Coach Forbes on the radio this morning :

-Coach noted that Samford had been scoring in the 80's at home and said that he was pleased by the better defense that the Buc's played against them than when they played at FH. He was pleased by only having 9 turnovers against 16 assists and by the fact that the Bucs outrebounded Samford. By contrast he pointed out that Sharkey had 8 turnovers. He was pleased by the bench play of Tisdale and Boyd. He wasn't as thrilled with Hodges' play, but did note that he had 10 rebounds. He was concerned by the struggles that the team had inside, though he was pleased that Rodriguez nearly had a double double. He gave Guerrero his due as an physical inside player, but thought that he was allowed to do too much. He was also concerned by the number of times that the ball went into the post for the Bucs and they came away without scoring. He said that it puzzled him somewhat because of Armus's good play at WCU and the fact that the next practice after that game was really productive for him. He said, however, that at the practice just before the game with Samford, Armus was complaining of a stiff back. He wondered if that didn't have something to do with what he thought was a below standard performance for him last night. He said that he planned to speak with Armus about his back.

-When asked about the apparent difference in Good over the last couple of games with his shooting, Coach said that he knew he could shoot well, that it is just a matter of the ball going in the basket now which in turn made him more cofident. He said that in addition his teammates are getting him the ball more. He feels that Good doesn't create his own shot generally; he needs to work off screens and have the ball fed to him in the right position. He said that one thing that helps Good in games is his short memory on shots that don't go in, which a good shooter must have.[/i]

-When asked about whether it was difficult to play in front of a "crowd" of 987 people (apparently the announced attendance), he said as before that it was not a lot of fun and that he preferred to play in front of a large crowd. As he said, you can't shut up the crowd if there is no crowd there. He said that another negative of playing in an atmosphere like that is that the refs can hear everything that you say.

-When asked about UTC, Coach said that the was surprised by WCU beating them at Chatt. He said that he felt that the Bucs were going to benefit from now playing each team in the conference for a second time.

-As an aside, Coach was asked who he thought would when the Super Bowl. He said that he didn't really watch the NFL that much, preferring the college game, but if pressed he thought the Patirots would probably win, although he added the disclaimer that he, also, had picked Alabama to win.

Interesting tidbit about Armus' back. He seemed to be playing really soft last night.. repeatedly getting blocked or stripped

The first game, in Johnson City, was frustrating. In the second half, Samford ran the high screen pick and roll over and over, and the Bucs seemed powerless to stop it. Last night's game never had that same hapless feeling. The defense was much improved, and although there were way too many blocked shots when the ball went into the post, the Bucs did manage to score 34 points in the paint.

Tisdale's defense on Sharkey certainly warranted the amount of playing time he was given. Tisdale is excellent at moving laterally to legally cut off an opponent's drive. But, his offense, particularly his handing the ball and setting the offense, was excellent, too. Sharkey likes to belly up on defense, which really puts pressure on the opponent (and on the referees, who should more often be calling a foul for contact within the offensive player's vertical cylinder). Tisdale handled it flawlessly.

Regarding Coach Forbes' comment that Guerrero was allowed to do too much, I would include traveling when he got the ball inside on offense.

Did you all notice the variety of people Hodges was guarding last night? At times he was on at least four different Bulldogs. While Tisdale had the lion's share of Sharkey time, Hodges had some, too, and I thought did surprisingly well, not allowing Sharkey to dribble around him. He also had to guard Guerrero a few times down low. He was able to not get 'beat', but of course Guerrero could go over him, and did at least once. I think that was when N'Guessan had to sit for foul trouble and Armus needed a rest, but I don't remember the details. I was actually hoping he'd try Harrison or Bernard for a spell, just to see.

As to Guerrero...…………...I think both on offense and defense, it wasn't that the Bucs were bad, it's just that he was so wonderful. Despite Good's performance, I thought Guerrero had the biggest impact on the game. I watched some of another game of theirs online recently, and I think he's slowly gained some confidence. Last night will only increase that, obviously.

Boyd, like Good, is a gunner, with a short memory, and needs a rhythm. While Good's emergence lately has been an obvious positive, I have to say it's been at the expense of both Boyd's time and confidence. And some of that is Forbes believing Tisdale needs to be in there when there is a hard guard at the 1 or 2. But Boyd's D isn't that bad; it's not quite Tisdale's but there's not too much of a drop-off there. Further...……...Boyd also has a nice driving game - I think moreso than Good. And Boyd has had some success from that time-to-time lately. He has that in his toolbox, but prefers to ring the 3-bell. My suggestion to the coaching staff, as if, is that they encourage Boyd to use that skill when he gets his minutes, *especially* when his outside shot isn't falling, which has been the case lately.

Unfortunately (I fear), there's going to come a game (or 2, or 3), where neither Good nor Boyd is hot from outside. I think we'll be in trouble then, as most of us realize. And I really, really, hope Williamson's confidence doesn't take a blow from these last two games. We need him. And his long-range percentage is fourth on the team, slightly behind Boyd, a bit more behind Good (now) and of course way behind Rasnick.

(02-01-2019 12:05 PM)posterformerlyknownasthedoctor Wrote:  Did you all notice the variety of people Hodges was guarding last night? At times he was on at least four different Bulldogs. While Tisdale had the lion's share of Sharkey time, Hodges had some, too, and I thought did surprisingly well, not allowing Sharkey to dribble around him. He also had to guard Guerrero a few times down low. He was able to not get 'beat', but of course Guerrero could go over him, and did at least once. I think that was when N'Guessan had to sit for foul trouble and Armus needed a rest, but I don't remember the details. I was actually hoping he'd try Harrison or Bernard for a spell, just to see.

As to Guerrero...…………...I think both on offense and defense, it wasn't that the Bucs were bad, it's just that he was so wonderful. Despite Good's performance, I thought Guerrero had the biggest impact on the game. I watched some of another game of theirs online recently, and I think he's slowly gained some confidence. Last night will only increase that, obviously.

Boyd, like Good, is a gunner, with a short memory, and needs a rhythm. While Good's emergence lately has been an obvious positive, I have to say it's been at the expense of both Boyd's time and confidence. And some of that is Forbes believing Tisdale needs to be in there when there is a hard guard at the 1 or 2. But Boyd's D isn't that bad; it's not quite Tisdale's but there's not too much of a drop-off there. Further...……...Boyd also has a nice driving game - I think moreso than Good. And Boyd has had some success from that time-to-time lately. He has that in his toolbox, but prefers to ring the 3-bell. My suggestion to the coaching staff, as if, is that they encourage Boyd to use that skill when he gets his minutes, *especially* when his outside shot isn't falling, which has been the case lately.

Unfortunately (I fear), there's going to come a game (or 2, or 3), where neither Good nor Boyd is hot from outside. I think we'll be in trouble then, as most of us realize. And I really, really, hope Williamson's confidence doesn't take a blow from these last two games. We need him. And his long-range percentage is fourth on the team, slightly behind Boyd, a bit more behind Good (now) and of course way behind Rasnick.

Daivien will be there for us and will bounce back, this I'm sure of.He has what it takes !!

The Daivien/Pun competition is good for the team. I think that both of those guys are approaching it in the right way. Different skill sets, useful for different situations. You want a tough defensive stopper with great assist to turnover ratio who can also get you some points? Pun's your man. You want a super quick slasher who can also pop a 3? Daivien's got it going. From the first open practice that looked like a positive combination... toe to toe competition, but guys who seem to be able to make each other better. Pun didn't crumble when Daivien became a starter. I don't think that Daivien will melt because Pun had a big night. Learn from what the other guy can do.

(02-02-2019 12:41 AM)swvabucsfan Wrote:  The Daivien/Pun competition is good for the team. I think that both of those guys are approaching it in the right way. Different skill sets, useful for different situations. You want a tough defensive stopper with great assist to turnover ratio who can also get you some points? Pun's your man. You want a super quick slasher who can also pop a 3? Daivien's got it going. From the first open practice that looked like a positive combination... toe to toe competition, but guys who seem to be able to make each other better. Pun didn't crumble when Daivien became a starter. I don't think that Daivien will melt because Pun had a big night. Learn from what the other guy can do.

I totally agree! We have two great point guards that can come in and make a difference. It also gives us endurance down the stretch as one can relieve the other and cover for foul trouble. And Davien is only going to get better and better.

(02-02-2019 12:41 AM)swvabucsfan Wrote:  The Daivien/Pun competition is good for the team. I think that both of those guys are approaching it in the right way. Different skill sets, useful for different situations. You want a tough defensive stopper with great assist to turnover ratio who can also get you some points? Pun's your man. You want a super quick slasher who can also pop a 3? Daivien's got it going. From the first open practice that looked like a positive combination... toe to toe competition, but guys who seem to be able to make each other better. Pun didn't crumble when Daivien became a starter. I don't think that Daivien will melt because Pun had a big night. Learn from what the other guy can do.

I don't disagree with any of that. I'm more worried about Boyd's PT, stroke, and psyche. Another way to look at that, tho, is that it's a good problem to have, as the saying goes.