A-10 Previews

[Mason32]

I am as big of an AJ fan as there is on here. He cannot play the 5. That is my existential issue with Paulsen's recruiting. Best athlete Mason has seen since I have been a fan (maybe Mike Mo?) and he is stuck playing out of position set to fail for the 3rd straight year.

I don't understand where fans in this group think he fits. So take away minutes from Miller and Mar to play him at the 3 or the 4? He can't play there, he's backing up Calixte, which is fine. His "break-out time" has long passed...

 

[sleeperpick]

I don't understand where fans in this group think he fits. So take away minutes from Miller and Mar to play him at the 3 or the 4? He can't play there, he's backing up Calixte, which is fine. His "break-out time" has long passed...

that is where you are incorrect... he has not received a fair shake at all from Paulsen and is constantly in his doghouse (some deserved some not)... see Richmond game last year where Paulsen finally took out Reuter and Aj almost led us back from being 20+ down to win it. He needs 10+ mins at the 4 and 10+ mins at the 5 this year (shouldn't do any at 5 but we will need it out of necessity)

 

[GMUgemini]

I don't understand where fans in this group think he fits. So take away minutes from Miller and Mar to play him at the 3 or the 4? He can't play there, he's backing up Calixte, which is fine. His "break-out time" has long passed...

I think sleeper is right. If we are going to our perform expectations, AJ has to be the principle backup to both mar and Calixte. And he needs to be effective.

Boyd needs to also recapture his preinjury fork from last season as our 6th man.

 

[Herndon]

I think sleeper is right. If we are going to our perform expectations, AJ has to be the principle backup to both mar and Calixte. And he needs to be effective.

Boyd needs to also recapture his preinjury fork from last season as our 6th man.

Depends what our expectations are, no?

As I've said, EXPECTING higher than 4th or so in the conference is probably foolhardy. We simply don't have any better than the 4th best situation in the conference, so there's no reason to expect better.

 

[GMUgemini]

Depends what our expectations are, no?

As I've said, EXPECTING higher than 4th or so in the conference is probably foolhardy. We simply don't have any better than the 4th best situation in the conference, so there's no reason to expect better.

Our expected finished is like 8th-9th so far (we’ll see the media poll later). So finishing 4th is outperforming expectations

 

[Herndon]

Our expected finished is like 8th-9th so far (we’ll see the media poll later). So finishing 4th is outperforming expectations

I see our "expected value" (that is "where would I expect each team to finish if you took all the players and coaches away, and started from scratch") as middle of the conference.

That's why I think of middle of the pack seasons as "meh that's to be expected", worse as disappointing, and better as encouraging.

 

[sleeperpick]

I see our "expected value" (that is "where would I expect each team to finish if you took all the players and coaches away, and started from scratch") as middle of the conference.

That's why I think of middle of the pack seasons as "meh that's to be expected", worse as disappointing, and better as encouraging.

this is such a bad way to think. some aspects make sense but for your full opinion to be like this says something.. Being 8th or 9th place every year because that is what our area, budget and facilities tell us where we are is such a sad way to think

 

[Herndon]

I think sleeper is right. If we are going to our perform expectations, AJ has to be the principle backup to both mar and Calixte. And he needs to be effective.

Boyd needs to also recapture his preinjury fork from last season as our 6th man.

That said, you are absolutely 100% right. Getting quality minutes from AJ at both the four and the five would be major good news for the team.

Him being able to play alongside calixte would add a whole ton of flexibility to what Paulsen is able to do.

I'm on record here as saying I don't see it happening, but I've been wrong before and I'll be wrong again, and nothing would make me happier than being wrong in this instance.

(I will go to my grave believing that Louis birdsong could have been a really effective wing if he had had four years training for that under larranaga)

 

[GSII]

Unfortunately, we are going to get our asses kicked b/c the upper half of A10 has lapped us in recruiting. Maybe as an entire conf. Sure does feel like it. Don't be surprised if this team is dead last or close to it. We have beaten nobody in the A10 for recruits, yet a good junk of top teams are signing guys with P5 offers. The amount of talent returning to the top 4-7 teams is leaps and bounds beyond what we have. Maybe DP pulls something out his a** besides a Diet Dew fart. I don't think it's gonna be pretty this season despite him saying this is his best team yet. And we barely have a coaching staff it seems. I hope I'm wrong.

 

[Mason32]

Unfortunately, we are going to get our asses kicked b/c the upper half of A10 has lapped us in recruiting. Maybe as an entire conf. Sure does feel like it. Don't be surprised if this team is dead last or close to it. We have beaten nobody in the A10 for recruits, yet a good junk of top teams are signing guys with P5 offers. The amount of talent returning to the top 4-7 teams is leaps and bounds beyond what we have. Maybe DP pulls something out his a** besides a Diet Dew fart. I don't think it's gonna be pretty this season despite him saying this is his best team yet. And we barely have a coaching staff it seems. I hope I'm wrong.

Don't agree with this. Unlike those programs, Paulsen can win without highly rated recruits, he's done it for years. The team won't be great, might not even be top 7 but no way they are worse then all the bottom five (Fordham, GW, St Joes, UMass, La Salle)

 

[tblack33]

I see our "expected value" (that is "where would I expect each team to finish if you took all the players and coaches away, and started from scratch") as middle of the conference.

That's why I think of middle of the pack seasons as "meh that's to be expected", worse as disappointing, and better as encouraging.

I completely disagree with this line of thinking on our "expected value", and people who adopt this line of thinking are the reason that our administration and athletics department are okay with mediocrity from our MBB program. Shit or get off the pot. I've read yours and others arguments about funding levels and why we should be happy anytime we place above the bottom 3 in the A10 and I don't buy them one bit. Our situation (outside of current coaching staff and roster per the expected value argument) is not even relatively that bad. There are A10 schools playing in highschool gyms for senile coaches who are outperforming us.

 

[tblack33]

I see our "expected value" (that is "where would I expect each team to finish if you took all the players and coaches away, and started from scratch") as middle of the conference.

That's why I think of middle of the pack seasons as "meh that's to be expected", worse as disappointing, and better as encouraging.

All things considered we **should** be trending up, not down. We have increased funding, a brand new practice facility, brand new locker rooms, a pretty solid arena, a god damned chipotle on campus and ROBOTS DELIVERING FOOD TO DRUNK COLLEGE KIDS! There is no reason why our "expected value" should be where you think it is (I'll give you that CBB is somewhat cylical and teams are going to have down years occasionally)

 

[GSII]

Brand new practice facility, yea right. It was a remodel of an old building and they can't afford to put murals on the walls depicting our once in a lifetime success. Man, I wish I could be more positive but reality is what it is.

 

[gmutom]

Man, I wish I could be more positive...

Haha, this literally made me laugh out loud. Good one, GS!

 

[Herndon]

I completely disagree with this line of thinking on our "expected value", and people who adopt this line of thinking are the reason that our administration and athletics department are okay with mediocrity from our MBB program. Shit or get off the pot. I've read yours and others arguments about funding levels and why we should be happy anytime we place above the bottom 3 in the A10 and I don't buy them one bit. Our situation (outside of current coaching staff and roster per the expected value argument) is not even relatively that bad. There are A10 schools playing in highschool gyms for senile coaches who are outperforming us.

Edit: That was super dicky of me. I've got some stuff going on in my life, and I took it out on you.

We're all on the same team here. I apologize.

 

[Herndon]

All things considered we **should** be trending up, not down. We have increased funding, a brand new practice facility, brand new locker rooms, a pretty solid arena, a god damned chipotle on campus and ROBOTS DELIVERING FOOD TO DRUNK COLLEGE KIDS! There is no reason why our "expected value" should be where you think it is (I'll give you that CBB is somewhat cylical and teams are going to have down years occasionally)

I actually agree that we're trending up. I STILL think we're a middle of the conference program, all things considered, but we're not SOLIDLY middle of the conference instead of "middle of the conference is a pretty good result"

 

[tblack33]

Edit: That was super dicky of me. I've got some stuff going on in my life, and I took it out on you.

We're all on the same team here. I apologize.

Well I didn't even see what you wrote so might as well not even happened.

For future reference I will rarely attack anyone personally on here. I'll attack people's opinions but usually not the person themselves. At the end of the day there's only a few dozen of us Mason MBB fans left, we can't all hate eachother in real life too.

**(Except the old people who want to sit down silently the whole game and try to shush me. I do hate them personally and any insults I make are directed at them on a personal level)**

 

[Quentin Daniels]

(I will go to my grave believing that Louis birdsong could have been a really effective wing if he had had four years training for that under larranaga)

SAME!

Kid was forced into a PF role due to lack of depth and wasn't suited for it. By the time he tried to switch back it was too late and his potential was wasted.

Birdsong and Moldoveanu might be Coach L's two biggest failures to maximize talent.

 

[sleeperpick]

Don't agree with this. Unlike those programs, Paulsen can win without highly rated recruits, he's done it for years. The team won't be great, might not even be top 7 but no way they are worse then all the bottom five (Fordham, GW, St Joes, UMass, La Salle)

La Salle will surprise you.... might not be this year but will definitely be next. I may be a year early but they are sneakily good with a young coach who values putting the ball in the basket. St Joes has 8 scholarship layers, UMASS might be better than us and GW and Fordham are laughable teams

 

[sleeperpick]

SAME!

Kid was forced into a PF role due to lack of depth and wasn't suited for it. By the time he tried to switch back it was too late and his potential was wasted.

Birdsong and Moldoveanu might be Coach L's two biggest failures to maximize talent.

do you think this might also include AJ and how Paulsen has rendered him almost useless as a backup 5?