We're a few games in and the team is probably considered to be underperforming to this point. You're Lou Rowe......what do you do going forward to get the most out of this team?
This is not a "take shots at the program" thread. This is a just a chance to give your $.02 and not have to worry about being held accountable! More zone, press, more in the paint, more from 3. What's your take??
Quick google and look at NCAA stats, we have the #301 ranked scoring defense. Considering the level of competition we've faced, I'd start there. No surprise but we also rank #331 in FT percentage. All jokes aside, without changing anything with the offensive scheme, you could get a pretty good chunk of points back each game with just marginal improvement in those two areas.
my take is our strength seem to be our depth of athletes. I don't think most teams have the overall depth we have, but we seem to have mental / physical lapses as the games close out (especially mental). With the offense being a fast-paced attacking style, I'd say make the defense the same way but do a lot more substituting throughout the game to take advantage of that depth. I think it would pay off at the end of games when we need to finish strong.
I'm not sure with our athletes why we have such a hard time with man defense. Either switch to zone, make players more accountable for lapses, or work that rotation so they have the energy to play better defense.
Simplify.
Defense. We have a problem with players driving to the basket and getting easy baskets. Choose a defensive scheme (or two) and work and prevent easy baskets.
Free Throw shooting. When players miss free throws in the game, penalize them. Make them do something they hate to do (sprints, take 100 free throws, whatever) so they don't want to miss another free throw for the rest of their career.
Create rumors that certain players will transfer with a coaching change, emphasize that players are injured and not at 100%, talk about how "great the next recruiting class will be", point out youthful mistakes, create as many excuses as possible; kick guys like Fowler off the team.
no one leaves practice until they can hit 8 of 10 free throws. we're losing 5-10 points a game on missed FTs.
focus on ball protection because we turn the ball over too much, probably costing us another 12-15 points a game.
fix just those two and we're swinging, at minimum, 15 points a game our way.
A player earns his ability to start by how he works in practice....his hustle, his energy, his skill level. Nobody is guaranteed to start any given game.
Nobody leaves until every player makes.....pick a number....free throws in practice each day.
Coaches have to look confident on the sidelines at each game. Fake it until you make it if you must....but show confidence in your players yet don't be afraid to call out their issues during a game.
(12-31-2019 09:46 AM)JMUrcc06 Wrote: [ -> ]resign.
Post of the year. Waited until the last possible minute to do it too.
Here are some suggestions:
1. Use the team's depth! Play 10 or 11 guys. Play with more intensity and sub out the entire line-up if need be. Jim Larranaga, I believe it was, used to do that at Mason.
2. Consider using that depth for a full court press, three-quarters press, half court press.
2. Playing man to man defense shouldn't be that hard! You either (a) stick with your guy or (b) switch; and players have to communicate on defense on picks.
3. Mix in one or two zones that you can master (a 2-3 or 1-3-1 would probably play to the team's strengths). Change up defenses regularly.
4. On offense, attack the basket in transition when you have numbers. If not, make at least 4 passes until someone takes a shot unless you have a clear opening. Have an inside-out offense. Use inside scoring to open up the three-point shot. Also on offense, make sure player spacing is appropriate and every player knows what he should do at all times. Have guys cutting to the basket and run high screens and roll. They had some success with that versus ODU.
5. Practice free throws incessantly.
6. Call time-outs when opponents start to make runs.
7. Sit guys that don't play hard, take bad shots or throw lazy passes.
Note: I think Rowe has already scrapped Oppenheimer's offense and has gone back to one-on-five offensive sets where guys put their head down and drive to the rim. That approach is not a good one and can't overcome an 18 point deficit with 8 minutes to go, of course (that's when a barrage of three pointers is necessary). Team continued its horrid second halves, giving up 46 points last night.
(12-31-2019 12:23 PM)Dukes84 Wrote: [ -> ]Here are some suggestions:
1. Use the team's depth! Play 10 or 11 guys. Play with more intensity and sub out the entire line-up if need be. Jim Larranaga, I believe it was, used to do that at Mason.
2. Consider using that depth for a full court press, three-quarters press, half court press.
2. Playing man to man defense shouldn't be that hard! You either (a) stick with your guy or (b) switch; and players have to communicate on defense on picks.
3. Mix in one or two zones that you can master (a 2-3 or 1-3-1 would probably play to the team's strengths). Change up defenses regularly.
4. On offense, attack the basket in transition when you have numbers. If not, make at least 4 passes until someone takes a shot unless you have a clear opening. Have an inside-out offense. Use inside scoring to open up the three-point shot. Also on offense, make sure player spacing is appropriate and every player knows what he should do at all times. Have guys cutting to the basket and run high screens and roll. They had some success with that versus ODU.
5. Practice free throws incessantly.
6. Call time-outs when opponents start to make runs.
7. Sit guys that don't play hard, take bad shots or throw lazy passes.
Note: I think Rowe has already scrapped Oppenheimer's offense and has gone back to one-on-five offensive sets where guys put their head down and drive to the rim. That approach is not a good one and can't overcome an 18 point deficit with 8 minutes to go, of course (that's when a barrage of three pointers is necessary). Team continued its horrid second halves, giving up 46 points last night.
I think you were spot on . I’ve only listened on radio last 2 games and announcers were constantly saying that we had no rebounders when a 3 was put up . I was curious if that was Oppenheimers scheme issues . It sounds as if you believe his run and gun is out for Rowe’s Iso .....with I guess 5 guys on perimeter with no underneath pressure (or rebounders )?
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For starters, I can't believe I suckered myself (and my better half's time as well) into continuing to buy season tickets and attending these games. It's beyond awful. My motivation is as low as it has ever been.
To the original question, here are some thoughts - not expecting any of these to be acted on as I'm about to give up unfortunately...
1. Pinkard has no business playing. I normally do not like talking negatively about student-athletes. And, he certainly is NOT the reason for our losing. But, when you are in a season that can and likely will determine your future as head coach, are you really going to tie that to a guy coming off the bench early who has not shown anything and will not be with the program next year? Wait. Come to think of it, it makes perfect sense now that I think about it.
2. Play Richey and Dobbs. Other guys coming off the bench aren't showing much. Give those 2 guys a chance. See #1 above for the connectivity.
3. Go see what the better defensive teams are doing. Mix the defenses. Play the so-called "junk" defenses, though I absolutely abhor that term. There is nothing wrong with playing a box-and-1 or diamond-and-1 when 1 guy (like NU had) is lighting you up, especially from the perimeter. We have absolutely NO CLUE defensively. None. This concept of us having a defensive coordinator is actually offensive to the fans taking the time and money to show up (and everybody else as well for that matter).
4. Stop the endless and meaningless weaves 30 feet from the basket to provide the delusion that it is some kind of offensive strategy. It is just wasting time versus the shot clock. You can develop proper spacing in a halfcourt offensive set without all the handoffs of the ball so far away from a legit plan to attack offensively.
5. Further, JMU last night was most effective when driving. Our 3-pt shooting sucks. Continuing to do things that suck normally ultimately ends in a result that sucks. Richey seems like a guy who might - and I only stress "might" because he's a freshman who we've seen far too little of - be able to hit some open 3's and in turn help open the floor even more. Instead, he sits on the bench getting zero time while we are seeing the same ol' same ol' from others.
6. Free throws...OK, seems like reading this thread that folks believe that is some kind of difference maker. It was. Primarily last Saturday against Hofstra. No question about it. And yes, we need to do better. Coaches can hold players in the gym for 17 hours until they hit (fill in the number here) free throws or whatever. That doesn't mean crap to me. Not as long as we continue to ignore playing defense. Missing free throws stinks. But, it isn't the problem this year keeping us from success and hasn't been the last 3 years. The problems are far far bigger than that.
Side note, I don't listen to the postgame radio show for MBB like I do heading home from a FB game at BFS. But, reading this thread and being reminded Rowe is continuing to occasionally dismiss that disgusts me. Anybody can run to Dave Thomas when you win. It says a lot about a "leader" when you don't run to Dave Thomas when your team crapped the bed...again. That alone should be enough to show the head man (CEO of JMU MBB) the door.
Finally, folks need to differentiate the words "talent" versus "athleticism". We are "athletic". We have guys who can jump, run like deer, and are quick. That's athleticism. We truly have some guys I'm sure Cignetti would love to have on his team. Not joking. Completely serious. Talent? Different story. We are not as talented as folks lead on. I'll stop here. Have said enough.
Sad.
(12-31-2019 03:57 PM)Wear Purple Wrote: [ -> ]For starters, I can't believe I suckered myself (and my better half's time as well) into continuing to buy season tickets and attending these games. It's beyond awful. My motivation is as low as it has ever been.
To the original question, here are some thoughts - not expecting any of these to be acted on as I'm about to give up unfortunately...
1. Pinkard has no business playing. I normally do not like talking negatively about student-athletes. And, he certainly is NOT the reason for our losing. But, when you are in a season that can and likely will determine your future as head coach, are you really going to tie that to a guy coming off the bench early who has not shown anything and will not be with the program next year? Wait. Come to think of it, it makes perfect sense now that I think about it.
2. Play Richey and Dobbs. Other guys coming off the bench aren't showing much. Give those 2 guys a chance. See #1 above for the connectivity.
3. Go see what the better defensive teams are doing. Mix the defenses. Play the so-called "junk" defenses, though I absolutely abhor that term. There is nothing wrong with playing a box-and-1 or diamond-and-1 when 1 guy (like NU had) is lighting you up, especially from the perimeter. We have absolutely NO CLUE defensively. None. This concept of us having a defensive coordinator is actually offensive to the fans taking the time and money to show up (and everybody else as well for that matter).
4. Stop the endless and meaningless weaves 30 feet from the basket to provide the delusion that it is some kind of offensive strategy. It is just wasting time versus the shot clock. You can develop proper spacing in a halfcourt offensive set without all the handoffs of the ball so far away from a legit plan to attack offensively.
5. Further, JMU last night was most effective when driving. Our 3-pt shooting sucks. Continuing to do things that suck normally ultimately ends in a result that sucks. Richey seems like a guy who might - and I only stress "might" because he's a freshman who we've seen far too little of - be able to hit some open 3's and in turn help open the floor even more. Instead, he sits on the bench getting zero time while we are seeing the same ol' same ol' from others.
6. Free throws...OK, seems like reading this thread that folks believe that is some kind of difference maker. It was. Primarily last Saturday against Hofstra. No question about it. And yes, we need to do better. Coaches can hold players in the gym for 17 hours until they hit (fill in the number here) free throws or whatever. That doesn't mean crap to me. Not as long as we continue to ignore playing defense. Missing free throws stinks. But, it isn't the problem this year keeping us from success and hasn't been the last 3 years. The problems are far far bigger than that.
Side note, I don't listen to the postgame radio show for MBB like I do heading home from a FB game at BFS. But, reading this thread and being reminded Rowe is continuing to occasionally dismiss that disgusts me. Anybody can run to Dave Thomas when you win. It says a lot about a "leader" when you don't run to Dave Thomas when your team crapped the bed...again. That alone should be enough to show the head man (CEO of JMU MBB) the door.
Finally, folks need to differentiate the words "talent" versus "athleticism". We are "athletic". We have guys who can jump, run like deer, and are quick. That's athleticism. We truly have some guys I'm sure Cignetti would love to have on his team. Not joking. Completely serious. Talent? Different story. We are not as talented as folks lead on. I'll stop here. Have said enough.
Sad.
Good post. I wholeheartedly agree on Pinkard. You don't sit guys that can help going forward (like Harvey and Richey) to play him and risk losing them to transfer for a guy that doesn't add anything. Doesn't make a bit of sense.
We have talent in terms of size and athleticism, no question. Basketball IQ and skill is something else. I concur with that. The top players on this team should be Lewis, Banks and Wilson, along with Parker perhaps. Lewis is not an all-CAA caliber player, I'm sorry to say. Look at his shot selection and shooting percentages in what's now his junior year. Banks can be very good at times, but disappears too often. Wilson is a a defensive liability too often. Parker started off the year dreadfully, but has been much better of late.
84 .....what would you say is the lapse in man-to-man if we have good athletes . It’s not like shooting .....but it requires some technique (which they should have at this point ), hustle and basketball acumen (that nose for the ball and where it’s going ). Is it one of those or am I missing something ?
If so , which one ?
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Dukes84 12-31-17
"We are not a well-coached team on either side of the ball"
Has your opinion changed 2 yrs post the above comment?
(12-31-2019 10:12 AM)Dukeman2 Wrote: [ -> ]Create rumors that certain players will transfer with a coaching change, emphasize that players are injured and not at 100%, talk about how "great the next recruiting class will be", point out youthful mistakes, create as many excuses as possible; kick guys like Fowler off the team.
Here's a new one (
in BOLD) for everyone!
Another poster claims it was a personal reason he left so quickly.
JMU MBB, it's faaaantastic
Fowler :
https://queensathletics.com/roster.aspx?...ath=mbball
(01-01-2020 09:40 AM)Bawlmer Duke Wrote: [ -> ] (12-31-2019 10:12 AM)Dukeman2 Wrote: [ -> ]Create rumors that certain players will transfer with a coaching change, emphasize that players are injured and not at 100%, talk about how "great the next recruiting class will be", point out youthful mistakes, create as many excuses as possible; kick guys like Fowler off the team.
Here's a new one (in BOLD) for everyone!
Another poster claims it was a personal reason he left so quickly.
JMU MBB, it's faaaantastic
Fowler : https://queensathletics.com/roster.aspx?...ath=mbball
Flowers or Fowler? Flora or Fauna?
(12-31-2019 12:23 PM)Dukes84 Wrote: [ -> ]Here are some suggestions:
1. Use the team's depth! Play 10 or 11 guys. Play with more intensity and sub out the entire line-up if need be. Jim Larranaga, I believe it was, used to do that at Mason.
2. Consider using that depth for a full court press, three-quarters press, half court press.
2. Playing man to man defense shouldn't be that hard! You either (a) stick with your guy or (b) switch; and players have to communicate on defense on picks.
3. Mix in one or two zones that you can master (a 2-3 or 1-3-1 would probably play to the team's strengths). Change up defenses regularly.
4. On offense, attack the basket in transition when you have numbers. If not, make at least 4 passes until someone takes a shot unless you have a clear opening. Have an inside-out offense. Use inside scoring to open up the three-point shot. Also on offense, make sure player spacing is appropriate and every player knows what he should do at all times. Have guys cutting to the basket and run high screens and roll. They had some success with that versus ODU.
5. Practice free throws incessantly.
6. Call time-outs when opponents start to make runs.
7. Sit guys that don't play hard, take bad shots or throw lazy passes.
Note: I think Rowe has already scrapped Oppenheimer's offense and has gone back to one-on-five offensive sets where guys put their head down and drive to the rim. That approach is not a good one and can't overcome an 18 point deficit with 8 minutes to go, of course (that's when a barrage of three pointers is necessary). Team continued its horrid second halves, giving up 46 points last night.
Yes to all of the above. Play everyone. The second they take a play off, sit them until their replacement gets tired. We may not have a lot of skill or IQ, but we're athletic throughout the lineup. There's no excuse to not put 100% effort into defense on every play. It's what good teams do. Even if you don't hit your shots on offense, putting everything into defense can keep you in games. I'd rather rack up fouls than give us constant easy baskets.
And like I posted in the other thread...normally FTs don't matter, but when you shoot under 60% in over half of your games and you normally shoot 20+ FTs in a game...it makes a big difference. When there are 330+ teams shooting better than you, you need to figure your ish out. And quick. Make it a matter of pride. Top FT shooters get to start (I don't care if you do a full lineup switch 2 minutes into the game, you need to somehow motivate them to hit FTs - which is sad that we're to this point).
I would add...
1. LR needs to stand the last 5 minutes of every game. Keep your eyes on the play. Clap your hands. Shout something (I don't care if it's gibberish). Stop becoming distant, folding your arms, sitting down, etc. Let the players feed off of your energy.
2. Promote someone on the court to do the same. Force one of the players in the last 5 minutes to get in the others players' faces when they're not communicating, pump them up at timeouts, etc. They can't afford to keep falling apart at the end.
(01-01-2020 11:47 AM)jmufan2008 Wrote: [ -> ] (12-31-2019 12:23 PM)Dukes84 Wrote: [ -> ]Here are some suggestions:
1. Use the team's depth! Play 10 or 11 guys. Play with more intensity and sub out the entire line-up if need be. Jim Larranaga, I believe it was, used to do that at Mason.
2. Consider using that depth for a full court press, three-quarters press, half court press.
2. Playing man to man defense shouldn't be that hard! You either (a) stick with your guy or (b) switch; and players have to communicate on defense on picks.
3. Mix in one or two zones that you can master (a 2-3 or 1-3-1 would probably play to the team's strengths). Change up defenses regularly.
4. On offense, attack the basket in transition when you have numbers. If not, make at least 4 passes until someone takes a shot unless you have a clear opening. Have an inside-out offense. Use inside scoring to open up the three-point shot. Also on offense, make sure player spacing is appropriate and every player knows what he should do at all times. Have guys cutting to the basket and run high screens and roll. They had some success with that versus ODU.
5. Practice free throws incessantly.
6. Call time-outs when opponents start to make runs.
7. Sit guys that don't play hard, take bad shots or throw lazy passes.
Note: I think Rowe has already scrapped Oppenheimer's offense and has gone back to one-on-five offensive sets where guys put their head down and drive to the rim. That approach is not a good one and can't overcome an 18 point deficit with 8 minutes to go, of course (that's when a barrage of three pointers is necessary). Team continued its horrid second halves, giving up 46 points last night.
Yes to all of the above. Play everyone. The second they take a play off, sit them until their replacement gets tired. We may not have a lot of skill or IQ, but we're athletic throughout the lineup. There's no excuse to not put 100% effort into defense on every play. It's what good teams do. Even if you don't hit your shots on offense, putting everything into defense can keep you in games. I'd rather rack up fouls than give us constant easy baskets.
And like I posted in the other thread...normally FTs don't matter, but when you shoot under 60% in over half of your games and you normally shoot 20+ FTs in a game...it makes a big difference. When there are 330+ teams shooting better than you, you need to figure your ish out. And quick. Make it a matter of pride. Top FT shooters get to start (I don't care if you do a full lineup switch 2 minutes into the game, you need to somehow motivate them to hit FTs - which is sad that we're to this point).
I would add...
1. LR needs to stand the last 5 minutes of every game. Keep your eyes on the play. Clap your hands. Shout something (I don't care if it's gibberish). Stop becoming distant, folding your arms, sitting down, etc. Let the players feed off of your energy.
2. Promote someone on the court to do the same. Force one of the players in the last 5 minutes to get in the others players' faces when they're not communicating, pump them up at timeouts, etc. They can't afford to keep falling apart at the end.
I agree with your thoughts and suggestions. Doing the little things is the difference between winning and losing for a team trying to claw our way out of the dump
(12-31-2019 08:41 PM)Dukeman2 Wrote: [ -> ]Dukes84 12-31-17
"We are not a well-coached team on either side of the ball"
Has your opinion changed 2 yrs post the above comment?
Dukeman2 --
You're holding me in the esteem of an historical figure with these sorts of quotes! Right now, we're not playing like a well-coached team. Biggest area of need for improvement is on defensive side, which Rowe acknowledges. Offense also needs work but has shown more promise. Believe Dukes are second in the league in scoring (overall, not in conference). Even Rowe admits, a lot of defense is pride. Makes one question if team plays hard enough consistently and if their conditioning is good enough. That's why I suggested extending the rotation and playing harder and incorporating presses and mixing up defenses more.