2012's Rebuild vs. Today

[Jersey77]

My issue with Samb is the lack of athleticism. I think he got blocked from behind by a 6’1 guard on a dunk attempt. He just doesn’t get off the floor well. If you are going to be a not too athletic big then you need to have plus ball skills - ie Andre Berry. Need to have a bag of moves and excellent footwork. Don’t necessarily see that potential with him.

I actually think he has lots of athleticism but still very raw and inexperienced.

If you think he has lots of athleticism what does Tchikou have? Alex can get his head to the rim whereas Samb barely gets the ball over it to dunk. I don’t see it Jersey. Seems very slow and plodding in his movement.

They are both athletic.
I saw Samb go left and right using either hand.
His biggest problem is basketball IQ and positioning,
Too many bad fouls, but again he is still only a freshman.
Like I said, he probably moves on.
Archie may be looking for someone that can immediately step in and produce.

[bigappleram]

I don’t define athleticism by being able to go left and right. To me those are ball skills. Athleticism for me from the 5 is someone that can jump out of the gym, block shots etc. Samb has strength over Alex for sure but just don’t see the level of athleticism needed to play the 5 at his size in the A10.

[theblueram]

Gonna be an interesting off season for sure. We are like one of the worst teams in the country.

[Jersey77]

I don’t define athleticism by being able to go left and right. To me those are ball skills. Athleticism for me from the 5 is someone that can jump out of the gym, block shots etc. Samb has strength over Alex for sure but just don’t see the level of athleticism needed to play the 5 at his size in the A10.

I have seen him with a few windmill dunks on practice video.
He also had some nice blocks where he got up there.
I don't think leaping ability is his problem.

[bigappleram]

I don’t define athleticism by being able to go left and right. To me those are ball skills. Athleticism for me from the 5 is someone that can jump out of the gym, block shots etc. Samb has strength over Alex for sure but just don’t see the level of athleticism needed to play the 5 at his size in the A10.

I have seen him with a few windmill dunks on practice video.
He also had some nice blocks where he got up there.
I don't think leaping ability is his problem.

I’ll take your word for it but haven’t seen any of that in games.

[Jersey77]

I don’t define athleticism by being able to go left and right. To me those are ball skills. Athleticism for me from the 5 is someone that can jump out of the gym, block shots etc. Samb has strength over Alex for sure but just don’t see the level of athleticism needed to play the 5 at his size in the A10.

I have seen him with a few windmill dunks on practice video.
He also had some nice blocks where he got up there.
I don't think leaping ability is his problem.

I’ll take your word for it but haven’t seen any of that in games.

BAR, I think many times his nerves take over in games and the natural flow isn't there yet.
Again much of that is inexperience and the development process.
Not uncommon for freshman especially bigs.

[SGreenwell]

I don’t define athleticism by being able to go left and right. To me those are ball skills. Athleticism for me from the 5 is someone that can jump out of the gym, block shots etc. Samb has strength over Alex for sure but just don’t see the level of athleticism needed to play the 5 at his size in the A10.

I have seen him with a few windmill dunks on practice video.
He also had some nice blocks where he got up there.
I don't think leaping ability is his problem.

I’ll take your word for it but haven’t seen any of that in games.

Yeah - If the athleticism doesn't translate to the stat line at all, it's kind of hard to point to it as a sign for optimism. Like Jalen Carey plays like an out of control mad man at times, but the athleticism then shows up as blocks, steals, points, FTA, turnovers... The NCAA doesn't track dunks, but I wish they did, because even that would be a helpful measuring stick to compare players better.

I also think some of this "Samb to the 4" talk is because he doesn't block shots or rebound. It "hides" the issue slightly if you move him to the 4, but it doesn't change that he's not really contributing enough value to the team.

[Rhody15]

I don’t define athleticism by being able to go left and right. To me those are ball skills. Athleticism for me from the 5 is someone that can jump out of the gym, block shots etc. Samb has strength over Alex for sure but just don’t see the level of athleticism needed to play the 5 at his size in the A10.

I have seen him with a few windmill dunks on practice video.
He also had some nice blocks where he got up there.
I don't think leaping ability is his problem.

Oh no Jersey please don’t be another person who judges our players on practice and warm up lines!

[Jersey77]

I don’t define athleticism by being able to go left and right. To me those are ball skills. Athleticism for me from the 5 is someone that can jump out of the gym, block shots etc. Samb has strength over Alex for sure but just don’t see the level of athleticism needed to play the 5 at his size in the A10.

I have seen him with a few windmill dunks on practice video.
He also had some nice blocks where he got up there.
I don't think leaping ability is his problem.

Oh no Jersey please don’t be another person who judges our players on practice and warm up lines!

No I don't, this was just about discussing his leaping ability, not quality of play.

[Jersey77]

I have seen him with a few windmill dunks on practice video.
He also had some nice blocks where he got up there.
I don't think leaping ability is his problem.

I’ll take your word for it but haven’t seen any of that in games.

Yeah - If the athleticism doesn't translate to the stat line at all, it's kind of hard to point to it as a sign for optimism. Like Jalen Carey plays like an out of control mad man at times, but the athleticism then shows up as blocks, steals, points, FTA, turnovers... The NCAA doesn't track dunks, but I wish they did, because even that would be a helpful measuring stick to compare players better.

I also think some of this "Samb to the 4" talk is because he doesn't block shots or rebound. It "hides" the issue slightly if you move him to the 4, but it doesn't change that he's not really contributing enough value to the team.

At this time, he isn't contributing and let's not confuse him as being a rim protector or a defensive presence under the rim.
I see him more as a forward because of his ability to run the court and his mid-range game.
He does have a nice shot and showed some flashes early on.
Look he is still only a freshman and has a long way to go in order to be a solid contributor.
At this time, we need an immediate impact player, and probably don't have the luxury to watch him develop.

[theblueram]

I’ll take your word for it but haven’t seen any of that in games.

Yeah - If the athleticism doesn't translate to the stat line at all, it's kind of hard to point to it as a sign for optimism. Like Jalen Carey plays like an out of control mad man at times, but the athleticism then shows up as blocks, steals, points, FTA, turnovers... The NCAA doesn't track dunks, but I wish they did, because even that would be a helpful measuring stick to compare players better.

I also think some of this "Samb to the 4" talk is because he doesn't block shots or rebound. It "hides" the issue slightly if you move him to the 4, but it doesn't change that he's not really contributing enough value to the team.

At this time, he isn't contributing and let's not confuse him as being a rim protector or a defensive presence under the rim.
I see him more as a forward because of his ability to run the court and his mid-range game.
He does have a nice shot and showed some flashes early on.
Look he is still only a freshman and has a long way to go in order to be a solid contributor.
At this time, we need an immediate impact player, and probably don't have the luxury to watch him develop.

For $2 Million plus, I want every recruit to be an impact player. I get we get bench players who may improve, but we are not a farm team.

[Jersey77]

Yeah - If the athleticism doesn't translate to the stat line at all, it's kind of hard to point to it as a sign for optimism. Like Jalen Carey plays like an out of control mad man at times, but the athleticism then shows up as blocks, steals, points, FTA, turnovers... The NCAA doesn't track dunks, but I wish they did, because even that would be a helpful measuring stick to compare players better.

I also think some of this "Samb to the 4" talk is because he doesn't block shots or rebound. It "hides" the issue slightly if you move him to the 4, but it doesn't change that he's not really contributing enough value to the team.

At this time, he isn't contributing and let's not confuse him as being a rim protector or a defensive presence under the rim.
I see him more as a forward because of his ability to run the court and his mid-range game.
He does have a nice shot and showed some flashes early on.
Look he is still only a freshman and has a long way to go in order to be a solid contributor.
At this time, we need an immediate impact player, and probably don't have the luxury to watch him develop.

For $2 Million plus, I want every recruit to be an impact player. I get we get bench players who may improve, but we are not a farm team.

Well Blueram let's see what our roster looks like for 23-24.

[theblueram]

At this time, he isn't contributing and let's not confuse him as being a rim protector or a defensive presence under the rim.
I see him more as a forward because of his ability to run the court and his mid-range game.
He does have a nice shot and showed some flashes early on.
Look he is still only a freshman and has a long way to go in order to be a solid contributor.
At this time, we need an immediate impact player, and probably don't have the luxury to watch him develop.

For $2 Million plus, I want every recruit to be an impact player. I get we get bench players who may improve, but we are not a farm team.

Well Blueram let's see what our roster looks like for 23-24.

Better not be a shitshow like this year. I'm not too concerned about roster, I want to see commits from high end recruits. TOP ONE HUNDY!!!!!!!

[Rhody15]

Yeah - If the athleticism doesn't translate to the stat line at all, it's kind of hard to point to it as a sign for optimism. Like Jalen Carey plays like an out of control mad man at times, but the athleticism then shows up as blocks, steals, points, FTA, turnovers... The NCAA doesn't track dunks, but I wish they did, because even that would be a helpful measuring stick to compare players better.

I also think some of this "Samb to the 4" talk is because he doesn't block shots or rebound. It "hides" the issue slightly if you move him to the 4, but it doesn't change that he's not really contributing enough value to the team.

At this time, he isn't contributing and let's not confuse him as being a rim protector or a defensive presence under the rim.
I see him more as a forward because of his ability to run the court and his mid-range game.
He does have a nice shot and showed some flashes early on.
Look he is still only a freshman and has a long way to go in order to be a solid contributor.
At this time, we need an immediate impact player, and probably don't have the luxury to watch him develop.

For $2 Million plus, I want every recruit to be an impact player. I get we get bench players who may improve, but we are not a farm team.

There is not one team in America who has 13 scholarship impact players.

Not D1, D2, D3, JUCO, NAIA.

[Jersey77]

For $2 Million plus, I want every recruit to be an impact player. I get we get bench players who may improve, but we are not a farm team.

Well Blueram let's see what our roster looks like for 23-24.

Better not be a shitshow like this year. I'm not too concerned about roster, I want to see commits from high end recruits. TOP ONE HUNDY!!!!!!!

As long as we win, I don't care what our recruits are ranked.
I trust our staff to be a good judge of talent, but I also realize there will be misses.

[theblueram]

Well Blueram let's see what our roster looks like for 23-24.

Better not be a shitshow like this year. I'm not too concerned about roster, I want to see commits from high end recruits. TOP ONE HUNDY!!!!!!!

As long as we win, I don't care what are recruits are ranked.
I trust our staff to be a good judge of talent, but I also realize there will be misses.

Well, the misses needs to end.

[RamStock]

I’ll take your word for it but haven’t seen any of that in games.

Yeah - If the athleticism doesn't translate to the stat line at all, it's kind of hard to point to it as a sign for optimism. Like Jalen Carey plays like an out of control mad man at times, but the athleticism then shows up as blocks, steals, points, FTA, turnovers... The NCAA doesn't track dunks, but I wish they did, because even that would be a helpful measuring stick to compare players better.

I also think some of this "Samb to the 4" talk is because he doesn't block shots or rebound. It "hides" the issue slightly if you move him to the 4, but it doesn't change that he's not really contributing enough value to the team.

At this time, he isn't contributing and let's not confuse him as being a rim protector or a defensive presence under the rim.
I see him more as a forward because of his ability to run the court and his mid-range game.
He does have a nice shot and showed some flashes early on.
Look he is still only a freshman and has a long way to go in order to be a solid contributor.
At this time, we need an immediate impact player, and probably don't have the luxury to watch him develop.

Let’s hope Samb joins the transfer portal. He is awful. There is no chance of him being a big part of a tourney team. We have some real below average players on the team and now the hope is Hutchins and Foumena will save us. Hutchinson has been behind some real bad players this year and unable to get playing time. Not good

[section(105)]

For $2 Million plus, I want every recruit to be an impact player. I get we get bench players who may improve, but we are not a farm team.

Well Blueram let's see what our roster looks like for 23-24.

Better not be a shitshow like this year. I'm not too concerned about roster, I want to see commits from high end recruits. TOP ONE HUNDY!!!!!!!

I will go out on limb, and say, next year we will be somewhere between a shitshow + and the auto bid……

[reef]

Looking forward to see Lou get some run

[RhowdyRam02]

Better not be a shitshow like this year. I'm not too concerned about roster, I want to see commits from high end recruits. TOP ONE HUNDY!!!!!!!

As long as we win, I don't care what are recruits are ranked.
I trust our staff to be a good judge of talent, but I also realize there will be misses.

Well, the misses needs to end.

There isn't a coach in America that can reach your standard. I used to think you should follow a blueblood program, now I think the only way you'd be satisfied is to find an old college basketball video game and fire it up on the easiest settings. Better not have a miss though or you'd want to fire yourself!

[SGreenwell]

As long as we win, I don't care what are recruits are ranked.
I trust our staff to be a good judge of talent, but I also realize there will be misses.

Well, the misses needs to end.

There isn't a coach in America that can reach your standard. I used to think you should follow a blueblood program, now I think the only way you'd be satisfied is to find an old college basketball video game and fire it up on the easiest settings. Better not have a miss though or you'd want to fire yourself!

I'll confess that I still fire up ESPN College Hoops 2K5 (2005) from time to time, just because I love the recruiting so much, haha. I won't even play the games - I'll just build a dynasty solely from recruiting and roster management. I'll also do this with the college football games as well. There is something kind of fun about recruiting and drafting, even in a fake context like video games.

[Jersey77]

Better not be a shitshow like this year. I'm not too concerned about roster, I want to see commits from high end recruits. TOP ONE HUNDY!!!!!!!

As long as we win, I don't care what our recruits are ranked.
I trust our staff to be a good judge of talent, but I also realize there will be misses.

Well, the misses needs to end.

I can't blame the staff for bringing in Bray. He is only a soph. and was on the Freshman All-A10 Team.
He had plenty of talent and upside, most felt this was a slam dunk.

As for Ant, Archie was willing to take the gamble considering he was coming from UNC and was a top 100 4* recruit.
Yes there was a red flag regarding his academics and some previous injury issues, but still worth taking the risk.

I really like the addition of Weston, he will be an impact player for us.

I think Bilau was coming around and the injury was just bad luck.

As for the freshmen, Rory and Hutch have shown flashes, so the jury is still out.
Foumena may be the best of the bunch, I will be excited to see him play next season.

The only thing I questioned was not bringing in a seasoned/proven Div.1 big.
We could have used an immediate impact player upfront and maybe help with the development of the younger players.

Once the staff has a full year and cycle to recruit, let's see how our future rosters will come together.

Like I said, I am giving this staff some time before I have post-season expectations.

[RhowdyRam02]

Well, the misses needs to end.

There isn't a coach in America that can reach your standard. I used to think you should follow a blueblood program, now I think the only way you'd be satisfied is to find an old college basketball video game and fire it up on the easiest settings. Better not have a miss though or you'd want to fire yourself!

I'll confess that I still fire up ESPN College Hoops 2K5 (2005) from time to time, just because I love the recruiting so much, haha. I won't even play the games - I'll just build a dynasty solely from recruiting and roster management. I'll also do this with the college football games as well. There is something kind of fun about recruiting and drafting, even in a fake context like video games.

Same! I'm going to be worthless the week after NCAA Football 24 comes out next summer, I'm already planning on taking a vacation week for that one

[Blue Man]

As long as we win, I don't care what our recruits are ranked.
I trust our staff to be a good judge of talent, but I also realize there will be misses.

Well, the misses needs to end.

I can't blame the staff for bringing in Bray. He is only a soph. and was on the Freshman All-A10 Team.
He had plenty of talent and upside, most felt this was a slam dunk.

As for Ant, Archie was willing to take the gamble considering he was coming from UNC and was a top 100 4* recruit.
Yes there was a red flag regarding his academics and some previous injury issues, but still worth taking the risk.

I really like the addition of Weston, he will be an impact player for us.

I think Bilau was coming around and the injury was just bad luck.

As for the freshmen, Rory and Hutch have shown flashes, so the jury is still out.
Foumena may be the best of the bunch, I will be excited to see him play next season.

The only thing I questioned was not bringing in a seasoned/proven Div.1 big.
We could have used an immediate impact player upfront and maybe help with the development of the younger players.

Once the staff has a full year and cycle to recruit, let's see how our future rosters will come together.

Like I said, I am giving this staff some time before I have post-season expectations.

Agree with all of this. I think the lack of a seasoned big/player is in Archie's desire to have a group of kids around in 2-3 years. Not one and done.

His system is complicated. It'll be easier in the future to bring 1-2 guys in every year when the rest of the team understands it and can help everyone get up to speed.

For this season it was going to be a tough grind to get everyone to play in a system they probably never have before. Why waste that training time on bringing in new pieces who weren't going to be able to teach future guys.

I bet you can bring in some upperclassmen next year because the whole existing roster will at least understand the packline.

[reef]

I’m still confident in the timeline

I think by year 3 we will be top 4 in conference annually with realistic shots to dance starting in year 4

We have the right coach in here

[Blue Man]

Just a good reminder that just because the first season’s W/L isn’t good, doesn’t mean that you’re not on the right track.

[ramster]

Just a good reminder that just because the first season’s W/L isn’t good, doesn’t mean that you’re not on the right track.

He took over for Al Skinner 2015-2019. Skinner went 41-84 with Silk Owens an Assistant Coach with him.

Skinners last year he went 6-26

[RIFan]

How many of the kids from the 1 win team are on this team?

So I quickly looked and I see 1 from a recent box score. Others can double check if they like as I am in the middle of doing some stuff And may have missed them since looking on my phone isn’t easy to compare rosters.

[reef]

Just a good reminder that just because the first season’s W/L isn’t good, doesn’t mean that you’re not on the right track.

He took over for Al Skinner 2015-2019. Skinner went 41-84 with Silk Owens an Assistant Coach with him.

Skinners last year he went 6-26

Any relation to Sharif the former NBA great ??

[ramster]

Just a good reminder that just because the first season’s W/L isn’t good, doesn’t mean that you’re not on the right track.

He took over for Al Skinner 2015-2019. Skinner went 41-84 with Silk Owens an Assistant Coach with him.

Skinners last year he went 6-26

Any relation to Sharif the former NBA great ??

His brother.

[KevanBoyles]

FWIW, I was just looking at our schedule to date and realized we’ve lost 10 games by five points or less and 16 by ten points or less. I think we’re closer to our goals than what many think.

[section(105)]

OK, fair enough. For me, I see those losses as late game, second half collapses, defensive breakdowns etc. etc. Poor overall shooting, too many turnovers etc. I would suggest it is a lack of talent, and on and on. This is where I separate from some here. Looking at the season as a series of near misses and we are close is not something I feel is going on here. Have at it.

[Rhody72]

The weaker the conference the easier it is to turn around the success of a program.

[RamStock]

The weaker the conference the easier it is to turn around the success of a program.

Not really. Are you going to improve to the top half of a bad conference? The place that the conference is at right now is it will be a 1-2 bid league going forward. It really doesn’t matter if you are Davidson, St. Louis or URI this season. All these teams are going nowhere, unless they get the auto bid. There are so many bad games within the conference and it is dependent upon their non conference schedule to steal wins to make a case for the tourney. There just aren’t any quality wins to be had in this conference right now. Both URI and the conference as a whole need to get better players. Archie missed with this years group. He isn’t going to find it in freshman with what is left so it will come down to the portal again.

[KeaneyBluBallz]

FWIW, I was just looking at our schedule to date and realized we’ve lost 10 games by five points or less and 16 by ten points or less. I think we’re closer to our goals than what many think.

F moral victories

[Billyboy78]

What should we be looking for in transfers? Players from P6 schools who haven't seen minutes, have underperformed their high school rankings and are looking for playing time? Or players from lower conferences who have already impressed and are looking to move up?

[theblueram]

FWIW, I was just looking at our schedule to date and realized we’ve lost 10 games by five points or less and 16 by ten points or less. I think we’re closer to our goals than what many think.

16 losses? What exactly are your goals and why are we close to them?

[theblueram]

What should we be looking for in transfers? Players from P6 schools who haven't seen minutes, have underperformed their high school rankings and are looking for playing time? Or players from lower conferences who have already impressed and are looking to move up?

BillyBoy, based on our track record, we should be taking the performing lower conference players. Just my thinking though.

[RamStock]

FWIW, I was just looking at our schedule to date and realized we’ve lost 10 games by five points or less and 16 by ten points or less. I think we’re closer to our goals than what many think.

16 losses? What exactly are your goals and why are we close to them?

Exactly. Are expectations are so low right now

[Jdrums#3]

What should we be looking for in transfers? Players from P6 schools who haven't seen minutes, have underperformed their high school rankings and are looking for playing time? Or players from lower conferences who have already impressed and are looking to move up?

78, I will take a stab at your thought provoking question…

From lower conferences: Top rated (say, top 5-Ish in their conference) and/or improving PG’s and shooters from the better teams in lower conferences as lower conferences tend to be more guard dominated. Maybe a good 4 or 5, if available - although, I would guess that good bigs in lower conferences that can play on our level are less plentiful than guards. I will throw in good, mature grad students, if any available.

Higher conferences: There are more of these for us to choose from this year with 11 better conferences therefore, more of a selection this year as an added bonus, wooo hoooo!

Capable higher conf players - positions 1 through 5 - that would rather be a bigger fish in a smaller pond and want to have a shot or another shot at making the big dance in year 2 or 3 during their time here. Or, a senior or grad student that want playing time and can be a bridge player at a weak position for a season.

Ooph, not an easy exercise sitting at home on my couch and not knowing the full list of who will be available yet.

[KevanBoyles]

FWIW, I was just looking at our schedule to date and realized we’ve lost 10 games by five points or less and 16 by ten points or less. I think we’re closer to our goals than what many think.

16 losses? What exactly are your goals and why are we close to them?

Exactly. Are expectations are so low right now

My thought is that we are currently not far away from winning more games and when we get better it will be reflected relatively quickly because we will be winning more games instead of losing them. I don’t see them as moral victories but a realization that it won’t take as much as some think to get over the hump.

[Jdrums#3]

Since the season is almost over, who won the thread - the 2012 Rebuilds or the Today’s ?

Or, is it a tie and we are we going into off-season overtime ?

[Rhody72]

The weaker the conference the easier it is to turn around the success of a program.

Not really. Are you going to improve to the top half of a bad conference? ...

I was referring to a team's W-L record particularly in the conference. A team that goes 1-15 in a weak conference (see Kennesaw above) has an easier chance of achieving a winning record than a team in a stronger conference.

[steveystuds06]

FWIW, I was just looking at our schedule to date and realized we’ve lost 10 games by five points or less and 16 by ten points or less. I think we’re closer to our goals than what many think.

16 losses? What exactly are your goals and why are we close to them?

Exactly. Are expectations are so low right now

Wow, you're literally the most negative person on this board, and it's not even close. Every time someone says something a little positive, you must remind us how bad this season is and how bad you think all our players are...

The expectation isn't to lose. You know that. The point is we have arguably the worst roster in the A10 (yes, I know that's on the coach), but we are in almost every game. Many of them we could have won. Plenty of coaches will tell you that rebuilding a program takes time, and learning how to win close games takes even longer.. Dan reminded us of that all the time, and we lost a bunch of games early in his career.

I'm excited to continue to see some of our guys develop and our incoming freshman class. I'm also excited to see who Archie brings in. I think this is a well-coached team, and we will make a jump next season.

[RamStock]

16 losses? What exactly are your goals and why are we close to them?

Exactly. Are expectations are so low right now

Wow, you're literally the most negative person on this board, and it's not even close. Every time someone says something a little positive, you must remind us how bad this season is and how bad you think all our players are...

The expectation isn't to lose. You know that. The point is we have arguably the worst roster in the A10 (yes, I know that's on the coach), but we are in almost every game. Many of them we could have won. Plenty of coaches will tell you that rebuilding a program takes time, and learning how to win close games takes even longer.. Dan reminded us of that all the time, and we lost a bunch of games early in his career.

I'm excited to continue to see some of our guys develop and our incoming freshman class. I'm also excited to see who Archie brings in. I think this is a well-coached team, and we will make a jump next season.

Thank you! Rebuilding is about players that you are looking forward to watching next year and are freshman who look to be talented and will grow. If you think that this group is about that and it makes you feel good then there is no problem. I think that it is fair to question Archie’s approach so far and also ask what is the plan for next year. Other than Ish and Bilau none of these players have the look of ones that will take you to the tournament. I hope I’m wrong, but also don’t want to be talking about the rebuild still in another 5 years. If it ends like Hurley where he succeeds and leaves for a bigger opportunity than it was a success.

[RIFan]

Losing 10 games by less than 5 seems like poor coaching to me. If you were that close how come you didn’t win some of those? If we started to win some of those close ones as the season went on then you could say we have something to point to, but that didn’t happen. I seem to remember a lot of people thinking we’d were going to be a better/different team as we got to mid-Jan, but we never really improved enough to make a difference. And a BTW, I’d be surprised if Bilau ends up being a significant piece as he can’t seem to stay healthy.

[SGreenwell]

Losing 10 games by less than 5 seems like poor coaching to me. If you were that close how come you didn’t win some of those? If we started to win some of those close ones as the season went on then you could say we have something to point to, but that didn’t happen. I seem to remember a lot of people thinking we’d were going to be a better/different team as we got to mid-Jan, but we never really improved enough to make a difference.

I think with the talent level of this team, there's an argument to be made that we probably should have lost more games by 20+ points, instead of just two (Kansas State, UMass). KenPom has us at the 284th "luckiest" team, and at least in his rankings, we're more in the territory of teams with 11 to 14 wins. Ultimately, I don't think 8 wins vs. 14 means much, but I do think Miller is wringing the most he can out of this roster.

[Blue Man]

FWIW, I was just looking at our schedule to date and realized we’ve lost 10 games by five points or less and 16 by ten points or less. I think we’re closer to our goals than what many think.

Literally 5 of our last 7 losses (Fordham, GW, VCU, Mason, St Louis) were either missed buzzer beaters (Fordham, GW) missed shots in the last minute (StL), or a made buzzer beater for the other team (VCU).

The idea of "f moral victories" doesn't make sense in YEAR ONE of a rebuild. Yeah, a senior laden team that's been under the same coach for 4 years doesn't get the benefit of pulling positives out of losses. But the cobbled together young team full of injuries that's learning a new system and is all a work in progress? If you're not looking for silver linings maybe just watch this team in 2025 because you'll just be angry all the time.

If you add to the list above overall - La Salle, Brown, BC, Tulane, Texas State, and Quinnipiac all fall into the "make a shot in the last minute, win the game" category. For those keeping track at home - that's 11 games that the literal bounce of a ball changes the outcome.

Say of those 50/50 type games we only get 50% of those bounces instead of zero? Well then we're 14-14 (7-9). Even if all the breaks went our way, 19-9 (10-7) doesn't get us into any postseason play regardless. So no matter what this year you were looking for moral victories. We didn't need the bounces this year, save em for when we do.

Culture and expectations have been set. Hopefully next year you'll have guys with mindsets like Ish/Alex/Lou as the vocal leaders. You'll have Weston emerging as a player. Bassy - despite his shortcomings on the court is obviously doing the right things off the court in Archie's eyes. And you'll bring in guys this staff wants - not guys they have to take.

All of that said - we're inconsistent and this conference sucks. You can't say with absolute certainty that with a few bounces we couldn't turn heads next week.

[RIFan]

Losing 10 games by less than 5 seems like poor coaching to me. If you were that close how come you didn’t win some of those? If we started to win some of those close ones as the season went on then you could say we have something to point to, but that didn’t happen. I seem to remember a lot of people thinking we’d were going to be a better/different team as we got to mid-Jan, but we never really improved enough to make a difference.

I think with the talent level of this team, there's an argument to be made that we probably should have lost more games by 20+ points, instead of just two (Kansas State, UMass). KenPom has us at the 284th "luckiest" team, and at least in his rankings, we're more in the territory of teams with 11 to 14 wins. Ultimately, I don't think 8 wins vs. 14 means much, but I do think Miller is wringing the most he can out of this roster.

That may well be the case, but I seem to remember us being up in most of the games we lost, only to go into a 5+ min scoring drought that ended up doing us in.

Hey, I hope you’re right and Archie got the most out of this group of America East recruits and when he has enough time to recruit and land players that should be in P6 conferences like Dan did we will be good. I guess we will be good when we are good. Duh!

I didn’t realize how bitter I am at this season until now. It may be my inability to see signs of life and things coming together.

[KeaneyBluBallz]

FWIW, I was just looking at our schedule to date and realized we’ve lost 10 games by five points or less and 16 by ten points or less. I think we’re closer to our goals than what many think.

Literally 5 of our last 7 losses (Fordham, GW, VCU, Mason, St Louis) were either missed buzzer beaters (Fordham, GW) missed shots in the last minute (StL), or a made buzzer beater for the other team (VCU).

The idea of "f moral victories" doesn't make sense in YEAR ONE of a rebuild. Yeah, a senior laden team that's been under the same coach for 4 years doesn't get the benefit of pulling positives out of losses. But the cobbled together young team full of injuries that's learning a new system and is all a work in progress? If you're not looking for silver linings maybe just watch this team in 2025 because you'll just be angry all the time.

If you add to the list above overall - La Salle, Brown, BC, Tulane, Texas State, and Quinnipiac all fall into the "make a shot in the last minute, win the game" category. For those keeping track at home - that's 11 games that the literal bounce of a ball changes the outcome.

Say of those 50/50 type games we only get 50% of those bounces instead of zero? Well then we're 14-14 (7-9). Even if all the breaks went our way, 19-9 (10-7) doesn't get us into any postseason play regardless. So no matter what this year you were looking for moral victories. We didn't need the bounces this year, save em for when we do.

Culture and expectations have been set. Hopefully next year you'll have guys with mindsets like Ish/Alex/Lou as the vocal leaders. You'll have Weston emerging as a player. Bassy - despite his shortcomings on the court is obviously doing the right things off the court in Archie's eyes. And you'll bring in guys this staff wants - not guys they have to take.

All of that said - we're inconsistent and this conference sucks. You can't say with absolute certainty that with a few bounces we couldn't turn heads next week.

stop it. moral victories are for losers.