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I want my best player to feel like he deserves that award more. He didn’t say Perry was a garbage player. People are just getting worked up over nothing as always.

(03-07-2023 05:01 PM)blazers9911 Wrote:  I want my best player to feel like he deserves that award more. He didn’t say Perry was a garbage player. People are just getting worked up over nothing as always.

They madley.

We win three in a row and we are going to the NCAA Tournament. Thats all the motivation this team should need. Forget the manufactured outrage or somehow feeling disrespected for not receiving an individual award. My concern would be Jelly trying to score 40 to prove something while his teammates stand around. Many of you have complained about that this year. Go out and win this damn conference tournament and prove we are the best TEAM.
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(03-08-2023 10:00 AM)randy22263 Wrote:  We win three in a row and we are going to the NCAA Tournament. Thats all the motivation this team should need. Forget the manufactured outrage or somehow feeling disrespected for not receiving an individual award. My concern would be Jelly trying to score 40 to prove something while his teammates stand around. Many of you have complained about that this year. Go out and win this damn conference tournament and prove we are the best TEAM.
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Totally agree with everything you've said here.

(03-08-2023 10:00 AM)randy22263 Wrote:  We win three in a row and we are going to the NCAA Tournament. Thats all the motivation this team should need. Forget the manufactured outrage or somehow feeling disrespected for not receiving an individual award. My concern would be Jelly trying to score 40 to prove something while his teammates stand around. Many of you have complained about that this year. Go out and win this damn conference tournament and prove we are the best TEAM.
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Something tells me we lose a game because of that concern.

(03-08-2023 10:35 AM)uabblazer2012 Wrote:  

(03-08-2023 10:00 AM)randy22263 Wrote:  We win three in a row and we are going to the NCAA Tournament. Thats all the motivation this team should need. Forget the manufactured outrage or somehow feeling disrespected for not receiving an individual award. My concern would be Jelly trying to score 40 to prove something while his teammates stand around. Many of you have complained about that this year. Go out and win this damn conference tournament and prove we are the best TEAM.
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Something tells me we lose a game because of that concern.

I have every confidence that if we lose it'll be spun that way.

I'd much rather have guys that have a big chip on their shoulders. While winning is it's own motivation, nothing motivates quite as well as old fashioned anger

The greatest players turned individual slights into rocket fuel. The stories of Jordan, Kobe, Bird, Magic doing exactly that are legendary and endless. Heck MJ practically invented one for every game he ever played.

I see this here as a good test for Jelly — elevate his game *within* the team and win the thing that counts. That will speak for itself.

Jelly has done a good job of both elevating his game AND the team recently. Even in his 41 point game, he had 6 assists and set up some of the crucial buckets late in the game. There were points in the game where I feel like the other players were just kind of standing around, but for the most part, he has been able to do both. That is how the real potential of this team is unlocked. If Jelly is playing well, and the rest of the guys are contributing, not turning the ball over at an insane rate, hitting open shots, and playing team defense, we are really darn good - THAT team is the best in CUSA and will win a game or two in the Big Dance. The other version of the team we've seen can lose to UTSA or Rice.

Of course, if he wants to drop 50 a game and we win all 3, I'm fine with that too. We are at the point of just win at all costs.

What we don't need is for him to start pressing and spiraling out of control if we get down in a game and he is not hitting shots. He hasn't done that in a while, but it's always my fear.

If we do reach that point in a game, we need to settle down, focus on controlling the boards, playing defense, and getting to the line, not Jelly or Gaines pushing the ball ahead for a 1 on 2 or 1 on 3 fast break off of every defensive board or turning the ball over off of wild drives with no purpose.

Jelly didn't have a shot when he didn't play against UNT the first matchup and then played and lost to UNT in the second one.

Win both and it's Jelly, win one and its a toss-up. Win neither and it is this.

To me the X factor in UAB’s path to reaching its full potential is Tavin Lovan.

Jelly being Jelly, I feel pretty confident he is playing his best ball and will do whatever is needed within the team concept. He seems locked in.

I feel like Buffen is playing his best ball and is under control emotionally. He is always going to have that *edge* about him but that also makes him a good player as long as he pulls back before going off the rails.

But Tavin gives this team a lockdown defender and a matchup problem on guards that really fixes a lot of the defensive problems. Him being healthy enough to match up on a smaller guy is huge. Him being healthy enough to get downhill and finish at the rim is huge. Whether he plays 15 minutes or 25, being ++ while he’s on the court can be the difference.

Jelly indeed had 6 assists against Charlotte, and only 2 turnovers. He has to take what the defense gives him, which isn’t easy if his other four teammates aren’t cutting to the basket or at least trying to get open. If they just stand around watching Jelly, we will be in trouble.