New Orleans, Fri. Nov. 10, 7p, Fox College Sports, WMCA 570
- Thread starter Knight
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boo haarvey
Active member
I’ve been to both exhibition games and the game tonight and I’ve yet to see Simon shoot a jump shot. Is he really that bad a shooter? Even Ellison had free reign to take jump shots last year. And Alibegovic still has the green light apparently.
Simon's FT shot doesn't look all that smooth...so might v correlate as to why he doesn't take jumpers.
JackofVirginia
Active member
Most impressed with our speed and passing. Love Simon and Clarks game, bringing cohesiveness to our team. Thought our defense was better even though we put them on the line in the first half, caused many turnovers. Not much coming off the bench after Owens and Trimble, can't afford to be in foul trouble. Good start to the season.
Yes, of course, the rebounding and size will be an issue all season. Unfortunately we won't know how much it'll cost for a while. I'm not going to harp on this glaring issue.
The only other negative I'll comment on: Ahmed, while not as crazy as last year, still had some really questionable decisions and not moving the ball fast enough & forced it too much. That has to stop.
Two quick things I like or am ok with:
1. Good ball movement, generally, on offense. These guys wants to share the ball.
2. The thirty 3's they took: i'm ok with it; it'll spread the floor out and our team actually has pretty good outside shooters this year: Ponds, Lovett, Clark, Trimble, Ahmend - they can all knock it down. So this will definitely be a bombs-away year. I expect 30 threes a game, or more, because we don't have any post presence.
[Edit - I looked it up; only a handful of teams took 30 or more threes per game last year for the whole season. But that doesn't preclude from doing it. I assume we'd be much easier to defend if we took 30 three's...so maybe there is an element of going to the well too many times]
If the team shoots at a 36.5% rate for the season from 3, that's equivalent to shooting 55% from 2-pt range... You can win games with that. Basically the one way we win games is if we shoot 30 3s; and have an efficient transition game with our threes starting guards... and finally just drives with kick-outs all day long.
It'll be an interesting season to watch. It'll be fun, with some disappointments along the way, but fun nonetheless.
The only other negative I'll comment on: Ahmed, while not as crazy as last year, still had some really questionable decisions and not moving the ball fast enough & forced it too much. That has to stop.
Two quick things I like or am ok with:
1. Good ball movement, generally, on offense. These guys wants to share the ball.
2. The thirty 3's they took: i'm ok with it; it'll spread the floor out and our team actually has pretty good outside shooters this year: Ponds, Lovett, Clark, Trimble, Ahmend - they can all knock it down. So this will definitely be a bombs-away year. I expect 30 threes a game, or more, because we don't have any post presence.
[Edit - I looked it up; only a handful of teams took 30 or more threes per game last year for the whole season. But that doesn't preclude from doing it. I assume we'd be much easier to defend if we took 30 three's...so maybe there is an element of going to the well too many times]
If the team shoots at a 36.5% rate for the season from 3, that's equivalent to shooting 55% from 2-pt range... You can win games with that. Basically the one way we win games is if we shoot 30 3s; and have an efficient transition game with our threes starting guards... and finally just drives with kick-outs all day long.
It'll be an interesting season to watch. It'll be fun, with some disappointments along the way, but fun nonetheless.
JackofVirginia
Active member
Feel the same way.
Just got back from the arena. Good win and some things to be optimistic about. Also there are some red flags to worry about.
First of all with only nine scholarship players there is little room for injuries. Two or even one injury to key players would be pretty devastating. Of the nine players we have, six should get the bulk of the minutes. Ponds, Lovett, Simon, Clark, Owens and Ahmed will spend the majority of the time on the floor. The other three Yakwe, Trimble and Alibegovic will need to raise their games, especially if injuries necessitate they get more minutes.
Ponds and Lovett both seemed to be much stronger than they were a year ago. Also there was much better off the ball play by both of them and their passing and ball movement has vastly improved. Ponds might be the best rebounder on the team.Lovett seemed more committed to playing defense. Simon is great in the open court, sees the floor well and is a chemistry glue guy with top athleticism and quickness. Clark does a bunch of things well, passing, ball movement, defense, shooting and is physically the strongest guy on the team. He will likely be our leading rebounder. Owens is our best rim protector and has a soft shooting touch. Ahmed has skill, talent, athleticism and an ability to put the ball in the basket. Hopefully he will make better on court decisions and be reigned in by team mates who seem to play the game with a high IQ.
Trimble seems to have a really good outside touch and could be a nice complimentary player coming off the bench. Yakwe looked lost ( committing four fouls in a few minutes on the floor) but it is hard to believe he will be this bad all year. He showed some serious talent as a Freshman and hopefully can at least be a defensive presence in our rotation. Alibegovic did not look good tonight either. He will need to be better (see the Syracuse game two seasons back). With his size he should be able to find some way to contribute here. The coaches hopefully can help him find some kind of a role that is useful.
The rebounding tonight was abysmal. Defense is still a big question mark too. We played zone on one possession that resulted in giving up a relatively easy three. Playing zone would help us given our limited rotation. The guard play is really strong. Although Ponds was great last year, he looks liked he has moved forward quite a bit from last season and will be even better. Lovett seems much better too.
The coaches have to find a way for us to use our obvious strengths and minimize our glaring weaknesses. I am hoping for twenty wins, but injuries will be the big x factor here. We are very thin depth wise overall and we are very limited in the front court.
Lastly it was good to see Willie Glass, Mike Repole and Coach Carnesecca in the house.
Fun night all around! Glad the season is underway. It will divert my sports depression over terrible Mets and Giants seasons.
First of all with only nine scholarship players there is little room for injuries. Two or even one injury to key players would be pretty devastating. Of the nine players we have, six should get the bulk of the minutes. Ponds, Lovett, Simon, Clark, Owens and Ahmed will spend the majority of the time on the floor. The other three Yakwe, Trimble and Alibegovic will need to raise their games, especially if injuries necessitate they get more minutes.
Ponds and Lovett both seemed to be much stronger than they were a year ago. Also there was much better off the ball play by both of them and their passing and ball movement has vastly improved. Ponds might be the best rebounder on the team.Lovett seemed more committed to playing defense. Simon is great in the open court, sees the floor well and is a chemistry glue guy with top athleticism and quickness. Clark does a bunch of things well, passing, ball movement, defense, shooting and is physically the strongest guy on the team. He will likely be our leading rebounder. Owens is our best rim protector and has a soft shooting touch. Ahmed has skill, talent, athleticism and an ability to put the ball in the basket. Hopefully he will make better on court decisions and be reigned in by team mates who seem to play the game with a high IQ.
Trimble seems to have a really good outside touch and could be a nice complimentary player coming off the bench. Yakwe looked lost ( committing four fouls in a few minutes on the floor) but it is hard to believe he will be this bad all year. He showed some serious talent as a Freshman and hopefully can at least be a defensive presence in our rotation. Alibegovic did not look good tonight either. He will need to be better (see the Syracuse game two seasons back). With his size he should be able to find some way to contribute here. The coaches hopefully can help him find some kind of a role that is useful.
The rebounding tonight was abysmal. Defense is still a big question mark too. We played zone on one possession that resulted in giving up a relatively easy three. Playing zone would help us given our limited rotation. The guard play is really strong. Although Ponds was great last year, he looks liked he has moved forward quite a bit from last season and will be even better. Lovett seems much better too.
The coaches have to find a way for us to use our obvious strengths and minimize our glaring weaknesses. I am hoping for twenty wins, but injuries will be the big x factor here. We are very thin depth wise overall and we are very limited in the front court.
Lastly it was good to see Willie Glass, Mike Repole and Coach Carnesecca in the house.
Fun night all around! Glad the season is underway. It will divert my sports depression over terrible Mets and Giants seasons.
Enjoyed the game & chatting with Panther & JPM14, two of the great Redmen posters. Special thanks to Panther for pre game intro to "Coach "Looie", as feisty & down to earth as ever.
Looking forward to being tested v Nebraska next week to get a better feel for this team.
Looking forward to being tested v Nebraska next week to get a better feel for this team.
Class of 72
Active member
Two games in a row now where a 6'8 forward on the opposing team dominated our entire front line. Our interior defense is non existent. Yakwe and Alibegovic contributed fouls and nothing else. Bashir can hit the occasional 3 pointer but struggles with every other aspect of the game. We are basically a 6 man team and a very small one.
Going forward I don't expect us to beat any teams with both talent and size. The only thing that could (have ) change that is a mid year grad transfer and that ship has sailed. I am hoping that Yakwe has some epiphany because if he can't shoot, rebound or block as he did in tonight we may be very disappointed come Big East competition. Amar cannot defend anyone underneath the basket. Every opposing team knows it and so does Mullin so hopefully he finds his long range shot sooner rather than later.
Game ball to Marcus tonight. Ponds was efficient passing the ball but shot poorly and still loses his man too easily.
Need more rebounding from Clark. Owens needs more touches inside. If he stays out of foul trouble I use him more and Bashir less. Because of the lack of depth and size I have to say that I do not see better than an NIT possibility for this group. It's really quite a shame because we could have been one Transgender center away from an NCAA bid. Come to think of it we could have used Sima at this stage had his handler not shopped him around as soon as Misses Brown signed.
Following this program is like pledging with the most sadistic fraternity on campus.
Smack, smack. Sir, may I have another?
![URL]](http://[URL]https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Bl7mB4VCQAEZxeN.jpg[/URL])
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Going forward I don't expect us to beat any teams with both talent and size. The only thing that could (have ) change that is a mid year grad transfer and that ship has sailed. I am hoping that Yakwe has some epiphany because if he can't shoot, rebound or block as he did in tonight we may be very disappointed come Big East competition. Amar cannot defend anyone underneath the basket. Every opposing team knows it and so does Mullin so hopefully he finds his long range shot sooner rather than later.
Game ball to Marcus tonight. Ponds was efficient passing the ball but shot poorly and still loses his man too easily.
Need more rebounding from Clark. Owens needs more touches inside. If he stays out of foul trouble I use him more and Bashir less. Because of the lack of depth and size I have to say that I do not see better than an NIT possibility for this group. It's really quite a shame because we could have been one Transgender center away from an NCAA bid. Come to think of it we could have used Sima at this stage had his handler not shopped him around as soon as Misses Brown signed.
Following this program is like pledging with the most sadistic fraternity on campus.
Smack, smack. Sir, may I have another?
Largely agree with Ghostzapper. Team is a work in progress NO wasn't a bad team - well-coached, pretty good zone D, just not enough scoring options to challenge us. It was probably good for the team to have to play a game that doesn't fit what they want to do, they are built to run and for the most part NO made them play halfcourt, which they have to be able to do.
Pluses:
Much more maturity than last year, with Ponds/Lovett profiting from a year of experience and Simon/Clark being added. Lots of athleticism on the floor, many potential scoring options. Team seems cohesive, players looking for one another. Should be a good shooting team if they stay patient and pass the ball, and I think they will, for the most part. Ponds and Lovett played much better together than at almost any point last year, would be huge if that continues. Simon fits with them seamlessly, and Clark plays well with Owens.
Minuses:
Ahmed seems to me like the piece that doesn't quite fit. He wants to, but team play still doesn't seem to come naturally to him. Hopefully that will get better during the non-conf schedule. Rebounding an obvious challenge, if Ponds is the leading rebounder that's a problem. That will be exacerbated if we can't get anything out of Yakwe and Alibegovic, which we didn't tonight. The team does not have a traditional group of players. Owens is really a stretch-4, not a 5. Clark is undersized at PF. The guards are all ball-dominant. If it all gels then it can work, but it seems to me like a real challenge to coach where the roles are all so fuzzy. I think it's actually what Mullin wants, but it may be tough to get junior high students to succeed at college-level physics. Puts a lot of responsibility on the teacher to get them to succeed.
Should be an interesting season. Could be a solid NCAA tournament team if it all comes together, could end up on the bubble if there are issues. Anything less than bubble would be a disappointment to me.
Pluses:
Much more maturity than last year, with Ponds/Lovett profiting from a year of experience and Simon/Clark being added. Lots of athleticism on the floor, many potential scoring options. Team seems cohesive, players looking for one another. Should be a good shooting team if they stay patient and pass the ball, and I think they will, for the most part. Ponds and Lovett played much better together than at almost any point last year, would be huge if that continues. Simon fits with them seamlessly, and Clark plays well with Owens.
Minuses:
Ahmed seems to me like the piece that doesn't quite fit. He wants to, but team play still doesn't seem to come naturally to him. Hopefully that will get better during the non-conf schedule. Rebounding an obvious challenge, if Ponds is the leading rebounder that's a problem. That will be exacerbated if we can't get anything out of Yakwe and Alibegovic, which we didn't tonight. The team does not have a traditional group of players. Owens is really a stretch-4, not a 5. Clark is undersized at PF. The guards are all ball-dominant. If it all gels then it can work, but it seems to me like a real challenge to coach where the roles are all so fuzzy. I think it's actually what Mullin wants, but it may be tough to get junior high students to succeed at college-level physics. Puts a lot of responsibility on the teacher to get them to succeed.
Should be an interesting season. Could be a solid NCAA tournament team if it all comes together, could end up on the bubble if there are issues. Anything less than bubble would be a disappointment to me.
Yeah, that last possession had crisp, quick and textbook ball movement.
We need that mindset all the time. Even w/ Yakwe, Ali B and Ahmed
We need that mindset all the time. Even w/ Yakwe, Ali B and Ahmed
Was at the game last night and was happy to see a nice turn out! Louie was there as well as one of favorite all time SJU players Willie Glass!
Willie looked great but walked with an obvious limp. My guess bad knees! Thought the effort tonite overall was good, and I really like Clark and Simon! Mullin continues to be an enigma! I really do not care for his style of coaching. It looks like most of the time he is acting like a day at the beach with no sense of concern or urgency! But what do I know I guess that’s just his style or maybe he just felt we were always in control of winning this game! His demeanor is that of a guy who has loads of money and their is absolutely no pressure in his present gig! Nice position to be in I guess! Yahwe was horrible and Ali needs to learn to stay underneath the basket and REBOUND! He can’t shoot!. But overall a reason to feel somewhat optimistic regarding the upcoming season! GomRedmen!
Willie looked great but walked with an obvious limp. My guess bad knees! Thought the effort tonite overall was good, and I really like Clark and Simon! Mullin continues to be an enigma! I really do not care for his style of coaching. It looks like most of the time he is acting like a day at the beach with no sense of concern or urgency! But what do I know I guess that’s just his style or maybe he just felt we were always in control of winning this game! His demeanor is that of a guy who has loads of money and their is absolutely no pressure in his present gig! Nice position to be in I guess! Yahwe was horrible and Ali needs to learn to stay underneath the basket and REBOUND! He can’t shoot!. But overall a reason to feel somewhat optimistic regarding the upcoming season! GomRedmen!
Coaster1955
Member
Thanks for posting the articles, G. Roger Rubin writing for Newsday (as contributor). Hmmm...