Really happy to see the team making this run. We were deserving of the NCAA bid more so than anyone else left out other than perhaps Indiana State. So to see these kids regroup and play so hard should make SHU fans proud. Watching the games at Walsh is nostalgic, because I was on campus in the early 80's when all we had was Andre McCloud and we were not competitive yet. I remember seeing us play either St. John's or Georgetown at Walsh; ESPN was on the game and I got to speak to Dick Vitale at halftime.
Anyway, this current group is having fun. They obviously don't want the run to end. They are engaged right now in every aspect of the game. The defensive rotations and closeouts on the perimeter have been really good, we share the basketball, and have been efficient in transition. Perimeter shots have been dropping, wonder of wonders. There are still things to iron out. We have to box out consistently, take better care of the basketball, and if Dawes is the safety over the ball on opponent inbounds plays, remind him that 80%+ of those plays are coming back to the weak side.
Some thoughts: when Kadary is good, he's really good. He was the best player on the floor last night by a wide margin, and he was just so in control and efficient. Watching him go back and forth with Boone from UNLV for a few possessions was fun. Brings up the inevitable question of why you can't have that version all the time. Dawes can struggle at times defensively on the ball or in rotations, but the kid has become a consistent offensive weapon with the ability to score at 3 levels. He has often been our only reliable 3 point threat, and plays hard all the time. Dre Davis is the heart and soul, a consistent two way player who although out of position, impacts every game. Curious to know what his +/- is, it has to be strong. Wusu can drive you crazy with his turnovers in transition, but he's a battering ram going downhill, draws tough defensive assignments, and has hot some big perimeter shots lately. Our post guys are hitting the wall, but have given us all they had through the year. Good to see contributions from Coleman, Sanders, and Nganga. They have potential.
Would love this group to finish what they started and bring home an NIT chip. Such a good group of kids, they deserve it. Very easy to root for this team. Hoping we retain as many of these guys as possible and hit the portal and HS ranks for a good recruiting class. Retaining Shaheen is paramount. The lack of a substantial NIL is a very real issue for him, so I hope we can navigate that.
Btw did anyone notice a dignitary in the house last night? Sitting front and center in the downstairs bleachers was none other than King Rice. Shows the respect that people in the coaching community have for Sha. Two more to go!
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