It’s ancient history now and certainly when Desi went down Khadeen went crazy but also because he had to. No Khadeen going off who knows how we finish. That being said, we lost to Nova in OT, Butler at the buzzer in the BET, and a tough loss to KU. IMHO, having a 1500 point career scorer down the stretch rather than a freshman in Cale would have made a difference in those games.
Jahari Long Commited
- Thread starter Hallisthebest
- Start date
Exactly! ... the difference would have been our first Sweet 16 since Shaheen’s classic “Quick” drive vs Oregon and that great run back in 2000.
Not looking to knock Desi at all. The game was never in doubt vs Nova with him. That was our second game in a row playing Butler, we won the first without him. So I don’t know what makes you so sure the Kansas game would have had a different result. The bigger issue that season was all the bad losses where the team didn’t show up and guys like Mamu, Cale, and even Walker played better than the seniors which is why we got stuck with Kansas that year. All those historical points didn’t stop those bad losses like at georgetown, twice against MU, etc.
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Desi going down made Kadeen a better point guard if for no other reason than it eliminated a viable option. For Kadeen at that point, it was addition by subtraction. As it is we used to joke the offense only had four plays, one for Deeno, one for Angel, one for Desi and one for Powell.
That said that Kansas matchup could easily have been avoided. That team lost to URI and Rutgers in the OOC, lost three league games at home including the Villanova game where Kadeen missed the one FT he needed to make and went out in the first round of the BET. Getting to the BET semis alone might have gotten us a No. 7 seed. Even with that, that Kansas team was ripe for the taking were it not for Malik Newman going off against us.
That said that Kansas matchup could easily have been avoided. That team lost to URI and Rutgers in the OOC, lost three league games at home including the Villanova game where Kadeen missed the one FT he needed to make and went out in the first round of the BET. Getting to the BET semis alone might have gotten us a No. 7 seed. Even with that, that Kansas team was ripe for the taking were it not for Malik Newman going off against us.
Again, consider stuff behind the scenes.
It was even front center at times, particularly that game at Creighton.
It was even front center at times, particularly that game at Creighton.
In theory yes, of course. But go back and look at the stretch leading into that Providence game. Four or five straight losses and win over DePaul at home where they were really lucky to win. Let’s just say there were reasons.
Yea Desi was a better player at the time. But there are countless examples of great players going down and not as good players stepping up and the result was better for the team.
Losing Desi at the Dunk definitely helped Khadeen become more aggressive offensively. But it also had a very adverse effect on Myles Powell.
Defenses focused more on MP and he had to play a lot more minutes to have his scoring on the floor. Myles was averaging 31.8 minutes & 15.7 points over 28 games and shooting 46.8% from the field and 42.0% from 3 through the Providence game.
After the Providence game, he averaged 38.8 minutes and 13.3 points over the next 4 shooting 28.6% FG and 21.1% from 3. Even with Desi back in the NCAAs, MP never regained his shooting stroke although the full week off before NC State energized him and he played well in other areas to help us win.
Defenses focused more on MP and he had to play a lot more minutes to have his scoring on the floor. Myles was averaging 31.8 minutes & 15.7 points over 28 games and shooting 46.8% from the field and 42.0% from 3 through the Providence game.
After the Providence game, he averaged 38.8 minutes and 13.3 points over the next 4 shooting 28.6% FG and 21.1% from 3. Even with Desi back in the NCAAs, MP never regained his shooting stroke although the full week off before NC State energized him and he played well in other areas to help us win.
Good analysis, thanks. One of those things that you never know whether it might have been a lesson for Powell and drove him to work harder during the off season. Maybe without that experience he might not have become the player we saw last year.
Thanks Fish for the analysis. Even with his issues I just don't understand why some, believe that we were a better team without Desi.
Ugh
No one believes that in theory and on paper that they weren’t a better team with him in the lineup. However, it should be quite clear to you by now that there was more in play than that.
Ask yourself this: At your workplace, has the general effectiveness ever suffered for a spell because a few people weren’t getting along? Does that help you out?
Lloyd I agree with you, Desi had issues. But let me ask you this, does SHU win a BET, 20+ wins for three straight seasons, three straight NCAAs without Desi? I think not.
Desi got burned really badly by Trevon Bluiett at Xavier. He just was a half a step too slow to defend him. Against crafty, versatile shooting guards like Bluiett, Desi was a defensive liability. Against such match ups, Cale was significantly better on the defensive end, but not on the offensive end.
Against Kansas, a healthy Desi would have made a big difference because the Jayhawks would not have been able to stop him.
Am I talking to a brick wall? No one is denying any of that. We’re not talking about his entire career. The focus is on that specific period leading into and then out of that game in Providence!
No Lloyd, your not talking to a brick wall. Anyone who thinks SHU was a better team coming out of Providence WITHOUT Desi might want to consider tough losses to Nova and Butler, a win in either and we probably are not facing KU in the 2nd round. Let’s just agree to disagree on this point and move on. It’s old news now.
Episcopal's Long commits to Seton Hall; Cryer quiets critics at Peach Jam
Jul 21, 2019
Long will sign with Seton Hall of the Big East
By Diana Porter
By VYPE's Ray Meach
Episcopal's Jahari Long gave a verbal commitment to Seton Hall in New Jersey over the weekend.
Long is a 6-foot-4, pass-first point guard that has a very good feel for the game. Long is great at controlling the pace of the game and not allowing the defense to rattle or speed him up. His passing abilities in transition are second to none.
Long's high-level play was a big part of the reason Episcopal made an SPC state championship run during the 2019 season. The pressure will be on the stand-out senior to help push the Knights back to the title game with hopes of hoisting the hardware.
As much as fans would have loved for Long to stay in-state, the Houston-native will be repping the city in the historical Big East basketball conference..................
https://www.vype.com/episcopals-long-commits-to-seton-hall-cryer-quiets-critics-at-peach-jam
Jul 21, 2019
Long will sign with Seton Hall of the Big East
By Diana Porter
By VYPE's Ray Meach
Episcopal's Jahari Long gave a verbal commitment to Seton Hall in New Jersey over the weekend.
Long is a 6-foot-4, pass-first point guard that has a very good feel for the game. Long is great at controlling the pace of the game and not allowing the defense to rattle or speed him up. His passing abilities in transition are second to none.
Long's high-level play was a big part of the reason Episcopal made an SPC state championship run during the 2019 season. The pressure will be on the stand-out senior to help push the Knights back to the title game with hopes of hoisting the hardware.
As much as fans would have loved for Long to stay in-state, the Houston-native will be repping the city in the historical Big East basketball conference..................
https://www.vype.com/episcopals-long-commits-to-seton-hall-cryer-quiets-critics-at-peach-jam
From what i've read, Jahari plays both ends of the court consistently and aggressively. He has a true PG mindset, not showy but gets the job done. While Posh is a tantalizing player there must be good reasons why the coaches liked Long and took him quickly.
