Xavier game
- Thread starter tom in salem
- Start date
I understand pulling kids after bad plays but we make enough bad plays the entire team should be pulled at times and yet it feels like Branch is the Marionette. The box score shows he had 3 assists in 5 minutes which is more than anyone on the team
Your shooting percentage is directly related to the quality of the shots you take. We don't consistently get good clean looks within the flow of a structured offense. Therefore, you will have periods where you have 4 or 5 empty possessions in a row.
I think it's mostly gone un-commented-on that it's pretty sad that coach thought he needed to start Gift, not just the fact that he did, but the "why".
Obekpa still can't hold his own on the low-block. This is a guy many talk of as an nba prospect, and a potential defensive POY in the BE. He still can't guard his own man or hold his position to rebound.
We can disagree with whether to start Gift or not, and I assume most of us think it was a bad move. But the fact coach thought he needed to, because Obekpa can't be a game-in and game-out starting center... that's a problem.
Obekpa still can't hold his own on the low-block. This is a guy many talk of as an nba prospect, and a potential defensive POY in the BE. He still can't guard his own man or hold his position to rebound.
We can disagree with whether to start Gift or not, and I assume most of us think it was a bad move. But the fact coach thought he needed to, because Obekpa can't be a game-in and game-out starting center... that's a problem.
Everybody had high hopes including me, but they are just not that good. They can't shoot and in college basketball you better be able to shoot the ball. Look at Harrison and Sampson's stats, not good. Pointer played terrible, Greene just isn't that talented and I don't know what is a matter with Branch. Obekpa has no offensive moves, Gift just stinks. I have not seen enough of Sanchez, everybody knows what Hooper and Bourgault is, the designated white guys who are supposed to be able to shoot but with people guarding them, they can't. Balamou is just not a difference maker. Jordan is a very good player who probably wishes he went to UCLA, where they have better players and shooters but his Mom is sick and needed to stay close to home. They are probably going to finish in the middle of the pack of the Big East with a 9-9 or 10-8 record.
Just played a bad second half. Not much else to say. Got out boarded, looked out of sync on offense, and messed up a ton of defensive assignments. Was a winnable game. We didn't perform. It wasn't Gift minutes that killed us. It was our play on the glass and at both ends in second half.
MarkRedman
Well-known member
Obekpa is an excellent example of why our team is so flawed
He looks great blocking a lot of shots but he plays poor fundamental defense
For every shot he blocks, several guys go around him for easy baskets
This is a combination that, the more I watch, the more I think it does not work. They seem to get in each other's way a lot.
They are good players individually, but I think going forward, for us, one has to start, the other has to back him up, and it needs to be strictly that way substitution wise.
I watched the game on tape and havnt read all through this. Was it mentioned why Rysheed didnt start?
If there was no reason then I put this lose squarely on lavin. We had an opportunity to go up 15+ points at the start of the game and lavin ran out a lineup with Obekpa, Dom, and Felix out there at the same time!! That can NEVER happen. Total missed opportunity to open the game up big time. Then in the second half it takes him 5 minutes to put Rysheed back in the game while our guys play pitch and catch with each other as we fall behind by 7 points and never again get back in the game.
Plain and simple, the reason Lavins teams take so long to get going is because he tries to be to cute with lineup changes and rotations. He started a new lineup for the Bigeast opener. Unacceptable. Freaking branch has 3 assits in 5 minutes and phil, dom, and gift have more minutes than he does while felix played the same. Unacceptable.
I dont hate Lavin, im glad he is the head of our program but he needs to give up this every game is a new canvas shit and stick to a solid rotation. Thats what worked his first year, and thats what will work this year.
If there was no reason then I put this lose squarely on lavin. We had an opportunity to go up 15+ points at the start of the game and lavin ran out a lineup with Obekpa, Dom, and Felix out there at the same time!! That can NEVER happen. Total missed opportunity to open the game up big time. Then in the second half it takes him 5 minutes to put Rysheed back in the game while our guys play pitch and catch with each other as we fall behind by 7 points and never again get back in the game.
Plain and simple, the reason Lavins teams take so long to get going is because he tries to be to cute with lineup changes and rotations. He started a new lineup for the Bigeast opener. Unacceptable. Freaking branch has 3 assits in 5 minutes and phil, dom, and gift have more minutes than he does while felix played the same. Unacceptable.
I dont hate Lavin, im glad he is the head of our program but he needs to give up this every game is a new canvas shit and stick to a solid rotation. Thats what worked his first year, and thats what will work this year.
In what was really a lousy game that we could have won with a better game plan, I saw a beacon of hope and believe that we still can improve. Rysheed Jordan is fantastic at attacking the rim. It is a real shame that he has not been able to log more minutes. I think he will soon be able to start to increase his assist numbers along with his drives. if he can do this, I think we have a chance of improving and possibly stealing the Big East Tournament.
P.S. - Branch should always be on the court when Jordan isn't.
P.S. - Branch should always be on the court when Jordan isn't.
+100. If every player on the team was treated the way Branch is, we wouldn't be able to keep 5 guys on the court all game.
Give me someone who is going to try to make something happen and make mistakes doing it sometimes over someone who isn't going to try to make something happen so doesn't make mistakes.
Greene played 23 minutes today and scored 5 points, 1 board, 1 assist. Those might be mostly mistake-free minutes, but they are also empty minutes. The way he is being used is really hurting us, and it isn't his fault.
Exactly. Is anyone surprised we struggle to score when we don't have an actual point guard on the floor? Either Branch or Jordan need to be out there. Jordan for 32 mpg and give branch the other eight, because Greene running the offense doesn't work.
My problem with Greene, is that he doesn't bring much to the table unless his jumpshot is going down. Give him some time in the first half, if he misses his first few jumpers, he shouldn't see much time for the rest of the game, same with hooper.
Lavin should just ride the hot hand, whether it's Greene or hooper,
Also, has anyone else realized how incredibly bad pointer has been these last two games, he has been atrocious. He wouldn't get time on Baptist College the way he has been playing. (I used baptist as an example because they got beat by 104 points last night.)
Pointer has been useless, and Lavin can't throw in hooper to see if he can hit a couple threes and get us back in the game.
Agree.
Just spoke with a fellow fan, and we both said Jordan or Branch should always be on the floor running the point.
The only way Greene should run point, if Jordan AND Branch both has 4 fouls. Even then, he should only run it for a couple a minutes before putting one of 'em back in.