Mount St. Mary's, Wed. Dec. 5, 6:30p, FS-2 / 970 WNYM

[quote="guinness77" post=306549]I don’t get this criticism. Ponds is trying to put his teammates in good positions and show them some confidence. If there was ever a game to try that, it was against this winless team. He’s more than capable of taking over games against the upper echelon teams, I don’t have a problem with him doing this against teams like Mount St Mary’s. If we ever trailed in this game, I’m sure he would have changed his strategy.[/quote]

Sorry, your analysis is faulty. Ponds took most if the night off. Played little defense and rarely looked for his shot. MSM was in thus game until the last few minutes. So, if you have no problem "with him doing this against teams like Mount St Mary’s and you think "If we ever trailed in this game, I’m sure he would have changed his strategy", you weren't paying attention.
Mullin sat him in the first half for playing lackadaisically. His MSM counterpart Dee Barnes is a freshman who averages 2 fat points per game. Tonight he scored a career high 26. Did I say he was a freshman like our Greg Williams?
He changed his toon only when Greg St. Jean asked Mullin to put him back in the game at a point where we needed him but Mullin definitely was not happy with his strategy as you described his lazy play.
 
I think Ponds to his credit made an effort to get Clark untracked early, passing up shot opportunities. That’s cool, because Clark was frustrated by recent performances. Obviously no one wants him to go to extremes sacrificing his offense.
 
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[quote="Paul Massell" post=306559]got the 10+ win 8-0 which is all that matters for the NET rankings a few months from now. Past teams we have seen guys going for theirs, but these guys shared the ball all game. Defense was terrible. That's about it.[/quote]

This only matters if SJU wins significantly against good teams in the BE. But I am not sold yet. Marquette has big time shooters and solid inside men. Picture this piss poor defense against Marquette on the road. Picture falling behind by 16 in the second half like they did against Georgia Tech except it's Marquette who continues to spread the floor making 3s. These bad habits better be fixed quick
 
[quote="Class of 72" post=306565][quote="guinness77" post=306549]I don’t get this criticism. Ponds is trying to put his teammates in good positions and show them some confidence. If there was ever a game to try that, it was against this winless team. He’s more than capable of taking over games against the upper echelon teams, I don’t have a problem with him doing this against teams like Mount St Mary’s. If we ever trailed in this game, I’m sure he would have changed his strategy.[/quote]

Sorry, your analysis is faulty. Ponds took most if the night off. Played little defense and rarely looked for his shot. MSM was in thus game until the last few minutes. So, if you have no problem "with him doing this against teams like Mount St Mary’s and you think "If we ever trailed in this game, I’m sure he would have changed his strategy", you weren't paying attention.
Mullin sat him in the first half for playing lackadaisically. His MSM counterpart Dee Barnes is a freshman who averages 2 fat points per game. Tonight he scored a career high 26. Did I say he was a freshman like our Greg Williams?
He changed his toon only when Greg St. Jean asked Mullin to put him back in the game at a point where we needed him but Mullin definitely was not happy with his strategy as you described his lazy play.[/quote]
I guess you missed my post a few pages back where I said we play to our level of competition. All of them. You keep mentioning the coach...well that where it all comes from. They play like an NBA team with only one guy who’s gonna play there. The guy you’re criticizing for having a subpar game against a shit team.
 
[quote="Paultzman" post=306566]I think Ponds to his credit made an effort to get Clark untracked early, passing up shot opportunities. That’s cool, because Clark was frustrated by recent performances. Obviously no one wants him to go to extremes sacrificing his offense.[/quote]

Correct but this isn't out of charity. SJU will struggle big time in the Big East if things don't change. Ponds isn't carrying SJU to a high finish this year himself he needs help. And with no bench the starters all need to play at a high level.
 
[quote="guinness77" post=306568][quote="Class of 72" post=306565][quote="guinness77" post=306549]I don’t get this criticism. Ponds is trying to put his teammates in good positions and show them some confidence. If there was ever a game to try that, it was against this winless team. He’s more than capable of taking over games against the upper echelon teams, I don’t have a problem with him doing this against teams like Mount St Mary’s. If we ever trailed in this game, I’m sure he would have changed his strategy.[/quote]

Sorry, your analysis is faulty. Ponds took most if the night off. Played little defense and rarely looked for his shot. MSM was in thus game until the last few minutes. So, if you have no problem "with him doing this against teams like Mount St Mary’s and you think "If we ever trailed in this game, I’m sure he would have changed his strategy", you weren't paying attention.
Mullin sat him in the first half for playing lackadaisically. His MSM counterpart Dee Barnes is a freshman who averages 2 fat points per game. Tonight he scored a career high 26. Did I say he was a freshman like our Greg Williams?
He changed his toon only when Greg St. Jean asked Mullin to put him back in the game at a point where we needed him but Mullin definitely was not happy with his strategy as you described his lazy play.[/quote]
I guess you missed my post a few pages back where I said we play to our level of competition. All of them. You keep mentioning the coach...well that where it all comes from. They play like an NBA team with only one guy who’s gonna play there. The guy you’re criticizing for having a subpar game against a shit team.[/quote]

They haven't played any real competition yet...
 
I’m not multi quoting anymore, I’m gonna have a seizure, but that’s my point.

You guys pick and choose what you want to read it’s cool. I’m standing by my opinion that we’re a possible one win and done team. I’m not sugar coating anything or making unrealistic expectations. We’ll be a .500 BE team, we’ll makd the tournament, we’ll hopefully win a game there.

Again...we have no inside presence. You can’t change what your roster is mid-season. You guys can keep going back and forth about these crappy games, they don’t matter, they won’t matter starting dec 29. Lets just get to the Seton Hall game and everyone’s gripes will get taken a little more seriously by me.
 
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Hey, we are 8-0 without our big man. I'll keep taking these wins all day every day. It was nice to see Clark get back on track like Paultz brought up. That will help in future games. Greg Williams looked good in the few minutes he played. I'd almost like to see him instead of Trimble. Ponds was obviously trying to get others involved tonight. I think in any other game against better opponents, he lays up those open shots instead of kicking them out. I'd rather in games like this, that he take the easy layups early on and when you have a 20 point lead start worrying about getting others involved. He's our best player. I want him shooting unless he's having a bad offensive night where nothing is going down. Just keep on winning. I really don't care if we win by 3 or 30, as long as we pick up the W when the final horn blows.
 
[quote="fordham96" post=306569][quote="Paultzman" post=306566]I think Ponds to his credit made an effort to get Clark untracked early, passing up shot opportunities. That’s cool, because Clark was frustrated by recent performances. Obviously no one wants him to go to extremes sacrificing his offense.[/quote]

Correct but this isn't out of charity. SJU will struggle big time in the Big East if things don't change. Ponds isn't carrying SJU to a high finish this year himself he needs help. And with no bench the starters all need to play at a high level.[/quote]
Never implied charity. Frankly I think staff wanted to get Clark off early. Of course they all need to play at a high level in BE. There is not much of a margin of error for SJU. They have to bring it every night & commit to defending to the max. They will get their points, but D is where the jury is out.

In my opinion the first four BE games will give us a sense of how successful this season will be. Marquette at home & SH, GT & Nova on the road requires maximum effort and attention to detail. Let’s see how that initial block of BE games goes.
 
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To be clear SJU led by single digits for most of the game tonight against a Mt. St. Mary's team that was 0-7, was a 25 point underdog and saw a freshman guard averaging 2 points a game hang 26 on SJU tonight and we are being told that if SJU wanted to they could've win this game by 50 if but would've gained nothing from that therefore it was better that they struggled and needed to play their starters most of the game against this team.

Ok.
 
[quote="Paultzman" post=306562][quote="we are sju" post=306552][quote="Paultzman" post=306547]Zach B
With the athletes St. John's has, there is no reason to be this bad defensively on the perimeter. But it's been a staple of Mullin's teams. #sjubb[/quote]

What should he do Paultz?

Worst perimeter defenders on team:

1. Dixon
2. Ponds
3. Simon
4. Clark
5. Heron[/quote]

I’m a fan, not a coach. :)

I do think the team too often looks to double guys, then are too far away from their man to recover on kick outs. I get it when playing v solid bigs, but not against teams like this. We also get beat often by transition threes, but not sure how bad that was tonight.[/quote]

Lazy. Too often turn their head and watch a penetrator then loose track of their man or area of zone. Then no urgency to closeout.
 
[quote="Paultzman" post=306573][quote="fordham96" post=306569][quote="Paultzman" post=306566]I think Ponds to his credit made an effort to get Clark untracked early, passing up shot opportunities. That’s cool, because Clark was frustrated by recent performances. Obviously no one wants him to go to extremes sacrificing his offense.[/quote]

Correct but this isn't out of charity. SJU will struggle big time in the Big East if things don't change. Ponds isn't carrying SJU to a high finish this year himself he needs help. And with no bench the starters all need to play at a high level.[/quote]
Never implied charity. Frankly I think staff wanted to get Clark off early. Of course they all need to play at a high level in BE. There is not much of a margin of error for SJU. They have to bring it every night & commit to defending to the max. They will get their points, but D is where the jury is out.

In my opinion the first four BE games will give us a sense of how successful this season will be. Marquette at home & SH, GT & Nova on the road requires maximum effort and attention to detail. Let’s see how that initial block of games goes.[/quote]

I didn't mean to imply that you specifically said it, just a general thought.
 
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What do you say to a huge jacked 6'4 guy who is 8-0 fighting midgets but got taken to the last round in almost all of the matches? Would you be confident to put money on him once he starts fighting heavyweights his size?

8-0 is nice but the team is a mess right now. Mullin is there talking to the team as if they're up 30. I'm not acting like I have all the answers because I don't but that's not my job and to act like coaching is not a major major issue is nuts at this point. Yes of course he tells them to close out and blah blah blah, but whatever IT is, it's not working. This is a team of absolute stud players who are upperclassmen and Mullin is well into year 4. Enough is enough. I don't think we are Kansas. Marist would kill these guys.
 
[quote="Jack Williams" post=306576]Hey guys, We are 8-0[/quote]

Would love to just show some proficiency at both ends as an 8-0 team should do. Coaches need to get more aggressive working on these issues.
 
[quote="fordham96" post=306556][quote="Marillac" post=306545]We could have pressed them and let Ponds loose for 50 pts to destroy them and walked away with nothing.

Ponds gave away 5 wide open layups at the basket to get others involved and that should tell us all we need to know about this game[/quote]e

This is complete bunk. SJU is not intentionally doing things to keep things close against inferior teams so as to gain experience in tight games.[/quote]

WTF is wrong with you? Stop attributing your inferences to my posts. That is not what I wrote at all.

I don't think Mullin cared if we beat them by 50 but he wanted to the team to improve in the process. That's why Simon worked all pre-game with Mitch on post-ups and why he got so many looks in the paint. That's why Ponds defer all game to his teammates despite having a walk-on who couldn't guard him on him, and that's why we didn't press them all game.
 
[quote="fordham96" post=306564][quote="we are sju" post=306560][quote="fordham96" post=306556][quote="Marillac" post=306545]We could have pressed them and let Ponds loose for 50 pts to destroy them and walked away with nothing.

Ponds gave away 5 wide open layups at the basket to get others involved and that should tell us all we need to know about this game[/quote]e

This is complete bunk. SJU is not intentionally doing things to keep things close against inferior teams so as to gain experience in tight games.[/quote]

The team no. You don't think Ponds went into this game saying this team sucks I am going to show how unselfish I am?[/quote]

No I don't but even if I did I don't think that would have changed the fact that the team would've struggled. The overall idea that they didn't intentionally do something that could've made this a blowout is beyond stupid.
I mean the top 5 guys all played 30 minutes plus against an 0-7 team that was a 25+ underdog. Are we saying that was planned too?
There is a pattern here of mediocre performances against bad/mediocre teams. Are we saying this is all coordinated too?
And why all the focus on Ponds. Last time I checked this is the most talented team at SJU in almost 2 decades...that should mean something.[/quote]

We didn't look terrible because of what Ponds did on offense but I don't like when he takes games off on offense like he has done a couple times this year. If Ponds took some of those layups and played a normal game we probably win by 4 or 5 more points and score would have looked better. Defense on perimeter is a huge problem.

Yes it means we are 8-0 for first time in 27 years
 
They. Were. Never. Losing.

Wow, it was a crappy win. It’s over now. No one else outside of two message boards cares. Get over it.
 
BTW quick, the posters who said that in these last few games before conference play they wanted to see Roberts, Earlington , Williams etc get time to see what they have because we all assumed blowouts, is that still your wish?
 
Weak defense and we still don't know how to rebound.
Ponds tried to showcase his ability as a playmaker-mixed results. Passed up shots he should have taken to get other guys involved. His scoring is too important to the team for this to become the norm.
 
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