Criticism

[quote="Mike Zaun" post=408591][quote="fordham96" post=408585]The criticism is over the top.

But so were the expectations of some people. This team was picked 9th for a reason. This team has no current RSCI top 100 recruits on its roster right now.

Again worth repeating coming off a 5-13 season and you land no consensus top 100 recruits and your team's leading scorer transfers late and you are picked almost universally to finish at the bottom of the conference and you expect what? To win 20 games? Go 10-10?[/quote]

Recruit rankings are "just a number" :)[/quote]

Wins and losses are "just numbers" as well. The teams with the best recruits are the ones with the most wins. We can't get top recruits. We're not a Big East program and haven't been for years. It's time to face reality.
 
[quote="newsman13" post=408593][quote="Mike Zaun" post=408591][quote="fordham96" post=408585]The criticism is over the top.

But so were the expectations of some people. This team was picked 9th for a reason. This team has no current RSCI top 100 recruits on its roster right now.

Again worth repeating coming off a 5-13 season and you land no consensus top 100 recruits and your team's leading scorer transfers late and you are picked almost universally to finish at the bottom of the conference and you expect what? To win 20 games? Go 10-10?[/quote]

Recruit rankings are "just a number" :)[/quote]

Wins and losses are "just numbers" as well. The teams with the best recruits are the ones with the most wins. We can't get top recruits. We're not a Big East program and haven't been for years. It's time to face reality.[/quote]

"We can't get top recruits till we win"
"We can't win till he get top recruits"

Seems like a never ending conundrum. The kind that college coaches get paid big bucks to figure out.
 
I blame the coach more than I blame the players.

From Newsday-
Of the lack of defensive execution with the lead, Anderson said, "We’ve just got to take a little more pride and that’s what’s got to take place. We did everything we need to do, but the defense isn’t where we want it right now."

They need to take a little more “Pride?” Key players were exhausted, and serviceable players ignored. CMA needs to meet with the coaching staff and come up with a new game plan. The latest loss in on the coach.
 
I am a big supporter of coach anderson, but the one criticism I have felt a lot more this year from last year are the wholesale changes of the lineup WHEN they are playing well. To come out of the gates and race to a 9 point lead in the first 5 min of the second half to change the whole lineup at the timeout does not make sense to me. When things are going bad I can understand mixing things up for a change. But this has happened a few times this year. A group has done well and then take them all out and the game momentum changes so fast. Keep it a few minutes longer if things going well. And why does it have to be a 5 for 5 swap. Need to keep a few more offensive minded guys out there on the court at all times unless the lead is very substantial. I am still a big fan coach!!!! and I think we will gel as the year goes on. Lets hope these early losses turn into wins with the growing pains of this team.
 
[quote="espken" post=408587][quote="Las Vegan" post=408030]So much frustration, angst and pain, but at least no one, as yet, has called for leaving the Big East and joining the MAAC.[/quote]

Thank God for Vince Cole, otherwise we'd be 0-2 against the MAAC.[/quote]

Cole seems very uncomfortable playing Big East level talent. Unless he improves to the point where he can be as useful as Justin Simon in terms of defense he may become a liability on defense to the point where his streaky offensive game will not be worth his minutes.
I see a transfer possibility here if Pinzon is a better overall player.
 
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[quote="newsman13" post=408593][quote="Mike Zaun" post=408591][quote="fordham96" post=408585]The criticism is over the top.

But so were the expectations of some people. This team was picked 9th for a reason. This team has no current RSCI top 100 recruits on its roster right now.

Again worth repeating coming off a 5-13 season and you land no consensus top 100 recruits and your team's leading scorer transfers late and you are picked almost universally to finish at the bottom of the conference and you expect what? To win 20 games? Go 10-10?[/quote]

Recruit rankings are "just a number" :)[/quote]

Wins and losses are "just numbers" as well. The teams with the best recruits are the ones with the most wins. We can't get top recruits. We're not a Big East program and haven't been for years. It's time to face reality.[/quote]

I'm being sarcastic. I think the problem is two-fold...not good enough players and not a good enough system and there for, coach. This was my biggest fear when we fired Lavin...assuming we would still be solid, only to fall from decent to the basement on a regular basis.
 
If the entire coaching philosophy is the problem, then we've apparently got a big problem. If it's some things that can be tweaked, then two BE games isn't enough time to start calling for dropping to the MAAC, calling for COVID to strike the team, etc.

I aways expect us to do well, and reassess that stance as need be. I personally think it's too early to be on a ledge, but I'm in no position to tell others how they should feel. That doesn't stop me from thinking that some of you are completely freaking bonkers, though.
 
[quote="L J S A" post=408604]If the entire coaching philosophy is the problem, then we've apparently got a big problem. If it's some things that can be tweaked, then two BE games isn't enough time to start calling for dropping to the MAAC, calling for COVID to strike the team, etc.

I aways expect us to do well, and reassess that stance as need be. I personally think it's too early to be on a ledge, but I'm in no position to tell others how they should feel. That doesn't stop me from thinking that some of you are completely freaking bonkers, though.[/quote]

+1
By the way, "bonkers" might be an understatement for some of these dudes. There's a few other adjectives you could probably use.
 
I admire and respect CMA. It doesn’t mean that I agree with the results that have been produced. I reject any effort to change coaches. I just want a different approach by CMA. He’s a man of character, but I hope he’s not too headstrong to adjust his approach given his current roster.
 
[quote="Knight" post=408608]I admire and respect CMA. It doesn’t mean that I agree with the results that have been produced. I reject any effort to change coaches. I just want a different approach by CMA. He’s a man of character, but I hope he’s not too headstrong to adjust his approach given his current roster.[/quote]

To be honest, with this level of talent, I think this may be the best system possible. Pressure defense, push the ball up the court for easier shots, force the opposition into mistakes. To be effective in this style of play, you must play relentless in your jock defense, you must learn to minimize your own mistakes playing at this speed, take better shots and protect the ball. It is a higher turnover style of play, but it's a style of defense no team likes to face when played well. The old adage, anyone can play good defense, applies here.

A zillion years ago, a young coach named Pitino turned a lackluster Providence team into a Final Four team in only his 2nd (and final ) season there by playing this style of basketball. Let's not expect our squad to get this right out of the gates. Honestly, I think we'd get crushed playing half court basketball right now.
 
[quote="Beast of the East" post=408609][quote="Knight" post=408608]I admire and respect CMA. It doesn’t mean that I agree with the results that have been produced. I reject any effort to change coaches. I just want a different approach by CMA. He’s a man of character, but I hope he’s not too headstrong to adjust his approach given his current roster.[/quote]

To be honest, with this level of talent, I think this may be the best system possible. Pressure defense, push the ball up the court for easier shots, force the opposition into mistakes. To be effective in this style of play, you must play relentless in your jock defense, you must learn to minimize your own mistakes playing at this speed, take better shots and protect the ball. It is a higher turnover style of play, but it's a style of defense no team likes to face when played well. The old adage, anyone can play good defense, applies here.

A zillion years ago, a young coach named Pitino turned a lackluster Providence team into a Final Four team in only his 2nd (and final ) season there by playing this style of basketball. Let's not expect our squad to get this right out of the gates. Honestly, I think we'd get crushed playing half court basketball right now.[/quote]

Beast, my point is that I don’t think we have the personnel to run the style CMA wants to play. The type of pressure is very exhausting on players and CMA is not rotating the players enough to keep the defenders fresh. I’m also not sure we have the necessary pieces on the roster.
 
Many have complained about our defense. So this morning found out we ranked 280 out of 319 teams in fg% defense. I refreshed just now and numbers were updated to include the gtown game. Currently, 291 out of 319 teams. 3mm in staff salaries, unreal.
 
[quote="Knight" post=408612][quote="Beast of the East" post=408609][quote="Knight" post=408608]I admire and respect CMA. It doesn’t mean that I agree with the results that have been produced. I reject any effort to change coaches. I just want a different approach by CMA. He’s a man of character, but I hope he’s not too headstrong to adjust his approach given his current roster.[/quote]

To be honest, with this level of talent, I think this may be the best system possible. Pressure defense, push the ball up the court for easier shots, force the opposition into mistakes. To be effective in this style of play, you must play relentless in your jock defense, you must learn to minimize your own mistakes playing at this speed, take better shots and protect the ball. It is a higher turnover style of play, but it's a style of defense no team likes to face when played well. The old adage, anyone can play good defense, applies here.

A zillion years ago, a young coach named Pitino turned a lackluster Providence team into a Final Four team in only his 2nd (and final ) season there by playing this style of basketball. Let's not expect our squad to get this right out of the gates. Honestly, I think we'd get crushed playing half court basketball right now.[/quote]

Beast, my point is that I don’t think we have the personnel to run the style CMA wants to play. The type of pressure is very exhausting on players and CMA is not rotating the players enough to keep the defenders fresh. I’m also not sure we have the necessary pieces on the roster.[/quote]

Anderson is rotating, but he's not making the proper rotations IMO.

This is a bottom line business and the bottom line is garnering wins. If he believes his system will result in wins, then I'll give him the remainder of the season to see what occurs. But don't continue to sacrifice games and potential wins because one is too wedded to their system.

A couple of minor tweaks could possibly do the trick (ie, better picking your spots when to use pressure.... just one particular suggstion).
 
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[quote="nycfan" post=408614]Many have complained about our defense. So this morning found out we ranked 280 out of 319 teams in fg% defense. I refreshed just now and numbers were updated to include the gtown game. Currently, 291 out of 319 teams. 3mm in staff salaries, unreal.[/quote]

Certainly a concern, but I would probably guess that when your pressure defense breaks down, it leads to easier baskets than in a conventional half court defense. The advantage though is you create a lot of turnovers. Obviously we aren't executing well, and we will see how well the team responds to more experience together. You are never as bad as you look when you lose and never as good as when you win. We took Gtown to OT, and really had them on the ropes without delivering a knockout punch. We will know a lot more over the next several games.
 
What hurts most is we made the exact same mistake last year against Butler. Up 5 with 2 minutes left we foul Jordan Tucker 75 feet from the basket. The clock is our ally, why stop it, call off the full court press. Make them earn a bucket while killing 10+ seconds off the game clock. Fast forward to last night, up 7 with 2 minutes, SOS.

CMA is a class act, no one is turning on him. However the staff has to do a better job in crunch time. Period.
 
What kills me is when we defend well for 25 seconds than don’t rotate correctly and give up a wide open 3 end of shot clock

Not having a rim protector also hurts.
 
[quote="MJDinkins" post=408615][quote="Knight" post=408612][quote="Beast of the East" post=408609][quote="Knight" post=408608]I admire and respect CMA. It doesn’t mean that I agree with the results that have been produced. I reject any effort to change coaches. I just want a different approach by CMA. He’s a man of character, but I hope he’s not too headstrong to adjust his approach given his current roster.[/quote]

To be honest, with this level of talent, I think this may be the best system possible. Pressure defense, push the ball up the court for easier shots, force the opposition into mistakes. To be effective in this style of play, you must play relentless in your jock defense, you must learn to minimize your own mistakes playing at this speed, take better shots and protect the ball. It is a higher turnover style of play, but it's a style of defense no team likes to face when played well. The old adage, anyone can play good defense, applies here.

A zillion years ago, a young coach named Pitino turned a lackluster Providence team into a Final Four team in only his 2nd (and final ) season there by playing this style of basketball. Let's not expect our squad to get this right out of the gates. Honestly, I think we'd get crushed playing half court basketball right now.[/quote]

Beast, my point is that I don’t think we have the personnel to run the style CMA wants to play. The type of pressure is very exhausting on players and CMA is not rotating the players enough to keep the defenders fresh. I’m also not sure we have the necessary pieces on the roster.[/quote]

Anderson is rotating, but he's not making the proper rotations IMO.

This is a bottom line business and the bottom line is garnering wins. If he believes his system will result in wins, then I'll give him the remainder of the season to see what occurs. But don't continue to sacrifice games and potential wins because one is too wedded to their system.

A couple of minor tweaks could possibly do the trick.[/quote]

Completely agree with what you're saying, just get the sense that CMA is going to stick to the system that's made him successful over the years, and if it means sacrificing a year or two more to get it right, he's going to do it. I'm sure he wants to keep his winning record streak going, but he's not going to sacrifice the future for the present. Like you, I'm hoping some tweaks do the trick.
 
We haven’t played a big east home game yet but there are some bleak looking tendencies afloat.
1 the pressure defense is no where near as effective as last year giving up all sorts of open threes and not providing the easy baskets like last year
2 this means the half court offense has to pick up the slack and as usual SJU will be in the bottom ten per cent of college bb teams shooting threes. how Anderson confronts this problem is a mystery
3 Anderson appears to be unable to recruit any big man who can make any contribution. In addition he seems unable to help the ones he does bring in to make any improvement in their game while at SJU. can the new big coming in change this ?
 
When you put all your eggs in the defensive basket so you have no offense...but then also stink on defense even though it was supposed to be your specialty, it's a recipe for the basement. Just ask the Jets. I'd like to see us play a Creighton style of offense, because that's where the game is these days. Bunch of guys who can shoot lights out, may not always be the most athletic, but they have size and shoot 3's very well. I think opponents lick their chops seeing us next on their schedule. They know if they just keep most of their composure with the press, they will get wide open 3's all day. They also know we can't do a damn thing to stop a real big inside.
 
[quote="espken" post=408617]What hurts most is we made the exact same mistake last year against Butler. Up 5 with 2 minutes left we foul Jordan Tucker 75 feet from the basket. The clock is our ally, why stop it, call off the full court press. Make them earn a bucket while killing 10+ seconds off the game clock. Fast forward to last night, up 7 with 2 minutes, SOS.

CMA is a class act, no one is turning on him. However the staff has to do a better job in crunch time. Period.[/quote]

Yep.... Being Anderson wanna bring pressure, then use token pressure in that situation as a means to simply make the opposition use some clock (and a bit of energy) to get into their offense. You may can still get the opposition to scramble a bit being they're behind late and need points. Just make 'em work harder to do so.
 
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