Game #6: Georgia Tech Yellowjackets - ESPNU - GameDay!!

bigappleram · Unread post by **bigappleram** » 10 years ago

hey look who's back, our biggest fan, after a disappointing loss that was as predictable as rain in London.

Tough to run offense without a PG, for the first 35 minutes we got ZERO SQUAT NADA out of the 1. The game before there was plenty of slashing to the hoop and kick outs for open threes, hence why EC was 7-9 because the looks were open and not contested. Young teams lay eggs, all of them. Freshman PGs take a LONG time to come of age, Rysheed Jordan was a predicted one and done PG and last year for the first 20 games he was invisible. And he was an elite talent, Jarvis will take twice as long. With that will come growing pains for our team b/c Biggie is not the answer at that position. TJ is a competent band-aid but not sure we can beat good teams without a true PG. A few things I see that are worrisome:

-Biggie and Jarvis both play tight, like they are afraid to make a mistake.
-Our guards are not adept at passing to the post and finding hassan or gil. Those guys are open many times and the ball goes elsewhere.

Iggy1979 · Unread post by **Iggy1979** » 10 years ago

rodfromcranston wrote:Watch good teams play.
You'll see inside-outside passing.
Dump the ball into the post, and he either goes to the basket or
passes to an open shooter, when someone doubles down on him.
We have Gil down low. He's an excellent passer with good hands.
How many times did he get the ball in the post, yesterday?
Tim Welsh pointed out Hassan always passing it out, instead of even looking for his shot inside.
We can't win with a perimeter only offense.
Yesterday looked like a bunch of guys who just met in a pickup game.
I agree with GBG on having an old head on staff for Xs and Os.
Everyone is the same age, and nobody has head coaching experience.
We need a George Blaney type on the bench.
Would Dan give someone that kind of input? Who knows?

In addition to inside-outside passing you need guards to get into the lane. Every time TJ got into the lane against GT something good happened. Biggie did it against Santa Clara but not against Ga Tech. Why? You need to get defensive players to move and passing the ball around the perimeter doesn't do that.
I would start TJ at PG and have Garrett as his back-up. Biggie has been given enough chances.
I think Hurley is correctly using Reischel as an energy guy off the bench. I'm not looking for more minutes from him.

Iggy1979 · Unread post by **Iggy1979** » 10 years ago

bigappleram wrote:hey look who's back, our biggest fan, after a disappointing loss that was as predictable as rain in London.

Tough to run offense without a PG, for the first 35 minutes we got ZERO SQUAT NADA out of the 1. The game before there was plenty of slashing to the hoop and kick outs for open threes, hence why EC was 7-9 because the looks were open and not contested. Young teams lay eggs, all of them. Freshman PGs take a LONG time to come of age, Rysheed Jordan was a predicted one and done PG and last year for the first 20 games he was invisible. And he was an elite talent, Jarvis will take twice as long. With that will come growing pains for our team b/c Biggie is not the answer at that position. TJ is a competent band-aid but not sure we can beat good teams without a true PG. A few things I see that are worrisome:

-Biggie and Jarvis both play tight, like they are afraid to make a mistake.
-Our guards are not adept at passing to the post and finding hassan or gil. Those guys are open many times and the ball goes elsewhere.

Surprisingly, EC has been guilty of this a lot. He never passes to Hassan on a pick and roll no matter how open he might be. I don't get that.

rodfromcranston · Unread post by **rodfromcranston** » 10 years ago

Unheralded Tyson Wheeler's Freshman stats

Code: Select all

                 MIN    FG%   3P%   FT%  RPG  APG  TPG  BPG  SPG  PPG
94-95 URI        32.2  41.2  37.0  67.7  2.7  5.0  4.5  0.0  1.8  13.2

Gonebarongone · Unread post by **Gonebarongone** » 10 years ago

bigappleram wrote:hey look who's back, our biggest fan, after a disappointing loss that was as predictable as rain in London.

Tough to run offense without a PG, for the first 35 minutes we got ZERO SQUAT NADA out of the 1. The game before there was plenty of slashing to the hoop and kick outs for open threes, hence why EC was 7-9 because the looks were open and not contested. Young teams lay eggs, all of them. Freshman PGs take a LONG time to come of age, Rysheed Jordan was a predicted one and done PG and last year for the first 20 games he was invisible. And he was an elite talent, Jarvis will take twice as long. With that will come growing pains for our team b/c Biggie is not the answer at that position. TJ is a competent band-aid but not sure we can beat good teams without a true PG. A few things I see that are worrisome:

-Biggie and Jarvis both play tight, like they are afraid to make a mistake.
-Our guards are not adept at passing to the post and finding hassan or gil. Those guys are open many times and the ball goes elsewhere.

I actually think I am more positive than most of these posts!

Listen, even the Nebraska win was a battle of who could be less gross on offense. 66 points on 77 possessions? Yikes. I like the players on this team. The defense and rebounding is NCAA tournament worthy. And, look around at other teams offensively. Is the talent gap that wide? I don't think so. We have a frosh and mish mash at PG. It's clear that is the weakness. But, man, there are enough pieces where it shouldn't be that gross. Motion offense is such a nebulous term thrown around. Yes, our guys are moving. But, accomplishing very little. This offense hasn't changed and it's the third year. It runs deeper than a true PG, too. Most teams don't really have one these days, anyway.

Billyboy78 · Unread post by **Billyboy78** » 10 years ago

That's what irritates me. You see Gil fighting for position down low and calling for the ball. A simple entry pass gets it done. Yet the ball continues to swing on the perimeter. And all of the guards are guilty of it.

Blue Man · Unread post by **Blue Man** » 10 years ago

So its pretty official that we will go as the PG goes.

There's no reason to keep biggie as your 1st choice. Honestly TJ is a better PG, and he's not a good PG.

We don't need to go and recruit more PG's...we have our PG. We have a pass-first, talented, floor general that is a true freshman. He needs to develop. He needs to develop in game situations. He's going to make mistakes. But so are the other PG's on our roster. Put in the freshman and at least give us a chance to make things happen.

Regardless of the PG play, someone needs to look up when Gil and Hass are calling for the ball. Every time we went inside with a pass, good things happened. But most of the night was perimeter switching and picks...all well and good if you have 3 people who can shoot from deep on your team. We don't have 1.

We have a great win this year, it was a breath of fresh air and it certainly signals that change is coming. Last night was a reminder that just because we're finally out of the dark ages, we're still not where we should be. Last night was a step back and a rough loss to a bad team that we should've had.

For once, free throw shooting kept us in the game though.

bigappleram · Unread post by **bigappleram** » 10 years ago

Gonebarongone wrote:
bigappleram wrote:hey look who's back, our biggest fan, after a disappointing loss that was as predictable as rain in London.

Tough to run offense without a PG, for the first 35 minutes we got ZERO SQUAT NADA out of the 1. The game before there was plenty of slashing to the hoop and kick outs for open threes, hence why EC was 7-9 because the looks were open and not contested. Young teams lay eggs, all of them. Freshman PGs take a LONG time to come of age, Rysheed Jordan was a predicted one and done PG and last year for the first 20 games he was invisible. And he was an elite talent, Jarvis will take twice as long. With that will come growing pains for our team b/c Biggie is not the answer at that position. TJ is a competent band-aid but not sure we can beat good teams without a true PG. A few things I see that are worrisome:

-Biggie and Jarvis both play tight, like they are afraid to make a mistake.
-Our guards are not adept at passing to the post and finding hassan or gil. Those guys are open many times and the ball goes elsewhere.
I actually think I am more positive than most of these posts!

Listen, even the Nebraska win was a battle of who could be less gross on offense. 66 points on 77 possessions? Yikes. I like the players on this team. The defense and rebounding is NCAA tournament worthy. And, look around at other teams offensively. Is the talent gap that wide? I don't think so. We have a frosh and mish mash at PG. It's clear that is the weakness. But, man, there are enough pieces where it shouldn't be that gross. Motion offense is such a nebulous term thrown around. Yes, our guys are moving. But, accomplishing very little. This offense hasn't changed and it's the third year. It runs deeper than a true PG, too. Most teams don't really have one these days, anyway.

Name a really good team that doesn't have a true PG? Van Vleet, Pangos, Harrison/Ulis, Paige, Frank Mason III, Quin Cook, Kris Dunn, etc. That is an erroneous statement, if you said most teams dont have a typical 5 man you would be correct. Not many good teams win in college without a good to great PG, and in fact there are many cases where a team can be carried by a great PG even with other holes on the roster -- Kemba and Shabazz being two good examples of that.

rambone 78 · Unread post by **rambone 78** » 10 years ago

Without the passes to the post, the perimeter defense isn't going to lay off the guards.

Leads to contested 3's every time.

They are daring us to do it. Pass to the post that is. We don't do it.

Is it lack of court vision? What is it? They don't even look to do it.

Hassan doesn't help, when he does get the ball he passes it back out. It's like a routine or something. Other teams/coaches see it on tape, it's easy to defend, just wait for it.

Can't/won't Dan and the coaches see this? Do they practice at it?

Only Gil is aggressive when he gets it down low, which isn't often enough.

I've been saying all along, that Jarvis Garrett can and will be the ball distributor that we need. It's just not there yet.

Gonebarongone · Unread post by **Gonebarongone** » 10 years ago

Being the guy who dominates the ball and is really good doesn't make you a point guard. Most of those guys are score first combo guards who are good enough with the ball to always have it in their hands. All those guys are in the 2-5 assists per game range who have a primary job of scoring. Pangos is probably the closest one to a PG at the next level, if he even makes it. On top of that, you have named the best teams/players in college hoops. The days of one guy coming down the floor with the ball and initiating sets is long gone. Kemba walker and Shabazz Napier scored a ton and had less than five assists every game. That's not a point guard. Even in the NBA, true PGs are a dying breed. It's either a talent issue here or an offense issue. I happen to think it's an offense issue. Feel free to disagree.

rambone 78 · Unread post by **rambone 78** » 10 years ago

A good/great PG makes EVERYONE better.

He gets people the ball in positions to score. Most likely he can score himself.

We do not have that yet.

We need to find out if Jarvis is that guy.

Like Tyson, PLAY HIM and find out.

If not, recruit another one. We will NOT be an NCAA team without a good one.

Defense and rebounding will keep us in games. We won't win them until we have somebody who can be the coach on the floor. Take charge and all that.

Like was said, where would UConn have been without Kemba or Shabazz? Where would PC have been without Bryce Cotton?

NOWHERE, that's where.

And that's really all she wrote on this one.

rambone 78 · Unread post by **rambone 78** » 10 years ago

GBG, I know what you're trying to get at.

That the coaching staff wouldn't know how to run a half court offense, if it came up and bit them in the ass. Same as Baron.

I'm not sure about that yet. it's possible, but I sure hope not. If it is, we're screwed.

We never had high BB IQ guards under Baron. How much of it was the coach, and how much of it was the players he had, is debatable.

We're going to find out pretty soon here. JG seems like he's much more a pure PG than anybody we've had for 15 years.

rodfromcranston · Unread post by **rodfromcranston** » 10 years ago

Jarvis needs a shot of confidence. He'll be fine.
I remember some announcer last year, saying Hurley had
more plays in his playbook, than any other coach.
So, maybe he needs to dumb it down a bit.
I know when he did his chalk-talk on his show, he lost me.
Made anything Belichick did in the NFL seem simple.

Gonebarongone · Unread post by **Gonebarongone** » 10 years ago

Again, Bryce Cotton took 16 shots per game last year. He was not a point guard. He was what X was but only better. Guys who dominate the ball and put up a ton of shots. We have one of those guys in EC. He can be exactly what Cotton, Kemba, or Shabazz were. But, they are not the facilitators everyone is looking for. You put a guy like Cotton with EC and JT and someone is transferring! Not enough shots. We need someone steady with the ball who can knock down a jumper. I think Garrett is that guy. But, this offense doesn't force a defense to break down. Pass, weave, shoot. Pass, weave, shoot.

bigappleram · Unread post by **bigappleram** » 10 years ago

No offense is designed to pass around the perimeter. Its the execution that is lacking.
Call it a PG, call it whatever you want, in college you need a 1 that dominates the ball. Not sure what your definition of a PG is if none of those guys qualify. They all play the 1 and will play the 1 at the next level, wherever that may be. How many points they score is moot. And yes I am choosing the better teams in the country to model after, I would assume that is better than the crappy ones? Facts are facts, URIs best teams have had great PG play - Silk, Tyson, Jiggy. They all could score, but they had more pure "scorers" at the 2/3 (Tommy, Cat, Sly). Should be striving for the same model with Jarvis and EC.

Iggy1979 · Unread post by **Iggy1979** » 10 years ago

rodfromcranston wrote:Jarvis needs a shot of confidence. He'll be fine.
I remember some announcer last year, saying Hurley had
more plays in his playbook, than any other coach.
So, maybe he needs to dumb it down a bit.
I know when he did his chalk-talk on his show, he lost me.
Made anything Belichick did in the NFL seem simple.

I don't see any evidence of all these plays. Do you? I see a pick and roll and a weave. And there's that play where they set a low pick for Hassan and Gil gets him the ball.
Someone said to me yesterday that the offense they ran in junior high was more complex. So which is it?

bigappleram · Unread post by **bigappleram** » 10 years ago

I see Hassan and Gil open a lot and not getting the ball. I think running offense 4 vs 5 is challenging, and for most of the Kansas and GT game that is what we were playing without any presence at PG.

I do wonder why we don't have a lob play for Hassan in the playbook both from out of bounds under our hoop as well as in the set offense (esp against a Zone, where he can run baseline and get behind the D). Kansas ran it against us a few times.

rambone 78 · Unread post by **rambone 78** » 10 years ago

Either the offense improves against better competition, or we will lose.

Simple. Bottom line. Doesn't matter how we analyze it, dissect it, whatever.

If Dan is trying to keep it simple, then the opponents don't have much to worry about. They watch tape, they can figure it out real easy.

As bad as Gregory is as a coach, he outcoached Hurley yesterday. He had him figured out. We helped with the lack of effort, turnovers, and poor shooting.

The perfect storm of incompetence.

bigappleram · Unread post by **bigappleram** » 10 years ago

How many of those TOs were unforced? I would bet 75% of them. The TOs were the biggest factor in the game. Way too many wasted trips. Not sure how much coaching has to do with that.

Obadiah · Unread post by **Obadiah** » 10 years ago

Orlando turned out to be the first real downer in this young season. No one expected us to beat Kansas, but many thought we would come out of the the tournament with a 2-1 record. We did not. What was more disturbing was that in three successive games, the Rams did not appear as they came ready to play - lethargic first halves then followed by more robust play in the second. The Rams first half play has been a comedy of errors, over dribbling, TO's, mental lapses, offensive droughts, etc. You can get away with that against a less capable team like Santa Clara, but forget about it with an elite team like Kansas or even a middling team like GT. If this tournament was chance to showcase our talent, then why the bad starts??

Plain fact is the URI did not perform on the road and given the next two games are at more hostile environments than the neutral Orlando site provided, then one begins to wonder about this third year Hurley team.

rodfromcranston · Unread post by **rodfromcranston** » 10 years ago

My favorite turnover was EC flinging it into the stands near
the end of the game.
Matthews had five, which seems like his new per game average.
Considering he's not our PG, that's too many.

Iggy, I don't see any variety of plays, let alone a book full.
I don't know what to think anymore.
I feel like I did with an old girlfriend who'd come back and say,
"I've changed! You'll see". And go back to doing the same old things.
We are told we have improved and we have the players.
Yet, we seem to be back in the same situation as before.
Repeat. Same results. Repeat. Same results.

rambone 78 · Unread post by **rambone 78** » 10 years ago

The coaching staff somehow gets these guys to play after the half.

What's up with the first half?

It's not something that happens once in a while, like Obie said. It's a recurring theme.

We are truly not ready to play. The "young" excuse is pure bullshit. All of these guys have played at least a year at this level except Terrell and Jarvis. Heck, Jarvis doesn't start anyway.

Maybe if Jarvis starts, these bad starts don't happen, or at least aren't as bad?

Their heads aren't in the game. There are just too many questions that shouldn't be out there at this point with this team. Their effort shouldn't be an issue, yet it is.

rambone 78 · Unread post by **rambone 78** » 10 years ago

Rod, at least we don't have to worry about EC going pro early.

He's regressed. Are the scouts still coming?

The thing is, he's had stretches where he's the old dominant EC. It's still there.

It's just not there as often as it was late last season.

Did he play the 2 at summer camp where he impressed everybody? I'm guessing yes.

Seawrightspostgame · Unread post by **Seawrightspostgame** » 10 years ago

I personally prefer these guys to do too much or to try and do too much.

They suck when they just pass the ball around and do nothing.

They turn the ball over and miss shots when they just toss the ball around the perimeter.

Hell set them loose.

I don't think it is difficult for DH to make the offense run through Gil. Our guards suffer from college football quarterbacking disease, if the bigs aren't wide open they don't throw it. They have to let the ball loose and give the bigs the ball even when they are covered. Gil is the most improved guy out there and we have to take advantage of him while we can.

Billyboy78 · Unread post by **Billyboy78** » 10 years ago

I'm thinking the guys EC played against in the summer didn't know he was left handed...

Rhody Guy · Unread post by **Rhody Guy** » 10 years ago

I don't have the tape to look back at it, but I am sure that we have tried to run lob plays for Hassan on several occasions. The problem doing that is that it always gets cut off and clogged up because we do not set strong screens. Its the same thing we saw a few years ago with Jimmy never getting open looks off of screens. The screener is standing and waiting for whoever it is to run by most of the time and not getting there unexpectedly. Our plays take too long to get in and out of so the defense doesn't have to work as hard as it should.

Rhody72 · Unread post by **Rhody72** » 10 years ago

Yes, Biggie is not the answer at PG and Jarvis is not ready. TJ could do a good job, sought of like Howie Brown who couldn't shoot a lick, but took care of the ball, distributed well, and played tough defense. I don't see what Biggie has over TJ.

Jared is not ready offensively, but he will get better soon. He has so much potential that must be developed by playing. Defensively, he is a dog after a meat bone.

EC will have many bad games because he is our only threat, defenses will not give him a look and will wear him out. URI needs to run plays to get EC open.

I was disappointed in our ability to in-bound the ball. Reminded me of years past.

seanmc94 · Unread post by **seanmc94** » 10 years ago

DH certainly knows more than me; but i would hand jarvis the keys. Play he JT and EC with Martin and Gil. There will be growing pains; but it will free up your best player to move without the ball and put pressure on the defense. If EC continues to play the majority of hus minutes as the primary ball handler, his poor shot selection will continue

This team will gel, its tough to keep in mind that 4/5 of the best players are sophs and frosh.

rambone 78 · Unread post by **rambone 78** » 10 years ago

Too many things remind me of years past right now.

It's going to take a lot of improvement from not only the new guys, but the rest of the team including the coaches, to get better.

rambone 78 · Unread post by **rambone 78** » 10 years ago

Sean, that's the best post you've ever made here.

Now try to convince Dan.

RIFan · Unread post by **RIFan** » 10 years ago

I'm not sure if this has been stated, but it seems like almost every possession the opponent steps in the passing lane and deflects or steals the ball while we are trying to make another pass on the perimeter. For a team that can't score from the perimeter, we sure like to keep the ball there. Just like others have stated, we need to run, and get the ball into the post to have any chance of winning consistently. The good news is, we do a good job of rebounding...bad news is, we don't know how to run the break. We shouldn't even dignify calling our offense an offense, since it sucks!

RIFan · Unread post by **RIFan** » 10 years ago

BTW, Rod posted Tyson's Frosh numbers...damn he was good. I am so far disappointed with Jarvis to the extent that I thought having played in the NE Prep league with and against players who were going D1, that he would be more ready. It's not like he was playing in the New London CT public school, against and with kids who will never play D1 basketball...like Tyson did. Jarvis put up good numbers against good competition.

rodfromcranston · Unread post by **rodfromcranston** » 10 years ago

Don't sleep on Jarvis. The talent is there.
He doesn't belong in the corner on offense,
while EC handles the ball out front.
This is a misuse of his talent.
Give him the start and let him go. He seems afraid to make a
mistake, because he seems to be getting the hook
every time he does.
Can't play while looking over your shoulder every time play stops.

Blue Man · Unread post by **Blue Man** » 10 years ago

RIFan wrote:BTW, Rod posted Tyson's Frosh numbers...damn he was good. I am so far disappointed with Jarvis to the extent that I thought having played in the NE Prep league with and against players who were going D1, that he would be more ready. It's not like he was playing in the New London CT public school, against and with kids who will never play D1 basketball...like Tyson did. Jarvis put up good numbers against good competition.

I don't think we can say that. Jarvis hasn't had a chance to make the team his. Everyone keeps talking about how it looks like they're playing pick up out there...well they kind of are. If you don't have your floor general settled, everyone will keep trying to make shit up.

Jarvis needs to get 30 a game. Period. Until the team knows who their floor leader is, it will continue to be whoever is holding the ball at any given time. Obviously not what we need.

section(105) · Unread post by **section(105)** » 10 years ago

Jarvis is only get better by starting and playing more, he is not going to become ready by sitting, the future is now, play the fresh, sophs , spell Jarvis with TJ as needed.....get Jarvis ready for the A-10 schedule, that is where we need to make statement......

rambone 78 · Unread post by **rambone 78** » 10 years ago

It's obvious Dan doesn't have confidence in Jarvis enough to start him and play major minutes.

Well, he is the future at PG unless he isn't, you know.

Give him the chance. Can't be worse than what we're seeing from the rest of them.

Ram Stampede!!! · Unread post by **Ram Stampede!!!** » 10 years ago

78, I think Garrett is the future lead PG for our team.

On another page. Apparently, this team is till looking for its identity. No one wants to hear that.
No one wants to hear that Hare is gone.
No one wants to hear that we graduated our top scorer last season. Aka, EC Matthews security blanket.
Something has got to give with this team and its going to come from whoever can take the pressure off of EC so he can get in the groove we need him to get into. I like what I see from Terrell's energy and what he brings. I even like what I am seeing from Rieschel! Cant believe I even just said that but he has been much improved from last season as in my opinion. I just can't believe that Minnis has not showed up!! I remember hearing that we "would not even recognize Minnis" this season. Sayyy whaaaat!? Minnis is a bust...very sad.

rambone 78 · Unread post by **rambone 78** » 10 years ago

Whoever said that was right about Minnis.

We can't recognize him. He's a lot thinner.

Unfortunately, he's not any better.

Either you've got it, or you don't. He doesn't.

bigappleram · Unread post by **bigappleram** » 10 years ago

The problem with giving Jarvis the keys is that it is going to come with even more growing pains than any of the fanbase seems to be willing to deal with. He turned the ball over, didnt score a point, even passed up an open 3 footer....on defense his man took him down low and scored a couple times. He isn't getting yanked because he is giving us 1 good play and 1 bad play, he was giving us 2 bad plays and getting yanked. I am all for it but.....

adam914 · Unread post by **adam914** » 10 years ago

Agreed BAR. I'm not sure the fanbase is actually prepared for what we could be looking at if Jarvis started right now. He'll be fine, just not there yet.

rambone 78 · Unread post by **rambone 78** » 10 years ago

I think Jarvis is going to be very good in time. A superstar? Maybe not, but we don't need him to be, as long as we have what we need at the other positions.

RIFan · Unread post by **RIFan** » 10 years ago

I agree about looking over his shoulder Rod...he looks tepid and passes up open shots and he has not run the break well...only Gil and TJ can seem to do that. That said, he has made some nice plays, but not nearly what I was expecting. I guess my expectations were too high.

bigappleram · Unread post by **bigappleram** » 10 years ago

I trust our coach wants to win games this year and is putting the guys on the floor he thinks give us the best chance to do so. He has shown ZERO hesitancy to starting FR if/when they are ready. He obv knows he is not getting what he needs to from Biggie, hence why TJ finished that game yesterday. I think more likely TJ gets the nod before Jarvis, but regardless Biggie's minutes need to go elsewhere. At this point he plays with zero aggressiveness, whether he lacks confidence or is afraid of getting yanked, cant shoot and just passes around the perimeter, doesnt bring anything on D and is an average ball handler. At least TJ brings bball IQ and defensive intensity, albeit not a scoring threat he might be our best passer at this point.

section(105) · Unread post by **section(105)** » 10 years ago

Jarvis; "just not there yet....". How, and when does he the actually get there.....? Just asking. As for growing pains, fine I have high tolerance for pain as long as we are growing, we are not growing with Biggie, just pains with Biggie.....

rambone 78 · Unread post by **rambone 78** » 10 years ago

Rod has seen Jarvis play and has been very impressed with what he saw. As you know Rod is hard to please when it comes to performance on the court.

That said, this level is a big step up, and for PG's it just takes time unless one is an exceptional talent.

Good PG's can slow the game down. Of course with our half court offense we're already really slow, ha ha, but it's true.

This fast paced offense we've been promised isn't happening anytime soon. We don't have the numbers to play that game.

Let's see, who do we have that can play that way? Gil? EC? Maybe the frosh at some point? We don't go 10-12 deep with mucho talent.

Sorry Dan, but we don't. We're still at least a year away. And I hate saying that, but....

PeterRamTime · Unread post by **PeterRamTime** » 10 years ago

I'm on board with Jarvis starting and Biggie coming off the bench. Biggie never plays with a lot of energy. And maybe that'll help us start better and Biggie can play with a bit more vigor coming off the bench. It doesn't look like he'll ever do well as a starter and Jarvis has more upside, start Jarvis, have Biggie come off the bench with a smaller role. Provide energy and aggression.
All we have to do is get a little more insync on offense and we'll win a lot of games in the A-10.
We are likely to finish no worse than 8-3 in the nonconference. And our first three A-10 games are
@ Saint Louis
Fordham
@ Duquesne
So we can be 3-0 right out of the gate pretty easily. I ain't too worried about us. You can get away with a lot with a good defense. Even if we get a lot of wins in the conference we would have a lot of trouble getting an at large with the conference having a down year.
Alas, future possibilities are always in flux.

section(105) · Unread post by **section(105)** » 10 years ago

Question ; at the conclusion of the season last year, did we think, in December of this year, would be thirsting for TJ at the point?

rambone 78 · Unread post by **rambone 78** » 10 years ago

The answer to that is, probably not. But Minnis not playing well is no surprise. If I, just a fan, can see he's awful, I can't for the life of me see what Dan sees in him.

EC at the point? I thought he would be pretty good, not great, but nope.

Jarvis taking over? Some thought yes, I wasn't sure. Thought he might be ready by midseason, not likely at this point. Not as good as advertised, yet.

TJ, along with Gil and JR???? have improved the most so far. Hassan started well, but he's been collecting dust in the stagnant offense we run.

Iggy1979 · Unread post by **Iggy1979** » 10 years ago

I looked at the play by play sheet and see no evidence that Garrett is getting yanked out after mistakes. I think Hurley is not doing that, knowing it would hurt his confidence. I think Garrett is nervous and tight. When he gets more comfortable we'll see he's a much better player. He's a good shooter, for instance, who right now can't hit a shot or a FT.

Iggy1979 · Unread post by **Iggy1979** » 10 years ago

Dan brought in three transfers. Two of them have turned out to be marginal A10 players, which means the turnaround will happen at more of a normal pace than an accelerated pace.