I'm counting on the team to play better. In all phases. Period.
Game 8, South Fla, Dec 4th, 7 PM, MASN
- Thread starter Washingtonian
- Start date
I'm counting on the team to play better. In all phases. Period.
Instead, how about we play our A game, whatever that looks like
I probably wouldn't recognize it if I saw it, but I like the way you're thinking.
Honestly, I know this is about as a**-backward as it gets in sports, but I'd almost be more encouraged about the rest of the season if we came out and played great for 40 minutes in one of the next few games (Okie, perhaps?) and still got beat.
I'm obviously in the minority around here, but I'd like to see some real signs that we can put things together and play a complete game.
Doing that consistently is the only way this team is going to get where we all want it to go by March.
JBiggs
Starter
You're certainly not alone there, Jim. I haven't seen anything yet that has made me feel like we can beat anyone we play, similar to the way they played in games like the New Mexico game last year. I'll re-assess after the OOC portion of the schedule is over, but right now, it is certainly not encouraging.
Hope to see a complete game, regardless of whether we win or lose as well. Hopefully that happens Wednesday.
Hope to see a complete game, regardless of whether we win or lose as well. Hopefully that happens Wednesday.
What this team needs with Arledge gone is a consistent third scorer to accompany Sherrod and Marko every game. The key to our 2006 team was that we had five players who averaged double-digits points, so we weren't screwed if one or even two had an off night.
When Sherrod struggles as he did in the beginning of the Iona and Princeton games, we fall into a hole and spend the rest of the game clawing to get out. I really thought Holloway might be our third scorer this year, but he obviously has to work out some defensive issues before he's going to get more minutes.
Who knows, maybe Jenkins is that guy. I hesitate to throw this out there for fear of committing blasphemy, but he reminds me of a poor man's Will Thomas. He already has the size and rebounding tenacity that Will had, so it's more about refining his low post moves.
Again, I know it's a big standard to live up to, but if Jalen receives the same minutes Will did in his rookie campaign, I could easily see him matching and maybe even surpassing Will's 5.7 and 5.6 boards per game.
When Sherrod struggles as he did in the beginning of the Iona and Princeton games, we fall into a hole and spend the rest of the game clawing to get out. I really thought Holloway might be our third scorer this year, but he obviously has to work out some defensive issues before he's going to get more minutes.
Who knows, maybe Jenkins is that guy. I hesitate to throw this out there for fear of committing blasphemy, but he reminds me of a poor man's Will Thomas. He already has the size and rebounding tenacity that Will had, so it's more about refining his low post moves.
Again, I know it's a big standard to live up to, but if Jalen receives the same minutes Will did in his rookie campaign, I could easily see him matching and maybe even surpassing Will's 5.7 and 5.6 boards per game.
Jalen will rebound the basketball, that's for sure.
Given 30 minutes of playing time, I can see him already being close to a double-figure rebounder. He has a nose for the ball, gets off the floor quickly and has enough junk in his trunk to keep from getting pushed around.
What the staff needs to decide is whether they can live with all of the crazy, inconsistent stuff that comes with playing a freshman major minutes.
Quite frankly, I can't see how we can afford not to have him on the floor. He's our best rebounder and shot-blocker already, and those are 2 areas where we definitely need help.
Given 30 minutes of playing time, I can see him already being close to a double-figure rebounder. He has a nose for the ball, gets off the floor quickly and has enough junk in his trunk to keep from getting pushed around.
What the staff needs to decide is whether they can live with all of the crazy, inconsistent stuff that comes with playing a freshman major minutes.
Quite frankly, I can't see how we can afford not to have him on the floor. He's our best rebounder and shot-blocker already, and those are 2 areas where we definitely need help.
Pablo
Hall of Famer
It's premature to compare Jalen Jenkins with Will Thomas, although I believe that Jalen is more athletic. But, Will Thomas may have had the highest basketball IQ of the Coach Larranaga era. IMO, Thomas had a superior understanding of the game as a true freshman than Jalen has as a redshirt freshman.
The good thing about this year is that we will have many more opportunities at quality teams. With #17Iowa State, Oklahoma, #21UMass (twice), #25Dayton, St. Louis (twice), vcu and now even GW (twice), we will see how good or bad we really are.
If we finish with the same win total as last year, then no one will be able to say it was with a cupcake schedule. I'm not a Hewitt fan at all but I desperately want to be.
Make me a fan Hewitt!!
If we finish with the same win total as last year, then no one will be able to say it was with a cupcake schedule. I'm not a Hewitt fan at all but I desperately want to be.
Make me a fan Hewitt!!
I think Allen can be a legitimate third scoring option for this team, when he wants to be. He has a pretty good mid-range jump shot, and we all know he can finish through traffic at the rim. He just has to do it. Hewitt's excuse of "his effort on defense hindered his offense tonight" isn't acceptable to me. You can't play defense and continue to score the ball? But, Allen might still be dealing with the injury so I'll reserve total judgement for a few more games.
Yeah, Allen is definitely more realistic than Jenkins at this point, especially given how raw Jalen's offensive game is. Until he develops some better low-post moves, most of his points will come on rebounds and put-backs.
Bryon usually plays within himself, but he really forced things against Rhode Island. Not very often he's going to shoot 20-percent from the floor, so I'll just chalk it up to a bad night.
Enforcer
Specialist
I agree with expatriot13 and Tom. I think BA can be a legit scoring option. He showed he could do it at times last year and if Moore or Edwards can play competent PG - that opens it up even more for BA to score.
I think Copes bounces back and helps out Jalen on the boards and on D this game. Good guys by 8.
I think Copes bounces back and helps out Jalen on the boards and on D this game. Good guys by 8.
The bright side of Arledge leaving at the beginning of the season is the coaches and the team can figure out the void. This definitely benefits Jenkins the most. I'll give Allen the benefit of the doubt and assume it was an off game, otherwise no doubt he is in the top three. Wouldn't be surprised if this year Jenkins easily exceeds Arledge's 3.8 rebounds per game.
To me, BA still looks hurt somewhat. Not as aggressive as he has been. I'm thinking that injury was really more of a 2 or 3 week injury.
You might be onto something there, lawdog. It's certainly not helping things that he's having to play the point more with Corey struggling and Moore out. It definitely helps us and Allen to move him off the ball.
OP
Washingtonian
Hall of Famer
- Thread Starter
- #39
You mean something like this:
Or this:
That second video literally gave me goose bumps. I want to start my day everyday with that video.
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