Lafalum
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Holy Cross gameThat was the most disappointing game I have seen in recent years. This game was winnable but we got away fromthe plan. Koltun was playing his heart out that first half and was having a decent game and the coach then moves Willen to the center spot for some of the second half??? We go to our small team with 6 minutes and start weaving at the perimeter and without any inside presense it leaves Willard free to come out and guard our shooters who in 4 trips can't get a shot off!!
This is just getting me started....these kids deserve better!!
BY THE WAY WHERE ARE THE STUDENTS???
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RePard
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I think the problem is conditioning. He appeared spent after about 7 minutes but during that time he really mixed it up. Even when he didn't get the board the ball was popping loose to someone else. Then in the second half he looked tired after 3 minutes. The lack of an inside game really hurts, as you said HC put the clamps on us for a few minutes and we were finished. Brown looked unstoppable for the first 10 minutes and then never made another shot. Can anyone figure out Benbow's college position? He doesn't do a little of everything.
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Lafalum
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| RePard wrote: | | I think the problem is conditioning. He appeared spent after about 7 minutes . Brown looked unstoppable for the first 10 minutes and then never made another shot. Can anyone figure out Benbow's college position? He doesn't do a little of everything. |
At this point in the season we have conditioning problems?? So the starting center for this game couldn't go more than 7 minutes!! (He did play 19) We're now beyond "learning the system" or "adjusting to the college game" Keep in mind the HC team only had one senior on the floor and we are talking about conditioning!!
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RePard
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I'm not the flack for this team, I was only trying to give you my perspective. Didn't you notice that Fran took him out AFTER he had stopped doing anything. Fran would have loved him to keep going but he couldn't. Then in the 2nd half he was also active for a couple of minutes and then lost his energy and Fran had to take him out again.
I too noticed that HC only started one senior but they had 2 others that played a lot and were former starters. But your point is on target. They started 2 sophs and a freshman and played another freshman a lot. We seem to be getting Colgate/Bucknell level recruits and we need to get some HC or American level kids. Don't judge us on yesterday, HC could give American a game and win the league. I was hoping we could win the 4th spot and get Army or Bucknell in the playoffs but now we'll need some help.
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bison137
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| RePard wrote: | .
we need to get some HC or American level kids. |
American and Holy Cross are apples and oranges. HC consistently gets good talent. AU hasn't landed a really good player in four years. Once their current seniors graduate, they are likely heading for 8th place. Only a couple of really good JUCO signees can save them.
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Kiltedpard
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I was dissapointed as well as I thought we got handled in the second half. I think the conditioning question is valid. We were noticably gassed and HC could have played another half. I've wondered about this with past teams. Last year we were in the top of the PL in the first half of the season and fizzled down the stretch. Other years have been similar. Do we have a strength and conditioning coach? Do we need a better one?
HCs players were physically bigger. Not taller, physically bigger and stronger. Even the freshman and sophs. HC did what they needed to do. They did thier usual work the clock for 25-30 seconds ( with some offense that Willard looked like he must have picked up from some pee wee league) and then look for a shot. The thing is, they made the shots. Under pressure on the road.
Willen carried us in the first half. The kid is a player and he plays with some spark and enthuesiasm. We could have used Mintz and Visockas. Fran attempted to rotate Mower and Orchoski in, but, it wasn't the same.
What happened to Mintz? I heard Visockas is having another surgery on the same knee. Poor guy. I hope he can recover.
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TheTruth
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| bison137 wrote: | | RePard wrote: | .
we need to get some HC or American level kids. |
American and Holy Cross are apples and oranges. HC consistently gets good talent. AU hasn't landed a really good player in four years. Once their current seniors graduate, they are likely heading for 8th place. Only a couple of really good JUCO signees can save them. |
It seems Jones has built the program on transfers.
HC defense in the second half was impressive. They seemd more athletic in the middle than I remember.
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Lafalum
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Mintz rolled on his ankle the day before in practice. May miss one more game.
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Kiltedpard
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BTW for all you stat nuts. We outrebounded the leagues leading rebounding team (with arguably our best inside guy on the bench) and still lost by 12.
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TheTruth
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I caught the replay of the game on MASN yesterday. Holy Cross played great defense in the second half. Very athletic team. That 2-3 zone they play is tough to penetrate. Of course the game was very physical, officials missing calls for both teams. Typical Patriot league officiating and league game.
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RePard
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I am not a big fan of AU either but between recruits and transfers they have competed for the title several times in the last few years. They have even had some teams with the best talent that didn't win. How can you say none of the players on this and last year's team are good recruits? HC has done a good job with recruiting for sure, even Bucknell seems to each year before the season starts but AU certainly has some talent although no doubt they will be hurting next year.
I really wasn't trying to take a shot at our conditioning program in general, just making the comment that some of our big bodies are not ever going to be 35 minutemen unless we really slow down the pace for them. I agree that the HC center was more athletic and hurt us at both ends but he obviously has a high motor and HC's last center was not athletic at all but they played to him. I don't think our level of big man recruit is in that same league yet. Last year was just a case of teams adjusting to us combined with living and dying by the outside shot. As far as their defense vs ours, keep in mind the HC backcourt was listed at 6-4 and 6-3 and in the second half they overplayed our guards and we had no inside game to go to.
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bison137
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| RePard wrote: | I am not a big fan of AU either but between recruits and transfers they have competed for the title several times in the last few years. They have even had some teams with the best talent that didn't win. How can you say none of the players on this and last year's team are good recruits? HC has done a good job with recruiting for sure, even Bucknell seems to each year before the season starts but AU certainly has some talent although no doubt they will be hurting next year.
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Before last year - which was largely a function of an unbelievable year by Garrison Carr - AU hadn't competed for the top spots since 2003-04. When they were at or near the top for those few years it was partly due to academic standards that hadn't been adjusted up to PL norms yet plus having scholarships in a largely non-scholarship league.
As for their players, I didn't say that none of the players on last year's team and this year's team aren't good recruits. I was talking about their prospects for next year - when their entire starting team and two of their top subs have used up their eligibility. When I said they hadn't landed any real good players for four years, I meant the current juniors/sophs/frosh plus the signees for next year. Two of them are solid prospects (Hendra and Lumpkins) but none appear to be near the level of Mercer or Carr.
AU this year has primarily used eight players - six seniors (five of whom start), one soph (Hendra) and one freshman (Lumpkins). The rest of their subs appear to be quite borderline by PL standards. As for next year, AU has commitments from four H.S. seniors. Some of them look like fairly good players, who may help them challenge for the first division down the road, but none appears to be so good that they can immediately replace the level of player that they are losing. So imo Jones will only be able to avoid a finish near the bottom of the standings by finding a couple of very good Juco's. The new PL academic rules may make that task harder.
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RePard
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I suppose if you discount all of their seniors and don't count xfers you could say they have had average results. I had expected us to have done better, sooner with our recruiting. You seem to know a lot about the league recruits. Have you heard of us still recruiting a PG that HC is also after? I had this from a very good source a few months back but we have since signed a point and I can't tell how many scholarships we have left.
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RePard
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Never mind on the PG question. i just saw that the info is now public over on the HC board. Jonathon Lee from Hun. According to the story we offered but Lee is calling HC and Cornell his "favorites". I have seen Lee a few times and was really hoping we would get him, he takes no prisoners from what I have seen. He has a lot of attributes we lack. He can score, drive and pass and is very strong, plays hard nosed. He has played better than a teammate who is going to Rice. Let's hope that HC and Cornell fall through and we get him.
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bison137
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| RePard wrote: | | we have since signed a point and I can't tell how many scholarships we have left. |
Doesn't that commitment use up the last available scholarship?
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RePard
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| bison137 wrote: | | RePard wrote: | | we have since signed a point and I can't tell how many scholarships we have left. |
Doesn't that commitment use up the last available scholarship? |
Good question. My source at Laf told me a few months ago about Lee and our offer. It was before our PG signing. I later asked about the scholarship situation and received a very fuzzy response. I asked if Lee was still a possibility and was told he was but the answer wss not simple. Also by then the staff had heard he was very interested in HC and another school so I don't know for a couple of reasons what is going on. We apparently use a variety of ways to fund players. I would have thought with scholarships it would become much more straightforward and maybe it will. You can be sure that any recruit that hears a complex story about a scholarship will think twice if money is a factor.
Lee comes from Flint, Michigan. for basketball fans that is code for "tougher than nails". Just what our program needs at the point.
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