Game #2: Virginia Tech - In-Game

adam914 · Unread post by **adam914** » 11 years ago

And not to pile on here, but to say that he shouldnt be taking that many shots because he wont be here in two years makes no sense to me. What's the alternative? Are you looking for some more three pointers from Aaman and Hare?

Gonebarongone · Unread post by **Gonebarongone** » 11 years ago

Optimistic wrote:
Gonebarongone wrote:Lots of love for Munford in this thread. Guy has taken 41 shots in two games and scored 32 points. That's not good. You want to be above 1.2 points per shot to be even moderately efficient. Someone has to shoot it but I question having a JUCO guy taking that many shots when he won't be on the next good Rhody team.
Too early to make a call on Hare. Big guys take a while sometimes.
Referring to Munford as a "JUCO guy" is a little misleading, he was an All-American at the JUCO level and seemingly only went that route because he didn't have the grades to play in D1 right away. And did you watch the game last night? Munford was our only viable offensive threat, his bad season stats stem from the fact that he shot 3-19 against Norfolk St. It's been two games, the sample size for any statistic is too small right now to tell us anything about anything.

Really, it has more to do with the fact that he got 41 shots over two games. And, I say JUCO guy only because that means he has two years left. So, I question running much of the offense through that guy when the next good rhody team won't have him. And, I question the offensive philosophy. Yes, I get that it is a small sample size and someone has to take shots but did you guys not see a ton of contested jumpers last night? As much as I am sold on the Hurley bros bringing intensity/recruiting/defense to the table, I am still unsure of their offense. Just watch the games. Contested 15-20 footers are a hallmark of either a poorly run offense or one guy getting too many shots. Or both. You might remember a lot of three jacking last year. It reminds me of the last Delroy year. 17ppg but it took him 500 shots to get it. Hope I am wrong. It impacts the ability of others to get better. Why not feed a few entry passes to Hare? Let him take his lumps now. Is there any huge difference between a 5-25 record or 8-22?

rodfromcranston · Unread post by **rodfromcranston** » 11 years ago

Oh, please!
Did you watch the game last night?
This is the only guy on the team who could create his own shot.
He was 10-13 from inside the arc. Pretty damned good!
He's a Hurley guy from high school. Hurley trusts him, and knows his game.
He does things that can't be taught. It's called TALENT.
So what do you want Hurley to do? Tell him, "X you're better than anyone here, but stop shooting, because
you graduate in two years."
Dumbest thing I've ever heard!
Yeah, what the hell does Bobby Hurley know about offense? More idiocy!
Keep shooting X!

RamInLA · Unread post by **RamInLA** » 11 years ago

Can't hate on Munford after last nights game. Kid is a scorer and that's what we need. Yea, we'd all like to see his 3pt percentage go up, but you can't ignore that he pretty much carried our team last night, even if we did lose big.

Gonebarongone · Unread post by **Gonebarongone** » 11 years ago

rodfromcranston wrote:Oh, please!
Did you watch the game last night?
This is the only guy on the team who could create his own shot.
He was 10-13 from inside the arc. Pretty damned good!
He's a Hurley guy from high school. Hurley trusts him, and knows his game.
He does things that can't be taught. It's called TALENT.
So what do you want Hurley to do? Tell him, "X you're better than anyone here, but stop shooting, because
you graduate in two years."
Dumbest thing I've ever heard!
Yeah, what the hell does Bobby Hurley know about offense? More idiocy!
Keep shooting X!

Is there a prescribed waiting period until we can actually have spirited discussion about what we see? Or is all Hurley critique verboten? I don't think anyone taking 20 shots every game is healthy for the development of any program. If this was a CJ Macallum situation where this was a likely tournament team and he was an NBA caliber player on an otherwise average roster, sure, take 20 shots per game. But, this year and next should be foundational years. I mean, not one freaking entry pass to Hare, your top 100 recruit? Yes, let X fire shots for two years, and then when URI is good again, they can let Hare develop his post game then.

rodfromcranston · Unread post by **rodfromcranston** » 11 years ago

20 shots isn't exactly Pete Maravich level shooting.It's pretty average for a top scorer.
Oh, so Munford is the reason Hare stinks?
He's the reason he doesn't do well in practice?
He's the reason he has bad hands. He's the reason he fouls like mad?
Do we have an ignore tab on this site?
Just too ridiculous!

Gonebarongone · Unread post by **Gonebarongone** » 11 years ago

rodfromcranston wrote:20 shots isn't exactly Pete Maravich level shooting.It's pretty average for a top scorer.
Oh, so Munford is the reason Hare stinks?
He's the reason he doesn't do well in practice?
He's the reason he has bad hands. He's the reason he fouls like mad?
Do we have an ignore tab on this site?
Just too ridiculous!

20 shots is average? How about not a single college player averaged 20 field goal attempts last year. Or 19, for that matter. Or 18, for that matter. Ridiculous is you not understanding the game. 20 shots per game? Holy Cow. And it is the bigger point I am trying to make. Take your freaking lumps now. Install an offense. Get everyone involved. Having four players watch Steph Marbury take a million shots is not good for any program building.

rodfromcranston · Unread post by **rodfromcranston** » 11 years ago

Look up Sly Williams, Silk Owens, Steve Chubin, or any other big scorer that we had, and get back to me.
I remember Sly taking 34 shots in one game.
Season
590, Pappy Owens, 1982-83
581, Tom Garrick, 1987-88
557, Carlton Owens, 1987-88
532, Sly Williams, 1978-79
506, Eric Leslie, 1989-90
501, Dennis McGovern, 1963-64
These were during 26 games schedules, too.
I don't understand the game???????
I've forgoten more than you know.
Marbury? Jerry D isn't coaching this team, Dan Hurley is.
Keep making dumbass remarks.

Gonebarongone · Unread post by **Gonebarongone** » 11 years ago

rodfromcranston wrote:Look up Sly Williams, Silk Owens, Steve Chubin, or any other big scorer that we had, and get back to me.
I remember Sly taking 34 shots in one game.
Season
590, Pappy Owens, 1982-83
581, Tom Garrick, 1987-88
557, Carlton Owens, 1987-88
532, Sly Williams, 1978-79
506, Eric Leslie, 1989-90
501, Dennis McGovern, 1963-64
These were during 26 games schedules, too.
I don't understand the game???????
I've forgoten more than you know.
Marbury? Jerry D isn't coaching this team, Dan Hurley is.
Keep making dumbass remarks.

Ha!
You go from "pretty average for a top scorer" back to 1982, 1987, and 1979. Great job. We'll just agree to disagree. And, before we canonize St. Hurley, he coached HS hoops two years ago. He's not Bobby Knight yet. I think it is pretty clear he brings intensity the program needs and certainly recruiting. But scheme and in game coaching? TBD. And, yes Bobby was a great point guard. So was Magic Johnson and remember him as a coach? Letting JUCO star play keep away is not my idea of an offense. I'd rather work on getting everyone better than lose by 12 instead of 18. Trust me, you haven't forgotten more than I know, message board guy.

Unread post by **SGreenwell** » 11 years ago

@ Gonebarongone - I don't think you play Hare and feed him shots just because. Hurley has made it clear, at least in press conferences, that Hare will get more playing time and more shots when he starts playing better in practice. Munford had the hot hand last night, and to go away from him would just be insane, and it would make the rest of the team wonder, "Hey, what the eff is this guy thinking?"

I've also looked at this a bit in the past - There isn't a strong correlation between playing time as a freshman and future player development. Meaning, guys who played 10 MPG as a freshman vs. guys who played 30 MPG weren't necessarily any better or worse, even when you adjusted for things like team quality.

rodfromcranston · Unread post by **rodfromcranston** » 11 years ago

Message board guy? Really?
I think you know jack shit.
When you have a superior talent, you play to him.
This isn't friggin Communism, CYO, or little league, where everyone gets
the same chance.
"Geez, Cuttino, we're going to give you and Tyson the same number of shots as Josh King, so he develops. OK?"
"Durant, let Kendrick Perkins, and Serge Ibaka, take the same number of shots, so he can get comfortable in our system."
Yeah, you're a basketball genius.

Gonebarongone · Unread post by **Gonebarongone** » 11 years ago

rodfromcranston wrote:Message board guy? Really?
I think you know jack shit.
When you have a superior talent, you play to him.
This isn't friggin Communism, or little league, where everyone gets
the same chance.
"Geez, Cuttino, we're going to give you and Tyson the same number of shots as Josh King, so he develops. OK?"
Guys who play as freshmen don't do anything more than those who don't?
What planet are you from? Tell Calipari that one! Every one and done guy shows playing as a freshman matters.
Yeah, you're a basketball genius.

Now you know I have backed you into the corner with actual knowledge and you are spraying like a fire hose. As I specifically mentioned previously, my point is germane to this team only. You know the difference between the Mobley/Wheeler or Calipari teams and this one, right? Those teams could contend. So, yes, give your best players the ball and have at it. This team MIGHT win 7 games. And you want to waste 30 games watching him ball hog? You can't get those back. These are valuable minutes for whoever will be on the next good Rhody team. Use them. I'm not saying feed Hare like he Lew Alcindor but how about a few?

rodfromcranston · Unread post by **rodfromcranston** » 11 years ago

Listen, anyone who said,"Letting Munford take so many shots is wrong, because he's only here for two years"
loses ALL credibity with me, and I'm sure other here.
He's not a ball hog, he's the only player on the team capable of getting shots. And do tell us WHO on this team will be around for "the next good Rhody team"? Duh! Aaaman would be the only guy I'm betting makes four years at URI.
It's the reason Bobby and Dan told me,"You're going to love Xavier Munford. The kid can really play."
But YOU know more than the Hurleys, and probably know the Unknown Soldier.
C-YA!

seanmc94 · Unread post by **seanmc94** » 11 years ago

Rod,

Are you already writing off Hare?

rodfromcranston · Unread post by **rodfromcranston** » 11 years ago

No. It's the same as Powell.
The Hurleys and staff will be the ultimate judges of what happens going forward.
When I first saw Hare at Madness in the scrimage, I was
impressed with his ease of movement, jumping ability and ability to run the court.
In the CG game, he didn't play that much.
In the last two games against real competition, he's become invisible.
Staff is talking about problems in practice. Not my observations, but theirs, and
said in interviews.
I don't know what to think. Right now, he's a project.
Only time will tell how it will go.

Unread post by **ATPTourFan** » 11 years ago

rodfromcranston wrote:Do we have an ignore tab on this site?
Just too ridiculous!

YES! Click on members profile and set them as a Foe (as in Friend or Foe). It will then suppress the content of Foe's posts and give u option to display them one by one.

Billyboy78 · Unread post by **Billyboy78** » 11 years ago

Dan Hurley himself said that we're going to have to rely on the perimeter game because we have no post game. This is the coach who is working with these kids every day in practice. He sees first hand that Hare, Brooks and Aaman do not have any post moves. If you watch pre-game warmups, you see Jim Carr working with all 3 of them on post moves. Until at least one of them develops some basic post moves (and it's might be a little late for Brooks), you won't see the ball going in there. What's the point, if the big guys can't do anything with it? The time for these guys to develop post moves are in practice, not when we're trying to win a game. So, for the time being anyway, Munford, Malone and Nik will be taking the majority of shots (Powell took 12 last night, I doubt we see him anywhere near that the rest of the season).

Billyboy78 · Unread post by **Billyboy78** » 11 years ago

And if we're going on Gonebarongone's reasoning, Malone and Nik should never shoot because they have zero years left after this year.

adam914 · Unread post by **adam914** » 11 years ago

Ah its great to have the season back in full swing and the bickering back and forth. Remember during the off season when we all loved each other? Now we got the old Rod back!!

(and I say that with respect Rod, I agree with you on this one)

bigappleram · Unread post by **bigappleram** » 11 years ago

something i find odd is that there were a number of posters that were high volume contributors in the anti-baron era.....and haven't said a word since the Hurley hiring.
what kind of fan, or supporter of URI are you, if you only care to contribute vitriol and criticisms. those shall remain nameless, but there are at least 3 off the top of my head. i respect rambone78 and rod, who are as voluminous in their support now as they were with their criticisms then. those other clowns can stay away, you know who you are.

rodfromcranston · Unread post by **rodfromcranston** » 11 years ago

BAR, I'm also POed at the lack of direct fan support that I saw in the CG
and the NSU games.
We wanted the change, and yet, people aren't exactly putting their money where their mouths were.
I keep reading, "We have to start winning to draw fans back".
Pathetic!
Obviously the clowns you referred to, are staying away from more than this board.
Oh, and thanks, Adam. I enjoy your posts, very much!

adam914 · Unread post by **adam914** » 11 years ago

Thanks, Rod. I kind of get both sides of the "winning to get fans back" argument. I do think thats true when it comes to the casual fan, who may not realize exactly what a big get it was for Thorr to bring in Hurley and what it could mean for the long term prospects of the program, even after Hurley may decide to move on way down the road.

But for those that are more hardcore, and were on here calling for Baron to be gone for years, then yeah it makes no sense to me that you wouldn't be front and center willing to support this team right now. I only wish I didn't live 3000 miles away, I'd be there every single night.

Gonebarongone · Unread post by **Gonebarongone** » 11 years ago

Billyboy78 wrote:And if we're going on Gonebarongone's reasoning, Malone and Nik should never shoot because they have zero years left after this year.

Again, as I said previously, I get that someone has to shoot it. What I object to is a guy taking more shots than anyone has in years. For my liking, I did not see enough ball movement. I saw too many contested jumpers, basically the worst shot in college hoops. I hardly saw any attempts to get it inside. Munford is a decent player but it looks like a pickup game with the best player dominating the ball and the rest jacking up jumpers because it is all they get. Now, it is only two games, but I would be disappointed if that is what I saw for the next 25. Some people think it would be OK to have a guy take more shots than anyone has in college hoops in years. I do not, especially in a rebuild situation. Not sure why this point of view is so outlandish.

URI96 · Unread post by **URI96** » 11 years ago

As far as I am concerned the little lion man can take as many shots as he wants. X, Nik, and Malone are the only real offensive threats on this team. Let them take 90 pct of the shots.

RIFan · Unread post by **RIFan** » 11 years ago

I was mildly shocked at the turnout for the NSU game-I estimate no more than 3,500 in the seats. But the stands at V-Tech looked pretty empty, and both PCs games announced attendance were poor too. The Bryant game witch featured two teams that are only a 20 minute drive from each other had an announced gate of just over 4,000. We know that these numbers are not what actually showed up...that must look real empty in the Dunk. There was an article I read recently that said attendance is down all over the country. It even used Duke as an example...no need to camp out for tix anymore...

rodfromcranston · Unread post by **rodfromcranston** » 11 years ago

Not to belabor the point, but Jamal Wilson averaged 17.3 shots per game last year, 43 in his first two games, despite some games only playing a few minutes, before he got suspended.
I don't recall anyone bitching about him getting his shots on a lousy team.
Oh, did you know that Holton's records seem to have been expunged from the URI records from
last year? Wow!

Issac · Unread post by **Issac** » 11 years ago

Gonebarongone, your description of game sounds lot like baronball.

Essam · Unread post by **Essam** » 11 years ago

I for one had 8 - 10 years of critizing the previous coach. I have cut way back on posting on this board. I have increased my donation to URI since Hurley was appointed . I bought season tickets. One of my problems is old age. I find myself at 81 rather impatient to get to a winning situation . I hate losing. I see things happening on the court that I do not like but prefer to stay positive. I am impressed with the Hurleys style and as a member of my family stated they know what they are doing. I still read every post on this board. I never attended URI but have graduated from 3 colleges and have several family members graduated from URI.

rambone 78 · Unread post by **rambone 78** » 11 years ago

The attendance at the Ryan will pick up....when they start winning. The casual fan will not show up until that starts to happen. Too many years of mind numbing mediocre BB got us to this point.

Same with the students. It's all out there waiting to happen...will just take time.

rambone 78 · Unread post by **rambone 78** » 11 years ago

Essam, I truly hope you [and the rest of us too] are around to see a new era of Rhody hoops, similar to the late 90's or even better. We all deserve it, especially the ones who have faithfully followed this program since they were in school.

We may get pissed off at URI hoops [and the rest of the athletic programs] now and then, but no fair weather fans are we. I guess there aren't a lot of us, but we need to hang in there, and hopefully we'll be rewarded. I'm going to try like hell to stay positive this season, finally knowing, not just hoping, that better times are ahead.

Iggy1979 · Unread post by **Iggy1979** » 11 years ago

Essay: you're an inspiration. I plan on going to games into my 80s too!

ramfan85 · Unread post by **ramfan85** » 11 years ago

Besides being low in numbers, I thought the Friday night crowd was very quiet for most of the game. The only real noise seemed to come from that boob with the microphone who was trying to turn the game into The Jerry Springer Show.
As for this year's team, I don't care who shoots, as long it goes in. I, too, am tired of losing. But, unlike previous years, I can see a brighter future.
All I'm concerned with for this year is hopefully seeing improvement with the freshmen. I couldn't care less about the holdovers. I'd like to see Hare playing more. But, if a player isn't working hard in practice, I don't care what his press clippings say, he belongs on the bench.

bigappleram · Unread post by **bigappleram** » 11 years ago

its possible our starting lineup next year consists of no one playing for us right now.

matthews, minnis, reischel, martin, biruta

munford, powell, tj, hare and aaman off the bench.

rodfromcranston · Unread post by **rodfromcranston** » 11 years ago

Can't see Reischel or Minnis keeping Munford on the bench.
Munford also plays solid defense.
He is also a Hurley guy, going back years.
Minnis is a point guard, and a defensive player maybe with his size, plays the 2 sometimes.
Reischel, Martin and Biruta aren't a very big frontline, unless Martin grows some, which is
entirely possible, as he turns 17 November 22nd.
I'm also curious as to who Hurley brings in as the final recruit.
Too early to read the tea leaves. Fun to speculate on, though.

ramfan85 · Unread post by **ramfan85** » 11 years ago

Agree with Rod. I think Munford will start next year. Is Biruta projected as a center or forward? We need a shooter and a big man. Where's Jon Clark when you need him?

rodfromcranston · Unread post by **rodfromcranston** » 11 years ago

Biruta played PF at Rutgers. May play C by default?

reef · Unread post by **reef** » 11 years ago

Munford looks like a big time scorer, I say we get him and Nik to shoot most of our shots

EasyEdBrown · Unread post by **EasyEdBrown** » 11 years ago

rambone 78 wrote:The attendance at the Ryan will pick up....when they start winning. The casual fan will not show up until that starts to happen. Too many years of mind numbing mediocre BB got us to this point.

Same with the students. It's all out there waiting to happen...will just take time.

The student attendance for Norfolk St was the highest in a non-Pink Out game since 2010.

Winning will of course maintain that and losing will not, but the students are willing to come much more easily than they did with Jim Baron here.

Unread post by **ATPTourFan** » 11 years ago

Yeah I hope they win at the Ryan Center next time to help lock in the students.

Gonebarongone · Unread post by **Gonebarongone** » 11 years ago

Issac wrote:Gonebarongone, your description of game sounds lot like baronball.

You know, it is only two games in, so I am more than willing to keep my eyes open. There isn't a whole lot of talent on this roster. It seems like there are some good pieces coming next year. But, we have to be fair, Danny Hurley won at St. Benedict's because he had vastly more talent than almost any team in NJ. He was only able to have a nice season at Wagner when he pulled in some superior talent than the NEC usually sees. This becomes harder and harder to do as you move up levels. At some point, you need to be able to coach. Sid Lowe brought in good talent to NC State but couldn't coach his way out of a wet paper bag. He was a pretty good college player, too.

I am very confident that Hurley will bring discipline, intensity, and recruiting to the program. I'm just not willing to assume he is a great coach because he played PG and Bobby was an all-timer.

Everyone knows this is going to be a rough season. I just don't want to waste the valuable minutes watching pick up ball in order to get a few more wins.

Unread post by **ATPTourFan** » 11 years ago

Fair points. I do give Dan credit for coaching know-how given who his father is. Those prep schools where Bob and Dan coached became power houses only after they developed great coaching techniques first, then the talented players started to WANT to be coached there.

Yes, he had superior talent at the prep schools. Yes, he pulled in some superior talent to overwhelm some NEC opponents, but they also did beat legit teams like Pitt.

The Hurleys will bring to URI top level A10 and higher talent which, combined with their coaching, should transform Rhody into a top A10 team and perennial contender.

Blue Man · Unread post by **Blue Man** » 11 years ago

^ truth.

Unread post by **ATPTourFan** » 11 years ago

SmartyBarret's site put together a recap and assessment of the VT Game. Check out the RhodyRampage.com site for more URI content.

http://rhodyrampage.com/2012/11/13/virg ... -50-recap/

adam914 · Unread post by **adam914** » 11 years ago

Man those unis are so nice!

ace · Unread post by **ace** » 11 years ago

Gonebarongone wrote:But, we have to be fair, Danny Hurley won at St. Benedict's because he had vastly more talent than almost any team in NJ. He was only able to have a nice season at Wagner when he pulled in some superior talent than the NEC usually sees. This becomes harder and harder to do as you move up levels. At some point, you need to be able to coach.

You want to take a wait and see approach? Of course that's fine, we all get to be fans in our own way. But, I disagree with your premises. Hurley built that program at St. Benedict's. They played a national schedule and were nationally ranked. The first season at Wagner, he inherited a 5 win team, brought in a pretty comparable NEC recruiting class (in about a month's time), and the win total jumped to 13. There were no first or second team all-conference players in 2011-2012, which I guess is what you're referring to as the nice season at Wagner (25-6, 15-3). They got Latif on third-team and Murray on fourth-team. The players that were clearly over-NEC level (Anderson, maybe Aaman and Fanning) hadn't yet played a game, with the exception of Moody who was a freshmen and battled some nagging injuries.

rodfromcranston · Unread post by **rodfromcranston** » 11 years ago

As I said in another thread, two games and we have trolls coming in
and knocking Hurley's abilities on every level.
He doesn't have any real experience.
He doesn't know anything about offense.
His recruits won't have any impact, and are overhyped.
His offense looks just like Baronball (two new trolls saying the same thing)
This is all crap. These trolls are Baron buttboys or PC fans having their giggles.
I'm already sick of them.

SmartyBarrett · Unread post by **SmartyBarrett** » 11 years ago

rodfromcranston wrote:BAR, I'm also POed at the lack of direct fan support that I saw in the CG
and the NSU games.
We wanted the change, and yet, people aren't exactly putting their money where their mouths were.
I keep reading, "We have to start winning to draw fans back".
Pathetic!
Obviously the clowns you referred to, are staying away from more than this board.

I do agree with that quote, even though we know it doesn't apply to those on this board. Winning brings the fair-weather fans out of their caves. It's the only way we'll ever truly fill up the Ryan.

SmartyBarrett · Unread post by **SmartyBarrett** » 11 years ago

ATPTourFan wrote:SmartyBarrett's site put together a recap and assessment of the VT Game. Check out the RhodyRampage.com site for more URI content.

http://rhodyrampage.com/2012/11/13/virg ... -50-recap/

Thanks for the plug, ATP. The best part was compiling all the stats at my desk because when my boss walks by it looks like I'm doing actual work

Billyboy78 · Unread post by **Billyboy78** » 11 years ago

^^^^great pic of X driving to the hoop!^^^^

ace · Unread post by **ace** » 11 years ago

I like how it looks like he stopped and worked the camera... and then kept playing.

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