(@Bar) VCU, Tue. Nov. 20, 7:30p, ESPN-2 / 970 WNYM

[quote="Tha Kid" post=303988][quote="Desco80" post=303986]Call me crazy, but I think Heron is our best player. And maybe the best in the Big East.

Inexplicable that we didnt call any set plays for him last night to get the ball in his hands.

I'd like to see simon bring the ball up and start the offense.[/quote]

Agree completely. Not taking away shamories clutchness or brilliance as a basketball talent in getting us the win last night, but that was awful basketball. No passing, no movement. It’s on the staff to make sure everyone else is getting involved.

I agree Simon should bring up the ball and heron needs to be more involved (and may be our best player). Shamorie is awesome but it can’t be the one man Shamorie show against better teams with no variation or flow or movement. Will be a long season if this is a regular occurrence.[/quote]

Man how could you watch Simon this year and think he should bring the ball up? So sloppy. Would rather have heron or LJ than Simon. Ponds is averaging 1 TO a game. I agree with everyone that he needs to share the ball but before we criticize the staff for not getting heron more shots last night, he was 2-12!!!
 
Can't believe there is a chunk of the board that could watch last night's game and fault Ponds. Without Ponds we lose that game. With Ponds playing the role of Steve Nash, we prob lose that game bc outside of Figgy, our boys were having an off night. The stretches where Ponds didn't lead the offense and didn't take shots were our roughest and most rudderless. He has an innate ability to draw contact and without the ball in his hands drawing fouls, we don't get to the line enough to even get to OT. Outside of getting too loose when trapped on the sideline and jacking up a heat check 3, what were the bad shots he took compared to the rest of the crew. I think it's on the staff to devise ways to properly integrate Figgy and Heron into the offense, but when it comes down to being down and in crunch time there's no one else I would rather have in the ball. And there's no way that Ponds' play up to that point was the reason we were trailing rather than leading deep into the game.

Odds and Ends:
-Love LJ but needs to be careful with his handle in the open court. Better off finding a guard right away
-Missed too many bunnies for the second night in a row
-Lack of size really hurts on the offensive boards. We don't get enough second chance opportunities
-I think we'll defend the perimeter better once Keita is back. We're so concerned (rightfully so) with giving up points in the paint that we have to collapse hard which leads to a lot of open looks. Hopefully we won't have to scramble as much when our big is back
-This a tough, resilient team. A trait that will go along way to help us in Feb and March.
-Great job by Dixon tonight. Ice water!
-Need Williams and Roberts to get their feet went ASAP. Foul trouble is going to be a constant issue, especially in BE play. A big reason the defense broke down at times was because everyone had 3 or 4 fouls. It's amazing that only Heron fouled out.
 
Here's the takeaway from these two games: Mullin cannot coach. He doesn't make any adjustments during the game. It's incredible. He's just going to go with his NBA style offense and hope that it all works out. Richmond is a complete waste. Does nothing.

I'm sure none of this is lost on the new AD.
 
Don't think that's fair. The staff may not be of Wooden caliber, but that's much too harsh. I agree that the offensive sets are hard to understand, and mostly that the 3 point defense is something that must be addressed (finally).

But, this is a team with a number of flaws (no size, limited depth) and a lot of new kids to integrate with the returning players. And a few too many play the same game / non-position. So, it has growing pains. I believe it will get better as the season progresses. There is loads of talent on this team. Yes, we will almost certainly lose a few we should win. But, like last year, we will win a few we might otherwise lose.

The difference is that this team should win 21-23 games and be a tourney team.

Then, let's look to balance the roster, bring an X and Os guy in etc, But, the season should be exciting (and gut wrenching at tines). Let's enjoy.
 
[quote="redmanwest" post=303998]Don't think that's fair. The staff may not be of Wooden caliber, but that's much too harsh. I agree that the offensive sets are hard to understand, and mostly that the 3 point defense is something that must be addressed (finally).

But, this is a team with a number of flaws (no size, limited depth) and a lot of new kids to integrate with the returning players. And a few too many play the same game / non-position. So, it has growing pains. I believe it will get better as the season progresses. There is loads of talent on this team. Yes, we will almost certainly lose a few we should win. But, like last year, we will win a few we might otherwise lose.

The difference is that this team should win 21-23 games and be a tourney team.

Then, let's look to balance the roster, bring an X and Os guy in etc, But, the season should be exciting (and gut wrenching at tines). Let's enjoy.[/quote]

I agree that the above assessment is way too harsh. I always feel better after the game listening to the post game press conference and getting the coach's take. He has a reason for what he does and I thought the post game interview yesterday was good and answered some questions.
 
[quote="Matty Hoops" post=303991]Can't believe there is a chunk of the board that could watch last night's game and fault Ponds. Without Ponds we lose that game. With Ponds playing the role of Steve Nash, we prob lose that game bc outside of Figgy, our boys were having an off night. The stretches where Ponds didn't lead the offense and didn't take shots were our roughest and most rudderless. He has an innate ability to draw contact and without the ball in his hands drawing fouls, we don't get to the line enough to even get to OT. Outside of getting too loose when trapped on the sideline and jacking up a heat check 3, what were the bad shots he took compared to the rest of the crew. I think it's on the staff to devise ways to properly integrate Figgy and Heron into the offense, but when it comes down to being down and in crunch time there's no one else I would rather have in the ball. And there's no way that Ponds' play up to that point was the reason we were trailing rather than leading deep into the game.

Odds and Ends:
-Love LJ but needs to be careful with his handle in the open court. Better off finding a guard right away
-Missed too many bunnies for the second night in a row
-Lack of size really hurts on the offensive boards. We don't get enough second chance opportunities
-I think we'll defend the perimeter better once Keita is back. We're so concerned (rightfully so) with giving up points in the paint that we have to collapse hard which leads to a lot of open looks. Hopefully we won't have to scramble as much when our big is back
-This a tough, resilient team. A trait that will go along way to help us in Feb and March.
-Great job by Dixon tonight. Ice water!
-Need Williams and Roberts to get their feet went ASAP. Foul trouble is going to be a constant issue, especially in BE play. A big reason the defense broke down at times was because everyone had 3 or 4 fouls. It's amazing that only Heron fouled out.[/quote]

Clark fouled out too.
 
[quote="MSP710" post=303993]Here's the takeaway from these two games: Mullin cannot coach. He doesn't make any adjustments during the game. It's incredible. He's just going to go with his NBA style offense and hope that it all works out. Richmond is a complete waste. Does nothing.

I'm sure none of this is lost on the new AD.[/quote]

There were adjustments in both games. We went to that moderate zone press a few times Monday which slowed down Cal and bothered VCU. We also went to a zone a few times both games which totally throw off Calmwhem they first saw it. We also started flashing Ponds in the high post against the zone against VCU and he hit back to back jumpers and we were more effective.
 
The team won their first trophy after winning a second game against a tough team that runs eleven athletes at you. We have fans that watch from home and harp on a non-call in a game where two teams fouled each other nearly every play. Enjoy the win. For the few of us able to get to the game it was a great win to witness. At the end of a physical game both teams showed respect for each other. It was cool to see two teams go at it like that.

This St John's team is obviously going through a transition as six very talented players are coming together as a team. They did not shoot as well (Ponds and Clark were a combined 1-11 deep into the game from three) and they still won against a tough defensive team that wears teams down. After the Rutgers game we posted that they would lose on nights when the shots don't fall. Well, they just won on a bad night.

Some people are not going to change their mind about Mullin. They see the same guy that was out of his league in year one. They don't see the growth and are convinced that going the transfer route is going to lead to failure. It is what it is. He will be judged by his record. 5-0 and a tournament championship as we reach Thanksgiving. Enjoy it.
 
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When all 5 guys are standing at the 3 point line you cant play inside out and also the defense is in position for every rebound. Ill even take ponds in the post!
 
[quote="OLV72" post=304009]The team won their first trophy after winning a second game against a tough team that runs eleven athletes at you. We have fans that watch from home and harp on a non-call in a game where two teams fouled each other nearly every play. Enjoy the win. For the few of us able to get to the game it was a great win to witness. At the end of a physical game both teams showed respect for each other. It was cool to see two teams go at it like that.

This St John's team is obviously going through a transition as six very talented players are coming together as a team. They did not shoot as well (Ponds and Clark were a combined 1-11 deep into the game from three) and they still won against a tough defensive team that wears teams down. After the Rutgers game we posted that they would lose on nights when the shots don't fall. Well, they just won on a bad night.

Some people are not going to change their mind about Mullin. They see the same guy that was out of his league in year one. They don't see the growth and are convinced that going the transfer route is going to lead to failure. It is what it is. He will be judged by his record. 5-0 and a tournament championship as we reach Thanksgiving. Enjoy it.[/quote]

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+1
Solid analysis
 
This game felt like it was coming down to the wire from the jump. VCU is tough. I think there are posters on this board that are looking for the players on this team and the coaches on the bench to be perfect in every respect. The only thing that is perfect so far is our record, and i'll take that. One main takeaway from last night was that LJ needed more touches or set up for spot ups. He was on while Heron and Clark were not. And all through the end of regulation and OT, i wanted the ball in Ponds' hands. VCU clearly couldn't stop him and he was our best shot. This is supposed to be our year. We are 5 games in with 3 new guys playing significant minutes. We are still adjusting. I'd rather be a 20+ win team at the end of the season with a few games like this rather than a 17 or 18 win team and doubtful for NCAA.
 
[quote="MSP710" post=303993]Here's the takeaway from these two games: Mullin cannot coach. He doesn't make any adjustments during the game. It's incredible. He's just going to go with his NBA style offense and hope that it all works out. Richmond is a complete waste. Does nothing.

I'm sure none of this is lost on the new AD.[/quote]

Pardon me...among your total of 31 posts, these words are so extremely negative and appear (I might be incorrect) to overlook the big and many faceted demands of coaching a Div 1 team.
phrases such as "cannot coach", "complete waste", "does nothing"...not exactly the style one would employ in raising kids, dealing with co-workers, enjoying a family dinner (tomorrow).

Such a downer for a 5-0 team and a program headed in the right direction - not prefect - but improving.

Have a nice holiday tomorrow but watch out for those over and under cooked or missing dishes, the people who show up that you can't stand, the cold weather and lousy choice of games on TV with overpaid players. AND oh yes Shamorie Ponds got an untimely technical which almost cost us the game...not such a composed player I suppose.

Maybe he too cannot play, "does nothing" and is a "complete waste"
 
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You know, I read this board and its just so irritating at times. Reading this board is just like my group chat with 2 other guys who claim to be st johns basketball fans. They bitch and complain on every play that isnt perfect but yet dont give credit when credit is due. We are 5-0. I really dont care how we win against decent to good competition. Just win. And dont tell me vcu isnt at the very least a decent team. They just beat a temple team that many were hoping we would play to help our schedule strength. I personally love it when we win after being down a good amount in the second half. It shows great resilience and bodes well in tight games. These guys dont give up and thats gonna go a long way for our team this year. Is this team perfect? Of course not. One of my group chat buddies texts heron 2 for 11?? I mean come on, guys have bad days. Accept it and move on and enjoy the next game when he is 6-10. Focus on the negative is so ridiculous when there are plenty of positives.

LETS GO!!!!!
 
Couldn't watch last night's game, but delighted to get the win when it sounds like some of our key guys weren't at their best. If we keep winning these OOC games that is all we can ask for. From a glass half full perspective, it stands to reason this group will get more in sync as games go on. Looking at the upcoming schedule, there will be plenty of games to give the freshman some minutes and get them comfortable/see what they can do. Granted it's only a game and there are a lot more important things for us all to be thankful for on turkey day, but I am one Johnny fan who will be particularly thankful this Thanksgiving to have a good team to root for!
 
No one loves Mullin more than me but you can't look objectively at his in-game coaching and say there is any growth. And stop with the tournament win. That wasn't a tournament. While Syracuse and UCONN fill the Garden, we're playing VCU in Brooklyn.

I'm not rooting against Mullin to succeed. I'll enjoy every win. They're a fun team to watch. I hate to be so cynical but I just don't think we're going to make significant strides this year.
 
[quote="johnny redman" post=304010]When all 5 guys are standing at the 3 point line you cant play inside out and also the defense is in position for every rebound. Ill even take ponds in the post![/quote] That’s a good point. I think , as you said, the real secret to ball movement is the inside out game.It keeps the opposing defense honest and helps w rebounds,
 
I would have thought people would be happy, as Williams got burn. People have been clamoring for that. I thought he looked solid.
 
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