@Tulane, Fri. Dec. 2, 8pm, ESPNEWS/970AM

Zach B

More Mullin: "If you’re looking for panic, you’re looking in the wrong place." #sjubb

Look for St. John's to start playing a little more zone. And to get more aggressive. #sjubb

Multiple people within program believe team can play harder than it has. They hope to see that tomorrow night. #sjubb

Like the zone reference!
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He's saying the right things, and as we've discussed I think navigating this kind of space/circumstance is a natural strength for him given experience dealing with same from his playing days.

Also like the zone reference. Lack of different looks has been a consistent issue on both ends of the floor, frankly in both years, especially against inferior competition. You throw a defense at Del. St. that they aren't expecting in the middle of the first half, even if it's one you don't plan on playing much, they may have a tough time adjusting on the fly. You change multiple times and chances are it will be very disruptive to a team that lacks individual talent to overcome stuff they aren't ready for. A team like Del. St. surprises when allowed to not only get in but stay in a rhythm, which they did. Playing the defense expected (man), and then when down double digits going to all out full-court, is predictable and making things easier on an inferior team.

Point this out not because of Del. State loss as that's a game we should win regardless, but seems to be more overarching issue. The one game in a season and change where I really thought we came with a creative gameplan was Cuse with the double high against the zone. We shot the stuffing out of it that day but even Cuse looked unprepared to deal with that. Issue is we've now tried to use that same double high every time we've seen a 2-3 zone, teams are ready for it, and we haven't had a counter.

And that's going to be the key for this staff tactically and/or strategically. Someone is putting decent sets in place; the screen the screener they ran with Lovett and Yawke for a +1 against the zone Tuesday was great action and well-executed. But our flashes have been more limited to single sets, not putting together anything marginally resembling 40 min gameplan. Part of that is youth, part of that is lack of talent, but part of that is definitely the gameplanning - and certainly in-game adjustments - itself which should be easiest to control. We really need to see some progress to that end.
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If CM is going to go with a zone then IMO it is essentially a concession that the staff can't get the players to play adequate man-to-man defense. That glaring flaw has been evident since the exhibition game. Now we are 7 games in and I guess we are going to wave the white flag and go zone.

Maybe that will work against Tulane, but in the longer term, if you can't get them to play decent man-to-man defense, then good luck getting better results out of a zone. This group hasn't show much more concept of team defense than it has of individual defense, and for the zone to work they have a lot to learn. Plus the two starting guards are too short to put at the top of a zone against any opponent with some size at the guard position.

I admit that I am a believer in defense (though not to the Norm Roberts "the heck with scoring, we are going to try to figure out how to defend you into negative points somehow" extent). But the most frustrating part of watching this team so far has been the total lack of commitment, effort, understanding or anything else on the defensive end of the floor. It's like watching a pickup game where everybody wants to shoot and nobody wants to defend. IMHO that tells you that either the staff doesn't care about defense, or isn't willing to man up and make the players eat their vegetables (in a basketball sense).

FWIW if I were coaching this team I would have committed to playing fullcourt defense all game long every game. Lovett, Ponds, Owens are tailor made for press and trap. So is Williams. Yakwe isn't bad, and Ellison could be made useful too. Sima and Alibegovic could be used to defend the rear. Rotate in the rest of the roster (including Holifield, who would give you the hustle and grit that is missing from just about everyone else) to keep the horses fresh and play your 10 or 11 against the other team's 7 and wear them down. Spot a zone here and there for a change-up, to get a few minutes of relative rest on the defensive end, to protect foul trouble.

If the pressure D results in turnovers, then you get transition buckets which we could use. If it doesn't, then you are at least getting the most out of your deep roster, wearing down the other team, and shortening the shot clock for them.

Anyway it doesn't matter whether you play press/trap, man to man, zone, or anything else if you aren't going to teach it, coach it, and insist on getting maximum effort out of your players on that end of the floor.
 
Zach B

More Mullin: "If you’re looking for panic, you’re looking in the wrong place." #sjubb

Look for St. John's to start playing a little more zone. And to get more aggressive. #sjubb

Multiple people within program believe team can play harder than it has. They hope to see that tomorrow night. #sjubb

Like the zone reference!
Click to expand...

He's saying the right things, and as we've discussed I think navigating this kind of space/circumstance is a natural strength for him given experience dealing with same from his playing days.

Also like the zone reference. Lack of different looks has been a consistent issue on both ends of the floor, frankly in both years, especially against inferior competition. You throw a defense at Del. St. that they aren't expecting in the middle of the first half, even if it's one you don't plan on playing much, they may have a tough time adjusting on the fly. You change multiple times and chances are it will be very disruptive to a team that lacks individual talent to overcome stuff they aren't ready for. A team like Del. St. surprises when allowed to not only get in but stay in a rhythm, which they did. Playing the defense expected (man), and then when down double digits going to all out full-court, is predictable and making things easier on an inferior team.

Point this out not because of Del. State loss as that's a game we should win regardless, but seems to be more overarching issue. The one game in a season and change where I really thought we came with a creative gameplan was Cuse with the double high against the zone. We shot the stuffing out of it that day but even Cuse looked unprepared to deal with that. Issue is we've now tried to use that same double high every time we've seen a 2-3 zone, teams are ready for it, and we haven't had a counter.

And that's going to be the key for this staff tactically and/or strategically. Someone is putting decent sets in place; the screen the screener they ran with Lovett and Yawke for a +1 against the zone Tuesday was great action and well-executed. But our flashes have been more limited to single sets, not putting together anything marginally resembling 40 min gameplan. Part of that is youth, part of that is lack of talent, but part of that is definitely the gameplanning - and certainly in-game adjustments - itself which should be easiest to control. We really need to see some progress to that end.
Click to expand...

If CM is going to go with a zone then IMO it is essentially a concession that the staff can't get the players to play adequate man-to-man defense. That glaring flaw has been evident since the exhibition game. Now we are 7 games in and I guess we are going to wave the white flag and go zone.

Maybe that will work against Tulane, but in the longer term, if you can't get them to play decent man-to-man defense, then good luck getting better results out of a zone. This group hasn't show much more concept of team defense than it has of individual defense, and for the zone to work they have a lot to learn. Plus the two starting guards are too short to put at the top of a zone against any opponent with some size at the guard position.

I admit that I am a believer in defense (though not to the Norm Roberts "the heck with scoring, we are going to try to figure out how to defend you into negative points somehow" extent). But the most frustrating part of watching this team so far has been the total lack of commitment, effort, understanding or anything else on the defensive end of the floor. It's like watching a pickup game where everybody wants to shoot and nobody wants to defend. IMHO that tells you that either the staff doesn't care about defense, or isn't willing to man up and make the players eat their vegetables (in a basketball sense).

FWIW if I were coaching this team I would have committed to playing fullcourt defense all game long every game. Lovett, Ponds, Owens are tailor made for press and trap. So is Williams. Yakwe isn't bad, and Ellison could be made useful too. Sima and Alibegovic could be used to defend the rear. Rotate in the rest of the roster (including Holifield, who would give you the hustle and grit that is missing from just about everyone else) to keep the horses fresh and play your 10 or 11 against the other team's 7 and wear them down. Spot a zone here and there for a change-up, to get a few minutes of relative rest on the defensive end, to protect foul trouble.

If the pressure D results in turnovers, then you get transition buckets which we could use. If it doesn't, then you are at least getting the most out of your deep roster, wearing down the other team, and shortening the shot clock for them.

Anyway it doesn't matter whether you play press/trap, man to man, zone, or anything else if you aren't going to teach it, coach it, and insist on getting maximum effort out of your players on that end of the floor.
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Interesting points and agreed entirely. A big part of defense is commitment and execution (irrespective of talent), and that was a glaring weakness even on last year's less talented team. We've unfortunately seen more of the same this year.

But the other part is still talent, including size and strength (especially collectively across the roster), and we are still lacking there more than I thought we would be this year. There are probably under 5 guys on this team that are ready to play above average man, either the 1 on 1 component or the gaps/helpside team component.

Both of these need to improve, the former certainly more critically given it should be more talent neutral. In the interim I think you almost have to show different looks though, because most teams are going to figure out how to exploit our man over 40 minutes. Would be great to progress this, but I also want to win some games. Not particularly confident we can do much of both at the same time this year.

Agree with you re: pressing and trapping, especially against the top half of the Big East when we'll need a higher risk/reward play to even stay in. Still concerned we don't have the true depth to execute for 40 minutes, even if this approach makes it easier to get more guys in, because of limited options when gameflow goes through natural periods of halfcourt play.

But agree no matter what the call is almost moot if we aren't getting max effort towards execution.
 
So my tickets were supposed to get delivered by ups to the condo I'm renting in the french quarter. UPS came yesterday but there was no place to leave it so now it's at the UPS delivery center near the airport. I called a taxi to go there and the taxi company tells me they won't drive there because a car flipped over on the interstate. The ride is over $40 each way anyway. So I call tulane and they were able to get me 2 tickets for less than the cost of 1 way cab ride to the UPS place.

I just doubled down on my best. I'm hoping this was some sort of sign
 
I feel so strongly about tonight that Im laying the wood.
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Me too the line seems so out of wack that you have to take it. Johnnies -4.5
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If you guys are laying down $ then I might as well too.

Maybe this will pay for my roasted oysters tomorrow and sunday
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I plan on laying some wood before the game and after!!
 
for any of the guys down here for the game looking for a nice restaurant in the french quarter this weekend go to Emeril's restaurant called Nola on St Louis. If you like shrimp and grits get them here. Best I gave ever had. Even better than at Luke in Nola which I love
 
So my tickets were supposed to get delivered by ups to the condo I'm renting in the french quarter. UPS came yesterday but there was no place to leave it so now it's at the UPS delivery center near the airport. I called a taxi to go there and the taxi company tells me they won't drive there because a car flipped over on the interstate. The ride is over $40 each way anyway. So I call tulane and they were able to get me 2 tickets for less than the cost of 1 way cab ride to the UPS place.

I just doubled down on my best. I'm hoping this was some sort of sign
Click to expand...

Strange things happen in New Orleans. Are you wearing the new hat to the game?
 
I feel so strongly about tonight that Im laying the wood.
Click to expand...

Me too the line seems so out of wack that you have to take it. Johnnies -4.5
Click to expand...

If you guys are laying down $ then I might as well too.

Maybe this will pay for my roasted oysters tomorrow and sunday
Click to expand...
I plan on laying some wood before the game and after!!
Click to expand...

Lay the wood before the game,
lay some pipe afterwards
 
From NY Times by Adam Zagoria no less.

"When St.John’s job came open, I had some other people come approach me,” Dunleavy said Thursday. “A bunch of Wall Street guys that I knew said: ‘Hey, look, the St. John’s job is open. Would you have an interest?’

“I said, ‘Yeah, I’d love the St. John’s job.’ So I called Chris and I left him a message. I said: ‘Hey, Chris, I see that the St. John’s job just came open and I’m wondering if you would help champion me for the job if, in fact, you don’t want it.’ I just threw it out there. I really didn’t think it was something he wanted, but I really didn’t know. And literally the next day, he was named the coach, so we never even talked.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/02/s...s&contentPlacement=1&pgtype=sectionfront&_r=0
 
So my tickets were supposed to get delivered by ups to the condo I'm renting in the french quarter. UPS came yesterday but there was no place to leave it so now it's at the UPS delivery center near the airport. I called a taxi to go there and the taxi company tells me they won't drive there because a car flipped over on the interstate. The ride is over $40 each way anyway. So I call tulane and they were able to get me 2 tickets for less than the cost of 1 way cab ride to the UPS place.

I just doubled down on my best. I'm hoping this was some sort of sign
Click to expand...

Strange things happen in New Orleans. Are you wearing the new hat to the game?
Click to expand...
No I forgot it at home.( waking up at 3am for a flight tends to make me hazy and forget things ) I have my ranger hat on. Funny thing is literally 30 minutes ago I'm standing on royal street watching a band play in the street and I'm wearing met sweatshirt and ranger hat killing some time before redstormrising gets into town and someone walks by me and says " hey Maher ". We hadn't met ever but it's one of our fellow redmen.com guys " Redmenguy" who was with his wife and he recognized me from the avatars I put up here. ( I knew he was going to the game with his wife as we have pm'd each other but figured I'd go see them at the game or try and meet up after ) Really good dude and his wife is great also. He doesn't post as much here but he reads the boards all the time going back to the AOL days
 
So my tickets were supposed to get delivered by ups to the condo I'm renting in the french quarter. UPS came yesterday but there was no place to leave it so now it's at the UPS delivery center near the airport. I called a taxi to go there and the taxi company tells me they won't drive there because a car flipped over on the interstate. The ride is over $40 each way anyway. So I call tulane and they were able to get me 2 tickets for less than the cost of 1 way cab ride to the UPS place.

I just doubled down on my best. I'm hoping this was some sort of sign
Click to expand...

Is it true you can buy seasons tix at Tulane for the price of 2 tickets to watch Delaware State at Carnesecca Arena?
 
Zach B

More Mullin: "If you’re looking for panic, you’re looking in the wrong place." #sjubb

Look for St. John's to start playing a little more zone. And to get more aggressive. #sjubb

Multiple people within program believe team can play harder than it has. They hope to see that tomorrow night. #sjubb

Like the zone reference!
Click to expand...

He's saying the right things, and as we've discussed I think navigating this kind of space/circumstance is a natural strength for him given experience dealing with same from his playing days.

Also like the zone reference. Lack of different looks has been a consistent issue on both ends of the floor, frankly in both years, especially against inferior competition. You throw a defense at Del. St. that they aren't expecting in the middle of the first half, even if it's one you don't plan on playing much, they may have a tough time adjusting on the fly. You change multiple times and chances are it will be very disruptive to a team that lacks individual talent to overcome stuff they aren't ready for. A team like Del. St. surprises when allowed to not only get in but stay in a rhythm, which they did. Playing the defense expected (man), and then when down double digits going to all out full-court, is predictable and making things easier on an inferior team.

Point this out not because of Del. State loss as that's a game we should win regardless, but seems to be more overarching issue. The one game in a season and change where I really thought we came with a creative gameplan was Cuse with the double high against the zone. We shot the stuffing out of it that day but even Cuse looked unprepared to deal with that. Issue is we've now tried to use that same double high every time we've seen a 2-3 zone, teams are ready for it, and we haven't had a counter.

And that's going to be the key for this staff tactically and/or strategically. Someone is putting decent sets in place; the screen the screener they ran with Lovett and Yawke for a +1 against the zone Tuesday was great action and well-executed. But our flashes have been more limited to single sets, not putting together anything marginally resembling 40 min gameplan. Part of that is youth, part of that is lack of talent, but part of that is definitely the gameplanning - and certainly in-game adjustments - itself which should be easiest to control. We really need to see some progress to that end.
Click to expand...

If CM is going to go with a zone then IMO it is essentially a concession that the staff can't get the players to play adequate man-to-man defense. That glaring flaw has been evident since the exhibition game. Now we are 7 games in and I guess we are going to wave the white flag and go zone.

Maybe that will work against Tulane, but in the longer term, if you can't get them to play decent man-to-man defense, then good luck getting better results out of a zone. This group hasn't show much more concept of team defense than it has of individual defense, and for the zone to work they have a lot to learn. Plus the two starting guards are too short to put at the top of a zone against any opponent with some size at the guard position.

I admit that I am a believer in defense (though not to the Norm Roberts "the heck with scoring, we are going to try to figure out how to defend you into negative points somehow" extent). But the most frustrating part of watching this team so far has been the total lack of commitment, effort, understanding or anything else on the defensive end of the floor. It's like watching a pickup game where everybody wants to shoot and nobody wants to defend. IMHO that tells you that either the staff doesn't care about defense, or isn't willing to man up and make the players eat their vegetables (in a basketball sense).

FWIW if I were coaching this team I would have committed to playing fullcourt defense all game long every game. Lovett, Ponds, Owens are tailor made for press and trap. So is Williams. Yakwe isn't bad, and Ellison could be made useful too. Sima and Alibegovic could be used to defend the rear. Rotate in the rest of the roster (including Holifield, who would give you the hustle and grit that is missing from just about everyone else) to keep the horses fresh and play your 10 or 11 against the other team's 7 and wear them down. Spot a zone here and there for a change-up, to get a few minutes of relative rest on the defensive end, to protect foul trouble.

If the pressure D results in turnovers, then you get transition buckets which we could use. If it doesn't, then you are at least getting the most out of your deep roster, wearing down the other team, and shortening the shot clock for them.

Anyway it doesn't matter whether you play press/trap, man to man, zone, or anything else if you aren't going to teach it, coach it, and insist on getting maximum effort out of your players on that end of the floor.
Click to expand...

If you can't play man, you can't play zone.
 
Looking focused! :) Talking about Maher carrying four beers in upper deck.


[attachment]image-43.jpeg[/attachment]
 
Ponds
Lovett
SIma
Ahmed
Yakwe

Starters
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My line up before the season. Stick with it and give them all major minutes subbing for fouls or tiredness.
 
We go inside to Yakwe, he misses a layup. We have 5 3-pointers, for all of our scoring. Tulane has 2 3's, and 2 free throws, so 2-pointers obviously banned tonight. We're just hotter then the last 2 games. However, I also think this is the only way we can win games in the Big East.
 
We go inside to Yakwe, he misses a layup. We have 5 3-pointers, for all of our scoring. Tulane has 2 3's, and 2 free throws, so 2-pointers obviously banned tonight. We're just hotter then the last 2 games. However, I also think this is the only way we can win games in the Big East.
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Then I think "games" is optimistic...
 
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