URI Post-Mortem ...

[Bay Area Billiken]

from the Left Coast, the Bay Area, where it was 81 degrees and sunny yesterday in the East Bay, while 6-10 inches of the white stuff were being dumped on the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantation. But that did not keep us from skipping the great outdoors for 2.5 hours during Billiken Basketball, as we we held down the fort from the man cave.

1. SLU Star of the Game: Miles Reynolds (Freshman from Chicago Whitney Young), who came off the bench to score 21 points, mostly on free throws (13 points) after drives to the hoop, which is Reynolds' game. He is absent an outside shot; he does not fit into SLU's motion offense. He has largely sat on the bench this season. But he has had 2 big games. He was the Star of the Game at Indiana State (a big SLU road win over an MVC school) and he kept SLU at least on the radar at Rhode Island. Query if Crews and staff are finally going to scrap, or at least modify, the motion offense that this team and players are incapable of effectively playing. Reynolds is from a top Chicago basketball high school.

1a. Reynolds had 21 points in 25 minutes, 17 points in the 1st Half. Yet, he was kept on the bench for large chunks of the 2nd Half, a poster on this very board said he sat 11 minutes in the 2nd Half. This type of coaching decision remains difficult to understand. This is the playing by the pre-game script, rather than what is happening on the court in the actual game. It seems that such has been observed with the field manager of another St. Louis sports team.

2. Reggie Agbeko had a decent game (except 1-4 at the FT line)- 9 points, 4-5 floor, 6 rebounds in 24 minutes. Reggie can rebound, and finish at the hoop on offense. Why has he been on the bench? There are valid calls to play Reggie as an undersized 5 (in terms of height at 6'7"), with Yarbrough at the 4.

3. There was dissent on this board re Milik Yarbrough for his 8 turnovers. Granted 8 are too many. However, Yarbrough at 6'6" is a natural 3, who can play away from the basket and handle the ball (yes, he can), but is being played by this coaching staff at the 4 out of necessity/desperation. The A10 Coaches have game planned for him, put bigger and taller players on him on the block. Many of those turnovers are the product of Yarbrough trying to do too much. He is a young freshman and a Spring signing recruit at that. Note below re Yacoubou. With Yacoubou on the bench most of this game, Yarbrough often is the only scoring option, sometimes along with Roby. Yarbrough has big time star potential. He is a keeper. He will blossom under the correct circumstances. Let's give hope a chance.

3a. Over half of SLU's 68 points, 35 to be exact, were scored by 2 Chicagoland players, Reynolds (21 points) and Yarbrough (14 points). Interesting.

4. Yacoubou, redshirt Junior, did not start the game; Crawford started in his place. A message is clearly being sent. Yacoubou played only 7 minutes, took and missed 1 shot, and was whistled for 4 fouls.

5. The other redshirt Junior, McBroom, played only 1 minute. His playing time has been seriously cut.

6. Manning: 10 minutes, 0-1 floor and that was an air ball, 2 rebounds, 2 fouls, 1 turnover. Manning, Jolly, Gillman combined: 40 minutes, 1-5 floor, 0-3 from 3, 2-2 FT's, 5 rebounds, 9 fouls, 4 points, 2 assists, 4 turnovers. The big position(s) remain the biggest issue on this team. Solution: REG-GIE, REG-GIE, ...

7. Looking at the stats, SLU shot the ball well, 19-37 floor, 51.4%; 26-34 FT's, 76.5%; outrebounded URI 28-25. The losing problem was the Turnovers- 22 Turnovers, a terrible 10-22 assist to turnovers ratio. A lot of the Turnovers were the product of URI's pressure defense. SLU now has had at least 19 turnovers in the last 3 games.

8. For the 2nd straight East Coast A10 weekend road game, the other being Fordham, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch apparently did not send its designated SLU beatwriter, Stu Durando, electing again instead to rely on a "Special to the Post-Dispatch" local writer.

9. A blizzard hit Rhode Island during the game, with 6-10 inches of snow expected. A Tweet from the former U-News sportswriter indicated the SLU charter did make it to Richmond after this URI game.

10. I commented in the 2nd Half, this game was like watching an exhibition. I was reminded of SLU's road forays in the Metro under Ekker, when SLU had no chance and routinely was blown out.

11. Attendance for this only in the A10 battle of "like minded institutions," St. Louis U v. Rhode Island- 5,314. That looked like a SLU contemporary seated in a SLU jacket right behind the SLU Bench. If he was the guy, I sat next to him at SLU's NCAA Tournament win over NC State Orlando in March '14. That seems like a distant memory now.

12. SLU by the numbers: 10-15, 9-15 vs. D1, 2-10 A10, 13th Place of 14 teams, RPi 237. SLU is 1 Fordham win (which I think is going to come) away from being in Last (14th) Place in the A10. SLU remains on pace, per rpiforecast.com, for 20 losses.

(Unlucky) 13. I've gone this far in this report without mentioning one of my "favorites," URI Coach Dan Hurley, and even am just getting to the A10 refs, with the fossil ref once again getting the SLU game. Even the URI TV analyst, someone named Abu Bakr, whose namesake was the first Caliph (presumably he wasn't this TV analyst himself) said re the refs in the second half to let the young men play (there were many whistles). A potential explanation is that A10 zebra crew blew the whistles so many times to give themselves needed in game rest

Hurley was engaged in ex parte communication with 1 ref in the final seconds with the game not in doubt, and even got to the ear of another of the refs during the post-game handshake line. Absolutely. Dan Hurley's work is never done.

Crews was booed by the URI fans for calling timeout late with the game decided. Not to be outdone, Hurley then called a timeout himself.

On to VCU, VCWho. As Taj would say, "can't wait."

[WVBilliken]

I wonder if AY can graduate and therefore transfer for his last year of eligibility. He did redshirt a year. Same for McBroom. Would explain the benchings.

[JettFlight5]

The Miles Reynolds thing was absurd.

Did he play too well in the first half to get minutes in the second?

Why is it that everyone has to play every game? This is not CYO ball, no matter how much our coaching staff wants it to be.

[SLU_Nick]

WV billiken...that is a very interesting thought. Can anyone confirm that this is a possibility?

I wouldn't mind it.

[slufan13]

Reynolds came out at 12:58 in the 2nd half with 17 points. Came back in with 2:52 left. In that time Bartley went 0-1 with 1 assist and 1 turnover.

The most inconsistent member of this team has been the coaching staff. I said it 2 weeks ago and I'll say it again. Stop doing what theoretically should work and start doing what's actually working.

[JettFlight5]

Reynolds came out at 12:58 in the 2nd half with 17 points. Came back in with 2:52 left. In that time Bartley went 0-1 with 1 assist and 1 turnover.

The most inconsistent member of this team has been the coaching staff. I said it 2 weeks ago and I'll say it again. Stop doing what theoretically should work and start doing what's actually working.

That would be a good idea. Ain't happening here.

[MB73]

Reynolds came out at 12:58 in the 2nd half with 17 points. Came back in with 2:52 left. In that time Bartley went 0-1 with 1 assist and 1 turnover.

The most inconsistent member of this team has been the coaching staff. I said it 2 weeks ago and I'll say it again. Stop doing what theoretically should work and start doing what's actually working.

you are a good poster but coaches do not do it that way. majerus made them do it his way, for example, and we loved it, didn't we?

think "coach norman dale"...

i think a lot of substitutions that we question are based upon the kids missing assignments or breaking the system that is in place with disregard for the coaching staff's specific instructions.

i respect your opinion and wonder why reynolds was lifted and a lot of this, but i also remember some games when reynolds was not effective at all.

we have a very experienced successful coach with strong credentials, so i honor his approach, he deals with the players 24/7, we do not. gut wretching to watch them being so inconsistent; reynolds, yarbrough, yacoubou, agbeko, several others have shown flashes only to then be ineffective for long stretches.

our biggest problem is our inexperienced bigs, especially the 5 position... two freshmen who are not ready to contribute and a senior role player.

[slufan13]

MB - It starts on the players for sure. Their inconsistency brings inconsistency from the staff in my opinion. But I just feel like something needs to be said for who has the hot hand on a given night. Crews believes that his system gives us the best chance to win and that's what I want from a coach, but a great coach can also defer from his gameplan.

To be fair, we cut the lead by 6 when Reynolds was out for that long stretch. You can't definitively say either way what would've happened if you had left him in. But leaving him on the bench for 10 straight minutes is just hard to understand.

I want to see improvement and us try new things as this season winds down. There will certainly be transfers, but we need to see how we can best fill those spots.

[Harry]

URI fan here. It was a bit of a ragged game given all the fouls. And while I know most fans are keyed just to the final score there was lots of positives for the Billikens. Reynolds and Roby were really good. URI is a good rebounding team and SLU out rebounded us. Good luck in your future games as you will be a team to be reckoned with.

Local TV for URI games is quite good and for those who missed the game or want to look more closely at some of the action, here is a game replay link:

http://www.coxhub.com/uri-mens-basketball-vs-st-louis-2-14-2015-replay

[JettFlight5]

you are a good poster but coaches do not do it that way. majerus made them do it his way, for example, and we loved it, didn't we?

think "coach norman dale"...

i think a lot of substitutions that we question are based upon the kids missing assignments or breaking the system that is in place with disregard for the coaching staff's specific instructions.

i respect your opinion and wonder why reynolds was lifted and a lot of this, but i also remember some games when reynolds was not effective at all.

we have a very experienced successful coach with strong credentials, so i honor his approach, he deals with the players 24/7, we do not. gut wretching to watch them being so inconsistent; reynolds, yarbrough, yacoubou, agbeko, several others have shown flashes only to then be ineffective for long stretches.

our biggest problem is our inexperienced bigs, especially the 5 position... two freshmen who are not ready to contribute and a senior role player.

I see where you're going MB...but "some games" weren't yesterday. Miles was playing well yesterday and there is no excuse for him missing 10 minutes of 2nd half floor time.

You're right on the bigs issue, but I think a coach has to make some allowances for what's actually going on in the basketball game.

[HoosierPal]

WV billiken...that is a very interesting thought. Can anyone confirm that this is a possibility?

I wouldn't mind it.

Any player who graduates and has a year of eligibility can transfer to another school (that offers a master's program not offered at the current school) and play immediately. The question you likely are asking has to do with their academic progress, are they on track to graduate this spring. Only Doctor B could give a valid opinion on that.

[Duff Man]

As nice of a game as Reynolds had, for me Agbeko was the most significant performance.

24 minutes, zero turnovers. Against this same team 6 weeks ago, he had 5 turnovers in 9 minutes.

That stretch where we just kept feeding him and he converted all but one* is what has been missing for much of the season - a low post threat that forces the defense to double team and free up our shooters.

*and even the miss was an audacious Hakeem Olajuwon baseline fadeaway that went in and out

[MB73]

I see where you're going MB...but "some games" weren't yesterday. Miles was playing well yesterday and there is no excuse for him missing 10 minutes of 2nd half floor time.

You're right on the bigs issue, but I think a coach has to make some allowances for what's actually going on in the basketball game.

so you put people in and see who is hot and then determine who to play the rest of the game?

have you ever seen a guy get hot and then go cold in the same game? tough call but it was highly unlikely reynolds would continue at that pace, having seem him over the course of the year generally being much less effective.

until they are more under control and consistent, we have to be careful about making these major jumps "on" and "off" our young players. the ones that show flashes of brilliance have then usually flattened out. again, yarbrough was nba material 2 weeks ago according to some. we've had several emerge then disappear. hard to say for sure...

now, a different situation was there with agbeko, he had his defender's number one on one in the low post, so, yes, feed him as long as the same match up is there. the game appeared to be over at that point so we cannot be too excited about agbeko's late scoring, but i still think we should find a way to isolate him down low a lot more often than we have so far. but i am not the coach, either.

[Old guy]

Thanks for the link Harry

[kmbilliken]

so you put people in and see who is hot and then determine who to play the rest of the game?

have you ever seen a guy get hot and then go cold in the same game? tough call but it was highly unlikely reynolds would continue at that pace, having seem him over the course of the year generally being much less effective.

until they are more under control and consistent, we have to be careful about making these major jumps "on" and "off" our young players. the ones that show flashes of brilliance have then usually flattened out. again, yarbrough was nba material 2 weeks ago according to some. we've had several emerge then disappear. hard to say for sure...

now, a different situation was there with agbeko, he had his defender's number one on one in the low post, so, yes, feed him as long as the same match up is there. the game appeared to be over at that point so we cannot be too excited about agbeko's late scoring, but i still think we should find a way to isolate him down low a lot more often than we have so far. but i am not the coach, either.

Players can cool off, but some games are better fits than others for certain players. That can be caused by match ups or the way the game is being called. It appears games where the refs are calling a lot of fouls is Reynolds kind go game. He drives, draws fouls and makes the free throws. That's the way it was being called all game, so let him play. Bartley wasn't doing much. Reynolds was. Go with the hot hand.

[moytoy12]

so you put people in and see who is hot and then determine who to play the rest of the game?

have you ever seen a guy get hot and then go cold in the same game? tough call but it was highly unlikely reynolds would continue at that pace, having seem him over the course of the year generally being much less effective.

until they are more under control and consistent, we have to be careful about making these major jumps "on" and "off" our young players. the ones that show flashes of brilliance have then usually flattened out. again, yarbrough was nba material 2 weeks ago according to some. we've had several emerge then disappear. hard to say for sure...

now, a different situation was there with agbeko, he had his defender's number one on one in the low post, so, yes, feed him as long as the same match up is there. the game appeared to be over at that point so we cannot be too excited about agbeko's late scoring, but i still think we should find a way to isolate him down low a lot more often than we have so far. but i am not the coach, either.

MB, I'd be inclined to agree with you if there was an identifiable system being run. The only thing I see as consistent is our motion offense that is generally impotent and our "throw it to the back court" inbounds play. Our defensive system is broken at worst and inconsistent at best. Our player substitutions are all over the map. Heck, even our timeout usage is befuddling.

With respect to MR, the staff apparently had the idea to play him substantial minutes as indicated by his 1st half usage, then, bam, he's nowhere to be found for 10 minutes straight in the 2nd half.

RM at least had the benefit of a legacy of success, which bought him leeway when things were fubared during his tenure. He was much more consistent, even if frustratingly so. 20+ games into the season and for much of last season, I'm having trouble identifying what the heck our system is under JC.

[hsmith19]

I have not been nearly as down on Crews' in-game decisions this year as many people here have been. But come on, even a "motion offense" is supposed to have some sort of game plan. The coaching staff no doubt has some sort of a plan in mind, but we're sure not seeing it executed in games. A bunch of guys running around and aimlessly passing for the first 25 seconds certainly doesn't constitute an offensive "system" worth sticking with just for the sake of consistency.

[slufan13]

I have not been nearly as down on Crews' in-game decisions this year as many people here have been. But come on, even a "motion offense" is supposed to have some sort of game plan. The coaching staff no doubt has some sort of a plan in mind, but we're sure not seeing it executed in games. A bunch of guys running around and aimlessly passing for the first 25 seconds certainly doesn't constitute an offensive "system" worth sticking with just for the sake of consistency.

I completely agree with this. Do you think this is on the players for not being able to execute or the coaches for not being able to get the point across? Or a combination of both?

[slufan13]

Speaking of offense, I miss this.

[billikenbill]

Thanks for the link Harry

+1

[billiken class of 15]

Speaking of offense, I miss this.

That team was phenomenal. The win at Hinkle that year was one of the best games I have ever had the pleasure of seeing.

Here's a little music to listen to as you watch that offense

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1AFLagXzUXI

[hsmith19]

I completely agree with this. Do you think this is on the players for not being able to execute or the coaches for not being able to get the point across? Or a combination of both?

Like everybody else, I hope the players at some point start executing the plan better. But at some point I agree it has to come down on the coaches as well. There might have been a good reason to pull Reynolds in the second half after his hot start, but I don't see how anybody could consider "staying true to the system of motion offense" a good reason.

The last time this happened it was Bartley when he hit four treys in the first half against Duquesne. Maybe Reynolds was talking smack or did something that could've irritated Crews, a la Bartley's chest-thumping? He'd never admit it publicly, which makes sense, but I sort of hope something like that happened, because otherwise it just doesn't make much sense to me.

[slu72]

I completely agree with this. Do you think this is on the players for not being able to execute or the coaches for not being able to get the point across? Or a combination of both?

I think the devil's in the details. Screens are not properly used or set. A guy will go out to set a screen then break it off before the ball handler even gets to use it. Or the ball handler doesn't drive the defender into the screen. Or they don't even set a screen. If this is a motion offense, I don't see it. The screens in a motion are to be off ball screens, where a player w/o the ball uses a screen to lose his defender then take a pass for an open look. This is a rare sight with this team. RM was very exacting in teaching the art of screens, evidently JC not so much, or the players just ain't learning the lessons.

[slufan13]

I think the devil's in the details. Screens are not properly used or set. A guy will go out to set a screen then break it off before the ball handler even gets to use it. Or the ball handler doesn't drive the defender into the screen. Or they don't even set a screen. If this is a motion offense, I don't see it. The screens in a motion are to be off ball screens, where a player w/o the ball uses a screen to lose his defender then take a pass for an open look. This is a rare sight with this team. RM was very exacting in teaching the art of screens, evidently JC not so much, or the players just ain't learning the lessons.

Agree our screens have been terrible. They're practically useless with how we set them now. We'd be better off just clearing out and letting someone drive. And that style won't win anything either.

[JettFlight5]

I think most people have hit on the problem.

There is no system this year that anyone can identify. How many possessions don't get started until there's 10-12 seconds left on the shot clock? Has this team gone a whole game without a shot clock violation? The other absolutely appalling statistical trend is the disappearance of defense. Even in the Situation year, the defensive efficiency numbers were good...so what's the difference now? That team was young, as is this one. So the youth excuse doesn't fly, period.

MB is right, Rick Majerus made his team do things his way...and ya know what, Rick Majerus won.