Flying Dutchmen Fans

stuball888 wrote:We have only 9 players next year. Unless we add 3 more I see us shorthanded again next year.

Wags wrote:

Polito wrote:And Wags, I disagree on the mental focus part - that to me is a DIRECT reflection of over-exertion for the past 3+ months. DIRECT.

I'm not buying that.

If it is, how do you explain executing and making the plays they needed to make through three overtimes, even after first falling being in overtime, to win at Northeastern? And how do you explain going from that game, when they should have been exhausted after winning at NU earlier, to being 3 down in the second half of the next game, and closing 45-15 to crush W&M by 28?

Yes, to a degree, being over-exerted affects your ability to execute late. But they have also shown the ability to overcome that in spades.

When you take it ALL into account -- the losses to JMU and UNCW, the wins at NU and over W&M, and everything else -- I still see it as a lack of mental focus and a lack of execution down the stretch of just THREE games more than anything else. Make those few plays here and there, and they're 11-1, 10-2, and ALL of these other comments and threads go away. That's how fine a line it's been.

Flying Dutchmen wrote:

Wags wrote:

Polito wrote:And Wags, I disagree on the mental focus part - that to me is a DIRECT reflection of over-exertion for the past 3+ months. DIRECT.

I'm not buying that.

If it is, how do you explain executing and making the plays they needed to make through three overtimes, even after first falling being in overtime, to win at Northeastern? And how do you explain going from that game, when they should have been exhausted after winning at NU earlier, to being 3 down in the second half of the next game, and closing 45-15 to crush W&M by 28?

Yes, to a degree, being over-exerted affects your ability to execute late. But they have also shown the ability to overcome that in spades.

When you take it ALL into account -- the losses to JMU and UNCW, the wins at NU and over W&M, and everything else -- I still see it as a lack of mental focus and a lack of execution down the stretch of just THREE games more than anything else. Make those few plays here and there, and they're 11-1, 10-2, and ALL of these other comments and threads go away. That's how fine a line it's been.

While I agree there is a lack of mental focus late and not necessarily fatigue related, the reality is we cannot get a stop when it matters!! What is the root cause of that?

Wags wrote:

stuball888 wrote:To me I look at the playing time having an effect as the season continues. Sort of like innings pitched or pitch count in baseball. At the beginning of the season we were able to get away with it against Fla state, st bonnie and lasalle. if we were to play those teams now, I doubt we win those games. As the season wears on so does the effect of the starters playing all those minutes. Would love to see stats of shooting Pct and defense shooting pct comparing the first half of the season to the second half of the season.

I don't think you can compare that because there's a big difference in playing OOC teams vs. CAA teams (that know you better and which you know better).

To me, it's still mainly about EXECUTION, or the lack thereof, particularly at the end of a few games.

Yesterday:
- Tanskley missed a LAYUP, up 79-72 with 3 1/2 left
- Bernardi turns it over, up 81-76, with <3 left
- Green misses a FT, up 81-78, with 1:39 left
- HU doesn't grab a defensive rebound, up 82-79, leading to the Curry 3 to force OT with :16 left.

We can sit here and talk about playing time and fatigue all we want, but those are plays these guys should be making down the stretch of these tight games, and they're not. And it's not because they played too many minutes or because certain guys in the bench didn't get enough time. It's a lack of MENTAL FOCUS more than anything physical. Just make the damn plays! It happened twice against JMU and again, against UNCW, during a half in which they were way colder than they'd ever be normally (that just happens sometime). THAT is the VERY FINE LINE right now between 8-4 and 11-1 and a VERY different outlook on the entire season from the sky-is-falling, we're-not-winning-enough-because-we don't-play-our-bench theorists.

Wags wrote:

stuball888 wrote:We have only 9 players next year. Unless we add 3 more I see us shorthanded again next year.

obviously, next year is when it might matter a lot more since they won't have guys like Green (especially), Tanskley and Koon to carry the team along with Gustys and Bernardi (who will obviously be returning). So that's when it'll matter a lot more to spread out the the minutes and have a much deeper team and a longer rotation. Could be a much bigger issue next year unless some others who aren't part of the rotation or who aren't here yet step up. I know that's where some will say that's why some on the bench needed to be developed more this year, but when you have a shot to win it all while JG/AT/DT are still here, you go for it with them and worry about the development next year.

HUSID80 wrote:

Wags wrote:

stuball888 wrote:We have only 9 players next year. Unless we add 3 more I see us shorthanded again next year.

obviously, next year is when it might matter a lot more since they won't have guys like Green (especially), Tanskley and Koon to carry the team along with Gustys and Bernardi (who will obviously be returning). So that's when it'll matter a lot more to spread out the the minutes and have a much deeper team and a longer rotation. Could be a much bigger issue next year unless some others who aren't part of the rotation or who aren't here yet step up. I know that's where some will say that's why some on the bench needed to be developed more this year, but when you have a shot to win it all while JG/AT/DT are still here, you go for it with them and worry about the development next year.

Let's have a well publicized open tryout next season for our twelfth man....good pr for the program and it would give the team a "real" student for the kids to cheer for.

Purple Eagle 1 wrote:Hi guys....as a Niagara grad ('94) I'm finding your comments about JM to be very similar to the complaints we had about him when he was our coach . His teams always played poor defense and relied upon the 3pt shot way too much . I'm pulling for you guys , however , with porous defense winning the tournament is going to be real tough . It seems that just like at Niagara , JM can't beat teams that are his equal or better .

I laughed when one poster talked about an opponent always having a career day , it was the same at Niagara . JM is a good guy , but honestly I think he is a horrible coach from the standpoint of fundamentals and minutes allocation .

dutchiedoright wrote:Other than Calvin Murphy, what else is NU known for ? JM filled that place with banners, wins, and respect. What were they before he got there? and then after ??
He had 2 losing seasons in that god-forsaken hell hole in 15 years.

A tournament win ! A home NIT game !! An All-America......Gimme a break!! Pretty damn good track record.......

He won there. Period. He'll get it done here too.

The CAA is the 9th conference and our RPI is 78. We have 15 wins and hopefully a few more to come. 311 career wins. Are you kidding me ?!

Baltimore will be a war. I am so fired-up for it. It would be difficult no matter what the seed. We can win that thing and these guys can/will !!!

ProudofPride wrote:I just listened to this week's coaches report, and he did mention that the team needs to start feeding the bench players some minutes, adding that they've been playing well. Let's hope this happens on Thursday, now that he admitted it need to happen. The second half against W&M in the first game was probably the best second half I've seen the team play, and a whole team effort is needed to play like that again. It's very possible though if the bench is used correctly and the teams plays smart the whole game.

cactus wrote:

ProudofPride wrote:I just listened to this week's coaches report, and he did mention that the team needs to start feeding the bench players some minutes, adding that they've been playing well. Let's hope this happens on Thursday, now that he admitted it need to happen. The second half against W&M in the first game was probably the best second half I've seen the team play, and a whole team effort is needed to play like that again. It's very possible though if the bench is used correctly and the teams plays smart the whole game.

His exact quote was, "I gotta do a much better job of that, I gotta force feed them some minutes especially in the second half". He went on to say that it's difficult because he wants his starters in there to regain control of the game once the lead starts slipping away, and that the team needs to reinvent itself after the Malik Nichols injury.