Robbery On The Highway

D

docbutler

Member
This game featured a heroic effort by Shamorie Ponds, and was really ripe for the taking, had anyone else on our team stepped up. It also featured, once again,some dismal lack of game play adjustments by Coach Mullin. This game was one that Jay Wright would rather forget. Our defense, for the most part, baffled the Wildcats for most of the evening. Fortunately, for Villanova, our offense was equally inept in the first half. A game that we probably should have led by 12, ended up a 7
point deficit at halftime...simply because we failed to cash in our opportunities while we had the chance. Villanova almost doubled their season average for turnovers. That is the reason we were able to hang in the game while Clark, Ahmed, and Simon bricked up a collective 6 for 24. That's a stat that presumably might have doomed us right there. And of course, there is the usual bevy of idiotic turnovers...a walking call on Clark, a strip of Simon, some bad passes, etc....and another three attempt Owens (bad idea). One would also have to temper that with the fact that Villanova plays tough defense (they are, after all, number 1) and some TOs are to be expected. Probably the most significant stat from this game was the 3 point discrepancy. Villanova made 13 and the Red Storm made 1 (wow). We chucked up 12 though! But the truth is, it's really
hard to win a game with a spread like that. And at the center of that fact, was the reality that our coaching staff failed to react to a red hot shooter on our opponent. Mid way through the first half, DeVincenzo launched a three that hit the back iron, went up in the air about 7 feet, and came back through the rim. Earth to Chris Mullin...when a shooter gets a break like that...BEWARE! It's never a good idea to then lose attention with that shooter. Instead, we pretty much ignored this kid while he killed us from that same three point line. It's pretty much what caused Villanova to win. I sat amazed while this kid shot the trifectas with no one within 5 feet. I mean, a quality shooter can make 10-10 open threes when they're hot. Maybe Chris just thought he would cool off....huge error! And while DeVincenzo was hammering in coffin nails, the rest of the Villanova team was having a tough night. And somewhere in the second half, Ponds simply decided to shoulder our scoring responsibility and take over. To give some idea of his heroic effort, Ponds scored more points that Brunson, Booth, Paschall, and Spellman
put together. Then how did we lose? Because Mullin didn't pay enough attention to the red head...an unacceptable open look 25 points. But the Ponds show came to an end when one of the single worst calls in my basketball viewing history was perpetrated inexplicably on St. John's. With Ponds jumping completely vertically for a rebound that seemingly belonged to him...and with St. John's on a run and within 4 points...Bridges came flying across the key, grabbed the rebound high in mid-air, and jumped on Shamorie's back (knocking him to the floor in the process). It is unfathomable that a ref under the basket, without a good angle on the play, comes running out pointing at Ponds. This might have been one of the worst calls I've
ever seen, and given the situation, a complete choke by the referee. Instead of Ponds on the line to cut the deficit to two with momentum (about 1:20 left), Bridges goes to the line, knocks down two, and the game is history. St. John's benefitted from about two questionable calls in this entire game. The rest went to the Wildcats. Perhaps word went out from the league office that they didn't want to lose a number one ranked team? Who knows? (just being sarcastic) Anyway, congrats to Shamoie Ponds for a great game....however, I would also point out that he shot 0-6 from three. What happened to the long range shot? Get into the gym kid.
 
Why does Mullin have to be held responsible for guarding Devenchnso ? Don’t you think the Players out there should be responsible for guarding him ? Somebody missed their assignments but, he was hot . He did cool off . The Ponds foul call was horrendous and this Ref should get a F from the Coaches evaluation . It might have cost us the game . I also thought Clark used poor judgment jacking up that 3 when we were close at the end . Of course , no one their to rebound .
 
In college and pro sports, dozens of times a year, a big underdog hangs in there with a much better team. The good team is looking ahead, figuring they could win this game in their sleep. The other team, in this case us, highlights the game on their calendar. So they play their eyeballs out, while the other team plays like they have something better to do. Then they wake up in the last few minutes, hold on for the win, and move on to their next game like nothing happened. Meanwhile, the fans of the less talented team cling to their near victory, lamenting about the one missed call that would have changed everything, or the poor judgment of their coach. They say we would have won this game if one of the Hurley brothers was roaming the sidelines. They would have stopped Dante Whatshisame.

My opinion is different. It wouldn't have mattered if it was the Hurley brothers, Graham brothers, the Von Erichs, or even Afa and Sika, Our guys played with passion, and did their best. Ponds played his best game in a long time. Yet the problem. some believe, is that Clark, our best % 3 point shooter, took an open shot, or that Mullin messed up. But you don't have to be Sherlock Holmes to posit that Mullin, or somebody on the staff, addressed Dante D and his hot shooting, Nova has great ball movement, and have multiple guys that can beat you, so a few nights ago it was Dante. Perhaps we should have hired a more experienced coach like Patrick Ewing, and bring in Louie Orr too. When the mike was in the huddle recently, Patrick told his team to "stop turning the ball over". They then went out and turned the ball over some more. Because bad teams turn the ball over, despite what their coach says. And our guys lose games sometimes because, despite what the coach says to his team, the much better team almost always gets the job done.
 
Sly...Because coaches are there, earning millions, to devise on court policy and tactics. While obviously not personally guarding an opponent, it is the coaches responsibility to determine what the opposition is trying to do, what they do best, what is most likely to succeed, and how best to prevent this....and most of all, what you can encourage them to do that is most likely to fail (like leaving an Alibegovic open to shoot a three). It shouldn't take an entire game to realize that a particular player is red hot, before assigning special attention to his presence on the court. You will note that Chris Mullin punished Georgetown in the first meeting in 1985, when Coach Thompson assigned a box and one on him. He was never the same in the remaining three games.
 
Sly...Because coaches are there, earning millions, to devise on court policy and tactics. While obviously not personally guarding an opponent, it is the coaches responsibility to determine what the opposition is trying to do, what they do best, what is most likely to succeed, and how best to prevent this....and most of all, what you can encourage them to do that is most likely to fail (like leaving an Alibegovic open to shoot a three). It shouldn't take an entire game to realize that a particular player is red hot, before assigning special attention to his presence on the court. You will note that Chris Mullin punished Georgetown in the first meeting in 1985, when Coach Thompson assigned a box and one on him. He was never the same in the remaining three games.
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Then I guess he got stupid one game later, when he couldn't figure out how to stop Harold Jensen.
 
Well Ray...good post. But upsets are hardly unheard of. I disagree that bemoaning that bad call is a waste of time because the "better" team was destined to win. You are certainly right that Villanova has superb ball movement and superior athletes as well. However, I don't believe for a second, that Jay Wright, or his Wildcats, were looking ahead past St. John's. We may be 0-6 in the league, but aside from Providence, we played everyone very tough so far. A road game in the Garden against this unpredictable Red Storm team...well, over confidence would be extremely ill-advised. I don't see what Patrick Ewing has to do with this? He's not a very good coach either...you're preaching to the choir. The fact is that better coached teams frequently seem to "get the breaks" in crunch time. It's not simply a talent issue. A hot Devencenzo was left open...that's a fact. We didn't assign proper attention to him. Who's that on?
 
Why does Mullin have to be held responsible for guarding Devenchnso ? Don’t you think the Players out there should be responsible for guarding him ? Somebody missed their assignments but, he was hot . He did cool off . The Ponds foul call was horrendous and this Ref should get a F from the Coaches evaluation . It might have cost us the game . I also thought Clark used poor judgment jacking up that 3 when we were close at the end . Of course , no one their to rebound .
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Disagree re: Clark. A 48% 3-pt shooter, who's wide open in the corner? I'll take that every day, and twice on Sunday. Only thing I wanted that was different, was for the ball to go in.

Exactly what did you want in that possession?
 
Well Ray...good post. But upsets are hardly unheard of. I disagree that bemoaning that bad call is a waste of time because the "better" team was destined to win. You are certainly right that Villanova has superb ball movement and superior athletes as well. However, I don't believe for a second, that Jay Wright, or his Wildcats, were looking ahead past St. John's. We may be 0-6 in the league, but aside from Providence, we played everyone very tough so far. A road game in the Garden against this unpredictable Red Storm team...well, over confidence would be extremely ill-advised. I don't see what Patrick Ewing has to do with this? He's not a very good coach either...you're preaching to the choir. The fact is that better coached teams frequently seem to "get the breaks" in crunch time. It's not simply a talent issue. A hot Devencenzo was left open...that's a fact. We didn't assign proper attention to him. Who's that on?
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For the record, I was apprehensive about the Mullin hire. I believe I posted so, but can't remember. But everyone posting was so thrilled, I put on the smiley face, I was hopeful, and still am, that Mullin will recruit big time talent, which would make him look like a better coach than he is. I do believe, and I'm sure that the players he recruits concur, that he knows what it takes to get to and succeed in the NBA. Looie said it best, when asked what advice he gave Chris: "Get great players". If he doesn't get them, then he has failed. If he gets them and doesn't win, he will be replaced. He is working on a great 2019 class. I wouln't want him gone until he has a chance to prove he can recruit the difference makers. Unless you pull up a brinks truck, which most would agree happens at some programs, that takes time.
 
Ray...I'm not advocating a fire here. We can NOT fire Chris! I'm hoping that experience will improve the
product. But, "Never hire someone you can't fire". Besides, if Chris ever is let go, it will postured as his
own decision.
 
Why does Mullin have to be held responsible for guarding Devenchnso ? Don’t you think the Players out there should be responsible for guarding him ? Somebody missed their assignments but, he was hot . He did cool off . The Ponds foul call was horrendous and this Ref should get a F from the Coaches evaluation . It might have cost us the game . I also thought Clark used poor judgment jacking up that 3 when we were close at the end . Of course , no one their to rebound .
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Actually think the 3 from Clark was a good shot. Wide open should have hit it.
 
Well Ray...good post. But upsets are hardly unheard of. I disagree that bemoaning that bad call is a waste of time because the "better" team was destined to win. You are certainly right that Villanova has superb ball movement and superior athletes as well. However, I don't believe for a second, that Jay Wright, or his Wildcats, were looking ahead past St. John's. We may be 0-6 in the league, but aside from Providence, we played everyone very tough so far. A road game in the Garden against this unpredictable Red Storm team...well, over confidence would be extremely ill-advised. I don't see what Patrick Ewing has to do with this? He's not a very good coach either...you're preaching to the choir. The fact is that better coached teams frequently seem to "get the breaks" in crunch time. It's not simply a talent issue. A hot Devencenzo was left open...that's a fact. We didn't assign proper attention to him. Who's that on?
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Have to agree. Divincenzo is a nice 6th man who is at his best when wide open. On Nova, where no one game plans for him, he gets a lot of wide open looks. Mullin should have Ahmed and whoever else was assigned to cover him forgo any help defense. When guarded, Divincenzo will not kill you. Doesnt have Ponds ability to make lemonade out lemons.
 
Seriously, those on here complaining about Clark taking that wide open 3 are out of their mind. That was the absolute right play in that situation. And he is a rock solid 3point shooter. It didn’t go in. Tough break but ask any coach in the country and they would not have a problem with him taking that shot if it were their team. The truth of the matter is that our team was fools gold. We looked like contenders in the preseason but emerged as what we truly were... flawed. We all ignored it in the preseason. Weak first halves, the ucf ugliness. We gave them the benefit of the doubt but we are seriously flawed. I would like some semblance of a floor leader to emerge this year. Simon could be that guy, like sir dom was. Time will tell.
 
"Patrick Ewing is not a very good coach either." The guy's head coaching career started this past November.

This is rough.


 
DiVincenzo was open because we got out of position and had to scramble on at least half of the possessions and nova is a smart and disciplined team that will keep finding the hot hand. They penetrate looking to force defensive rotations and then anticipate and position themselves to get open looks from where the help comes from. We found our way into what looked like a 4 on 5 drill defensively pretty often and they took advantage.
 
Agree with you on Clark taking that shot. NP. My issue is with guys chucking it up in 1st few seconds into the shot clock from NBA Super-3 Land (Ponds, Ahmed) and guys like Alibegovic who launches 3s like he's the Space Shuttle.
But the galloping ghost of the team's 0 - 6 Big East start--following LoVett's injury-- is: zero no zilch nada zippo depth. An exclamation ! point would suffice after that sentence...but let's restrain ourselves!
I can't get my Panglossian glasses off(!): --we'll notch 1 - 3 'surprise' wins (and those we should get) the remainder of the Season.
 
Seriously, those on here complaining about Clark taking that wide open 3 are out of their mind. That was the absolute right play in that situation. And he is a rock solid 3point shooter. It didn’t go in. Tough break but ask any coach in the country and they would not have a problem with him taking that shot if it were their team. The truth of the matter is that our team was fools gold. We looked like contenders in the preseason but emerged as what we truly were... flawed. We all ignored it in the preseason. Weak first halves, the ucf ugliness. We gave them the benefit of the doubt but we are seriously flawed. I would like some semblance of a floor leader to emerge this year. Simon could be that guy, like sir dom was. Time will tell.
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I agree that Clark is a good 3 point shooting small forward. Bashir Ahmed can be a good 3 point shooter when completely open. Owens has the "ability" to hit the three. That's 3 guys Mullin uses as small forwards. That's our starting front line. That these 3 players are all attempting 3 point shots in the offensive sets is a reason none of them are ever in position for offensive rebounds. All play far from the basket. There is not one player that likes to play with their back to the basket. Kassoum tries when he gets minutes but other than him from Alibegovic to Owens to Trimble everyone else sees themselves as long outside shooters. If those roles have been defined and encouraged by the staff they have to take full responsibility for the lack of rebounds and poor shot selection and not the players. Two guys not with the program now are the biggest losses. One is Sima who would have anchored the 5 spot and the other is LoVett who was the leader on the floor. Holding onto players is becoming an issue for Mullin. Both Sima and Wilson were poached by handlers. Purvis Ellison saw no role for his son and he transferred to Pitt. Losing players and relying on transfers (Matt's specialty) leads to short benches. So.....we are seriously flawed but not by design. Had we had a healthy LoVett AND Sima and Ellison this would be an NCAA team. Retention is a problem when your staff doesn't define future roles well for players. Hopefully that "flaw" gets addressed because if it doesn't we will continually have short benches and be in rebuilding mode.
 
Seriously, those on here complaining about Clark taking that wide open 3 are out of their mind. That was the absolute right play in that situation. And he is a rock solid 3point shooter. It didn’t go in. Tough break but ask any coach in the country and they would not have a problem with him taking that shot if it were their team. The truth of the matter is that our team was fools gold. We looked like contenders in the preseason but emerged as what we truly were... flawed. We all ignored it in the preseason. Weak first halves, the ucf ugliness. We gave them the benefit of the doubt but we are seriously flawed. I would like some semblance of a floor leader to emerge this year. Simon could be that guy, like sir dom was. Time will tell.
Click to expand...

I agree that Clark is a good 3 point shooting small forward. Bashir Ahmed can be a good 3 point shooter when completely open. Owens has the "ability" to hit the three. That's 3 guys Mullin uses as small forwards. That's our starting front line. That these 3 players are all attempting 3 point shots in the offensive sets is a reason none of them are ever in position for offensive rebounds. All play far from the basket. There is not one player that likes to play with their back to the basket. Kassoum tries when he gets minutes but other than him from Alibegovic to Owens to Trimble everyone else sees themselves as long outside shooters. If those roles have been defined and encouraged by the staff they have to take full responsibility for the lack of rebounds and poor shot selection and not the players. Two guys not with the program now are the biggest losses. One us Sima who would have anchored the 5 spot and the other is LoVett who was the leader on the floor. Holding onto players is becoming an issue for Mullin. Both Sima and Wilson were poached by handlers. Purvis Ellison saw no role for his son and he transferred to Pitt. Losing players and relying on transfers (Matt's specialty) leads to short benches. So.....we are seriously flawed but not by design. Had we had a healthy LoVett AND Sima and Ellison this would be an NCAA team. Retention is a problem when your staff doesn't define future roles well for players. Hopefully that "flaw" gets addressed because if it doesn't we will continually have short benches and be in rebuilding mode.
Click to expand...

Maybe just following this board has opened my eyes to what has always been, but it sure seems like the number of players transferring is higher than ever. Looie rarely lost players. Today, everyone seems on the move, even changing their minds and losing a year after signing LOIs. Part of upgrading the talent level is recruiting over players you already have. Then handlers and parents think they know more than coaches and scouts, leading young athletes to make mistakes instead of staying put, competing for playing time, and finishing their education. Now, every kid is pushed to believe that, with a different tram, they will become the next Jordan.

Would have liked to have kept Sima. Ellison was inconsistent, but had his moments. Both would have been an upgrade over our current bench. All reports were that Mussini was gone anyway. There are 2 mysteries I cannot solve. Ponds missing 3 pointer, and Yakwe's promise not being fulfilled. Yakwe was a whirling dervish as a freshman, coming from off the screen for big blocks and follow dunks. Even hit a few jumpers. What happened to that player?
 
Seriously, those on here complaining about Clark taking that wide open 3 are out of their mind. That was the absolute right play in that situation. And he is a rock solid 3point shooter. It didn’t go in. Tough break but ask any coach in the country and they would not have a problem with him taking that shot if it were their team. The truth of the matter is that our team was fools gold. We looked like contenders in the preseason but emerged as what we truly were... flawed. We all ignored it in the preseason. Weak first halves, the ucf ugliness. We gave them the benefit of the doubt but we are seriously flawed. I would like some semblance of a floor leader to emerge this year. Simon could be that guy, like sir dom was. Time will tell.
Click to expand...

I agree that Clark is a good 3 point shooting small forward. Bashir Ahmed can be a good 3 point shooter when completely open. Owens has the "ability" to hit the three. That's 3 guys Mullin uses as small forwards. That's our starting front line. That these 3 players are all attempting 3 point shots in the offensive sets is a reason none of them are ever in position for offensive rebounds. All play far from the basket. There is not one player that likes to play with their back to the basket. Kassoum tries when he gets minutes but other than him from Alibegovic to Owens to Trimble everyone else sees themselves as long outside shooters. If those roles have been defined and encouraged by the staff they have to take full responsibility for the lack of rebounds and poor shot selection and not the players. Two guys not with the program now are the biggest losses. One us Sima who would have anchored the 5 spot and the other is LoVett who was the leader on the floor. Holding onto players is becoming an issue for Mullin. Both Sima and Wilson were poached by handlers. Purvis Ellison saw no role for his son and he transferred to Pitt. Losing players and relying on transfers (Matt's specialty) leads to short benches. So.....we are seriously flawed but not by design. Had we had a healthy LoVett AND Sima and Ellison this would be an NCAA team. Retention is a problem when your staff doesn't define future roles well for players. Hopefully that "flaw" gets addressed because if it doesn't we will continually have short benches and be in rebuilding mode.
Click to expand...

Maybe just following this board has opened my eyes to what has always been, but it sure seems like the number of players transferring is higher than ever. Looie rarely lost players. Today, everyone seems on the move, even changing their minds and losing a year after signing LOIs. Part of upgrading the talent level is recruiting over players you already have. Then handlers and parents think they know more than coaches and scouts, leading young athletes to make mistakes instead of staying put, competing for playing time, and finishing their education. Now, every kid is pushed to believe that, with a different tram, they will become the next Jordan.

Would have liked to have kept Sima. Ellison was inconsistent, but had his moments. Both would have been an upgrade over our current bench. All reports were that Mussini was gone anyway. There are 2 mysteries I cannot solve. Ponds missing 3 pointer, and Yakwe's promise not being fulfilled. Yakwe was a whirling dervish as a freshman, coming from off the screen for big blocks and follow dunks. Even hit a few jumpers. What happened to that player?
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"What happened to that player?"

After one year playing for this inexperienced staff there has not been one player who has improved imo in the role we expected as basketball "observers". Had we had just 2 or marginal 3 star players one could argue you just can't manufacture "talent" but you can coach those players up and design game plans to suit their skills. Our game plans would require the skills of 4 and 5 star talent. We have 4 star talent from Ponds to Simon to Yakwe. We just don't have the staff to coach them up. That Chris Mullin needs sideline help is an understatement at this point. The only question is who will (a) convince him of that and (b) who will be the sacrificial lamb on the staff.
 
Good post weatherman...and absolutely accurate. They move the ball as anyone I've seen...and their inside out
penetration is fabulous. Just the same, that doesn't deflect from the fact that your defense HAS to keep track of
a three point shooter when he has clearly displayed that he is hot. In this particular game, we did not
 
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