Progress.....

[Ringer]

Does anyone out there get the feeling that if, and that is a big if, this current pony B-Ball team actually got some consistant play that it just might turn into a pretty good year? I like the trend that is slowly starting to develope this season with about five players scoring in the double figures. It has been quite a while since that has been the case at Moody. In addition, I saw some intensity from Lowe Thursday night and tonight that has not been seen up to this point in the season. If he can keep it going and we get consistant scoring from Castro, Simpson, Ross, Isham and Hopkins this season might just get pretty interesting. I like the way the team sticks together. The chemistry seems to be starting to gel a little bit. Not saying it is there yet but I see some progress. Even with Thursday's loss I saw a team that did not give up. Tonight I saw some passing and movement offensively that just has not been there before. Is it wishfull thinking? Time will tell.

[PX]

If you saw something different last night, then you are entitled to your opinion, but it all looked awfully familiar to me. See if this rings any bells:
Early on we cant score and we get behind, the deficit evetually grows to double digits. In the first few minutes of the the 2nd half our opponent gets in deep foul trouble, SMU is shooting 1-and-1 less than 5 minutes into the half. We still cant score from the floor, but free throws keep the lead from getting bigger. 10 minutes to go in the game we're in the double bonus, and our opponent is in foul trouble so deep they cant play defense effectively anymore. SMU catches up and ties the game in the closing minutes. In overtime we win easily as the other teams best players foul out. Now, tell me which game I'm talking about? Was that TCU, San Diego, or Nevada? I dont see that much difference between this game and our first one.
I've seen a few posts in other threads asking why we seem to start so slowly, and the answer from my perspective is simple: The other team isnt in foul trouble yet.

[Fresh]

But that's not necessarily a bad approach. Last night, I was screaming because in the second half we kept pounding the ball inside, even though Jibran Kelley, Patrick Simpson and Eric Castro weren't exactly scoring at will down low. But then, lo and behold, the strategy paid off as their guys started making referee-ordered exits. If we hit free throws (admittedly a big "if"), this might be the approach we HAVE to take.

Every team we face is going to gang-tackle The Q as soon as he strips off his warmups. Opponents now realize Hopkins is a man, a clutch guy who has no conscience shooting big shots late in the game. They know that Q and Hop are our best offensive weapons.

Until Simpson or Isham develop into the consistently dangerous offensive threat we need, fouling out the other team might be the way to go. Not always the prettiest basketball, of course, but it's proven effective so far.

And last night's game was pretty darn entertaining, at least after halftime.

[Hoop Fan]

Its called home-cookin my friends. Like all teams, we get calls at home that we never get on the road. I think the reason we are such a different team on the road is that we are not physically tough or aggressive enough. Referees dont give calls to passive visiting teams. At home, our passive style tends to cause us to fall behind, but it also draws the other team into foul trouble. I hate to say it, but from what I saw we will have a hard time being competitive with Fresno and Nevada at their places.

[Ringer]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR><font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Hoop Fan:
<B>Its called home-cookin my friends. Like all teams, we get calls at home that we never get on the road. I think the reason we are such a different team on the road is that we are not physically tough or aggressive enough. Referees dont give calls to passive visiting teams. At home, our passive style tends to cause us to fall behind, but it also draws the other team into foul trouble. I hate to say it, but from what I saw we will have a hard time being competitive with Fresno and Nevada at their places.</B></font><HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I still think that having more than one maybe two players in double figures is new for the ponies. I like that trend and think it bodes well for the future if the trend continues. Maybe the fact that more players are scoring is what gets the opponent in foul trouble. I am not saying that home cooking does not play a role but it just might not be quite as big a role as PX suggests. That is why I think if the trend of more players scoring is consistent that the ponies will see more success at home and on the road.

[OldPony]

I heard a difference. The Ponies actually passed the ball on the perimeter and worked it in down low to Simspon and Castro (who made a couple of good passes btween themselves). That beats the hell out of the 3-man dribbling game that we usually play. Also, the second half we came out of the zone and played much tighter on the 3 point line and let our big men fend for themselves more-which they did and did well. There were points in the last 5 minutes when Nevada couldn't get a 3 pointer off. Admittedly, listening to a game is different but much of what I have observed previously changed in this game. Mayber it was because Hop & Isham played so poorly in the first half and we had to rely on PSimp and Castro. Regardless, it sounded much different.