|
|
Post by AztecWilliam on Mar 15, 2018 22:08:14 GMT -8
Let's start with some facts. The SDSU men's basketball team did something that those of the two pervious years could not do. They won the MWC Tournament and were invited to participate in the NCAA Tournament. After struggling in the middle of the season due, in part at least, to critical injuries, the team rallied and won nine straight games. In the NCAAs they came back from a double digit deficit to take a very good Houston team down the last 2 seconds before losing.
Those are the facts.
So why are so many fans taking turns dumping on this or that player who failed to come up to their expectations in this to that moment of which ever game is being discussed?
We lost. We lost to a very good team, and only that at the very end of the game. I'm disappointed that we did not win, but am proud of the way our first year head coach and the whole team never game up. Which is what some teams might have done when we were losing and were stalled at 13-10.
I guess I don't understand some people's attitude.
AzWm
|
|
|
|
Post by docmm on Mar 16, 2018 5:20:25 GMT -8
I believe that 90% of the posters you're referring to feel the same way you do about the coaches, players and incredible comeback to save the season. Had we gotten blown out I think it may have been easier for some to take. But to know that all it took was to have made a few more FTs or even one more 3 pointer makes it all the more frustrating. Let the fans rant and rave, that's what this forum is for. Not everyone grieves the same way.
|
|
|
|
Post by gigglyforshrigley on Mar 16, 2018 5:27:19 GMT -8
If it makes you feel any better if I remember correctly, Kawhi's freshman year I believe we were 1 and done in the tourney and came back and had our epic season. Maybe the same thing will happen with Jalen
|
|
|
|
Post by podpeople on Mar 16, 2018 5:54:58 GMT -8
I didn't get to catch the game, but these guys made a great run at the end. I'm disappointed they got dumped on by some trailer park boy wannabe, but that's how MM be sometimes.
|
|
|
|
Post by pbaztec on Mar 16, 2018 6:41:00 GMT -8
Teams lose, look at Arizona.
|
|
|
|
Post by Fishn'Aztec on Mar 16, 2018 7:03:34 GMT -8
There are no ties in BB, one team had to win that's MM. It was tough to watch the team fight back to tie and lose it by 2. Painful.
|
|
|
|
Post by sdmotohead on Mar 16, 2018 7:13:40 GMT -8
Fire Rocky!!!
|
|
|
|
Post by aztecnails on Mar 16, 2018 7:17:08 GMT -8
I saw a youtube video from 1984 where cage blocked two shots in final seconds as SDSU beat new mexico. This 2018 NCAA loss was the "moving out of the way" defense. Stand our ground in future games.
|
|
|
|
Post by jpaztec on Mar 16, 2018 7:18:24 GMT -8
If it makes you feel any better if I remember correctly, Kawhi's freshman year I believe we were 1 and done in the tourney and came back and had our epic season. Maybe the same thing will happen with Jalen We lost in a very similar fashion, too. This was going through my mind last night, maybe we’ll see a similar bump in next year’s team! |
|
|
|
Post by MontezumasRevenge on Mar 16, 2018 7:23:48 GMT -8
If it makes you feel any better if I remember correctly, Kawhi's freshman year I believe we were 1 and done in the tourney and came back and had our epic season. Maybe the same thing will happen with Jalen Key difference there is that we returned all 5 starters and added an experienced sixth man that happened to fill a weakness. Doesn't mean next year's squad can't do great things, but replacing Malik and Trey with two new guys (either freshmen or transfer) with no drop off of any kind seems unlikely. |
|
|
|
Post by gigglyforshrigley on Mar 16, 2018 7:36:37 GMT -8
If it makes you feel any better if I remember correctly, Kawhi's freshman year I believe we were 1 and done in the tourney and came back and had our epic season. Maybe the same thing will happen with Jalen Key difference there is that we returned all 5 starters and added an experienced sixth man that happened to fill a weakness. Doesn't mean next year's squad can't do great things, but replacing Malik and Trey with two new guys (either freshmen or transfer) with no drop off of any kind seems unlikely. Yeah it's not the same situation but we're still returning a lot of guys, and a lot of our production came from freshman which is encouraging.
I'm not too scared of replacing Malik only because Jalen is practically his clone. If we could replace Malik with a legit big that played more of a defense/rebounding role instead of Malik's scoring/playmaking role, it might even be an upgrade, as crazy as that sounds. There's no bigger Malik fan than me, but I think there were very little synergies with him and Jalen paired up since they did sort of the same things (although Jalen was clearly a more tenacious rebounder, while Pope was more skilled with the ball). I think it'd be better to have 1 of those finesse big guys like Jalen/Pope paired with 1 enforcer big type of guy.
Replacing Kell is a tougher task IMO, since I don't think we have anyone on the roster currently with the skills to come close to bringing what Kell brought. Hemsley would be the guy if he made better decisions and could score reliably from outside, but I don't see it. Schakel is a better alternative than Hemsley IMO but he needs to get more confidence driving to the bucket and creating his own shot. Schakel has a good stroke though and makes good decisions, so he might be the guy.
|
|
|
|
Post by myk13 on Mar 16, 2018 7:51:27 GMT -8
Key difference there is that we returned all 5 starters and added an experienced sixth man that happened to fill a weakness. Doesn't mean next year's squad can't do great things, but replacing Malik and Trey with two new guys (either freshmen or transfer) with no drop off of any kind seems unlikely. Yeah it's not the same situation but we're still returning a lot of guys, and a lot of our production came from freshman which is encouraging.
I'm not too scared of replacing Malik only because Jalen is practically his clone. If we could replace Malik with a legit big that played more of a defense/rebounding role instead of Malik's scoring/playmaking role, it might even be an upgrade, as crazy as that sounds. There's no bigger Malik fan than me, but I think there were very little synergies with him and Jalen paired up since they did sort of the same things (although Jalen was clearly a more tenacious rebounder, while Pope was more skilled with the ball). I think it'd be better to have 1 of those finesse big guys like Jalen/Pope paired with 1 enforcer big type of guy.
Replacing Kell is a tougher task IMO, since I don't think we have anyone on the roster currently with the skills to come close to bringing what Kell brought. Hemsley would be the guy if he made better decisions and could score reliably from outside, but I don't see it. Schakel is a better alternative than Hemsley IMO but he needs to get more confidence driving to the bucket and creating his own shot. Schakel has a good stroke though and makes good decisions, so he might be the guy.
Move Mitchell to the 2 and go with a bigger front line. |
|
|
|
Post by RiffelBooks on Mar 16, 2018 8:01:56 GMT -8
That's right. I think we're in good shape in the front court. Guards have talent but go on sloppy binges, which is what put us in such a deep hole last night. Need a fifth-year transfer to bring stability to the backcourt, IMHO. Idea of starting Mitchell at the 2 is intriguing, have to say. That's a matchup problem for almost any opponent. And, re the title of the post, we lost the game. There are reasons why we lost. They can be pointed out by the fans. Love our Aztecs but a few less unforced errors and a few more FTs and we're preparing for Michigan. Key difference there is that we returned all 5 starters and added an experienced sixth man that happened to fill a weakness. Doesn't mean next year's squad can't do great things, but replacing Malik and Trey with two new guys (either freshmen or transfer) with no drop off of any kind seems unlikely. Yeah it's not the same situation but we're still returning a lot of guys, and a lot of our production came from freshman which is encouraging.
I'm not too scared of replacing Malik only because Jalen is practically his clone. If we could replace Malik with a legit big that played more of a defense/rebounding role instead of Malik's scoring/playmaking role, it might even be an upgrade, as crazy as that sounds. There's no bigger Malik fan than me, but I think there were very little synergies with him and Jalen paired up since they did sort of the same things (although Jalen was clearly a more tenacious rebounder, while Pope was more skilled with the ball). I think it'd be better to have 1 of those finesse big guys like Jalen/Pope paired with 1 enforcer big type of guy.
Replacing Kell is a tougher task IMO, since I don't think we have anyone on the roster currently with the skills to come close to bringing what Kell brought. Hemsley would be the guy if he made better decisions and could score reliably from outside, but I don't see it. Schakel is a better alternative than Hemsley IMO but he needs to get more confidence driving to the bucket and creating his own shot. Schakel has a good stroke though and makes good decisions, so he might be the guy.
|
|
|
|
Post by gigglyforshrigley on Mar 16, 2018 8:13:12 GMT -8
Yeah it's not the same situation but we're still returning a lot of guys, and a lot of our production came from freshman which is encouraging.
I'm not too scared of replacing Malik only because Jalen is practically his clone. If we could replace Malik with a legit big that played more of a defense/rebounding role instead of Malik's scoring/playmaking role, it might even be an upgrade, as crazy as that sounds. There's no bigger Malik fan than me, but I think there were very little synergies with him and Jalen paired up since they did sort of the same things (although Jalen was clearly a more tenacious rebounder, while Pope was more skilled with the ball). I think it'd be better to have 1 of those finesse big guys like Jalen/Pope paired with 1 enforcer big type of guy.
Replacing Kell is a tougher task IMO, since I don't think we have anyone on the roster currently with the skills to come close to bringing what Kell brought. Hemsley would be the guy if he made better decisions and could score reliably from outside, but I don't see it. Schakel is a better alternative than Hemsley IMO but he needs to get more confidence driving to the bucket and creating his own shot. Schakel has a good stroke though and makes good decisions, so he might be the guy.
Move Mitchell to the 2 and go with a bigger front line. Interesting idea, but I'm not sure Mitchell has the foot speed to guard an opposing 2 guard. If he were able to shed some lbs in the offseason it would help us tremendously |
|
|
|
Post by azteclou on Mar 16, 2018 9:05:41 GMT -8
What’s most frustrating is that it was such a winnable game. Had we played just close to how we played in Vegas we win easy. Turnovers, free throws and at least 10 missed shots under the basket. That said, great final month.
|
|
|
|
Post by junior on Mar 16, 2018 10:05:30 GMT -8
Of course, after I started a thread to show some appreciation for the team, you all locked it down …
Never mind. I think I get it now. Some other psotter made it necessary.
|
|
|
|
Post by sdsustoner on Mar 16, 2018 11:41:01 GMT -8
I bet those "fans" have kids who play sports who hate them
|
|
|
|
Post by uncledougy on Mar 16, 2018 13:53:36 GMT -8
It’s one thing to end the season getting beat by your opponent, but losing they way we did is a bit tough to take. There isn’t one person to blame (well maybe the coach as i didn’t feel he did enough to motivate the team to wake them out of the fog they were in for too long in the second half).
Most encouraging is the experience the younger kids got to prep for the next time. I believe they will be much better prepared mentally and the game yesterday was invaluable. I believe this team will be better next year.
|
|
|
|
Post by AztecWilliam on Mar 16, 2018 16:32:32 GMT -8
I am starting to think that I completely wasted my time in creating this thread. I'm not mainly complaining about the numerous attempts (successful ones, I'm sorry to say) to hijack the thread. No, I refer to the fact that many responses missed the point.
I'll try one more time. My main objection is to the whining that so many fans engage in. One has to wonder whether, if we had won the nation championship, some might have complained that our margin of victory in the championship game had been too narrow.
Too many people seem to think that we should have done much better than we did, that we should have beaten Houston easily, etc., etc. Pope? A real disappointment. Should have handled his defensive maneuver on Houston's last basket better. How about coach Dutcher? Well, obviously he did not motivate the team sufficiently.
Let's be realistic. This is not Don Coryell's team of the sixties playing Cal Poly or the University of Redlands. This is the 21st Century Aztec basketball team, playing in much tougher company. In the last several years we have been playing against schools that are not patsies. I'm thinking of Arizona, Kansas, Gonzaga, UCLA, Nevada, New Mexico, Boise State, UNLV, etc. We've been good enough to have beaten every one of those schools at least once; on the other hand, we have also lost to every one of them (except UCLA) at least once. Nowhere is it written that we should win every game. Or even most games against strong opponents.
In the 1991-1992 season the Aztec mean's bb team won exactly TWO games. From '92 through '99 we won a total of 77 games, an average of fewer than 10 wins a season. Even Steve Fisher's first season was dismal, with 5 wins, none in conference. No need to recapitulate what has transpired on the hardwood since then.
In short, my point is as follows. By all means let's hope for a better season next year. But let's also give credit where credit is due. Before Steve Fisher arrived, there could not have been many DI basketball programs worse than that of San Diego State. No longer do we have to apologize for Aztec basketball. We aren't Kansas, or Duke, or North Carolina, but nationally there is a reasonable measure of respect for this program.
I feel really good about what the team accomplished this year. We should be proud of the team and not waste time making petty complaints about how Malik Pope should have handled his defensive assignment differently. Or why Trey Kell, playing injured, didn't light up the scoreboard.
It's easy to criticize when you are in the stands. My guess is that there are not many former DI basketball stars posting on this site.
AzWm
|
|
|
|
Post by AztecWilliam on Mar 16, 2018 16:33:48 GMT -8
I bet those "fans" have kids who play sports who hate them Hate the fathers or hate the sports? Actually, in some cases it could be both. AzWm |
|
