Men's Basketball vs. James Madison On 1/16/2016 at 4:00 P.M.

[garyg]

Let's see if Green can come thru in crunch time this season and lead the Pride to conference championship....that is what great players do

[Flying Dutchmen]

I'll preface this by saying that Coach said afterwards that they're good shooters and that maybe he's right that some of the missed 3s were shots they'd normally make. So to that degree, he's correct, and you can't do much about that. Sometimes they go in, sometimes they don't. Just one of those days.

HOWEVER, the numbers in conference play tell a different story: http://caasports.com/stats.aspx?path=mb ... &conf=true

They're only tied for 5th in the CAA in 3-pt makes (46) and they're only 6th in 3-pt FG% (at an underwhelming 31.5%) in CAA play now. And they were facing the top team in the CAA at defending the 3 (JMU is allowing just 22% from there in CAA play). It's not like we're talking about one of the league's best 3-pt shooting teams having an off day. Percentage wise, they're not even in the top half of the league. Yet, they're only two behind JMU for the third-most attempts. Basketball's simple sometimes: don't take what you can't make. Move the ball, pass up good shots for great shots (even the Knicks have learned that this year! Even Melo! If even they can, well, you know...).

So given that, you have to A) Know what you really are, which goes back to what I said above -- don't think you're better at shooting the 3 than you really are -- i.e. 35 of your 75 shots is way too much from 3, especially when your big man is making 90% of his shots in the paint and you only get him 10 FGA and B) Know your opponent and know that maybe JMU, as well as it defends the 3, isn't that time to jack up all of those 3s, especially when you see you're not making them; so have a plan B offensively.

The quicker they learn that, the better.

I have to disagree with the notion that this team needs to take less three point shots, our offense is really solid actually, and the team needs to continue sticking to their strengths.

JMU went zone in the second half, the shots were there on the perimeter, but they were missed. Yes, Rokas is playing great, and had the best performance of his career, but how many times can you go to the guy? The team would be worse if Rokas got the ball more frequently, he ALWAYS dribbles before he goes to the hoop unless Juan'ya is serving him a layup on a platter. If Rokas gets the iso on the block, he's highly dangerous, but otherwise, teams will collapse in on Rokas and he could become a turnover liability.

But my real issue is this team does not play above the rim at all. Flat footed. I like that our guys take it to the hoop if their defender overplays them, that is smart, fundamental basketball. This team does not have one player that can create a layup like Stokes (for example) though, because they all play below the rim. Seriously, how many times do we have to watch Bernardi and Tanksley take drives to the hoop that end up in off-balance layup attempts, or shots that immediately get swatted? You also see it when we collapse to the hoop on an offensive rebound, the majority of our put-back shots get swatted, we never win those battles. I think our team has the least amount of athletic ability in the conference, and that reality has to be protected with how we run our offense.

But this is the team that Mihalich created, and it generally plays to it's strengths offensively, bottom line is they have to hit the open shots. This team just needs a practice where they work on shooting fundamentals, it really seems like they're out of sync. I just noticed a lot of bad form on our shots yesterday, feet not positioned correctly, guys not stepping into their shots, I really think we have an excellent shooting team, but they just have to work through their shooting woes.

[ZMAN3]

The story of this game was the officiating. Absolutely horrendous. Especially the short guy. I've seen him do Hofstra games before and it's the same garbage every time. He must have it in for Michalich or had JMU plus the points. Either way that officiating crew should not be employed, that was an embarrassment. They missed at least 5 traveling violations on JMU throughout the game along with several head scratching calls mostly on HU. JAM should have got tossed with 0.8 seconds left. He had every right to, Buie intentionally fouls a guy with 3 seconds left but they blew the whistle 2 seconds later.

Besides the refs, you have to put this game mostly on Tanksley who was terrible today. If you miss 5 or 6 shots in a row, you should probably look to pass once or twice but he kept chucking them up and couldn't hit the ocean. He hasn't been the same since he hurt his neck. Not sure if that has anything to do with it, but he really cost us today. He took 20 shots and made 4!!!

I'm not sure why some of you get on Koon so much all year. I don't see how he is such a liability out there. He has a knack for coming up with loose balls and has good instincts. He's a nice complimentary player for this team, which is exactly what we needed coming into the season.

Once again Bernardi gets lost in these games. He actually missed a couple of shots late in the game that he usually buries, but the offense goes long stretches too often of not looking for him. There were several opportunities for the ball to swing in his direction for an open 3 but instead swung it to the ice cold Tanksley. Very frustrating.

Green had a good game but what can you say about Gustys. We are watching a guy blossom before our own eyes. And the kid is only a Soph. He's an absolute monster out there. The only thing I'd like to see besides an improvement at the free throw line is him dunking the ball. Too many times he gets fouled in great position for a slam but instead he lays it up and misses because he was fouled. Just throw it down! But hey these are nitpicks if the guy is going to average 20 and 10. Keep it up Rock!

Lastly, another poor job using the bench by Joe. When RG fouls out, he puts Buie in. Not only that, but Buie on defense is under the basket while Koon is out above the 3 point line! Seriously??????? JMU went down low immediately on multiple crucial possessions and scored easy buckets. Terrible!!

This was an exciting game and the crowd was into it, but on many levels it was a very frustrating game to witness. On to the next..

Thanks for posting this - especially about bench and defense - too busy last night watching FB and Celtics (incredible game) It's bad enough he won't use AW but as you pointed out - how the heck is DB at bottom of zone on 6'8 Dalembert while Koon is at top chasing ball - WTF! They get easy layup (ran same play again but Dalembert blew easy shot) Finally switched Koon to bottom and they didn't score. I'm just disgusted at his lack of bench use and his whining about officiating (even if it was bad) This game was lost because he won't use his bench - there were times when HU players were gassed - Thur/Sat going to kill this team. G-d forbid an injury or the flu!

[Wags]

3] Jojo makes great point on Tanksley NOT passing...once he has ball in his hands he has already made up his mind that he is shooting it, regardless of situations or whether teammates are open....not good

Nothing underscores that more than this...

While Green relied on shooting the 3 too much yesterday (going 2-for-5 from 2, and only 2-for-8 from 3), he still had 9 assists.

But while Tanksley went 3-for-11 from 2, and 1-for-9 from three -- to make him 7-for-33 overall over the past two games -- he had ZERO assists yesterday.

We can say all we want about a lack of depth, how they lost because they were tired, etc., but does anyone look at what guys are actually shooting overall this season, which of course includes the FIRST HALF, when they shouldn't be tired? Tanskley was 3-for-13 in the FIRST HALF yesterday.

Here are the overall shooting numbers this season:

Bernardi 42.4%
Koon 42.0%
Tanksley 40.4%
Green 40.2%

They're not the normally lights out shooters as they think they are and that the staff and fans make them out to be.

[pridehoops2015]

Let's see if Green can come thru in crunch time this season and lead the Pride to conference championship....that is what great players do

is charles jenkins a great player? i believe so. he has as many conference titles as you and i. so dont put it all on greens shoulders.

[HUSID80]

3] Jojo makes great point on Tanksley NOT passing...once he has ball in his hands he has already made up his mind that he is shooting it, regardless of situations or whether teammates are open....not good

Nothing underscores that more than this...

While Green relied on shooting the 3 too much yesterday (going 2-for-5 from 2, and only 2-for-8 from 3), he still had 9 assists.

But while Tanksley went 3-for-11 from 2, and 1-for-9 from three -- to make him 7-for-33 overall over the past two games -- he had ZERO assists yesterday.

We can say all we want about a lack of depth, how they lost because they were tired, etc., but does anyone look at what guys are actually shooting overall this season, which of course includes the FIRST HALF, when they shouldn't be tired? Tanskley was 3-for-13 in the FIRST HALF yesterday.

Here are the overall shooting numbers this season:

Bernardi 42.4%
Koon 42.0%
Tanksley 40.4%
Green 40.2%

They're not the normally lights out shooters as they think they are and that the staff and fans make them out to be.

They shoot anywhere near those numbers yesterday and we walk away with a pretty comfortable win.

[Dooku25]

is charles jenkins a great player? i believe so. he has as many conference titles as you and i. so dont put it all on greens shoulders.

Will Green be playing against VCU, George Mason and ODU in Richmond with no supporting cast like Charles did?? Sorry, as good a season as the CAA is having, the task for Green winning a conference championship is easier than when Charles played.

[Dooku25]

They're not the normally lights out shooters as they think they are and that the staff and fans make them out to be.

Bernardi is a lights out shooter. The sole reason he is a Division I college basketball player is because he's a lights out shooter. If his shooting percentage is dipping, its because opponents are making it extremely tough for him to get an open shot. It's on the coaching staff and point guard to figure out how to create open looks for him. He should not be out there for 15 minutes without a shot attempt. It's absurd.

Tanksley was a lights out shooter his first few months of his HU career but has been inconsistent since. Green and Koon should only shoot 3's when they are open, and they are capable of making them. The problem is they aren't staying patient with their shot selection. They settle too often.

[ProudofPride]

is charles jenkins a great player? i believe so. he has as many conference titles as you and i. so dont put it all on greens shoulders.

Will Green be playing against VCU, George Mason and ODU in Richmond with no supporting cast like Charles did?? Sorry, as good a season as the CAA is having, the task for Green winning a conference championship is easier than when Charles played.

Also, expectations are different. Hofstra was picked 5th in the preseason poll Jenkins' senior year, and technically the team exceeded that, finishing 3rd. This year, Hofstra was picked to win.

[pridehoops2015]

is charles jenkins a great player? i believe so. he has as many conference titles as you and i. so dont put it all on greens shoulders.

Will Green be playing against VCU, George Mason and ODU in Richmond with no supporting cast like Charles did?? Sorry, as good a season as the CAA is having, the task for Green winning a conference championship is easier than when Charles played.

sorry - numbers actually support that as a whole the league is stronger now than when charles played.

You didnt answer my question - did charles make an ncaa tournament appearance? he had FOUR chances. juanya has 2. so was charles a great player. Yes.

[Wags]

They're not the normally lights out shooters as they think they are and that the staff and fans make them out to be.

Bernardi is a lights out shooter. The sole reason he is a Division I college basketball player is because he's a lights out shooter. If his shooting percentage is dipping, its because opponents are making it extremely tough for him to get an open shot. It's on the coaching staff and point guard to figure out how to create open looks for him. He should not be out there for 15 minutes without a shot attempt. It's absurd.

Tanksley was a lights out shooter his first few months of his HU career but has been inconsistent since. Green and Koon should only shoot 3's when they are open, and they are capable of making them. The problem is they aren't staying patient with their shot selection. They settle too often.

With Bernardi, it's a little different. His percentage can be down in the low 40's since most of his shots are coming from 3. But he's very inconsistent, half to half, game to game, even when he's getting open looks that he should knock down. A lot of 6-11, 4-6 from 3 one game, then 3-12, 2-10 from 3 the next. That's not lights out. That's very good, but only depending on the day.

[Wags]

3] Jojo makes great point on Tanksley NOT passing...once he has ball in his hands he has already made up his mind that he is shooting it, regardless of situations or whether teammates are open....not good

Nothing underscores that more than this...

While Green relied on shooting the 3 too much yesterday (going 2-for-5 from 2, and only 2-for-8 from 3), he still had 9 assists.

But while Tanksley went 3-for-11 from 2, and 1-for-9 from three -- to make him 7-for-33 overall over the past two games -- he had ZERO assists yesterday.

We can say all we want about a lack of depth, how they lost because they were tired, etc., but does anyone look at what guys are actually shooting overall this season, which of course includes the FIRST HALF, when they shouldn't be tired? Tanskley was 3-for-13 in the FIRST HALF yesterday.

Here are the overall shooting numbers this season:

Bernardi 42.4%
Koon 42.0%
Tanksley 40.4%
Green 40.2%

They're not the normally lights out shooters as they think they are and that the staff and fans make them out to be.

They shoot anywhere near those numbers yesterday and we walk away with a pretty comfortable win.

That IS true. But all it takes is one game like yesterday in Baltimore, where everyone's off, and they're still taking too many 3s instead of higher percentage shots, and its season over. So when they're not falling from that range, don't put up 35 of them. Move the ball, move without the ball more, don't settle, and find other, higher percentage ways to score.

[Dooku25]

sorry - numbers actually support that as a whole the league is stronger now than when charles played.

You didnt answer my question - did charles make an ncaa tournament appearance? he had FOUR chances. juanya has 2. so was charles a great player. Yes.

When Charles was a senior, 3 CAA teams made the NCAA tournament. 1 of the 3 made the Final 4. Do you really think this year's league is better? Throw in the fact that Juan'ya has a much better supporting cast and much easier conference tournament site. Charles had 4 chances with worse teams in a tougher conference plain and simple.

Juan'ya is a very good player and the leader of this team. I was in Baltimore and saw how he played against W&M last year. He can carry this team to a championship. Would love to see him do it.

[Dooku25]

With Bernardi, it's a little different. His percentage can be down in the low 40's since most of his shots are coming from 3. But he's very inconsistent, half to half, game to game, even when he's getting open looks that he should knock down. A lot of 6-11, 4-6 from 3 one game, then 3-12, 2-10 from 3 the next. That's not lights out. That's very good, but only depending on the day.

You can look at any great shooter's game logs and find games where they put up great numbers one game and bad numbers the next. I don't see where he is very inconsistent when getting open looks. The end of the JMU game is an example, but cant really think of many other examples. If he's open it's most likely going in. He generally misses 3's when he forces up a shot out of frustration for not getting any open looks for a long period of time. And shooting near 50% earns him the right to do so once in awhile.

[cactus]

Tough loss, good effort though, just felt like we lost a chess match when Rokas fouled out.
Refs had a bad night, it was an ugly performance. Mihalich called a timeout with .8 seconds left just to lay into the refs one more time...while it was hilarious, it was a pathetic move, the league could really suspend him for that one.

They stopped officiating the game...Buie hit a 3 pointer then fouled the guy on the inbouds, but the refs weren't paying attention - the guy on our side had his head turned jogging down the court the other way. I was as heated as Joe was - there were 3+ seconds left and a missed ft gives them a chance to hit a 3 to tie the game up.

[garyg]

As posted before Green is a good player...not a great player...he plays very poor defensively and has poor shot selection...not sure he is a leader despite his fancy passes....good player, not a great player..

[Cards]

Agree garyg - when he plays within himself he can have a real positive impact on a game, especially down the stretch where he can control the ball and draw contact. Seems like he sometimes tries to do too much in areas where he is not a great player. As Clint once said "Every man has gotta know his limitations!"

[garyg]

Plus give a little effort on defense....opponents make it look so easy driving around Green

[Cards]

my guess is that he has the approval from JM to let that happen because coach wants to avoid any chance of him being in foul trouble for the last 10 minutes of games.

[garyg]

Next season I can see DB averaging 10 or 11 points per game....7 or 8 assists...not the same scoring as Green but when you factor in defense [DB better defensive player] it comes out about even....I see DB being top PG in CAA as senior, possibly as junior