I know everybody knew they would be tough but look at their game results. They played Tennessee tough and they have blown everyone else out.

(11-23-2010 10:25 PM)buc brass Wrote:  I know everybody knew they would be tough but look at their game results. They played Tennessee tough and they have blown everyone else out.

Our depth is remarkable. We are playing a walk-on significant minutes when we're already 12 deep. The question is can someone else field 5 or 6 that are THAT much better than our long bench. If we had one more "star-caliber" player like Clark, we'd be the clear favorites. The fact is that DLU and ETSU have some really nice talent in the first 5-6 that may be better than ours. Interesting to see how this turns out. I'll say that creaming Winthrop by 27, who beat Wake Forest last night, is a notable win. We are really crushing the last 3 teams we played, and we did it tonight with rebounding and defense, not shooting. Terrible shooting, but dominant on the boards.

(11-23-2010 11:00 PM)Northside Bruin Wrote:  I'll say that creaming Winthrop by 27, who beat Wake Forest last night, is a notable win.

Eehhhh...don't know about that one. Stetson destroyed Wake.


I will agree though, that Belmont is for real...

Much like etsu's demise I predicted belmont as conference leader.

Honest question, what would ETSU basketball look like if Rick Bryd was our coach?

I don't think he would be the right fit for etsu.

(11-24-2010 04:29 AM)Goldfinger Wrote:  I don't think he would be the right fit for etsu.

Gold, you may be right. I have thought that there was a lot of places where he wouldn't be a great fit, even though he is a great coach.

I think that Belmont has a truly great coach though. I do not think anyone can argue with that!

Didn't Rick Byrd used to be head coach at nearby LMU?

Best coach in asun to be sure. But belmont affords him the ability(in his case) to recruit the right kind of athlete. I am unsure how he would do with our athletic princesses. It's an interesting question to ponder.

(11-24-2010 08:01 AM)EastTennesseeState Wrote:  Didn't Rick Byrd used to be head coach at nearby LMU?

He came to Belmont from LMU. He went to LMU in 83 and Belmont in 86.

Belmont is Belmont.

Rick Byrd builds teams that are much the same year in and year out. He recruits players for the system and patiently builds them into their roles. He gives them steady, consistent time (not necessarily a lot of time), game in and game out, from their freshman year on so that they know exactly what to expect.

I don't know how effective guys like Brandon Baker, Trevor Noack, Jon House or J.J. Mann would be at many schools. But they grow into the Belmont system perfectly. Baker and Noack in particular have muscled up this year and greatly improved their 3 point shooting.

Hedgepeth and Saunders are examples of big men that would not be getting big time at many schools, but suit the Belmont system perfectly. Hedgepeth has developed nicely, although Saunders looks much the same to me.

Rick Byrd does not ask his players to do what they cannot do. He does a fine job of putting them in a position to succeed within their skill range.

And few teams can close out a game like a Rick Byrd team. As they showed again against Tennessee, if you leave them close, and you cannot hit your free throws AND defend the 3, then you are in trouble in the last 2 minutes.

The reward for his success is that more athletic players like the brilliant Ian Clark, Kerron Johnson, Jenkins and Chad Lang, are starting to come his way. It will be interesting to see how he coaches a changing athletic mix if this process continues.

I picked Belmont second behind the Bucs. Doesn't look like a great choice now. But Murry has been putting together a strong finish for several years now.

We shall see.

(11-25-2010 09:30 AM)swvabucsfan Wrote:  Belmont is Belmont.

Rick Byrd builds teams that are much the same year in and year out. He recruits players for the system and patiently builds them into their roles. He gives them steady, consistent time (not necessarily a lot of time), game in and game out, from their freshman year on so that they know exactly what to expect.

I don't know how effective guys like Brandon Baker, Trevor Noack, Jon House or J.J. Mann would be at many schools. But they grow into the Belmont system perfectly. Baker and Noack in particular have muscled up this year and greatly improved their 3 point shooting.

Hedgepeth and Saunders are examples of big men that would not be getting big time at many schools, but suit the Belmont system perfectly. Hedgepeth has developed nicely, although Saunders looks much the same to me.

Rick Byrd does not ask his players to do what they cannot do. He does a fine job of putting them in a position to succeed within their skill range.

And few teams can close out a game like a Rick Byrd team. As they showed again against Tennessee, if you leave them close, and you cannot hit your free throws AND defend the 3, then you are in trouble in the last 2 minutes.

The reward for his success is that more athletic players like the brilliant Ian Clark, Kerron Johnson, Jenkins and Chad Lang, are starting to come his way. It will be interesting to see how he coaches a changing athletic mix if this process continues.

I picked Belmont second behind the Bucs. Doesn't look like a great choice now. But Murry has been putting together a strong finish for several years now.

We shall see.

Meanwhile, Mike Smith plays point guard for the first time in his ETSU career during his red-shirt senior season, and Isiah Brown continues to play in the middle of ETSU's 2-3 zone.

Actually I remember Mike Smith playing some point during his sophmore season I believe. And I remember then thinking...WTF.

What impresses me most about Belmont, especially this season, is their work on the glass. Rebounding is about effort, position, and desire; Byrd indoctrinates these principles.

Despite Belmont's balance this season, Maestro Byrd, and their work on the glass, I like our chances against them. Like any team, they're not without flaws.

26 of 27 from the FT line in their rout of Tenn State. Geez...this is looking very scary

"Belmont is legit".......or *are* they:

Belmont terminates gay coach

protest

A dyke soccer coach?????? Get right out of town!

(12-06-2010 12:14 PM)posterformerlyknownasthedoctor Wrote:  "Belmont is legit".......or *are* they:

Belmont terminates gay coach

protest

Just curious, but what does this have to do with Belmont basketball?

Very little to none, directly. But it apparently is a window into the mindset of the administration there - which *could* somehow impact athletics, and/or may have already at some point. I made no claim that it directly had anything to do with Belmont basketball, nor was it really even meant as a slur to Belmont. Just an interesting story.