(11-26-2018 11:59 AM)lemmingleap Wrote:  Hopefully they at least learned last night that Tyler has to be the closer. Our last 2 possessions were pretty terrible. 2nd to last was Lomax not getting set on the handoff to Tyler, OK now hopefully he knows not to do that. Last possession was on the coaching staff though. Just give Tyler a high ball screen and let him get a shot. I'm not sure what they were trying to do there, ball eventually swung to Tyler but in a corner where he had no room and very little time to work. I wouldn't bench Lomax or reduce his minutes, but I'm not sure what he gives you at the end of close games right now.

Its pretty tough to draw up a play when you aren't coming out of a timeout. I don't know what play was called or if the players didn't execute the called play. Either way, Harris got a pretty decent look, even if it was from extremely long range. He can totally hit that shot, though. It just didn't go down.

(11-26-2018 11:58 AM)macgar32 Wrote:  

(11-26-2018 11:49 AM)steves Wrote:  

(11-26-2018 10:40 AM)dwash Wrote:  You guys are shortsighted. Benching his young cub Alo after 6 games sends a bad message to prospective recruits. I thought the two small guards was a terrible idea, but you kinda have to ride with it now.

I don't think anyone is for benching Lomax. We're all in for winning games ... But Alex Lomax shouldn't be triggering our offense at the end of a game we're in. If he's playing he's gotta be the point guard ... If he farks up ... Get on his ass, sit him and tell him he's gotta stop taking the ball to the hoop so deep without passing. Tell him to stay in front of his man ... Tell him to stop dribbling the ball in traffic. And until he figures some of this out ... Pull him !!

Agree...To continue to play an underperforming Lomax screams favoritism especially since there is a previous relationship with the coach.

It makes it seem like Lomax is Tubbys Saul. That will make for a tough career for Alo.

The guy is going to be a great player. He just needs experience. I'd rather him take his lumps now and be ready for conference play.

(11-26-2018 11:59 AM)lemmingleap Wrote:  Hopefully they at least learned last night that Tyler has to be the closer. Our last 2 possessions were pretty terrible. 2nd to last was Lomax not getting set on the handoff to Tyler, OK now hopefully he knows not to do that. Last possession was on the coaching staff though. Just give Tyler a high ball screen and let him get a shot. I'm not sure what they were trying to do there, ball eventually swung to Tyler but in a corner where he had no room and very little time to work. I wouldn't bench Lomax or reduce his minutes, but I'm not sure what he gives you at the end of close games right now.

This. Do what the Grizzlies do with 3J. Play him but let Martin and Harris be the closers.

(11-26-2018 12:02 PM)WColt45 Wrote:  

(11-26-2018 11:59 AM)lemmingleap Wrote:  Hopefully they at least learned last night that Tyler has to be the closer. Our last 2 possessions were pretty terrible. 2nd to last was Lomax not getting set on the handoff to Tyler, OK now hopefully he knows not to do that. Last possession was on the coaching staff though. Just give Tyler a high ball screen and let him get a shot. I'm not sure what they were trying to do there, ball eventually swung to Tyler but in a corner where he had no room and very little time to work. I wouldn't bench Lomax or reduce his minutes, but I'm not sure what he gives you at the end of close games right now.

Its pretty tough to draw up a play when you aren't coming out of a timeout. I don't know what play was called or if the players didn't execute the called play. Either way, Harris got a pretty decent look, even if it was from extremely long range. He can totally hit that shot, though. It just didn't go down.

I did not have a problem with the play. Harris got an open three but hesitated and that allowed the defender to close the gap on him, making for an extremely tough shot. The initial shot was there though.

(11-26-2018 01:38 PM)SeñorTiger Wrote:  

(11-26-2018 12:02 PM)WColt45 Wrote:  

(11-26-2018 11:59 AM)lemmingleap Wrote:  Hopefully they at least learned last night that Tyler has to be the closer. Our last 2 possessions were pretty terrible. 2nd to last was Lomax not getting set on the handoff to Tyler, OK now hopefully he knows not to do that. Last possession was on the coaching staff though. Just give Tyler a high ball screen and let him get a shot. I'm not sure what they were trying to do there, ball eventually swung to Tyler but in a corner where he had no room and very little time to work. I wouldn't bench Lomax or reduce his minutes, but I'm not sure what he gives you at the end of close games right now.

Its pretty tough to draw up a play when you aren't coming out of a timeout. I don't know what play was called or if the players didn't execute the called play. Either way, Harris got a pretty decent look, even if it was from extremely long range. He can totally hit that shot, though. It just didn't go down.

I did not have a problem with the play. Harris got an open three but hesitated and that allowed the defender to close the gap on him, making for an extremely tough shot. The initial shot was there though.

Yep I watched it again and you guys are right, wasn't as bad as I thought. I still think Harris (or Martin) should just bring the ball up in that situation. They still seem a little unsure with 3 PGs out there who they want bringing it up when. I still think that's a nice problem to have.

(11-26-2018 10:27 AM)SeñorTiger Wrote:  Where we struggle terribly...
- Finishing on the interior, especially our bigs or really having any real inside threat at all
- Perimeter defense, our guards are getting absolutely killed
- Shot blocking, our best big (Parks) plays below the rim

With that said, the only two players on the roster who have to start and play the bulk of minutes IMO are Tyler Harris and Mike Parks. Obviously, Parks is a question because of injuries. Harris has to be on the floor because he is by far and away our best scorer and our only real 3 point threat.

Starting lineup should look something like this:

Guard - Brewton/Jones - Whichever is going to setup the offense and defend the best
Guard - Harris - Best scorer and only consistent 3 point threat
Forward - Martin/Jones - Whichever is going to play defense and not turn the ball over and not stop the offense by over dribbling
Forward - Davenport/Maurice - Maurice gives us size but Davenport gives more versatility. However, it really on which Kyvon shows up to the stadium on any given night. Davenport is definitely the better player when he wants to be...
Center - Parks - He is our best interior player by a long shot. Hopefully, he is not playing injured all season because we need major minutes out of him.

The bench is some rotation of Martin/Brewton/Jones/Alo at the 1-3 depending on who starts and Davenport/Maurice/Thornton at the 4 and 5.

I think Alo has a bright future, however, he is nowhere near ready to defend at the college level. He is getting torched every single night and right now he is not good enough offensively to make up for it. I genuinely believe he will be a stud in years to come but right now he needs to be out of the starting lineup and playing fewer minutes until the game slows down for him offensively and he can stay in front of his man consistently.

Thornton plays hard but lacks the skill to be consistently impactful. Again, he should get minutes but should not be starting or playing in critical times IMO.


We are only 6 games in. I believe we have a great core of young talent that just needs time and experience to figure out the college game. Not to mention, Penny is still figuring out his system and what is and is not effective at the college level. I expect lots of growing pains but see a very bright future ahead of the program.

Sounds like you nailed it Senor. Great Post. That's the exact way I see it. Tyler and Alex will have to take leadership roles next year as far as experience goes. We will have a young but talented team. Penny will have his work cut out the rest of this season. I don't see the Tigers going very far without the use of Parks. Hopefully he has a second half of the year like last year. If he has any hopes of playing at another level he has to get healthy now. Don't see any excuse for the Tigers foul shooting with as good a shooters as this coaching staff was. It surely will get better. This team will improve as the season goes on with this great coaching/teaching staff I believe.

Watch Mike Miller. He is not a happy camper. CPH should use that anger and let Mike be the bad guy. Letting Lomax and Harris continue to be high school prima donnas will not serve the team this year or next. Experience is one thing, good experience is valuable. IMO CPH needs to focus on recruiting better guards if those two are not going to choose to improve.

(11-26-2018 05:32 PM)Keeper Wrote:  Watch Mike Miller. He is not a happy camper. CPH should use that anger and let Mike be the bad guy. Letting Lomax and Harris continue to be high school prima donnas will not serve the team this year or next. Experience is one thing, good experience is valuable. IMO CPH needs to focus on recruiting better guards if those two are not going to choose to improve.

If you expect more production than Harris has provided thus far then you are some serious drugs. Harris will be one of the all time leading scorers to ever wear a Memphis jersey if he continues anywhere near his current scoring trajectory. He is a freshman who has 20+ in 3 of his first 6 games...

(11-26-2018 05:44 PM)SeñorTiger Wrote:  

(11-26-2018 05:32 PM)Keeper Wrote:  Watch Mike Miller. He is not a happy camper. CPH should use that anger and let Mike be the bad guy. Letting Lomax and Harris continue to be high school prima donnas will not serve the team this year or next. Experience is one thing, good experience is valuable. IMO CPH needs to focus on recruiting better guards if those two are not going to choose to improve.

If you expect more production than Harris has provided thus far then you are some serious drugs. Harris will be one of the all time leading scorers to ever wear a Memphis jersey if he continues anywhere near his current scoring trajectory. He is a freshman who has 20+ in 3 of his first 6 games...

Agreed...

And if you listen to Hardaway he has no issues with their offensive production...What really seems to be pissing him off is the fact they are not defending worth a damn.

(11-26-2018 05:32 PM)Keeper Wrote:  Watch Mike Miller. He is not a happy camper. CPH should use that anger and let Mike be the bad guy. Letting Lomax and Harris continue to be high school prima donnas will not serve the team this year or next. Experience is one thing, good experience is valuable. IMO CPH needs to focus on recruiting better guards if those two are not going to choose to improve.

I don't understand people lumping Lomax and Harris together - as if they're playing at the same level, having the same issues. You're not the only one doing it. But they are not.

Harris is very confident, has been our best offensive weapon, and the only reason everyone is not already packing in a tight zone against us. His problem is learning the good shot, versus getting other involved. And learning the best way to use his quickness on D. But he has to stay on the floor due to his value, and learn in games.

Lomax seems uncertain and is not helping the offense at all. And his D has been up/down. He is not getting guarded on O, making it tougher on the rest of the team. He needs to have his minutes reduced.

The weirdest thing you said is indicating that neither want to improve. They haven't even finished their first semester of college yet. Both players will definitely get much better in their 4 years here.

(11-26-2018 10:35 AM)Titans3775 Wrote:  Points above Replacement has our best lineup as Harris, Brewton, Martin, Davenport, and Parks. Jones as first off the bench.

http://www.barttorvik.com/team.php?filte...am=Memphis

That lineup makes sense, from what our eyes have been telling us. My only question would be Davenport. Kyvon has been a huge disappointment this year. Erratic play and no sign of any strength development during the offseason. He should have taken full advantage of his one full offseason on campus and come in much stronger for his senior year.

I'd be tempted to go with Jones or Maurice - depending on matchups - at the 4.

Enoh must not have it together. Thornton is just not skilled enough at the wing, or consistent enough defensively to play post. A-lo and Wingett are still learning D1 basketball.

(11-26-2018 11:59 AM)WColt45 Wrote:  The other part of the problem is playing ALo and Martin at the same time. While Martin can shoot the ball from 3 when he needs to, his primary role in the offense is taking his man off the dribble in iso situations. With Lomax's inability to consistently hit a jumper, it basically lets his man help out on other players like Harris or crash the boards because there is no threat of a kickout to Lomax.

Defensively, Lomax is just going to have to learn not to gamble quite as much. When he learns to play defense with his feet instead of reaching, he'll take a big step forward. I don't think Penny can afford to bench him because he has to get minutes so that we can rely on him to be an impact player in the future.

The problem isn't with our seniors or freshmen. The problem is there are no sophomores and juniors on this team that can step in and play meaningful minutes. You're stuck either asking the seniors to carry the entire team or relying on first year players to step up and produce right away, but their development takes time.

IMO, the problem is absolutely with our seniors. It is certainly fair to ask them to carry the team at critical times. Martin and Davenport should be playing at all-conference levels and they are not. And Thornton has the body to make a role for himself. Parks is obviously still dealing with the back. Kareem is the only senior making the most of his minutes and abilities.

The lack of sophomores and juniors will come into play next year, but should not be an issue right now. How many other teams have 5 seniors returning with serious minutes - 3 of whom were starters last year?

(11-26-2018 11:11 AM)dwash Wrote:  

(11-26-2018 10:56 AM)SeñorTiger Wrote:  

(11-26-2018 10:40 AM)dwash Wrote:  You guys are shortsighted. Benching his young cub Alo after 6 games sends a bad message to prospective recruits. I thought the two small guards was a terrible idea, but you kinda have to ride with it now.

I disagree. It shows maturity as a coach. Alo is clearly not ready and there are players behind him that can start in his place and allow him to come along and take over later in the year.

Im not saying never bench him but after only 6 games it shows impatience and uncertainty imo.

He will probably play better off the bench, and that’s all anybody wants. He sure doesn’t deserve to start. You need to earn that spot. Especially as a freshman. That’s something I think the coaches want to tell recruits, starting spots are earned not given. Recruits that don’t buy into that , shouldn’t be recruited.

(11-27-2018 04:49 PM)Tiger87 Wrote:  

(11-26-2018 05:32 PM)Keeper Wrote:  Watch Mike Miller. He is not a happy camper. CPH should use that anger and let Mike be the bad guy. Letting Lomax and Harris continue to be high school prima donnas will not serve the team this year or next. Experience is one thing, good experience is valuable. IMO CPH needs to focus on recruiting better guards if those two are not going to choose to improve.

I don't understand people lumping Lomax and Harris together - as if they're playing at the same level, having the same issues. You're not the only one doing it. But they are not.

Harris is very confident, has been our best offensive weapon, and the only reason everyone is not already packing in a tight zone against us. His problem is learning the good shot, versus getting other involved. And learning the best way to use his quickness on D. But he has to stay on the floor due to his value, and learn in games.

Lomax seems uncertain and is not helping the offense at all. And his D has been up/down. He is not getting guarded on O, making it tougher on the rest of the team. He needs to have his minutes reduced.

The weirdest thing you said is indicating that neither want to improve. They haven't even finished their first semester of college yet. Both players will definitely get much better in their 4 years here.

What good is not allowing a team to zone you when you regularly don't play your inside scorer and also regularly play a point guard that isn't a scoring threat AT ALL.

Have read all the opinions & analysis, probably some changes need to be made in minutes for some but frankly in the last game if only TOs had been cut in half during the 2nd half, our Tigers would have won. So first priority, cut down the TO's. 2nd priority, hit FTs. 3rd priority, play the more productive players more minutes.

CPH is selling the 3-guard lineup to recruits. And Alo has been his guy for many years and running his system. It's natural for CPH to give Alo more rope.

But as Penny and Alex are so close, I suspect they can have the man-to-man about minutes when the time comes (and I agree it should be soon). Alex trusts Penny, and knows CPH will have Alo's best interests at heart. And CPH will know the best way to motivate Alo.

If there's one player-coach relationship that you can bet on working out, it's this one.

(11-27-2018 06:12 PM)macgar32 Wrote:  

(11-27-2018 04:49 PM)Tiger87 Wrote:  

(11-26-2018 05:32 PM)Keeper Wrote:  Watch Mike Miller. He is not a happy camper. CPH should use that anger and let Mike be the bad guy. Letting Lomax and Harris continue to be high school prima donnas will not serve the team this year or next. Experience is one thing, good experience is valuable. IMO CPH needs to focus on recruiting better guards if those two are not going to choose to improve.

I don't understand people lumping Lomax and Harris together - as if they're playing at the same level, having the same issues. You're not the only one doing it. But they are not.

Harris is very confident, has been our best offensive weapon, and the only reason everyone is not already packing in a tight zone against us. His problem is learning the good shot, versus getting other involved. And learning the best way to use his quickness on D. But he has to stay on the floor due to his value, and learn in games.

Lomax seems uncertain and is not helping the offense at all. And his D has been up/down. He is not getting guarded on O, making it tougher on the rest of the team. He needs to have his minutes reduced.

The weirdest thing you said is indicating that neither want to improve. They haven't even finished their first semester of college yet. Both players will definitely get much better in their 4 years here.

What good is not allowing a team to zone you when you regularly don't play your inside scorer and also regularly play a point guard that isn't a scoring threat AT ALL.

Agree. And I suspect both those will be addressed soon.

Meanwhile, the point was - Alo and Tyler are not both struggling equally so that they can be lumped together.