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Post by Deleted on Nov 29, 2015 6:55:18 GMT -8
Keep in mind that we have had a really great run of ten years plus. Few college basketball programs can go indefinitely without a down year. By "down year," I do necessarily mean a sub-.500 season. For the Aztecs, "down year" might be one in which we do not make the NCAA Tournament. Or, this may not turn out to be a "down year." If the considerable talent on this team can jell, SDSU may again make it past the first Big Dance game, possibly even to the Sweet-16. Still, the team's shortcomings so far are not trivial. Losing at Utah was not disturbing, but losing to Little Rock and then by 22 to West Virginia were eye-openers. My fingers are crossed. AzWm Totally agree with you. We are spoiled. Without Aztec Basketball San Diego sports community would have nothing to take pride in in quite some time. It is hard to understand why we can't get quality big men when we had such a long history of getting them. Abukar, Slaughter, Habel, Wade, Carwell, Billyyyyyy, Josh Davis, Sanders, Holcomb, Amoroso and even Stephens. They ALL were better scorers down low and we were lucky to get Josh Davis as a transfer otherwise we would be talking about why we can't get big men anymore ALOT MORE. I realize people will say Z and Pope are Big men but they are more in a Kevin Durant mold. Love our players though. Spencer tries so hard. Love his effort. Chol too.
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Post by longtimebooster on Nov 29, 2015 7:05:46 GMT -8
We were only down 7 points in the second half against Duke. If we had had Billy and Malcolm we would have won. We don't recruit the Big Men like we used to. Why I don't know. I mean MCJ knew he would be the man here. With him and Narain here we would be great but oh well. Don't get it. Its cold in Oregon. We had no real answer for Duke the same way we had no answer for West Virginia. The question was the last time we got crushed. Duke bell-to-bell whipped us. I don't give Duke credit for anything that could be debatable. I bet the feeling we felt as fans last night was about the same as watching that game in March. In other words, we have seen this recently, we have felt this recently, and we will learn from it. Duke absolutely crushed us. Their talent level was ridiculous. They were an NBA team in waiting. The fact that we pulled within 7 points at one point during the game is irrelevant. We hit a few desperation threes, Coach K trotted some of his starters back on the court, and we were back down by 15 in a matter of a minute or two. We never threatened in that game and only made it not look like a massive blowout because of garbage time. I would have to disagree with those who say that WVU completely b*tch slapped us and we had no business being on the same court as them. I never got that sense -- not like I did during the Duke game. IMO, we played toe-to-toe with WVU -- their perplexing full-court press withstanding. On defense we aggravated the cr@p out of them. Though we had no answer for their press, they had no answer for Spencer. There were several times where they made four or five straight trips down the floor without scoring. Had we even had a clue about how to make a freaking basket, it would've been a great game. We simply COULD NOT FINISH. It was pathetic. We had numerous chances. Cheatham practically lived at the rim. Dude has all the athleticism and moves except one -- reliably putting the ball in the hoop. And had someone -- ANYONE -- been able to make a freaking jump shot of 5 feet or more, this would've been a completely different game. Yes, we lost by 22. No denying the scoreboard. And that's not what I'm trying to do. But to me, the score was fairly deceiving. The game was a lot closer than that. We didn't lose because a team like Duke came at us with massively superior forces. We lost because this team simply cannot shoot. Not sure what to do about it. It's been a bugaboo with Fisher teams for years now. All athleticism, no shooting. In the past, we at least had one guy who would reliably step up when we needed some points -- JJO, X, JF, etc. But this team simply has no one who can make a bucket reliably when called upon. Gonna be a frustrating season, IMO.
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Post by NCAztec82 on Nov 29, 2015 7:30:16 GMT -8
I have to concur with many of LONGTIMEBOOSTER's sentiments after watching our early season performances.
Having a freshman point guard the quality of Jeremy is a new thing for our program. We're expecting something from team play that depends greatly on his individual play. With hopefully another three years of development, there should be many more satisfying games where the team shoots closer to 50% from the field. The high turnover rate is worrisome, but WVU's style was not unlike Cincinnati's, to whom we lost a much closer game last year, so yes the 22 point margin is not the problem. Given our style of play, I have observed that even an average EFFECTIVE FG% (that weighs in 3-point shooting) is enough for us to have a very very high (nearly? .990) winning percentage.
As a young team, it will take several weeks for the leaders to gel, to find that reliable bucket. I saw lots of hesitant play, unlike the Cal or the ECU game, where there was less pressure defense. AZTECWARRIOR1 makes a great point about how our "big" men (power forwards) are more Durant-like, than say, a slashing Griffin or Butler, or a smooth-stroke rebounder like Love.
Oh, do we miss the days of Kahwi and Billy and Malcolm or JJO and X .... when you could count on several guys to be clutch.
There's no one there right now.
Shep? Are you kidding? Spence? He does his job.
One of the other boys is going to have to grow up ... and pronto.
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Post by rebelover on Nov 29, 2015 8:07:26 GMT -8
Ask Dave Rice how he feels. Like he's 6-1 with no bad losses and a victory over a ranked opponent, if I had to guess.
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Post by Fishn'Aztec on Nov 29, 2015 9:37:05 GMT -8
Ask Dave Rice how he feels. Like he's 6-1 with no bad losses and a victory over a ranked opponent, if I had to guess.
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Post by legkick on Nov 29, 2015 9:52:08 GMT -8
Yes, we lost by 22. No denying the scoreboard. And that's not what I'm trying to do. But to me, the score was fairly deceiving. The game was a lot closer than that. We didn't lose because a team like Duke came at us with massively superior forces. We lost because this team simply cannot shoot. Not sure what to do about it. It's been a bugaboo with Fisher teams for years now. All athleticism, no shooting. In the past, we at least had one guy who would reliably step up when we needed some points -- JJO, X, JF, etc. But this team simply has no one who can make a bucket reliably when called upon. Gonna be a frustrating season, IMO. I would like to agree with this but I can't. There were two big reasons they lost the game: 1. the press - Aztecs weren't ready for it and it showed in spades. WVU forced 21 turnovers and scored 30 points off them. This accounts for the margin of victory by itself. The press also appeared to have caused the Aztecs to rush shots - hence why they looked like they couldn't shoot (more than normal), and why they did shoot much worse from the outside. As an example, some of Dakarai Allen's and Winston Shepard's jumpers were rushed and not vertically set. 2. rebounding - WVU got 14 offensive rebounds, and the Aztecs got 3 (1 of which was dead ball). WVU led 30-7 in second chance points, which again accounts for the margin of victory. Some of the rebounding edge had to do with WVU's physicality, bulk and effort; some of it had to do with Spencer and others going for the block over getting rebounding position. There is a third reason that is becoming more apparent: Winston Shepard. When he plays well, the team looks great. When he doesn't, the team struggles. It would be great if he had more than three brilliant halves out of twelve. I'd settle for some good ones as well, at least over 50% of the time. Maybe the team as a whole is a reflection of its senior leadership.
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Post by longtimebooster on Nov 29, 2015 19:05:46 GMT -8
Yes, we lost by 22. No denying the scoreboard. And that's not what I'm trying to do. But to me, the score was fairly deceiving. The game was a lot closer than that. We didn't lose because a team like Duke came at us with massively superior forces. We lost because this team simply cannot shoot. Not sure what to do about it. It's been a bugaboo with Fisher teams for years now. All athleticism, no shooting. In the past, we at least had one guy who would reliably step up when we needed some points -- JJO, X, JF, etc. But this team simply has no one who can make a bucket reliably when called upon. Gonna be a frustrating season, IMO. I would like to agree with this but I can't. There were two big reasons they lost the game: 1. the press - Aztecs weren't ready for it and it showed in spades. WVU forced 21 turnovers and scored 30 points off them. This accounts for the margin of victory by itself. The press also appeared to have caused the Aztecs to rush shots - hence why they looked like they couldn't shoot (more than normal), and why they did shoot much worse from the outside. As an example, some of Dakarai Allen's and Winston Shepard's jumpers were rushed and not vertically set. 2. rebounding - WVU got 14 offensive rebounds, and the Aztecs got 3 (1 of which was dead ball). WVU led 30-7 in second chance points, which again accounts for the margin of victory. Some of the rebounding edge had to do with WVU's physicality, bulk and effort; some of it had to do with Spencer and others going for the block over getting rebounding position. There is a third reason that is becoming more apparent: Winston Shepard. When he plays well, the team looks great. When he doesn't, the team struggles. It would be great if he had more than three brilliant halves out of twelve. I'd settle for some good ones as well, at least over 50% of the time. Maybe the team as a whole is a reflection of its senior leadership. Can't argue with any of your points. It was stunning that the press absolutely killed us and we had no answer for it, even after halftime. And, yes, as Shepard goes, so goes the Aztecs -- which is a tad scary, given his rampant inconsistency. I've said since his freshman year that if he were to ever develop a consistent 15 foot jump shot, as well as an ability to hit 35%+ of his treys, he'd be a devastating player -- impossible to guard. Defenders would have to step out to guard his jump shot, and he'd have lanes inside to either drive to the basket or pass to teammates. And what's been clear this year is that whenever Shepard starts hitting his J's, the rest of his game opens up. If he doesn't hit an outside shot, defenders simply sit near the lane and clog things up. He goes sideways and never recovers. So weird. I attribute this to his hinkey shooting motion. Too many moving parts. Too inconsistent. Sometimes he's on, sometimes he's not. It doesn't appear that he'll ever get his jump shot ironed out while on the Mesa. Regarding the rebounds, press, etc., by WVU, you're right. Those deficiencies hurt. However, there were a number of occasions where WVU made three or four trips down the court only to be denied. We had ample opportunity to tie the game or go into the lead. But we, too, missed shot after shot after shot. It was depressing.
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Post by ab on Nov 29, 2015 21:58:43 GMT -8
Anyone want to tell the players they can run the baseline when inbounding the ball after a made bucket? surprised they NEVER made that adjustment at all This AND they could have 1/ Put Pope about 15 ft from the inbounds and lob it up to his 6'10 and let him either dribble/pass it forward. or 2/ Run one of the guys out of bounds, pass it to him, and have the passer step inbounds to receive the inbounds pass. None of these were tried for some unknown reason.
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Post by Xolotl on Nov 29, 2015 22:10:06 GMT -8
As a former star once said IT AINT OVER UNTIL ITS OVER
The Yogi man RIP
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Post by ignoranus on Nov 30, 2015 6:57:52 GMT -8
The Aztecs were only down 8 points at the half, after a ridiculously BAD first half. I thought there was hope if they just came out and played well in the second half. didn't happen.
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Post by uncledougy on Nov 30, 2015 8:43:38 GMT -8
The question is, when was the last time this team lost 2 in a row??
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Post by AztecBill on Nov 30, 2015 16:31:41 GMT -8
surprised they NEVER made that adjustment at all This AND they could have 1/ Put Pope about 15 ft from the inbounds and lob it up to his 6'10 and let him either dribble/pass it forward. or 2/ Run one of the guys out of bounds, pass it to him, and have the passer step inbounds to receive the inbounds pass. None of these were tried for some unknown reason. The Aztecs did adjust and only had 7 turnovers in the 2nd half, same as WVU.
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Post by AztecBill on Nov 30, 2015 16:36:11 GMT -8
Yes, we lost by 22. No denying the scoreboard. And that's not what I'm trying to do. But to me, the score was fairly deceiving. The game was a lot closer than that. We didn't lose because a team like Duke came at us with massively superior forces. We lost because this team simply cannot shoot. Not sure what to do about it. It's been a bugaboo with Fisher teams for years now. All athleticism, no shooting. In the past, we at least had one guy who would reliably step up when we needed some points -- JJO, X, JF, etc. But this team simply has no one who can make a bucket reliably when called upon. Gonna be a frustrating season, IMO. I would like to agree with this but I can't. There were two big reasons they lost the game: 1. the press - Aztecs weren't ready for it and it showed in spades. WVU forced 21 turnovers and scored 30 points off them. This accounts for the margin of victory by itself. The press also appeared to have caused the Aztecs to rush shots - hence why they looked like they couldn't shoot (more than normal), and why they did shoot much worse from the outside. As an example, some of Dakarai Allen's and Winston Shepard's jumpers were rushed and not vertically set. 2. rebounding - WVU got 14 offensive rebounds, and the Aztecs got 3 (1 of which was dead ball). WVU led 30-7 in second chance points, which again accounts for the margin of victory. Some of the rebounding edge had to do with WVU's physicality, bulk and effort; some of it had to do with Spencer and others going for the block over getting rebounding position. There is a third reason that is becoming more apparent: Winston Shepard. When he plays well, the team looks great. When he doesn't, the team struggles. It would be great if he had more than three brilliant halves out of twelve. I'd settle for some good ones as well, at least over 50% of the time. Maybe the team as a whole is a reflection of its senior leadership. WVU only led 13-4 in 2nd chance points. 30-7 was the difference off turnovers.
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Post by legkick on Nov 30, 2015 16:44:44 GMT -8
WVU only led 13-4 in 2nd chance points. 30-7 was the difference off turnovers. Thanks for keeping me on the up and up. I should have looked at that much more closely. Teams don't normally score 30 points off 14 offensive rebounds, particularly when some of them were dead ball.
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Post by tonatiuh on Nov 30, 2015 20:59:19 GMT -8
The loss to New Mexico was bad (49-75), but we did have a bad one just a season later (Nov. 16) against St. Mary's who beat us 80-58 which is by the same amount (22 points) WV beat us by. It doesn't happen very often thank goodness!
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Post by ab on Dec 1, 2015 14:56:27 GMT -8
This AND they could have 1/ Put Pope about 15 ft from the inbounds and lob it up to his 6'10 and let him either dribble/pass it forward. or 2/ Run one of the guys out of bounds, pass it to him, and have the passer step inbounds to receive the inbounds pass. None of these were tried for some unknown reason. The Aztecs did adjust and only had 7 turnovers in the 2nd half, same as WVU. While they did make an adjustment and did cut down on turnovers they NEVER did any of the 3 ideas brought up.
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Post by AztecBill on Dec 2, 2015 10:35:39 GMT -8
The Aztecs did adjust and only had 7 turnovers in the 2nd half, same as WVU. While they did make an adjustment and did cut down on turnovers they NEVER did any of the 3 ideas brought up. So? Fisher had other ideas that worked. You have your ideas, he has his.
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Post by ab on Dec 4, 2015 10:33:07 GMT -8
While they did make an adjustment and did cut down on turnovers they NEVER did any of the 3 ideas brought up. So? Fisher had other ideas that worked. You have your ideas, he has his. So?
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