Game thread
- Thread starter cavalier86
- Start date
cavalier86
Member
This is the definition of a young team. Can look so bad for 35 minutes and then look so good the last 5. Have to give kudos to Gift and Harrison, both played huge. And down the stretch Pointer and Harkless with big defensive plays. I know we are going to struggle this year, but getting Garrett back is such a positive and for me when this team finds it they are going to be real good and more fun to watch.
Great win... Lets all have a Merry Christmas and on to Providence!!!
Great win... Lets all have a Merry Christmas and on to Providence!!!
I don't think it's completely not progressing I think part of it might be having to play a style of play they weren't brought here for because of being shorthanded.
Now certainly our zone isn't good but it sounded like Dunlap kind of let the kids run in the 2nd half a little which is what they are going to be good at.
But I agree that the B.E play is going to be ugly but I was expecting that anyway. I just want more recruits coming
cavalier86
Member
Just looked over the box score, didn't realize that Texas PA took and made only 1 foul shot. With such a young team, they are learning to play without fouling. and having a short bench they are staying out of foul trouble. Once Garrett has a few practices and gets used to the offense, I see him putting up double figures, Pressure D was also nice, caused TO and rushed shots. Take this as a good win and a great learning experience.
tom in salem
Well-known member
Greene 4 assists, 0 turnovers.
Gift has more made 3's than Lindsey.
Gift has more made 3's than Lindsey.
This is a team going 6 scholarship players deep. Several of our freshmen are averaging double figures per game. To say we're not progressing is silly. We just won 2 games in a row with SIX rookies on a roster that should have 13-15 players including upperclassmen. It might be a rough season, but they certainly are progressing and learning as they go. Too many people expecting too much from an amazingly young and thin roster. Kudos to them for the win. They're all important games. Glad to see Amir mixed it up a bit as well. Need to get him involved ASAP.
Absolutely and well said MCNPA! Let's get real everything and everyone has its own time and pace for maturity and taking leaps onto the next level.
I don't see how we can win many this year but we have such a good thing going! And I like what Lavin brings to the table including the posted article on Baron Davis helping out.
When Coach Lavin said SJU was a sleeping giant I think he meant it - and I and others have felt that way all along despite the naysayers (no blue chips want to come here; the program is over the hill; no decent coach wants to come either; the facilities are poor on and on).
And thanks to any $$$ people who have helped.
It's a time to be grateful and be joyous in all that we have going. SJU and we the fans deserve the best and no reason why WITH TIME we cannot get back into a steady top 20 team. We have much more to offer than the Gonzagas and Xaviers and G'towns of the world as a small non-football school.
For the mean time patience and accepting the learning that comes with losses. I expect many of the latter.
The Jarvis-Roberts days have drifted onto Jurassic Island - so long ago.
all the best.
I don't see how we can win many this year but we have such a good thing going! And I like what Lavin brings to the table including the posted article on Baron Davis helping out.
When Coach Lavin said SJU was a sleeping giant I think he meant it - and I and others have felt that way all along despite the naysayers (no blue chips want to come here; the program is over the hill; no decent coach wants to come either; the facilities are poor on and on).
And thanks to any $$$ people who have helped.
It's a time to be grateful and be joyous in all that we have going. SJU and we the fans deserve the best and no reason why WITH TIME we cannot get back into a steady top 20 team. We have much more to offer than the Gonzagas and Xaviers and G'towns of the world as a small non-football school.
For the mean time patience and accepting the learning that comes with losses. I expect many of the latter.
The Jarvis-Roberts days have drifted onto Jurassic Island - so long ago.
all the best.
So now we have a freshman pg with a high assist to turnover ratio, sounds good to me.
beast of the east
Active member
Actually, I don't agree. I think they moved the ball well on offense, and got good looks. Harrison drilled some NBA plus threes, and went to the basket with intelligence and confidence. He also took over the last half of the second half, especially when he scored 8 striaght points by sandwiching a jackknife drive around two long threes. He also hit the key basketb of the game, a loooooong three very late, before the steal and dunk gave us some breathing room. Gift played like a man among boys, and played under control. AND they are playing a better zone, and are applying reasonable pressure without committing dumb fouls. With 6 or now 7 guys with Garrett, they didnt get in foul trouble - big plus.
I still haven't budged off 13-15 wins overall, but I think they are learning, and will provide some better, experienced, Big East teams with challenging competition.
buckethead
Well-known member
I wish I could get more games out here in the midwest but based on the commentary it seems like Harrison shows up as the man one game, Harkless in another, GG in another and Pointer seems to just be consistently defensive (his biggest recruiting point.) Eventually they will have these great moments consistently and at the same time. I think the missing link is Coach. Just my humble opinion but Lavin seems to have a way of bringing out the best in his kids and I expect no less when he returns completely healthy.
Class of 72
Active member
Observations:
Good crowd considering it lacked the great resident student support who obviously make games more exiting for the players.
CA temperature was around 80 degrees. it was oppressive and probably wearing on the players too...millions spent and no control over the ventilation?
It seems we got thinner again with Jamal White with an injured foot. I will miss his zero minutes contributions.
Moe did a good disappearing act for most of the game....mostly on the perimeter. The tallest TX player was all of 6'7 and slow as mud.....Moe should have dominated in this game. Kid needs to play in a running game or he falls asleep.
Greene and Pointer played like pure freshmen tonight and failed miserably guarding the perimeter shooters. TXPA almost hit half of their threes! My money they will not shoot better the remainder of the year.
Great to see Amir get 15 minutes. He will definitely get 20 minutes against the Friars.
Stith.....no comment.
Dunlap......use the zone against teams with a big front court ..... Against TXPA it was just plain DUMB!
Good crowd considering it lacked the great resident student support who obviously make games more exiting for the players.
CA temperature was around 80 degrees. it was oppressive and probably wearing on the players too...millions spent and no control over the ventilation?
It seems we got thinner again with Jamal White with an injured foot. I will miss his zero minutes contributions.
Moe did a good disappearing act for most of the game....mostly on the perimeter. The tallest TX player was all of 6'7 and slow as mud.....Moe should have dominated in this game. Kid needs to play in a running game or he falls asleep.
Greene and Pointer played like pure freshmen tonight and failed miserably guarding the perimeter shooters. TXPA almost hit half of their threes! My money they will not shoot better the remainder of the year.
Great to see Amir get 15 minutes. He will definitely get 20 minutes against the Friars.
Stith.....no comment.
Dunlap......use the zone against teams with a big front court ..... Against TXPA it was just plain DUMB!
Need someone like Chris Mullins to teach our guards how to be a better shooters from the outside.It seems to me every team we play have better outside shooters than us.Need to recruite at least 2 pure shooters.Each player must spend more time practicing their shoots and free throws with coaches that know how.. to teach them.
Dunlap......use the zone against teams with a big front court ..... Against TXPA it was just plain DUMB!
What makes a zone really effective is cohesion of all parties in the defense. The zone is a true team defense.It was imperative to get Garrett involved in the process of working with the rest of the group as soon as possible because the clock is ticking on the season.. We are not a great zone team but I will guess that all of our players have played predominantly man to man in their lives. The zone is counter-intuitive to them as individuals and as a group. They are at this point a much better team in man. That being said the only way that they will get better at zone is to continue to get out there and do it. If it were not for our limited roster and lack of size we would not need to play it as much. For now though the team needs reps with it in game situations to be able to get it. I am sure Dunlap was aware that we matched up with TXPA much better in man. Unfortunately we won't have the same luxury with Big East games.
For this game I thought the depth Garrett provided allowed us to be much fresher and bring energy late that allowed us to turn the tide. I thought offensively we wasted our size and athletic advantage in the first half and it seemed that God's Gift had the most heightened sense that we needed to exploit that. By the end of the game the collective approach to attacking their defense was better. I believe we will see improvement in the next couple of months in multiple phases of the game. Whether that will translate into a high enough number of wins to satisfy people is unknowable now.
What makes a zone really effective is cohesion of all parties in the defense. The zone is a true team defense.It was imperative to get Garrett involved in the process of working with the rest of the group as soon as possible because the clock is ticking on the season.. We are not a great zone team but I will guess that all of our players have played predominantly man to man in their lives. The zone is counter-intuitive to them as individuals and as a group. They are at this point a much better team in man. That being said the only way that they will get better at zone is to continue to get out there and do it. If it were not for our limited roster and lack of size we would not need to play it as much. For now though the team needs reps with it in game situations to be able to get it. I am sure Dunlap was aware that we matched up with TXPA much better in man. Unfortunately we won't have the same luxury with Big East games.
For this game I thought the depth Garrett provided allowed us to be much fresher and bring energy late that allowed us to turn the tide. I thought offensively we wasted our size and athletic advantage in the first half and it seemed that God's Gift had the most heightened sense that we needed to exploit that. By the end of the game the collective approach to attacking their defense was better. I believe we will see improvement in the next couple of months in multiple phases of the game. Whether that will translate into a high enough number of wins to satisfy people is unknowable now.
I don't like the way we use him on offense. He's always standing at the three point line left corner, without the ball. Although he can hit an occasional outside shot, that's not his game, IMO. I'd like to see him be somewhere more around the FT line when he doesn't have the ball. The one time he did that tonight though, Dunlap didn't seem too happy about it, so I guess he wants Moe where he is right now. I'd like to know his logic on that , since it totally doesn't make sense to me.
I was at the game tonight and was surprised at how much more poised Tx PA was shooting the ball. The Johnnies could not buy a shot and look awful in the half court. I was thinking how bad Harrison looked as a shooter, as did the whole team and how much they missed Lindsey's up tempo. Suddenly Harrison hit a three, then rebounded and scored a bank shot and the crowd and the team came to life. Now they were back in the game but 2 pressure back to back threes by Tx PA and everything got subdued. However God's gift kept playing hard and Harrison hit a big long three that put them back up top . A poor back pass was intercepted by Harkness for a lay in and that was it. Clutch fouls afterwards. A scary win but a win.
A side note. Ugliest sweater night with gift going to crowd's favorite which should have been the Tx PA coach.
A side note. Ugliest sweater night with gift going to crowd's favorite which should have been the Tx PA coach.