Zink
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Posts posted by Zink
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1 minute ago, billikenfan05 said:
Cool then we can watch Isabell sulk in the corner.
4 minutes ago, Glorydays2013 said:Goodwin as the 1, TI as the 2
Honestly this might be the solution. Isabell has said that he’s adjusting to playing the point, while Goodwin clearly needs the ball in his hands more often. I feel like Travis has to realize that Isabell needs to focus on scoring, not running an offense. Let Goodwin handle that.
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1 hour ago, cgeldmacher said:
I disagree that Bess cannot create for himself. He had several baskets where he made one quick move and then pulled up for a jumper that went in. It's just hard to do that when Isabell gets the ball, decides to drive, and throws the ball up. If the ball doesn't end up in Bess's hands, he can't shoot it. Often, when the ball did end up in his hands, he was loyal to the play that Ford was running and dished it off accordingly. So far, that's not happening with Isabell. I just think that when there's 10 seconds on the shot clock, Ford should give instructions that Bess gets the ball.
Goodwin can definitely get you points, but his jump shot is not there right now. I want Goodwin to stick to his game, slashing to the basket to score and getting rebounds that he puts back in, until the shot comes around.
But those shots from Bess all came within the flow of the offense or in transition. The difference between Isabell/Goodwin vs Bess is that the former can pretty consistently beat their defender off the dribble against a set defense. Bess is great at finding the holes when we get the defense rotating, but with 5 seconds left after our set play has failed, I have to agree that Goodwin/Isabell seem better candidates to make something happen. With Bess’s newfound stroke from deep I would like to see him get a few more opportunities in the pick’n’roll, as defenders now need to play him over the top.
Littlebill likes this -
1 hour ago, Glorydays2013 said:
DJ earned a starting spot over Gordon
Overreact much?
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20 minutes ago, PinkMaleBillikensJersey said:
You also struggle to maintain possession when you can't control the ball at your feet, especially in tight spaces. Keep the ball moving. But that's really irrelevant. If we finish, we win the game. That's all there is to it.
It’s wayyyy easier to control the ball at your feet on the dribble in poor conditions vs sending and receiving accurate passes along the ground. Still not ideal, but the fall off isn’t as dramatic. Need to move the ball around regardless of conditions. Just more long switches and crosses on a poor field vs short passes.
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6 minutes ago, PinkMaleBillikensJersey said:
I just don't understand how playing the ball on the ground into space is LESS effective the dribbling into a triple team on a bad field. I may not have ever played college soccer, but I played enough to understand how hard it is too keep the ball at your feet in tight spaces on a torn up field. I'm excited for Kalish too. The play has been much improved and I think he will do well with his connections to Gallagher, but I'm not going to sugarcoat and make excuses for a loss in the postseason in a game we should've win.
A pass on the ground when the field is unpredictable puts the offensive player receiving the ball on equal footing with the defender - guessing where the ball will go next. Throughballs can still work but you’re going to struggle to maintain possession on a sloppy surface it you’re trying to pass around the defense.
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8 minutes ago, PinkMaleBillikensJersey said:
You've missed my point entirely. If you're playing on a torn up field, it's significantly harder to keep the ball at your feet because a bad bounce could dispossess you. And if we had any finishing ability on wide-open chances, we would have won in regulation.
On a bad field, passing along the ground doesn’t work. Instead you take advantage of slips and poor footing by being as direct as possible, both with long balls through the air and by attempting more dribbles. The poor footing affects defenders more due to the fact that they have to react, whereas the offensive player presumably knows where s/he is going.
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5 hours ago, Old guy said:
Isabell's issues are not limited to his poor defense effort, in the last exhibition game he was credited with 7 or 8 (cannot remember exactly) TOs out of a total of 18, too many by anyone's count. On the good side he is a good scorer, will be defended heavily opening up other players, and makes a lot of assists. Ford will have to deal with him in a way that he maximizes the good and minimizes the bad he brings into our game.
Neither of these stats are accurate. Our team had 24 turnovers and Isabell had 4.
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14 minutes ago, wgstl said:
what was the ratio? #toolazy
11:7 (1.57:1). Last year he averaged 3.4:2.9 (1.17:1). Goodwin was at 4:2.2 (1.82:1).
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9 minutes ago, billikenfan05 said:
Twice in a row he allowed his man to score a transition 3 after a MADE basket.
Were these the ones their #2 made towards the end of the first half? Genuinely asking as I don't recall the specific instances in which this occurred... overall, our transition defense was abysmal last night. We consistently struggled to get back to the correct man after even made buckets, as you note. I'll stand by what I said about Isabell's acceptable defensive contribution in the half-court though.
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10 minutes ago, cgeldmacher said:
Here are my thoughts regarding last night's game:
* Walked away very scared. If that effort is what we get, we will be a .500 team again. This is considering the fact that UMSL played very poorly. There were at least six times they just threw passes straight out of bounds.
* The Billikens were playing way too fast. The only calming forces were Bess and French. Everyone else was playing like their hair was on fire, at least on the offensive end. The coaches have to get these guys to be more calculated.
French - He stood out, not just because of his scoring total. He was a force on offense and defense. He will take almost anyone one on one, and I think Ford trusts him to distribute the ball from near the basket if he gets double teamed. At one point in the second half, it seemed like Ford wanted to sit Hasahn for the rest of the game to see what the other guys could do without him. Then Ford had to throw him back in because he was so frustrated with the other guys. Hasahn is ready for the season.
Bess - I think he may have been under instructions to not assert himself so much and to get other guys involved. This may account for his stats. I also think that he wasn't flying around on offense without a clue like most of our other players, and, as a consequence, did not get the ball in his hands as much. I think he'll be fine.
Goodwin - Not his best game, and bad ending for him. Still, he put up stats. Had a few put backs or near put backs. Got his rebounds. He'll be fine. I hope Ford keeps him at the point and he continues his development of learning how to distribute the ball. I think we're our best team if he finishes his learning curve at point guard.
Foreman - Not much of a factor. Didn't display that killer slash to the basket that we saw last year at times. He also was tiptoeing around like a baby deer like he did often last year. Don't know if that's just how he walks or if it is his old injury back again.
Gordon - I was pleasantly surprised by his composure and willingness to play a simple big man game. He showed some flashes of brilliance in transition a few times, and should probably assert himself more when other guys try to break out. However, he also showed his inexperience on both ends at times. If he gets significant minutes, he will probably always be in foul trouble until he starts to understand the college game more.
Isabelle - Clearly a pure scorer. Great shot. However, he is a one man show on the court. He likes to get his own assists if you know what I mean. Also, he's quite a liability on defense. Tremaine will drive Ford crazy. He'll probably score a little bit more than his poor defense gives up.
Wiley - About as bad of a game as I've ever seen. Missed shot after missed shot. Turnover after turnover. He's got to be better than what he showed.
Thatch - Didn't show me much. At times, played defense properly, and at times got lost. Didn't do much on the offensive end. Sorry, I know posters get upset when anyone has anything but praise for certain guys, but that's what I saw.
Hankton - Missed his threes. Was hobbling almost everytime he was out there. I like that he was staying in despite being clearly injured, but worried about the injury and if that is affecting his play and his development.
Gudmundsson - Didn't play much. When he was in, his missed his threes. Was okay defensively, but not exactly quick on his feet when defending.
I know its just an exhibition with UMSL, but I am concerned. This is what Ford meant when he said "we're not close to where we were last year." Let's hope for a better effort next game.
Isabell had 11 assists across the two exhibition games... that’s not at all bad for a point guard.
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Where is the narrative that Isabell doesn’t play defense coming from? He mostly made good rotations, stayed in front of his man, and defended the pnr pretty well last night. He’s small, which can occasionally lead to him getting taken advantage of and still learning our system, sure, but I haven’t seem any problems with effort in the exhibitions or in the one practice I was able to attend.
Kid is a gamer who plays with intensity and ability. He scored a couple of times last night right after UMSL made us look silly on defense, a mentality that you need from a leader on the team. The one big thing I’d like to see change in his game is the tendency to leave his feet in the lane and/or overcommit to a drive and then look for a wild bailout pass. Occasionally it works, but he (along with several others) were too insecure with the ball last night.
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Can’t believe Hankton got minutes this half. Poor kid can barely walk.
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1 minute ago, slu72 said:
Wake up call needed!
Extremely sloppy half on both ends. Ford didn’t look happy at all.
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2 minutes ago, almaman said:
all alone first row section toward center court from the team?
Yup, right behind bob and earl
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1 hour ago, SShoe said:
So far, the most pleasant surprise is how good Tramaine Isabell is.
He really did look like vintage Kwamain out there. Thatch playing like a young Jett and Tramaine as Kwamain will be a good combo for us this year.
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8 minutes ago, Pistol said:
This event wasn't exactly a defensive showcase, but our man has some serious bounce. His jumper looks pretty good, too.
Yeah the mechanics on his shot look much smoother and more consistent than what I remember from other highlight videos. His handle looks pretty good, too. I suppose those stick out because he’s played so much at the 4 for BBE and ESL and his athleticism was never in doubt. Good to see that he has some wing skills.
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Slow start, but great first half. Tramaine looking a bit like vintage Kwamain?
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4 hours ago, billikenbill said:
So does Quincy have anything, any long range bombers who could keep it close for awhile? Will there be live stats to follow?
In practice Thursday they worked on breaking the 2-2-1 press that Quincy likes to employ and also on defending against a flex offense. Coach also told the team that they’ll play inside-out, just like us, and try to get the ball into the post at least once per possession.
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4 minutes ago, TheChosenOne said:
Stu recently Tweeted the following:
Elliott Welmer (foot) will not play in SLU's exhibition against Quincy on Saturday. KC Hankton (toe) is unlikely to see action, according to Travis Ford. And Demarius Jacobs' certification process with the NCAA had not been completed as of the start of practice today.
Travis Ford was guarded in his information regarding Welmer's injury: "Elliott is out indefinitely. He won't be back any time soon. We know what's wrong. We'll decide what is next at this point and once he decides that, we'll give out more information."
Not good news on any of those fronts...
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29 minutes ago, kmbilliken said:
Was Welmer in a boot?
Yup
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So I was able to attend practice today and wanted to share what I saw and heard from the coaches, staff, and players...
First, as noted in some other threads, Welmer and Hankton spent practice icing their feet. Hankton is apparently alright and could potentially play on Saturday. Coach seemed more optimistic on Welmer than Stu's phrasing would imply. Ford also said he's been one of the best players in practice, so hopefully this really is a short-term setback and not a relapse. Jacobs hung out in street clothes - the highlight of his practice was standing under the hoop and 'rebounding' for Phil Forte as the latter made like 8-10 consecutive threes. Gordon was out sick today as well, but that was sort of brushed off.
Ran a lot of 4v4 drills, although I don't know if that was because we only had eight healthy scholarship players, or if that is the norm. Due to who all was missing, Bess played the 4 pretty much the whole time and coach alluded to the fact that some of the guys are playing in spots they haven't practiced in ever before. So, caveats out of the way, here's what I saw:
Goodwin was the vocal leader out there and ran the point for whichever group he was a part of. His outside shot looked improved and he shot it with confidence. Got out in transition well, and seemed fine playing with his new mask on. Nothing crazy to report here, although the outside shot could be a major addition.
French looked like a beast. He really stands out physically, especially with Gordon not there. He'll be more of the same from last year, and he passed really well out of the post which should be a nice way to combat double teams this year. A lot of the guys who were spectating with me commented on how impressive he looked.
Bess was a bit outside his comfort zone playing out of position, but he also looked more confident and smooth from deep. Hopefully this is borne out in games, but we shall see. He was also a leader out there and has respect from all of the other players and even the coaches. Everyone on the team calls him JB btw.
Foreman looked like himself, aggressively cutting to the basket and finishing strong. He has a lot of enthusiasm and dove on the floor several times, tried to draw some tough charges. His energy is a plus for this group.
Isabell is going to be fun. He made several of those old-man moves, but also can stop on a dime and lose his man. Shot very well, too. He can make things happen, and I'd be surprised if he didn't start. Still trying to figure out what coach wants from him at times, but ideally he can find a way to both fit-in and stand-out.
Wiley really has a quick release and made the majority (yes, >50%) of his threes. Still getting up to speed, but Van Macon encouraged him quite a bit and he looked like a contributor. His shot does seem to lack rotation, but otherwise he has flawless form.
Ingvi kept pace with the rest of the guys and even had a nice move to beat Isabell off the dribble in one of the drills (after Isabell was kind of bullying him earlier). His shot is a bit flat, but he still hit a good percentage. He'll be fine if we need him to play minutes this year.
Thatch was the guy who caught everyone's eye. He played with the most intensity on the floor, and frequently picked off lazy 'practice passes' on defense. He also really hit the boards hard and his ups garnered a few wows. His stroke from deep was effortless and accurate. Someone asked if he was a starter and I said he probably wouldn't be a starter right away, to which they replied, "Well, he sure is trying to be!" He'll be a fun one to watch develop all season and across four years.
All in all, it was really cool to watch practice, and afterwards all of the guys came over to say hi and were quite nice. Chris May and the coaching staff were also really kind and generous with their time, and excited about the team. If you have any questions, I'll answer as best I can. Looking forward to Saturday even more than I had been!
HoosierPal, slufanskip, majerus mojo and 48 others like this -
8 minutes ago, billiken_roy said:
coming as close as he did to 3 consecutive triple doubles and now finding out that it has never been done at the D1 level (magic, oscar, etc. hard to believe) one has to believe that goodwin is all in to do at least that and show the world he is a point guard.
I kind of hope that Goodwin doesn’t have to average 7+ rebounds again though. I think with the improved supporting cast handling more of the rebounding duties we can get Jordan up the floor and out on the break more often. This will mean a reduced chance for triple doubles, but I think would make our team better by leading to some easy fast break points.
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Raboin and Courtney will average more minutes than Goodwin and Bess. We’re going to be so far ahead by the first TV timeout that everything afterwards will be mop up time. Mark it down.
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3 hours ago, slusam said:
Wouldn't hurt to have a regular transfer as well if there is someone we like available in the spring. If we could find another Jevon Bess that would work out well.
The only thing is that a transfer would end up graduating with either the ‘18 or ‘19 classes. Both of those are shaping up to be rather large classes. And I’d rather not waste a year of a scholarship on a transfer unless he’s a really good get. So if we can find another Bess, sure, you always make room for a guy like that. Otherwise I’d prefer a gap-filler who only takes one year of a scholarship or a four-year player.
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