Apparently you guys visit this neck of the woods Tuesday. Here are the basic things to understand before the game begins.

1. Basketball is not considered important at ASU. In fact its existence is barely acknowledged by our fan base. Especially in December. Our fans traditionally show up for two games a year...UALR and Western Kentucky. Otherwise...no point. If you guys beat us by 30, we'd just assume its because our team sucks and we would go on about our football business. Basketball exists at ASU to kill time between the end of football season and Spring Practice/Conference Baseball

2. It didn't use to be this way. In the 1980's we were considered a highly ranked mid major, and we often played games in front of 8,000 or more. We hired an Idiot named Dickey Nutt in the 90's. He led us to our first NCAA tourney, and our idiot AD responded by giving him a lifetime contract. Fast forward to 2008, and we've fallen apart, are in a world of APR hurt, and are last in the Sun Belt. We hired John Brady, and he led us back to semi respectability, but has been unable to replicate the success of the 80's.

3. By definition, we are a decent Sun Belt School. We'll finish top 5 of the league, often top 3 with regularity. We are very tough to beat at home, and win a lot of home games. Including at least one upset at home each year. Last year MTSU lost one league game...at ASU. However we never get farther because we traditionally stink in OOC play, and we never get past the semifinals of the conference tourney. In that time, football became the sport at ASU, and all others are secondary. Rest assured, our athletic department will barely notice our basketball team sometime around Early January while everyone heads off to Mobile to play Ball State.

As for the team. We start 5 seniors. Only two were starters were last season. Two starters are senior transfers playing their only year here. Leading Scorer is Melvin Johnson, who is near the top in the country in 3 point percentage, but struggles defensively. Kirk Van Slyke vills the void down low, but can get out physicalled. We play good defense at home, but give up entirely too many points on the road. We're 5-3 with wins over Jackson State, Tennessee Martin, Central Arkansas, Lamar, and Niagra, and losses to Colorado, Wyoming, and Nebraska. All of our losses are on the road.

Playing in Jonesboro is difficult. Murray State's best team nearly lost to us here.

As you know, we're in the middle of a football coaching search. The X factor is that search. If we make a hire by Tuesday, he gets introduced at the basketball game and 5,000 fans show up to see him. If we don't make a hire. About 2200 will come, and the place will be a ghost town. The rest will be talking about coaching rumors.

Questions?

(12-14-2013 07:53 PM)chiefsfan Wrote:  Apparently you guys visit this neck of the woods Tuesday. Here are the basic things to understand before the game begins.

1. Basketball is not considered important at ASU. In fact its existence is barely acknowledged by our fan base. Especially in December. Our fans traditionally show up for two games a year...UALR and Western Kentucky. Otherwise...no point. If you guys beat us by 30, we'd just assume its because our team sucks and we would go on about our football business. Basketball exists at ASU to kill time between the end of football season and Spring Practice/Conference Baseball

2. It didn't use to be this way. In the 1980's we were considered a highly ranked mid major, and we often played games in front of 8,000 or more. We hired an Idiot named Dickey Nutt in the 90's. He led us to our first NCAA tourney, and our idiot AD responded by giving him a lifetime contract. Fast forward to 2008, and we've fallen apart, are in a world of APR hurt, and are last in the Sun Belt. We hired John Brady, and he led us back to semi respectability, but has been unable to replicate the success of the 80's.

3. By definition, we are a decent Sun Belt School. We'll finish top 5 of the league, often top 3 with regularity. We are very tough to beat at home, and win a lot of home games. Including at least one upset at home each year. Last year MTSU lost one league game...at ASU. However we never get farther because we traditionally stink in OOC play, and we never get past the semifinals of the conference tourney. In that time, football became the sport at ASU, and all others are secondary. Rest assured, our athletic department will barely notice our basketball team sometime around Early January while everyone heads off to Mobile to play Ball State.

As for the team. We start 5 seniors. Only two were starters were last season. Two starters are senior transfers playing their only year here. Leading Scorer is Melvin Johnson, who is near the top in the country in 3 point percentage, but struggles defensively. Kirk Van Slyke vills the void down low, but can get out physicalled. We play good defense at home, but give up entirely too many points on the road. We're 5-3 with wins over Jackson State, Tennessee Martin, Central Arkansas, Lamar, and Niagra, and losses to Colorado, Wyoming, and Nebraska. All of our losses are on the road.

Playing in Jonesboro is difficult. Murray State's best team nearly lost to us here.

As you know, we're in the middle of a football coaching search. The X factor is that search. If we make a hire by Tuesday, he gets introduced at the basketball game and 5,000 fans show up to see him. If we don't make a hire. About 2200 will come, and the place will be a ghost town. The rest will be talking about coaching rumors.

Questions?

toledo was a big basketball school from the 40s into the mid 80s, especially during the bobby nichols years. things kinda fell apart a bit then returned to respectability under 2 coaches including former player stan joplin who won but couldn't get the team back to the ncaas (where he hit a buzzer beater to knock off big10 champ iowa and send us to the sweet 16, 30 yrs ago). joplin got caught up in some scandels (none involving him directly) was replaced and the team tanked for a few years but is improving.

this yr we are undefeated behind a good all around team that goes 9 deep and relies on good bandhandling, lots of scoring and man to man d w a lot of help. we aren't huge but are athletic.

is the game on tv or a webcast down there?

(12-14-2013 08:05 PM)pono Wrote:  

(12-14-2013 07:53 PM)chiefsfan Wrote:  Apparently you guys visit this neck of the woods Tuesday. Here are the basic things to understand before the game begins.

1. Basketball is not considered important at ASU. In fact its existence is barely acknowledged by our fan base. Especially in December. Our fans traditionally show up for two games a year...UALR and Western Kentucky. Otherwise...no point. If you guys beat us by 30, we'd just assume its because our team sucks and we would go on about our football business. Basketball exists at ASU to kill time between the end of football season and Spring Practice/Conference Baseball

2. It didn't use to be this way. In the 1980's we were considered a highly ranked mid major, and we often played games in front of 8,000 or more. We hired an Idiot named Dickey Nutt in the 90's. He led us to our first NCAA tourney, and our idiot AD responded by giving him a lifetime contract. Fast forward to 2008, and we've fallen apart, are in a world of APR hurt, and are last in the Sun Belt. We hired John Brady, and he led us back to semi respectability, but has been unable to replicate the success of the 80's.

3. By definition, we are a decent Sun Belt School. We'll finish top 5 of the league, often top 3 with regularity. We are very tough to beat at home, and win a lot of home games. Including at least one upset at home each year. Last year MTSU lost one league game...at ASU. However we never get farther because we traditionally stink in OOC play, and we never get past the semifinals of the conference tourney. In that time, football became the sport at ASU, and all others are secondary. Rest assured, our athletic department will barely notice our basketball team sometime around Early January while everyone heads off to Mobile to play Ball State.

As for the team. We start 5 seniors. Only two were starters were last season. Two starters are senior transfers playing their only year here. Leading Scorer is Melvin Johnson, who is near the top in the country in 3 point percentage, but struggles defensively. Kirk Van Slyke vills the void down low, but can get out physicalled. We play good defense at home, but give up entirely too many points on the road. We're 5-3 with wins over Jackson State, Tennessee Martin, Central Arkansas, Lamar, and Niagra, and losses to Colorado, Wyoming, and Nebraska. All of our losses are on the road.

Playing in Jonesboro is difficult. Murray State's best team nearly lost to us here.

As you know, we're in the middle of a football coaching search. The X factor is that search. If we make a hire by Tuesday, he gets introduced at the basketball game and 5,000 fans show up to see him. If we don't make a hire. About 2200 will come, and the place will be a ghost town. The rest will be talking about coaching rumors.

Questions?

toledo was a big basketball school from the 40s into the mid 80s, especially during the bobby nichols years. things kinda fell apart a bit then returned to respectability under 2 coaches including former player stan joplin who won but couldn't get the team back to the ncaas (where he hit a buzzer beater to knock off big10 champ iowa and send us to the sweet 16, 30 yrs ago). joplin got caught up in some scandels (none involving him directly) was replaced and the team tanked for a few years but is improving.

this yr we are undefeated behind a good all around team that goes 9 deep and relies on good bandhandling, lots of scoring and man to man d w a lot of help. we aren't huge but are athletic.

is the game on tv or a webcast down there?

We'll have video on our website. Sometimes they have been for free...other times its been a pay service. I'd check closer to game time.

We've got three starters over 6-6, but have difficulty guarding the three. A Nebraska team that's terrible from three bombed away on us for twenty minutes today before we woke up in the second half and outscored them by 11. Problem is that its a 40 minute game.

(12-14-2013 08:09 PM)chiefsfan Wrote:  

(12-14-2013 08:05 PM)pono Wrote:  

(12-14-2013 07:53 PM)chiefsfan Wrote:  Apparently you guys visit this neck of the woods Tuesday. Here are the basic things to understand before the game begins.

1. Basketball is not considered important at ASU. In fact its existence is barely acknowledged by our fan base. Especially in December. Our fans traditionally show up for two games a year...UALR and Western Kentucky. Otherwise...no point. If you guys beat us by 30, we'd just assume its because our team sucks and we would go on about our football business. Basketball exists at ASU to kill time between the end of football season and Spring Practice/Conference Baseball

2. It didn't use to be this way. In the 1980's we were considered a highly ranked mid major, and we often played games in front of 8,000 or more. We hired an Idiot named Dickey Nutt in the 90's. He led us to our first NCAA tourney, and our idiot AD responded by giving him a lifetime contract. Fast forward to 2008, and we've fallen apart, are in a world of APR hurt, and are last in the Sun Belt. We hired John Brady, and he led us back to semi respectability, but has been unable to replicate the success of the 80's.

3. By definition, we are a decent Sun Belt School. We'll finish top 5 of the league, often top 3 with regularity. We are very tough to beat at home, and win a lot of home games. Including at least one upset at home each year. Last year MTSU lost one league game...at ASU. However we never get farther because we traditionally stink in OOC play, and we never get past the semifinals of the conference tourney. In that time, football became the sport at ASU, and all others are secondary. Rest assured, our athletic department will barely notice our basketball team sometime around Early January while everyone heads off to Mobile to play Ball State.

As for the team. We start 5 seniors. Only two were starters were last season. Two starters are senior transfers playing their only year here. Leading Scorer is Melvin Johnson, who is near the top in the country in 3 point percentage, but struggles defensively. Kirk Van Slyke vills the void down low, but can get out physicalled. We play good defense at home, but give up entirely too many points on the road. We're 5-3 with wins over Jackson State, Tennessee Martin, Central Arkansas, Lamar, and Niagra, and losses to Colorado, Wyoming, and Nebraska. All of our losses are on the road.

Playing in Jonesboro is difficult. Murray State's best team nearly lost to us here.

As you know, we're in the middle of a football coaching search. The X factor is that search. If we make a hire by Tuesday, he gets introduced at the basketball game and 5,000 fans show up to see him. If we don't make a hire. About 2200 will come, and the place will be a ghost town. The rest will be talking about coaching rumors.

Questions?

toledo was a big basketball school from the 40s into the mid 80s, especially during the bobby nichols years. things kinda fell apart a bit then returned to respectability under 2 coaches including former player stan joplin who won but couldn't get the team back to the ncaas (where he hit a buzzer beater to knock off big10 champ iowa and send us to the sweet 16, 30 yrs ago). joplin got caught up in some scandels (none involving him directly) was replaced and the team tanked for a few years but is improving.

this yr we are undefeated behind a good all around team that goes 9 deep and relies on good bandhandling, lots of scoring and man to man d w a lot of help. we aren't huge but are athletic.

is the game on tv or a webcast down there?

We'll have video on our website. Sometimes they have been for free...other times its been a pay service. I'd check closer to game time.

We've got three starters over 6-6, but have difficulty guarding the three. A Nebraska team that's terrible from three bombed away on us for twenty minutes today before we woke up in the second half and outscored them by 11. Problem is that its a 40 minute game.

Welcome, chiefsfan. I've seen your posts on the MAC boards and enjoy them. Glad you stopped by. Our offense begins with PG Juice Brown who gets about 7 assists to 2.5 TOs a game. Rian Pearson is a senior trnasfer who led the conference in scoring last year and is close to the top again. UT averages about 13 ppg more than the next nearest MAC team so the O is pretty potent. We also struggle against the 3 although today we held one of the top three point teams in the nation to something like 4-15. As pono mentioned we are pretty athletic but our big guys are young (frosh and soph). we have two freshman role players that have been awfully good- jon jon Williams, a stone shooter who put up 16 today (including some threes) and Jordan Lauf who is worth watching because, and I truly believe this, no one in the nation plays any harder. The guy often walks off the floor with shiners, cuts, floor burns etc over significant portions of his body. If you think you are looking at a senior Tight End instead of a freshman guard, hoops category, you would be forgiven. A State sounds like they've been quite successful so far this year and will be our biggest test until we play Kansas later in the month. Hope it's a good game and State comes in second place!

What chiefsfan isn't telling is that they have a 6'10" fifth year senior transfer from University of Houston Kirk VAnSlyke who had a double-double against Nebraska, ASU played one of their poorer games in this game this year. They are athletic and have several players above 6'6" as he said. They have played Colorado, Niagara, Nebraska, Lamar and Tenn-Martin. A very nice D1 schedule so far. This will be a good test for UT, especially on the road. i'm just glad this isn't football, or we would be in trouble.

(12-14-2013 09:38 PM)utrocks84 Wrote:  What chiefsfan isn't telling is that they have a 6'10" fifth year senior transfer from University of Houston Kirk VAnSlyke who had a double-double against Nebraska, ASU played one of their poorer games in this game this year. They are athletic and have several players above 6'6" as he said. They have played Colorado, Niagara, Nebraska, Lamar and Tenn-Martin. A very nice D1 schedule so far. This will be a good test for UT, especially on the road. i'm just glad this isn't football, or we would be in trouble.

Nor have they beaten anyone with a winning record yet.

I guess thats why they play the game.

Remember guys, Toledo also has a home and home in football with Ark State in the future.

(12-15-2013 03:58 PM)Terry Wrote:  Remember guys, Toledo also has a home and home in football with Ark State in the future.

And we plan on sweeping it...

I'm just glad to get a quality G5 home and home in football. CUSA teams wont play us...something about beating them far too often. Miami and Missouri will play us, but not North Texas...they are too good for us.

(12-14-2013 09:38 PM)utrocks84 Wrote:  What chiefsfan isn't telling is that they have a 6'10" fifth year senior transfer from University of Houston Kirk VAnSlyke who had a double-double against Nebraska, ASU played one of their poorer games in this game this year. They are athletic and have several players above 6'6" as he said. They have played Colorado, Niagara, Nebraska, Lamar and Tenn-Martin. A very nice D1 schedule so far. This will be a good test for UT, especially on the road. i'm just glad this isn't football, or we would be in trouble.

I mentioned Van Slyke. He's been up and down. Capable of going on a crazy run and scoring 20 points in a half, and then not showing up for the next twenty minutes. He's good from three, but sometimes get addicted.

We've played all D1 teams, but none of our wins were good teams. I am not sure how they are doing now, but Niagra, Lamar, and UCA all had one win when we played them. We've got Marshall on the road Saturday, so we're using this week to test where we are pre conference.

We lost one of our best bench players Saturday after he quit the team without warning. Our coaching staff then followed it up accusing an unknown school for illegally recruiting players, and filed a complaint with the NCAA about that school. Been a strange week. This would be a huge deal here had we not been looking for a football coach for the 5th straight season.

chiefsfan, we or least I would be interested in your take on tonight's game.
Thanks in advance.

(12-17-2013 10:13 PM)NewMex RocketFan Wrote:  chiefsfan, we or least I would be interested in your take on tonight's game.
Thanks in advance.

+1 Van Slyke gave us fits early on but the pace seemed to take a toll in half two.

(12-17-2013 10:13 PM)NewMex RocketFan Wrote:  chiefsfan, we or least I would be interested in your take on tonight's game.
Thanks in advance.

Typical ASU. We play great for a half, and then fail to do anything in the 2nd half. That first half was one of the cleanest combined halves of basketball I have ever seen at the Convo. Van Slyke was giving you guys all sorts of trouble, and Golden and Townsel were hitting enough from three to keep us ahead.

The 2nd half, Van Slyke looked tired from the pace, Golden started missing, and Melvin Johnson couldn't get untracked. You guys meanwhile played consistent throughout, and absolutely destroyed us on the boards. Guard play was just too athletic, and we didn't really have much of a shot once the lead hit double figures.

I felt as long as we kept it within 6 points or so, we stood a decent shot at winning, but I knew there would be no way we could hold you guys down long enough to go on a major run. Reed missing that layup with about 13 minutes left that would have tied really was the final turning point.

You guys are going to win a lot of games this year. Wouldn't be shocked to be seeing you on CBS/TBS come March.

(12-17-2013 11:02 PM)chiefsfan Wrote:  

(12-17-2013 10:13 PM)NewMex RocketFan Wrote:  chiefsfan, we or least I would be interested in your take on tonight's game.
Thanks in advance.

Typical ASU. We play great for a half, and then fail to do anything in the 2nd half. That first half was one of the cleanest combined halves of basketball I have ever seen at the Convo. Van Slyke was giving you guys all sorts of trouble, and Golden and Townsel were hitting enough from three to keep us ahead.

The 2nd half, Van Slyke looked tired from the pace, Golden started missing, and Melvin Johnson couldn't get untracked. You guys meanwhile played consistent throughout, and absolutely destroyed us on the boards. Guard play was just too athletic, and we didn't really have much of a shot once the lead hit double figures.
I felt as long as we kept it within 6 points or so, we stood a decent shot at winning, but I knew there would be no way we could hold you guys down long enough to go on a major run. Reed missing that layup with about 13 minutes left that would have tied really was the final turning point.

You guys are going to win a lot of games this year. Wouldn't be shocked to be seeing you on CBS/TBS come March.

We were just on TV in the NCAAs in 1981 so we wouldn't be surprised either...wait, yes we would. We were so bad three years ago that a winning season seemed impossible so we're thrilled to be picking up quality road wins.

(12-17-2013 11:26 PM)H2Oville Rocket Wrote:  

(12-17-2013 11:02 PM)chiefsfan Wrote:  

(12-17-2013 10:13 PM)NewMex RocketFan Wrote:  chiefsfan, we or least I would be interested in your take on tonight's game.
Thanks in advance.

Typical ASU. We play great for a half, and then fail to do anything in the 2nd half. That first half was one of the cleanest combined halves of basketball I have ever seen at the Convo. Van Slyke was giving you guys all sorts of trouble, and Golden and Townsel were hitting enough from three to keep us ahead.

The 2nd half, Van Slyke looked tired from the pace, Golden started missing, and Melvin Johnson couldn't get untracked. You guys meanwhile played consistent throughout, and absolutely destroyed us on the boards. Guard play was just too athletic, and we didn't really have much of a shot once the lead hit double figures.
I felt as long as we kept it within 6 points or so, we stood a decent shot at winning, but I knew there would be no way we could hold you guys down long enough to go on a major run. Reed missing that layup with about 13 minutes left that would have tied really was the final turning point.

You guys are going to win a lot of games this year. Wouldn't be shocked to be seeing you on CBS/TBS come March.

We were just on TV in the NCAAs in 1981 so we wouldn't be surprised either...wait, yes we would. We were so bad three years ago that a winning season seemed impossible so we're thrilled to be picking up quality road wins.

I know. We've been using your recruiting on our board to show how we should be recruiting. You guys were awful a few years ago, and now you're 10-0. We meanwhile keep settling for off the radar JUCO guys, and hoping one sticks.

At least we'll name our football coach tomorrow and I can go back to focusing on that.

coach K did a really good job building his program around good character well rounded type guys. he added in a little more athleticism, but having that core of determined and likeable student athletes made it easier to recruit similar young men. meanwhile, he was careful to balance the classes so there is always veteran leadership and experience but not so much that young guys can't find minutes or the program will crash w the garaduation of one class.

the rockets are also very well set for next year. we will lose one of our best players, but it's at a position we have great depth. otherwise, a solid 5th yr sr backup. on top of that our strong jr class will be positioned to have 3 sr leaders next yr.

chiefsfan "That first half was one of the cleanest combined halves of basketball I have ever seen at the Convo," is something we've heard almost every game from opposing announcers and fans. the rockets play a fast but clean style of game that fits w the new rules and has led to a bunch of really entertaining basketball games (or half games). there are some bigger more powerful teams out there, but few who are playing their game as smoothly as the rockets right now.

(12-17-2013 11:02 PM)chiefsfan Wrote:  

(12-17-2013 10:13 PM)NewMex RocketFan Wrote:  chiefsfan, we or least I would be interested in your take on tonight's game.
Thanks in advance.

Typical ASU. We play great for a half, and then fail to do anything in the 2nd half. That first half was one of the cleanest combined halves of basketball I have ever seen at the Convo. Van Slyke was giving you guys all sorts of trouble, and Golden and Townsel were hitting enough from three to keep us ahead.

The 2nd half, Van Slyke looked tired from the pace, Golden started missing, and Melvin Johnson couldn't get untracked. You guys meanwhile played consistent throughout, and absolutely destroyed us on the boards. Guard play was just too athletic, and we didn't really have much of a shot once the lead hit double figures.

I felt as long as we kept it within 6 points or so, we stood a decent shot at winning, but I knew there would be no way we could hold you guys down long enough to go on a major run. Reed missing that layup with about 13 minutes left that would have tied really was the final turning point.

You guys are going to win a lot of games this year. Wouldn't be shocked to be seeing you on CBS/TBS come March.

Thanks chiefsfan. Beyond your astute observations of the first half I would add defense. The Red Wolves played exceptional defense against the Rockets, particularly against Juice Brown. On the flip, the Rockets could not contain the perimeter, getting torched by a three point barrage. The upside is that they left ASU outside shooters alone that UT did not foul. The second half defense extended with purpose all but taking away the three point attempt. The line changes by Coach K did wear down the Red Wolves who gave up too many close in shots not to mention rebounds. The Rockets needed a strong second half to come out of Jonesboro with the W.

This win was very similar to many of our victories this season. Keep it close at the half, make some adjustments at half time, hit the other team with a string of athletes where the talent level doesn't drop off as you go down the bench and then just pull away in the second half. Nice win on the road. I can't wait to see the Rockets this weekend vs. Cleve St. If I remember right we owe them some payback for the last few games against them which haven't gone well for the Rockets.

(12-18-2013 02:36 AM)pono Wrote:  coach K did a really good job building his program around good character well rounded type guys. he added in a little more athleticism, but having that core of determined and likeable student athletes made it easier to recruit similar young men. meanwhile, he was careful to balance the classes so there is always veteran leadership and experience but not so much that young guys can't find minutes or the program will crash w the garaduation of one class.

the rockets are also very well set for next year. we will lose one of our best players, but it's at a position we have great depth. otherwise, a solid 5th yr sr backup. on top of that our strong jr class will be positioned to have 3 sr leaders next yr.

chiefsfan "That first half was one of the cleanest combined halves of basketball I have ever seen at the Convo," is something we've heard almost every game from opposing announcers and fans. the rockets play a fast but clean style of game that fits w the new rules and has led to a bunch of really entertaining basketball games (or half games). there are some bigger more powerful teams out there, but few who are playing their game as smoothly as the rockets right now.

Lets be clear, clean half is most likely bad for ASU. For years the reputation of this team under Brady was that we played tough, physical defense, and won that way. The New foul rules completely destroyed that, and we've been adjusting ever since.