Progress

[WildBillPony]

Made it to both men's basketball games this weekend. I would of preferred to see a couple of wins of course but I am definitely not ready to pack it in already. It will be a struggle for sure. But I can see progress just in the two games so far. Bennie Rhodes made a difference in the intensity of the game on Sunday. Papa Dia also helped in that regard. John Killen is a good leader. When is the last SMU basketball team that you saw go after loose ball's like you saw on Sunday. I say it has been since all the way back to the late 80's or early 90's. The movement around the perimeter in the first half in Saturday's game was encouraging. They need to work on the offensive boards for sure but most of that came from not working the ball inside. These things will take time. I saw improvement just from Saturday night to Sunday's game. Keep the faith!

[Ponymon]

Made it to both men's basketball games this weekend. I would of preferred to see a couple of wins of course but I am definitely not ready to pack it in already. It will be a struggle for sure. But I can see progress just in the two games so far. Bennie Rhodes made a difference in the intensity of the game on Sunday. Papa Dia also helped in that regard. John Killen is a good leader. When is the last SMU basketball team that you saw go after loose ball's like you saw on Sunday. I say it has been since all the way back to the late 80's or early 90's. The movement around the perimeter in the first half in Saturday's game was encouraging. They need to work on the offensive boards for sure but most of that came from not working the ball inside. These things will take time. I saw improvement just from Saturday night to Sunday's game. Keep the faith!

Just like last year, they are having trouble putting the ball in the bucket. Killen has a nice shot and should take it MUCH more often. Malone is also a scorer and needs to get the ball more. I still haven't figured out why Roberts doesn't have a higher average than he does, but I'm sure Hoop Fan or some of the other experts on this board will clue me in. Next game is right after our last home game so I will be surprised if the attendance doesn't match last Sunday's, which was disappointing to say the least. However, SMU shouldn't schedule games at the same time that the Cowboys are playing because the Cowboys will win every time.

[angryfan04]

[quote="WildBillPony"] When is the last SMU basketball team that you saw go after loose ball's like you saw on Sunday. I say it has been since all the way back to the late 80's or early 90's. quote]



seen plenty of recent teams hustle and go after loose balls.....I just want to see some Ws now - especially against our weak non-conference schedule....just some Ws....at least one this past week-end would have been nice.

[Hoop Fan]

i'm all for looking for positives and growth in young players, but i didnt see any unusual amounts of hustle. In fact, you always get the "freshman bounce" which is the adrenaline and thrill to be playing college D-1 ball. You see it all the time when young guys play early in their career. The enthusiasm and energy level usually stabilizes over time, just human nature.

I just don't see how see how you rationalize those two losses last weekend against those opponents at home, regardless of freshmen playing time. In fact, why are we getting killed on the boards if we are hustling so well? We were certainly bigger than our first two opponents. That is anything but encouraging. And we supposedly recruited some guys who could put the ball in the basket. Not so far. Besides maybe malone, the jump shots don't appear to be all that polished either. I am not necessarily just talking about shots falling... its form, strength, leg lift, shot selection that are important.