Late Season Observations

[Billikan]

Well, we are going into the home stretch--some observations:

1. I do not know whether we can win the A 10 tournament--that would be a tall order for a team with so many freshmen--BUT!!--I would think that we might be the last team that anyone wants to play because we are really peaking late in the season.

2. We have talked a lot about Coach and this team but one thing that I noticed in the last seven games is that this team has a toughness about it that we have not seen in a very long time. Many of the games have been brutal inside and from top to bottom our kids fight and scratch. Conklin is the leader in that regard but KM, Kevin, Willie, Tommie, Brett, Barry and even Kyle and Paul fight and go to the floor if necessary. I particularly noticed this new toughness in the last two games against teams with tough big athletes, the kind that have given us fits over the years. This group of young big men was never intimidated. They might not always get the ball and they might be muscled around but they fight for position and for the ball.

3. Next year's team will add a number of new players who, based upon their reputation, will add additional toughness and gritty play. We will miss Kevin and Tommie and Barry but it is wonderful to see toughness and athleticism in our new recruits and I was told by several of the coaches that Femi was playing great in practice before he hurt his knee. I would assume he will recover well and he is also a tough guy who can mix it up and really rebound well for his size.

4. At times this year our shooting stats, particularly with Kevin and Tommie, have been way down in terms of percentages in individual games. Our three point shooting has been very erratic. Yet we have won some nice games. And if we played a number of the teams now, like Detroit and Kent State, that we lost to earlier in the year I believe the outcome would be different. If we can shoot a little better going forward we will be a load for any team because our defense is to the point that we do not give up many easy looks in the half court. If we can control the TOs and prevent the offensive rebounds teams will not score big against us so our improved shooting % would make us very competitive with virtually any team in the conference.

5. I happened to have dinner with Coach Raymond (formerly of Marquette) and Coach Majerus last week and Coach Raymond said something that I thought was interesting. His view was that there were two things that have been paramount in winning college basketball for many years and they are still important today even with the more athletic players. He said the two things were defense and shot selection. In his view, if a team can defend well and takes good shots it will be in almost every game. On the other hand if a team cannot defend well and relies on offense to win games, a cold night can always result in a loss. On shot selection, he said it is a matter of having the right people take the right shots within the offense while under control. IMO these two elements will be the key to our remaining games this season. If we continue to defend and take good shots with the right people taking them from the right places at the right times we could win at least 20 games and we will have a chance at postseason.

6. As a person who was a real skeptic at midseason last year when we had some unbelievable blowouts with what I thought was at least a decent but not great team, I must say I am fully convinced that this coach and this staff are the best we have had in many years. they have proven their ability to make players better. The development of a number of our young players, particularly the big freshmen is nothing short of amazing. When you combine the coaching with the excellent ability to close on very good recruits in this modern era of fierce -- and often cheating -- competitors for those young men-- we should all be thankful for Coach RM and the staff. They have made a real difference and the best is yet to come.

Go BIlls.

[MB73]

This guy says we are in the hunt for NIT; he was pretty accurate last yr.

Last week we were not even "on the bubble" so the St Joe and Dayton wins put us there:

http://tcaa.puretecmo.com/nit06.html

[NH]

The best thing to me about this season is that, if you compare the first game with now, you have to admit every player has improved. We've been playing very well lately which is what I expected before the season. We have two key bulding blocks in a pg and a stud c. Plus plenty of other youngsters who bring a wide range of skills to the team. The future is bright for the bills!!!

[slu72]

The best thing to me about this season is that, if you compare the first game with now, you have to admit every player has improved. We've been playing very well lately which is what I expected before the season. We have two key bulding blocks in a pg and a stud c. Plus plenty of other youngsters who bring a wide range of skills to the team. The future is bright for the bills!!!

Both Raymond and RM learned under Big Al. I still remember him saying in an interview how one of his players made a game winning basket on a bad shot. He benched the player for the first half the next game as punishment. Al said nothing ticked him off more than a player taking a bad shot.

[Billikan]

Both Raymond and RM learned under Big Al. I still remember him saying in an interview how one of his players made a game winning basket on a bad shot. He benched the player for the first half the next game as punishment. Al said nothing ticked him off more than a player taking a bad shot.

It is interesting that so many things in the game remain constants and shot selection is surely one of them.

One other thing that I think is truly impressive about this team is the team chemistry. Even though Willie and Brett are competing for minutes, Brett is very supportive and encouraging to Willie while at the same time he is getting better by the day and giving Willie a tough matchup in practice. I am very impressed with Kevin's relationship with KM and he is constantly encouraging him. But those are only two of many instances where this team really supports each other. I think it is a testament to the quality of our players and the coaching. My guess is that the new players, based upon what we have heard, would fit in nicely in terms of attitude, basketball IQ and tenacity. I know we are looking for at least one additional player but I feel certain that the staff will be looking for someone who will fit in with this group. For that reason, I would very much doubt that we would want to take a transfer who might bring in a me first attitude like Cotto had.

[Majerus Magic]

It is interesting that so many things in the game remain constants and shot selection is surely one of them.

One other thing that I think is truly impressive about this team is the team chemistry. Even though Willie and Brett are competing for minutes, Brett is very supportive and encouraging to Willie while at the same time he is getting better by the day and giving Willie a tough matchup in practice. I am very impressed with Kevin's relationship with KM and he is constantly encouraging him. But those are only two of many instances where this team really supports each other. I think it is a testament to the quality of our players and the coaching. My guess is that the new players, based upon what we have heard, would fit in nicely in terms of attitude, basketball IQ and tenacity. I know we are looking for at least one additional player but I feel certain that the staff will be looking for someone who will fit in with this group. For that reason, I would very much doubt that we would want to take a transfer who might bring in a me first attitude like Cotto had.

BT is gonna be awesome player one day, but until then he is already an awesome teammate. Just watch him on the bench and his encouragement and enthusiasm are awesome.

[jimbofive]

BT is gonna be awesome player one day, but until then he is already an awesome teammate. Just watch him on the bench and his encouragement and enthusiasm are awesome.

I like after KL hit that big game-tying 3 in 2OT a few weeks ago, BT was out on the court and in his face so fast that I thought he was going to knock KL over.

[JaleJarr]

Well, we are going into the home stretch--some observations:

2. We have talked a lot about Coach and this team but one thing that I noticed in the last seven games is that this team has a toughness about it that we have not seen in a very long time.

The best thing I can say about this coaching staff is their ability to develop players. We saw it last year in such a short period of time with Danny Brown and Bryce Husak. This year we are seeing it with Willie Reed, Kyle Cassity, and Brian Conklin. Coach is not afraid to play these guys during critical game situations. I can't wait to see these guys as juniors.

[Billikan]

The best thing I can say about this coaching staff is their ability to develop players. We saw it last year in such a short period of time with Danny Brown and Bryce Husak. This year we are seeing it with Willie Reed, Kyle Cassity, and Brian Conklin. Coach is not afraid to play these guys during critical game situations. I can't wait to see these guys as juniors.

I agree and we have also seen real improvement from Brett and even KM. This is the scenario that many hoped for before the season started-- where after four months of practice and games that the freshmen would be better players. I would add that Barry is clearly a better player today than when the season started so this staff seems to know how to find a way to get the most out of players.