that was so ******* stupid on that possession. come on guys dont have to shoot a 3 there then dumb turnover leads to UD layup

Down 1 with 12 seconds. Still have a shot

Brown...Kent...McLean...somebody hit a 3 here and get this to OT!!

If I'm Delaware, I put 5 guys on the perimeter to defend. Leave inside the arc empty.

And, that's a fitting way to throw a game away. Sheesh. Just terrible.

McLean lol that sums up the game and the season.

McLean has been BAD.

No sugar coating that one. Just awful performance by the Good Guys. Long ride home. Played with a lot of heart Thursday at home. Can't say that about them tonight. First time I've said that since the CAA schedule began.

(01-28-2017 09:05 PM)Wear Purple Wrote:  No sugar coating that one. Just awful performance by the Good Guys. Long ride home. Played with a lot of heart Thursday at home. Can't say that about them tonight. First time I've said that since the CAA schedule began.

I agree that it is a tough/bad loss but I disagree about the heart. I think the team fought- they are just limited. Other teams really push them out past the 3 point line because of the guards. Also Dalembert would have helped contest some of the Delaware big's inside shots.

Kent has gotten better at driving but he's not a natural and McLean is undersized so if a team has some size on the perimeter- which Delaware does- it gives him trouble and he turns the ball over, etc.

I think you can put to bed the idea that the coaching/offense is why guys aren't taking/making 3s. Brown caught fire at the end but most if not all of his 3 point looks were open. McLean the same. The problem is that Holmes never shoots and Snowden doesn't pull the trigger when open from 3 as well. That's not coaching- that's on the players.

(01-28-2017 07:56 PM)Hart Foundation Wrote:  Ugly 1st half. Rowe continues to be as hard-headed as can be and refuses to use the 3-2 zone that was so effective last year.
Losing by 10 to the last place Blue Chickens.

C'mon man.

Hart, if you watch every game you will see that Coach Rowe mixes defenses. He played some match up zone, some 1-3-1, some 2-3, and man. I think if you watch basketball most teams and coaches mix defenses. Maybe they can bring you on staff to replace Deane?

He prefers man defense even with a lineup that is slow footed. Bad combo

Another thing to note is Rowe admitted he needed to fix the offense this week. He said he needed 2 guys to step up offensively but it wasn't Kent, McLean, Vodanovich, Snowden, or Satkus.

It looks like he is going to let Brown shoot out of his funk from what we saw Thursday and Saturday. Cabarkapa? It was lip service. He didn't play at all last night and only 7 minutes Thursday. 23 games into the season Rowe is still struggling to find the balance between offense and defense. Last place Delaware made JMU look bad and out of sync

I agree that JMU has tried to mix in much more three point shooting the last two games. Awfully tough to fundamentally change an offense this late in the season. 97, I've never had the pleasure of meeting you and I'm sure you're a nice guy, but you seem incapable of offering up any criticism of Lou Rowe. I have no personal animus towards you or Rowe, but no one can convince me this team is well-coached. From the beginning of the season until now, the team as a whole plays below its talent level. No one has ever argued that the returning cast of players were terribly athletic with lateral quickness and hops, but they were good enough to be part of two 20 win teams essentially (yes, with Curry and Winston Grays). Why not play a style that lends itself to success like they played last year (a perimeter-based motion offense of sorts relying on three point shooting mixed in with some low-post passes and a 3-2 zone primarily on defense)? Instead, for much of the season, we've seen guys put the ball on the floor driving to the basket (until the last couple of games at least) and a lot of man-to-man defense. A coach's job is to maximize the talent of the roster on hand in any way that he can. It's understood that this is a transition year to the type of team and play that Rowe wants, but it's been a complete throw-away season that hasn't made anyone look good from Bourne to Rowe down to the players and has now led to internal dissension.

As someone who has had to take over a team & reshape it, I honestly don't understand the people going overboard criticizing Rowe because of this year's results. Have you guys never coached before? The results aren't always indicative of the quality of coaching. Culture change takes time. Maybe Rowe is a bad coach, but we won't know for another season or two. I think reaching a conclusion on Rowe at this point is only based on ignorant assumptions.

If the Rowe criticism is just sideways shots at Bourne/King, why not just criticize them directly?

Holmes needs to dramatically improve his offensive skills. He has great size, but ball handling, shooting need a major improvement or he will not get off the bench next year. I do think he could be a good 3rd or 4th guard behind mosely and mc clean. Mc clean will be much better next year due to the addition of mosely.

btw another tough loss last night . We are depleted now and I do think we will spiral downward. Lots of pressure next year on Rowe to get off to a good start. that good start will begin with a MAJOR REBUILDING OF THE COACHING STAFF.

Need a veteran x an o guy (veteran but younger than Deane) and 1 or 2 changes to current staff.

(01-29-2017 11:06 AM)HyperDuke Wrote:  As someone who has had to take over a team & reshape it, I honestly don't understand the people going overboard criticizing Rowe because of this year's results. Have you guys never coached before? The results aren't always indicative of the quality of coaching. Culture change takes time. Maybe Rowe is a bad coach, but we won't know for another season or two. I think reaching a conclusion on Rowe at this point is only based on ignorant assumptions.

If the Rowe criticism is just sideways shots at Bourne/King, why not just criticize them directly?

Some of us do just that. Basketball Mgt. has been appalling, the lame duck years etcetera. Appalling is generous.

(01-29-2017 09:57 AM)Dukes84 Wrote:  I agree that JMU has tried to mix in much more three point shooting the last two games. Awfully tough to fundamentally change an offense this late in the season. 97, I've never had the pleasure of meeting you and I'm sure you're a nice guy, but you seem incapable of offering up any criticism of Lou Rowe. I have no personal animus towards you or Rowe, but no one can convince me this team is well-coached. From the beginning of the season until now, the team as a whole plays below its talent level. No one has ever argued that the returning cast of players were terribly athletic with lateral quickness and hops, but they were good enough to be part of two 20 win teams essentially (yes, with Curry and Winston Grays). Why not play a style that lends itself to success like they played last year (a perimeter-based motion offense of sorts relying on three point shooting mixed in with some low-post passes and a 3-2 zone primarily on defense)? Instead, for much of the season, we've seen guys put the ball on the floor driving to the basket (until the last couple of games at least) and a lot of man-to-man defense. A coach's job is to maximize the talent of the roster on hand in any way that he can. It's understood that this is a transition year to the type of team and play that Rowe wants, but it's been a complete throw-away season that hasn't made anyone look good from Bourne to Rowe down to the players and has now led to internal dissension.

Thanks 84- I'm sure you are a nice guy as well.

I think some things are fair game in terms of criticism. For example the fact that it looks like Johnson and Holmes are projects at this point. Clearly the team needed more guards. Not sure what happened with Shephard and if he would have stayed committed to JMU if pursued/convinced hard enough. Going forward I'd like to see Rowe stay away from recruiting rising sophomore Jucos. It's very rare that they make an impact. As an example there was a Forward Kirmani Jackson who JMU recruited a few years back and went to Colorado State- pretty highly regarded at the time- hasn't really panned out. I think if you recruit Jucos make them rising Juniors because they are more likely to contribute right away. Instead of a rising Sophomore Juco- use the scholarship on a 4 year transfer like Scissum who you can red shirt and develop during his Sophomore season.

I think some of the coaching early on in the OOC was subject to some level of criticism as well but I try to keep in mind that this is Rowe's first year as JMU coach. I've been pretty consistent. I supported Brady for several years and gave him the benefit of the doubt before realizing after 8 years that it was time for a change. I find it interesting that you, Hart, Longhorn and others were with me in your patience with Brady (through the up then down years, the off court and on court issues, the listless post seasons, etc.) yet you have no patience with Lou Rowe in his first season. If you are in the criticize Rowe at every turn camp IMO you are A) still upset over Brady being let go or B) or you have an agenda or issue with Lou Rowe. Either way it's not a fair way to judge Lou Rowe.

BTW I don't fashion myself to be an Xs and Os basketball wizard however the thoughts around the offense I think are very much exaggerated. I watch a lot of the games (the last few years and this year) and I honestly don't see that many differences. You speak of motion offense to free up and feature 3 point shooters. Like in years past JMU sets a lot of screens outside the 3 point line. I maintain that there are ample open looks from 3- in some cases the players hit the shots and in others they don't. I actually think the interior passing is improved this year- the rebounding up until late had been better, and the team is creating more easy buckets (still not nearly enough) by either their interior looks or by turning over the opposition. They press more- even though Brady always promised to press he rarely did. The defense has been about the same- maybe a little worse at times.

I do think the personnel is a factor. Curry was a huge loss. I'll admit I thought they would be better than they are but then again some of that was based on a belief that YoYo and McLean would step up (both had/have been up and down) that Shaq would play like he did last game most of the time and that Snowden was a difference maker (he hasn't been). Again Rowe is accountable for not bring in more contributors because clearly the team could use another guard or 2.

It was obvious that the team looked like they didn't care about anything at Delaware, maybe it was the coaching staff shake up, but they did not play as well as they have in other games. It's anybody's championship so get it together!

84, not to call you out but in reviewing some of John98's negative posts about JMU I came across this post from you last year when Curry was rumored to be out for the season with a knee injury. How come last year under Brady JMU would have been lucky to win 2-3 games with the supporting cast and this season you and others are downplaying the loss of Curry and falling back on the fact that JMU since they won 20 games last year and return 7 seniors that they have drastically underperformed? Seems like the tone of your message last year was that the season was over and JMU couldn't compete without Curry. I think you guys have exhibited prejudice to Rowe because he's a first time head coach and you were attached to Brady. Plain and Simple. Double standard.

RE: JMU @ CoC predictions

Let me just make a few disparate points based on this thread.

1. Nation is right....be happy with the season to this point. If Curry is done, Dukes will be lucky to win a couple more games rest of the way.
2. A 20 win season is still a benchmark in my book. If a team plays 30 games, that's a winning percentage of .667. Dukes are currently playing at a .731 pace or so. The most games JMU has ever won in a season is 24, I believe, back in 1981-82. The second most is 21, if I'm not mistaken, which JMU has achieved three times under Brady. JMU should surpass that this season if Curry can return healthy. How many times has JMU won 20 games in a season? We should look that up.
3. Dukes' Kenpom rating in the high 70s is the best at any point in the Brady era, including 2011.
4. CofC's home record of 10-3 was second best in CAA heading into tonight, and included wins over NE, LSU and Hofstra. As Hart pointed out, they were 11th nationally defensively and had put together 5 wins in their previous 6 games, I believe it was.
5. Dukes' field goal percentage defense, as per the announcers, was 24th nationally coming into the game and I know that I've read their three point field goal percentage is rated even higher than that nationally.
6. In the ebb and flow of a game, there are going to be breakdowns, flubs, miscues, etc. The final result is what matters, of course. Basketball, by its very nature, is a game of runs. Having said that, Brady is correct in saying that the team needs to play better at the end of the first half and beginning of the second.
7. I think that Brady, contrary to what some might say, has well utilized the talent of this team. This team has one excellent player in Curry and then a bunch of supporting guys, none of whom brings consistent production to the table. A team like Hofstra, for example, has five guys averaging in double figures. JMU's formula is a more difficult one.
8. Yes....it was a good win.