GDT: Game of the Year

[billikenfan05]

18 minutes ago, DirtyRican said:

Why were you were sitting with Kyle then?  I actually purchased another ticket this season so I can start bringing my middle boy.  Now that you sit so close I am wondering if I can get a refund! haha

Hey at least they’ll learn the important curse words early. 

[RUBillsFan]

I'd hope that Ford & the staff use these exhibition games to iron out the wrinkles in the offense and get some guys (or combinations of guys) playing time that might need extra work or will pay dividends down the road even if they won't be playing as much (or using those combinations much) during the regular season.

I'm imagining at we could play our top 7 for the whole game, run plays exclusively to exploit the inferior opponent's weaknesses, and decimate them by 50+ points.  That strategy would result in less hand wringing on the message board, but our team doesn't really improve at all by doing that.

I generally agree with Pistol's assessment of this showing how the team will lose some games, but I'll emphasize that we should take the results of these games with a huge grain of salt.

[eastsidejoe]

Hopefully, the results will be different when we stick to a 7-8 man rotation.  Ford was subbing way to much last night which is ok in an exhibition game.

[moytoy12]

6 minutes ago, eastsidejoe said:

Hopefully, the results will be different when we stick to a 7-8 man rotation.  Ford was subbing way to much last night which is ok in an exhibition game.

Ford said as much in the post-game story: https://www.stltoday.com/sports/college/slu/ford-not-happy-but-slu-outlasts-umsl-in-exhibition/article_4d57cdfb-5200-59a2-a187-40313ec1c08c.html

Speaking of using a lot of players, did Jacobs play at all? 

[billikenfan05]

1 minute ago, moytoy12 said:

Ford said as much in the post-game story: https://www.stltoday.com/sports/college/slu/ford-not-happy-but-slu-outlasts-umsl-in-exhibition/article_4d57cdfb-5200-59a2-a187-40313ec1c08c.html

Speaking of using a lot of players, did Jacobs play at all? 

Played a lot actually. More than I expected. I thought he and Hankton really looked like Freshmen where as Thatch looked like he belonged out there.

[Old guy]

Jacobs did play (not much) but did not score. He was good carrying the ball.

[Glorydays2013]

Based on preseason (which doesn’t mean much) Davidson looks a lot scarier than imagined. George Mason can also be pretty good imo. 

[Littlebill]

http://www.slubillikens.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=27200&ATCLID=205328538

In 11-12, Bills beat St.Ambrose (NAIA D2) 72-61. It was a one-possession game with 5:00 left. That season turned out okay..... 

[Cowboy]

-how can Gus have to issue a correction when attempting to announce the phone number for the ticket office? this is really quite something and on par with his confusing FTJr for HF on a 3 pointer

[Glorydays2013]

My guess for next game is Thatch gets far less playing time and Bess and Goodwin play a lot more. Thatch can be a good rotation player but he shouldn't be the first 2 off the bench

[wgstl]

4 minutes ago, Glorydays2013 said:

My guess for next game is Thatch gets far less playing time and Bess and Goodwin play a lot more. Thatch can be a good rotation player but he shouldn't be the first 2 off the bench

From everything Ive heard/read, Thatch is top 2 or 3 on the team in defense and 3pt shooting.  Hard to get that type of player off the court.  

[billikenfan05]

9 minutes ago, Glorydays2013 said:

My guess for next game is Thatch gets far less playing time and Bess and Goodwin play a lot more. Thatch can be a good rotation player but he shouldn't be the first 2 off the bench

Your guesses always suck though. The kid can and will play. You may see him get more minutes than Wiley as the season progresses and if Isabell doesn't start believing in defense he's gonna overtake Isabells spot.

[eastsidejoe]

3 minutes ago, billikenfan05 said:

Your guesses always suck though. The kid can and will play. You may see him get more minutes than Wiley as the season progresses and if Isabell doesn't start believing in defense he's gonna overtake Isabells spot.

Thatch may overtake Wiley in minutes, but no way does he overtake Isabells minutes imo.

[HoosierPal]

1 hour ago, eastsidejoe said:

Hopefully, the results will be different when we stick to a 7-8 man rotation.  Ford was subbing way to much last night which is ok in an exhibition game.

If you assume Jacobs, Hankton and Gudmundsson are player 9-11, they only played a combined 18 minutes of the available 200 minutes.

[brianstl]

22 minutes ago, Glorydays2013 said:

My guess for next game is Thatch gets far less playing time and Bess and Goodwin play a lot more. Thatch can be a good rotation player but he shouldn't be the first 2 off the bench

[RiseOfTheBillikens]

1 hour ago, Glorydays2013 said:

My guess for next game is Thatch gets far less playing time and Bess and Goodwin play a lot more. Thatch can be a good rotation player but he shouldn't be the first 2 off the bench

I strongly disagree. I think Thatch will play heavy minutes especially by the end of the year. I also agree with 05 about Isabell losing minutes if he continues to play lack luster defense. It's crazy seeing the size difference between Jacobs and Thatch. Thatch is the next jordair Jett except with more range hopefully.

[Zink]

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. 

[HoosierPal]

1 hour ago, RiseOfTheBillikens said:

I strongly disagree. I think Thatch will play heavy minutes especially by the end of the year. I also agree with 05 about Isabell losing minutes if he continues to play lack luster defense. It's crazy seeing the size difference between Jacobs and Thatch. Thatch is the next jordair Jett except with more range hopefully.

I suggest you have a stronger grip on reality than our little buddy.  Thatch will get his minutes.  Here is another potential issue, Wiley has only played 25 minutes in the two games.  Is his ankle sound?  Is he just out of shape?  Is Ford trying to save him for the long haul?  But if Wiley is only good for 12 to 15 per game, Thatch will get that many minutes or more.  Wiley has the history to suggest his 2-7 long range performance to date is an anomaly. 

We have 11 bodies right now.  One or two are recovering from injury.  Three are freshmen that need to quickly come up to speed. They will be needed.

[cgeldmacher]

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.

 

[billikenfan05]

12 minutes ago, Zink said:

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. 

Twice in a row he allowed his man to score a transition 3 after a MADE basket.

[billiken_roy]

5 hours ago, billikenfan05 said:

Dude you gotta keep your kid at home. Guys bring their wives and girlfriends to games.

spoken like the true guy with no children.  someday you might understand.   

and as to teaching them the cuss words, i have no doubt you will do your best (maybe i should say worst) to be that tutor.  

[Zink]

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. 

[wgstl]

Just now, Zink said:

Isabell had 11 assists across the two exhibition games... that’s not at all bad for a point guard. 

what was the ratio? #toolazy

[billikenfan05]

5 minutes ago, billiken_roy said:

spoken like the true guy with no children.  someday you might understand.   

and as to teaching them the cuss words, i have no doubt you will do your best (maybe i should say worst) to be that tutor.  

Congrats on interjecting yourself into a conversation with a joke that you clearly didn't get. I was inferring that his son is a ladies man and will steal our WAGs.

[Zink]

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.