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2019-20 Season


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19 minutes ago, wgstl said:
I don’t know anything about the status of Fred Thatch Jr. But I do know that this is the first practice in a LONG time I’ve seen him go through a full warmup with the team. He usually gets going by himself and jumps in/out when ready. This seems like a positive sign.

I will not get my hopes up. I will not get my hopes up. I will not get my hopes up...

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On 2/14/2020 at 9:47 AM, Aquinas said:

Season to date:

I have seen posts and listened to the last House that Rick Built show (a show that I like) stating significant disappointment and blame for recent Billikens losses on coach Ford.

We Billiken fans I think are guilty of having expectations of wins based on early season performance that exceeded expectations, but were followed by an injury to Jimerson and loss of Thatch, apparently for the season.  Then the emotions of having a team come so close to beating Dayton but then drop two games to the Dukes, is frustrating and clouds our realistic view of the team and this season.

As Billiken fans, I think it is wise and fair to coach Ford and the team to step back a minute and take a look at team strengths and weaknesses and what has happened this season.

First we started the season with only 4 players with significant Division 1 experience.   Goodwin, French, Thatch and Weaver, and Weaver was not with our team last year.  In addition. we had 2 returning sophomores who were injured as Freshmen and played very little.  We added  6 new players with no Division 1 experience Perkins, a high scoring JUCO transfer and 5 freshmen.

Preseason projections were all over the place, but I think most of us would have been happy with 20 wins.

Early season.  The team exceeded expectations with strong contributions by Jacobs, Collins and Jimerson.  In my view Jimerson’s contributions had the greatest impact on the total team performance because opponents had to stretch the floor to cover him.  Some teams put their best defending guard on him.  He consistently hit 3s at a rate of 42% and he averaged 10.8 points per game and that average was rising, and he had two games over 20 points.

So at the in the middle of December With Jimerson and the expected return of Thatch, a top 4 A10 finish looked reasonable.

But as fans often do, we discounted the loss of Jimerson and Thatch when it came to our expectations for the team.

The loss of Jimerson has meant more tightly packed zones that especially restrict the ability of French, Goodwin and Collins.   Jacobs can hit a spot up 3 at the rate of 38%, Weaver hits them with a quicker release at a rate of 37% and Perkins unfortunately is only hitting 3s at a rate of 29%. 
The loss of Jimerson also took out our best free throw shooter, he was at 86%.

The loss of Thatch this season has hurt our ability to play a shut down defending guard.   It reduces the number of steals resulting in easy baskets and it improves the 3 point scoring of opponents.  If summer reports were accurate it took away an expected double digit scorer, who was hitting from outside.

From a coaching perspective, the loss of Thatch and Jimerson has taken a lot of the flexibility he has in defending and attacking opponents.

At this point, we have a team with a strong inside game, an average outside game and a team that is terrible from the free throw line.  Our inside strength is largely dependent on French.  While Bell has been steadily improving and has done admirably in some games, the loss of French kills us.  Even foul trouble forces him to dial down his intensity.  The loss of Thatch and Jimerson has also made us thin at the guard spot.  We have had to play the walk on Hightower, in situations where the other guards are in foul trouble, have a tough matchup or are just not playing well

This leaves us with a team that can play at a high level when the matchups are good AND the refs let us play a physical game.  But we struggle in games where the matchups are bad and/or we have foul trouble.

I think coach Ford has done an admirable job of reshaping this team following the losses of Thatch and Jimerson.  There are significant limits to what a coach can do with a short bench. One thing he can and has done, is motivate this team to play with heart.  They have played some very strong games in some very tough road environments, where many teams, especially young teams typically fold up and get blown out. There is no quit in this team or its coach.

Moderators

Please lock this thread and ban Aquinas.  Calm, cool rational thought is not allowed on this Board. Only knee jerk comments by  teenagers and 20 year olds who know very little about basketball but like to post drivel and shout boomer should be allowed .

Turn up the heat on Coach Ford’s seat!   Let’s drive him out of here.

And just because you have time and resources to put a pod cast together doesn’t mean you are correct.  But who cares about being correct. 

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On 2/14/2020 at 10:27 AM, MichaelC said:

D1 coaches don't make millions of dollars to coach the team they assemble in November, they make millions to coach the team they end up with in January after injuries, mid-season transfers, flunks outs, suspensions and whatever other craziness besets their roster. While I don't disagree that Ford has done a good job I don't think he reshaped the team in any meaningful way (I would have liked to see them go more up tempo with a healthy dose of secondary breaks) and again those roster limitations are what these guys get paid a king's ransom to figure out. All that said, I don't have any major issues with how the coach has handled this team.  

Great idea.  When we are short handed, let’s go more up tempo.  And when teams pack the lane, more up tempo?  And when teams don’t play defense on 2 or 3 of our guys, more up tempo?  And when we cannot guard guys while playing man to man, more up tempo?  And when we dont shoot well from the perimeter, more up tempo? Just run over guys?

And great idea ... if you are paid well, you win or you are a bad coach.  Thanks for your contributions to this Board 

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23 hours ago, moytoy12 said:

I hear ya, but there have been some things that have been demonstrably bad.  For example, the zone against Duquesne 10 or so days ago.  It was a nip and tuck game in the first half until we went to a zone and Duquesne splashed open 3 after open 3 against our zone.  

I love Ford.  I want him here for as long as he wants to coach, but he's not above criticism for in-game tactics.  

Nip and tuck game where we could not stop them and we were picking up fouls, so our Coach tries something different, the results are not better/may have been worse and that is proof Coach Ford is a bad in game coach?  Poor execution on the floor = bad in game coaching?

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50 minutes ago, Clock_Tower said:

Moderators

Please lock this thread and ban Aquinas.  Calm, cool rational thought is not allowed on this Board. Only knee jerk comments by  teenagers and 20 year olds who know very little about basketball but like to post drivel and shout boomer should be allowed .

Turn up the heat on Coach Ford’s seat!   Let’s drive him out of here.

And just because you have time and resources to put a pod cast together doesn’t mean you are correct.  But who cares about being correct. 

Ok boomer 

😬😬

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4 minutes ago, glazedandconfused said:

ClockTower, what is one thing you like about people under the age of 30? 

Did you not see Cowboy's post in the other thread? All 3 under 30 I'm sure, and all 3 I like. Not clock, but I'm and old get off my lawn fart also, so just thought I'd chime in

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2 hours ago, Clock_Tower said:

Great idea.  When we are short handed, let’s go more up tempo.  And when teams pack the lane, more up tempo?  And when teams don’t play defense on 2 or 3 of our guys, more up tempo?  And when we cannot guard guys while playing man to man, more up tempo?  And when we dont shoot well from the perimeter, more up tempo? Just run over guys?

And great idea ... if you are paid well, you win or you are a bad coach.  Thanks for your contributions to this Board 

Don't know if you have a general reading comprehension problem or if you're basketball illiterate. I suggested selective up tempo (not pressing full court or trying to fast break off made baskets) with a specific example, secondary breaks. Are secondary breaks something you do all of the time or when the other team has scored, uh no. And this is something plenty of teams that are 7-8 deep do, but thanks for the laugh. 

I missed the part where I said Ford was a bad coach I only see where I said he's done a good job.

I also don't see where I said that if a coach is well paid and don't win they're a bad coach, in fact I don't say anything about winning in my post.  

If you to disagree with something I say, fine but at least read a post carefully and make sure you understand what is being said before you reply, then you won't sound like a complete and total idiot. 

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29 minutes ago, moytoy12 said:

This team...it reels me in with each win.  If we win out we’re 23-7 with a couple of good wins along the way. Get a couple of wins in the A10 tourney and we end up 25-8 and to me that’s a tourney team. 

Add a few more highlight reel plays like today and how can they pass us by? 😉

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