Win at Ohio and lose to NIU at home, can't have this, now 4-4 in the MAC

(01-28-2017 09:49 PM)Springboromark Wrote:  Win at Ohio and lose to NIU at home, can't have this, now 4-4 in the MAC

I think we miss Garber more than it seems. Another big body to lean on Marcik would have helped. Navigato is picking up all his minutes because Adway just isn't ready.

Agree.

(01-28-2017 10:48 PM)Screwball Wrote:  Agree.

No points from Knapke in 20 minutes. Who is coaching our big guys?

(01-29-2017 04:40 AM)DetroitRocket Wrote:  

(01-28-2017 10:48 PM)Screwball Wrote:  Agree.

No points from Knapke in 20 minutes. Who is coaching our big guys?

In 20 minutes and we got 3 boards (all defensive) 2 assists, and 4 fouls. Took 3 shots (2 from 3 (shakes head)).

They got 5 minutes from Robers (and the 3 bench points) and 1 (minute) from Adway.

Basically played 8 deep with non-starters getting 26 minutes, and this was with Lauf in foul trouble early and eventually fouling out. Taylor missed significant minutes in the first half as well due to fouls.

Not a good game at all.

Not to make excuses, but this team hasn't caught many breaks this year: The DD thing, Garber breaking his foot (or whatever it is), Jon Jon was sick yesterday and it showed (as someone mentioned), WMU (I think it was shooting 70 percent (granted defense matters but that was a buzzsaw - caught them at the wrong time), 2-3 in OT games, etc.

I watched Coach K talk about people stepping up; who? Knapke for sure, but when you only play 8, with two guys getting 5 minutes and 1, who else is there to step up? I guess that comment was directed at him. It appears Adway is going to be a flop since he plays very little in his second year. He should be showing something by now.

This isn't a championship caliber team (I thought it might be at one time - at least a chance) as they stand now. They need all the guys, and all healthy, with a few breaks here and there.

(01-29-2017 08:34 AM)Screwball Wrote:  

(01-29-2017 04:40 AM)DetroitRocket Wrote:  

(01-28-2017 10:48 PM)Screwball Wrote:  Agree.

No points from Knapke in 20 minutes. Who is coaching our big guys?

In 20 minutes and we got 3 boards (all defensive) 2 assists, and 4 fouls. Took 3 shots (2 from 3 (shakes head)).

They got 5 minutes from Robers (and the 3 bench points) and 1 (minute) from Adway.

Basically played 8 deep with non-starters getting 26 minutes, and this was with Lauf in foul trouble early and eventually fouling out. Taylor missed significant minutes in the first half as well due to fouls.

Not a good game at all.

Not to make excuses, but this team hasn't caught many breaks this year: The DD thing, Garber breaking his foot (or whatever it is), Jon Jon was sick yesterday and it showed (as someone mentioned), WMU (I think it was shooting 70 percent (granted defense matters but that was a buzzsaw - caught them at the wrong time), 2-3 in OT games, etc.

I watched Coach K talk about people stepping up; who? Knapke for sure, but when you only play 8, with two guys getting 5 minutes and 1, who else is there to step up? I guess that comment was directed at him. It appears Adway is going to be a flop since he plays very little in his second year. He should be showing something by now.

This isn't a championship caliber team (I thought it might be at one time - at least a chance) as they stand now. They need all the guys, and all healthy, with a few breaks here and there.

I posted a similar thought on a different thread. No consistent depth on this team, and we really only played 6 guys with any meaningful minutes. Hard to win games in a row come MAC tournament time with so little depth. Navigato could/would/should be the points producer from the bench but he's had to start.

(01-29-2017 08:34 AM)Screwball Wrote:  

(01-29-2017 04:40 AM)DetroitRocket Wrote:  

(01-28-2017 10:48 PM)Screwball Wrote:  Agree.

No points from Knapke in 20 minutes. Who is coaching our big guys?

In 20 minutes and we got 3 boards (all defensive) 2 assists, and 4 fouls. Took 3 shots (2 from 3 (shakes head)).

They got 5 minutes from Robers (and the 3 bench points) and 1 (minute) from Adway.

Basically played 8 deep with non-starters getting 26 minutes, and this was with Lauf in foul trouble early and eventually fouling out. Taylor missed significant minutes in the first half as well due to fouls.

Not a good game at all.

Not to make excuses, but this team hasn't caught many breaks this year: The DD thing, Garber breaking his foot (or whatever it is), Jon Jon was sick yesterday and it showed (as someone mentioned), WMU (I think it was shooting 70 percent (granted defense matters but that was a buzzsaw - caught them at the wrong time), 2-3 in OT games, etc.

I watched Coach K talk about people stepping up; who? Knapke for sure, but when you only play 8, with two guys getting 5 minutes and 1, who else is there to step up? I guess that comment was directed at him. It appears Adway is going to be a flop since he plays very little in his second year. He should be showing something by now.

This isn't a championship caliber team (I thought it might be at one time - at least a chance) as they stand now. They need all the guys, and all healthy, with a few breaks here and there.

Good analysis. Pre-season looked shaky but then we watched them demolish Buffalo and I started to get excited. Yesterday was the anti-Buffalo. NIU isn't a bad team but they're a team we should beat at home. Too many minutes for too few players. Bright spot is Sanford showing game-to-game improvement. Disappointment is Adway, who looks awkward and like he's trying too hard.

Given the implosion last year (and I think Coach K even said so) Adway should have had much more playing time. He has not contributed at all, and this is his second year.

If they make their free throws yesterday that game may have have went the other way. The two misses by Sanford at the end is one example, but Jon Jon missed two as well not long before that (if I remember right). If it isn't one thing, it's another.

Garber's injury hurts, which I think has become obvious in conference play, even though he doesn't score a lot of points, he can clog up the middle and help with pushing the other teams big guys around. I would have had a game plan to feed him inside in the attempt to get their big guy in foul trouble. Knapke isn't strong enough; he can get pushed around too easy. Too "handsy" as well, which gets him in foul trouble.

Too many turnovers on lazy passes - they have done that all year IMO.

Even though Akron is running the table, they haven't really "dominated" anyone in the league (only beat Buffalo by a point yesterday). The MAC seems pretty even for the most part, but this team needs to win the close ones (especially at home) and show some consistency. Given their Jekyll and Hyde'ness, I don't have a lot of optimism going forward; especially the lack of depth if the are a low seed in the tourney. They will run out of gas, if they get there at all.

I stopped getting mad about this team earlier this season. Helps me through the games. They are just justifying what everyone in the league thought, we are a 4-5 best team in the west and we are proving it. After our top 6. We are not a D1 team. Our bench would have a hard time competing at the NAIA level.

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I agree with others that the lack of depth really hurts. When we get Garber back, our depth will be fine at the 3, 4, and 5 spots (with Navigato playing more at the 3 since he won't have to spend as much time at the 4). We'll still be thin in the backcourt, though. Roberts does his best, but he's overmatched at this point in his career.

Looks like some fatigue to me, or lack of depth; take your pick.

NIU with 8 guys over 10 minutes.

(01-29-2017 10:03 AM)Screwball Wrote:  NIU with 8 guys over 10 minutes.

Right, and they were able to play with a level of intensity on defense and on the boards that we can't match with our six-and-a-half man rotation.

Can't keep missing in recruiting. Every year you miss on half your class your ability to build depth is shot. The last class is an example of too many misses. Adway as of now is a miss, either poor evaluation or a player who's not putting in the time to get better. Some of that is on the coach for not recruiting the intangibles in a player and not just athletic ability. Chandler White miss. Stuckey, you have to keep that young man, whether he's a star or not, he's depth.

(01-29-2017 09:42 AM)emanoh Wrote:  I stopped getting mad about this team earlier this season. Helps me through the games. They are just justifying what everyone in the league thought, we are a 4-5 best team in the west and we are proving it. After our top 6. We are not a D1 team. Our bench would have a hard time competing at the NAIA level.

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I agree completely. A guy comes in off the bench and I shake my head and think, Who thought this guy could play Division 1 basketball? We have some good players but too many guys who, as you say, are borderline rec-league guys. Who's in charge of talent evaluation? Our three best players are legit. After that?

What would we have given right now, with 20-20 hindsight, to have kept Stuckey in place of Dzierzawski and the Spaniard (he plays so little I completely forgot his name, and I was singing his praises after seeing tape coming into this season). I bet we'd have a better record today.

This has been a sophmoric season so far. Our four wins come against East teams and we haven't beaten a team from the West. I thought Garber looked like he was playing injured before his injury, but even if he's not 100% his return helps. Adaway is a mystery. Most guys sit on the bench, watch and try to figure how they will counter their opponent when they get in. I'm wondering if he just gets frustrated by not starting or if he just doesn't understand the game. Maybe we could try starting him since he's only going to give us a few minutes and then bring in Lauf to repair any damage.

I want a coach that can develop players. You have to do that in the MAC where you don't get a complete player. I don't see development.

(01-29-2017 12:27 PM)DetroitRocket Wrote:  I want a coach that can develop players. You have to do that in the MAC where you don't get a complete player. I don't see development.

I've seen some very good player development under Coach K. Rian Pearson, Juice Brown, and Nathan Boothe all became better players over the course of their careers. Jon Jon Williams has definitely developed into a more complete player. Even Jaelan Sanford has developed a lot from his freshman to sophomore seasons. Have there been some players who did not develop? For sure (Taylor Adway for example). But, I disagree that there hasn't been any player development.

(01-29-2017 12:51 PM)RocketBBallFan Wrote:  

(01-29-2017 12:27 PM)DetroitRocket Wrote:  I want a coach that can develop players. You have to do that in the MAC where you don't get a complete player. I don't see development.

I've seen some very good player development under Coach K. Rian Pearson, Juice Brown, and Nathan Boothe all became better players over the course of their careers. Jon Jon Williams has definitely developed into a more complete player. Even Jaelan Sanford has developed a lot from his freshman to sophomore seasons. Have there been some players who did not develop? For sure (Taylor Adway for example). But, I disagree that there hasn't been any player development.

As you point out, there has been some player development. But take a look at your examples. Brown, Boothe, and Sanford started as freshmen. Pearson started and was very good his first year eligible as a sophomore. Williams was good as soon as he stepped on campus, but he was sixth man his freshman year because he was on a loaded team. Yes, all these guys improved under K. But we have not had many guys develop from bench players into solid starters or from guys who never saw the floor into guys who could come in and contribute a year or two later. Mostly, under Coach K, you either are a major contributor from day one, or you leave the program before your eligibility is up. Lauf and Garber are the exceptions.