Miserable second half performance. I don't know that there was a single key to the loss. The inability to secure a defensive rebound took the life out of the team and the crowd. It sucks to play decent defense, force a miss, and then let 'em have another chance. Got to block out.
Several times there was an opportunity for an easy pass or a hard pass and the player selected the hard pass, resulting in a turnover.
We cut those in half, we're in this game.

(01-08-2022 06:37 PM)Wadood Abides Wrote:  I feel very pessimistic about this team. Nothing happens off ball. Just a bunch of standing around. No real offensive plays. We just suck at the half court, so if the fast break isn't there, we have to hit a very high percentage of threes to play with anybody in the league.

Recognizing we didn't have the depth at the bigs we hoped/expected, this still has to fall primarily on bad coaching.

If you want to get really depressed, imagine this lineup next year without LA and Sloan.

I look forward to the day we no longer have LA after this debacle. He’s a turnover machine. He’s an amazing athlete with zero court vision. He needs to make simple passes and set him up for shots.
That’s it. Sloan is a clutch player but goes away at times.

End of the day - Wofford had 11 offensive rebounds. We had 2. That’s a lack of effort, and I’m extremely disappointed in that. Let’s see what Dez does with a full recruitment period. But as far as the players? Effort and blocking out is where you need to be - we did it versus VMI. Tonight? Lol. Don’t get it. That’s effort,

(01-08-2022 11:11 PM)GoBucsGo Wrote:  

(01-08-2022 06:37 PM)Wadood Abides Wrote:  I feel very pessimistic about this team. Nothing happens off ball. Just a bunch of standing around. No real offensive plays. We just suck at the half court, so if the fast break isn't there, we have to hit a very high percentage of threes to play with anybody in the league.

Recognizing we didn't have the depth at the bigs we hoped/expected, this still has to fall primarily on bad coaching.

If you want to get really depressed, imagine this lineup next year without LA and Sloan.

I look forward to the day we no longer have LA after this debacle. He’s a turnover machine. He’s an amazing athlete with zero court vision. He needs to make simple passes and set him up for shots.
That’s it. Sloan is a clutch player but goes away at times.

End of the day - Wofford had 11 offensive rebounds. We had 2. That’s a lack of effort, and I’m extremely disappointed in that. Let’s see what Dez does with a full recruitment period. But as far as the players? Effort and blocking out is where you need to be - we did it versus VMI. Tonight? Lol. Don’t get it. That’s effort,

Ledarius is one of our biggest offensive threats, and I like him and do not look forward to him leaving. I get your sentient, though. Although he's not the only guilty one, he needs to be an example of taking care of the ball. Turnovers just kill momentum; if you do not have a juggernaut offense (which we do NOT), you have to do the little things to give yourself an advantage.

After reading this — is it bad coaching or do we simply not have the players, certainly inside players, to compete?

“We just don’t have anybody right now on our front line who has the ability to make shots in the paint,” ETSU coach Desmond Oliver said.



https://www.johnsoncitypress.com/sports/...106a2.html

(01-09-2022 08:35 AM)Buc66 Wrote:  After reading this — is it bad coaching or do we simply not have the players, certainly inside players, to compete?

“We just don’t have anybody right now on our front line who has the ability to make shots in the paint,” ETSU coach Desmond Oliver said.



https://www.johnsoncitypress.com/sports/...106a2.html

After reading this how can you blame anyone but the coach? He knew what he had rotation wise before the season began. Seems irresponsible to go into the season with only one big man and no back up plan.

It seems a bit obvious there wasn’t much of a game plan. Or if there was, it was abandoned quickly. It looked like a pickup game the entire 2nd half. If this team continues to backslide, coach has to accept responsibility. It will certainly continue to be an up and down season, so there is no room to lose games, due to focus and errors, where the matchups otherwise work. Losing at home is particularly unsavory. It’s on the coaching staff to prevent a meltdown in terms of morale and effort.

To me, it was just a recruiting blunder to bring in 7 freshmen. In 1982 that may have worked but we are in the era of the transfer portal and that is the way to fill out a team in 2021. Before the season started with only Silas at the 5 position it should have alarmed the coaches and not just the fans. Silas would have to have back up when he had two fouls or needed rest. Now we have zero 5 players and other teams will exploit it to the max. We can only hope some other SoCon team have no post players also that we can match up with. Yes the staff came in late and some in the portal may have been picked over but Bucs have shown a great ability to get transfers in that are mature and can start for us. I think we should have gotten a couple of players that could at least play down low on defense and get some rebounds. We know the post players we would get probably cannot shoot but that is ok as we just need the presence down low and now we have nothing.

(01-09-2022 02:59 PM)bucfan81 Wrote:  To me, it was just a recruiting blunder to bring in 7 freshmen. In 1982 that may have worked but we are in the era of the transfer portal and that is the way to fill out a team in 2021. Before the season started with only Silas at the 5 position it should have alarmed the coaches and not just the fans. Silas would have to have back up when he had two fouls or needed rest. Now we have zero 5 players and other teams will exploit it to the max. We can only hope some other SoCon team have no post players also that we can match up with. Yes the staff came in late and some in the portal may have been picked over but Bucs have shown a great ability to get transfers in that are mature and can start for us. I think we should have gotten a couple of players that could at least play down low on defense and get some rebounds. We know the post players we would get probably cannot shoot but that is ok as we just need the presence down low and now we have nothing.

COACH said, nobody NOW with the ABILITY to make shots. Not a single scholarship player? To me, that’s an incredible statement describing an incredible problem!

Put yourself in the mindset of a post player in the portal back in the Spring or Summer. You know you're in demand. Do want to transfer in to the dumpster fire that was ETSU at that time? At best, it was a completely unknown situation - if you’re a 19- or 20-year-old kid. I might think Austin Peay, or Winthrop, or EKU, or Presbyterian, or Cleveland St, or whoever, might be a more clear-cut option. (Just picking those alternatives out of a hat; no relation, unless accidental, to any real-world decisions any particular person made). Remember - this is nearly a complete re-build. Am I confident Oliver is capable of that rebuild? No - but that likely would be my opinion with whoever was in his shoes. We're spoiled, and most of us realize that. It's *good* to be spoiled by success. But in the mid-major world........it's a *constant* struggle to *stay* spoiled. And.............being spoiled makes it hard to be patient. I realize that. It's clear Oliver is struggling to find the best path forward. It's possible he'll find it - and possible he won't. But let's keep things in a bit of perspective.

Yes, its clear going into the season with only 1 true post player was a mistake (and several of us so stated), but those of us not wearing his shoes couldn't see the choices as clearly as he could. He apparently adjudged Farrah not ready (despite his clear earlier assertion that he was). And yes, as I've stated before..........since his viewpoint on that changed, he should have publicly walked back those comments. Fat chance, I know. And fat chance we would have a local sports journalist capable of asking those kinds of questions. But..........this still will take time. I don't see any way around that.