(11-18-2019 07:21 AM)NJDuke97 Wrote:  A few observations from another disappointing outcome:

- The zone defense in the half court has been pretty good- that's nice to see and an improvement over prior years.

- The offense and shots taken some aren't great but most were ok even the ones we air balled. The shooting has been very inconsistent to start the year. Some of the bad shots were from the Freshmen (Christmas and Harvey) but they are playing aggressive which I like. Lewis will take a lot of criticism and deservedly so - the announcers commented that a few of his 3s are from well beyond the 3 point line- I don't think he should be taking those shots earlier in the possession -only as a last resort when everything else breaks down. Parker hasn't been very good the last couple of games. I think he's been a little tentative on offense and needs to be more aggressive driving and creating as the PG. We just need to shoot better that's the bottom line.

- If we are going to play with more pace and guys are going to have the green light on offense to shoot more 3s I'm ok with that identity but like Jackson said I think they need to alter the rotation accordingly. Getting Wilson back will help there but Rowe needs to be mindful of minutes because I think guys get tired.

- Wooden obviously looks promising- He has good size and can help in all areas.

Another big game this week at ODU. I think that's the harder of the 2 games so the Dukes made it more difficult on themselves getting a road win on this trip. Mason even without Kier has some pieces and is pretty talented and well coached and apparently Charlotte is ok as well because they've beaten Davidson and Wake Forrest early. I just hope at ODU JMU stays aggressive and goes at them. Last year's game was basically the UVA second half. It was ugly and the upper classmen need to play within themselves and aggressively and go at the ODU defenders. No settling. I don't mind the 3 ball but try to get to the rim and create off the dribble.

One other note-

If Wooden can get to the rim for two dunks I think Christmas should and can as well. It may be a product of the lateral quickness of the guy guarding them or the defense in general but less of the in the lane scoop and floater shots and more of the flushes. Maybe the game back in Norfolk gets this out of Christmas but the young man has great bounce and size. He shouldn't be finger rolling across the lane. Flush it for an easy two or at a minimum you draw the foul.

(11-18-2019 08:22 AM)NJDuke97 Wrote:  

(11-18-2019 07:21 AM)NJDuke97 Wrote:  A few observations from another disappointing outcome:

- The zone defense in the half court has been pretty good- that's nice to see and an improvement over prior years.

- The offense and shots taken some aren't great but most were ok even the ones we air balled. The shooting has been very inconsistent to start the year. Some of the bad shots were from the Freshmen (Christmas and Harvey) but they are playing aggressive which I like. Lewis will take a lot of criticism and deservedly so - the announcers commented that a few of his 3s are from well beyond the 3 point line- I don't think he should be taking those shots earlier in the possession -only as a last resort when everything else breaks down. Parker hasn't been very good the last couple of games. I think he's been a little tentative on offense and needs to be more aggressive driving and creating as the PG. We just need to shoot better that's the bottom line.

- If we are going to play with more pace and guys are going to have the green light on offense to shoot more 3s I'm ok with that identity but like Jackson said I think they need to alter the rotation accordingly. Getting Wilson back will help there but Rowe needs to be mindful of minutes because I think guys get tired.

- Wooden obviously looks promising- He has good size and can help in all areas.

Another big game this week at ODU. I think that's the harder of the 2 games so the Dukes made it more difficult on themselves getting a road win on this trip. Mason even without Kier has some pieces and is pretty talented and well coached and apparently Charlotte is ok as well because they've beaten Davidson and Wake Forrest early. I just hope at ODU JMU stays aggressive and goes at them. Last year's game was basically the UVA second half. It was ugly and the upper classmen need to play within themselves and aggressively and go at the ODU defenders. No settling. I don't mind the 3 ball but try to get to the rim and create off the dribble.

One other note-

If Wooden can get to the rim for two dunks I think Christmas should and can as well. It may be a product of the lateral quickness of the guy guarding them or the defense in general but less of the in the lane scoop and floater shots and more of the flushes. Maybe the game back in Norfolk gets this out of Christmas but the young man has great bounce and size. He shouldn't be finger rolling across the lane. Flush it for an easy two or at a minimum you draw the foul.

Oh yeah, it's fine to shoot 3 pointers if you are making them, but it looks like you can soon figure it out if you are going to make them or not. Missing 3 pointers lost the game. Look at how many were missed. I'm not a coach but even I could figure that out. 2 is better than 0.

(11-18-2019 08:39 AM)jmudukes Wrote:  

(11-18-2019 08:22 AM)NJDuke97 Wrote:  

(11-18-2019 07:21 AM)NJDuke97 Wrote:  A few observations from another disappointing outcome:

- The zone defense in the half court has been pretty good- that's nice to see and an improvement over prior years.

- The offense and shots taken some aren't great but most were ok even the ones we air balled. The shooting has been very inconsistent to start the year. Some of the bad shots were from the Freshmen (Christmas and Harvey) but they are playing aggressive which I like. Lewis will take a lot of criticism and deservedly so - the announcers commented that a few of his 3s are from well beyond the 3 point line- I don't think he should be taking those shots earlier in the possession -only as a last resort when everything else breaks down. Parker hasn't been very good the last couple of games. I think he's been a little tentative on offense and needs to be more aggressive driving and creating as the PG. We just need to shoot better that's the bottom line.

- If we are going to play with more pace and guys are going to have the green light on offense to shoot more 3s I'm ok with that identity but like Jackson said I think they need to alter the rotation accordingly. Getting Wilson back will help there but Rowe needs to be mindful of minutes because I think guys get tired.

- Wooden obviously looks promising- He has good size and can help in all areas.

Another big game this week at ODU. I think that's the harder of the 2 games so the Dukes made it more difficult on themselves getting a road win on this trip. Mason even without Kier has some pieces and is pretty talented and well coached and apparently Charlotte is ok as well because they've beaten Davidson and Wake Forrest early. I just hope at ODU JMU stays aggressive and goes at them. Last year's game was basically the UVA second half. It was ugly and the upper classmen need to play within themselves and aggressively and go at the ODU defenders. No settling. I don't mind the 3 ball but try to get to the rim and create off the dribble.

One other note-

If Wooden can get to the rim for two dunks I think Christmas should and can as well. It may be a product of the lateral quickness of the guy guarding them or the defense in general but less of the in the lane scoop and floater shots and more of the flushes. Maybe the game back in Norfolk gets this out of Christmas but the young man has great bounce and size. He shouldn't be finger rolling across the lane. Flush it for an easy two or at a minimum you draw the foul.

Oh yeah, it's fine to shoot 3 pointers if you are making them, but it looks like you can soon figure it out if you are going to make them or not. Missing 3 pointers lost the game. Look at how many were missed. I'm not a coach but even I could figure that out. 2 is better than 0.

You have to run an offense to get the 2.

I was not encouraged by this game:
- Poor shooting both 2pt and 3 pt fg%
- Too much forcing shots by Lewis
- Faded late in the 2nd half at winning time.
- At least the FT% seems to have been addressed.
- Nice game by Wooden.

My expectation is for Lewis and Banks to be reliable, proven upper-classmen that provide a steadying influence.

Overall I was quite disappointed in this game as I thought since the UNCC game this was the next game that would really show where we stood as a program. This now makes the ODU, at least in my eyes VERY IMPORTANT and an early season must win.

(11-18-2019 10:06 AM)ShadyP Wrote:  I was not encouraged by this game:
- Poor shooting both 2pt and 3 pt fg%
- Too much forcing shots by Lewis
- Faded late in the 2nd half at winning time.
- At least the FT% seems to have been addressed.
- Nice game by Wooden.

My expectation is for Lewis and Banks to be reliable, proven upper-classmen that provide a steadying influence.

Overall I was quite disappointed in this game as I thought since the UNCC game this was the next game that would really show where we stood as a program. This now makes the ODU, at least in my eyes VERY IMPORTANT and an early season must win.

Believe the Dukes were down 1 point with 8 minutes to play, so they had done a lot of good things to that point. Play at end of game reflected poor decision-making and perhaps fatigue. Fatigue has been an issue before....we need to sub more judiciously. Dukes also gave up 49 points in the second half. A lot of those were at the rim and in the paint.

I was encouraged because I think the team has improved and they showed their talent level. Paulsen, after the game, said something to the effect that, "that's a really talented offensive team over there."

In the history of the ODU-JMU series, JMU has only won maybe twice in Norfolk. That's a likely loss.

Going forward, we need to tighten up a lot of things, but the offensive philosophy is probably not sustainable. It's akin to Paul Ball back at Mason and that led to the coach's firing and his replacement by Jim Larranaga, I believe it was. A three 6 or 7 feet behind the line is always available...you have to work for good shots and have an inside presence. Everyone knows this is a make or break year for Rowe, so that adds to the pressure.

Mettlen in his write-up talked about a lot of missed layups, but it seemed those were contested or forced (not necessarily bunnies).

ODU game is on ESPN3, by the way. Had not noticed that before.

Wooden picks up CAA rookie of the week award. Congrats to him!

(11-18-2019 11:08 AM)Dukes84 Wrote:  

(11-18-2019 10:06 AM)ShadyP Wrote:  I was not encouraged by this game:
- Poor shooting both 2pt and 3 pt fg%
- Too much forcing shots by Lewis
- Faded late in the 2nd half at winning time.
- At least the FT% seems to have been addressed.
- Nice game by Wooden.

My expectation is for Lewis and Banks to be reliable, proven upper-classmen that provide a steadying influence.

Overall I was quite disappointed in this game as I thought since the UNCC game this was the next game that would really show where we stood as a program. This now makes the ODU, at least in my eyes VERY IMPORTANT and an early season must win.

Believe the Dukes were down 1 point with 8 minutes to play, so they had done a lot of good things to that point. Play at end of game reflected poor decision-making and perhaps fatigue. Fatigue has been an issue before....we need to sub more judiciously. Dukes also gave up 49 points in the second half. A lot of those were at the rim and in the paint.

I was encouraged because I think the team has improved and they showed their talent level. Paulsen, after the game, said something to the effect that, "that's a really talented offensive team over there."

In the history of the ODU-JMU series, JMU has only won maybe twice in Norfolk. That's a likely loss.

Going forward, we need to tighten up a lot of things, but the offensive philosophy is probably not sustainable. It's akin to Paul Ball back at Mason and that led to the coach's firing and his replacement by Jim Larranaga, I believe it was. A three 6 or 7 feet behind the line is always available...you have to work for good shots and have an inside presence. Everyone knows this is a make or break year for Rowe, so that adds to the pressure.

Mettlen in his write-up talked about a lot of missed layups, but it seemed those were contested or forced (not necessarily bunnies).

I have been very patient with the bball program under Rowe. I am done with them looking better, moral victories, injuries........I only really care about one stat Ws/Ls, period this season. Win 18+ games, top 4 in the CAA, and make it to the semi's and I am open, otherwise time to move on period.

And JMU has won 6 times in Norfolk.

Shady --

You're right...we've won 6 times there. I stand corrected on that. I also went back and counted how many times we lost there and I added up 36 (dating back to early 70s).. So, we've lost 36 of 42 games there. ODU just beat NE on the road by 6 or 7 points. It's a tough match-up for the Dukes, but I'll be pulling for them.

(11-18-2019 11:31 AM)Dukes84 Wrote:  Wooden picks up CAA rookie of the week award. Congrats to him!

It's going to fun watching him for the next 4 years. Can't wait to see more highlight-reel dunks. What a change from Rowe's first year which featured more air dunks and dunks blocked by the rim than I've ever seen collectively before that year across all of college basketball.

He and Christmas should play above the rim quite a bit over the next few years. Congrats to Julien on his first CAA award. Now, go get another one.

(11-18-2019 01:44 PM)Dukes84 Wrote:  It's a tough match-up for the Dukes, but I'll be pulling for them.

I'm not trying to be rude, but does that really need to be said?

(11-18-2019 01:48 PM)HyperDuke Wrote:  

(11-18-2019 01:44 PM)Dukes84 Wrote:  It's a tough match-up for the Dukes, but I'll be pulling for them.

I'm not trying to be rude, but does that really need to be said?

Believe it or not, yes.

JMU basketball is very frustrating to watch.

The good:
Lots of talent on the court.
Our guys play hard.

The Bad:
Lots of talent on the court but very little chemistry.
There is no team identity/culture
With little inside game, good looks from the perimeter are limited. Paulson was daring Rowe to penetrate and he didn't do it.
Fatigue is an significant issue with this team. Shooting bricks, motion, lack of dribble drive and inside out is an obvious problem.
If we don't have someone that can spell our guards for a few min, twice every half then Rowe can't recruit as good as billed.

The Ugly:
Our guys get frustrated.
Doesn't appear that we prepared for GMU, sure we practiced but looks like we didn't practice to compete against GMU.

Like the UVA game, It's not that we lose games it's how we are losing the games.

(11-18-2019 02:01 PM)Dukes84 Wrote:  

(11-18-2019 01:48 PM)HyperDuke Wrote:  

(11-18-2019 01:44 PM)Dukes84 Wrote:  It's a tough match-up for the Dukes, but I'll be pulling for them.

I'm not trying to be rude, but does that really need to be said?

Believe it or not, yes.

Wow. That's crazy. Outside of Hart, I figure everyone's genuinely cheering on the team to win. (jk Hart probably sort of wants them to win, but he sure does come across as wanting to proven right more than wanting them to win)

(11-18-2019 01:44 PM)Dukes84 Wrote:  Shady --

You're right...we've won 6 times there. I stand corrected on that. I also went back and counted how many times we lost there and I added up 36 (dating back to early 70s).. So, we've lost 36 of 42 games there. ODU just beat NE on the road by 6 or 7 points. It's a tough match-up for the Dukes, but I'll be pulling for them.

I always pull for them and have supported them. Just saying that my patience with the coaching staff is razor thin at this point. I want them to have a very successful season and will always root for them. I was just sayin, I am done with moral victories and just care about Ws/Ls at this point for the future of our head coach. And I think Rowe is a great guy, so I hope they have an amazing season.

Not that I have watched a lot of games, but I watched my second complete one in a row. I felt like I knew the outcome the whole second half, and sadly I was right.

I felt we had more talent than they did.

We're a book with no ending when it comes to men's basketball.

That's a game we could of / should of won.

I'm actually wondering why we couldn't penetrate at all this game. Lewis, who has a knack for getting to the rim one on one was struggling a lot as was Parker.

(11-18-2019 01:44 PM)Dukes84 Wrote:  Shady --

You're right...we've won 6 times there. I stand corrected on that. I also went back and counted how many times we lost there and I added up 36 (dating back to early 70s).. So, we've lost 36 of 42 games there. ODU just beat NE on the road by 6 or 7 points. It's a tough match-up for the Dukes, but I'll be pulling for them.

For those pulling in person, pre-game is at Mojo Bones from 5-7. Scooter Rankin (ex baller/current alumni relations) is coming down. I will be there with a few of my Tidewater Duke Buds.

(11-18-2019 02:35 PM)HyperDuke Wrote:  

(11-18-2019 02:01 PM)Dukes84 Wrote:  

(11-18-2019 01:48 PM)HyperDuke Wrote:  

(11-18-2019 01:44 PM)Dukes84 Wrote:  It's a tough match-up for the Dukes, but I'll be pulling for them.

I'm not trying to be rude, but does that really need to be said?

Believe it or not, yes.

Wow. That's crazy. Outside of Hart, I figure everyone's genuinely cheering on the team to win. (jk Hart probably sort of wants them to win, but he sure does come across as wanting to proven right more than wanting them to win)

That is false.
I root for the men’s hoops team to win more than the other 16 JMU sports combined.
Rooting for them to win and thinking they will win a particular game are two different things.

That’s why I said jk, boo-bear. That stands for just kidding.