weirdly, Power has a pretty good rebounding rate on the season.
This is where Iām at currently. Thereās a reason, āIn Tony we trust.ā became a mantra for this program. It was a coping mechanism, sure, but it was born from a position of success and being rewarded for good defense and pace of play.
2 Likes
Yeah you nailed it here. Iāve been beating this drum and will continue to do so. We donāt have a point guard and thatās not going to change this year.
We built a roster with size and skill (ie shooting) but not athleticism. Without a PG who can touch the paint and look to pass and get the defense rotating, that skill and size isnāt worth much. I donāt think itās about Xs and Os at this point. Any team with decent athleticism is going to be able to force our offense to spend 25 seconds moving away from the basket. Thatās what we saw last night, in my opinion, and I think weāre going to see it again tonight. I donāt know how good St. Johnās really is but I watched some of their game last night and the first thing that jumped out at me is that they have some dudes. Tennessee was a team full of dudes. We donāt have any dudes. Not a single dude on our team.
6 Likes
I loved Bennett Ball and appreciated how he ran the program for the years he was here. Wouldnt trade it for anything.
I am also willing to give Ron the balance of the season. It is still November, and these kids are still learning to play with each other and find their roles on the team. We will be better later in Jan/Feb/Mar but will we have too big a hole to climb out of?
But I am also becoming increasingly convinced, the Bennett Ball philosophy is almost impossible keep going successfully in the current climate for all the obvious reasons. Not to mention CTB is a unicorn (HOF coach) and although I like Sanchez alot, it would be hard for anyone even a CTB disciple to step right in and keep it going. I really HOPE Ron proves me wrong but it is hard to see at this instant.
Thus this season for me, has settled into a depressing foregone conclusion that we will have a new coach/regime next year and probably a whole new cast of players and starting over. I guess it is what it is, but my enjoyment level for the season is just at an all time low at the moment. I hope we can win today and rekindle it, but it seems very unlikely.
5 Likes
One thing I saw was that this team is not good enough to overcome anything other than neutral freedom of movement officiating ā¦. That second half was just terribly one sided for long stretches ā¦ not to mention the goaltend and weird block offensive foul call on Rohde. Thatās 3 or 4 more points and at least a lead at halftimeā¦ really hard to play through so much illegal handsy and armsy contact. And just simply not the same level allowed on the Hoo defensive end.
It really plays with your psyche as a player when you feel like similar contact and plays are not being officiated similarly.
10 Likes
Losing Warley was a killer. Not saying Warley would transform this team, but he is a far sight better than Rohde or DD at th epoint
4 Likes
Imagine this team with Warley and Gertrude. Itās a real shame because those two would help round out a really solid roster imo.
9 Likes
3 Likes
Warley might have not committed if Elijah was fully healthy. He may have but something to consider.
I tend to agree that, even though I donāt really know what type of player Elijah is, we really need someone with his skill set.
3 Likes
Isnāt that the second game in a row where Saunders had cramping issues? Whatās going on with him?
2 Likes
This is a good point, but Warley committed before Gertrudeās injury I believe. The player we may not have landed (likely due to not pursuing) wouldāve been Dai Dai imo. Felt like our staff was on the fence about him and then decided to pursue after Gertrudeās injury.
1 Like
I think the timeline was injury ā> Warley commit ā> Injury becomes public.
HGN has said that Warley was an Elijah backfill, but that theory doesnāt make sense. Now to be clear- Iām not questioning HGnās intel, Iām questioning the theoryā¦ which doesnāt seem to make sense.
6 Likes
With all the sweat on the floor, I imagine the gym was hot and humid - dyhydration.
I am almost at the point where I believe if we can just keep Cofie next year, and rebuild around him, then the season will be a success.
Hope Sanchez steps up to the plate like Scheyer did when Duke had cramping issues. All night meeting with the training staff. Nothing less. No mercy.
10 Likes
Getting nothing from iMac and Power is mkt a recipe for success
1 Like
If the PM of the Bahamas is serious about their commitment to attracting more high quality hoops to the country, they need to invest in a higher quality venue.
That court needed continuous moppingāIām surprised no one had a significant injury with all the slides and slips over the two games.
Also, that court appears to be the Tropicana Dome of basketballāhow can a shot hit the ceiling in basketball? Couldnāt iMac call interference and get a do overāthose were the rules on my street when the ball hit the telephone wire?
8 Likes
I donāt even think that shot was near the top of its arc, either
2 Likes
As others have pointed out, Tennessee has the current top DRtg on Kenpom, albeit after just 4 games. So we might not face a better defense this season, but I do think we will face several teams who are just as physical, possibly tonight. I saw both Duke and UNC play the other night, and they seemed pretty physical on defense to me. DavetheWave noted the referring was not exactly neutral last night regarding the level of defensive physicality allowed, particularly in the second half-- I could definitely see how physical it was, but probably was too depressed by our response to notice the disparity in calls. Mostly, I think if this team is going to improve as the year goes on, they are going to have to learn how to effectively run an offense against a team employing physical, perimeter pressure. Also, to state the obvious, how to keep the other team off the offensive boards.
6 Likes