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(10-13-2017 11:50 AM)ODU True Blue Wrote:  

(10-12-2017 01:49 PM)ODU BBALL Wrote:  

(10-12-2017 01:39 PM)ETSUDB8-79 Wrote:  As I have often said I am not a basketball expert as many of you are but I have been a fan for well over 50 years. A few weeks back (before the start of official practice) I was given a tour of the new basketball practice facility. As I was leaving via the upstairs balcony (aka coach hallway) we had 2 players (new guys to me) taking shots from the corners, one at each end of the main court. They had a constant ball feed and shot and shot. They both never missed, swish, swish, swish, and so on. I really have not witnessed a shooting exhibition like that since Ricky Michaelson. I know they each made at least a dozen, I actually think more before any miss. Then they went to the opposite corner and did it again. I asked the person giving me the tour if this was typical and he said, "all day every day." I must say I left feeling pretty good. I know some of you will say no defense, no pressure, and other valid points but I say they were/are both shooters. I am maintaining hope this season may be a pleasant surprise. We are due and we the loyal faithful deserve it.

Boy, Ricky Michaelson ... you really are dating yourself there 79. Guess I must be getting old myself since I am right there with you. Guys like him and Ronnie Valentine were quite the scorers back in the 70's playing for the Monarchs.

Thanks for the recap of your visit to the practice facility. I like the sound of the couple of guys doing the 3 point shooting drills. Any idea of who it may have been?

As a youngster I remember the state scoring contest he and Roy Ebron from Booker T (I think) had their SR seasons. Michaelson won on the last night of the season. Ebron had scored 69 the night before, and Michaelson answered in the 80s to beat him out. I would later go to the same HS as Michaelson.

Here is my take on this upcoming season. We went 19-12 last year, and outscored our opponents by 3.2 points a game. We would have won several more with modest better FT shooting. At 19-12 we shot 32.4% 3 pointers. If you take out the guys gone, Baker, Fields and Talley, the returners hit 32.5%. Virtually no difference. That 32.5% includes BJ's 27.3% and Haynes' 26.8%. We are adding shartshooters. And I hope that BJ's %age improves. I'm expecting at least a team avg of 36%, would love 38% but we'll see. At 36% and taking the exact same number of treys that increases the scoring by 2.1 points a game. Sadly, I believe that will be fully offset by the loss of defensive efficiency due to the graduation of Baker and Taylor.

That leaves the "supposed" change in offense. If we shoot 4 more treys a game at a rate of 36% made over 31 games (30 regular and first tournament game like last year) that increases scoring 4.3 points per game. I dampen the full impact due to so many new players. So say a 2.8 point per game net improvement I believe with this schedule that provides an additional 2-3 wins. 3 Puts us at 22 and 8 going into the conference tournament.

If we hit what our opponents did from the FT line that provides us 1.4 points more per game. That gives us at least 1 more win. Now at 23 wins (maybe 24). We win 23 and at least 1 in CUSA tourney and we could be a least NIT bound this year.

Personally, we are past due for some goodness in the CUSA tourney.

We're adding "shartshooters?" Hope I'm not near them when they start to shart...