Everyone wants to jump on a particular guy and his follies. Harrison does this wrong, Greene does this wrong, blah blah blah. We were more talented than these guys. We were more talented than Murray State. To me the blame falls squarely on Lavin. That's not going to be a popular sentiment but its a fact. He is a phenomenal recruiter but he misses Dunlap trust me. On half court defense their point guard would dribble 40 feet away from the hoop. Subsequently every time that happened 1 defender would come sprinting to press him. Each time that happened he absolutely burned us and either attracted defenders to dish or took an easy layup. It was so basic but Lavin made 0 adjustments. You sag off a guy like that. And when they screen you either go under it(because he showed no jumper) or have the help defense hedge and double him. I'm disgusted that these kids were left out to dry tonight and really had no shot at winning this game.
Official SF Game Thread
- Thread starter LINY89
- Start date
You guys have said it all. Props to Dinkins and those calling coaching into question-I have been saying we are doing a poor job on d regarding dribble penetration (poor technique), Even a blind man can see our rebounding problems, give up way too many open 3s with no adjustments made. Offensively yes we miss a penetrating pt guard, lack outside shooting except for Dlo (and Marco if we knew how to set him up), although JS has been a revelation from 15-18 ft., so why no offensive plays to get down low post ups or some lay ups like other teams are able to do against us. Lost to the 3 best teams we have played, haven't beaten anybody that good, and haven't faced the louisville's and Syracuses yet. all in all a lot of issues. Hopefully Branch and maybe Sanchez, improvement and more experience can still result in a pretty good season.
If Norm Roberts was on the bench last night, this board would be lighting him up.
So I think it's a fair statement to make that this a very disappointing loss and a game that St. John's has no business losing at this stage in the rebuilding process. When you come out and just flat out don't play defense, that reflects very poorly on the coaching staff.
So I think it's a fair statement to make that this a very disappointing loss and a game that St. John's has no business losing at this stage in the rebuilding process. When you come out and just flat out don't play defense, that reflects very poorly on the coaching staff.
They were favored.
Not an upset.
I'll stick with my 16-14 record.
Team just isn't good enough.[/quote]
my prediction of 20-10, 10-8 isn`t gonna happen, even if they did win the last 3 ooc and still went 10-8 that`s 19-11. 10-8 was probably pushing it, turn that aroundto 8-10. To me and this is just my opinion but anything less then 17 wins is a failure. We should be able to some how get 4 more wins then last years 13.
If we had Sanchez how would the these first 9 have turned out? He was called our best player and lost by only 7 to Murray state, if we would have won that we would have played colorado st. instead of playing Baylor. Maybe he would have carried us over SF tonight. Yeah the what if game right. Yeah oh well life goes on.
But I do really wonder if just for one season just one freaking season if everything would go right for us. Have no bs everyone of our players play and have a full roster.
If we get Lawrence I won`t get happy until I actually see him playing a game for us.[/quote]
After watching the game last night, there is not even a remote possibility that this team is going to get to 20 wins
The traditional teams in the conference are going to light this squad up
everyone's hoping branch is a savior. he probably won't be close...but at least we'll have a point guard. we're living without one right now and it shows. greene is trying. he's out of position. that's contributing to his inconsistancy.
i don't know if dunlap would have made a difference as some of you are saying. we have a hall of fame coach on the bench as an advisor. they happen to have a quality point guard who provided senior leadership.
maybe a few fewer sightseeing jaunts in san francisco and a bit more practice would have helped. it was a tough game to watch. no way am i tuning in at noon to re-view this beat-down.
i don't know if dunlap would have made a difference as some of you are saying. we have a hall of fame coach on the bench as an advisor. they happen to have a quality point guard who provided senior leadership.
maybe a few fewer sightseeing jaunts in san francisco and a bit more practice would have helped. it was a tough game to watch. no way am i tuning in at noon to re-view this beat-down.
If there is anything consistent about Lavin's teams (dating back to UCLA) is that they're maddenly inconsistent,
So if history is any judge we will lose to creampuffs early on, stink up in the early conf schedule and then going on blazing hot streaks, beating No. 1 on the road, making it to the Sweet 16, etc.
So if history is any judge we will lose to creampuffs early on, stink up in the early conf schedule and then going on blazing hot streaks, beating No. 1 on the road, making it to the Sweet 16, etc.
I completely agree with your post. I said as much during the game. Not to mention, our guys does a poor job moving their feet. They allowed Doolin to get on the inside of their hip every time he penetrated, and they were cooked once he turned the corner. Squat and move your feet!
It doesn't take a brain surgeon to know this game was solely lost on the defensive end.
Here is my issue:
Everything the staff lacked and now have, they're not utilizing properly.
1. A 3point specialist.
You recruited a role playing shooter in Bourgault. His job is not to create his own offense. He is out there to do 2 things- Catch and Shoot. That's it.
Why then is there never a single play drawn up to free him up? Most people will sit here and say, "Oh you need a penetrating PG. Someone like Branch out there." No you don't. Not when you refuse to stop running this high weave that's only designed to isolate your guards. No back picks, no curls, no nothing. That weave doesn't leave Bourgault free in the corners. It has him floating around the perimeter. He's never wide open for a 3. Ever.
2. Best shotblocker in the Big East.
You have Obekpa. Yet your defensive philosophy is to switch every single pick that is set. How can Obekpa block shots when you fail to teach your guards to rotate back to their proper assignment instead of leaving the best shotblocker in the conference up at the 3 point line guarding the opposing PG? It is maddening to watch.
We saw a different offensive philosophy against South Carolina. Princeton cuts, back doors, etc. Looked unstoppable in some stretches. Where was it the last 2 games?
When will the staff adjust? Tell me for the last 2 years that you lack outside shooting and you lack size. Well, that song and dance doesn't fly anymore.
This team is not mentally built to just walk into an opposing gym and step on another team's throat. They're not there. And that natural athleticism can only take you so far if you can't execute. The USF loss would be understandable and easier to swallow last year. Not with this group though.
I'm all for road trip excursions and culture tours. But how much time is actually spent in practice?
The euphoric / gloom and doom extremes are funny. We are a decent team at this point, but one that lacks leadership. Lavin is a very good recruiter and decent game coach; he obviously did not properly adjust last night and lay off the point guard but he has made good adjustments in other games. At the end of the day, we are flawed, no point guard being the most glaring weakness. Lavin seems married to the helter skelter style and against some teams, especially those with good guard play (see Baylor and USF) that style can be exploited. Lay the blame on Lavin for both, but Harkless going after one year combined with Sanchez being ineligible has put a serious dent in the program. Make no mistake, Sanchez is a very talented, experienced, poised player. On this team his biggest contributions would have been his experience and excellent passing ability. Anyway, our program is light yeears ahead of where it was, and IMO not nearly it is going to eventually be. It takes time to build a program, just the way it is.
Also Jakarr and obekpa let their man get behind them for easy dunks SF pt guard was going thru us like a hot knife thru butter Still can not d the 3 at times there wasn't a SJ player within 20 feet Jones was a flash in the pan needs a lot of work Greene if he contributed more last night we would have won You can not put Marco in for 2 mins and take him out He can not even get into a rhythm What was he pt bringing him on board If we get Sanchez and Branch we have a chance to do something if not can not see us going the the NCAA The way we are going 500 will be a accomplishment Guess I am a bit negative but extremely dissappointed Also in our game plan by the staff and their ability to fix the problems Should have sat in a 2-3 zone boxed their best shooter Did not see Lavin trying different things My expectations are at a low Sorry guys THIS WAS A BIG GAME
Hence, why I've stated that Sanchez will bring skill, size, and experience. I'm also hoping Branch will bring some leadership qualities once he steps onto the floor.
I've seen a couple of times where posters have mentioned Branch and savior in the same breath.... He doesn't have to be a savior for us to win. He just needs to efficiently run the team on both ends of the floor. If he can do that, as well as give us about 8 or 9 ppg, then we'll have an opportunity to do some good things.
I'm far from pressing the panic button, but I just didn't like how things shaped up last night.