Heck of a game by Balamou today
- Thread starter thetux1
- Start date
Scratching my head on this one. I thought the redshirt was a great move at the beginning of the year. If I had to guess, I think Balamou takes over for Dom as the weeks go by. There is not much of a difference defensively or in terms of size, and Balamou is much more controlled and plays within his abilities on the offensive side. He also really gets after it on the offensive glass.
We just can't win if Dom isn't hitting the offensive glass. Zero today. 1 last game. He is averaging a disgusting 0.6 offensive rebounds per game--down from 1.3 as a frosh and 1.2 as a soph. What is happening? It is so puzzling, because he isn't a spot up shooter, he isn't a huge screener for us. Why is he not heading to the rim with reckless abandon every time his teammates shoot? James Bell--the player we all wish Dom could be--had an off game and got four offensive rebounds at 6'6. That is four more opportunities to score. Sampson and Jordan were great at 4 and 3, respectively.
beast of the east
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I actually expected that the "A" team would get all the minutes today, Expected no walk on minutes, Balamou would sit, and that GG would only see minutes if there was foul trouble. The surprise was how much Hooper played, and was no surprise to me that he didn't play up to his net burning garbage time performance - shooting the lights out when it counts is an entirely different story.
yep disappointed in Hooper. He seems to lack confidence. He got the ball quite a few times today and instantly passed it back like he wanted no part of it.
Certainly he has shown no ability to be clutch. I don't know if extended minutes are the answer, but with shooting so dismal on this team we may have to find out.
Certainly he has shown no ability to be clutch. I don't know if extended minutes are the answer, but with shooting so dismal on this team we may have to find out.
beast of the east
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He's not a classic catch and shoot player who needs only a fraction of a second to get off his shot. If a defender is heading out to meet him as the ball heads in his direction he doesn't have enough time to load.
Maybe it's more of a hope. I just can't see how coach an justify sticking with Dom with the stats. 0.6 offensive rebounds for an "athletic slasher." That is horrible. The only way Dom works for us is if he is creating extra possessions and easy baskets. He does a good job with steals, blocks, deflections and defensive rebounds, but offensive rebounding is a HUGE part of that. Every offensive rebound is an extra possession and one that usually begins close to the basket and with the defense out of position.
If he's not creating enough possessions and easy buckets, is he worth the damaging effect on our offense? We are essentially playing 4 on 5, as he will get one board every two games, he is shooting 18% from three, is a minimal risk to drive, and he is not someone that needs to be respected in any screening situations because he can't shoot and it's not a big deal if a big man gets stuck on him. In short, he makes things harder on that end for everyone else by just being in the game. You just can't space the floor properly.
Balamou will at least hit the offensive glass and he plays very controlled. If he could just shoot/drive well enough to keep defenses honest, that would be worth a slight falloff on defense (if there even is one).
montyaloofah
Active member
guessing the DNP is because he didn't bring it in practice this week... Nor did Ndiaye
Its not that dom isnt a huge screener for us, its that Dom has never once in his 3 years here set an on ball screen. Its crazy, for such a bad shooter you have to be able to help out in other ways. Crashing the glass like you say is one, setting screens is another.
Sometime it's tough as a coach because you are too close to see things that are quickly obvious to others. You eat meals with these kids, oversee film and workouts, practice daily, travel, etc. I always loved asking friends for their opinions on players and general feedback when they came to watch a game for the first time. Perceptions become realities with every team in every sport at every level...like a certain guy is the fastest player on the team (without ever racing) or that a guy is our toughest or best defender...or a player like Dom being an integral part of an offense because of his assists #'s (mostly in transition) and that belief gets shared and repeated until people believe it as fact.
The bottom line is that there is no reason that kid can't be a menace on the offensive glass. He seems to hustle and play hard and he certainly has the size and athletic tools. It is probably just a symptom of a bigger problem...that these guys don't know their proper roles. This kid doesn't belong on the perimeter except to swing the ball or set a screen (which he rarely does). If he thinks he is a guard, he's wrong. He shoots 18% from three and any team in the country will give him the green light all game. When it looks like we are all standing still, it probably mostly due to Dom, who SHOULD be running through the lanes, causing havoc, and getting to spots and situations where he can be a threat to score or crash the glass.
It kills me, because this team doesn't have to be the most skilled team in the world to be very good. They just have to be relentless on the offensive glass, limit second shot opportunities on the defensive glass, and create a ton of easy scoring opportunities on defense. I think Sampson gets that. Jordan clearly gets that. Pointer has to be next.
beast of the east
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I don't know how you guys can be that excited about Felix replacing Dom. First off, we are small enough, but to me, Dom listed at 6'5 at least resembles a small forward, where Felix listed at 6'4 is even shorter. Both can jump, Felix has springs, but I can't see him mixing it up down low. My problem with the team in general is that a three guard offense (Greene-Harrison-Jordan) better be shooting the eyes out when the forwards (Sanchez-Sampson) at 6-9, do not exactly sweep the boards. Put in Obekpa, and although at 6'9 when paired w Sampson and Pointer we actually have multiple threats to swat shots, but still we don't improve much rebounding wise.
All in all we are a bad rebounding team that doesn't shoot well. Balamou doesn't fix either problem.
All in all we are a bad rebounding team that doesn't shoot well. Balamou doesn't fix either problem.
Do you find Dom to be a much more of a small forward than Felix? I dont think even dom thinks that. Balamou plays big for his size.
beast of the east
Active member
Balamou gets off the floor. Pointer gets off the floor. I do not believe that Balamou will ever be an impact player in college. Pointer might but isn't right now.