Good insights. Sha with high praise of the team’s connection.
DeNovellis interviews Holloway
- Thread starter Piratz
- Start date
Also a really interesting and uplifting story on the Jevon Thomas situation from years ago.
Not going to lie I still miss the weekly @LeftCoastPirates roundups but this one was right up there.
No BS with Sha great interview. Hopefully we can get some more great content. Keep it coming.
No BS with Sha great interview. Hopefully we can get some more great content. Keep it coming.
I remember the huge excitement on Redman.com yrs ago when Jevon committed there. Lookig forward to lunch to listen to this.
There was big time excitement during his sit-out year here too. That he was the PG were were missing and looking for, a demon on the defensive end, dominating practice, etc.
And that all changed when I saw him up front in his first practice the following year when I noted that he was outplayed that day by Madison Jones. In fact both Jerry and I noted that it would be Jones and not Thomas who would lead the team that year as Jerry was with me in that practice.
I remember that too. But by then, I wasnt buying it, and sadly, even I am right sometimes.
The Thomas episode reflects very well on Sha and Seton Hall.
Sha’s response to the question about replacing the frontcourt (or the two players we had there lol) was interesting. He seems to really think this group will be better than what we had there last year even with the losses of Samuel and Ndefo.
And it’s not typical coachspeak imo.
And it’s not typical coachspeak imo.
Like Dan's reviews....it's what Sha didn't say about last years frontcourt.
It's hard not to drink the blue kool-aid after listening. One thing that resonates is that most of this roster can shoot the ball. Sha even said Tubek can "shoot the heck out of the ball" which is high praise for a freshman. Last point of interest, Sha noted that they got Ozdogan late by "working" by the way he said it, you can tell how hard the staff worked to get this roster together. Understanding that we missed a few guys along the way for reasons outside of our control, I think Sha's work + our (hopefully) continually improving NIL situation will pay dividends for this team in the not-so-distant future.
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My X factor this year is how successful Dawes can be getting to the rim. With hopefully improved shooting and athletic wings, our guards should have lanes to get to the cup.
There are a lot more guys that can shoot on this roster, but only a handful that can create on their own. The X factor for me is ball movement. We even have a center that can hit 32% from 3 (Hutchins).
Last year the shooting and ball movement were just putrid. So many forced shots...were some guys selfish a little or did they just try to take matters in there own hands because no one else could make a bucket. There is no lights out shooter on this roster, but also no one who seems like a total offensive liability. Would love to see the assist number go way up.
That was a major point that Jerry C made after watching the first practice. The ball movement was so much better than last year.
You have to trust your teammates. This is a team sport. No matter how good an individual is you will not maximize your potential without ball movement.
An absolute staple of all high quality teams.
i look forward to a (physically) tough team again with much better shooting ability.
Looking to see NgaNga and Sanders. I’ve heard good things.
And if David Tubek and Isaiah Coleman can contribute, we could be middle pack
Looking to see NgaNga and Sanders. I’ve heard good things.
And if David Tubek and Isaiah Coleman can contribute, we could be middle pack
Sha made a point when talking about Dre Davis that he likes to have an experienced scorer off the bench to give the team a lift. He seemed to be referring to last season but raises the question, will he have Dre or Dylan come off the bench this year? If so, who would start at the 4 - Nganga or Tubek?
Maybe I’m getting old and soft—and I might not actually feel this way if it’s mid season and we’re the dregs of Big East—but, good team or bad team, Sha has me excited to simply watch a team that buys into his system of hard work, etc.
“Did we though?” was his response to losing a lot in the front court, haha. Great answer and sums up how Sha is feeling about this year’s team. Between that and “best backcourt in the Big East,” I think coach is ready to go.
I think the optimism stems from the style of play, especially on the offensive end, from the 5 starters. Playing Essentially a four guard lineup, you expect the offense to be quick, fast and opportunistic. However, is that the way Kadary plays? He is more deliberate. I hope he will attack and play faster so the team can take advantage of their quickness and athleticism.
The other issue of playing faster is that you need a bench and that is where the problem starts. No backup PG, one other guard on the bench, unknown talent at the 3 and 4 spot and a two headed center who will be about defense and rebounding.
Couple all that with a very tough Big East.
The other issue of playing faster is that you need a bench and that is where the problem starts. No backup PG, one other guard on the bench, unknown talent at the 3 and 4 spot and a two headed center who will be about defense and rebounding.
Couple all that with a very tough Big East.
That's why I'm excited to attend a practice. Sha strongly believes he has Big East depth. I want to see for myself if I agree.
Jerry was very impressed when he attended and I hope to be the same as well.
Jerry was very impressed when he attended and I hope to be the same as well.
i totally agree. While last year's team was tough to watch, there was never an issue with effort. I just feel bad that he is handcuffed by the NIL because i am sure he could put together a great roster. With that said, we will see how well he was able to piece together this team.
Never heard more hype for a team widely expected to be 7th or 8th place at best. Guess that's just the age we live in.
One concerning aspect to me is how turnover prone Sha’s teams have been historically. Granted there was tend improvement in assist rate over time at SPU and I thought they played a nice sharing style in the 2022 NCAAT.
Team Turnover Rates
2023 SHU = 20.1, 306th
2022 SPU = 20.1, 288th
2021 SPU = 21.8, 313th
2020 SPU = 23.4, 348th
2019 SPU = 23.3, 346th
Team Assist Rates
2023 SHU = 51.4, 149th
2022 SPU = 52.3, 144th
2021 SPU = 52.8, 137th
2020 SPU = 46.7, 285th
2019 SPU = 42.6, 342nd
It’s because you’re reading about them extensively on a message board.
There are no doubt dozens of other teams with the same message board hype
I get that, but this is way more than usual. Even for this site, which is notoriously pollyanna when it comes to preseason hype/expectations.
If you can't be optimistic before the season starts, when can you be?
People want to have hope that the team they root for will perform well and have a good season. The games will come soon enough and we'll see if there is any basis in reality for the "hype."
Frankly, I think most people are taking their cues from the coach who has never been known to be overly positive.
Personally I think we’ll be under .500 in BE and Lord knows I’d loooove to be wrong. So right now may be the only time to enjoy positive vibes even if unfounded. Could be a lot of negativity for a while if we have our first losing BE record in nearly 10 years.
It is funny in a sense bc there was a sea of negativity about the recruiting and roster all summer, that we had to settle for players because of NIL. 🤷♂️
I think it’s this mostly. Sure the typical preseason optimism of this site, but it’s the Sha vibe differential compared to last year.
Not since last year at this time, it’s what partisan fans do.
I was reminded elsewhere on this site that last year's BE regular season and tournament champions were picked ninth in the BE coaches pre-season poll last year.
You never know.
As I recall from last year, we were thinking potential Top 6 in Big East, always optimistic at this time of year. This year, I am just seeking an intelligent, hard-working, defensive focused team, which based upon Sha's optimism...I think we get it...PLUS!
‘89 team was picked to finish 7th in the then 9 team Big East. This is why they play the games!
Last year seemed worse than it was. (Not talking about style points here.). Maybe if we don’t have the injuries to Dre and Kadary we get to 19 wins and maybe on the fringe of the NCAA bubble. This year, who knows? Let the games begin.
I think that is just how fans act.
7 out of 9...twice.
Be positive till you have a real reason to not be. Like some games
Finally listened to this interview. Good stuff from Sha, honest assessment of certain guys and you get the sense of how this team can come together to be successful. Some things will have to come together and I think we can all figure out what they are. But there’s legit hope.
The highlight of the interview as mentioned above was the Jevon Thomas story. From that brief story, you can really begin to understand who Holloway is as a person and what he values. Uplifting.
The highlight of the interview as mentioned above was the Jevon Thomas story. From that brief story, you can really begin to understand who Holloway is as a person and what he values. Uplifting.
College basketball message boards in the old days were different during the preseason?
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