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Is anyone else concerned about our lack of physical play? The two games this year, the majority of our shots have been from the outside. Our ability to drive under the basket is terrible at the moment. It just seems to me that we're willing to take low percentage shots instead of driving for a layup. That being said, I feel like we have an outstanding level of talent and when that talent starts working together at a high level, we'll have one hell of a team.

Fear not - Papa Dia is as physical as anyone. There were a few times when he simply bulled his way through defenders to grab a loose ball or get off a shot. Didn't always go in, of course, but he is strong as hell. Malone is stronger than he looks, too, and Patton's mancrush - Mike Walker - is pretty solid.

And then there's Killen, who looks like a misplaced linebacker. Freshman-heavy rotations will cost us some games as they grow up, but this is a team that will hold its own on the physical play.

The lack of inside play and the poor offensive rebounding on top of poor perimeter defense late in the game has been our problem. Dia has shown flashes of the ability to be a dominant type player. He could become a consisten 14-10 guy for us. We need Roberts to be scoring more and Malone to keep developing. I was not impressed with Mike Walker...Killen is better than Walker, which is to say we have no PG.

It's going to be a tough year. I think this freshman class is an improvement. Is it just me or do the committs we have for next year look like a step back?

I know this has nothing to do with physical play... but what is Ryan Harp up to? Getting any minutes? Redshirting?

No signees have been officially announced yet...but I would say they would be a step back compared to who we wrangled in last year's recruiting class.

As far as redshirting, my understanding is that Coach Doh has left that decision up to the players

MustangPride wrote:As far as redshirting, my understanding is that Coach Doh has left that decision up to the players

I believe they have all played but 1, so he is the only one that could red shirt. Can not recall right off which one it is, but all the others, including Harp have played.

SMU Kilmer wrote:I know this has nothing to do with physical play... but what is Ryan Harp up to? Getting any minutes? Redshirting?

Nyakundi is red shirting. Harp played big minutes in the first game but did not play that much in the second game. I would expect him and Bennie rhodes to split about 20-25 min a game.

I was very interested to see what Coach would do at practice after dropping two games last weekend - and how he would do it.

My son & I went to Tues night's practice and it was one of the most physical intense practices I have ever seen. I fully believe that the players had trouble getting out of bed on Wed morning. They ran drills to wrestle the ball away from each other that had players throwing each other all over the floor. The coaches placed balls midway between sets of two players about 15 ft apart and made them dive for the loose balls - the
losers after 15 minutes of this ran sprints timed to 30 seconds - if you didn't make the time - you ran again, etc. They ran an offensive rebounding drill that was excellent - 5 guys in a zone to block out the offense - that kept rotating until a whistle blew and a coach threw up a shot - at which time the offense team crashed the boards - pushing and shoving while the defensive team blocked-out, pushing & shoving. If
offense got the rebound - 2pts - if defense - 1pt. At the end of 15 minutes
the losing team got to run more wind sprints in 30 seconds - if you didn't
make the time you got to run again. After that more drills and free throw
shooting.

I got tired just watching and had to leave before it was over, but I think if you guys have the idea that the team didn't go for loose balls, didn't wrestle balls away from the other team, and didn't go after offensive rebounds- Doh got the message very clearly and he is trying to do something about it. Hope they don't all foul out of the Centenary game.

stobor wrote: I was not impressed with Mike Walker...Killen is better than Walker, which is to say we have no PG.

It's going to be a tough year. I think this freshman class is an improvement. Is it just me or do the committs we have for next year look like a step back?

Ah, Mike Walker played two DI college games. I think you would need a little more than that to make a suggestion. Admittedly, I'm a defender of his and I didn't see anything great last Sunday.

But I'd like to see more.

And the more you read about the commitments, the less impressed you are.

funny how everyone is dogging the new kids, the ones already here and the ones on the way. amazing to think why top athletes don't want to come here!

This team is incredibly young and this is going to be a long year like it or not. That is what growing pains is all about. And we better hope that Doh can really coach.

cguru wrote:funny how everyone is dogging the new kids, the ones already here and the ones on the way. amazing to think why top athletes don't want to come here!

I think the fact that we are the SWAC's biatch right now is a recruiting killer, not grumpy old men posting their opinion on a message board.

and everyone at chapel hill thought Doherty's kids weren't that good, until they won a national championship.

athletes don't come here because there is no one at the basketball games, and the ones that do don't really care.

ever notice how quiet moody is? and there are some who tell those around them to be quiet during the games! come on now!

with the way Doherty decided to rebuild-this season is not about wins and losses. Its about player development.