TSU88

In 2017-18, ZM avg’d 19.8ppg. In the 13 years of the Skerry era, he’s truly the only G we’ve had who was close to a 3-level (3 pt, inside 3 pt line, and driving to the tin) scoring threat, and naturally he (foolishly for him, as it turned out) left after that season. Timberlake never avg’d as much in a season, and was purely a 1 dimensional jump shooter. Meanwhile, Hofstra (just 1 example) has a 20ppg G every year.

Why can’t Skerry bring in the type of G, who you  can clear out for when you need a basket? An alpha dog who doesn’t shrink under the bright lights and who can take over a game? Is it poor recruiting, or that kids who can score don’t want to play in a plodding 1950’s style offense? Or are there other reasons? 🤷‍♂️

Our leading scorer: May, at 11.5 ppg, shooting 39%
 

1 other player, Tejada, eeked into double digits at 10.1 ppg

3 others, DWill, CT & Tarke, avg’d 9 ppg. 

Not counting Chase Paar, the only player to shoot better than 50% was Jones, who only played 17mpg, and barely shot better than 50%

As a team we shot 42% overall; 32% from 3 and 65% from the foul line (I didn’t think our % was even that high)
 

1 minute ago, omniland said:

Play May and Tejada at the same time.  You have to have more than one guy on the floor that teams are concerned about from 3.  We are a poor 3 point team no doubt but you have to try something different on offense to get decent outside shots or just give up the season.  You have the dominate inside game with Jones, Suliaman and Thompson but you can't just trade 2's for 3's against every good team.  The defense and rebounding and the inside game can win against the middle tier and the bottom but it is not enough against the top of the CAA.  Those teams eventually pull away.

Let’s face it, for the most part this team needs to be blown up. Keep DWill, May, Tejada and Lowery. Maybe Sulaiman, as a bench guy.  It’s basically start from near scratch next season 

Look, this isn’t rocket science, or even brain surgery. We need better skilled players on offense. I’m sounding like a broken record, but what has controlling the boards got us? A high number of offensive rebounds is really an indictment of our woeful shooting. At least in the pre-NIL era there was hope Skerry could bring in quality transfers (like a Moto or Holden). Now, we can’t afford quality transfers, so Slerry is going to have to be creative in terms of who he brings in. Relying on Skerry to be creative doesn’t instill much confidence 

9 minutes ago, omniland said:

There a lot of guys that played hard today. 

Skerry has always had “try hard “ guys, which has gotten us over a decade of early exits from postseason play, and a trophy case full of participation trophies 

Just now, TuTigers2012 said:

Need just 7-8 players and we are right there!

The lack of discipline in this program is ridiculous. New voice and leadership needed.. yesterday!

There is no new voice and leadership on the horizon. Just hope & pray he doesn’t get another extension, which as absurd as that sounds, I don’t rule it out 

Not a terribly surprising result, which is the problem. Tarke 0-10. You would think he would have made 1 by accident. Any chance Nicholls State wants him back?

Look, we desperately need a PG & some guys who can score next season. Needing these things and getting them are 2 completely different stories though. 

CT with a headbutt? Is this the WWF? He’s got his name all over the TU record books, in no small part due to the volume of games he played, but it’s time to close the book on the CT era.

Honestly, is anyone excited/optimistic about our chances in the tournament? Maybe we win 1 game, though I certainly wouldn’t be shocked if we’re 1 & done 
 

23 minutes ago, Moleman1 said:

D also sounds like actor Charles McGraw

Wow, a Charles McGraw reference!! My favorite movie of his is “Narrow Margin,” but now I’m digressing. 

My beef with Patsos is he tended to be repetitive. Like if I heard one more time that Joe Lombardi coached Sulaiman at IUP, or how Patsos ran into the Paar brothers at a train station in the offseason, I was going to scream. OTOH, I give him major kudos for referencing one of my favorite movies of all time, “The Warriors,” in the Monmouth telecast 
 

For a change, one of our games was actually entertaining, with some good ball movement and uptempo play. I’m not kidding myself, I know it was NCAT, but it’s not our fault they’re bad. We handled our business and now have a punchers chance at finishing in the top four 

5 minutes ago, TuTigers2012 said:

Good call.  I’m told by some giddy tiger fans that this was such a great win against a very good team (quad 4) it’ll count as two wins!  Thus pushing us into a double bye

It’s not our fault NCAT is a bad team. Imagine the feeling if they beat us. Tonight we did what you’re supposed to do against a bad team. Does it cure all ills, of course not. Does it give us a chance at a top 4 finish, yes it does. I’m not terribly optimistic we’ll capitalize on this chance, but that’s why they play the games on the court and not in our minds 

2 hours 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. 

 

No ostracism here. You’re right, given what he has to work with, Skerry has done a good job getting this offensively challenged team to the cusp of a top 4 finish. But there in lies part of the problem…while he can’t be blamed for Conway and Watson, he is responsible for the two portal swing and misses, in the form of Jones and Sulaiman (I mean, the latter is a decent role player, but nothing more). 

You’re also right that his postseason record has been brought up 8 million times. But that’s because it’s so glaringly awful. It’s the elephant 🐘 in the room. 

You’re also right that for the most part, he can’t land that stud player. Really, in 13 years, it’s Benimon only. Timberlake’s 1st 3 years, he never averaged more than 12ppg. It wasn’t until years 4-5 that he finally got into the 15-17ppg range, solely on his outside shooting. Let’s be honest, he wasn’t a complete offensive threat when he was here.

I won’t even bring up his failure to bring in a PG, other than Holden. 

His offensive “philosophy,” if you can call it that, is antiquated and has proven not to be ultimately successful. I mean, it is what it is. I hope we crack the top 4, but to be honest, I’m pretty much at the point of looking towards next season already 
 

52 minutes ago, Tgr4life said:

You are in the minority....VAST MINORITY

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 

13 hours ago, Bay Area Tiger said:

Just watched..  I appreciate his efforts but no one cares we’ve won 18 games or more 9 of the past 11 seasons if we win tomorrow night.  Sustainability of a program is great if you know bigger things are ahead but we don’t know that.  Have some nice parts but nothing indicates we will win the CAA anytime soon.  

Now admittedly, I haven’t watched the Tiger Report, but if he’s touting this 18 wins stuff, I think it’s safe to assume it’s a thinly veiled attempt to lobby for yet another extension. I know there are people here who would say that between his postseason record, a new AD & a new President, that he won’t get one, but I’m not so sure 

1 hour 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 …… 

NOT GOOD ENOUGH!!! No ifs, ands or buts. 

4-11 record in conference tournament; never has won more than 1 game in 11 years of tournament play; never has even made it to the tournament championship game 

NOT GOOD ENOUGH!!! No ifs, ands or buts.

No credible, unbiased observer could conclude otherwise. Anyone who does, lacks credibility in my estimation. 

It’s stunning to me how anyone, with a straight face, could say an 18-12 regular season, over 13 years, with the postseason futility cited above, is acceptable. It’s NOT GOOD ENOUGH, end of story, full stop
 

11 minutes ago, TigerFan54 said:

UNCW’s loss means we get a top 4 seed if we go 2-0 this weekend, regardless of what Hofstra and Drexel do. A tall order, I know, but within the realm of possibility. 

You could say we control our own destiny, but if it’s destiny, how can it be controlled?🤔

While everyone ponders the above question, I’ll state the obvious, which is we can’t win 2 in a row without winning tomorrow vs NCAT, which has one of the worst records in the league. What could possibly go wrong?🤔 Actually, I’m cautiously optimistic we’ll win. I just hope we don’t come out ice cold on offense, or that we don’t jump out early, only to fritter away the lead at the end. Come to think of it, what other options are there for us on the road?🤔

Anyway, no matter how, let’s get the W tomorrow and go from there 

C-USA would be cost prohibitive for us, given the geographic alignment of the conference. It’s highly unlikely the A-10 would be interested in us. C of C would seem to be a logical fit there. I have it on good authority that the Sunbelt is not interested in taking on anymore FCS schools. I don’t see a CAA exit strategy for us, though the way schools now hopscotch from 1 conference to another, that could change tomorrow 

15 minutes ago, TuTigers2012 said:

90 years old you say?  That might be the age I am when I see the tigers in the tournament

As my late grandmother might have said, “you should live so long.” 

10 minutes ago, Bay Area Tiger said:

Hubie Brown is 90 and calling the Sixers-Bucks game today.  Sharp as ever.  

Sadly though, he’s too young to run for President 

43 minutes ago, Bay Area Tiger said:

Quannas White is the associate head coach for Houston but has zero chance of taking over the program down the line cause of Kelvin Sampson’s son Kellen who is the heir apparent. 
Quannas played 2 years at JC Midland before going to Oklahoma.  Played some ball in the CBA.  Louisiana native.  
Interesting candidate for a future head coaching chance at a Mid Major. 

By the time our job comes open, Mr. White will be on social security. If he has a son, maybe he’ll be a candidate 

With 2 games left in the season, May is our leading scorer, averaging 11.4 ppg, which puts him on pace to have the lowest gaverage points per game of a leading scorer on a Skerry team, breaking the record of Four McGlynn, who was the leading scorer on the 2014-15 team (which went 12-20), averaging 12ppg. 

Last time I checked, this is 2024, not 1964. You’re simply not going to be truly successful (I’m not talking about 17-12, 5th/6th place in the conference) when you’re leading scorer is averaging 11.4 ppg
 

2 minutes ago, Chris Datres said:

Where have you gone, Luke Murray.  Towson turns its lonely eyes to you. 
(he might make a good head coach candidate)

Sitting in SECU on a Saturday afternoon, going to a TU vs C of C debate. Laugh about it, shout about it, when you have to choose, anyway you look at it you lose

18 minutes ago, Chris Datres said:

What will be telling is if someone transfers out, how do they perform at their new school.  That will be the biggest indictment.  I think everyone on this roster has talent and collectively, they should be contenders.  But their overall development has not matured like it should.  Charles has regressed offensively.  Sulaiman and Jones have not gotten an ounce better from day 1.  May’s breakout at the end of last year should have been a springboard to filling Timberlake’s shoes.  This isn’t just a this year problem either.  We had a big man whose name escapes me that played 5-6 yrs ago who had promise as a youngster but kept making the same mistakes with bad hedges and softness offensively in the lane and he went from being a potential future star as a freshman to a player we weren’t sad to see graduate.  It’s not difficult to see the correlation. 

Is part of the problem the assistant coaches?  I have no idea which of them would be considered a good big’s coach. Are any of them good at helping improve shooting efficiency? I understand that assistant’s are often there for recruiting purposes. I was curious about the guy they hired from Coppin. Maybe he’s a super assistant, but I can’t help but wonder if there weren’t better options out there 

1 hour ago, TigerFan54 said:

And, at the risk of sounding too dreary, I have NO HOPE of us reaching the NCAAs this decade.

Being honest is not being dreary. In the abstract, anything’s possible, but it’s difficult to foresee a realistic path to the dance, after 13 years of futility. I mean I suppose every other team in the CAA could wind up on probation, but other than that….

1 hour 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. 

(1) After 13 years, I think it’s highly unlikely Skerry is changing his philosophy anytime soon;

(2) I can’t explain how we occasionally pull off a W vs C of C or UNCW, but what I am confident in saying is that our players are far less athletic and skilled than these squads and Hofstra & Delaware, for that matter. An outlier W here and there isn’t going to suffice to get us where we want to be;

(3) I don’t know about the players needing a good shrink, but after 13 years of this, I think maybe I do

5 minutes ago, TuTigers2012 said:

That’s not nice! We need to be positive and nice to the players on here!

See, that’s the thing. I don’t blame the players, I blame the coach. The players seem to be nice kids and it’s certainly not their fault for accepting a scholarship. In fact, some of these kids have heart wrenching stories (I think both Jones and Paar have lost their mother). But it’s hard to watch Paar trying to hedge on defense, and it’s hard to watch guys like Jones and Sulaiman, who simply don’t have the athleticism to sustain success against quicker, more athletic forwards. I can’t answer your question about Jones. If anyone can, I’d certainly like to hear from them