The unofficial online home for fans of the Kent State University Golden Flashes. Part of Collegiate Sports Nation (CSN).

The Flashes travel to the Convo for a 6:30 contest against the Bobcats. The game will be available to view via television on the CBS Sports Network.

Hope we brought the walk-ons because they're going to get some run tonight. We're not good.

At halftime... 0 bench points, 0 threes, 1 assist. Our offense is abismal.

29.4% shooting for the half. The awful shooting continues. At this point I have to say I fear it's going to be a long year.

(01-07-2022 07:14 PM)anti-zip Wrote:  Hope we brought the walk-ons because they're going to get some run tonight. We're not good.

Ugh. Yep

And OU is good enough to make this a butt whooping.

Finally get into it and then give up a 5-0 run. Going to be tough now.

18 down , cut it to 2, but couldn’t get over the hump
Good effort but an L. OU quick , athletic and can shoot it.

(01-07-2022 08:26 PM)Older and Older Wrote:  18 down , cut it to 2, but couldn’t get over the hump
Good effort but an L. OU quick , athletic and can shoot it.

Yeah, imagine that. Basketball players who can shoot it. What a novel idea. I don't care that they came from way back. They lost and again couldn't even shoot 40%. You're always going to lose more than you win at less than 40%.

(01-07-2022 09:49 PM)Muskrat Wrote:  

(01-07-2022 08:26 PM)Older and Older Wrote:  18 down , cut it to 2, but couldn’t get over the hump
Good effort but an L. OU quick , athletic and can shoot it.

Yeah, imagine that. Basketball players who can shoot it. What a novel idea. I don't care that they came from way back. They lost and again couldn't even shoot 40%. You're always going to lose more than you win at less than 40%.

Let's peel the onion a little bit, even as it burns the nose and brings tears to our eyes.

1. For like the third or fourth game in a row the starting lineup is in flux (no Gio). True, he has struggled a bit, but he is also savvy enough to play through it.

2. Garcia shows signs of coming around. Yes, his minutes will be limited, but 9/5 on a consistent basis will go a long way on this team.

3. The team defense has been overall solid. To come back like that with negligible 3-point shooting has to involve some quality level of defense. Not to mention VanDer was essentially shut down the second half after making 6 first-half threes.

4 (Yes, my nose is still running and my eyes are burning)

5. JHam has to find a level of common ground. Can't be 21 points one game, six the next. It wasn't so much the critical missed dunk (tissue to blow nose) as much as just taking six shots in the game. Got to demand the ball more than that ... and PG Carry has to demand he get on the block and go to work.

6. You are what your record says you are ... which is a .500 team at the moment. But this team did not wilt and had the ball with a chance to tie or take the lead down the stretch. They are not even a typical Kent State team at the moment, much less a quality one. At the same time, they are not dead yet.

I think your take on Hamilton is pie in the sky and won't happen. At this point he is what he is. He's a 6'11" guy that can't play in the post. He'll do some scoring around the basket on alley-opps or put backs, but he's soft. If there's any contact he's not going to finish. I often wonder if the PGs get annoyed by how many assists die on him not keeping the ball up and going straight up or failing to finish an and-one that was very convertible.

I lost hope that he'd ever be more than a role player over the summer when the basketball Twitter account posted an interview with him where he said the thing he was working on in the off season was his outside shooting. That's when I accepted he doesn't get it. He doesn't realize at 6'11" with a 7'6" wingspan and good athletic ability if you develop an average post game you'll be a monster in the MAC and that's going to turn more heads than hitting a couple threes. Every 7 footer hits threes these days. It doesn't set you apart if you're not a 15+ ppg guy in the MAC you're not getting noticed. What's frustrating is he doesn't need to be Justin Greene or Jimmy Hall in the post. With his size he just needs to be strong with the ball and have one or two go to shots that he makes at a high rate. With his size there's not many MAC players that could give him trouble if he had post moves. Not to mention that jump shot work has resulted in 1-7 from three.

At this point it seems like the only guys on the team that can catch a pass with their back to the basket, make a post move and score at a high rate are Jacobs and Garcia.

This team isn't awful. Not by a long shot and I, like many others, have seen more than my fair share of rotten Kent State basketball teams over the decades. There are good points, to be sure, and yes the COVID-19 situation is a real factor that affects practice due to the lack of bodies and affects the rotation. But all that being said it looks to me like a .500 or so season.

(01-08-2022 07:33 AM)anti-zip Wrote:  I lost hope that he'd ever be more than a role player over the summer when the basketball Twitter account posted an interview with him where he said the thing he was working on in the off season was his outside shooting. That's when I accepted he doesn't get it. He doesn't realize at 6'11" with a 7'6" wingspan and good athletic ability if you develop an average post game you'll be a monster in the MAC and that's going to turn more heads than hitting a couple threes. Every 7 footer hits threes these days. It doesn't set you apart if you're not a 15+ ppg guy in the MAC you're not getting noticed. What's frustrating is he doesn't need to be Justin Greene or Jimmy Hall in the post. With his size he just needs to be strong with the ball and have one or two go to shots that he makes at a high rate. With his size there's not many MAC players that could give him trouble if he had post moves. Not to mention that jump shot work has resulted in 1-7 from three.

Spot on assessment, a difference maker in the MAC is somebody that can make a difference in the post, not a big guy that plays outside. For that we could just swap him out for another perimeter player (one that shoots better) and go with a smaller lineup. Firing up threes in the off-season to expand his game only matters if his inside game is very solid to begin with; that time should’ve been spent strengthening the low post play.

(01-08-2022 10:37 AM)Polish Hammer Wrote:  

(01-08-2022 07:33 AM)anti-zip Wrote:  I lost hope that he'd ever be more than a role player over the summer when the basketball Twitter account posted an interview with him where he said the thing he was working on in the off season was his outside shooting. That's when I accepted he doesn't get it. He doesn't realize at 6'11" with a 7'6" wingspan and good athletic ability if you develop an average post game you'll be a monster in the MAC and that's going to turn more heads than hitting a couple threes. Every 7 footer hits threes these days. It doesn't set you apart if you're not a 15+ ppg guy in the MAC you're not getting noticed. What's frustrating is he doesn't need to be Justin Greene or Jimmy Hall in the post. With his size he just needs to be strong with the ball and have one or two go to shots that he makes at a high rate. With his size there's not many MAC players that could give him trouble if he had post moves. Not to mention that jump shot work has resulted in 1-7 from three.

Spot on assessment, a difference maker in the MAC is somebody that can make a difference in the post, not a big guy that plays outside. For that we could just swap him out for another perimeter player (one that shoots better) and go with a smaller lineup. Firing up threes in the off-season to expand his game only matters if his inside game is very solid to begin with; that time should’ve been spent strengthening the low post play.

Which brings us back to the two freshmen post players ... Hornbeak and Akeem. At one point Hornbeak was starting before Covid hit. Now he barely plays. Ditto Akeem who is still apparently getting up to speed after missing several months due to illness.

Tough to see either of these guys rising in the rotation at this point, going forward.

(01-07-2022 09:49 PM)Muskrat Wrote:  

(01-07-2022 08:26 PM)Older and Older Wrote:  18 down , cut it to 2, but couldn’t get over the hump
Good effort but an L. OU quick , athletic and can shoot it.

Yeah, imagine that. Basketball players who can shoot it. What a novel idea. I don't care that they came from way back. They lost and again couldn't even shoot 40%. You're always going to lose more than you win at less than 40%.

I’m beginning to believe bad shooting is a COVID symptom. The mens team caught it from the womens team or vice versa.

Everything else on God’s green Earth is a COVID symptom, why not add cold shooting to the list.

(01-08-2022 07:33 AM)anti-zip Wrote:  I think your take on Hamilton is pie in the sky and won't happen. At this point he is what he is. He's a 6'11" guy that can't play in the post. He'll do some scoring around the basket on alley-opps or put backs, but he's soft. If there's any contact he's not going to finish. I often wonder if the PGs get annoyed by how many assists die on him not keeping the ball up and going straight up or failing to finish an and-one that was very convertible.

Makes me think of Edwards. Jim did a lot to develop his post game over 4 years. Too bad with have Hamilton for 3 more months.

(01-09-2022 09:58 PM)AlphaFlash Wrote:  

(01-08-2022 07:33 AM)anti-zip Wrote:  I think your take on Hamilton is pie in the sky and won't happen. At this point he is what he is. He's a 6'11" guy that can't play in the post. He'll do some scoring around the basket on alley-opps or put backs, but he's soft. If there's any contact he's not going to finish. I often wonder if the PGs get annoyed by how many assists die on him not keeping the ball up and going straight up or failing to finish an and-one that was very convertible.

Makes me think of Edwards. Jim did a lot to develop his post game over 4 years. Too bad with have Hamilton for 3 more months.

Edwards was at Kent State five seasons. That was not all that uncommon back then. In the 18 years since his last year lots has changed. A young player coming in and staying 5, even 4, years is becoming less and less common. Coaches have to patch a team together every year, often almost from scratch.

(01-10-2022 08:23 AM)Muskrat Wrote:  

(01-09-2022 09:58 PM)AlphaFlash Wrote:  

(01-08-2022 07:33 AM)anti-zip Wrote:  I think your take on Hamilton is pie in the sky and won't happen. At this point he is what he is. He's a 6'11" guy that can't play in the post. He'll do some scoring around the basket on alley-opps or put backs, but he's soft. If there's any contact he's not going to finish. I often wonder if the PGs get annoyed by how many assists die on him not keeping the ball up and going straight up or failing to finish an and-one that was very convertible.

Makes me think of Edwards. Jim did a lot to develop his post game over 4 years. Too bad with have Hamilton for 3 more months.

Edwards was at Kent State five seasons. That was not all that uncommon back then. In the 18 years since his last year lots has changed. A young player coming in and staying 5, even 4, years is becoming less and less common. Coaches have to patch a team together every year, often almost from scratch.

Kind of the point I was making. Edwards was sloppy his first 2 years, but improved in the paint. Hamilton is the level Edwards was in Edwards' first year, but Hamilton is only here for 1 year. Doesn't give us much to work with.

(01-10-2022 01:27 PM)AlphaFlash Wrote:  

(01-10-2022 08:23 AM)Muskrat Wrote:  

(01-09-2022 09:58 PM)AlphaFlash Wrote:  

(01-08-2022 07:33 AM)anti-zip Wrote:  I think your take on Hamilton is pie in the sky and won't happen. At this point he is what he is. He's a 6'11" guy that can't play in the post. He'll do some scoring around the basket on alley-opps or put backs, but he's soft. If there's any contact he's not going to finish. I often wonder if the PGs get annoyed by how many assists die on him not keeping the ball up and going straight up or failing to finish an and-one that was very convertible.

Makes me think of Edwards. Jim did a lot to develop his post game over 4 years. Too bad with have Hamilton for 3 more months.

Edwards was at Kent State five seasons. That was not all that uncommon back then. In the 18 years since his last year lots has changed. A young player coming in and staying 5, even 4, years is becoming less and less common. Coaches have to patch a team together every year, often almost from scratch.

Kind of the point I was making. Edwards was sloppy his first 2 years, but improved in the paint. Hamilton is the level Edwards was in Edwards' first year, but Hamilton is only here for 1 year. Doesn't give us much to work with.

I agree. I was just agreeing with your point that a coaching staff all too often doesn't have the time to work with a player and develop them.