Xavier, Wed., Dec. 28, 9p, FS-1

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SJUDave said:
Believe it or not, at 11-3, 1-2 -- the season isn't over even though many are proclaiming it is. Emotions are running really high right now. And can't fault anyone but everyone has to take a step away from the ledge. Get a win tomorrow and lets regroup
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Totally agree and would love to see us win a couple in a row and get the team back on track. Tomorrow's game is a must game for our dancing hopes imho. Hope a decent number of our fans make the trek to Jersey to root them on.
 
Whenever TV cut to one of those 10 second "a look inside the huddle" at other games and showed MA saying something vague like "We gotta get after it!" I just figured the TV producers edited out all the strategic parts of the huddle so the other team wouldn't get an advantage.

I was wrong.
 
MainMan said:
Whenever TV cut to one of those 10 second "a look inside the huddle" at other games and showed MA saying something vague like "We gotta get after it!" I just figured the TV producers edited out all the strategic parts of the huddle so the other team wouldn't get an advantage.

I was wrong.
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Maybe he thought Xavier staffers were going to be watching the broadcast in real-time in hopes to “steal our signs”. Chess, really.
 
SJUDave said:
Believe it or not, at 11-3, 1-2 -- the season isn't over even though many are proclaiming it is. Emotions are running really high right now. And can't fault anyone but everyone has to take a step away from the ledge. Get a win tomorrow and lets regroup
Click to expand...
I want* to have this attitude. You at St John's on paper:
11-3 - nice- solid start
Oh... those 3 loses were to a ranked at the time Iowa St team (at Hilton) -> away at Nova -> Home to a ranked Xavier team by 5 pts...? what are we mad about????

but.... i watched all three of those games... and aside from the opening 12 vs Nova, and the last 10 or so mins vs X.... man.... those were Depressing performances against the ONLY teams of relevance in our 14 games...

Will try and stay positive... but it's hard not to acknowledge that we might have seen this team's ceiling. Let's hope this team turns it around, cause that happens- maybe it happens with this squad.
 
SJUDave said:
Believe it or not, at 11-3, 1-2 -- the season isn't over even though many are proclaiming it is. Emotions are running really high right now. And can't fault anyone but everyone has to take a step away from the ledge. Get a win tomorrow and lets regroup
Click to expand...
Problem is we now have complete confirmation that there is actually very little actual specific pre game preparation or in game coaching going on. Do we even scout our opponents? So whatever our talent level is we are further hamstrung by the lack of coaching going on and considering the level of opposing coaches in the BE that is not a position you want to be in. I would have a lot more confidence in our players if they were receiving better instruction.
 
redmanwest said:
Like the Nova game, given some thought overnight, my thoughts re:

1. It is hard to foresee that this team will all of a sudden correct itself. The all access revealed that there is very little in-game coaching, and one can speculate that there is not as lot of it going on in practice. Miller's coaching exhibited the use of pre-panned schemes and sets, and we had the weave.

2. Soriano has been so important to the early successes, but the realization must be made that he is what he is. A big body, a guy who worked hard to get in shape and improve , but someone who was recruited to Fordham and who has a still developing game. Not sure he has maxed out, but against the bigger and more physical BE centers and power forwards, he does not play with the same confidence or proficiency as he did against smaller opponents.

3. Posh/Curbello experiment is a failure. It is mostly attributable to Posh not being the primary ball handler, in my opinion, and Curbelo's penchant for a rushed, sloppy style. Andre is capable of great plays and more capable of throwing the ball inadvisably away. Posh just can't buy even the gimme put backs that he was so successful at the first 2 seasons. He is not playing the same defense he had in the past and is not as sure with the ball as he was either. I think his issues are mental and he's kinda checked out.

4. Jones is mystifying, but overall assessment is that he is a nice piece on a good team but not a core team guy. He just seems to try to get his points and that causes him to make some very questionable shots and to play against his strengths (i.e., around the basket). Last night he definitely cut down on the bad 3s, but he did not do enough of the other things (particularly rebounding) to really help the team.

5. As has been noted by others, body language and lack of eye contact is telling. Thye guys do not respond to coach, or his instructions. The complete lack of their response to his calling for the weave (as inadvisable as that play calling may be in our minds) evidences a serious lack of respect or discipline or both. There were multiple examples of that in this game. Sadly, even our past bad teams usually were never outworked, but this team, especially in the past 2 games, were completely out hustled and outworked. That is again a sign of checking out as a team and basically going thru the motions.

6. Sub pattern confusion and inconsistency and overuse of certain guys continues; that is just the way this staff operates. I expect a number of guys to leave (Storr, Posh are prime candidates) due to under use or misuse. Nyiwe got some burn and looked OK when in there for the most part, but played only a few minutes; should have gotten more burn.

7. Not sure what is wrong w/ Pinzon, but I don't think he would have made a difference in the margins. He would have given a more diversified offensive look, but he has been inconsistent. They guy I think who gets decent minutes but could have a bigger impact is Mathis, of all people. he is pretty steady and just does not get the ball enough, or have anything called for him to utilize his strengths. He usually is subsumed by the hero-ball that Jones, Curbelo, Wusu and others play.

8. The talent level and athleticism and depth are greater with this team than past teams. But, the whole is not greater than the sum of its parts. There is no coherence or team chemistry. Bringing Curbelo here was a calculated risk, but has failed miserably and was a mistake.

9. I see no NCAA berth (and maybe not an NIT). Very very disappointing (maybe the most disappointing team I recall, ever, in 45 years of watching).

10. As painful an another "rebuild" would be, I don't see coach coming back, and that would not be a bad thing. We know what it is and it ain't winning the important ones. Coach is an honorable guy and a man who is a great role model for kids, but as others have noted, it seems that his style and approiach are outdated and do not fit with what college basketball currently demansd for success.
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Great critique! Schoolyard style basketball doesn't work against D1 competition. Coach doesn't deserve all of the blame. Higher ups have done a poor job in keeping the program competitive vs Big East teams.
 
bucketshardy said:
I want* to have this attitude. You at St John's on paper:
11-3 - nice- solid start
Oh... those 3 loses were to a ranked at the time Iowa St team (at Hilton) -> away at Nova -> Home to a ranked Xavier team by 5 pts...? what are we mad about????

but.... i watched all three of those games... and aside from the opening 12 vs Nova, and the last 10 or so mins vs X.... man.... those were Depressing performances against the ONLY teams of relevance in our 14 games...

Will try and stay positive... but it's hard not to acknowledge that we might have seen this team's ceiling. Let's hope this team turns it around, cause that happens- maybe it happens with this squad.
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It all comes down to the simple fact that we need to start winning asap or we are done.

I know, hard hitting analysis. But everything that happened can't be taken back
 
bucketshardy said:
I want* to have this attitude. You at St John's on paper:
11-3 - nice- solid start
Oh... those 3 loses were to a ranked at the time Iowa St team (at Hilton) -> away at Nova -> Home to a ranked Xavier team by 5 pts...? what are we mad about????

but.... i watched all three of those games... and aside from the opening 12 vs Nova, and the last 10 or so mins vs X.... man.... those were Depressing performances against the ONLY teams of relevance in our 14 games...

Will try and stay positive... but it's hard not to acknowledge that we might have seen this team's ceiling. Let's hope this team turns it around, cause that happens- maybe it happens with this squad.
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Like I said I don't fault anyone for being completely down on this team and program after these last two losses. I said it on the podcast, everyone has a right and should be unhappy. But there's 17 games left, these next 4 are winnable. Tomorrow is DEFINITELY winnable.

Be the hungrier team, the more experienced team, get a road win and remember what it's like to win again.
 
bamafan said:
Problem is we now have complete confirmation that there is actually very little actual specific pre game preparation or in game coaching going on. Do we even scout our opponents? So whatever our talent level is we are further hamstrung by the lack of coaching going on and considering the level of opposing coaches in the BE that is not a position you want to be in. I would have a lot more confidence in our players if they were receiving better instruction.
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Yes, this is the bad taste that will linger with fans likely for the rest of the season, and amplified when we lose. You have a direct place to point to now - as we saw Coach undressed on national TV.

Just gotta hope things get fixed, as basic as it sounds. Get out of the slump
 
stjohnnie75 said:
You think he is playing well?
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You think after what he's shown all his career there aren't a bunch of power 6 coaches who wouldn't want him?

As discussed ad nauseam the Curbelo Posh combo doesn't work. It's hurting Posh's game. Doesn't help that AC does not seem to fit in whatever semblance of a system it is that CMA wants to run.

But I assure you there are a number of high level coaches who would see Posh as a star and starter in their system as their PG.
 
Larry Wright said:
Ended as badly as it possibly could have however I was extremely happy to happy with 4 Jarvis years. And don’t think you can call Lavin a failure
But understand your point
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I didn't describe the coaching efforts as failures, just unsuccessful. The six previous situations had various issues and problems, some not the fault of the coach, but at the end, they were dismissed, with expensive payoffs made. Of those six, only Fran had good prospects, and he took the New Mexico job. Lavin is in his initial year at San Diego. There is a real problem with how we hire a coach, and each screw up costs us fans, money and reputation.
 
austour said:
You think after what he's shown all his career there aren't a bunch of power 6 coaches who wouldn't want him?

As discussed ad nauseam the Curbelo Posh combo doesn't work. It's hurting Posh's game. Doesn't help that AC does not seem to fit in whatever semblance of a system it is that CMA wants to run.

But I assure you there are a number of high level coaches who would see Posh as a star and starter in their system as their PG.
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Some of the blue bloods might see him as a backup, but I honestly think every school in the country would take him. If he entered portal 100 schools would reach out. Which is why I get nervous every time someone makes a transfer comment.
 
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