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The dreaded sophomore slump


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In my opinion, that sophomore slump is the primary thing that held the Bills back this year.  It hit French early, and it hindered Goodwin all season.  I've seen several players on teams I've rooted for over 30 years get bit by the sophomore slump phenomenon.

The light at the end of the tunnel, though, is that key players tend to turn a corner between their sophomore and junior seasons and don't tend to succumb to the fatigue as much as upperclassmen.  I'm confident Jordan will have a tremendous summer this offseason and be an all-conference force next season — particularly with some different team composition around him.

The 2019-20 team will miss (a healthy) Javon Bess a lot, but the team composition should be much more conducive to efficient offense.  If Goodwin and French take the steps up that are reasonable, they could be an at-large worthy team even after losing Bess.

And there's still a chance to win four in four next week, though it's definitely going to be an uphill battle.

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If there's an actual reason for a SO slump the player has to have s pretty good FR season, which French and Gordon did. That creates expectations for the player and the fans. The player presses but doesn't get the expected increase in results. He then starts to question aspects of his game and tries some new stuff. That doesn't work and you start to lose the confidence you had your FR year. It gets in your head. This off season these guys have to forget, but learn, from this season. Then just get their head straight and back to what made them so good their FR year. 

I've read a lot about golfers that start out like hell on wheels then fizzle their second year. A lot of them say about their rookie year they were blissfully ignorant of feeling any pressure. Expectations for a better year follow and now they feel pressured to repeat their success. The more they press, the more they flop around. Best reason I have heard for the dreaded SO slump. 

I think it was Vince Lombardi that said if you can make a great play once that means you can do it all the time. You just have to convince yourself to believe it. 

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 I'm not going to call Goodwin's and French's seasons slumps but certainly will question the efficiency.  I put a large portion of this on the new roles each had.  Goodwin, yes he was taken off of point guard last season, had to learn how to play off of Isabell.  Then he was put back in at PG, and lately it is Isabell running the show again.  We all tend to remember the last game.  Goodwin had 15 against VCU on 5 of 11 shooting and 24 against George Mason on 9 of 15 shooting.  That's pretty good slumpin'.  Goodwin shot 37% from the field last season and is at 39% this season.  Three's were 23.5% last season and are 25.0% this season.  Let's not talk about FT%.

French was told to share the post with Gordon, and we all know that didn't work.  Again true, French has played well off of Foreman, but it just didn't work with Gordon. Once Gordon went for 'greener pastures' French and Foreman were able to piece it back together.    

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2 minutes ago, HoosierPal said:

 I'm not going to call Goodwin's and French's seasons slumps but certainly will question the efficiency.  I put a large portion of this on the new roles each had.  Goodwin, yes he was taken off of point guard last season, had to learn how to play off of Isabell.  Then he was put back in at PG, and lately it is Isabell running the show again.  We all tend to remember the last game.  Goodwin had 15 against VCU on 5 of 11 shooting and 24 against George Mason on 9 of 15 shooting.  That's pretty good slumpin'.  Goodwin shot 37% from the field last season and is at 39% this season.  Three's were 23.5% last season and are 25.0% this season.  Let's not talk about FT%.

French was told to share the post with Gordon, and we all know that didn't work.  Again true, French has played well off of Foreman, but it just didn't work with Gordon. Once Gordon went for 'greener pastures' French and Foreman were able to piece it back together.    

Why not talk about the free-throw percentage?  That's a significant part of it.  Sure, Jordan has had some good games, but he's also disappeared (in some aspects of the game) in others.  I believe he will be more consistent his junior and senior seasons, particularly with a point guard who makes players around him better on the court with him.  He'll probably push his scoring average over 14/game.

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1 minute ago, wgstl said:

Didn’t French and Goodwin technically improve since their frosh seasons? As of a month ago this was the case. If so, that’s not a slump

I don't know what the metrics may say, but to my eye Goodwin has slumped a bit — particularly shooting.

They may have improved over their freshman numbers, but not as much as one could reasonably expect.  That's what makes it a slump.  It's not in the raw numbers but in the expected progression.

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On 3/9/2019 at 3:12 PM, Quality Is Job 1 said:

In my opinion, that sophomore slump is the primary thing that held the Bills back this year.  It hit French early, and it hindered Goodwin all season.  I've seen several players on teams I've rooted for over 30 years get bit by the sophomore slump phenomenon.

The light at the end of the tunnel, though, is that key players tend to turn a corner between their sophomore and junior seasons and don't tend to succumb to the fatigue as much as upperclassmen.  I'm confident Jordan will have a tremendous summer this offseason and be an all-conference force next season — particularly with some different team composition around him.

The 2019-20 team will miss (a healthy) Javon Bess a lot, but the team composition should be much more conducive to efficient offense.  If Goodwin and French take the steps up that are reasonable, they could be an at-large worthy team even after losing Bess.

And there's still a chance to win four in four next week, though it's definitely going to be an uphill battle.

Well at least Jacobs and Hankton can't have a sophomore slump.  Right?🤔

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3 minutes ago, Quality Is Job 1 said:

Why not talk about the free-throw percentage?  That's a significant part of it.  Sure, Jordan has had some good games, but he's also disappeared (in some aspects of the game) in others.  I believe he will be more consistent his junior and senior seasons, particularly with a point guard who makes players around him better on the court with him.  He'll probably push his scoring average over 14/game.

Okay, his FT% has declined.  Sure it is a part, but for me not any more significant than other parts.  Even though Ford didn't attribute the Davidson loss to those two missed FT, I think most of us did.  That's human nature.  

I look at a player's complete game, more than what is captured on the stat sheet.  He has become a vocal team leader on the floor.  He has recently taken over defending the opponent's top scorer.  His deflections continue at a high rate.  His hustle plays are still there, as they were last year.  His steals rate remains at about 2 per game. 

The team has more or less transformed into assisting Isabell in the last half dozen or so games.  

Perhaps in your eyes Goodwin hasn't advanced as you hoped.  But has he slumped?  To me a slump is a regression.  I'm not seeing an overall regression.  I'll agree the numbers don't show a vast improvement.

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Goodwin plays plays better against teams that play man to man defense. Unfortunately with our lack of shooters we have seen a lot of zone this year. I would think the same applies to French but even against man to man he gets doubled a lot because of our lack of shooters.

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21 minutes ago, HoosierPal said:

Okay, his FT% has declined.  Sure it is a part, but for me not any more significant than other parts.  Even though Ford didn't attribute the Davidson loss to those two missed FT, I think most of us did.  That's human nature.  

I look at a player's complete game, more than what is captured on the stat sheet.  He has become a vocal team leader on the floor.  He has recently taken over defending the opponent's top scorer.  His deflections continue at a high rate.  His hustle plays are still there, as they were last year.  His steals rate remains at about 2 per game. 

The team has more or less transformed into assisting Isabell in the last half dozen or so games.  

Perhaps in your eyes Goodwin hasn't advanced as you hoped.  But has he slumped?  To me a slump is a regression.  I'm not seeing an overall regression.  I'll agree the numbers don't show a vast improvement.

Don't take my comments to mean French's and Goodwin's entire sophomore seasons have been a "sophomore slump."  I just meant that each has been affected by the sophomore slump at some point this season.

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I blame it on Ford  ------ even though he was powerless to stop it.  Let's look at Ford's recruiting for some answers.  

Year One:  Foreman, Bess, Henriquez, Johnson, Santos and Graves.  Short of Henriquez, none of the others were seen as shooters although JJ came on.  Plus you had Bishop, arguably a shooter, recovering from injury in the wings.  Situation 2.0 robbed us of both shooters plus whatever Graves could do.

Year Two:  Fall semester signing is bopping along and we have athletes in Gordon and Thatch locked up as well as Pearson.  S 2.0 comes to fruition and now in the spring, Pearson bolts and is replaced by Hankton and in comes Jacobs and Thor.  With the dismissal of your entire exterior shooting crew, Ford has to check fire and go after Isabell and Wiley.  Two of what could be called the best transfer guards out there.  Meanwhile, French and Goodwin, playing shorthanded, are playing and developing well.  But the new recruits skew the lineup as we enter Year Three.

Year Three now sees Gordon infringing on French's territory, the low blocks.  Foreman is a wing forward, not know for pounding down low, not known for jump shots, but for driving to the hole.  What French had become used to with Foreman is skewed by Gordon's presence and time is needed to figure it out.  Gordon transfers and we are back to French 1.0.  Meanwhile, on the backcourt side, Isabell is given the keys to the car.  Isabell needs the ball in his hands to create.  So does Jordan Goodwin.  Jordan Goodwin is a slasher, a stat stuffer but not a shooter.  Jordan Goodwin is an athlete and good enough to use that athleticism at the high school level to be elite.  But next level up always demands more.  Goodwin doesn't have a shot.  He's not renown as even half the shooter a decimated Wiley was.  His athleticism was enough to be a starter but he contributed very little in terms of an offensive option.  Bess did tons of work to be the shooter in this lineup.  And until Isabell found a decent stroke of late, that was it.  Thatch is an athlete as well.  Thatch could be Goodwin 2.0 but then again, neither is a shooter.  Playing both is akin to playing 3 on 5 on the offensive end.  With neither able to garner respect for their shots, they are then dared to take them.  Zones are packed in.  Both would be best served as the entry pass receiver in the key.  Work you slashing from there.  Thatch is a much better Ft shooter it seems.

But it doesn't matter who plays point because if you do drive and slash, who do you dish to?  Who makes an open jumper?  This is the very same dilemma that awaits Yuri Collins next year.  From what I have heard, Terrance Hargrove is a slasher/athlete in the mold of Goodwin and Thatch.  You going to put four non-shooting options on the floor now (Goodwin, Thatch, Collins, Hargrove)?  

This is why its on Ford.  He's getting great athletes or so it seems but then runs walk-the-ball-up-the-court offenses.  And I am not down on Ford.  He has been hamstrung by the decisions allowed to be made by Title IX idiots sanctioned by Fred Pestello.  Fine ---- water under the bridge.  Can't change history.  He's lost the lineups he thought he had plus typical and questionable decisions by knuckleheads like Gordon, Pearson and Thor.  With a short bench, I think he's done pretty well.  

To say next year is it is unfair.  We essentially have three returnees.  The rest are newbies.  Lineups like that don't do well.  A preseason ninth place finish will likely be predicted by the media for us in the A10.  But .... next year is it.  

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5 minutes ago, Taj79 said:

I blame it on Ford  ------ even though he was powerless to stop it.  Let's look at Ford's recruiting for some answers.  

Year One:  Foreman, Bess, Henriquez, Johnson, Santos and Graves.  Short of Henriquez, none of the others were seen as shooters although JJ came on.  Plus you had Bishop, arguably a shooter, recovering from injury in the wings.  Situation 2.0 robbed us of both shooters plus whatever Graves could do.

Year Two:  Fall semester signing is bopping along and we have athletes in Gordon and Thatch locked up as well as Pearson.  S 2.0 comes to fruition and now in the spring, Pearson bolts and is replaced by Hankton and in comes Jacobs and Thor.  With the dismissal of your entire exterior shooting crew, Ford has to check fire and go after Isabell and Wiley.  Two of what could be called the best transfer guards out there.  Meanwhile, French and Goodwin, playing shorthanded, are playing and developing well.  But the new recruits skew the lineup as we enter Year Three.

Year Three now sees Gordon infringing on French's territory, the low blocks.  Foreman is a wing forward, not know for pounding down low, not known for jump shots, but for driving to the hole.  What French had become used to with Foreman is skewed by Gordon's presence and time is needed to figure it out.  Gordon transfers and we are back to French 1.0.  Meanwhile, on the backcourt side, Isabell is given the keys to the car.  Isabell needs the ball in his hands to create.  So does Jordan Goodwin.  Jordan Goodwin is a slasher, a stat stuffer but not a shooter.  Jordan Goodwin is an athlete and good enough to use that athleticism at the high school level to be elite.  But next level up always demands more.  Goodwin doesn't have a shot.  He's not renown as even half the shooter a decimated Wiley was.  His athleticism was enough to be a starter but he contributed very little in terms of an offensive option.  Bess did tons of work to be the shooter in this lineup.  And until Isabell found a decent stroke of late, that was it.  Thatch is an athlete as well.  Thatch could be Goodwin 2.0 but then again, neither is a shooter.  Playing both is akin to playing 3 on 5 on the offensive end.  With neither able to garner respect for their shots, they are then dared to take them.  Zones are packed in.  Both would be best served as the entry pass receiver in the key.  Work you slashing from there.  Thatch is a much better Ft shooter it seems.

But it doesn't matter who plays point because if you do drive and slash, who do you dish to?  Who makes an open jumper?  This is the very same dilemma that awaits Yuri Collins next year.  From what I have heard, Terrance Hargrove is a slasher/athlete in the mold of Goodwin and Thatch.  You going to put four non-shooting options on the floor now (Goodwin, Thatch, Collins, Hargrove)?  

This is why its on Ford.  He's getting great athletes or so it seems but then runs walk-the-ball-up-the-court offenses.  And I am not down on Ford.  He has been hamstrung by the decisions allowed to be made by Title IX idiots sanctioned by Fred Pestello.  Fine ---- water under the bridge.  Can't change history.  He's lost the lineups he thought he had plus typical and questionable decisions by knuckleheads like Gordon, Pearson and Thor.  With a short bench, I think he's done pretty well.  

To say next year is it is unfair.  We essentially have three returnees.  The rest are newbies.  Lineups like that don't do well.  A preseason ninth place finish will likely be predicted by the media for us in the A10.  But .... next year is it.  

He still has 3 scholies to fill, so we'd be wise to put off completing the fitness report until all the squares are filled in. We know Bell's a project, so let's not include him in the discussion. He needs another big who can either supplement or give French a breather. We do need another sniper. Please tell all you know to apply. Although 3 star thinks Perkins may not be that bad. And, big and, JGood puts in a Conklin summer on his jumper both mid range and from the 3. 

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9 minutes ago, Taj79 said:

I blame it on Ford  ------ even though he was powerless to stop it.  Let's look at Ford's recruiting for some answers.  

Year One:  Foreman, Bess, Henriquez, Johnson, Santos and Graves.  Short of Henriquez, none of the others were seen as shooters although JJ came on.  Plus you had Bishop, arguably a shooter, recovering from injury in the wings.  Situation 2.0 robbed us of both shooters plus whatever Graves could do.

Year Two:  Fall semester signing is bopping along and we have athletes in Gordon and Thatch locked up as well as Pearson.  S 2.0 comes to fruition and now in the spring, Pearson bolts and is replaced by Hankton and in comes Jacobs and Thor.  With the dismissal of your entire exterior shooting crew, Ford has to check fire and go after Isabell and Wiley.  Two of what could be called the best transfer guards out there.  Meanwhile, French and Goodwin, playing shorthanded, are playing and developing well.  But the new recruits skew the lineup as we enter Year Three.

Year Three now sees Gordon infringing on French's territory, the low blocks.  Foreman is a wing forward, not know for pounding down low, not known for jump shots, but for driving to the hole.  What French had become used to with Foreman is skewed by Gordon's presence and time is needed to figure it out.  Gordon transfers and we are back to French 1.0.  Meanwhile, on the backcourt side, Isabell is given the keys to the car.  Isabell needs the ball in his hands to create.  So does Jordan Goodwin.  Jordan Goodwin is a slasher, a stat stuffer but not a shooter.  Jordan Goodwin is an athlete and good enough to use that athleticism at the high school level to be elite.  But next level up always demands more.  Goodwin doesn't have a shot.  He's not renown as even half the shooter a decimated Wiley was.  His athleticism was enough to be a starter but he contributed very little in terms of an offensive option.  Bess did tons of work to be the shooter in this lineup.  And until Isabell found a decent stroke of late, that was it.  Thatch is an athlete as well.  Thatch could be Goodwin 2.0 but then again, neither is a shooter.  Playing both is akin to playing 3 on 5 on the offensive end.  With neither able to garner respect for their shots, they are then dared to take them.  Zones are packed in.  Both would be best served as the entry pass receiver in the key.  Work you slashing from there.  Thatch is a much better Ft shooter it seems.

But it doesn't matter who plays point because if you do drive and slash, who do you dish to?  Who makes an open jumper?  This is the very same dilemma that awaits Yuri Collins next year.  From what I have heard, Terrance Hargrove is a slasher/athlete in the mold of Goodwin and Thatch.  You going to put four non-shooting options on the floor now (Goodwin, Thatch, Collins, Hargrove)?  

This is why its on Ford.  He's getting great athletes or so it seems but then runs walk-the-ball-up-the-court offenses.  And I am not down on Ford.  He has been hamstrung by the decisions allowed to be made by Title IX idiots sanctioned by Fred Pestello.  Fine ---- water under the bridge.  Can't change history.  He's lost the lineups he thought he had plus typical and questionable decisions by knuckleheads like Gordon, Pearson and Thor.  With a short bench, I think he's done pretty well.  

To say next year is it is unfair.  We essentially have three returnees.  The rest are newbies.  Lineups like that don't do well.  A preseason ninth place finish will likely be predicted by the media for us in the A10.  But .... next year is it.  

It may be premature to declare that Thatch is not a shooter.

The subtext of some of these comments reads to me like "if a player is black, he's much more likely to be an athlete/slasher than a shooter; if he's white, he has a better chance of being a shooter and is less likely to be an athlete/slasher."  We really ought to lose that perception/expectation.

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31 minutes ago, Taj79 said:

I blame it on Ford  ------ even though he was powerless to stop it.  Let's look at Ford's recruiting for some answers.  

Year One:  Foreman, Bess, Henriquez, Johnson, Santos and Graves.  Short of Henriquez, none of the others were seen as shooters although JJ came on.  Plus you had Bishop, arguably a shooter, recovering from injury in the wings.  Situation 2.0 robbed us of both shooters plus whatever Graves could do.

Year Two:  Fall semester signing is bopping along and we have athletes in Gordon and Thatch locked up as well as Pearson.  S 2.0 comes to fruition and now in the spring, Pearson bolts and is replaced by Hankton and in comes Jacobs and Thor.  With the dismissal of your entire exterior shooting crew, Ford has to check fire and go after Isabell and Wiley.  Two of what could be called the best transfer guards out there.  Meanwhile, French and Goodwin, playing shorthanded, are playing and developing well.  But the new recruits skew the lineup as we enter Year Three.

Year Three now sees Gordon infringing on French's territory, the low blocks.  Foreman is a wing forward, not know for pounding down low, not known for jump shots, but for driving to the hole.  What French had become used to with Foreman is skewed by Gordon's presence and time is needed to figure it out.  Gordon transfers and we are back to French 1.0.  Meanwhile, on the backcourt side, Isabell is given the keys to the car.  Isabell needs the ball in his hands to create.  So does Jordan Goodwin.  Jordan Goodwin is a slasher, a stat stuffer but not a shooter.  Jordan Goodwin is an athlete and good enough to use that athleticism at the high school level to be elite.  But next level up always demands more.  Goodwin doesn't have a shot.  He's not renown as even half the shooter a decimated Wiley was.  His athleticism was enough to be a starter but he contributed very little in terms of an offensive option.  Bess did tons of work to be the shooter in this lineup.  And until Isabell found a decent stroke of late, that was it.  Thatch is an athlete as well.  Thatch could be Goodwin 2.0 but then again, neither is a shooter.  Playing both is akin to playing 3 on 5 on the offensive end.  With neither able to garner respect for their shots, they are then dared to take them.  Zones are packed in.  Both would be best served as the entry pass receiver in the key.  Work you slashing from there.  Thatch is a much better Ft shooter it seems.

But it doesn't matter who plays point because if you do drive and slash, who do you dish to?  Who makes an open jumper?  This is the very same dilemma that awaits Yuri Collins next year.  From what I have heard, Terrance Hargrove is a slasher/athlete in the mold of Goodwin and Thatch.  You going to put four non-shooting options on the floor now (Goodwin, Thatch, Collins, Hargrove)?  

This is why its on Ford.  He's getting great athletes or so it seems but then runs walk-the-ball-up-the-court offenses.  And I am not down on Ford.  He has been hamstrung by the decisions allowed to be made by Title IX idiots sanctioned by Fred Pestello.  Fine ---- water under the bridge.  Can't change history.  He's lost the lineups he thought he had plus typical and questionable decisions by knuckleheads like Gordon, Pearson and Thor.  With a short bench, I think he's done pretty well.  

To say next year is it is unfair.  We essentially have three returnees.  The rest are newbies.  Lineups like that don't do well.  A preseason ninth place finish will likely be predicted by the media for us in the A10.  But .... next year is it.  

Great analysis. I think Ford gets at least one more year, maybe two. If the team drastically under performs next season, then it might be time to move on. 

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French and Goodwin are warriors.  They are our guys and I will continue to support them.  But power players who can't shoot are simply not as valuable today as they were 20 years ago.  Spacing is a lot more important because offense today is so reliant on drive and kick.

I was at the Valley tournament yesterday celebrating the birthday of a friend.  We were watching the Bradley vs. Loyola game and I noticed a former Billiken recruit playing for Bradley, Elijah Childs.  Childs was 6'6 205 when were recruiting him.  French was clearly the better player back then but Childs was clearly the better shooter.  Two years later Childs is now 6'7 225 lb and the physical advantage French had over him has all but disappeared.  Childs is now French's equal as a player .  He's about as efficient as French in the paint but he also has a 12-15 foot jump shot.  He's not as dominant a rebounder but compensates by shooting 66% from the free throw line.

Similar observations can be made about Goodwin and Dayton's Jalen Crutcher.  Goodwin, based on his physical dominance in high school, was a top 50ish recruit.  Crutcher was a skinny  3 star guard who didn't even attract A10 attention until his senior season.  But he was quicker, had better handles and a better shot.  Two years later,  those core qualities have made him into the more prolific scorer and assist man.

Shooting -- 2 pt shooting, 3 pt shooting, free throw shooting -- has always been the most important aspect of basketball but today it's even more important than ever.  It's easier to build up a young man's body than it is to build a shot.

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1 minute ago, 3star_recruit said:

French and Goodwin are warriors.  They are our guys and I will continue to support them.  But power players who can't shoot are simply not as valuable today as they were 20 years ago.  Spacing is a lot more important because offense today is so reliant on drive and kick.

I was at the Valley tournament yesterday celebrating the birthday of a friend.  We were watching the Bradley vs. Loyola game and I noticed a former Billiken recruit playing for Bradley, Elijah Childs.  Childs was 6'6 205 when were recruiting him.  French was clearly the better player back then but Childs was clearly the better shooter.  Two years later Childs is now 6'7 225 lb and the physical advantage French had over him has all but disappeared.  Childs is now French's equal as a player .  He's about as efficient as French in the paint but he also has a 12-15 foot jump shot.  He's not as dominant a rebounder but compensates by shooting 66% from the free throw line.

Similar observations can be made about Goodwin and Dayton's Jalen Crutcher.  Goodwin, based on his physical dominance in high school, was a top 50ish recruit.  Crutcher was a skinny  3 star guard who didn't even attract A10 attention until his senior season.  But he was quicker, had better handles and a better shot.  Two years later,  those core qualities have made him into the more prolific scorer and assist man.

Shooting -- 3 pt shooting, 2 pt shooting, free throw shooting -- has always been the most important aspect of basketball but today it's even more important than ever.  It's easier to build up a young man's body than it is to build a shot.

I just need 3 star to write every post for me. French is going to be of limited value until he can shoot the ball 

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1 hour ago, Quality Is Job 1 said:

It may be premature to declare that Thatch is not a shooter.

The subtext of some of these comments reads to me like "if a player is black, he's much more likely to be an athlete/slasher than a shooter; if he's white, he has a better chance of being a shooter and is less likely to be an athlete/slasher."  We really ought to lose that perception/expectation.

Four shots a game isn't enough of a dataset determine whether Thatch is capable of replicating his shooting percentages from high school.  We'll have to wait until next year when his role is different.

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34 minutes ago, 3star_recruit said:

French and Goodwin are warriors.  They are our guys and I will continue to support them.  But power players who can't shoot are simply not as valuable today as they were 20 years ago.  Spacing is a lot more important because offense today is so reliant on drive and kick.

I was at the Valley tournament yesterday celebrating the birthday of a friend.  We were watching the Bradley vs. Loyola game and I noticed a former Billiken recruit playing for Bradley, Elijah Childs.  Childs was 6'6 205 when were recruiting him.  French was clearly the better player back then but Childs was clearly the better shooter.  Two years later Childs is now 6'7 225 lb and the physical advantage French had over him has all but disappeared.  Childs is now French's equal as a player .  He's about as efficient as French in the paint but he also has a 12-15 foot jump shot.  He's not as dominant a rebounder but compensates by shooting 66% from the free throw line.

Similar observations can be made about Goodwin and Dayton's Jalen Crutcher.  Goodwin, based on his physical dominance in high school, was a top 50ish recruit.  Crutcher was a skinny  3 star guard who didn't even attract A10 attention until his senior season.  But he was quicker, had better handles and a better shot.  Two years later,  those core qualities have made him into the more prolific scorer and assist man.

Shooting -- 2 pt shooting, 3 pt shooting, free throw shooting -- has always been the most important aspect of basketball but today it's even more important than ever.  It's easier to build up a young man's body than it is to build a shot.

Hindsight is always 20/20 .....

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I'm extremely offended thicks that you somehow put racism into my post.  The post was written completely color-blind.  They are not black kids nor are they white kids.  They are OUR kids and they are what they are.  Wiley has no athleticism whatsoever.  He was robbed of that by four years of injuries.  The subtext you seem to see is yours and yours alone.  

My point counter to your headline of 'sophomore slump' was that limitations have caught up with Ford's recruits.  Ford has recruited athletes ---- black, white, purple or green is immaterial.  3-star is right when he says they are warriors and I/we support them.  

I believe Ford has fallen short ---- for whatever reason --- of recruiting a balanced team.  I don't see that changing with his five current recruits.  Sure, it can be Jimerson.  Sure it can be Perkins.  But it better be both and there had better be more.  Otherwise, steal the blueprint for HAVOC and get layups because right now, that's all we got and even that is suspect given the amount of bunnies our BLUE players seem to miss.

Your perceived 'subtext' warrants an immediate apology.

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43 minutes ago, RiseAndGrind said:

I just need 3 star to write every post for me. French is going to be of limited value until he can shoot the ball 

Disagree.  The only reason French will have limited value is because of the players around him.  For example, he was our most effective player yesterday and we decided to jack up threes instead of feeding him.  

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40 minutes ago, moytoy12 said:

Disagree.  The only reason French will have limited value is because of the players around him.  For example, he was our most effective player yesterday and we decided to jack up threes instead of feeding him.  

Whose post game can easily be nullified by fouling him in the 2nd half or packing the lane.

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1 minute ago, 3star_recruit said:

Whose post game can easily be notified by fouling him in the 2nd half.

Obviously, his FT shooting needs to improve, but I don’t think he necessarily needs to develop 8-12 foot jumper to have a lot of value. He had a lot of value yesterday when he got the ball in a decent position.  But instead of feeding him, our offense went away from him.  That limited his value more than anything else.

Also, I think he should be commended for his ballhandling.  It got better during the year and he developed a nice drive to the hoop from outside the paint during the season.  

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2 hours ago, Taj79 said:

I'm extremely offended thicks that you somehow put racism into my post.  The post was written completely color-blind.  They are not black kids nor are they white kids.  They are OUR kids and they are what they are.  Wiley has no athleticism whatsoever.  He was robbed of that by four years of injuries.  The subtext you seem to see is yours and yours alone.  

My point counter to your headline of 'sophomore slump' was that limitations have caught up with Ford's recruits.  Ford has recruited athletes ---- black, white, purple or green is immaterial.  3-star is right when he says they are warriors and I/we support them.  

I believe Ford has fallen short ---- for whatever reason --- of recruiting a balanced team.  I don't see that changing with his five current recruits.  Sure, it can be Jimerson.  Sure it can be Perkins.  But it better be both and there had better be more.  Otherwise, steal the blueprint for HAVOC and get layups because right now, that's all we got and even that is suspect given the amount of bunnies our BLUE players seem to miss.

Your perceived 'subtext' warrants an immediate apology.

My comment was not based just on your post; it was based on what I read on this board and other places over and over again.  And my "allegation" is of stereotyping, not racism.

HoosierPal likes this
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