Game 22: GMU (12-9 / 4-4) vs St. Joe’s (9-11 / 3-5) on Sunday, January 29, at Noon.

[Patriot Lawdog]

We still have a minimum of 10 games left and are poised to get one of our best players back from injury. It would send a terrible message to the team, the fans and future transfer targets if Kim decided to start playing guys who everybody knows don’t give us the best chance to win.

Why so we can finish 16-16? To me, it sends the message that we are about building a program and not striving for mediocrity. Ticket had a hand injury. It's not like it's a body part he doesn't use in every single play. Who knows if he'll get back to where he was at any point this year? Also, it's not like we were playing great with him in the lineup anyway. I have no issue with the past usage of the young guys, but it's time to face the reality of the situation at hand. The best use for the next 10 games is as a learning opportunity for those guys.

 

[EXpatriot13]

We still have a minimum of 10 games left and are poised to get one of our best players back from injury. It would send a terrible message to the team, the fans and future transfer targets if Kim decided to start playing guys who everybody knows don’t give us the best chance to win.

If we were playing great basketball, and uh winning, then sure maybe I'd agree with you. I don't see any harm giving 5-10 more minutes per game to players like JF and Dink, are we really going to tank or play THAT much worse? Nobody is saying the vets shouldn't see the floor again, but I'm good watching Cooper play 32min a game with the hope he goes off every 2 weeks...

 

[mkaufman1]

Fwiw coach said on the coaches show the young guys will have minutes go up - I’d definitely like to see a few more mins out of justyn devin and even Elvis. Nothing crazy but at least let them show a few mins to see what we have.

 

[gmujim92]

If we were playing great basketball, and uh winning, then sure maybe I'd agree with you. I don't see any harm giving 5-10 more minutes per game to players like JF and Dink, are we really going to tank or play THAT much worse? Nobody is saying the vets shouldn't see the floor again, but I'm good watching Cooper play 32min a game with the hope he goes off every 2 weeks...

The great thing about college basketball is no matter how bad your season may have gone, you get a do-over in March. Look no further than Richmond last season, which underperformed its talent massively during the A-10 season but got hot at the right time and wound up winning an NCAA game.

Not predicting by any means that this Mason team is capable of that kind of turnaround, but I’m for trying to win until the season is over. If that means more minutes for the younger guys so be it.

 

[gmujim92]

Why so we can finish 16-16? To me, it sends the message that we are about building a program and not striving for mediocrity. Ticket had a hand injury. It's not like it's a body part he doesn't use in every single play. Who knows if he'll get back to where he was at any point this year? Also, it's not like we were playing great with him in the lineup anyway. I have no issue with the past usage of the young guys, but it's time to face the reality of the situation at hand. The best use for the next 10 games is as a learning opportunity for those guys.

We’re currently in a 6-way tie for seventh place. A couple more losses and yeah, we’re staring at the pillow fight again. But there is still plenty for this team to play for and I hope they’re not just throwing in the towel because that’s loser shit.

 

[Patriotsince81]

Fwiw coach said on the coaches show the young guys will have minutes go up - I’d definitely like to see a few more mins out of justyn devin and even Elvis. Nothing crazy but at least let them show a few mins to see what we have.

Just finished watching the last show. The reference KE made about Tony Bennett at UVA hit home. A little research shows that in his first two years at UVA Bennett was 31-31 (12-20). In the middle of year 3 it clicked for his players. Pretty good results for the Cavaliers since then. Hope like hell we have a similar situation here. KE made some comments about the team, "Figuring it out and learning" and "We're making gains, it will pay off". His comments about Josh rededicating himself to the game explains a lot about his performances in the OOC part of our schedule.

I promise to be more patient. Let me rephrase that...I'll try to be more patient. LOL. Now when we lose another game and I go off please attribute it to my fiery, competitive nature fueled by beer. After all, as a coach I led the Northern Region in technical fouls. I even got kicked out of the stands at a summer league game at St. Stephens. One official just referred to me as "Bob Knight."

I still want the young guys to play more. "It can take years for 'unnatural' habits to become routine."

 

[GMUSSTN]

Just finished watching the last show. The reference KE made about Tony Bennett at UVA hit home. A little research shows that in his first two years at UVA Bennett was 31-31 (12-20). In the middle of year 3 it clicked for his players. Pretty good results for the Cavaliers since then.

Tony Bennett? That guy lost to Hewitt! Total scrub.

 

[Earl the Squirrel]

We’re currently in a 6-way tie for seventh place. A couple more losses and yeah, we’re staring at the pillow fight again. But there is still plenty for this team to play for and I hope they’re not just throwing in the towel because that’s loser shit.

I find myself agreeing with Jim. We've lost a bunch of close games, which could have flipped our way (you can argue they DIDN'T because of coaching but that doesn't ring true. We've all watched enough hoops to know wins and losses are subject to the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, as much as coaching). Lots of hall of fame coaches have lost a handful of games by less than 11 pts. Had the chips fallen in our favor we would all be debating how high our ceiling is.

Other than the vcu game we were right there and competitive. We're close enough to an 8-1 record that I don't want to throw in the towel and give Dinkins and Fernandez 25 mins a game. Plus, we lost a few of these tight ones without Ticket, who's on the verge of a comeback. I say stay the course. Given how close our losses have been (vcu excepted) it is a definite possibility that we could catch fire in the A10 tourney and run the table. The league is weak - much weaker than last year - so other than a couple of teams, the tourney is there for the taking.

Not happy but not ready to throw in the towel.

 

[GSII]

Regarding Tony Bennett comment, he was implementing his pack line defense....... what exactly are we trying to implement? I see a nba style offense and defense that decent players can't execute.