Game 7: Old Dominion University, Wednesday, Dec 3rd, 7:30 PM, NO TV

[Patriotfan49]

Let's be honest, the players are inconsistent at times too but that happens to any team. They played great tonight, and if it weren't for the ability to hit shots they created on their own, the offense would have looked awful again.

There were multiple times tonight, later when we had the lead, and when we were tied and down by 1 where we had the ball and could have used a good play to get a look or bucket....but there was nothing. Not even the slightest bit of a called play that had any chance.

 

[gmujim92]

So have we all reached the "it's the coaching" point....or are we still debating the players being at fault?

How many times do we need to see the same inept crap in the final 3 minutes of close games before we know it's mostly lousy coaching?

I'm not arguing we have great players, but even when we did early in his tenure, Hewitt still lost a bunch of close games.

 

[gmujim92]

Let's be honest, the players are inconsistent at times too but that happens to any team. They played great tonight, and if it weren't for the ability to hit shots they created on their own, the offense would have looked awful again.

There were multiple times tonight, later when we had the lead, and when we were tied and down by 1 where we had the ball and could have used a good play to get a look or bucket....but there was nothing. Not even the slightest bit of a called play that had any chance.

Strategery isn't Hewitt's thing.

 

[KAOriginal]

While awhile back I was willing to possibly conced we had player issues when they kept dribbling off their feet.....currently the kids look pretty good and serviceable while it does seem that the game planning would get an "F" even in a infamous UNC Aspects of Coaching "paper course."

 

[Quentin Daniels]

"Ambrose Mosley scored 10 of his career-high tying 21 points in the final 3 minutes to lead Old Dominion past George Mason 75-69 on Wednesday night."

It sure seems like some random guy is always scoring his career high on a night he's playing us Paul Ball.

 

[Patriotfan49]

It's one thing and easier to sit through a game/season when you just don't have talent to compete consistently. But it's another to me at least, when you have a disfunctional management, or coach that is bogging things down and holding the team back.

It has never been more crystal clear that Hewitt is simply stunting the growth of the team and is the weakest link on the court. There is simply nothing left for GMU to see with Hewitt.

 

[gmujim92]

It's one thing and easier to sit through a game/season when you just don't have talent to compete consistently. But it's another to me at least, when you have a disfunctional management, or coach that is bogging things down and holding the team back.

It has never been more crystal clear that Hewitt is simply stunting the growth of the team and is the weakest link on the court. There is simply nothing left for GMU to see with Hewitt.

This was one of many games where if we had swapped coaches, we would've won by at least 10. The talent looked fairly comparable to me.

ODU is 6-1 largely because Jeff Jones is a very good coach and is putting his players in position to be successful.

 

[TweederGMU]

Coaching cost us this game tonight.

Edwards has been the most improved player hands down. He can shoot, has confidence, and is seeing the floor MUCH better. His passing was on point tonight. Play the kid!

Gray should of been pulled in the final 4 minutes. He was ice cold. Edwards needed to replace him, especially when they were locking down on Holloway and Edwards would of given us a better 3 point option than Gray.

The perimeter defense is awful every game. I don't know how hard it is for kids to find the player in the corner or on the wing and guard him. It's dumbfounding to me how these kids don't know where to be or if they are just lazy. A mixture of both perhaps.

Moore was a stud tonight. Without half his points we would of gotten blown out

 

[GMUSig03]

Typical Hewitt game, we saw this so many times last year. We play a good tightly contested game against a good team and come up a little short in the end. Except, now I know to not be foolish enough to have any optimism or to think the team is about to gel and turn the corner. Nope. They will continue to be inconsistent, to be up and down. Just gonna sit back and support the players as much as I can with no expectations other than Hewitt being fired at the end of the year.

 

[JimP]

Coaching cost us this game tonight.

Edwards has been the most improved player hands down. He can shoot, has confidence, and is seeing the floor MUCH better. His passing was on point tonight. Play the kid!

Gray should of been pulled in the final 4 minutes. He was ice cold. Edwards needed to replace him, especially when they were locking down on Holloway and Edwards would of given us a better 3 point option than Gray.

The perimeter defense is awful every game. I don't know how hard it is for kids to find the player in the corner or on the wing and guard him. It's dumbfounding to me how these kids don't know where to be or if they are just lazy. A mixture of both perhaps.

Moore was a stud tonight. Without half his points we would of gotten blown out

The zone wasn't working tonight - don't know how Hewitt couldn't have seen it with ODU making all those 3's. Yet he kept going back to it.

For a lot of those 3 point shooters, Butler kept saying - you've gotta know the scouting report and be up on him. They weren't - and it's hard not to blame Hewitt for that.

 

[psyclone]

This was one of many games where if we had swapped coaches, we would've won by at least 10. The talent looked fairly comparable to me.....

Perhaps.......it certainly was the best we've played all year f1or a prolonged period of time with lots of contributors. More assists than turnovers (8 vs 6), although not enough assists. I think ODU had 16 on 22 made baskets. And we didn't have the unforced turnovers that we normally do and had only half the turnovers that a good ODU team had.

Maybe it's low expectations after our earlier performances, but after watching ODU handle vcu rather easily last weekend, I expected another discouraging evening at the Patriot Center. I was pleasantly surprised. Generally better ball movement and even used a small lineup (Moore, Holloway, & Edwards) to good effect. Maybe this was just a fluke good performance, but if it isn't, we're going to actually win a few games.

 

[GSII]

88 days until march 1st. Stay thirsty my friends.

 

[Washingtonian]

88 days until march 1st. Stay thirsty my friends.

27 days till the end of the year, maybe a New Years miracle?

 

[Chuck Hughes]

This was one of many games where if we had swapped coaches, we would've won by at least 10. The talent looked fairly comparable to me.

ODU is 6-1 largely because Jeff Jones is a very good coach and is putting his players in position to be successful.

Jones took over a program that was an absolute train wreck last year and won 18 games -- a 13 game improvement over the previous year, one of the biggest turn-arounds in the country. He was using a few remnants and walk-ons. Heck, when practice started last year, Jones didn't have enough players to scrimmage.

Now they're 6-1 and, as one ODU fan put it, their season is already a success -- they've beaten the Virginia teams on their schedule, vcu, Richmond and GMU in Fairfax. Their players aren't that great. It's the coach, pure and simple. Can a coach matter? Ask ODU fans -- or, for that matter, GMU fans.

 

[Five Two]

Coaching cost us this game tonight.
Edwards has been the most improved player hands down. He can shoot, has confidence, and is seeing the floor MUCH better. His passing was on point tonight. Play the kid!
Gray should of been pulled in the final 4 minutes. He was ice cold. Edwards needed to replace him, especially when they were locking down on Holloway and Edwards would of given us a better 3 point option than Gray.

I agree. We are down 6 with about a minute to go and Edwards is being taken out for Copes......on offense! I thought the goal was to put as many 3 point shooters out on the floor when we need 3 point shots made. This happened on Saturday too. This nightmare can't end soon enough.

 

[Scythe]

Your moment of zen from the WaPo article:

“I am not sure we can play better basketball,” Patriots Coach Paul Hewitt said. “Just a couple of immature plays at the end.”

 

[gmujim92]

Your moment of zen from the WaPo article:

This a-hole is shameless.

"Immature" plays?

Hey Paul, we collapsed in the final 3 minutes of a close game for like the 4,559,543rd time during your crappy tenure.

Think by now it might just have a little bit to do with your "coaching"?

What a douche.

 

[Scythe]

He just keeps shifting blame and refuses to take any responsibility...it's pretty sad to see.

 

[mkaufman1]

The Patriots allowed 13 consecutive points early in the game but recovered by forcing eight turnovers. With Moore maintaining a hot hand and Mason freshman Kyle Porter contributing off the bench, the game remained tight. Mosley then made the difference.

Apparently our "Beat Writer" doesn't even know the right names

 

[gmujim92]

The right thing to say to a reporter in that situation -- even if you don't really believe it -- is something like this:

"My staff and I obviously didn't do a good enough job preparing our team to execute late in a close, hard-fought game. Our players fought their guts out. The rest is on me."

That, my friends, is what a leader would say.

Hewitt is a joke. If I get nothing else for Christmas but his firing, it will be my best Christmas ever.