Game #2 - vs UMass-Lowell - Sunday, Nov. 16, 2pm

luke · Unread post by **luke** » 9 years ago

Where was Onyekaba? Was he injured, suspended? Hope he was sick or something. Need him against Nebraska, especially with Hare gone.

hrstrat57 · Unread post by **hrstrat57** » 9 years ago

Seawrightspostgame wrote:PC played Albany to the wire..

These games against awful opponents have no rhyme or reason. All across the board.

Have to be happy they got so much work in 1 weekend and now can prepare like a football team over the week for Neb.

Hopefully we can run the ball considering they just gave up 408 yds to Wisconsin...

EC will be fine when he just settles down and takes the mid range shot that is his thing. Putting the head down to the rim can be a problem with 5 guys under the rim.

Agree, but Albany is actually a solid club....

ace · Unread post by **ace** » 9 years ago

adam914 wrote:Not to be that guy...but that was one ugly half of basketball. I know foul trouble didn't help, but if we play like that more we could be looking at 2-4 in a couple weeks easily.

0 for 3 in Florida seems unlikely, at least I would hope so.

Weird game. You knew they were going to win the whole way. There were flashes of tremendous play but it was mainly sloppy, getting the job done basketball.

I love these freshmen so much. And I like Hassan reminding everyone that there's more than one good sophomore out there for the Rams.

ace · Unread post by **ace** » 9 years ago

luke wrote:Where was Onyekaba? Was he injured, suspended? Hope he was sick or something. Need him against Nebraska, especially with Hare gone.

Still alive.

Rhody74 · Unread post by **Rhody74** » 9 years ago

luke wrote:Where was Onyekaba? Was he injured, suspended? Hope he was sick or something. Need him against Nebraska, especially with Hare gone.

Watson only played 5 min or so. Apparently Lowell's strategy was to foul Watson since he can't even hit the rim from the FT line. Iffy wouldn't have been any better.

Rhody74 · Unread post by **Rhody74** » 9 years ago

My take .... bad memories of last year .... poor FT shooting, poor 3-pt shooting, and too many turnovers. EC looked lost .... Lowell double-teamed him everytime he put it on the floor, so he turned it over several times.

Stars of the game were Hass, Reischel (especially in the first half) and to a lesser extent Terrell and Gil.

Actually, I think Lowell has pretty good coaching (certainly better than Pace). Considering the height disadvantage, I thought played pretty good D and crashed the boards.

My question about EC .... is it too soon to worry about him?

Unread post by **SGreenwell** » 9 years ago

Will has a pre-game and post-game piece posted: http://www.independentri.com/rhody_overtime/

Unread post by **ATPTourFan** » 9 years ago

ace · Unread post by **ace** » 9 years ago

Rhody74 wrote:
My question about EC .... is it too soon to worry about him?

80 minutes into his sophomore year... yes, yes it is.

My goodness.

theblueram · Unread post by **theblueram** » 9 years ago

Kind of a meh game. Tough to get up when playing UML. Found the 4 guard lineup interesting though. On to Nebraska.

ace · Unread post by **ace** » 9 years ago

Putting this right here because it might be the only time all season this is said

Unread post by **ATPTourFan** » 9 years ago

Rhody74 wrote:Actually, I think Lowell has pretty good coaching (certainly better than Pace). Considering the height disadvantage, I thought played pretty good D and crashed the boards.

Huh? Not sure about the boards. They had 6 in the second half and just 18 for the game vs 37 for Rhody.

Rhody shot 80% from the field in the second half!!

Unread post by **SGreenwell** » 9 years ago

ace wrote:
Rhody74 wrote:
My question about EC .... is it too soon to worry about him?
80 minutes into his sophomore year... yes, yes it is.

My goodness.

I'd also add that ESPN and Grantland have published a couple pieces on the stat concept of "gravity," which is being kept on that level. I'm not sure if it has filtered down to the college level completely yet, but basically, it's an attempt to measure by the cameras they have how much defense individual players attract. For the Rams, I imagine EC is the guy with the highest score - It's OK if he's taking a bad shot or forcing his offense every once in a while, because it forces the defense to stay tight on him.

PeterRamTime · Unread post by **PeterRamTime** » 9 years ago

I think E.C will come around. Everybody is still settling into their roles. He just needs to relax a bit more and don't try to force things when they aren't there. Balance his aggressiveness with poise. Just needs better decision making.
I loooooove it whenever Jared drives to the basket. So good.

ElmCityRhody · Unread post by **ElmCityRhody** » 9 years ago

I watched the game.. No thanks to SNY (brutal)..

A win is a win..

Now we need an early signature win next Saturday night vs Nebraska

Bos8 · Unread post by **Bos8** » 9 years ago

What worries me is that Umass Lowell had only 11 turn overs, were we nearly doubled that. If the press leads to the other team taking more free throws and not turning the ball over, I think that is concerning.

ram1980 · Unread post by **ram1980** » 9 years ago

Hurley -- 'The more they hear it, the more noise that's out there about free throw shooting, that's not going to help.' #URI #Rams

If they start making them the noise will go away.. Don't blame everyone else for a weakness on your team that has been here since day 1!!!
Not an impressive win at all..
EC needs to stop reading his pub and get back to team game.. Way too much forcing it by him.. I have no doubt that this will happen.. Sooner rather than later please.
Way too many turnovers especially when playing 3 or 4 guards at a time..
No Big O and Watson because of Umass lineup I would think. No real bigs on that team..
Nice game by Reichel.. Would love to see just a little consistency from him..
Love Garrett and Terrell.. Looks like a nice foundation with EC and Hass..

theblueram · Unread post by **theblueram** » 9 years ago

It didn't appear to me they broke a sweat during this game, so neither will I. The only concerning thing is Watson can't shoot FT's. Other than that the guys we have on the floor have some talent. Seemed like they were toying with this team.

ace · Unread post by **ace** » 9 years ago

The only moment of drama in the game was when Bill Koch tweeted that Terrell reached for his left hamstring after making a play. Thankfully, it seemed to be nothing.

twisted3829 · Unread post by **twisted3829** » 9 years ago

you can see the talent is there, it's just very raw right now, need to clean up the turnovers and bring in a free throw shooting coach

Hassan has been great so far
EC needs to learn to be the leader and when to make a play by shooting and when to make the play by passing
Watson needs to shoot free throws (that is what is limiting his numbers IMHO)
Terrell has a very nice shot
Garrett makes plays
Reischel played much better
Gil was effective, it was good to see him go up strong a few times and not weak like last year
Butler can be helpful but needs some work

adam914 · Unread post by **adam914** » 9 years ago

ace wrote:The only moment of drama in the game was when Bill Koch tweeted that Terrell reached for his left hamstring after making a play. Thankfully, it seemed to be nothing.

Definitely held my breath for a second when i was watching that play. Luckily he seemed fine seconds later.

Blue Man · Unread post by **Blue Man** » 9 years ago

My favorite thing to read is complaining about the "noise" instead of the fact that in the last 3 years we continue to get WORSE from the line. That's nauseating. I don't even care about anything else that happened today...that team that was on the free throw line today is a .500 team at best.

Free throws are a mechanical motion. It's the only thing across all sports that is 100% consistent. Same ball. Same distance. Same hoop. It's a practice issue ONLY. You know why Jimmy and Billy Baron were great free throw shooters? Because they worked at it. Relentlessly.

Hurley's Wagner teams shot in the 70s. I expected more of the same. Obviously I was mistaken.

I don't care how good we play against any team on our schedule, if this is who we are at the line...we will lose a lot.

That said, great game by Reischel. #WordsINeverPlannedToWrite #IHopeImWrongAboutHim

theblueram · Unread post by **theblueram** » 9 years ago

Watson missed like all of them. Who else was bad from the line?

BPR2010 · Unread post by **BPR2010** » 9 years ago

Things I gathered after watching today's game...
-No need to add to "the noise" as Dan called it. It's been 3 years now, and if anything we've regressed. Simply put, stop the noise by just hitting the free ones. Broken record stuff here, but practice and repetition works at the line. We aren't winning close games if we don't, period.
-The half-court offense looked stale when Minnis was running the point. On the other hand, Garrett added some life into it, making some great passes and getting things moving. Not a matter of if, but when Garrett starts. 2 different teams in the half-court with him out there, plain and simple.
-We have simply beaten these 2 cupcakes b/c of our size and athleticism. However, going forward, we aren't going to be outrebounding teams by 15+. We need to take care of the ball, they were EXTREMELY sloppy today. Garrett at the point and getting more minutes will certainly help that.
-Hassan's been our best player by far in 2 games. Guy gets the ball within 5 feet, and it's a sure thing. Gil has improved his defense immensely, quicker with the footwork. More aggressive on the glass too, which is a great sign.
-EC was forcing things in a horrible way today. I know Dan says he doesn't pay attention to the NBA talk, but it sure looked like he was trying to be LeBron today out there. Got himself into some awful situations by trying to beat double teams. Has to get the team involved a bit more and recognize when teams are doubling on him.
-Outside shooting has to improve a bit. I just wonder what will happen when teams slap a zone on us.

Overall, we're 2-0. But things have to improve if we want a shot against Nebraska/Kansas/Orlando field. Whether you say they're saving our true sets for better teams is fine. The free throw shooting is terrible against good/bad teams. Taking care of the ball is the other thing that must be better. Let's hope we get a packed house next Saturday night!

rambone 78 · Unread post by **rambone 78** » 9 years ago

Imagine if JH was still around, and shooting FT's.

Him and Watson could have ended up the worst FT shooting duo in the history of organized basketball.

Throw in Iffy, make that the trifecta!

That is some serious bricking. Our guards are going to have to pick up the slack. A lot. Even Biggie needs to get better. Not sold on Hassan's FT shooting yet either.

We've got a problem here. DH needs to stop worrying about what we think, and spend some serious practice time with them on the line. You would think they would have been doing that already, and maybe they have, but this is ridiculous.

We are going to lose more close games unless this improves.

Blue Man · Unread post by **Blue Man** » 9 years ago

theblueram wrote:Watson missed like all of them. Who else was bad from the line?

If you take watson out we were 8-13 instead of 8-17. That's still 61%.

The difference between our 14 win season last year and an 18 win season was our free throw shooting. It's a worrying trend at the beginning of year 3. We've been far below the national average, and good teams hit their free throws. If we want to be a good team, we need to hit those shots.

theblueram · Unread post by **theblueram** » 9 years ago

Agreed. We will not get to the tournament laying bricks at the line. Just not going to happen.

rambone 78 · Unread post by **rambone 78** » 9 years ago

Dan may have to add "free throw shooting prowess" to his priority list when evaluating big men on the recruiting trail.

Other than Gil and possibly Hassan, our big men stink shooting them. Gil graduates in May.

'Nuff said.

Unread post by **TruePoint** » 9 years ago

Free throw shooting needs to be better than last year and better than it was today, but 13 or 17 free throws is a pretty small sample size. Watson probably isn't going to get a lot better, but I think at least the guards and Gil and Hassan will shoot free throws decently. At least I hope so, and I don't see any good reason why they shouldn't.

rambone 78 · Unread post by **rambone 78** » 9 years ago

The guards as a group need to shoot them at 75% or so, given that the big men are going to drag the team percentage down into the upper 60% range.

I would take a high 60's team FT shooting percentage. Watson and Iffy have GOT to be at least around 50%.

70% plus would be awesome, but we've got too many bricklayers to reach that number.

section(105) · Unread post by **section(105)** » 9 years ago

My take; EC needs to locate his other game than dribble drive into a clogged lane against zones, we are becoming the college version of "hack-a-Ram", can we say the collective free throw % is just awful(no other way to say it) Jarvis needs to start, more minutes for Watson(even with the no glue free throw stroke) I still am not sold on Reischel, Bulter two steps back after the other nite( he threw a lazy pass across the face of the zone which got in the hands of defender and the our guy picked up silly foul trying to get ball back). Terrell needs more touches, better chance of that happening with Jarvis at the point , he has blow by speed that Biggie can only dream about, too many unforced turnovers, the tech on EC was earned. A win yes.

rambone 78 · Unread post by **rambone 78** » 9 years ago

All these posts about JG and JT are right on.

The sooner they start, and the more they play, the better we'll be.

Especially since EC isn't impressing us with his PG abilities right now.

Jarvis at the point, EC at the 2 and Terrell at the 3 is our best lineup, even now.

We are, now more than ever, one good big man away from being really good, really soon.

Will Dan find one in time to max this team's potential, while EC and Hassan are still here?

To me, that's the key to a deep NCAA run either next year or the year after.

Micheal_Phelps_22 · Unread post by **Micheal_Phelps_22** » 9 years ago

Did anyone else notice EC favoring his right knee a little at different times during the game? It seemed like it was bothering him a bit but not enough to slow him down.

First time seeing the freshman in person. Agree with everyone about Garrett. He is a true PG and will be starting sooner rather than later. Hopefully Terrell can stay out of foul trouble because he looked great in the limited minutes he played.

All the talent in the world means nothing if they cant hit FT's. At one point in the second half I looked up at the smaller scoreboard and it said they were shooting 11% for the game!!!!! they ended up "improving" to 47% but that has to stop or its going to result in some brutal close game losses.

adam914 · Unread post by **adam914** » 9 years ago

Micheal_Phelps_22 wrote:Did anyone else notice EC favoring his right knee a little at different times during the game? It seemed like it was bothering him a bit but not enough to slow him down.

I wondered about this to, but thought maybe it was just me. He was wearing some kind of brace or something to I thought.

bigappleram · Unread post by **bigappleram** » 9 years ago

my take after taking in the weekend doppio

-UM-L played 3 PGs at times today, and a 6'2 guy at the 4....they played 5 out motion offense, that dictated the player combos DH had to use, along with the foul trouble in the 1st half

-Jarvis Garrett will be starting by Orlando, if not by the next game. We are a different team with him running the show. He moves with purpose, he stays in control, he doesn't force things...and at times he has showed some dynamic offense and great passing. Knocked down an open 3 tonight, no doubt he is the real deal.

-I have been on the Hassan bandwagon since I saw him in HS. Granted he has played against midgets in these 2 games, but if he can continue to master that 4-5 foot baby hook it will translate against all competition. His length and athletic ability will allow him to get that off against anyone. He is learning how to be an interior player, but he is fun to watch.

-Terrell knocking down 3s is a good sign. His one knock out of prep school was his perimeter J. We are going to need all the perimeter scoring we can get. I already love JT, he plays with edge and swagger we need more of on our team. To me it seems we have a bunch of shy guys, we need more emotion out there. Its surprising given how overtly passionate our head coach is.

-EC is obviously forcing things and struggling with being the #1. As to be expected. Remember even in HS he wasn't the #1 (his back court mate who went to Mizzou was), and last year X was the alpha. EC is too talented and works too hard for him not to figure it out, not worried.

We need a BIG crowd on Saturday as a powerful 6th man to have any shot at pulling the upset. This will be a very difficult game for our young core, Big 10 strength and athleticism (but they are not tall) and a team that plays tough D. Oh yeah and they have an NBA first rounder who JT will likely have to cover. Also means prob more time for TJ on Saturday to try and stop Pettway.

-Jarvis, Jared, EC and Hassan are 4 of the most talented players we have had in a long long time. But they are all FR and SOPH. With that is going to come pains, groans, WTF moments, and turnovers. We will have to deal with it.

adam914 · Unread post by **adam914** » 9 years ago

Good stuff BAR...really like your point about Terrell's edge. I think it's spot on.

Curious to see what the spread will be Saturday.

Billyboy78 · Unread post by **Billyboy78** » 9 years ago

If the team is really hearing the "noise" regarding free throws, then it's in their heads. Instead of a free throw shooting coach, they might need a psychiatrist. And I'm not joking. If you go the line thinking you're going to miss, you'll miss. It's like when Steve Sax couldn't throw the ball from second base to first base. It's not necessarily mechanics. It's that ifyou're convinced you're going to throw the ball in the stands/miss the free throw, you probably will. And it's a domino effect. The more you miss, the worse the "noise" gets in your head. I would almost bet that most of these guys shoot them much better in practice. Then when games start, it's a different story. I imagine the team employs some sort of doctor like that? I don't know. Do they?

rambone 78 · Unread post by **rambone 78** » 9 years ago

BAR,your last paragraph says it all, really.

Need a couple more like them [preferably bigs] next year to be a dominant team.

We're getting closer and closer.

bigappleram · Unread post by **bigappleram** » 9 years ago

Also worth mentioning, through 2 games we have 37 assists on 66 baskets. Impressive number. If we can even get close to that vs better competition we will be in good shape.

bigappleram · Unread post by **bigappleram** » 9 years ago

Bone, I dont even think we need more of them, we just need them to get experience. A banger around them for rebounds and to defend the post and we are golden. Each of them has the potential to go down as an all time great at their position.

rambone 78 · Unread post by **rambone 78** » 9 years ago

Billyboy, I haven't said this before, but I've heard that they DO shoot FT's way better in practice.

No pressure there, even if Dan makes them do reps if they miss.

Hey, our most talented players are the younger players [plus Gil], and in the case of JT and JG, most likely our best FT shooters.

The rest? They are what they are. Not likely to change.

BAR, we might already have that in Watson now and Butts next season. But they are really 4's, and we need a 5.

bigappleram · Unread post by **bigappleram** » 9 years ago

Butts is a stretch 4 at best, maybe even a 3. He's 6'7 and wiry I believe. We do not need a dominant Center to win with those 4 guys. We just need size to defend the post and grab rebounds. Bonzie Colson would do.

Billyboy78 · Unread post by **Billyboy78** » 9 years ago

I'm glad to see people jumping on the Jarvis Garrett bandwagon. I've been hyping him since I saw him play last year. The kid is a player and in time, will also be a leader, just what you want out of your PG. I know the competition hasn't been great and it's hard to judge by these two games, but I think he's ready. I was down on Biggie last year, but there is improvement there also. We need all the good guard play we can get.

adam914 · Unread post by **adam914** » 9 years ago

Seawrightspostgame · Unread post by **Seawrightspostgame** » 9 years ago

Personally I hope these guys never read this board. Hopefully the noise isn't from here.

JT does exude confidence, stems from preparation. EC is just forcing his drives against teams that are lining up 5 guys for charges. JG is as advertised.

Tom98 · Unread post by **Tom98** » 9 years ago

I am concerned with a couple of things...#1 is our post game...we don't have one. Gil is not a 5 as we know and will struggle both offensively and defensively playing that position. Has anybody seen a difference in his game from last year to this year at the 5? Today Gil struggled offensively down low against one of the weaker teams we will play this season. He avoided contact offensively by trying to take a couple of off balance hook type shots and defensively was a non-factor. We need Gil to be better offensively and defensively then what he is currently showing. 8 points from our senior is not getting it done especially against a lower level team. He should be dominating against that level of competition. I am a fan of Gil and believe in his talent but he needs to player tougher down low and be more of a leader. Of course it is not his fault that he is playing out of position. #2 Point guard situation....Garrett needs to be starting and getting extended minutes plain and simple. Biggie just doesn't have the talent level in my opinion to bring our team to the next tier. The PG is the most important player on a basketball team. Until Garrett is really comfortable running our offense, we will be limited on how much success we can have. I'm fully confident that Garrett will continue to improve each and every game and if given starter minutes will be the true PG we have so desperately needed the last few years. Please Dan stop delaying the inevitable and go with the freshman.

bigappleram · Unread post by **bigappleram** » 9 years ago

Its gotta be a decent possibility that Jarvis Garrett gets his name called next Saturday with the starters.

adam914 · Unread post by **adam914** » 9 years ago

I wouldnt worry too much about who's name gets called to start. Hurley may wait a bit longer on that, but they both played exactly 23 minutes. I wouldn't be surprised to see garrett start getting more minutes, regardless of who starts.

The Dude · Unread post by **The Dude** » 9 years ago

Three areas of concern for me:
1) Turnovers (18 against "UMass-Lowell"...OUCH! Need I say more...? Jury is still out for me on Biggie. I still feel team as a whole is better with T.J. on the floor instead of him...and I understand that many won't agree with me.)
2) Free Throws (Even though Earl needs improvement and is responsible for an 0-4 spot in the free throw stat column, the team still needs a little work. A team that wants to battle with the big boys can't afford to struggle at all in this area if it wants to win games.)
3) 3 point shots (if they struggle to make them against UMass-Lowell, it's not a good sign)

Things I liked:
-Terrell is a smooth operator...really feel like he didn't turn it on till the 2nd half and even then I feel like this kid still has plenty more to show us down the road. He's crafty and sneaky on defense with some of his well timed reaches and pokes at the ball, which I found amusing at times. Sometimes it's hardly noticeable. If the refs don't watch him carefully, he'll get away with a lot.
-Jarvis is SMART...very crafty point guard. This kid passes the point guard eye test for me.
-I liked the aggressiveness of Hassan and Earl down low.
-Nice to see that Jarell could possibly be a decent offensive contributor off the bench. Only time will tell.

ace · Unread post by **ace** » 9 years ago

http://www.providencejournal.com/sports ... -hawks.ece

http://www.providencejournal.com/sports ... -small.ece