Chemistry a Problem / N.Y. Post
- Thread starter jerseyshorejohnny
- Start date
Not on the Dunlap bandwagon. Remember, he was the one who designed this defense that's allows a billion open 3's every game. Didn't like it then, don't like it know.
Also, you can't ask Lavin to be something he's not, demeanor wise. But again, I don't think we weren't ready to play. I think it was kind of the opposite, if anything.
The 5 players that should get the most minutes are DLo,Dom,Sanchez,Jorden and Sampson. When are we going to learn how to defend the 3? If Hooper played for Wisconsin, he would have scored 25 points against us. They took many 3s where there wasn't a defender anywhere near the shooter. Lavin should have given Hooper more minutes to see what he can do.
I agree with you regarding who should get the bulk of minutes. I also agree that Hooper should have seen a few more looks (wouldn't have scored 25 for Wisc, but...) i often hear people say it's not who starts, but who finishes. Unfortunately Dom neither started nor did he finish. His not being in the game from the biginning contributed to us falling behind early. His inability to avoid fouls caused him not to be there at the end. Frankly, I think he needs to start. He is our best defender and he brings overall intensity, which we lacked early in the game.
I am at a loss to understand the love affair with Hooper since few of the posters have ever seen him play for any period of time.
Lets see; Hooper played at a high profile high school program and received a 2** star rating or no star rating from the services. Hooper went to play at Harvard for veteran college coach TommY Amaker and did not get time playing against slow no scholarship players in the Ivy League. Hooper transfers to St.John's and the posters on Redmen.com make him to be a star (recall the post that likened Hooper to Mullin).
To be successful in the Big East Hooper will have to do more than merely hit jumpers while unguarded in practice. He will have to hit shots during games with faster defenders than he ever saw in the Ivies as well as play defense, pass and think quickly.
I hope that Hooper fulfills the fantasies of the other posters on this site but it is unfair to burden the kid with high expectations.
Class of 72
Active member
And on a team with few outside threats he represents one of a few possibilities. Other teams have found ways to get points from 1 dimensional players...we need to do the same...if he can't deliver, fine but we're not at that point yet
Right now, he is like my golf game..great on the range..has to figure out how to get it to the course...
I never said Hooper was a savior. My point is, that if he was guarded like we guard the3' he would make a lot of shots. We need to desperately work on that area . He missed 1 shot and was taken out. I think he can be a contributor, make some3s and by doing so will open up other players.
jumbo_peanuts
Active member
We shot 15% from 3. Hooper was brought in as a shooter. He took one shot in limited minutes. I don't know if he can do it but until he is given a chance, no one will know. If, given the opportunity, he shows that he can't then keep him on the bench. Right now, we need long distance shooting and that is supposed to be his specialty.
Agreed wholeheartedly Otis. In the limited minutes I saw him, he did not look very fluid on offense. The word "plodding" popped in to my mind while watching him. Plus our D is having enough trouble already without adding someone who is slow afoot to the mix. I am not expecting much more than we got from Marco last year. Maybe I'll pleasantly surprised.
I'll add the standard preface that it's tough to get a really good read on Hooper given the limited amount of time he was on the court. That said, one of the things that caught my attention was how quickly he moved the ball. As a passer, he knew where he was going to send the ball before it hit his hands. That is unusual on our team and I thought it caught a couple of our guys unprepared. Hooper might be a plodder in terms of foot speed, but a quick thinker. That's a contrast to some of our guys who are dandy athletes, but move the ball so slowly and deliberately that stopping our offence is pretty simple.
As for Hooper's three-point effectiveness, it's not too tough to stop a one-trick pony with two minutes left in a 10-point game if there is no effort to run a play to free him up.
So we should be content with being one of the worst 3point shooting teams in the nation again?
If the requirement to being on the floor was based on being a good defender, then none of our guards should be in the game.
Hooper needs to be in the rotation. If you say he can't hang with the length of a long Syracuse squad then fine.
But Wisconsin??
D'Angelo was 1-7 from 3.
But we live with that because it's D'Angelo?
Give me a break.
Either question Lavin on his recruiting (why did he even waste scholarships on Hooper and Marco) or question his rotation. But don't tell me that we shouldn't play the kid because he doesn't "pass and think quickly" when Phil Greene is getting the lion's share of minutes off the bench.
Does not compute.
If the requirement to being on the floor was based on being a good defender, then none of our guards should be in the game.
Hooper needs to be in the rotation. If you say he can't hang with the length of a long Syracuse squad then fine.
But Wisconsin??
D'Angelo was 1-7 from 3.
But we live with that because it's D'Angelo?
Give me a break.
Either question Lavin on his recruiting (why did he even waste scholarships on Hooper and Marco) or question his rotation. But don't tell me that we shouldn't play the kid because he doesn't "pass and think quickly" when Phil Greene is getting the lion's share of minutes off the bench.
Does not compute.
Class of 72
Active member
One would hope the team does not need to figure out how to penetrate and kick out by now. My fear is, like Marco, Hoop will be used in desperate situations when we are behind and forcing plays and putting most of the pressure on the kid when his points should come in the flow of the game. That is the coaches decision and if past history is a precedent then there is little hope in our great white hope.
As for our front court, my fear is that GG's final year will be wasted after red-shirting him for no good reason last year when he was needed and that Chris O does not progress past shot blocking. With no decent big recruits for next year we may be back to square one in 2014-15.
rawdognyc
Well-known member
If eating one's words is a consequence of having a wrong opinion you would have choked to death a long time ago!
hahaha that was funny! Seeing as I don't come here predicting things like some people, that doesn't really apply to me. I love St Johns. Win or lose. I would rather us win of course but honestly it doesn't affect my life either way so even though I may get upset over a loss I won't come on here whining like a spoiled little baby. If you and guys like 72 know so much it blows my mind why you are here on message boards and not out coaching college basketball with your vast and superior knowledge over our current staff.
What's the point of this comment. Those are the players that got the most minutes with the exception of Sanchez would couldn't get out of foul trouble. Staff knows who needs to play. Like the second half of your post suggested, they need to show them how to play, especially on D. The did score 52 in the second half.
Class of 72
Active member
If eating one's words is a consequence of having a wrong opinion you would have choked to death a long time ago!
hahaha that was funny! Seeing as I don't come here predicting things like some people, that doesn't really apply to me. I love St Johns. Win or lose. I would rather us win of course but honestly it doesn't affect my life either way so even though I may get upset over a loss I won't come on here whining like a spoiled little baby. If you and guys like 72 know so much it blows my mind why you are here on message boards and not out coaching college basketball with your vast and superior knowledge over our current staff.
Relax Raw! It is a message board for those of varying opinions. All that is being posted are opinions and personal observations. Some disagreement is normal and expected. Over the past decade or so, many of us have become conditioned to expect the worst. In reality, we all hope for the best and a win. Dominus vobiscum!