Tgr4life

Just now, TuTigers2012 said:

Stop moving the goalposts!! Haha. Just be happy Wit Da 17 winz a yer

If you want to see how much the regular season really counts.....read the Baltimore Ravens Fans page after the Chiefs game a month or so ago. That is how sports works. 

56 minutes ago, mat1992 said:

I know I'm going to be ostracized for defending PS, but I don't give a f-ck. Yes, the 18-win season or whatever isn't a big deal anymore. Neither is 20 wins. Beating Drexel, UNCW at home and Charleston on the road doesn't count apparently. Those are good wins. Delaware on the road. Not bad. And yes, the Hampton loss was beyond terrible, I'm not into the regular season doesn't count bullshit. It does. Seedings and double-byes matter in this league. Tournament performances have been bad. No defense for that other than the first Benimon season because they were ineligible. Who knows what the team could have accomplished? After that, it's been one or two and done as has been mentioned 8 million times.

The offense has been atrocious this season and the player they missed the most was Holden, because he ran the offense and helped Timberlake get good looks. Is that on the coach and his staff that the offense has been so stagnant this season? I criticize the offense basically in every loss so of course I think it is. Next off-season, something needs to change and I say it every season. It starts with pace, but when you watch the great ball movement of Charleston, the ball never sticks. I don't care how good your defense is, when you move the ball that quickly and that well, you can beat a good or average defense. 

Every coach in the CAA gets criticized. It's part of the job. The UNCW fans after the Campbell game were not thrilled. Siddle should win Saturday against us, but he's 1-5 against Trowson.

My biggest problem is when I watch the CAA this season and last and see a player I'd love to have in a Towson uniform: Trazerian White, Shakeim Phillips, Tyler Thomas, Jameer Nelson Jr., Darlinstone Dubar, Aaron Estrada, Kobe Rodgers, Justin Moore, etc. It's a guard league and a wings league. Can Tejada, Lowery, Williamson or Cole become one of those guys? I'm not seeing it, but I can see one or two of those guys becoming very productive players in the future. We just need that freakin' star and we probably can't get that guy in the portal due to our NIL situation. So we have to develop it. Staff change? Recruiting more shooters? Recruiting less bullies and more athletic and lengthy players in the portal as well?

If you told me during the summer after the legal situation with Conway and the ACL injury to Watson, they'd we'd have a longshot of getting a top four seed in the final weekend, I'd probably be ecstatic, not thinking that we'd lose to Hampton on the road and beat Charleston on the road in the same season. Not trying to make this season half-full, but also trying to put things in perspective. 

 

Of course those wins matter....but it is when you win those that also matter. Folks will remember the Namath Jets Super Bowl win and the '69 Mets over the Orioles  more than a Carolina Panther win over the Chiefs in a week 3 game. (I picked that one out of the sky). I continue to say....win a game that will be remembered.  

14 minutes ago, TSU88 said:

Other than the coach’s friends and family, it might be a minority of 1. I only hope the AD & the new prez aren’t in this select group 

The long and short of it is Skerry is not a good basketball coach. He ahs had 13 years to win something, even if it is by accident. His offense is dribble for 20 seconds, throw up a bomb and send everyone to get the rebound. His defense is mediocre, but it is a story of keep telling everyone it is good and sooner or later they will believe it.  His teams are good enough to beat bottom feeders and every now and then another mediocre team.  Fundamentals are lacking and basketball IQ has not improved once the talented kids arrive. These are all responsibilities of a coach. These kids have potential, but it needs to be developed. During 13 years, the TU coach is overpaid and under productive. It is sad to see. When the hallmark of the 13 years is good coaching PR....you are in trouble. 

2 hours ago, TTiger2024 said:

Jeez, No doubt dancing would be DA BEST - but count me in da minority ( I guess 🤷‍♂️ ); cause ya - I DO care about winning 18+ a year, almost every year …… 

You are in the minority....VAST MINORITY......pretty easy to schedule your way to extensions. WIN A GAME THAT MATTERS........SOMETIME......ANYTIME....WIN A GAME THAT MATTERS

8 hours ago, Bay Area Tiger said:

I know I should be only thinking about James Taylor and Carolina this week but I can’t….  the Ides of March are coming….  how do we mentally prepare??!!

Poorly

7 minutes ago, AtlantaTiger said:

If the reality is we have Skerry until the end of his current contract and he’s absolutely convinced that his philosophy and coaching style is the only way to do it, then we’re essentially cooked as a program for a while.

Having said that, if he could do ANYTHING at all to change the trajectory of this program and get us over the hump in the future, perhaps he needs to consider a full-time sports psychologist. I’m beginning to believe that our program suffers from an inferiority complex. These are reasonably athletic and capable players as we’ve seen in several of their wins this season. They just seem to shrink in certain games and situations….including free throws. It’s as if they fear prosperity. One step forward, two steps back. They could maybe benefit from some time with a good shrink. 

 I know that Bob Rotella came and met with our baseball team!

CT's interior defense.....blocks...changed shots..... were  difference makers as well tonight

23 minutes ago, TigerFan54 said:

I met the new prez at the UNCW game. He seemed to think the world of PS. I told him I wasn't a fan, but he didn't ask me to elaborate.

In conversation with fans/potential donors/just plain Towson Folks, the prez job is to talk up all about Towson and its teams/coaches, etc. We will see what happens when the rubber meets the road. 2027

2 hours ago, TSU88 said:

You’re correct, that there are outliers, and Coen is a good example. The difference though is, unlike our coach, at least Coen has been to the dance. In such a case, if a coach wants to establish roots, it’s a nice feel good story. In our case, after 13 years of postseason futility, the expiration date on the milk carton has expired. Unfortunately, I fear it’ll eventually be 16 years of such futility. I assume Skerry will soon be lobbying for yet another extension, claiming his ability to recruit will be hamstrung if he’s a short timer. (A somewhat dubious claim, given that the advent of the portal has resulted in a pool of short term rentals). And of course, citing to the fact he graduates kids & they do community service. I can only hope our AD & new President don’t fall for this. If they do, they might as well just give him a lifetime contract and be done with it 

Could not agree more with you.

13 minutes ago, El Tigre Oro said:

I’ve been waiting for the right time to post this, think this is the correct time and place.

At this level in basketball and football a coach should be here no longer than 5 years. They are either doing a great job and moving up or doing a lousy job and getting canned.

The decade of mediocrity we had with both Ambrose and Skerry have done no one any favors and put athletics in a malaise and lead to general apathy about athletics on campus.

IMHO the early success that both Ambrose and Skerry had was due to their contacts they had recruiting at a higher level and bringing in top level transfers (plus Terrance West falling in his lap).

Once those connections waned they both got comfortable and performance dropped. We need to be known as a “launching pad” for coaches and keep building off of the previous coaches success.

 

 

There is much truth to what you say. There are a few exceptions to your rule.

Some coaches love the idea of planting a seed and watching it grow. I think a good example is Bill Coen at Northeastern. In my opinion, he is one of the finest basketball coaches around. He has been at Northeastern for 17 years. His teams have won conference championships and gone to NCAA. He has been Coach of the Year and should be a desirable coach. The "seed planter" is a rare coach, but nonetheless they do exist 

All in all, you are likely right, but there are those that it is not all about "The Big Time". If you get one of them, you are a lucky program. 

2 minutes ago, TSU88 said:

Numbers don’t lie, not at this stage of the season at least. We are one of the worst teams in the country in 3-pt FG%; pace of play and FT %. And we’re nothing special in 3-point shooting %. In 7 conference road games, we have only scored more than 67 points 1X. We just lost to objectively 1 of the worst D1 teams in the country. Our ponderous pace combined with a dearth of good shooters is a recipe for what will likely be yet another desultory exit from the conference tournament. Skerry’s style of play is the textbook definition of insanity-doing the same thing over and over, and expecting (really, in our case, hoping) for a different result. And with our limited NIL, it’s hard to imagine any proficient scorers coming aboard next season. 

Skerry isn’t going anywhere, and that’s the problem. Players come and go, but the results are largely the same. We scratch and claw out a 16-20 W regular season, only to get summarily eliminated in the conference tournament. 
 

Why would he go anywhere. He has it made here. Does not have to win yet gets extensions....some made public, some not.  However, we must admit it is difficult to build a program given the NIL and Portal situations when you are on the short end of the finances. But, maybe that is why he gets half a million...top overcome the obstacles. 

Assuming TU beats Elon, How do the tiebreakers stand among spots 3-6?

Adjustments need to be made mid-game...not only at halftime. Watching the Delaware game and seeing the poor rotation for 3 point shots, it seemed as though there were no mid game adjustments to force Delaware to make changes.  As much as it sounds repetitive....it all comes down to coaching. Especially MID-GAME, without predetermined substitutions. 

4 hours ago, mat1992 said:

I do believe in this quote:

"You either have to be part of the solution, or you're going to be part of the problem."

We can whine and bitch all day about bad performances on the court and sidelines. I like to attempt to give solutions to the problem in addition to the bitching. My lineup change for Monday:

1)Williamson

2)Lowery

3)May

4)Sulaiman

5)Thompson

Bench: Wait until the first timeout to make a sub. We have no continuity when making a change after two minutes (barring somebody picking up two quick fouls). Tarke in for Lowery, Tejada in for May. Jones in for Sulaiman. Keep Thompson on the floor assuming he's not in foul trouble. If the center is 6-9 or taller with limited athleticism or Amari Williams, use Paar. If not, and it's an athletic 6-7, 230ish guy like Davis or undersized center, I'm using Jones or Sulaiman at center. Jones did play the 5 most of his career at Wofford. Sam Sherry is their starting center at Elon (6-10, 220), who is more of a perimeter center, but Paar can probably handle him.

Tarke needs to score some. I'm not saying he should pass the ball every time he gets it, but his first inclination should be to drive and create. If you have a lane, take it to the whole, because he can finish with both hands. But don't forget to get Tejada, Williamson and May involved. They have to send a message to him. With Tarke playing this selfishly, the team is likely headed to the middle of the pack in the CAA. 

May needs to attack the basket with authority. When he takes off of two feet, he can throw the ball down with two hands, even in traffic. His drives are very awkward and he's avoiding contact. The jumper is erratic right now. His handle isn't great either. But I've mentioned Corey Kispert a dozen times on here and I know nobody watches the Wizards, but he attacks the basket off of cuts. Watch his highlights.  Uses screens and V-cuts very well. Not a great ballhandler. Bigger body (6-7, 225) and decent athlete. May shouldn't go 10 minutes though, without getting a shot or a decent look from 3. Delaware did a nice job on him on Thursday, giving him very few open looks early on. May is shooting just 38.8% from the field, 37.3% from the three-point line and 60.6% from the line. Last season, Timberlake shot 45.5% from the field, 42% from beyond the arc and 84.5% from the line. Obviously, there's no comparison on the offensive side, but the hope is that he takes another step next season. In Nick's redshirt sophomore season, in that ugly Covid year of 2020-21, he averaged 12.1ppg and shot just 35.7% from the field and 31.6% from beyond the arc. He made huge strides in the next two seasons shooting the ball. It also helped to have a player like Cam Holden getting him the ball in the right spots. Not sure there is a current point guard who can do the same with May.

With that opening lineup, I want to push the pace off of every defensive rebound because all of those guys can run the floor. Halfcourt offense isn't going to get much better, but in transition, we'd be interesting to say the least. Even some light pressure with Lowery in the game is a must. 

Tejada can be useful as a scorer. He has no conscience (34.6%), which can be good at times and also bad. Hopefully, he can adjust to that role of being a scorer off the bench. He can't play a lot of if he doesn't score and is not at least serviceable defensively.

Dylan has the oddest numbers for a double-digit scorer and you forget sometimes that he's a freshman. Shoots 41.3% from the field (attacking and finishing are improving), but just 31.5% from the three-point line and 63.6% from the free throw line (28-of-44). 

Outstanding analysis. 

However, I don't like prearranged replacements. I would rather see how the game is going....tempo...shooters being hot or cold.....with the subs making the lineup stronger based on how the game is both being played and being called by the referees. 

How does that contract extension look now?

Great defense last night

16 minutes ago, Tiger93 said:

There is no doubt that postseason in American sports is the end all be all and the bottom line for your how your results are measured. However, it is about 10% (if that) of what you watch as a real fan during the year. While it controls the whole narrative, there has to be some enjoyment of the journey and it can't all be wiped out by the postseason results. Yes, I realize I am making a statement that will rehash the same old tired arguments we always have here. For our particular program, we are all in agreement the NCAA Tournament is the thing, but that doesn't mean I can't enjoy smacking Charleston and grabbing a win at their place, ending Drexel's unbeaten run, taking down UNC-W, or completing the first half of sweeping the chickens out of this conference. To me it is about staying in the present and seeing what this interesting mix of young and more experienced players can do, and then hoping and praying when we get to March that we can get it right finally. 

I agree with you on much of what you say. I enjoyed watching the Ravens beat the Niiners, Dolphins, Lions, Seahawks, etc........, but turn it around.......if Towson loses to all of the CAA teams during the season and then wins the conference championship, PS gets an extension for winning the games that really matter. May be right.....may be wrong, but this is the way of the world. Enjoy the moment, enjoy the win, but realize the Towson games in january, and february  are nothing more than exhibition games. The win over Charleston and 10 cents gets you a cup of coffee at your local read's Drug Store.....(you have to be a certain age to remember the context here....lol)I know I am overstating, but in the end, that is what this really is. 

I understand that the team is now playing better than they (Towson) have in a while. The players seem to be doing well. 

You may view this as negative rather than realistic....but as Ravens fan currently know......winning in the regular season is nice and enjoyable, but you are judged by what you do in the post season. If this team maintains and wins the championship, then there is something worthwhile to celebrate. All you have to do is read about a player going from MVP on a Saturday to (according to Stephen A. Smith) a choke artist in 24 hours. 

Just the way sports works. 

38 minutes ago, mat1992 said:

Practicing free throws isn't the problem. They do it all the time. It's the mental aspect of shooting them in the clutch in front of fans who are either booing you or wanting to cheer you. Some will never be good at it and some want the pressure. It's also the approach. Take your time. A deep breath. Shoot over the front of the rim. Also might try playing loud music or simulating crowd noise. Putting people in the back of the basket and yelling at them when they are at the line. Williamson, Tejada, May and even Suliaman should be at least 70% FT shooters. Shooting in the last five minutes is another story. Probably why I'd rather have Tarke shooting them than Dylan only due to experience. Tarke shot 54% from the line last season, but he gives a more relaxed vibed because he's been a D1 player for 4 years.

Make each player, in practice, make 6 (or any other given number) in a row or the entire team has to run 10 suicides.........peer pressure!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

11 minutes ago, Blounge said:

Sorry for betting against the boys! I wanted to fan the flames and ignite some fire into this fan base. It was really quiet on here until the 3’s started raining in Charleston! I’m happy to eat crow after having little confidence in our guys to get it done on the road. Now we have two impressive wins against two of the best teams in the league CofC and UNCW. But on the other hand we have two ugly losses to Monmouth and NE.

Towson basketball a rollercoaster of emotions! 

it ain't March yet

12 hours ago, TuTigers2012 said:

Disagree. Sorry there are A LOT of people on here (not you) with false allusions about this team and program.  Way more than there should be and I’m obviously on the differing opinion on that, but I’m much closer to the truth than those. Blazer was commenting on the fact that another undeserved extension was given. I responded that some on here are giddy as hell after Saturday to climb back to 500. My point to him was, again, they are good with it.
 

Give us something to talk about then. Everyone on here repeats the same shit and their opinions. Mine doesn’t align with yours, so what?!  Not playing like hot garbage against Monmouth with 2 weeks to prepare for that one.  Uncw was a nice win. I thought an injured and tired team coming off a loss in Philly would come in and assert themselves they didn’t.  This was probably a top 5-7 win all time for Pat, which really says something. Players showed up when it counted Saturday. kudos to them. 

Criticism of skerry is warranted and directed that way. I’m a lot more vocal about the players but try to keep a good amount out. The older guys can take it, ie charles. So that goes to the coach. We all (the ones who want to win) think there should be changes made to the gameplan/strategy to help play to our strengths.  I don’t mind playing at a snails pace, if we win (like uva). 
 

Again we will be solid at home. So Thursday at 9:15pm some will be ready to start on the statue but then go silent when we sit 2-3 after an ugly game in Charleston. It’s a message board everyone, don’t get too upset…

I actually think that with the talent on this team, they would win more games without this coaching staff. Let the guys get together in time outs and work out what they want to do. The players have talent. The coaching staff does not. 

50 minutes ago, Bay Area Tiger said:

Oh we are fine.  Enjoy the win and get fired up for Stony Brook.  As fans we can only control so much.  
I see a freshman like Tejada getting shots up the day after hitting a game winner and it gives me a sense of pride.  Maybe this group gets it done come March.  
16 more to go plus conference tournament.  Lots of twists and turns ahead..  we should be worrying more about Matt keeping his sanity cause we rely on so much of his coverage etc.  

I admire your optimism. You deserve tons of credit!

2 hours ago, Bay Area Tiger said:

Stony Brook this Thursday.   Let’s all focus at the next task at hand.  
Did anyone congratulate any of our players or coaching staff for the big win over the weekend??  If not get on it.  
Positive reenforcement with this young group 😉

I saw Double T in the gym getting up shots on Sunday I’m assuming!?  Gym 🐀 👏

United & Alaska 🛬 a mess right now..  lots of time of course but we all gotta be ready to pull the trigger come March.  Barclays Center would be my first choice!

Goh Tigers.  

This basketball program even knows how to screw up the narrative when they have a big win........disgraceful

On 1/5/2024 at 5:27 PM, TuTigers2012 said:

Well if we all weren’t depressed after last night… the misery well never end

https://thetowerlight.com/pat-skerry-signed-contract-extension-in-april-2023-now-under-contract-until-2027/

Love Skerry's quote that he appreciates the opportunity..........I GUESS HE DOES....considering he has not earned it and would not get it anywhere else........SINCE APRIL.......ARE YOU KIDDING??????????

26 minutes ago, Tiger93 said:

I know +/- can be an arbitrary stat in basketball, but I always like to look at it after games to see if it confirms what I am watching (admittedly there is a confirmation bias conversation lurking in there). Williamson was +10 and Thompson was at +2. That makes sense to me because those were the only two players who seemed to be offering any positive contributions (other than the Christian May offensive spark that briefly gave us 38-35 lead), even though Williamson's shot was off.

I know people ripped Thompson, and I agree that I don't love that we run the offense through him. However, he gave us what we needed on the boards and defensively and frankly I think he should have played 4-5 minutes more than he did. Yes, he had a bad turnover spree at the beginning of the second half, and he had a couple of bad shots down the stretch, but this is for the most part how we need him to play. Who can blame him for taking a couple of the bad shots when no one else was making anything. He probably could have had five assists if anyone was capable of knocking down an open shot last night. 

One thing that bothers me in modern day college basketball is the over-reliance on the three-pointer even when shots aren't falling. We were 6-28. Twenty-eight of our 60 shots were three-point attempts (granted we were also 10-32 from 2pt-FG). In comparison, Monmouth who couldn't hit water if they fell out of boat from three only took threes on 15 of their 58 FG attempts (they were 18-43 from inside the arc). They outscored us 17 to 8 in points off turnovers despite the fact that we only had one more turnover, and also outscored us 30-16 in the paint. We have to figure out how to get some easy points rather than hoisting up threes and hoping we have a good night. 

Monmouth shot 16 FT to our 8 FT, and matched our 13 offensive rebounds. We also turned the ball over 14 times in 65 possession (21.5%) and shot 26.7% (16-60). I will beat a dead horse and say if we are going to have the least amount possessions of any team in the nation, turn it over 20% of the time and shoot poorly that really limits our chances of winning (I know I am understating this fact). Add to the fact, that we got matched or outplayed in the physical trademarks of Skerry teams (offensive rebounds and free throws), and you run out of ways to win a game no matter how good the defense plays. 

Xander Rice was the only player who did anything offensively when it mattered in this game (May was on his way to doing this when we gave us the lead 38-35, but wasn't able to sustain it), and Jack Collins was everywhere and negated any of the good defensive and rebounding that I thought Thompson provided us. 

Most of you probably either know this or don't care to dig into the stats that much, but after the games Statbroadcast posts expanded boxscores that have possessions, +/- and specialty stats. Sometimes it gives me a little more of a glimpse than a standard boxscore. Here is the link to last night's boxscore if anyone cares. https://www.statbroadcast.com/events/archived.php?id=485916

 

There is only one stat that matters. The rest are ammunition for the coach to use as his contract expires.