GW is tough at home and the Hall hung tough especially after going down nine.There is talent on this team, and if they had a genuine threat from the outside it might have been different, Carrington played exceptionally well and Isaiah just had a bad night.Willard was really active and in the face of the kids and worked the refs all night. No disgrace losing in this bandbox, Lonergan is an excellent coach and they will be a tough out for anyone in their league.
Was at the game
- Thread starter Turiddu
- Start date
I think we are improving game by game. Granted we struggled from deep tonight, but I think there are good signs. For example, 19 offensive boards tonight. The one thing I think we are missing is that one guy that makes everyone around him better. When someone steps into that role that can bring that collective talent together, we can be very, very good.
I don't have the stats to back this up, but 3pt shooting is not our strength this season. Need to attack the rim. Teams are going to look to zone the hell out of us so we better play better D, rebound and get more points in transition.
Storrs, CT for one.
Kidding. I'm not sure who they are. I guess Whitehead sometimes and maybe Singh comes on?
I just got back from the game myself. My take aways:
- As has been discussed, the lack of outside shooting will be the Achilles heel of this team all year. Hopefully Singh can continue to improve the rest of his game to stay on the court more.
- This is as athletic a team as The Hall has had in quite some time. Very active on the boards helps make up for other deficiencies.
- I'm not sure what KW was doing with Delgado tonight, too much time on the bench IMO. I know he has been off to a slow start, but you can see the frustration in his face with so much time on the bench. If this team is going to do anything this year, he needs to see the court more to work through whatever funk he is dealing with.
- Reading the body language of this team during warm ups, timeouts, guys subbing in/out, I think the entire group genuinely like each other. Seems silly, but that's an improvement...
- This was a winnable game as Garino was atrocious tonight other than his early 3 and nice defensive rebound late.
- IW - clearly the most talented guy on the court tonight IMO in terms of raw talent. The 2nd foul in the 1H just cannot happen, he has to be smarter than that. The guy probably travelled right before being bumped, but he can't put himself in that situation so early in the game. Same type situation with his 4th. Looked like all ball, but giving up 2 pts is better for this team than a foul.
- Carrington - what can you say, guy clearly had the best game of anyone on either side. Tough as nails and hit crucial buckets.
Certainly a winnable game which is a bummer. Tough place to play, but the gym was maybe 50-60% full and far from a remotely hostile crowd. Let's go Pirates chant in 2H was louder than most of the GW fans all night. I watched the UVA loss there and that place was jumping.
I have been a Debbie downer for awhile now as I have been burned before as a fan of this team... But after watching the game tonight, I'm cautiously optimistic that if the stars align, the year could be somewhat positive. There really is talent on this roster right now. What gets done with it, that's the 64,000 question. I almost hate to say it, but this team could use a guy like Sina right now if his role was to just come in, not handle the ball and shoot... Hopefully Singh can be that guy. Effort is there, just playing too quick right now.
Btw - I was uncomfortable watching Sina standing around on the court during warm ups. Nobody seemed to acknowledge him other than I think the strength coach. My son and I left with 14 seconds left so I didn't see the handshake line.
- As has been discussed, the lack of outside shooting will be the Achilles heel of this team all year. Hopefully Singh can continue to improve the rest of his game to stay on the court more.
- This is as athletic a team as The Hall has had in quite some time. Very active on the boards helps make up for other deficiencies.
- I'm not sure what KW was doing with Delgado tonight, too much time on the bench IMO. I know he has been off to a slow start, but you can see the frustration in his face with so much time on the bench. If this team is going to do anything this year, he needs to see the court more to work through whatever funk he is dealing with.
- Reading the body language of this team during warm ups, timeouts, guys subbing in/out, I think the entire group genuinely like each other. Seems silly, but that's an improvement...
- This was a winnable game as Garino was atrocious tonight other than his early 3 and nice defensive rebound late.
- IW - clearly the most talented guy on the court tonight IMO in terms of raw talent. The 2nd foul in the 1H just cannot happen, he has to be smarter than that. The guy probably travelled right before being bumped, but he can't put himself in that situation so early in the game. Same type situation with his 4th. Looked like all ball, but giving up 2 pts is better for this team than a foul.
- Carrington - what can you say, guy clearly had the best game of anyone on either side. Tough as nails and hit crucial buckets.
Certainly a winnable game which is a bummer. Tough place to play, but the gym was maybe 50-60% full and far from a remotely hostile crowd. Let's go Pirates chant in 2H was louder than most of the GW fans all night. I watched the UVA loss there and that place was jumping.
I have been a Debbie downer for awhile now as I have been burned before as a fan of this team... But after watching the game tonight, I'm cautiously optimistic that if the stars align, the year could be somewhat positive. There really is talent on this roster right now. What gets done with it, that's the 64,000 question. I almost hate to say it, but this team could use a guy like Sina right now if his role was to just come in, not handle the ball and shoot... Hopefully Singh can be that guy. Effort is there, just playing too quick right now.
Btw - I was uncomfortable watching Sina standing around on the court during warm ups. Nobody seemed to acknowledge him other than I think the strength coach. My son and I left with 14 seconds left so I didn't see the handshake line.
Coming into this game we were slightly below average nationally at .343 (162nd). But our rate of taking them was way down, uncharacteristic for a Willard team, but reflective of this roster. We were just 282nd in points from three's, and 264th in 3PA:FGA.
I don't think we have many outside shooters. That's the problem. And especially not if we're not running strong sets that get looks with feet set.
GW did the right thing: Throw zone at us. We're not a good outside shooting team nor do we play offense well as a team with flow and ball movement.
I don't think we have many outside shooters. That's the problem. And especially not if we're not running strong sets that get looks with feet set.
GW did the right thing: Throw zone at us. We're not a good outside shooting team nor do we play offense well as a team with flow and ball movement.
Thanks for the great insight Turridu. Miss you back here but glad you represent us in DC.
Hopefully when Angel gets his game going and becomes more active, it will equate to better looks and better % on the 3S.
IW had a tough night with limited minutes. Seems he was trying to do too much at times which was probably a result of frustration from his foul situation and limited time. He will be back with a vengeance.
Carrington and Desi have been remarkable to say the least. Sonogo and Nzei are coming along well given their inexperience at this level.
Have had mixed emotions on KW but feel he coached a solid game last night. Glad to see him in some players faces at times. Sometimes it's necessary. Right PJ? Chemistry on court much improved.
Don't know how far we go this year or next but certainly these guys have the potential to be winners.
Hopefully when Angel gets his game going and becomes more active, it will equate to better looks and better % on the 3S.
IW had a tough night with limited minutes. Seems he was trying to do too much at times which was probably a result of frustration from his foul situation and limited time. He will be back with a vengeance.
Carrington and Desi have been remarkable to say the least. Sonogo and Nzei are coming along well given their inexperience at this level.
Have had mixed emotions on KW but feel he coached a solid game last night. Glad to see him in some players faces at times. Sometimes it's necessary. Right PJ? Chemistry on court much improved.
Don't know how far we go this year or next but certainly these guys have the potential to be winners.
The game went pretty much as I expected ending in a score very similar to my prediction on another thread.
This is a game a good team wins. We are getting there but not yet.
Look at Butler. Down in the closing minutes to a very good Cincinnati team on the road, but they pull the game out at the very end. That's something we have not seen here in the last six years. When we do that will be the beginning of us reaching the next level.
Good teams find a way to win. Teams that have not yet reached that level do the opposite.
I am very enthused looking forward if we can keep this roster intact for at least one more year adding Powell and gaining 12 months more experience.
Still, we're early in the new season so with growth I think we'll have a good year.
Have to stay away from injuries though. Last night with Ish is not a good sign.
This is a game a good team wins. We are getting there but not yet.
Look at Butler. Down in the closing minutes to a very good Cincinnati team on the road, but they pull the game out at the very end. That's something we have not seen here in the last six years. When we do that will be the beginning of us reaching the next level.
Good teams find a way to win. Teams that have not yet reached that level do the opposite.
I am very enthused looking forward if we can keep this roster intact for at least one more year adding Powell and gaining 12 months more experience.
Still, we're early in the new season so with growth I think we'll have a good year.
Have to stay away from injuries though. Last night with Ish is not a good sign.
Unfortunately, we could be without Ish's services for quite some time. As you saw with Mobley, when you dislocate a shoulder and play a power position, it's not usually a one-time occurrence.
I know we're early in the season, and we certainly defend and rebound better, but I don't think we're going to have a good year. As I watched the Georgia game, I thought "we've seen this act before," re: the offense. We have some nice pieces, a few guys who can get to the rim and score, and a couple of guys who clean the glass well. Singh might turn out to be a nice shooter before the season is out, but we are a poorly coached team, and in year 6, I have no hope for that to change.
When I watched the game last night (excellent feed from the A10, btw), we LOOKED every bit the bigger, more skilled, quicker, athletic team, yet we lose by 8. Coaching is the difference, and Lonergan has it over Willard. There were no glaring KW mistakes last night, and he managed the bench and IW's off night as well as anyone could. It's the system. It doesn't work, even when he's got the most athletic team in his time here.
Many excellent points, but add this. He also has by far his youngest team and it will take time for them to maximize their talent.
If we're playing mid/late January like we are in early December then your concerns will be validated.
The Ish injury could go either way. We'll know more moving forward. Willard is usually VERY negative when it comes to injuries. Last night he didn't seem as bad as usual so we'll see.
If we're playing mid/late January like we are in early December then your concerns will be validated.
The Ish injury could go either way. We'll know more moving forward. Willard is usually VERY negative when it comes to injuries. Last night he didn't seem as bad as usual so we'll see.
There isn't much of a talent gap between the two teams IMO, and the home court advantage is a bit overblown. The difference to me is coaching. Lonergan has GW coached up...ball-movement, shot-selection, team defense, etc. Played to their strengths and played very good team ball. We have athletic players and although the ball movement was better last night, the offense looks painful to watch...weave, one-on-one, and an occasional pass on a drive. Kevin coached a better game than normal, but his best is not as good as Lonergan unfortunately.
The last two games we've had 7-8 assists on 22-23 field goals. Really missing Gibbs there, too. I hope that Isaiah can blossom there -- he certainly has the physical talent. Just beat rutgers on Saturday, please.
I know "Thou Shalt Not Covet thy Neighbor's Wife," but I do covet our neighbor's coach. Lonergan would be at the top of my list.*
(* "List" represents a theoretical list of replacement coaches in the event of a theoretical coaching change at the end of the theoretical season in which Seton Hall theoretically goes 6-12 in conference)
(* "List" represents a theoretical list of replacement coaches in the event of a theoretical coaching change at the end of the theoretical season in which Seton Hall theoretically goes 6-12 in conference)
He is from the DC area and likes being there and recently had his contract extended to 20-21. I don't think he makes as much as Willard but he was getting $600k before they redid his deal so you have to think at least $800k and maybe higher. He was offered a number of Div 1 coaching positions when he was at Vermont but did not take them. He's a smart guy and I bet he would not leave GW for SHU. Not much of a step up and he seems to be enjoying himself at GW. Too bad we did not get him last go round because he is a terrific coach.
I tend to agree, for the reasons you listed, but it's not such a no-brainer so as not to inquire if the opportunity arose. It's not like trying to pry Krzyzewski from Dook.
GW is a better basketball program than Seton Hall. Not even debatable. Only way Lonegran comes here if Hall overpays. I put him and Hurley at 1 and 1A on my coaching list. But the only way we are getting anybody of any substance is to overpay. I don't see the administration ponying up big money after paying Willard a fortune for absolutely getting the basketball program no where.
I pretty much have the same opinion SPK. What I'm not sure about is where this season can go. Most of the guys do one thing really well, but only couple can bring a complete game. I'd say it's more of an issue
in the frontcourt. Like I've said more than a few times in the last few years the coaching staff is guard centric.
Are we developing these kids in the frontcourt enough? They all have shortcomings and their growth has been minimal. That doesn't mean the intentions weren't good or the players haven't improved at all.
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