slubbfan Posted January 7, 2005 Share Posted January 7, 2005 I'm glad to see Brad made some positive adjustments to his lineup. I was thrilled to see the Iowa game on ESPN + on New Year's Eve, and if you werent able to see it you missed an athletic JJ playing hard. He should start the rest of the year, with Izik at the other forward position. TF and Ian should be substitutes, and Husak should see small minutes and continue to prepare for next year. I didn't see or hear the Tulane game but AD looked extremely slow against Iowa, couldn't find his shot and seemed to be a marginal dribbler. I would look to start Brown or Clark in his spot and bring AD off the bench for defensive stops and energy boosts. I don't question his heart, I just question his ability. The biggest problem I could see with the team is horrible spacing, most times every player on the court was between the FT line and the 3 pt. line. Hopefully with the better line-up, and a healthy Bryant, the team will continue to play better. With the following starters I honestly believe this team will have a strong C-USA season: JJ Izik Bryant Polk Brown Clark Dejected but hopeful. slubbfan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kwyjibo Posted January 7, 2005 Share Posted January 7, 2005 >With the following starters I honestly believe this team >will have a strong C-USA season: > >JJ >Izik >Bryant >Polk >Brown >Clark With 6 starters we would get a technical! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Basketbill Posted January 7, 2005 Share Posted January 7, 2005 nm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slufanskip Posted January 8, 2005 Share Posted January 8, 2005 The officials from the Tulane game wouldn't have noticed ... but they would have called a few of the guys for walking Official Billikens.com sponsor of H. Waldman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillsWin Posted January 8, 2005 Share Posted January 8, 2005 I think JJ had the best game of his career against the Green Wave. I look forward to his continue development. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jjray Posted January 8, 2005 Share Posted January 8, 2005 He had 0 rebounds in 19 minutes although he was 2-3 from the field and 2-2 from the line. We need him to rebound first, defend, and then be a supplemental scorer (which he was against Tulane). Still, I am encouraged. With increased playing time, I have every expectation that Justin shall grow as a player as the season progresses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billiken_roy Posted January 8, 2005 Share Posted January 8, 2005 the oakland game was better. but even then it was not all that great. we need a double double guy at pf. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sheltiedave Posted January 10, 2005 Share Posted January 10, 2005 Roy, we NEED JJ at PF next year just due to time. It would take most any juco PF half the season to figure out the style of play and defensive assignments in Brad's system to the point where it was second nature, and I don't think there are any Larry Johnson talents lurking in juco-land today. JJ has the atheletic talent that forces other teams to dedicate a big body to him specifically, which frees up our high octane offense(cough, cough) a little more. If he pulls his head out of his ass this next eight months, changes his attitude toward work and weights, and glues himself to the asst. coaches, he will be a very serviceable PF STILL! He surely realizes he could play 32 mpg if he busts his ass to get to the point of 12 ppg, 6 rpg, a block, and shows solid defense day in, day out. It is really frustrating to see a player like him with all the raw tools, but without the burning passion some of us 6' oughts have. Anthony Bonner had the heart/passion meter pegged at all times,willed himself into the NBA, and has made a living out of basketball. JJ had the same opportunity when he came in, but won't see the same results. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jjray Posted January 10, 2005 Share Posted January 10, 2005 I wonder if Bonner could have an influence on JJ if he were around the team on a full-time basis in some capacity? It would be interesting to find out. I can't see how any kid on the team could not listen to AB should he confront them about their play or commitment to the game. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cheeseman Posted January 10, 2005 Share Posted January 10, 2005 Where Brad has JJ playing - even VN - is up top on the offensive side so that limits their chances of getting offensive rebounds. If his man plays out then he has to go out and cover him so I think his ability to get rebounds will always be dictated by the offensive scheme implemented by both sides. Still does not mean he can not shine on defense. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billiken_roy Posted January 10, 2005 Share Posted January 10, 2005 actually cheeseman, the reason you see the inside guys have to go to the top is that our guards are terrible at utulizing the screens to get open. when that happens, the bigs have to step out to get the pass as the opposing defensive big wont follow that far from the basket. you are seeing the safety valve being utilized too often. that isnt what is preferred. until our guards do a better job of getting open by using what is provided you will continue to see that happen though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cheeseman Posted January 11, 2005 Share Posted January 11, 2005 Roy, I understand, but that is why our forwards are not in a position to always get the offensive rebound - can not be in two places at once. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slufanskip Posted January 11, 2005 Share Posted January 11, 2005 For the Bills a motion offense sucks ... it does not utilize the talents of this team. Official Billikens.com sponsor of H. Waldman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billiken_roy Posted January 11, 2005 Share Posted January 11, 2005 what would then? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slufanskip Posted January 11, 2005 Share Posted January 11, 2005 They have one of the quickest guys in the conference in DP ... and one of the best spot up shooters in RB, ... a very quick 4 in with a nice inside game in IO, and 2 of the taller big men in the conference in IV and BH. The motion offense as we run it looks to get short to midrange jumpshots coming off screens, many times moving away from the basket. Who do we have that can consistently hit the mid range jumper? I will be the first to admit that I don't know a specific offense to use ... but what I would like to see is DP penetrating more and kicking it out to RB ... I would like to see some plays run early to get RB more open looks. I would like to see us feed the ball more inside to our big men (though we do seem to have increased that aspect a little). I would like to see us utilize IO more down low ... I'm outta time ... I think we have done better the last 3 games ... Official Billikens.com sponsor of H. Waldman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billiken_roy Posted January 11, 2005 Share Posted January 11, 2005 all the things you describe will happen if the players set good screens and the guards effectively utilize them. no one tells dwayne polk to not drive and kick back out. no one tells reggie not to shoot threes when he gets the ball, karl malone is going to the hall of fame out of receiving passes off of screens he just set and the resulting movement and received pass from stockton after he sets a screen. what you seem to be saying is our players arent smart enough or aggressive enough to set their own screens and create their own offense of of the needed movement of motion offenses. if people think our offense is boring now, wait until we run set formations and patterns. the motion offense we use was good enough for marque perry to drive and score or dish. the motion offense we use was good enough for booby knight to win 3 national championships. think about how many players off of those national championship teams went on to long nba careers. relatively speaking not very many. heck, dean smith probably had more on his one jordan team than knight had in three teams. yet it was effective enough for a marginal spot up shooter like steve alford to become a folk hero. i like the motion offense. i dont like how our current players use the motion offense. is that the coaches fault? i dont know. havent been to a practice since the season started. dont know what they preach. but i dont think the problem is our offense of choice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jjray Posted January 11, 2005 Share Posted January 11, 2005 I certainly don't advocate going to a new offense at this point in the season. The best that can be done is tweaking what we have. Marquee's last two season, we used to clear out for him when the shot clock wound down essentially ending the motion. Also, Marquee was out on the wing his last 2 season where there is more room to drive in the motion offense. Dwayne mostly catches at the top of the circle with less room to operate. Dwayne's not ready to be Marquee. He's not near as strong as Marquee going to the hole and his outside / midrange shot is not consistent enough for him to be a threat on the wing. I'd like to see more transition offense to utilize our speed but, again, it's January. The style of the team is pretty much set for the rest of the year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billiken_roy Posted January 11, 2005 Share Posted January 11, 2005 i was going to debate that polk isnt what perry was as a freshman, then i went to the stats and compared, polk is ahead of perry on most statistical categories. that is surprising and shows how skewed my memory of perry is due to his last two billiken seasons. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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