Game 22: @ UMASS Tuesday Feb 2, 7:00pm TV:ASN

[NYGFan_Section208]

^ Anyone think Garrett and Iverson ARE returning anytime soon? From what's been posted...I wonder if KI returns at all this year? I just hope the guy is ok.

[ElmCityRhody]

all you had to do was grab a rebound off a missed FT in the last 10 secs

UNREAL

box out for goodness sake

where's the hunger to grab the rebound ?

[NYGFan_Section208]

I've had a few too many beers tonight.

Sorry for the extremely negative posts.

But, wait until next year. We aren't going anywhere. No need to ask why now.

Just wait. This isn't something new. There are way too many problems.

Not enough talent, and not enough coaching.

The ref situation just makes things worse.

We are going to have to start over again. It really sucks.

Someday we will be good. It will happen, just not for a while.

I am not the only person who knows what they are talking about, to share this opinion.

Most of you don't know, and won't know. Sorry to spoil your day.

Some things can not be shared on this board.

And those who call me a nitwit, are assholes who don't know shit about this program.

Ram, sometimes when you aren't feeling it it's ok to change the channel. Tomorrow will be another day.

You mean "soil", not "spoil", don't you?

[ElmCityRhody]

correction.. 3 sec left

and hassan doesnt get the rebound

nothing else matters in the game

[Seawrightspostgame]

Hassan flashed good play over the past 3 years. Hassan plays better as a weak side defender and rebounding against the lesser of the two front court players.

He's good. He doesn't win games though. Back off Hassan Martin hoopla.

[Running Ram]

If you asked the coaching staff before the season what would have to happen for McGlynn to play 30 minutes in any single game this year, they'd have said a catastrophe of epic proportions. Well, McGlynn is averaging 33 minutes per game (to give you an idea of the size of the catastrophe losing EC actually was).

Considering the circumstances, I think criticisms of his overall contributions this year are totally unfair. However, one area where I disagree with the coaches and think they could do a little better is that Thompson should be getting a larger share of those minutes. I get he didn't shoot well last night, but that is besides the point. He is probably a slightly better option for us this year, but more importantly his development is much more important to the program on the whole than anything McGlynn is going to give you over the next month.

ETA: I also am kind of tired of the Hassan criticism. The guy can't win with some of the fans. He has at times had trouble staying on the floor because of foul trouble, partially because of how much he is asked to do and partially because the way he goes about doing those things is so aggressive. Last night, playing at well under full strength, he is able to stay on the court for 44 minutes and contribute 5 blocks, 7 rebounds and 8 points. I'm sorry, but that is not a "bad" game.

This is the post here, that I mostly agree with.

[TruePoint]

At least I am not all bad.

[Running Ram]

No, actually you're pretty good, when you're not blanket turding the party.

[ElmCityRhody]

Hassan flashed good play over the past 3 years. Hassan plays better as a weak side defender and rebounding against the lesser of the two front court players.

He's good. He doesn't win games though. Back off Hassan Martin hoopla.

[ElmCityRhody]

Just pointing out that nothing in the game mattered up to 3 sec left.

We had the lead..

One rebound and we all would be talking about the great effort of our team

He did not attack that rebound

It's a fair and accurate assessment of that play specifically

[Seawrightspostgame]

I think Martin is a good player. I push back on the people that say he is more important than EC or better.

I also am more mad that he missed free throws last year to ice games than I am this year. Last year he choked some victories away for a bubble team.

This year he is.. it just is what it is. The inconsistency is problematic. Saying he does whatever aggressively doesn't give him a pass? Its basketball, players that are in foul trouble all of the time are not given passes. People say " they need to learn not to foul," he's at the end of his junior year and still has the problem.

Also 8 points from someone that is considered an A10 first teamer is not good. Especially for a team that needs points.

I love his demeanor. The straight face is something that is a breath of fresh air that he doesn't celebrate everything. But he doesn't walk on water.

[Running Ram]

I think Martin's progression has slowed some this year, but I also think there are some x factors to how the numbers look that I'm not going to hash out at the moment, I did want to remind you, Seawright, that last year Martin actually did win some games for us with last second heroics, unfortunately they don't get highlighted like sinking last second shots, but Martin literally sealed at least a couple of games with last second blocks on defense, I remember thinking this is amazing and people will forget because it's not a threeball.

[adam914]

I think Martin is a good player. I push back on the people that say he is more important than EC or better.

I also am more mad that he missed free throws last year to ice games than I am this year. Last year he choked some victories away for a bubble team.

This year he is.. it just is what it is. The inconsistency is problematic. Saying he does whatever aggressively doesn't give him a pass? Its basketball, players that are in foul trouble all of the time are not given passes. People say " they need to learn not to foul," he's at the end of his junior year and still has the problem.

Also 8 points from someone that is considered an A10 first teamer is not good. Especially for a team that needs points.

I love his demeanor. The straight face is something that is a breath of fresh air that he doesn't celebrate everything. But he doesn't walk on water.

I did expect more from Hassan this year to be honest. I wonder if the foul trouble has kept him from being more aggressive at times. I feel like he looks like he is playing to careful or timid (for lack of a better word) at times just to try and avoid foul trouble. He needs to find a balance.

[Obadiah]

Martin's last four conference games have been really bad and it is doubtful he will be named on the all A-10 team at season's end unless he completely turns it around.

[Seawrightspostgame]

Martin finishes the year healthy along with everyone else and things will look up.

The program and its participants are seemingly naive to me in certain areas or at times.

Hopefully they will have learned a boatload of lessons this year that will provide the foundation for a team that understands they have limited opportunities to do well in a season and a game.

Tough break right now with 3/5 of the starters sidelined.

[NYGFan_Section208]

Martin's last four conference games have been really bad and it is doubtful he will be named on the all A-10 team at season's end unless he completely turns it around.

Agree. That "monster dunk on one end, total rejection blocked shot on the other" sequence against UMass was vintage Hass....we'd all love to see more of that...

[RAM67]

He seemed a little gimpy to me the last few minutes of the game.

[BornNBred33]

Watch Hassan's highlight tape.....basically every play, besides the blocks are due to EC getting him the ball...I agree his aggressiveness is not what it has been. You see flashes and wonder, why he doesn't go to the hoop like that every time. BLUE MAN is....well..... THE MAN!

[ramfan85]

IMO, Hassan is in a no win situation. If he plays his normal, aggressive game, he gets into foul trouble and sits for much of the first half. Then he's criticized for not playing smart. If he pulls back, there's something wrong with his game.
Last year he had Gil next to him. For one reason or another, the team failed to bring in another big to help him out this year.
Being the only other big, Earl usually doesn't play at the same time. Seems like a lot of pressure on the kid.

[RoadyJay]

I don't think it's been mentioned but almost every team is now doubling Hass. He is perceived as the main threat, they double him, and he has to get rid of the rock. Teams are not letting Hass beat them. He's not helping things either with his foul troubles.

Big difference from last year when there were other weapons and teams couldn't afford to double Hass.

[Gonebarongone]

I don't think it's been mentioned but almost every team is now doubling Hass. He is perceived as the main threat, they double him, and he has to get rid of the rock. Teams are not letting Hass beat them. He's not helping things either with his foul troubles.

Big difference from last year when there were other weapons and teams couldn't afford to double Hass.

That's a very good point but also why DH should mix up things a bit and let him roam out to the high post or short corner. But, you can't really do that when the lineup is JG/JT/Four/KI and then Hassan. He gets it down low and is doubled. And that's not quite his game, anyway. Does he have a 12 foot jumper? If he wants the NBA, he should be taking 500 shots from 12-18 feet per day. These injuries mean more time for Watson (I think it should, anyway) and maybe the silver lining is HM gets more freedom.

[Seawrightspostgame]

I have always felt that Hassan benefited from playing with a bigger guy more than anything.

Him and another physical big guy are too much to handle. Honestly the combo of Hassan and KI are very good. They are good in tandem but Hassan is better off himself with another physical guy beside him.

Haven't watched KI enough to have an opinion of what who or how KI plays his best. More than KI plays best when he is aggressive in looking to make plays but allows the play to develop in front of him as far as letting people run through the lane and get to their spots to create space for him.

[spookydog]

Does he have a 12 foot jumper?

He shown that he can knock down that 12-14 footer from the baseline. He has a nice stroke from that distance.

[Billyboy78]

I don't think teams are doubling Hass is because he's a big offensive threat, but because he's prone to turn it over when he gets doubled. Look, Hass is what he is, a great defensive player, a shot blocker, a good rebounder. Offensively, he'll give you that baby hook and occasionally a baseline jumper. But that's about it. His value to this team will always be much more on the defensive end. If we're counting on him to put up big scoring numbers, we're really in trouble.

[Seawrightspostgame]

Yes BillyBoy We are really in trouble right now.

[ramster]

I don't think teams are doubling Hass is because he's a big offensive threat, but because he's prone to turn it over when he gets doubled. Look, Hass is what he is, a great defensive player, a shot blocker, a good rebounder. Offensively, he'll give you that baby hook and occasionally a baseline jumper. But that's about it. His value to this team will always be much more on the defensive end. If we're counting on him to put up big scoring numbers, we're really in trouble.

Stats this year-to-date as compared to last year (33 games):
Minutes 28.8 >28.1
Points per Game 11.4 > 11.6
FG% 59.8 > 58.5
FT% 60.9 > 59.7
Blocks 3.1 > 2.5
Rebounds per Game 7.7 > 5.6

Offensively stats are about the same.
I'd like to see the stats on Dunks per game because I think those are down a bit for Hassan.
Agree with a previous poster that Hassan has been hurt somewhat by the loss of EC. DH has slowed the game down this year due to the loss of EC. Hassan runs the floor extremely well and EC often would get the rebound or steal and start the break often finding HM for the running ESPN highlight film jam. Fast breaking is not very common this year. Not blaming anyone but the running game is not as prevalent. We tend to run the clock down by dribbling then looking for a shot, sometimes panic driven in doing so.
If EC were here I think we would see the running game in place and Hassan's offensive numbers quite a bit higher

Defensively blocks and rebounds are down
Not sure exactly why
Could be to some extent the slowing down of the game - Hassan loves to run and excels at it
Teams know Hassan is the conference's best shot blocker and are looking to avoid taking it right at him
Just a complete guess but could the weight lifting off season have slowed Hassan down to an extent? He looks strong, bulked up, but yet his shooting touch seems improved this year, particularly on his bank shots from 6-10 feet. Not sure, just a thought as some guys react differently to weight training
His injured ankle could also be an issue. Hassan, like EC, will never use an injury as an excuse - preferring to just keep it to themselves.
At any rate I look forward to Hassan leading this team the rest of the season and into the A10 Tournament and especially into next year.
He is a great guy, a true team player, very conscientious, generous, hard working and he really cares.
Tough season this year but next season will be amazing to watch as EC Mathews and Hassan Martin are together for their 4th year at URI. I expect next year to be a big year for both of them and for the whole team.

[Rhody Guy]

IMHO there are 3 reasons that Hassan is perceived to have taken a step back this year. All three have been mentioned at some point but not put together into a single thought.

1. EC being hurt. EC's driving the rim drags defenders to him and opens up Hass for open looks and lots of dunks. No EC=many less free opportunities.
2. Hass got hurt. Its tough to bounce back from an ankle and be able to defend without fouling. Easier to get beat off the dribble or bounce without that strength.
3. As RJ said Hass is quickly doubled and trapped in a heartbeat every time he touches the ball. Its impossible to post him up. The only way he can get the open look is if he gets the 12-14 footer, an offensive board, or a look off a cut.

The combination of those circumstances has made this a very difficult year for Hassan to succeed as we thought he would.

[bigappleram]

Hass is not a good passer, the double team is two-fold effective in that it prevents him from getting to his baby hook which is fairly unstoppable to defend and forces him to do something he isnt good at - pass.