I said it before on another thread, but I feel the need to just say it again: It's just a joy to see Jeromy Rodriguez go about his business. Elegance, disguised by a hard hat.

(12-30-2018 12:53 AM)swvabucsfan Wrote:  This was an important milestone for the Bucs, the most complete game that they have played, against a top midmajor team and one of the best teams in theSoCon. But it was also just one step in a long 2 month plus tour through the SoCon. It was great to hear Forbes in the post game emphasize that this one was won in practice sessions, which have apparently been strong since the Illinois embarrassment. Tonight gave us a glimpse of great possibilities – but a lot of work lies ahead to make those realities.

This game was mostly won by strong inside play. Jeromy Rodriguez gave us yet another double/double with 19 points on 8-10 (!) shooting with 11 rebounds, a couple of assists and a block. But especially important was that the Bucs could provide two guys in the post (Mladen Armus and Lucas N’Guessan) who could give us more combined production than Matt Rafferty could give them by himself: 21 points on 9-13 shooting, 12 rebounds, 3 assists, 4 blocks and a steal. The downside: 3 turnovers to N’Guessan, also 4 to Jeromy Rodriguez.

Armus was limited by foul trouble, but gave us the kind of strong, steady play we’ve come to expect. N’Guessan, however, was something of a revelation. In only his 4th game of the year, he was strong and aggressive and a leader on the floor. Of the stats cited, he was responsible himself for 13 points on 5-7 shooting, 3-4 from the line, 5 rebounds, 2 assists and 3 blocks. Rafferty was able to muscle in for position, but time and again he used his tremendous length to thwart the shot. Lucas is a different type of defender than the 7 foot Jurkin was. Peter altered the shot of everybody coming into the paint, but was vulnerable to the guy coming right at him. N’Guessan can defend the guy coming right into him much better than Peter could. I think that he’s just scratching the surface of what he can do as he gets confident on the floor with the other Bucs.

Most years the Bucs don’t have even one post player like the two they’ve got in Armus and N’Guessan.

At the point, the Bucs also have a remarkable combination. Pun Tisdale is a lock down physical defender with a grown man’s body and a mature head for the game. He’s got almost 3 times the steals and half again as many assists as Daivien and is averaging 9.6 points per game. But Daivien has the youthful quickness and a fine outside shot. He’s just getting his feet on the ground. In the last 4 games he’s doubled his scoring averaging, with 13.75 ppg over that span with .462 from 3 and .583 overall. You could tell from the first open practice that the combination of those two guys on the floor gave the Bucs an ideal competitive situation, where the efforts of each one could drive the other to better performance.

At shooting guard, Patrick good has been by far the steadiest offensive performer on the Bucs. His 12 points on 4-8 from 3 were the 6th time in the last 7 games that he has posted from 11 to 17 points. He has raised his 3 point shooting to .422 on the year. Tray Boyd is streakier, but this is his first year in D1. He was scoreless tonight, but could easily go for 24 points on 6-8 from 3, like he did last game. Bo Hodges gave us 7 points, 4 assists and 3 rebounds, and is playing more within himself and not forcing things. As is evidenced by averaging only 2.2 fouls per game over the last 4 games, whereas he had been averaging almost 4 fouls a game before that.

The Bucs rebounding has been historically strong – they outrebounded Furman by 10 last night. The defense is if anything stronger than it was last year at this time, holding opponents to 3.4 fewer points while they are scoring 1.9 more than last year at this time. Opponents field goal percentage is .402 compared to .417 at the start of conference play last year. Assists are up to 15.2 from 14.1. Turnover margin has been weaker (down to +0.07 from +3. 61), and free throw percentage is down to .665 from .704 at this time last year.

Chemistry seems to be good on this team – remarkably so considering how many new faces are on board. Building chemistry from a group of new players has been a Forbes strong point. It may be challenged a bit as N’Guessan and Hodges take on larger roles.

There is work to be done to get this team to live up to their potential. In particular, we owe Wofford some payment for the last time we met. And UNCG will almost certainly give us a tougher front line challenge than we got tonight. But the Furman game was a good sign of progress being made, and a hint of more to come.

Spot on. Your comments on Williamson's quickness are exactly what I was thinking in comparison with Boyd, the old basketball truism about being quick but not fast. Boyd is playing too fast. He needs to slow it down and see and feel the game playing out around him, not force it. He is a good shooter and ball handler and could be a major contributor to the team.
Some of the early season hiccups for the Bucs are the result of trying to merge so many new players and it appears with the evidence of the last three games that the coaching staff has made that merger. Not discounting the addition of N'Guessan (whose potential impact going forward has me more excited than is reasonable at this point), the decision to bring Tisdale and Armus off the bench was shrewd and gutsy. Coach Forbes said in the post game interview that the combination of Williamson and Tisdale had 9 assists and no turnovers. Armus played more like the strong, intense force that he showed in earlier games.
During the game I made a full mea culpa concerning Rodriguez. After the open practice, I opined that he was a strong, athletic presence that didn't seem to make much of an impression during the scrimmage. As the early games played out, I acknowledged that he appeared to show up at the end of games with a lot of rebounds and a large number of points that could not account for. Last night, I witnessed a complete force on the inside with an amazing array of skills welded to a strong physical presence and a fearless will. I have sinned and do hereby repent.
And as a cross reference to Poster's comments about the Furman message board, I, too, went to their board last night to bathe in their invective toward the Bucs and was sadly confronted by reasonable and thoughtful reports about their and our respective teams. Apparently the more inflammable members of their board have moved on. I was really looking forward to reading about what awful, vulgar fans we are and how our players are carpetbagging mercenaries. Sigh.
I just saw this report on yesterday's game from a sorrowful John O'Purple. Mostly a grudging acknowledgement of the Bucs domination through an incantation of stats. I was hoping for more, but at least he called us a "rowdy crowd." https://www.midmajormadness.com/2018/12/...basketball

(12-30-2018 03:07 PM)BigIslandBuc Wrote:  . Coach Forbes said in the post game interview that the combination of Williamson and Tisdale had 9 assists and no turnovers.

The combination of Williamson, Tisdale AND Good and Boyd had 9 assists and 0 turnovers. Good 4, Williamson 3 Tisdale and Boyd 1 a piece.
Which is what Forbes said, he named all 4, not just Williamson and Tisdale.


Hodges had 4 assists and 2 Turnovers.

I just saw this though it is a couple of days old. Someone may have already posted this, but there it is.

https://www.midmajormadness.com/2019/1/2...e-bulldogs

What I liked most about this was the comment that "While we were gone, Furman lost its first and second games of the season, and though neither of those losses was bad (at LSU and at East Tennessee State)" and the fact that ETSU was getting some votes for the Mid-Major Top 25.

As a side note I thought it was amusing (and gratifying) that the new video introduction for the team was (I believe) exclusively from the recent Furman game.