Adios Eli

[quote="Windy City Johnny Fan" post=355918][quote="Paul Massell" post=355917][quote="Windy City Johnny Fan" post=355915]
There will almost always be some collateral damage with a coaching change. Wright was never an MA guy. I think we can all agree the most important 2 players stayed.[/quote]

Definitely. But these guys need the right pieces around them to make a good team on the floor. That is why I keep harping on the need for big(s). Heron and Fig guarding 4s and 5s on defense should not be part of the game plan. And that roster building is the primary reason I liked the Rutherford pickup. He's a distributor with good size for a point guard. The other piece is more size at 4 and 5.[/quote]

Everyone can agree we could certainly use another big - but very tough given timing for '19 as there is a much smaller pool of available options, as many here have noted previously. Like who are we even talking about at this point? I know staff's job to find somebody but seriously slim pickings i think - I don't remember any quality JUCO or grad transfer big signing in months who i was like "why didn't we get that guy?" All of that said even the most lukewarm of bodies that happened to be at least 6'9'' would sure make me feel better right now.[/quote]

Lukewarm bodies never leave the bench. If a big can't contribute 5 to 10 minutes then it would be a wasted scholarship.
 
Sita Conteh, the 6'8" kid from Williston State (originally from Queens) was someone we were following not long ago. Saw on his twitter account he was visiting Austin Peay Tuesday and Wednesday this week, seems like he is still available.
Possibility for last schollie?
 
[quote="NCJohnnie" post=355930]Sita Conteh, the 6'8" kid from Williston State (originally from Queens) was someone we were following not long ago. Saw on his twitter account he was visiting Austin Peay Tuesday and Wednesday this week, seems like he is still available.
Possibility for last schollie?[/quote]

They are apparently looking at several interior guys.

Edit - Conteh apparently is still under consideration.
 
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[quote="Paultzman" post=355931][quote="NCJohnnie" post=355930]Sita Conteh, the 6'8" kid from Williston State (originally from Queens) was someone we were following not long ago. Saw on his twitter account he was visiting Austin Peay Tuesday and Wednesday this week, seems like he is still available.
Possibility for last schollie?[/quote]

They are apparently looking at several interior guys.

Edit - Conteh apparently is still under consideration.[/quote]
Interior decorators?
 
Chances are the last 3 guys on the bench don't see much time if any, even in Anderson's pressure D style. That being said, one of those three should be a big body that can come is for short stretches in case of foul trouble or injuries. What we don't need is another guard or tweener, unless it's a one year deal, and there's no big worth taking.
 
What we need, what any team needs, is guys that can play. What we don't need is what Al McGuire used to call "airport players".
 
[quote="Section9" post=355946]Chances are the last 3 guys on the bench don't see much time if any, even in Anderson's pressure D style. That being said, one of those three should be a big body that can come is for short stretches in case of foul trouble or injuries. What we don't need is another guard or tweener, unless it's a one year deal, and there's no big worth taking.[/quote]

See, I think just the opposite. Playing that pressing style almost makes a deep bench a necessity, and I think that Anderson and staff could see that Eli was not a fit for their system. They'd rather give that scholarship to someone who will play, even if it's only in 2 minute intervals.

I think you'll see a lot of subbing, particularly in the first half of games, which can be frustrating, but at least there's a means to an end, with Anderson doing it.

I think they are hoping that Steere can be that big body. Unfortunately, we probably won't see him in game action until the contest against Albany, so he may be a bit behind in late December/early January (of course, he'll be practicing with the team, but that's not the same thing).
 
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I have no idea what went on with Eli but can someone please explain how as a player he was not a fit in CMA's system. 40 minutes of hell defense and up tempo offense makes Eli not a fit but Caraher is?
 
Perhaps it has nothing to do with style of play, but more to do with work ethic, buying into what the staff wants the kids to do, ensuring off-the-court obligations are being fulfilled, etc
 
[quote="bamafan" post=355958]I have no idea what went on with Eli but can someone please explain how as a player he was not a fit in CMA's system. 40 minutes of hell defense and up tempo offense makes Eli not a fit but Caraher is?[/quote]

My read is that his basketball skill set was not the issue. CMA is looking for players that gladly live, eat and sleep basketball/team. At this point in time, that may not have worked for Eli.
 
Agree with you guys in last 2 posts but I was referring to what I have perceived from some posters that they were indeed alluding to playing style. Ah, whatever.
 
[quote="redmannorth" post=355874][quote="Eric Williamson" post=355856][quote="Class of 72" post=355851][quote="Eric Williamson" post=355843][quote="Class of 72" post=355818][quote="Logen" post=355793]Totally different coaching approaches from last year to this. Wish him luck, wish him a waiver, not remotely a surprise.[/quote]

4 star players that need 3 different colleges to get it together just proves that they can't or refuse to put in the work to compete with teammates. Maybe he ends up with the coach that recruited him to St. John's.[/quote]

I completely disagree with this statement. Who are you to say that he needs to get it together, or that he refused to put in the work? There is zero need to essentially bash a kid's character just because he is transferring. And for a lot of the players, it's about more than just basketball. So he went to Miss. State, and for whatever his reasons were, he transferred and ended up here. When he committed here, he not only committed to the school, but also to the coaching staff as well. Well he determined that with the new coaching staff, this school is no longer a fit for him. So be it. Can we really fault him for that?

But your assertation that he is transferring because he can't get it together or refuses to put in the necessary work to compete is just plain ignorant.[/quote]

No need to call names. Take the time to digest the post before responding. That is my opinion for all 4 star players that need to attend 3 or 4 schools to play basketball. This new generation of players often have a me first attitude and if playing for demanding coaches or competing for minutes against 2 and 3 star players is a threat then there is no next level for that type of player. Ron Artest and Walter Berry hated to practice but they had God given talent that you can't coach. We agree to disagree.[/quote]

So you have a blanket opinion for every 4 star player that transfers multiple times? And where did it say anywhere that he 'needs' to attend 3 or 4 schools......he is choosing to transfer....there is a difference. Once again, you are making a generalization about a situation where most of the information presented is all hearsay. Sorry, but that makes you ignorant.[/quote]

Just to be clear he did not choose to transfer. He elected the lesser of two evils. Staff did not say anything publicly that would hurt him. CMA may be a disciplinarian but is also a real gentlemen. Wright’s loss as he had an opportunity to garner serious minutes this season for what appears to be an excellent coaching staff. Now he just lost a year of collegiate eligibility.[/quote]

What do you mean he did not choose to transfer? So you implying that the new coaching staff forced him out then? If that is the case (which you are implying), that's a pretty crappy move by the coach and his staff.
 
No , the staff was very nice about it. Please reread my posts and others on this thread. I too, like the staff, don’t want to say anything that would hurt Eli. But staff is not the problem at all.
 
[quote="Eric Williamson" post=355969]
What do you mean he did not choose to transfer? So you implying that the new coaching staff forced him out then? If that is the case (which you are implying), that's a pretty crappy move by the coach and his staff.[/quote]

So hypothetically a player does something egregious and a coaching staff gives that player the option to be kicked off a team or transfer and that is a crappy move by a coaching staff? I'm not saying that is what happened I'm just saying that assumptions work both ways and it is pretty counter-intuitive to think that this coaching staff who is already short handed (in every sense of the word) on the roster would want to force out a player who has size, maturity and experience. And it is not like this is some sort of trade up for a 5 star waiting in the wings to take his spot. There is nobody. By giving a player the option it is also taking a hit for the staff instead of saving face by publicly reprimanding a player. Seems kind of the opposite of crappy in my book. Noble, maybe?
 
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Just speculation on my part, but bad fit for both can mean many things including lack of commitment to the kind of tooth & nails defense MA's teams are known for. No idea if reason Eli's playing time didn't increase from freshman to sophomore year at Miss. had anything to do with the defensive end but it's certainly a possibility.
Anyway, wish him the best and hope next stop works out for him.
 
I would put it this way. Anderson has expectations for his team as any leader should. Wright did not meet those expectations, ergo consequences, namely the only real card a coach has, playing time. I have what I consider pretty good info from what I consider a pretty good source that there were several conversations regarding the situation since Anderson took the reins. So faced with that Wright made a perfectly logical decision under the circumstances and will transfer. I don’t believe he was forced out in any way, shape or form. If anything I think Anderson was crystal clear honest with Wright from jump street.
 
I was at Alumni for an NIT game (2003?) when Marcus Hatten led us to a now vacated championship which I think was against Mike Anderson's UAB team. Memory is that they did not have enough talent or enough BB smarts to deal with us.
 
[quote="fuchsia" post=355975]I was at Alumni for an NIT game (2003?) when Marcus Hatten led us to a now vacated championship which I think was against Mike Anderson's UAB team. Memory is that they did not have enough talent or enough BB smarts to deal with us.[/quote]

Anderson's first year as a head coach, inherited a 13-17 UAB team. Only year he didn't take UAB to NCAA's. The following year they made the sweet 16. Guess they got more talented or more BB smarts quickly.
 
[quote="SJU61982" post=355951][quote="Section9" post=355946]Chances are the last 3 guys on the bench don't see much time if any, even in Anderson's pressure D style. That being said, one of those three should be a big body that can come is for short stretches in case of foul trouble or injuries. What we don't need is another guard or tweener, unless it's a one year deal, and there's no big worth taking.[/quote]

See, I think just the opposite. Playing that pressing style almost makes a deep bench a necessity, and I think that Anderson and staff could see that Eli was not a fit for their system. They'd rather give that scholarship to someone who will play, even if it's only in 2 minute intervals.

I think you'll see a lot of subbing, particularly in the first half of games, which can be frustrating, but at least there's a means to an end, with Anderson doing it.

I think they are hoping that Steere can be that big body. Unfortunately, we probably won't see him in game action until the contest against Albany, so he may be a bit behind in late December/early January (of course, he'll be practicing with the team, but that's not the same thing).[/quote]

Your 2 minute intervals and my using in an emergency, (injury, foul trouble), aren't that far apart. Even with running players in and out, which Anderson's system calls for, I can't see him going 13 deep with this team as assembled so far.
 
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