(11-01-2021 08:51 AM)DetroitRocket Wrote:  Since TK has never been to the NCAA Tournament in 19 years, how's this for a unique idea? Give players you may need in the MAC Tournament or post-season more minutes even though it may cost you some games. Winning 20+ games and then tanking doesn't mean much to me. How about developing some players with real game time? We've already proven that we can't win with a short lineup, and thinking that Edu will appear late in the season in game shape is a pipe dream.

Exactly this. At least have a shot at the MAC tournament by developing this recruited talent. Give them experience working with first team against angry competition. Make teams adjust to fresh feet....

(11-01-2021 10:54 AM)eastisbest Wrote:  

(11-01-2021 08:51 AM)DetroitRocket Wrote:  Since TK has never been to the NCAA Tournament in 19 years, how's this for a unique idea? Give players you may need in the MAC Tournament or post-season more minutes even though it may cost you some games. Winning 20+ games and then tanking doesn't mean much to me. How about developing some players with real game time? We've already proven that we can't win with a short lineup, and thinking that Edu will appear late in the season in game shape is a pipe dream.

Exactly this. At least have a shot at the MAC tournament by developing this recruited talent. Give them experience working with first team against angry competition. Make teams adjust to fresh feet....

I was curious whether history would bear out the theory that playing more guys during the season helps a team win the MAC tournament. To keep things simple, I just looked at how much teams played their ninth man. Of the last ten tournament winners, six of those teams had a ninth man who averaged double figures in minutes. For the same period of time, which spans Kowalczyk's entire career at UT, the Rockets have only had two years where their ninth man played at least ten minutes per game. Once was in 2013-14, where the ninth man (Zach Garber) played 10.2 mpg. The other was Kowalczyk's first year, when the Rockets were awful. That year, ninth man Justin Anijong played a whopping 14.6 mpg. (I guess that shows that it's better to spread minutes among seven or eight good players than among nine bad players.) In five of the 10 years, the Rockets ninth man played less than 7 minutes per game. The Rockets actually had one year when their 8th man didn't average double figures.

The outlier MAC championship teams were the 2014-15 Buffalo team that had no ninth man (only played eight) and last year's Ohio team, whose ninth man played only 15 out of 24 games and averaged 7.9 minutes per game. Last year, of course, was a different story, especially for Ohio, which had a lot of games cancelled due to Covid.

(11-01-2021 03:30 PM)Lester Wrote:  

(11-01-2021 10:54 AM)eastisbest Wrote:  

(11-01-2021 08:51 AM)DetroitRocket Wrote:  Since TK has never been to the NCAA Tournament in 19 years, how's this for a unique idea? Give players you may need in the MAC Tournament or post-season more minutes even though it may cost you some games. Winning 20+ games and then tanking doesn't mean much to me. How about developing some players with real game time? We've already proven that we can't win with a short lineup, and thinking that Edu will appear late in the season in game shape is a pipe dream.

Exactly this. At least have a shot at the MAC tournament by developing this recruited talent. Give them experience working with first team against angry competition. Make teams adjust to fresh feet....

I was curious whether history would bear out the theory that playing more guys during the season helps a team win the MAC tournament. To keep things simple, I just looked at how much teams played their ninth man. Of the last ten tournament winners, six of those teams had a ninth man who averaged double figures in minutes. For the same period of time, which spans Kowalczyk's entire career at UT, the Rockets have only had two years where their ninth man played at least ten minutes per game. Once was in 2013-14, where the ninth man (Zach Garber) played 10.2 mpg. The other was Kowalczyk's first year, when the Rockets were awful. That year, ninth man Justin Anijong played a whopping 14.6 mpg. (I guess that shows that it's better to spread minutes among seven or eight good players than among nine bad players.) In five of the 10 years, the Rockets ninth man played less than 7 minutes per game. The Rockets actually had one year when their 8th man didn't average double figures.

The outlier MAC championship teams were the 2014-15 Buffalo team that had no ninth man (only played eight) and last year's Ohio team, whose ninth man played only 15 out of 24 games and averaged 7.9 minutes per game. Last year, of course, was a different story, especially for Ohio, which had a lot of games cancelled due to Covid.

Yes, but how many of those teams playing fewer players had a real big guy in the rotation?

(10-30-2021 07:57 PM)Macfan123 Wrote:  Valpo just lost to division 2 Ashland

Ashland loaded with D1/MAC transfers ...

(11-01-2021 08:13 PM)cleveland Wrote:  

(10-30-2021 07:57 PM)Macfan123 Wrote:  Valpo just lost to division 2 Ashland

Ashland loaded with D1/MAC transfers ...

Valpo loaded with Big 10 transfers

(11-01-2021 08:13 PM)cleveland Wrote:  

(10-30-2021 07:57 PM)Macfan123 Wrote:  Valpo just lost to division 2 Ashland

Ashland loaded with D1/MAC transfers ...

One of Ashlands best players is 6'4" Aaron Thompson from Toledo St Johns. He enters 2021-22 season with 1,152 career points and 866 rebounds.

https://goashlandeagles.com/sports/mens-...mpson/7140