Yax wanted to get back to the NCAA tournament without doing any of the work. This team thought they could just show up and things would end up like they did last year.
Doesn’t work like that…
Quickly becoming the biggest disaster of a season in UAB basketball history potentially.
(12-17-2024 09:04 PM)KevMo4UAB Wrote: Alabama A&M at UAB, Wednesday 18 December 2024 at 6:30 PM
The Bulldogs are 4-6, with victories over Oakwood, Arkansas Baptist, Fisk, and Coastal Carolina (274). Their worst loss is 88-83 to IU Indy (351).
Alabama A&M is ranked 359 by KenPom. UAB has dropped to 147.
Last season, at Alabama A&M, UAB won 93-82. The game was tied at halftime. Yax had 16 points, 16 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 steals, and 3 blocks.
KenPom has it UAB 89 - Alabama A&M 70
Barttorvik has it UAB 92 - Alabama A&M 70
Massey has it UAB 86 - Alabama A&M 66
Only 5 worse teams in D1 basketball per kenpom. UNT is playing the worst team tonight. And USF playing a relative powerhouse in Bethune Cookman at #291.
And #352 Alcorn State is up next. I don't like these kind of games. They do nothing to prepare us for #67 UNT on 12-31.
(12-18-2024 09:13 PM)The Answer UAB Wrote: Yax wanted to get back to the NCAA tournament without doing any of the work. This team thought they could just show up and things would end up like they did last year.
Doesn’t work like that…
Quickly becoming the biggest disaster of a season in UAB basketball history potentially.
(12-18-2024 09:13 PM)The Answer UAB Wrote: Yax wanted to get back to the NCAA tournament without doing any of the work. This team thought they could just show up and things would end up like they did last year.
Doesn’t work like that…
Quickly becoming the biggest disaster of a season in UAB basketball history potentially.
(12-18-2024 10:36 PM)KevMo4UAB Wrote: Yax has a bruised foot. Really didn’t need him tonight.
Eric Gaines was so instrumental to last season’s success.
It’s showing how much we miss him this far. He took a lot of heat. Some of it much deserved but he was critical to our success in close games. Btw he is fun to watch in the G league games.
(12-18-2024 10:36 PM)KevMo4UAB Wrote: Yax has a bruised foot. Really didn’t need him tonight.
Eric Gaines was so instrumental to last season’s success.
It’s showing how much we miss him this far. He took a lot of heat. Some of it much deserved but he was critical to our success in close games. Btw he is fun to watch in the G league games.
I was his biggest critic for the longest time. But I even admit he was a damn good point guard and floor general last season. His transformation was wild.
(12-18-2024 10:36 PM)KevMo4UAB Wrote: Yax has a bruised foot. Really didn’t need him tonight.
Eric Gaines was so instrumental to last season’s success.
It’s showing how much we miss him this far. He took a lot of heat. Some of it much deserved but he was critical to our success in close games. Btw he is fun to watch in the G league games.
I believe when he was taking the most heat several of us said we were going to go as far as he took us last season. We all understood the bone headed plays that drove people crazy, but he was also the best option we had by a wide margin. He was not an in your face, vocal leader on the court, but he was that quiet guy who did what was needed and led the group.
I knew the team would struggle without him, and I figured it would take 2-3 guys to make up all we lost with him, but I was wrong. We currently have no combination of players that is coming close to doing the things he did. It’s really frustrating that we didn’t go after a true pg, or decide to run the offense through Yax in the offseason.
(12-18-2024 10:36 PM)KevMo4UAB Wrote: Yax has a bruised foot. Really didn’t need him tonight.
Eric Gaines was so instrumental to last season’s success.
It’s showing how much we miss him this far. He took a lot of heat. Some of it much deserved but he was critical to our success in close games. Btw he is fun to watch in the G league games.
I believe when he was taking the most heat several of us said we were going to go as far as he took us last season. We all understood the bone headed plays that drove people crazy, but he was also the best option we had by a wide margin. He was not an in your face, vocal leader on the court, but he was that quiet guy who did what was needed and led the group.
I knew the team would struggle without him, and I figured it would take 2-3 guys to make up all we lost with him, but I was wrong. We currently have no combination of players that is coming close to doing the things he did. It’s really frustrating that we didn’t go after a true pg, or decide to run the offense through Yax in the offseason.
I believe AK does want to run the offense through Yax. It’s just not happening, and it’s beyond me why not.
Yax is a good passer but I think it is as simple as he is just not good enough to be the primary initiator of the offense. He is a good passer, but to have the offense run through him is too much IMO. Yax’s game hasn’t evolved as much as I’d hoped. He’s still mostly an athletic guy with good size and length who is a reluctant shooter from outside. And he has shown for 1.5 years that he is not an alpha.
We are a backcourt oriented team, we can't run through a 3 (or 4) playing the 5 spot. We need a real 5 for that to happen. Yax was better last year playing the 4, but we got to start CC.
Moore is catch unnecessary flack, he's been playing better than McGhee but McGhee is the future so he gets the minutes. McGhee still has to learn how to control the rhythm of the game and when to step up and take control of the offense. Moore knows all of this he's doing a great job in first 12 games of a new gelling process.
I'm personally surprised we don't play 9 guys 20 plus minutes with only one guy (Yax) getting 30 mins a game. Could start out with the SRs starting or the nucleus from last season. I'd personally like for Ezewiro to start so Yax is back at the 4 but AK set in his ways.
When I say run the offense through Yax, I want to be clear I’m not saying to have him take the inbound pass and dribble down the court. I am talking about getting him the ball near the start of every possession and having him run it from there. Give him some sort of cutter, some shooter getting in position for a three, and the possibility of beating a guy off the dribble. This should have been worked on all offseason. If the double teams come, he should have a quick and consistent out, much like a qb with a hot read. I’m not saying Yax is him, but he projects to be like a Scottie Barnes at the next level in my mind. We haven't taken advantage of his entire skill set this season, and I think a lot of people are responsible for that, including Yax himself.
I’m not really sure what the game plan was going into the season, but we got it all wrong.
/
Alabama A&M Bulldogs
