12/25 | Hawaii Rainbow Warriors | 3:00 PM (ESPNU)

PeterRamTime · Unread post by **PeterRamTime** » 5 years ago

Damnit....

It's just gonna be a tough year all year.

Slow improvements.

We are just going to have to deal with it and stick by our guys.

Go Rhody!

theblueram · Unread post by **theblueram** » 5 years ago

DeanDome88 wrote: ↑5 years ago
theblueram wrote: ↑5 years ago
DeanDome88 wrote: ↑5 years ago
Eight guys played today, four of them freshman - combining for zero assists. I think the future is brighter than the present.
Who the hell liked this post about 4 freshman with zero assists?
BlueRam. I have a question for you. Which of our upperclassmen is not performing up to your expectations? Jeff Dowtin, Cyril Langevine, and Chrisiton Thompson are all meeting my expecations. The other players are underclassmen. Fatts is trying to do more than he is able to do but it's a fine line between pushing yourself to the limit of your ability and trying to do too much. I'm not going to give him shit for trying to fill a void.

I'm not saying anyone of them, but as a team I am saying all of them.

PeteRI · Unread post by **PeteRI** » 5 years ago

We are holding 19-year-olds to an impossibly high standard. I'm happy when they show signs of improvement, and thrilled by the poise of our 21-year-old point guard, the intensity of our 21-year-old center and the flashes of brilliance from our 20-year-old 5'-8" shooting guard.

When I was their age I was lucky to fall into my own bed at the end of a Saturday night.

reef · Unread post by **reef** » 5 years ago

It's obvious that Cox is going to ride or die with Fatts

I would like to get his minutes down to about 30 a game

Fatts has to learn if he is off to get his teammates better shots

Fatts misses way too many layups that are tough for him to finish cuz of his size

Dino611 · Unread post by **Dino611** » 5 years ago

This is my first post to this forum and it might sound stupid, but I kinda wish Brendan Adams hadn’t decommited and went with Hurley to UCONN so when Fatts has these kind of games we can put in another Primary ball handler (PG basically) to get some minutes and develop.

Because basically Omar hasn’t shown he is a go-to guard off the bench and Tyrese has his moments ( but he is really a SF) but since there really isn’t a backup guards like we had Jarvis and Fatts off the bench last year that Cox can throw into to the game to change the pace and try to help the offense figure something out that will actually work instead of keeping fatts in the game and hurting the team by taking a rediculous amount of shots that half to 3/4 of the time don’t go in

ElmCityRhody · Unread post by **ElmCityRhody** » 5 years ago

Fatts minutes need to decrease

He was great off the bench but is hurting us way too much at the moment

I thought it was comical when the announcer sompared fatts/Jeff to the cat and wheeler the other game

section(105) · Unread post by **section(105)** » 5 years ago

.......for me, the team defense is the concern, Coach will have to address that in going into the early conference road games, even with a win against Mid Tenn, not going into conference with abundance of confidence......

Rhody15 · Unread post by **Rhody15** » 5 years ago

Has there ever been a guard who shoots 15% from 3, 25% from the field, and is still allowed to shoot 15+ times a game?

He needs to start getting pulled for a few minutes after multiple awful shots in a row. It’s tough to watch.

steviep123 · Unread post by **steviep123** » 5 years ago

Dino611 wrote: ↑5 years ago This is my first post to this forum and it might sound stupid, but I kinda wish Brendan Adams hadn’t decommited and went with Hurley to UCONN so when Fatts has these kind of games we can put in another Primary ball handler (PG basically) to get some minutes and develop.

Because basically Omar hasn’t shown he is a go-to guard off the bench and Tyrese has his moments ( but he is really a SF) but since there really isn’t a backup guards like we had Jarvis and Fatts off the bench last year that Cox can throw into to the game to change the pace and try to help the offense figure something out that will actually work instead of keeping fatts in the game and hurting the team by taking a rediculous amount of shots that half to 3/4 of the time don’t go in

Welcome Dino. This is a good take.

ElmCityRhody · Unread post by **ElmCityRhody** » 5 years ago

Not Mike Powell wrote: ↑5 years ago Just watch the games and shut up.

why is it so bad to call out a team that is under performing

i get it.. no one wants to hear a debbie downer game after game

and i get it i have been that lately...

i really am a huge fan.. yes i dont have the knowledge as most of you have

but i am a devoted fan who comes to 2-3 games a year

i have followed this team since i graduated and live and die by them

i am calling out the team cas they have better talent and should be winning games against inferior talent

nothing drives me more crazy than accepting losing and under performing

so i will continue to demand for better.. much better

call it the crazy in me.. and the fear in me that we repeat our successful ncaa run into mediocrity (ala the jerry duh/baron years)

Go Rhody.

BleedBlue87 · Unread post by **BleedBlue87** » 5 years ago

ElmCityRhody wrote: ↑5 years ago
Not Mike Powell wrote: ↑5 years ago Just watch the games and shut up.

why is it so bad to call out a team that is under performing

i get it.. no one wants to hear a debbie downer game after game

and i get it i have been that lately...

i really am a huge fan.. yes i dont have the knowledge as most of you have

but i am a devoted fan who comes to 2-3 games a year

i have followed this team since i graduated and live and die by them

i am calling out the team cas they have better talent and should be winning games against inferior talent

nothing drives me more crazy than accepting losing and under performing

so i will continue to demand for better.. much better

call it the crazy in me.. and the fear in me that we repeat our successful ncaa run into mediocrity (ala the jerry duh/baron years)

Go Rhody.

It's just that you don't add anything of substance to the discussion. You have a "sky is falling" attitude. Whenever I see a new post by it's some cynical bullshit.

Rhodymob05 · Unread post by **Rhodymob05** » 5 years ago

A work in progress. That is all.

ElmCityRhody · Unread post by **ElmCityRhody** » 5 years ago

fair enough - i don't want to be "that guy" on this website so i will try to add more substance ("it's a Christmas miracle" .. LOL)

i do appreciate the insight that you guys bring and enjoy reading the posts

rambone 78 · Unread post by **rambone 78** » 5 years ago

Unfortunately I think this situation with Fatts is going to be a problem all season.....he simply can't play the 2 because of his size, and I doubt Cox is going to sit him much with nobody really that can replace him at that position.

Next season if Hammond is as good as we hope, then that changes things....a 6'6" SG that would alleviate this situation....then Fatts can revert to being someone who can come off the bench like he did last year.

Then Dowtin will be our primary PG as it should be.

I want to see much less of what we saw yesterday...Fatts throwing up crap shots in crunch time when he hasn't shot well all game....

That and the interior defense stunk.....105 has a point...what was that all about?

Last thing....why do we shoot 90% on FT's and then 50% the games before and after? Maddening inconsistency.

RhowdyRam02 · Unread post by **RhowdyRam02** » 5 years ago

Dino611 wrote: ↑5 years ago This is my first post to this forum and it might sound stupid, but I kinda wish Brendan Adams hadn’t decommited and went with Hurley to UCONN so when Fatts has these kind of games we can put in another Primary ball handler (PG basically) to get some minutes and develop.

Because basically Omar hasn’t shown he is a go-to guard off the bench and Tyrese has his moments ( but he is really a SF) but since there really isn’t a backup guards like we had Jarvis and Fatts off the bench last year that Cox can throw into to the game to change the pace and try to help the offense figure something out that will actually work instead of keeping fatts in the game and hurting the team by taking a rediculous amount of shots that half to 3/4 of the time don’t go in

Good points. And then Cox exacerbates the situation by letting Fatts run the offense instead of Jeff.

PillPushr · Unread post by **PillPushr** » 5 years ago

It honestly does say something about Coach Cox that he can't get Fatts to show some discipline. I get that we don't have many other options, and Fatts can show moments of greatness. He actually played good games against West Virginia and Bucknell, but the pull up jumpers have to be stopped by Coach Cox. Fatts is effective when he can use his speed to get in the lane, dish to Cyril, kick out to others for 3, this is what he did in the WVU game. I can see him taking a few perimeter shots, but only once he establishes is driving in the game and he gets in the flow.

I have been happy to see Cox start to show a little more fire on the sideline, hoping to see him continue to develop as a head coach by getting Fatts under control. This is what a head coach does, you're not gonna be every player's best friend all the time.

RhowdyRam02 · Unread post by **RhowdyRam02** » 5 years ago

rambone 78 wrote: ↑5 years ago Unfortunately I think this situation with Fatts is going to be a problem all season.....he simply can't play the 2 because of his size, and I doubt Cox is going to sit him much with nobody really that can replace him at that position.

I don't buy that, he played the 2 against West Virginia and that was our best offensive game of the year. It's easy enough to have him play the 1 on defense and 2 on offense. If he supposedly can't play the 2 and he can't get his shot selection/percentage in check, then he's a liability to the team and we're better off playing someone else.

RhowdyRam02 · Unread post by **RhowdyRam02** » 5 years ago

PillPushr wrote: ↑5 years ago It honestly does say something about Coach Cox that he can't get Fatts to show some discipline. I get that we don't have many other options, and Fatts can show moments of greatness. He actually played good games against West Virginia and Bucknell, but the pull up jumpers have to be stopped by Coach Cox. Fatts is effective when he can use his speed to get in the lane, dish to Cyril, kick out to others for 3, this is what he did in the WVU game. I can see him taking a few perimeter shots, but only once he establishes is driving in the game and he gets in the flow.

I have been happy to see Cox start to show a little more fire on the sideline, hoping to see him continue to develop as a head coach by getting Fatts under control. This is what a head coach does, you're not gonna be every player's best friend all the time.

Honest question, but what has Cox done to try and rein him in? We have the end of the Harvard game where Fatts ignored Cox' playcall, we have the multiple horrendous shooting performances, and there's been no visible repercussions. He starts every game, his minutes are always high, there's no visible change. If there are no repercussions what if anything will change?

rambone 78 · Unread post by **rambone 78** » 5 years ago

Fatts is more effective in a more uptempo style game. The WVA game is the best example.

Much less so when the pace slows down. When he doesn't push the ball and drive the lane, this is what results....bad shot selection.

Ball hogging does not help the freshmen develop either.

RhowdyRam02 · Unread post by **RhowdyRam02** » 5 years ago

rambone 78 wrote: ↑5 years ago Ball hogging does not help the freshmen develop either.

This is a great point. When you have someone that is constantly hunting for their own offense, especially when they're running the point, then other guys start hunting for their own offense because they don't think they're going to be set up. Even in the best of situations it causes poor offense, which we've already seen. It's also the kind of thing that can stunt development and create bad habits.

eli#10 · Unread post by **eli#10** » 5 years ago

Rambone--there is no way Hammond starts ahead of Fatts next year. Take it to the bank.

ElmCityRhody · Unread post by **ElmCityRhody** » 5 years ago

i called out fatts a few games back early in the season and gave his shooting %

he simply does not have a good consistent shot

cox needs to show leadership here and not allow wild shots

that comes from the top and he should bench fatts to teach him a lesson

this is kind of what i allude to in my posts

granted i am italian.. but emotion is sometimes needed to get a point across

otherwise, we will continue to see fats chuck and duck the rest of the season

rambone 78 · Unread post by **rambone 78** » 5 years ago

Agreed ECR....this is poor discipline on the part of the player AND the coach.

If it continues, we will see more of the same.

section(105) · Unread post by **section(105)** » 5 years ago

rambone 78 wrote: ↑5 years ago Agreed ECR....this is poor discipline on the part of the player AND the coach.

If it continues, we will see more of the same.

........and then expect different results.......?

rambone 78 · Unread post by **rambone 78** » 5 years ago

eli, you are probably right.....Fatts will be the primary PG on this team when he is a senior.....lets hope he "gets it" long before then.

105, I hope to get to a coach show where I can ask DC about the PG situation....to the side of course.

hrstrat57 · Unread post by **hrstrat57** » 5 years ago

Terrible tournament performance, just awful.

But, as I’ve said previously in the forums, I have to cut D Cox some slack here. This is a talented but very mismatched group of players. No real flow to the skill set or pace of play. The WVU win was nice but Huggins really laid a coaching egg by continuing to press and allowing our skill players to push the ball and fill the lanes. We won’t see that failed coaching strategy again this season we will see more of the same from this weekend and our other close losses.

URI also has outstanding talent in the pipeline it appears but unless we figure out a strategy to win these close games vs equal or inferior opponents the train could derail.

This is a critical time for our program. I wish I knew what to suggest but this is a group that has me baffled. Making clutch foul shots and not blowing layups helps of course, we could have 10 wins now. My stating the obvious doesn’t help any tho.

For a first time HC David Cox has his hands full.

I sincerely wish him good luck and success but no way I’d want to be wearing his coaching shoes.

Seawrightspostgame · Unread post by **Seawrightspostgame** » 5 years ago

Mixed bag. One step forward and two back. Not looking so good.

I wish they would be better. I feel like their principles or the way they execute needs some tweaking.

ElmCityRhody · Unread post by **ElmCityRhody** » 5 years ago

section(105) wrote: ↑5 years ago
rambone 78 wrote: ↑5 years ago Agreed ECR....this is poor discipline on the part of the player AND the coach.

If it continues, we will see more of the same.
........and then expect different results.......?

i expect different results... while i dont expect fatts to turn into larry bird.. i do expect him to be more discipline in shot selection then his shooting percentage can tick up

we have all seen 'good fatts' and he is a weapon and an asset to the team

but he is not an asset when he plays hero ball

at some point the negatives outweigh the positives

he just needs to play within himself a bit more

so, we wither have coach cox not putting any shackles on fatts or we have fatts not listening.

if it is the former, then we have an issue.. as something needs to be said

if it is the latter, then nothing gets a point across more than riding the pine and letter a player stew for awhile

i am not suggesting this is a long term plan as i thin fatts is a vluable asset

i just think he needs to tone down hero ball

he doesnt have a good enough shot for that

stop thinking you are trae young

let's go fatts.. we are all waiting to root you on like last year vs trae young....

there is still time to turn this around.

rambone 78 · Unread post by **rambone 78** » 5 years ago

Mismatched is a good way to put it.

But as was said, making foul shots consistently and playing better D can be done.

There is flow to the offense when JD is running it.

There is no flow when a certain very selfish player is running it.

We also do not have an identity when it comes to shooting the ball. Who is consistent enough to make shots when we need it?

Yes we are young and the freshmen are talented and will start showing it more often at some point.

DC does have a tough job to do. Next year's class look like they also will take time to work themselves into the rotation, since they really weren't the first choices of the staff. Walker will play and play a lot soon though.

PeteRI · Unread post by **PeteRI** » 5 years ago

I absolutely want to see them feed Jermaine more inside. He was tremendous against Brown - 15 points and a perfect 6 for 6 from the field and 3 for 3 at the stripe - and clearly has tremendous offensive potential. We need to see more O from #0!

CTRamfan · Unread post by **CTRamfan** » 5 years ago

The team averages 1.14 points per shot. [about average]

Fatts average for the year to date is 0.94 pps
Fatts average the last five games is 1.15 pps.

ElmCityRhody · Unread post by **ElmCityRhody** » 5 years ago

FATTS

FGM 133
FGA 403
FG% 33%

FG3 53
FG3A 206
FG3% 26%

RhowdyRam02 · Unread post by **RhowdyRam02** » 5 years ago

CTRamfan wrote: ↑5 years ago The team averages 1.14 points per shot. [about average]

Fatts average for the year to date is 0.94 pps
Fatts average the last five games is 1.15 pps.

Where are you getting that 1.14 points per shot is about average? We're one of the worst offenses in college basketball at points per shot:

https://www.foxsports.com/college-baske ... p=0&page=7

That's us on page 7 of 8 when you short all the teams by points per shot. So did the rest of the post have a point based on that?

PillPushr · Unread post by **PillPushr** » 5 years ago

PeteRI wrote: ↑5 years ago I absolutely want to see them feed Jermaine more inside. He was tremendous against Brown - 15 points and a perfect 6 for 6 from the field and 3 for 3 at the stripe - and clearly has tremendous offensive potential. We need to see more O from #0!

Although I agree, we need to keep working him down low. He has been very weak around the rim thus far. He gets stripped, blocked, and pushed out of position often. He definitely needs to keep hitting up the weight room and gaining confidence to go up strong to the basket. Cyril already had that instinct as a freshman, Jermaine doesn't yet.

NYGFan_Section208 · Unread post by **NYGFan_Section208** » 5 years ago

PillPushr wrote: ↑5 years ago
PeteRI wrote: ↑5 years ago I absolutely want to see them feed Jermaine more inside. He was tremendous against Brown - 15 points and a perfect 6 for 6 from the field and 3 for 3 at the stripe - and clearly has tremendous offensive potential. We need to see more O from #0!
Although I agree, we need to keep working him down low. He has been very weak around the rim thus far. He gets stripped, blocked, and pushed out of position often. He definitely needs to keep hitting up the weight room and gaining confidence to go up strong to the basket. Cyril already had that instinct as a freshman, Jermaine doesn't yet.

I'd like to see both Jermaine and Cyril get the chance to take some 12-15 footers.

Obadiah · Unread post by **Obadiah** » 5 years ago

Fatts three point shooting:

In first 11 games last season (avg PT 18.0) - 13-32, .342

In first 11 games this season (avg PT 33.9) - 14-75, .187

rambone 78 · Unread post by **rambone 78** » 5 years ago

Jermaine can shoot it from outside better than Cyril. For some reason though JH doesn't seem to have the hops that I expected. There were rumors of a nagging injury earlier.

Cyril as a freshmen had terrible hands....he's improved a lot in that regard and I do expect Jermaine to do so also.

Yeah Obie, he taken 250% more 3 pointers. Stop shooting them unless he's wide open!

The infuriating thing is, he has shown he can distribute the ball but he doesn't do it nearly enough.

PeteRI · Unread post by **PeteRI** » 5 years ago

I'd like to see both Jermaine and Cyril get the chance to take some 12-15 footers.
[/quote]

And I'd like to see Jermaine get some 6-10 footers. This ain't some scrub we're talking about - he was Maryland Player of the Year. I think he has the potential to be an even bigger scorer than Cyril. Not this year, obviously. But soon ... This young man got game!

ace · Unread post by **ace** » 5 years ago

hrstrat57 wrote: ↑5 years ago Terrible tournament performance, just awful.

But, as I’ve said previously in the forums, I have to cut D Cox some slack here. This is a talented but very mismatched group of players. No real flow to the skill set or pace of play. The WVU win was nice but Huggins really laid a coaching egg by continuing to press and allowing our skill players to push the ball and fill the lanes. We won’t see that failed coaching strategy again this season we will see more of the same from this weekend and our other close losses.

URI also has outstanding talent in the pipeline it appears but unless we figure out a strategy to win these close games vs equal or inferior opponents the train could derail.

This is a critical time for our program. I wish I knew what to suggest but this is a group that has me baffled. Making clutch foul shots and not blowing layups helps of course, we could have 10 wins now. My stating the obvious doesn’t help any tho.

For a first time HC David Cox has his hands full.

I sincerely wish him good luck and success but no way I’d want to be wearing his coaching shoes.

This seems a touch dramatic. I’m not sure I completely buy this “mismatched” theory. Outside of the top programs, few rosters are perfect. I think the only thing that’s problematic on this roster is an experience gap, with Dowtin, Langevine, Thompson, and Russell, to an extent, on one end, and the freshmen on the other, combined with some wasted scholarships spots coming into the season. The only thing that fixes most of that is minutes. Lots of coaches would love to inherit what Cox has, in terms of interest in the program, recent success, a solid season ticket holder base. They’ve also got all-conference level juniors at point guard and forward. Not perfect but not dreadful, either. I’m sure, a few years in, he may look back and wonder if he could have done some things differently so far, but that’s just part of the gig. Record-wise, they’re a game ahead of my prediction, although I had them winning the first game in Hawaii and losing the next two. The only thing I’m mad about is, when I checked the final score on my phone from yesterday’s game, I misread it. For about seven hours, I thought the Rams had won.

RhodyRam86 · Unread post by **RhodyRam86** » 5 years ago

Did anyone else feel JH was a little passive defensively yesterday. Their big guy was getting easy layups the entire game. It seemed to me that Jermaine was maybe tired of picking up 2 fouls in the first 5 minutes of the game and that took away some of his aggressiveness. I thought there were several times when he could have been more physical bodying up the guy he was defending. Instead he gave him a few inches of space which allowed the offense player several fakes leading to layups.

luke · Unread post by **luke** » 5 years ago

What has happened thus far this season with close losses resulting from missed FTs and end of game errors has a very
familiar feel . I think we went through the same thing in 2014/15 and 2015/16 before the two NCAA Tournament
appearances the past two seasons . In fact, this team is shooting FTs at a better percentage and scoring more than
either of those pre NCAA teams and is even shooting FTs at a higher percentage than the first of the back to back NCAA teams.
I am feeling very positive about this group's future as soon as two weeks down the road. I believe they will be a real force in the A10
before mid schedule with the opportunity to dominate by A10 Tournament time . The shooting has already seen significant improvement
and I expect it to continue . I see Tate, Martin and Silverio starting to find their comfort zone from the outside . Harris hasn't as yet found
his, but he looks to me that he will be a good mid range shooter and it will come very soon . The defense is also going to tighten up the more
games they play together .Fatts is still rushing some lay ups especially early in games , and Harris, Martin and Tate have also been guilty .I see
that happening less and less as we move through the season .This team seems to me to be able to get to the rim easier than even last season's
team, and that is a very good sign . At the moment they aren't making some of them it appears to me because they are rushing the shots and
showing too much respect for the defenders ability to catch up to them and block the shots without fouling . That will ease up after a few more
games, I believe . They haven't played that many games yet. And when the outside shooting becomes a little more consistent , they will look like
they did when they held an 11 point lead over Bucknell by draining threes . I really believe they will be tough to beat going into the A 10 tournament.
I'm a believer. Time will tell if my prophecy will come true .

Not Mike Powell · Unread post by **Not Mike Powell** » 5 years ago

Judging by preseason predictions, I'd say 80% of us thought this would be a 20 win caliber team. 20 wins was a reasonable expectation going into this year, even given the roster turnover. We are losing to BAD teams right now. The fact that everyone gets ridiculed on this forum for being the least bit critical of this team is insane. I expect a better product than what we are currently getting.

RhodysRelevant · Unread post by **RhodysRelevant** » 5 years ago

RhodyRam86 wrote: ↑5 years ago Did anyone else feel JH was a little passive defensively yesterday. Their big guy was getting easy layups the entire game. It seemed to me that Jermaine was maybe tired of picking up 2 fouls in the first 5 minutes of the game and that took away some of his aggressiveness. I thought there were several times when he could have been more physical bodying up the guy he was defending. Instead he gave him a few inches of space which allowed the offense player several fakes leading to layups.

Can't blame him the kid gets whistled for everything.

RhodyRam86 · Unread post by **RhodyRam86** » 5 years ago

RhodysRelevant wrote: ↑5 years ago
RhodyRam86 wrote: ↑5 years ago Did anyone else feel JH was a little passive defensively yesterday. Their big guy was getting easy layups the entire game. It seemed to me that Jermaine was maybe tired of picking up 2 fouls in the first 5 minutes of the game and that took away some of his aggressiveness. I thought there were several times when he could have been more physical bodying up the guy he was defending. Instead he gave him a few inches of space which allowed the offense player several fakes leading to layups.
Can't blame him the kid gets whistled for everything.

true dat, but he also picks up quite a few nonsense fouls. he'll figure out the balance. just think he was tentative yesterday.

UCH21377 · Unread post by **UCH21377** » 5 years ago

ace wrote: ↑5 years ago
hrstrat57 wrote: ↑5 years ago Terrible tournament performance, just awful.

But, as I’ve said previously in the forums, I have to cut D Cox some slack here. This is a talented but very mismatched group of players. No real flow to the skill set or pace of play. The WVU win was nice but Huggins really laid a coaching egg by continuing to press and allowing our skill players to push the ball and fill the lanes. We won’t see that failed coaching strategy again this season we will see more of the same from this weekend and our other close losses.

URI also has outstanding talent in the pipeline it appears but unless we figure out a strategy to win these close games vs equal or inferior opponents the train could derail.

This is a critical time for our program. I wish I knew what to suggest but this is a group that has me baffled. Making clutch foul shots and not blowing layups helps of course, we could have 10 wins now. My stating the obvious doesn’t help any tho.

For a first time HC David Cox has his hands full.

I sincerely wish him good luck and success but no way I’d want to be wearing his coaching shoes.
This seems a touch dramatic. I’m not sure I completely buy this “mismatched” theory. Outside of the top programs, few rosters are perfect. I think the only thing that’s problematic on this roster is an experience gap, with Dowtin, Langevine, Thompson, and Russell, to an extent, on one end, and the freshmen on the other, combined with some wasted scholarships spots coming into the season. The only thing that fixes most of that is minutes. Lots of coaches would love to inherit what Cox has, in terms of interest in the program, recent success, a solid season ticket holder base. They’ve also got all-conference level juniors at point guard and forward. Not perfect but not dreadful, either. I’m sure, a few years in, he may look back and wonder if he could have done some things differently so far, but that’s just part of the gig. Record-wise, they’re a game ahead of my prediction, although I had them winning the first game in Hawaii and losing the next two. The only thing I’m mad about is, when I checked the final score on my phone from yesterday’s game, I misread it. For about seven hours, I thought the Rams had won.

I agree with Ace's take on what she is saying about Cox's situation, and the team. He has something to work with here. This is NOT a rebuild, in my opinion. What Hurley had when he arrived is a rebuild. What Middle Tennessee has is a rebuild. Yes we had more player turnover than average, and most of our scoring. I get that. But there are three good returning players, plus a veteran redshirt, plus a highly ranked freshman class. The cupboard is far from bare. Coaches can continue to win with this sort of turnover. Like it or not, Cooley is doing just that. It is time for this team to start showing improvement: better shot selection, better discipline on defense. If not we're in for a long season. It's not going to be easy in the A10; think we might see a few more zones thrown at us?

Anyway I'll be there Sunday; hoping like heck we can get things going.

theblueram · Unread post by **theblueram** » 5 years ago

Can someone explain to me why Cox did not call a time out on that last play? There were 8 seconds on the board when we crossed half court. Never seen that before. So much time to draw up a final play.

STC · Unread post by **STC** » 5 years ago

theblueram wrote: ↑5 years ago Can someone explain to me why Cox did not call a time out on that last play? There were 8 seconds on the board when we crossed half court. Never seen that before. So much time to draw up a final play.

He knew Fatts would veto the play call and jack up another contested prayer.

/s

I think Fatts had fouled out already anyways.

Dre3000 · Unread post by **Dre3000** » 5 years ago

For those saying we're not in a rebuild or that Hurley would have these guys playing so much better than they are now. I ask you, did you consider year 2 of Hurley's tenure to still be in "rebuild"? I ask because the rosters are actually pretty similar with far more college experience on the 2013-2014 team than this team. (And yes I know the status of the program is very different right now than then, but the make-up of the rosters are not.)

Xavier Munford=Jeff Dowtin: Obviously two different types of players, but in terms of best returning player X was a proven scorer and all-conference level performer. Additionally X went on to play meaningful minutes in the NBA in the playoffs with Memphis.

Gilvydas Biruta=Cyril Langevine: Both averaged comparable numbers as sophomores, though Gil did it versus much better talent. Regardless both provide a proven commodity in the post.

TJ Buchanan=Christion Thompson: Both had shown limited offensive abilities coming into their junior years, however provide leadership as well as toughness.

Hassan Martin=Jermaine Harris: Sure Harris came in as a higher rated player, but at the end of the day they as freshmen are very similar. Has had plenty of games where he looked like he didn't belong but progressed nicely as the year went forward.

Onyekaba=Preston: Preston certainly more athletic but both pretty limited in what they bring to the table

Butler=Silverio: Two freshmen shooters not quite ready to be depended on in limited minutes

From there in terms of guys who played/play you have EC, Biggie, and Jarelle vs Fatts, Dana, and Tyrese. If you ask me, I'm taking the 2013-2014 group because of EC's production and Biggie and Jarelle's experience.

All that to say, some people act like this would be a 20-win team under Hurley. And sure had Hurley stayed, in year SEVEN of his tenure he'd probably be more successful than we are right now. However I do not think in his first year, had he got this roster would he be more than 1 or 2 wins better than we are right now. There's also just as good a chance he'd be just as bad or worse.

This is absolutely a rebuild. The bright side of this is that unlike in 2013-2014, this is a down year in the A-10. Every single game is very winnable and there will be progress with this team! (At least I hope so

)

theblueram · Unread post by **theblueram** » 5 years ago

Dre3000 wrote: ↑5 years ago For those saying we're not in a rebuild or that Hurley would have these guys playing so much better than they are now. I ask you, did you consider year 2 of Hurley's tenure to still be in "rebuild"? I ask because the rosters are actually pretty similar with far more college experience on the 2013-2014 team than this team. (And yes I know the status of the program is very different right now than then, but the make-up of the rosters are not.)

Xavier Munford=Jeff Dowtin: Obviously two different types of players, but in terms of best returning player X was a proven scorer and all-conference level performer. Additionally X went on to play meaningful minutes in the NBA in the playoffs with Memphis.

Gilvydas Biruta=Cyril Langevine: Both averaged comparable numbers as sophomores, though Gil did it versus much better talent. Regardless both provide a proven commodity in the post.

TJ Buchanan=Christion Thompson: Both had shown limited offensive abilities coming into their junior years, however provide leadership as well as toughness.

Hassan Martin=Jermaine Harris: Sure Harris came in as a higher rated player, but at the end of the day they as freshmen are very similar. Has had plenty of games where he looked like he didn't belong but progressed nicely as the year went forward.

Onyekaba=Preston: Preston certainly more athletic but both pretty limited in what they bring to the table

Butler=Silverio: Two freshmen shooters not quite ready to be depended on in limited minutes

From there in terms of guys who played/play you have EC, Biggie, and Jarelle vs Fatts, Dana, and Tyrese. If you ask me, I'm taking the 2013-2014 group because of EC's production and Biggie and Jarelle's experience.

All that to say, some people act like this would be a 20-win team under Hurley. And sure had Hurley stayed, in year SEVEN of his tenure he'd probably be more successful than we are right now. However I do not think in his first year, had he got this roster would he be more than 1 or 2 wins better than we are right now. There's also just as good a chance he'd be just as bad or worse.

This is absolutely a rebuild. The bright side of this is that unlike in 2013-2014, this is a down year in the A-10. Every single game is very winnable and there will be progress with this team! (At least I hope so )

Year 2 of Hurley was a disaster with the "touted" transfers. Everyone was calling for Hass and EC to start. This is no re build. This is a continuation.

ace · Unread post by **ace** » 5 years ago

I don’t think many people here at all have said that this team would be better under Hurley. Has anyone even said that, other than the few people who are negative about everything and just toss out a word salad of thoughts? You put a lot of work into that comparison, but I feel like you’re arguing against something that hasn’t even been said. That aside, I don’t really think it works anyway. Let this team and coach be who they are, and let them figure out how they fit into continuing to strongly represent a program that is nothing like it was in 2013.

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