Returning players

[FriscoPMG]

So now that Mike Walker has come back down to earth, who is the most improved RETURNING playing on this team? Obviously we have some nice new guards, but what about this great recruiting class from last year??

This team has no basketball IQ at all!!

Papa Dia - Terrible shot, no hands, doesn't play hard, SOFT!!
Bamba Fall - See Papa Dia, more fouls than points tonight?, can't pass out of double team to save his life, slow, slow thinker
Robert N - GREATEST SHOOTER IN HISTORY OF COLLEGE BASKETBALL?!? At least he hit a shot tonight (in limited minutes)!!
Mike Walker - Guess that IL State shooting performance was a one time thing
Alex Malone - Nice dunk tonight, but dribbles so much to get nowhere...
Ryan Harp - Good hustle, but did he show up in the box score??
TK - HAHAHAHAHA....won't ever see the floor...nice kid, great kid, but lacks basketball skill

So when can we start calling out Doherty for his lack of in game coaching and development? He talks a great game and hopefully can do a little recruiting, but his in game coaching is really frustrating to watch.

Is the honeymoon over yet??

[ER9TC4]

AMEN....At least one person can see through the DOherty BS! Oh and as for Harp, he does bring hot volleyball players to the home games, so he has that going for him.....which is nice!

[Hoop Fan]

I'm pretty worried. as i said the other night, if McCoy did not go lights out against Illinois State, we would have been blown out in a big way at home. as it was we were down by as many as 17 in second half in that game, and tonight get blown out by TCU. Hard to imagine we could play that bad tonight, totally out of sync with no continuity.

[FriscoPMG]

Unfortunately this team hasn't been in sync all season. Like you said, McCoy carried us against IL State, but now that the scouting report is out on the two new guards, someone else has to step up.

The half court offense is atrocious. Looks like Doh is letting them run some form of motion offense, but set plays are still required to setup open shots...obviously Rob N. is a guy who can't create his own shot, so run him off some screens for goodness sakes!

[Hoop Fan]

your're right. teams cannot press Williams and McCoy full court because they are too quick, but they can jam them in the half court and force the ball out of their hands. Look for more of that. Especially on nights when the refs allow contact when the defenders jump out on them. they are not big phyiscal guards, although Mccoy is pretty strong for a freshman.

I still dont see what harp brings to the floor. walker has to be more than just an occasional streak shooter if he is going to eat minutes. Nyakundi, no comment yet. Malone, ugh. Dia, just wow. This should be the sophomores team right now. they all played a ton last year and we suffered through what should have been a building block year. They are the present and the future, and they collectively look like they didnt pick up a basketball all summer and don't give a crap.

[jimhagle]

Hate to say it but Doherty simply can't coach-

[papawasamustang]

I am extremely disappointed in the development or lack of in Malone & Dia. Is "No" Dia back hurt? Why the short leash with Malone?
These are the 2 kids in this class that I thought & still think have the most potential to become very good players.

I have never thought that Harp or Walker were anything other than role players.

This was the key recruiting class for Robo in my opinion & it isn't turning out very well @ this point. Still alot of ball to be played this year & hopefully some of these kids will start improving.

[papawasamustang]

I am extremely disappointed in the development or lack of in Malone & Dia. Is "No" Dia back hurt? Why the short leash with Malone?
These are the 2 kids in this class that I thought & still think have the most potential to become very good players.

I have never thought that Harp or Walker were anything other than role players.

This was the key recruiting class for Robo in my opinion & it isn't turning out very well @ this point. Still alot of ball to be played this year & hopefully some of these kids will start improving.

Forgot to mention TK. Since we never see him do anything other than sit on the bench I have to assume he can't play. Yes, big men take longer to develop but it appears @ this point that Robo missed badly on this signing.

[papawasamustang]

I am extremely disappointed in the development or lack of in Malone & Dia. Is "No" Dia back hurt? Why the short leash with Malone?
These are the 2 kids in this class that I thought & still think have the most potential to become very good players.

I have never thought that Harp or Walker were anything other than role players.

This was the key recruiting class for Robo in my opinion & it isn't turning out very well @ this point. Still alot of ball to be played this year & hopefully some of these kids will start improving.

Forgot to mention TK. Since we never see him do anything other than sit on the bench I have to assume he can't play. Yes, big men take longer to develop but it appears @ this point that Robo missed badly on this signing.

Forgot to mention Bennie Rhodes, another bust.

Last of the Fantastic 7 is RK. Can't make a judgement on him yet because he just hasn't much PT. Again, not a good sign.

[M Street Stang]

TCU was doing something very simple on defense. They brought a forward over to jump switch with whoever was guarding McCoy. It looks like a double team trap, but it is just a quick flash and then the forward went back to who he was originally guarding. The simple way to beat this is:
1) Dribble thru it, which McCoy couldn't do (see turnovers); or,
2) Put a post man at the free throw line and throw the ball to him. This will create a 3:2 or 2:1 situation. Quick passes and a post man that can catch/pass would have solved this.

Not sure why we didn't adjust at half...TCU ran the same D the ENTIRE GAME. This is a simple adjustment that would have cured the problem.

[papawasamustang]

TCU was doing something very simple on defense. They brought a forward over to jump switch with whoever was guarding McCoy. It looks like a double team trap, but it is just a quick flash and then the forward went back to who he was originally guarding. The simple way to beat this is:
1) Dribble thru it, which McCoy couldn't do (see turnovers); or,
2) Put a post man at the free throw line and throw the ball to him. This will create a 3:2 or 2:1 situation. Quick passes and a post man that can catch/pass would have solved this.

Not sure why we didn't adjust at half...TCU ran the same D the ENTIRE GAME. This is a simple adjustment that would have cured the problem.

You are right. Not that big of a deal to break down this type of D.
Should have led to alot of easy hoops.
The problem I see is we don't have a post man that can create, handle or pass after they have flashed to the high post.
I hope this is were Faye can help. At 6'9" he should be able to do this. Although he is not a post player, he should create some miss match problems for other teams.

[jimhagle]

Faye might have to play post out of need.

[M Street Stang]

Doherty's solution was to keep bringing more guards into the lineup...at one point, we had the following on the floor: Walker, Williams, McCoy, and Harp. Dia was in the middle. We still couldn't "outquick" them...probably because TCU wanted it more than we did and was playing their brains out for Christian.

[LA_Mustang]

I was told by multiple posters that last year's freshman class was one of the best we've ever had, a top 25 class, blah blah blah.....but I never saw it. Papa was the only one I saw with the potential to be a very good, all-conference type player but as we've seen lately, does he have the desire?

[FordtoTolbert]

VERY young squad...talent is there, I think they will improve as the season unfolds...long live Brad Branson