1/25 | Dayton | 7:00PM (CBSSN)

[section(105)]

What does our Dayton Flyer Fan have to say?

[Billyboy78]

Bray's a great kid too. If you get there early, you'll see him going around fist bumping little kids, and he makes sure to get every one. He definitely gets that part of it.

[RhodyRams916]

Bray's a great kid too. If you get there early, you'll see him going around fist bumping little kids, and he makes sure to get every one. He definitely gets that part of it.

Like Archie said, it looked like he was having a blast out there last night. When you're nailing threes AND having fun that's what it's all about.

[LIRAM]

I have not posted in quite some time but have not missed watching a game. I have refrained from getting too upset or too frustrated. I have observed quite a few things during this growth period that many of you have touched on and expressed. There has been growth. There is a plan. The staff is solid and the kids are buying in. Last night must have been extremely rewarding for staff and players. A quality result! A true taste of something that hopefully will be more frequent. A validation.

Coaches are like mad scientists. They are constantly trying and experimenting with what they have. Many times it fails and many times they discover something effective that works. Archie is going to figure this out. He is going to get players here. He is going to Coach kids up. Players and people are going to develop.

I know this because of what he did and said last night. He mentioned Coach 40 (Duane) specifically. He gave if credit for the defensive scheme used last night. We saw the packline against George Mason. We did not see the packline last night. We saw what Villanova with there smaller lineups has used for years. The post gets a instant double with a perimeter rotation and scramble. It's what Shaheen Holloway used last year at St. Peter's with his undersized group. Archie trust his staff. He has quality basketball minds around him. His ego did not get in the way and he even went out of his way to recognize Coach Woodward. This to me says it all! I know as fans it's so hard and we want to see things happen right away. That's not how it works. This will be a process. A process that is going to be painful at times. Last night was something our players and staff really needed. Last night was something our fans really needed. Last night was something we all really really really fucking needed! A validation!

[Jdrums#3]

Thanks for the posting, RF1. I enjoyed the article. Good stuff.

[Rhode_Island_Red]

I know this because of what he did and said last night. He mentioned Coach 40 (Duane) specifically. He gave if credit for the defensive scheme used last night. ... Archie trust his staff. He has quality basketball minds around him. His ego did not get in the way and he even went out of his way to recognize Coach Woodward. This to me says it all!

A good boss isn't afraid to hire people smarter than he is.

[Jdrums#3]

Good stuff, ATP. Much appreciated!

[NYGFan_Section208]

Now tied for 35th in FT percentage.

Is this our best free throw shooting team ever? Top to bottom.

Obviously we’ve had elite FT shooting- Jimmy and Fatts come to mind as our best, but top to bottom there’s no Mitchell twin who you expect to miss. Even Samb and Tchikou are fairly reliable.

You don't "expect" anyone to miss.....HUGE difference

[RhodyRams916]

Now tied for 35th in FT percentage.

Is this our best free throw shooting team ever? Top to bottom.

Obviously we’ve had elite FT shooting- Jimmy and Fatts come to mind as our best, but top to bottom there’s no Mitchell twin who you expect to miss. Even Samb and Tchikou are fairly reliable.

You don't "expect" anyone to miss.....HUGE difference

Last year I expected almost everyone to miss at least 1 of 2!!

[PeterRamTime]

You know what else I thought was great last night? Brayon Freeman.

Not for what he did, because that part was obvious. But how he's starting to transform right in front of our eyes. Are people forgetting who this kid was on the court just 2 months ago?

Last night after the game, in the 2-3 minutes I had of the Varsity app working for the post game show, I did hear Archie talk about Bray. Specifically about him being a big game player, someone who lights up when he scores a bucket and legitimately is at his happiest putting it in the hoop, someone who this team needs to be their "guy" when it counts...but someone who also needs coaching and direction. Someone who needs to recognize situational basketball. Learn how to see where he can be a facilitator and when he can be a scorer.

Literally Bray is Fatts Russell. But he'll be coached. The first part is Fatts. The second part is what Fatts was missing that Bray is going to get.

The talent is obvious. Similar to Fatts with the athletic and "how TF did that go in" type finishes. The off-balance shots that find the bottom of the net at key moments.

I've never been so high on a player like I am right now on who Bray is going to become under Archie.

All of the pouting that was met by benching. The dumb plays that are met with coaching. You're literally seeing a real-time transformation of a kid/player, and the benefits of having a coach like Archie who has a system and a way he wants things done. He's not going to bend that for anyone. Including a highly lauded transfer with lofty expectations.

God this is fun.

Great post. If Fatts had Archie coaching him he could have realized Hurley's prediction that he would lead the A10 in scoring.

Perhaps Fatts is finally getting the coaching he needed as a pro now

Broke a scoring record in the Turkish league he plays in in his second game with 47 points.

Averages 28 and 7.6 assists a game. 46% from 2 and 35% from 3.

Brayon is already a more efficient player than Fatts was and probably has a higher upside because of his size.

We really haven't had a lot of high level scoring PG's like him.

I suspect he will need to get stronger here in the future so he will be truly unstoppable in the paint.

[reef]

I haven't seen it mentioned here, but I think the biggest difference was the defensive philosophy. The immediate doubling of Holmes in the post every time he touched the ball completely changed how Dayton wanted to play. The help created a lot of turnovers and the rotations to the open guy on the perimeter were absolutely beautiful. Kept our bigs out of dire foul trouble and contained Holmes who we all thought was going to kill us.

Just great coaching there by our staff , loved that instant double team in the post then the defensive rotations when they pass out of it

Once we get the right talent in here we should be a top 4 team every year in the conference

[luke]

Finally home . Wasn't that fun last night ? URI did exactly what they had to do to win: surround Holmes and make some shots while protecting the ball a bit more .Besides Bray and Ish , i think Weston is showing a nice shooting touch and for the most part everybody got after kit on defense . it was a thing of beauty . Here's hoping it gives them a big confidence boost which to me is what as been lacking in conference so far.

[bigappleram]

We were doubling big to big - so that's why Malik was so valuable as he is usually on the 4 man where we were bringing the help.
Off the pass our rotations for most of the night were very good. They only got up 12 threes which is great.

[Blue Man]

We were doubling big to big - so that's why Malik was so valuable as he is usually on the 4 man where we were bringing the help.
Off the pass our rotations for most of the night were very good. They only got up 12 threes which is great.

Malik is offensively challenged but does a lot defensively so well.

If he’s on the floor though, bassy can’t be. Then you’re playing 3 on 5 offense.

To be honest I think my favorite offensive lineup is Bray/Ish/Carey/Weston/Rory - but Rory got put in the doghouse after dropping that pass.

[Mattrams94]

They are all college kids so I am not going to hate on them by BLue man I don't know what you see in Rory. He isn't great defensively, and is shooting 20 percent from three.

[Rhodymob05]

The double teams on the bigs and then rotating around the arch with help defense was very very good last night.

[79RhodyFan]

They are all college kids so I am not going to hate on them by BLue man I don't know what you see in Rory. He isn't great defensively, and is shooting 20 percent from three.

Rory hasn't played enough to really know whether or not he is a good 3 point shooter. Grant Williams missed his first 25 3 points attempts his rookie season, so its hard to draw conclusions on such a small sample size.

[Mattrams94]

They are all college kids so I am not going to hate on them by BLue man I don't know what you see in Rory. He isn't great defensively, and is shooting 20 percent from three.

Rory hasn't played enough to really know whether or not he is a good 3 point shooter. Grant Williams missed his first 25 3 points attempts his rookie season, so its hard to draw conclusions on such a small sample size.

Understandable but I just dislike how some people act like he is this messiah on this forum

[reef]

5743 attendees how we feel about that ??

[NYGFan_Section208]

We were doubling big to big - so that's why Malik was so valuable as he is usually on the 4 man where we were bringing the help.
Off the pass our rotations for most of the night were very good. They only got up 12 threes which is great.

Malik is offensively challenged but does a lot defensively so well.

If he’s on the floor though, bassy can’t be. Then you’re playing 3 on 5 offense.

To be honest I think my favorite offensive lineup is Bray/Ish/Carey/Weston/Rory - but Rory got put in the doghouse after dropping that pass.

Oh man...that was right in front of us...saw the ball swing over as a perfect set up for a three and I was saying "shoot it!" And had the Rory 3 attempt mentally booked before he even got it. Unfortunately, looked like he had the same thought process ... "shoot shoot....oh #@$*! gotta catch it first...'

[PeterRamTime]

They are all college kids so I am not going to hate on them by BLue man I don't know what you see in Rory. He isn't great defensively, and is shooting 20 percent from three.

Rory hasn't played enough to really know whether or not he is a good 3 point shooter. Grant Williams missed his first 25 3 points attempts his rookie season, so its hard to draw conclusions on such a small sample size.

Understandable but I just dislike how some people act like he is this messiah on this forum

Who acts like he's the messiah?

What puzzles me is how people think he's the next Aris.

So when people point out that he actually does have some potential it means we are deeming him the messiah?

Seriously. What does he do that's so much worse than Alex and Samb? There's hardly any difference at all in regards to the production we have gotten out of the three.

He's struggled and flashed just as much as the other two and he clearly can be a decent three point shooter. His form is great. Just needs confidence.

Ah but nope he's just gonna never get better at anything and forever play out of position. Yep no such thing as freshman developing their game.

[Jersey77]

Rory hasn't played enough to really know whether or not he is a good 3 point shooter. Grant Williams missed his first 25 3 points attempts his rookie season, so its hard to draw conclusions on such a small sample size.

Understandable but I just dislike how some people act like he is this messiah on this forum

Who acts like he's the messiah?

What puzzles me is how people think he's the next Aris.

So when people point out that he actually does have some potential it means we are deeming him the messiah?

Seriously. What does he do that's so much worse than Alex and Samb? There's hardly any difference at all in regards to the production we have gotten out of the three.

He's struggled and flashed just as much as the other two and he clearly can be a decent three point shooter. His form is great. Just needs confidence.

Ah but nope he's just gonna never get better at anything and forever play out of position. Yep no such thing as freshman developing their game.

Yes, you could pretty much say the same for all 3 of them.
They are all still raw and have shown flashes at times, and I think as they develop, they can be serviceable bigs in this conference.
Also, they all have different skill sets, none of which at this time includes being effective back to the basket.

[Dino611]

Any replays available?

[steveystuds06]

Rory hasn't played enough to really know whether or not he is a good 3 point shooter. Grant Williams missed his first 25 3 points attempts his rookie season, so its hard to draw conclusions on such a small sample size.

Understandable but I just dislike how some people act like he is this messiah on this forum

Who acts like he's the messiah?

What puzzles me is how people think he's the next Aris.

So when people point out that he actually does have some potential it means we are deeming him the messiah?

Seriously. What does he do that's so much worse than Alex and Samb? There's hardly any difference at all in regards to the production we have gotten out of the three.

He's struggled and flashed just as much as the other two and he clearly can be a decent three point shooter. His form is great. Just needs confidence.

Ah but nope he's just gonna never get better at anything and forever play out of position. Yep no such thing as freshman developing their game.

No one thinks Rory is the messiah haha.

[theblueram]

They are all college kids so I am not going to hate on them by BLue man I don't know what you see in Rory. He isn't great defensively, and is shooting 20 percent from three.

Rory hasn't played enough to really know whether or not he is a good 3 point shooter. Grant Williams missed his first 25 3 points attempts his rookie season, so its hard to draw conclusions on such a small sample size.

Understandable but I just dislike how some people act like he is this messiah on this forum

Hah. 5 posts and been on the board for 4 months. Get used to it.

[brady1]

Really nice win!!!

Let’s get LaSalle on Saturday!!

GO RHODY!

[NYGFan_Section208]

Rory hasn't played enough to really know whether or not he is a good 3 point shooter. Grant Williams missed his first 25 3 points attempts his rookie season, so its hard to draw conclusions on such a small sample size.

Understandable but I just dislike how some people act like he is this messiah on this forum

Who acts like he's the messiah?

What puzzles me is how people think he's the next Aris.

So when people point out that he actually does have some potential it means we are deeming him the messiah?

Seriously. What does he do that's so much worse than Alex and Samb? There's hardly any difference at all in regards to the production we have gotten out of the three.

He's struggled and flashed just as much as the other two and he clearly can be a decent three point shooter. His form is great. Just needs confidence.

Ah but nope he's just gonna never get better at anything and forever play out of position. Yep no such thing as freshman developing their game.

I think he needs some volume and the confidence will come from that

[Section104]

Can we get more St John’s guards?

Dowtin and Leggett have done okay for us!

[Billyboy78]

Can we get more St John’s guards?

Dowtin and Leggett have done okay for us!

That was the Cox connection.

[Billyboy78]

[ramster]

Some observations from the box score….

• Freeman had a game high +17 differential playing 35 minutes. We won by 5 meaning the 5 minutes Freeman was out we lost -12 points!!

• Freeman’s 4 steals were a game high and his personal high for the season

• Who would have thought Carey with 8, Leggett and Freeman with 6 apiece would have all had more rebounds than DaRon Holmes with 5?

• Samb was 2nd game high with +12 point differential, Martin 3rd game high +11

• Carey game high 8 rebounds and tied Holmes game high with 2 blocked shots. Carey was 4-5 FG and 4-5 FTs plus 2 steals. He played a very efficient game. Carey only took 1 3P attempt - he has only hit 1 3P of his last 14 3P attempts over last 5 games. Credit to Carey and the URI staff for maximizing Carey’s overall efficiently to the good of the team. His efficient play was key to this upset win. His turnovers have reduced in a big way this year

• Leggett game high 39 minutes. He drew a game high 8 personal fouls as Dayton struggled to stop him. Game high 25 points. Leggett’s 11-11 FTs give him an amazing 30-32 FTs over the past 5 games lifting his YTD FT% to 84%.

• Despite a significant height advantage URI blocked 4 shots to Dayton 3. URI out-rebounded Dayton 32 to 26!!

7D18EBE9-35B8-46EA-AEF0-2EF3FD5F0A45.jpeg

[RhodyRams916]

Some observations from the box score….

• Freeman had a game high +17 differential playing 35 minutes. We won by 5 meaning the 5 minutes Freeman was out we lost -12 points!!

• Freeman’s 4 steals were a game high and his personal high for the season

• Who would have thought Carey with 8, Leggett and Freeman with 6 apiece would have all had more rebounds than DaRon Holmes with 5?

• Samb was 2nd game high with +12 point differential, Martin 3rd game high +11

• Carey game high 8 rebounds and tied Holmes game high with 2 blocked shots. Carey was 4-5 FG and 4-5 FTs plus 2 steals. He played a very efficient game. Carey only took 1 3P attempt - he has only hit 1 3P of his last 14 3P attempts over last 5 games. Credit to Carey and the URI staff for maximizing Carey’s overall efficiently to the good of the team. His efficient play was key to this upset win. His turnovers have reduced in a big way this year

• Leggett game high 39 minutes. He drew a game high 8 personal fouls as Dayton struggled to stop him. Game high 25 points. Leggett’s 11-11 FTs give him an amazing 30-32 FTs over the past 5 games lifting his YTD FT% to 84%.

• Despite a significant height advantage URI blocked 4 shots to Dayton 3. URI out-rebounded Dayton 32 to 26!!

7D18EBE9-35B8-46EA-AEF0-2EF3FD5F0A45.jpeg

Freeman's 3 pt shooting in the second half sorta reminded me of Fatts vs PC in 2019. Draining them, one after another.

[ramster]

Some observations from the box score….

• Freeman had a game high +17 differential playing 35 minutes. We won by 5 meaning the 5 minutes Freeman was out we lost -12 points!!

• Freeman’s 4 steals were a game high and his personal high for the season

• Who would have thought Carey with 8, Leggett and Freeman with 6 apiece would have all had more rebounds than DaRon Holmes with 5?

• Samb was 2nd game high with +12 point differential, Martin 3rd game high +11

• Carey game high 8 rebounds and tied Holmes game high with 2 blocked shots. Carey was 4-5 FG and 4-5 FTs plus 2 steals. He played a very efficient game. Carey only took 1 3P attempt - he has only hit 1 3P of his last 14 3P attempts over last 5 games. Credit to Carey and the URI staff for maximizing Carey’s overall efficiently to the good of the team. His efficient play was key to this upset win. His turnovers have reduced in a big way this year

• Leggett game high 39 minutes. He drew a game high 8 personal fouls as Dayton struggled to stop him. Game high 25 points. Leggett’s 11-11 FTs give him an amazing 30-32 FTs over the past 5 games lifting his YTD FT% to 84%.

• Despite a significant height advantage URI blocked 4 shots to Dayton 3. URI out-rebounded Dayton 32 to 26!!

7D18EBE9-35B8-46EA-AEF0-2EF3FD5F0A45.jpeg

Freeman's 3 pt shooting in the second half sorta reminded me of Fatts vs PC in 2019. Draining them, one after another.

Agree. And as hot as he was we only went 6-22 as a team with Leggett 0-6. Reason why we have upside even from this win as the overall 3P shooting was subpar. Lots of potential.
Keep improving and the A10 Tournament gets more and more interesting!

[NYGFan_Section208]

I know this because of what he did and said last night. He mentioned Coach 40 (Duane) specifically. He gave if credit for the defensive scheme used last night. ... Archie trust his staff. He has quality basketball minds around him. His ego did not get in the way and he even went out of his way to recognize Coach Woodward. This to me says it all!

A good boss isn't afraid to hire people smarter than he is.

And a really good boss....seeks those people out

[bigappleram]

Some observations from the box score….

• Freeman had a game high +17 differential playing 35 minutes. We won by 5 meaning the 5 minutes Freeman was out we lost -12 points!!

• Freeman’s 4 steals were a game high and his personal high for the season

• Who would have thought Carey with 8, Leggett and Freeman with 6 apiece would have all had more rebounds than DaRon Holmes with 5?

• Samb was 2nd game high with +12 point differential, Martin 3rd game high +11

• Carey game high 8 rebounds and tied Holmes game high with 2 blocked shots. Carey was 4-5 FG and 4-5 FTs plus 2 steals. He played a very efficient game. Carey only took 1 3P attempt - he has only hit 1 3P of his last 14 3P attempts over last 5 games. Credit to Carey and the URI staff for maximizing Carey’s overall efficiently to the good of the team. His efficient play was key to this upset win. His turnovers have reduced in a big way this year

• Leggett game high 39 minutes. He drew a game high 8 personal fouls as Dayton struggled to stop him. Game high 25 points. Leggett’s 11-11 FTs give him an amazing 30-32 FTs over the past 5 games lifting his YTD FT% to 84%.

• Despite a significant height advantage URI blocked 4 shots to Dayton 3. URI out-rebounded Dayton 32 to 26!!

7D18EBE9-35B8-46EA-AEF0-2EF3FD5F0A45.jpeg

The rebounding numbers really jump off the page since on paper we played one of the tallest lineups in America.

Carey was awesome, one of his most efficient and consistent games ever in a key spot. He's such an anomaly as a player tho; last year his 3pt shot looked good. He didn't shoot many but was 14-30 and I remember many times it looked smooth and pure coming out. This year his 3pt shot looks abysmal. He almost has a hitch on it and even has a different release point. That said, he has established himself as a very good mid range scorer when he can get to his spots. In the context of our offense, him in the midrange is prob the 3rd or 4th best shot we can hope for. But from deep he has really fallen off a cliff.

[ramster]

Some observations from the box score….

• Freeman had a game high +17 differential playing 35 minutes. We won by 5 meaning the 5 minutes Freeman was out we lost -12 points!!

• Freeman’s 4 steals were a game high and his personal high for the season

• Who would have thought Carey with 8, Leggett and Freeman with 6 apiece would have all had more rebounds than DaRon Holmes with 5?

• Samb was 2nd game high with +12 point differential, Martin 3rd game high +11

• Carey game high 8 rebounds and tied Holmes game high with 2 blocked shots. Carey was 4-5 FG and 4-5 FTs plus 2 steals. He played a very efficient game. Carey only took 1 3P attempt - he has only hit 1 3P of his last 14 3P attempts over last 5 games. Credit to Carey and the URI staff for maximizing Carey’s overall efficiently to the good of the team. His efficient play was key to this upset win. His turnovers have reduced in a big way this year

• Leggett game high 39 minutes. He drew a game high 8 personal fouls as Dayton struggled to stop him. Game high 25 points. Leggett’s 11-11 FTs give him an amazing 30-32 FTs over the past 5 games lifting his YTD FT% to 84%.

• Despite a significant height advantage URI blocked 4 shots to Dayton 3. URI out-rebounded Dayton 32 to 26!!

7D18EBE9-35B8-46EA-AEF0-2EF3FD5F0A45.jpeg

The rebounding numbers really jump off the page since on paper we played one of the tallest lineups in America.

Carey was awesome, one of his most efficient and consistent games ever in a key spot. He's such an anomaly as a player tho; last year his 3pt shot looked good. He didn't shoot many but was 14-30 and I remember many times it looked smooth and pure coming out. This year his 3pt shot looks abysmal. He almost has a hitch on it and even has a different release point. That said, he has established himself as a very good mid range scorer when he can get to his spots. In the context of our offense, him in the midrange is prob the 3rd or 4th best shot we can hope for. But from deep he has really fallen off a cliff.

Agree with your observations about his shot this year compared to last. This is why I was impressed that he only took 1 3P attempt . He hit 4-5 FG and 4-5 FT. He didn’t force shots, he took what came to him. Good IQ, good Coaching.

[Blue Man]

Some observations from the box score….

• Freeman had a game high +17 differential playing 35 minutes. We won by 5 meaning the 5 minutes Freeman was out we lost -12 points!!

• Freeman’s 4 steals were a game high and his personal high for the season

• Who would have thought Carey with 8, Leggett and Freeman with 6 apiece would have all had more rebounds than DaRon Holmes with 5?

• Samb was 2nd game high with +12 point differential, Martin 3rd game high +11

• Carey game high 8 rebounds and tied Holmes game high with 2 blocked shots. Carey was 4-5 FG and 4-5 FTs plus 2 steals. He played a very efficient game. Carey only took 1 3P attempt - he has only hit 1 3P of his last 14 3P attempts over last 5 games. Credit to Carey and the URI staff for maximizing Carey’s overall efficiently to the good of the team. His efficient play was key to this upset win. His turnovers have reduced in a big way this year

• Leggett game high 39 minutes. He drew a game high 8 personal fouls as Dayton struggled to stop him. Game high 25 points. Leggett’s 11-11 FTs give him an amazing 30-32 FTs over the past 5 games lifting his YTD FT% to 84%.

• Despite a significant height advantage URI blocked 4 shots to Dayton 3. URI out-rebounded Dayton 32 to 26!!

7D18EBE9-35B8-46EA-AEF0-2EF3FD5F0A45.jpeg

The rebounding numbers really jump off the page since on paper we played one of the tallest lineups in America.

Carey was awesome, one of his most efficient and consistent games ever in a key spot. He's such an anomaly as a player tho; last year his 3pt shot looked good. He didn't shoot many but was 14-30 and I remember many times it looked smooth and pure coming out. This year his 3pt shot looks abysmal. He almost has a hitch on it and even has a different release point. That said, he has established himself as a very good mid range scorer when he can get to his spots. In the context of our offense, him in the midrange is prob the 3rd or 4th best shot we can hope for. But from deep he has really fallen off a cliff.

Agree with your observations about his shot this year compared to last. This is why I was impressed that he only took 1 3P attempt . He hit 4-5 FG and 4-5 FT. He didn’t force shots, he took what came to him. Good IQ, good Coaching.

When we need to score points - the roster on the floor should be Bray/Ish/Carey/Weston/Rory. Spacing wise, Rory doesn't sit low and is a shooting threat defenses have to account for.

When we need to defend - Ish/Carey/Weston/Martin/Samb.

I know Bray had 4 steals - but Dayton doesn't have a traditional backcourt. Granted his defensive lapses seem to be effort issues and not skill, and Archie is working on that.

But really, when you think about it our rotation should be 7 deep without fouls - Bray/Ish/Carey/Martin/Samb with Weston/Rory off the bench. Alex and Bassy in emergencies only.

I know Alex played much better in the 2nd half, but he was the sole reason we got into the big hole 12-4. He missed two bunnies, missed a defensive rebound that led to a 3. Got burned on 2 defensive assignments, one that he fouled and gave up an and 1. Legit he was directly responsible for 8 points FOR Dayton, and minus four points against URI in the first 6 mins. Rory isn't that much worse, and in an offense that needs spacing inside to operate for it's best scorers, he gives you a very spread out defensive look. Tchikou only averages 3.3 rebounds a game. His dbox +/- is 1.6, Rory is -1.3.

To be clear I'm not saying Tchikou sucks - he's raw. His ceiling is high and I think he'll turn into a phenomenal player over the next 2 years. I think Rory is equally raw, has a higher ceiling that includes an outside shot, and can currently defend the low post at a similar level - maybe 10% worse.

Bassy is just overmatched at this level. He's good for 5-10 mins to run the offense and handle the ball while Bray gets a breather (or Archie needs to coach him), but he's just one dimensional. Can't shoot, can't defend. Can handle the ball and sees the floor rather well, but he also makes really bad decisions and panics when pressed.

I shouldn't be angry at Thomas - it's not like he's 4 star Jermaine Harris who can't even be bothered to jump for a ball. He was recruited by 1 division 1 coach and offered a scholarship - primarily I think because people were wondering how Tyler Kolek went to George Mason and won rookie of the year while our coach did nothing to get him in our own backyard. If I remember, there was a lot of fanfare about "see we can recruit Rhode Island kids" when Bassy signed.

[PeterRamTime]

The rebounding numbers really jump off the page since on paper we played one of the tallest lineups in America.

Carey was awesome, one of his most efficient and consistent games ever in a key spot. He's such an anomaly as a player tho; last year his 3pt shot looked good. He didn't shoot many but was 14-30 and I remember many times it looked smooth and pure coming out. This year his 3pt shot looks abysmal. He almost has a hitch on it and even has a different release point. That said, he has established himself as a very good mid range scorer when he can get to his spots. In the context of our offense, him in the midrange is prob the 3rd or 4th best shot we can hope for. But from deep he has really fallen off a cliff.

Agree with your observations about his shot this year compared to last. This is why I was impressed that he only took 1 3P attempt . He hit 4-5 FG and 4-5 FT. He didn’t force shots, he took what came to him. Good IQ, good Coaching.

When we need to score points - the roster on the floor should be Bray/Ish/Carey/Weston/Rory. Spacing wise, Rory doesn't sit low and is a shooting threat defenses have to account for.

When we need to defend - Ish/Carey/Weston/Martin/Samb.

I know Bray had 4 steals - but Dayton doesn't have a traditional backcourt. Granted his defensive lapses seem to be effort issues and not skill, and Archie is working on that.

But really, when you think about it our rotation should be 7 deep without fouls - Bray/Ish/Carey/Martin/Samb with Weston/Rory off the bench. Alex and Bassy in emergencies only.

I know Alex played much better in the 2nd half, but he was the sole reason we got into the big hole 12-4. He missed two bunnies, missed a defensive rebound that led to a 3. Got burned on 2 defensive assignments, one that he fouled and gave up an and 1. Legit he was directly responsible for 8 points FOR Dayton, and minus four points against URI in the first 6 mins. Rory isn't that much worse, and in an offense that needs spacing inside to operate for it's best scorers, he gives you a very spread out defensive look. Tchikou only averages 3.3 rebounds a game. His dbox +/- is 1.6, Rory is -1.3.

To be clear I'm not saying Tchikou sucks - he's raw. His ceiling is high and I think he'll turn into a phenomenal player over the next 2 years. I think Rory is equally raw, has a higher ceiling that includes an outside shot, and can currently defend the low post at a similar level - maybe 10% worse.

Bassy is just overmatched at this level. He's good for 5-10 mins to run the offense and handle the ball while Bray gets a breather (or Archie needs to coach him), but he's just one dimensional. Can't shoot, can't defend. Can handle the ball and sees the floor rather well, but he also makes really bad decisions and panics when pressed.

I shouldn't be angry at Thomas - it's not like he's 4 star Jermaine Harris who can't even be bothered to jump for a ball. He was recruited by 1 division 1 coach and offered a scholarship - primarily I think because people were wondering how Tyler Kolek went to George Mason and won rookie of the year while our coach did nothing to get him in our own backyard. If I remember, there was a lot of fanfare about "see we can recruit Rhode Island kids" when Bassy signed.

Ehh I disagree about Alex. Samb probably played his best game defensively against Dayton. Aside from that we've gotten a little more out of Alex over the last few weeks. Mostly because he's 6'11

I'd also argue he didn't miss two bunnies. I at least consider bunnies wide open lay ups. He was driving and had someone right on him for both of those.

At this point all three are mostly the same and I think Archie plays whoever happens to be playing well on a game by game basis because no one is really outplaying the other by any significant margin.

Damn I wish Bilau wasn't hurt..

[Rhodymob05]

Theres definitely games like George Mason, where if Tchikou came out of the game, then we had no shot defending the paint. I think he has plenty of potential and we can't afford to not have his height/length with no Bilau/Foumena.

[Blue Man]

I think all are fair points. Agreed about Bilau - he was head and shoulders are best offensive and defensive option at the 5. We're splitting hairs in the frontcourt is all I'm saying.

[SGreenwell]

I think all are fair points. Agreed about Bilau - he was head and shoulders are best offensive and defensive option at the 5. We're splitting hairs in the frontcourt is all I'm saying.

We currently have two D+ / C- options, and one F option that are on the active roster. I realize people are now going to be bullish on Stewart for another month because he managed to hit 3s in back to back games vs. George Mason and Richmond, but his rebounding and shooting percentages are brutally bad.

It's hard to find comparables in the recent past for this front court. Like, D.J. Johnson is better than any of our current 4s and 5s. (I consider Martin, Carey and Weston to be 3s playing out of position, for classification sake's here.) Jermaine Harris' overall production matches Samb and Tchikou, which is kind of amusing. Guys like Walker, the Mitchells, Cyril and Hassan were better for pretty much their entire collegiate careers.

[SGreenwell]

Per 40 minutes, FG - FGA - PCT - 3P - 3PA - PCT - FT - FTA - PCT - ORB - DRB - TRB - AST - STL - BLK - TOV - PF - Points:

Jermaine Harris
3.7 8.9 .421 3.6 7.5 .477 0.1 1.4 .106 3.2 4.7 .685 7.0 1.1 1.0 0.5 2.6 5.5 10.8

Samb
3.9 7.6 .506 3.9 7.6 .506 0.0 0.0 1.8 2.4 .769 6.2 1.2 0.4 1.0 2.1 5.9 9.6

Tchikou
2.5 5.5 .444 2.5 5.4 .457 0.0 0.2 .000 4.3 6.6 .651 8.6 1.1 0.9 1.8 3.7 6.3 9.2

Stewart
2.9 9.8 .300 1.6 3.3 .500 1.3 6.5 .200 0.3 0.7 .500 6.2 0.7 0.0 0.0 2.0 4.9 7.5

[ramster]

I think all are fair points. Agreed about Bilau - he was head and shoulders are best offensive and defensive option at the 5. We're splitting hairs in the frontcourt is all I'm saying.

We currently have two D+ / C- options, and one F option that are on the active roster. I realize people are now going to be bullish on Stewart for another month because he managed to hit 3s in back to back games vs. George Mason and Richmond, but his rebounding and shooting percentages are brutally bad.

It's hard to find comparables in the recent past for this front court. Like, D.J. Johnson is better than any of our current 4s and 5s. (I consider Martin, Carey and Weston to be 3s playing out of position, for classification sake's here.) Jermaine Harris' overall production matches Samb and Tchikou, which is kind of amusing. Guys like Walker, the Mitchells, Cyril and Hassan were better for pretty much their entire collegiate careers.

I don’t see in the numbers per 40 minutes a whole lot of difference between Bilau and Tchikou. Certainly not Head and shoulders difference.

D022E0AD-56FC-46B8-A27E-FE0DFC3BCAE8.png

[SGreenwell]

I think all are fair points. Agreed about Bilau - he was head and shoulders are best offensive and defensive option at the 5. We're splitting hairs in the frontcourt is all I'm saying.

We currently have two D+ / C- options, and one F option that are on the active roster. I realize people are now going to be bullish on Stewart for another month because he managed to hit 3s in back to back games vs. George Mason and Richmond, but his rebounding and shooting percentages are brutally bad.

It's hard to find comparables in the recent past for this front court. Like, D.J. Johnson is better than any of our current 4s and 5s. (I consider Martin, Carey and Weston to be 3s playing out of position, for classification sake's here.) Jermaine Harris' overall production matches Samb and Tchikou, which is kind of amusing. Guys like Walker, the Mitchells, Cyril and Hassan were better for pretty much their entire collegiate careers.

I don’t see in the numbers per 40 minutes a whole lot of difference between Bilau and Tchikou. Certainly not Head and shoulders difference.

D022E0AD-56FC-46B8-A27E-FE0DFC3BCAE8.png

Bilau was hurt at the beginning of the year and now, hurt at the end of the year. When and if he plays college basketball again, it'll be after 6 to 18 months on the shelf, depending on how his recovery goes. (It'll probably be more toward the short end of that time frame, but everyone comes back from injuries differently.) I think his stats from this year are somewhat irrelevant as a result.

[ramster]

We currently have two D+ / C- options, and one F option that are on the active roster. I realize people are now going to be bullish on Stewart for another month because he managed to hit 3s in back to back games vs. George Mason and Richmond, but his rebounding and shooting percentages are brutally bad.

It's hard to find comparables in the recent past for this front court. Like, D.J. Johnson is better than any of our current 4s and 5s. (I consider Martin, Carey and Weston to be 3s playing out of position, for classification sake's here.) Jermaine Harris' overall production matches Samb and Tchikou, which is kind of amusing. Guys like Walker, the Mitchells, Cyril and Hassan were better for pretty much their entire collegiate careers.

I don’t see in the numbers per 40 minutes a whole lot of difference between Bilau and Tchikou. Certainly not Head and shoulders difference.

D022E0AD-56FC-46B8-A27E-FE0DFC3BCAE8.png

Bilau was hurt at the beginning of the year and now, hurt at the end of the year. When and if he plays college basketball again, it'll be after 6 to 18 months on the shelf, depending on how his recovery goes. (It'll probably be more toward the short end of that time frame, but everyone comes back from injuries differently.) I think his stats from this year are somewhat irrelevant as a result.

Bilau will be 23 years old in about 6 weeks. Plus rehab.
I only put his stats out there because I myself gave not seen a huge difference between the play of Tchikou and Bilau. I like them both but to say one is much better than the other I’ve not seen it, and the stats don’t show it either. Either way it’s between Tchikou and Samb now and sounds like some are now thinking Stewart I guess?

[SGreenwell]

I don’t see in the numbers per 40 minutes a whole lot of difference between Bilau and Tchikou. Certainly not Head and shoulders difference.

D022E0AD-56FC-46B8-A27E-FE0DFC3BCAE8.png

Bilau was hurt at the beginning of the year and now, hurt at the end of the year. When and if he plays college basketball again, it'll be after 6 to 18 months on the shelf, depending on how his recovery goes. (It'll probably be more toward the short end of that time frame, but everyone comes back from injuries differently.) I think his stats from this year are somewhat irrelevant as a result.

Bilau will be 23 years old in about 6 weeks. Plus rehab.
I only put his stats out there because I myself gave not seen a huge difference between the play of Tchikou and Bilau. I like them both but to say one is much better than the other I’ve not seen it, and the stats don’t show it either. Either way it’s between Tchikou and Samb now and sounds like some are now thinking Stewart I guess?

Bilau wasn't great at the start of the year, but he was improving from game to game and garnering more of the playing time. Archie clearly saw him as #1 on the big man depth chart, as he took three games to get from the bench to starting five in a row, before his injury. He managed to get into double figures three times, and played 25+ minutes four times. If you look at just his five starts, it's obviously a small sample size, but he averaged 24.2 MPG, 8.2 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 1.2 BPG, 2.8 TO.

[RJRam]

Bilau was hurt at the beginning of the year and now, hurt at the end of the year. When and if he plays college basketball again, it'll be after 6 to 18 months on the shelf, depending on how his recovery goes. (It'll probably be more toward the short end of that time frame, but everyone comes back from injuries differently.) I think his stats from this year are somewhat irrelevant as a result.

Bilau will be 23 years old in about 6 weeks. Plus rehab.
I only put his stats out there because I myself gave not seen a huge difference between the play of Tchikou and Bilau. I like them both but to say one is much better than the other I’ve not seen it, and the stats don’t show it either. Either way it’s between Tchikou and Samb now and sounds like some are now thinking Stewart I guess?

Bilau wasn't great at the start of the year, but he was improving from game to game and garnering more of the playing time. Archie clearly saw him as #1 on the big man depth chart, as he took three games to get from the bench to starting five in a row, before his injury. He managed to get into double figures three times, and played 25+ minutes four times. If you look at just his five starts, it's obviously a small sample size, but he averaged 24.2 MPG, 8.2 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 1.2 BPG, 2.8 TO.

Bilau was the only big that could be physical in the paint. He has weight and strength. I think Samb had his best game Wednesday because he tried to be physical. As Arch would say, "he worked HARD".
Let's not forget that Rory has had very little playing time, even less than Hutch, who we hardly got to know earlier in the season. I think Rory's problem is his defense. He is slow to react to an opponent's first offensive step. I think Rory is quick enough, but he has to learn to react quicker. Quick bigs just blow bye him with their first steps.

[UCH21377]

I think the three bigs should just rotate in and out. Be aggressive, if you get a couple fouls, so be it put the next guy in. Samb was much better the other night. He played tough and held his ground. Tchikou was better in the second half. Stewart is young but I see no problem with letting him bang around for 5-10 minutes a game; maybe he'll make a shot or two. We may never see Bilau again, unfortunately.