Just got back from the game.

Positive: Thompson is a player.

Negative: East Texas got almost every loose ball. This was a combination of a lack of effort and the superior athleticism of the Lions.

Diakite - their 6' 9" freshman from France is a stud and no way he won't be on a power conference team roster next season.

Guess yall missed that ET won by 4 at Oklahoma on Monday.

Sux to lose, but we did better than OU.

(11-05-2026 10:32 PM)elw4796 Wrote:  Who even knows what to think. Definitely some bright spots. The younger guys looked good in spurts. Not really sure why Lanier benched Vukotic for so long when we weren't scoring (I'm guessing it was because he got beat on a hustle play in the first half). Bad finishing around the rim. ETAMU wanted rebounds and loose balls more than us.

But man, at this point I just feel apathy. For Lanier, the program. Losing to East Texas A&M on a Thursday in November, in front of a small crowd? Sad more than anything.

Season isn't over, though. Definitely think this team can win some games. Let's hope for some growth.

Excellent summary of what I saw tonight. That nearly 6 minute stretch to end the 1H with Owls only points coming on 2 FTs was a killer.

I’m not worried about Dar and Thompson not shooting great. They are our best two players. Hopefully it was an aberration.

I am concerned about the rebounding.

East Texas made some big shots but we answered. It was the offensive rebounds off FT's that cost us the game, way too many chances especially in the final minutes.

This team seems deeper than past Lanier squads. We can play defense, can handle it OK, and have some shooters. There is enough to work with to be at least improved.

I thought Thompson did a good job at the end and had a decent angle for his last shot. (I was situated right behind the basket). I am glad they had confidence in him shooting the ball at the end of the game. Carmelo Adkins kept the Owls in the game at the end with his back to back 3's which was nice to see him step up when it mattered. The Owls had stretches where they played solid defense and then there were times when the combinations on the court did not gel and the lack of defensive intensity and fundamentals in blocking out the opposition really hurt.

The game was essentially lost when Dallas Hobbs missed the front end of a one and one around the 4 or 5 minute mark of the first half. He could have pushed the lead to 8 or nine but instead the Owls allowed a 12 point swing during those last minutes and ended up being down by 5 at half time.

Cam Carroll was not dressed for the game (again). He was red shirted last year so either he is injured or ineligible. Eternity, Dallas Hobbes and Jacob are becoming vocal leaders on the team. You can see how the other players are listening to them. From a limited viewing perspective it looks like Hobbes is a more solid defender than Thompson, who is just starting to understand the game at the college level.

This is the 2nd year in a row that Lanier is starting the season with full court pressure for a good part of the game. During the later part of last season the team reverted to picking up their defense past the half court line. I hope the talent is strong enough defensively to keep utilizing full-court pressure. It can really disrupt the offensive flow of the opposition. At times they really clamped down on ETAM, forcing turnovers and bad shots, and other times it was pretty rough.

For the team to gel, they will have to be more consistent defensively. They have to block out and not allow second chance points. After only two games my initial impression is this team is better than the first two of the Lanier era. The proof will be if they can develop chemistry as they go forward, which will go a long way towards a winning season.

(Yesterday 03:22 PM)Kayjay Wrote:  I hope the talent is strong enough defensively to keep utilizing full-court pressure. It can really disrupt the offensive flow of the opposition. At times they really clamped down on ETAM, forcing turnovers and bad shots, and other times it was pretty rough.

There was one TD pass from the baseline over the Owl defenders when the Owls were in full-court press mode. That can't happen. Otherwise, the Owls played the full-court press pretty well I thought.

(Yesterday 03:22 PM)Kayjay Wrote:  Cam Carroll was not dressed for the game (again). He was red shirted last year so either he is injured or ineligible.

Did I just imagine him playing in all 31 games last season?

Yeah Carroll was a starter last year. We had another guard who redshirted (from California - he transferred to somewhere in the Mountain time zone I think?)