(POST GAME) @Creighton, Sat. Feb. 8, 6p, CBS SN / 570AM WMCA

Status
Not open for further replies.
[quote="Moose" post=376231][quote="cappy105" post=376230]FYI for all that are saying that Roberts is a liability on offense, he has the highest FG % on the team! He needs to play the MOST! This playing small ball has not worked. How about playing our BIGS together . Roberts , Sears, and Champagne together with two guards. We can be beasts inside. We have nothing else to lose.[/quote]

You do realize the majority of those baskets are likely dunks and put backs. Hardly a way to build an offense through that. If you had Shaq sure.

Roberts has lost any confidence he had earlier in the year which was primarily against non conference opponents.[/quote]
And compounding it is fact that defenses can lay off most of our guys on the perimeter, hence limiting the opportunity for alley oops, put backs etc,,,

I think Josh’s development is still very good and if he works on his gaps, he will come back better equipped to compete at this level next year.
 
[quote="Enright" post=376232]The pickup of Dunn last spring was a great move by SJU as he played hard all this season and stabilized coaches defensive strategy. But looking ahead ,with his limited shooting skills, thirty seven per cent from the field and twenty three from three, and being in his fourth yr of college I wouldn't count on him for next season as many posters are doing.
Dunn never looked comfortable playing the point and SJU has a high recruit for that position who is regarded to be a poor outside shooter which means Dunn would probably play shooting guard. This would result in three men covering Cole the rare SJU recruit with a good shooting reputation and the SJU backcourt being encouraged by all big east opposition to shoot from outside to their hearts cootent.
And another year wasted. Get a shooter for the shooting guard position or play Cole at shooting guard and recruit a shooting small forward. Let's not go thru this again.[/quote]
Rasheem does a lot very well but outside shooting is a big flaw. His marching orders should be to take as many shots as necessary between now and next season to improve his shooting. It can be done but takes coaching to address technique flaws, dedication to practice to do the reps and discipline to stay the course.

If he can make some improvements, he wont have to force as many drives. With that said, kid has heart of a lion and has elite speed and defensive skills - which are scarce.
 
Last edited:
[quote="MCNPA" post=376245][quote="JackofVirginia" post=376240][quote="Mean Gene" post=376203][quote="Moose" post=376196][quote="Paultzman" post=376179][quote="Boo Harvey" post=376177]Also not sure why Roberts didn’t get more burn today. He seemed productive in limited minutes. His athleticism and shot blocking potential may have been helpful today.[/quote]
Roberts’ minutes reduction a trend.[/quote]

Reminds me of the year Polee was here. He would start every game then disappear to the bench rest of the



game[/quote]

I think Roberts issue is that this teams struggles offensively already and Roberts is still very raw offensively. He’s limited offensively and doesn’t shoot free throws well either. Defensively and rebounding wise he’s fine. But, when you have a team that struggles to score it’s tough to have him out there against a team like creighton that you know will knock down threes and score a ton of points. If CMA had his roster and we were pressing for 40 minutes, running The floor and scoring in transition then Roberts would be much more effective. But CMA doesn’t have the roster for that yet so he’s plays a lot more in the half court than he wants to currently and Roberts just can’t excel the way CMA needs him to in the half court right now.[/quote]



Could say the same about Williams.[/quote]

I don’t agree. Guards don’t have the luxury of being raw offensively, like the bigger guys do. Guards have to be close to ready to go when they hit college because their recruitment is predicated on factors like shooting and scoring etc. williams is a heck of an athlete but we have not seen any real ability to become either a slasher nor shooter. He’s entering his junior year. Hopefully he gets healthy and shows something next season otherwise he will move down the depth chart. I like the kid though. Just haven’t seen any starting material from him.

As far as Dunn goes, he’s getting underrated because of his shooting percentages. He’s been extremely hard to stop of the dribble for other teams and had been a real thorn in their side despite us not having any other options. Add some more shooters like Cole and some other offensive options and Dunn will do even better. He’s a high energy player and both he and Posh are going to be VERY hard to contain going to the basket. I’d like to see both work on their shooting to add some extra level to their games.[/quote]
Love Williams but, you’re right, he needs to take a big step up next year offensively. At this point, he is not assertive enough. I’d like to see some of Dunn’s fearless drives to the basket - good or bad results aside. At least we’d get a perspective on true potential.

His marching orders should be similar to Dunn’s in that he should be doing what it takes to improve his outside shooting but also needs to improve handle. He should be challenged to come back prepared to demonstrate that he should be a starter.
 
[quote="JohnnyFan" post=376235]These four.....

1. LJ
2. Williams Jr
3. Champagnie
4. Earlington

The team is made up of some great kids, but everyone else is expendable for next year.[/quote]

Again, what is Williams doing that makes him a keeper? He is playing 25-30 minutes a game and never seems to actually do anything. Can someone please tell me what I'm missing? He scored 4 points in 27 minutes last night in a game where no defense was being played. He is a great kid by all accounts but i'm not seeing any killer instinct which you need to have in this league or you get eaten alive. If we could somehow surgically transplant Dunn's aggressiveness into Williams body, then we'd have something.
 
I am still high on Williams. Some kids just take longer to develop, The last two games he is starting to be a little more assertive on offensive. I see a strong junior and senior year for Greg.
 
Last edited:
[quote="JohnnyFan" post=376265]I am still high on Williams. Some kids just take longer to develop, The last two games he is starting to be a little more assertive on offensive. I see a strong junior and senior year for Greg.[/quote]

He scored 4 points in 27 minutes yesterday in a game featuring zero defense
 
[quote="Vincent Shallow" post=376246]Also, Coach is looking at his first losing season ever. Just in case the concept is a foreign one, you spell defense: DEFENSE. It would be a novel idea if they played it occasionally!!!![/quote]
I think they do play defense and I think his pressure approach can/will work. However, and I think he might admit it, our guys need to know when to help and when not to.

For example, most college bigs, even skilled ones, are not that adept at scoring with their back to the basket. So, the need to double down or help is not a mandate - and frankly is not necessary if the defender defends appropriately.

For example, Yurtseven is a pretty skilled big. I would have let him take 5-8 feet turn around jump shots from the baseline all day. He’ll hit some but they are not easy shots. And, he is one of the more skilled bigs. Most are not nearly as agile as he is.
 
every year we speculate on kids coming in and insert them into the starting line up right away. Fool me once, lets wait and see who can play in the Big East. We seem to have the only team that can turn things around. Enough of these losses. Enough of the line up instability
 
[quote="Section3" post=376261][quote="Moose" post=376231][quote="cappy105" post=376230]FYI for all that are saying that Roberts is a liability on offense, he has the highest FG % on the team! He needs to play the MOST! This playing small ball has not worked. How about playing our BIGS together . Roberts , Sears, and Champagne together with two guards. We can be beasts inside. We have nothing else to lose.[/quote]

You do realize the majority of those baskets are likely dunks and put backs. Hardly a way to build an offense through that. If you had Shaq sure.

Roberts has lost any confidence he had earlier in the year which was primarily against non conference opponents.[/quote]
And compounding it is fact that defenses can lay off most of our guys on the perimeter, hence limiting the opportunity for alley oops, put backs etc,,,

I think Josh’s development is still very good and if he works on his gaps, he will come back better equipped to compete at this level next year.[/quote]

you can't teach athletic ability, shot blocking, and heart. You either have those skills or you don't. What you can work on are footwork, free throw shooting, and 10 footers. In my opinion, Josh has the highest ceiling of any of our current players. He needs to play MORE not less!
 
[quote="Windy City Johnny Fan" post=376266][quote="JohnnyFan" post=376265]I am still high on Williams. Some kids just take longer to develop, The last two games he is starting to be a little more assertive on offensive. I see a strong junior and senior year for Greg.[/quote]

He scored 4 points in 27 minutes yesterday in a game featuring zero defense[/quote]

I have to agree. The light is not coming on for williams. And it might be because there is no light.
 
[quote="Windy City Johnny Fan" post=376266][quote="JohnnyFan" post=376265]I am still high on Williams. Some kids just take longer to develop, The last two games he is starting to be a little more assertive on offensive. I see a strong junior and senior year for Greg.[/quote]

He scored 4 points in 27 minutes yesterday in a game featuring zero defense[/quote]

Understood, he's not there yet. But, he has high D-I talent and we have him for two more years. He will develop.
 
I know Figgy and Heron have taken a lot of criticism this year . Coming in to this season , I believed they need to contribute 35 points a game for us to be competitive . They haven’t done that but , there are some legitimate reasons why their performance hasn’t been more a factor . For one, we have NO Offensive strategy . And , the 40 minutes of Hell hasn’t been much of a factor in BE games . Our Defense is weak in the 1/2 Court . But , back to Figgy and Heron . Both have been relegated to playing too far outside and since we have no real PG , they don’t get the ball in their scoring zones . CMA runs nothing to get them open and they should be the focal point of our offense .
 
Ten point deficit after the first half was too much for our limited offense. They out scored us by 2 points in the second half.
Williams (2 / 8 ) and Dunn (2 / 12) were 4 for 20 from the floor for the game.
We out rebounded them by 10 and had 18 offensive boards.

If we could shoot a little better, we would have won.
 
Last edited:
The strategy of forty minutes of hell is certainly going to require more study during the off season. There was always two benefits gained with this strategy, steals ending up with easy baskets and the constant pressure causing the oppositions shooters to tire and lose some shooting expertise.
That second benefit has not materialized at all. Recent games vs Vill, Geo and Creightn have proven teams playing six or seven men huge minutes are just as fresh as SJU playing nine. I posted last week that this might be a result of games taking longer, it seems games that took two hours just a few years ago now take an extra fifteen or twenty minutes
Certainly the last five minutes of games have been the worst for SJU and SJU has toned down the pressure recently. Maybe it is just not good strategy vs big east teams.
 
[quote="SLYFOXX1968" post=376279]I know Figgy and Heron have taken a lot of criticism this year . Coming in to this season , I believed they need to contribute 35 points a game for us to be competitive . They haven’t done that but , there are some legitimate reasons why their performance hasn’t been more a factor . For one, we have NO Offensive strategy . And , the 40 minutes of Hell hasn’t been much of a factor in BE games . Our Defense is weak in the 1/2 Court . But , back to Figgy and Heron . Both have been relegated to playing too far outside and since we have no real PG , they don’t get the ball in their scoring zones . CMA runs nothing to get them open and they should be the focal point of our offense .[/quote]
Don’t agree. . .

Heron and Figueroa have had ample chances to lead and were given the baton. . .unfortunately, their limitations have been exposed. . .By the way, they played on the perimeter last year as well with Mustapha occasionally posting up. Frankly, I see Heron waiting in the corner way too much. Not sure why he is not running his man through the maze to get open. Neither can drive to the basket nor shoot off the dribble. Both are what they are. . .spot up shooters w/Figueroa having added ability of being a bit more adept at making some buckets on drives many times having to do it via circus-like shots. I assumed, incorrectly, that with two very good players we would have a puncher’s chance in most games — and, in fact, we have but not necessarily because of their performance. Both very good players - but complementary.

I think Anderson’s pressure defense has worked in many cases - especially in the 1st half of games - as we have created many turnovers. Where the problem lies is on the offensive side as we have not capitalized as much as we should have on these turnovers. Plus, we have repeatedly not been prepared when teams have pressed us out of the gate in the 2nd half. This has happened numerous times, is now a consistent them and something we should be ready for.

All in all, we have an overall talent gap and don’t have a Batman or Superman to rescue us when things bog down.
 
[quote="Section3" post=376284][quote="SLYFOXX1968" post=376279]I know Figgy and Heron have taken a lot of criticism this year . Coming in to this season , I believed they need to contribute 35 points a game for us to be competitive . They haven’t done that but , there are some legitimate reasons why their performance hasn’t been more a factor . For one, we have NO Offensive strategy . And , the 40 minutes of Hell hasn’t been much of a factor in BE games . Our Defense is weak in the 1/2 Court . But , back to Figgy and Heron . Both have been relegated to playing too far outside and since we have no real PG , they don’t get the ball in their scoring zones . CMA runs nothing to get them open and they should be the focal point of our offense .[/quote]
Don’t agree. . .

Heron and Figueroa have had ample chances to lead and were given the baton. . .unfortunately, their limitations have been exposed. . .By the way, they played on the perimeter last year as well with Mustapha occasionally posting up. Frankly, I see Heron waiting in the corner way too much. Not sure why he is not running his man through the maze to get open. Neither can drive to the basket nor shoot off the dribble. Both are what they are. . .spot up shooters w/Figueroa having added ability of being a bit more adept at making some buckets on drives many times having to do it via circus-like shots. I assumed, incorrectly, that with two very good players we would have a puncher’s chance in most games — and, in fact, we have but not necessarily because of their performance. Both very good players - but complementary.

I think Anderson’s pressure defense has worked in many cases - especially in the 1st half of games - as we have created many turnovers. Where the problem lies is on the offensive side as we have not capitalized as much as we should have on these turnovers. Plus, we have repeatedly not been prepared when teams have pressed us out of the gate in the 2nd half. This has happened numerous times, is now a consistent them and something we should be ready for.

All in all, we have an overall talent gap and don’t have a Batman or Superman to rescue us when things bog down.[/quote]. Section 3 , I disagree . Figgy and Heron both went to the hoop more last season and Mullin has them positioned better than Anderson . Sorry , that’s how I see it . And. Dunn and Williams were 4-20 and both played more minutes than Heron and Figgy . Dunn and Williams scored 10 points combined . Figgy and Heron had 24 com bined with 5 fewer shots . Not starting Heron again is baffling . He’s a better player than either Williams or Dunn. I think both Heron and Figgy are unhappy with Anderson’s line ups and who should be the focus of the offense . Their body language seems to communicate this . Think of it this way , Figgy and Heron were 2 Nd team BE pre season. Sure , they have limitations but , them being the focus of the Offense should be a Coaching priority . Both , are the 2 most talented players and they aren’t being used properly . Just my opinion . I would rather them shooting 20-25 times a game than Williams and Dunn.
 
My favorite teams were the Celtic teams with Cowens and Silas and Havlicek and Don Nelson on the secondary break. That secondary break role is where I think Heron and LJ are potentially most dangerous but we have no bigs to force defenses away from the three point line or to rebound to start the break.
quote="cappy105" post=376287]both have regressed[/quote]
 
Like it or not this “turn around” attempt is difficult and imo can be more fairly judged after MA has three recruiting cycles. I agree with Marcus that next season will again prove challenging with integration of many new faces. Can SJ improve the outside shooting, big man void, point guard play and defending three point shots more proficiently over next two seasons via solid recruiting & player development? Big chore, but I will remain cautiously optimistic knowing it may take a few more seasons.
 
Today's big question. Will the Johnnies win another game this season?

I still think it's possible to pick up a couple more wins at home. But, probably unlikely. Even one more win will be tough.

Any thoughts?

Anderson's no losing season record is unsalvageable. Imho I seriously doubt the Johnnies will play any differently in the remaining games.

The season has given the younger players valuable BE experience. They'll need to fill leadership roles next season.
 
Last edited:
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top