(11-22-2022 02:04 PM)ChicagoHuskie Wrote: Team got steamrolled by Sam Houston, but I give them credit for giving it their all the entire game. Also, the team really seems to stick together. I am not a hoop expert, but it feels like we have some individual talent on this team, but just so disjointed together. Over time and by MAC play I am hopeful they will be more in sync with each other & be able to slow the game down.
Easy team to root for and hopefully they will be rewarded for hard work and staying together.
I agree. And have hopes that this long road trip is good for the team coming together.
Ultimately, with no post presence, this team is going to struggle no matter how you slice it. Durosinmi plays pretty decent defense and has a knack for taking charges but he's a zero on offense. I like Ibarguen's athletic build and how he moves but he's a walk-on and there's a reason for that. He might develop into a decent depth guy who can come in, grab a few fouls and give the main guys a breather and not kill you in the process, but he's nothing more than that...if that.
We have guards who can score but they aren't in a flow with each other right now. Williams seems out of sorts as last year he was the only scorer and the ball went to him first. But Coit plays a different game and seems to like to be the man. It's what he's always done (HS/JUCO) and he's struggling to figure out how to mesh with Williams.
Nutter is the guy who impresses me most. He seems like a more mature presence who isn't intimidated by anything but is also still figuring out D1 basketball. I wonder about who has a voice on the team now that Hankerson is gone. I don't think that's the kind of guy Williams is. He's a great talent but I'm not seeing him take Hankerson's pseudo captain's spot over. Nutter might be that guy but I'm not sure he's asserting himself.
They desperately need Niederhäuser to get healthy and get playing. That should help guys like Crump and Amos get some space and not have to be the post guys. I'm perplexed as to when Yanic got injured but he had a pretty busy summer playing international games so it could some something that materialized then and bled into now.
Either way, they're frustrating to watch but they've played a couple of teams lately who are way ahead of them in talent. I actually looking forward to the next game (either LIU or SD but I'm kind of hoping for LIU but SD also looks to be down) as it might give a better picture if they're playing someone closer to their level. And, if for nothing else, they need some confidence builders and right now, they aren't able to do anything than play hard and scramble against much better teams.
The comeback against GT was fun and I think they built some confidence in it but there are reasons they were down big to begin with.
/
Palms div opener vs Sam Houston
