Chris Datres

Geez, I woke up expecting this place to be burned to the ground only to find balloons and presents (well, sort of).  I guess we put the torches down for this week?

My biggest surprise is that the ‘Fire Pete’ thread hasn’t been started. I thought that’s how it worked around here. 

The 3 games they lost on Saturday could have very easily been wins.  They sorta hit a wall when they'd get to 17-18 points and had a 5-6 point lead.  A few more service errors than on Friday and a couple of missed opportunities, especially when up big in Game 3 doomed them.  But it's still nice to walk into an SEC school and serve notice (pun intended) that we're a force.  I don't know how anyone gets in front of some of these kill attempts to dig them.  These girls just crush the ball.

As always, we can't have nice things.  But at least this happened now rather than a few games into the season when a rotation has been set and people are settling into their roles.  At least there's plenty of time to get everyone adjusted and figure out a rotation.  This Canada trip came at a good time to get them some competition and allow the new guys to develop chemistry.

Quoting @RundaPower from Canada thread and moving this to the right thread:

If you are suggesting that there is a possibility of others from the program involved, don’t. This is an Isolated incident according to the deposition. Has nothing to do with any other person in the program.
 

I’m not suggesting that at all.  That would be unethical.  I was having a discussion about this with someone over the weekend and was saying that it’s possible someone might start asking about the program given the time between incident and charges.  Due process and PR/public opinion are two different things and I’m just hoping that there isn’t anything lying beneath that someone could sniff out. 

48 minutes ago, TSU88 said:

Can you elaborate in any way? Is it related to Marcus Watson’s Canadian vanishing act?

Negative.  I haven’t been able to follow any of this trip other than to know we’re 3-0.  Belongs in the Conway thread anyway but I’m nervous about what other layers there could be with that issue and thus lead to more shockwaves. 

3 hours ago, Blounge said:

Glad to see us whooping everybody’s ass

wonder how tough the level of competition has been from the Canadians 

still shell shocked about the RC news but the show goes on

If you think you were shocked before, hoooo boy. 

Kinda figured we'd get Houston for that first game.  Better bring the big-boy pants for that one.

As far as the conference schedule goes, they must have an inkling over who the top teams may end up being so for NET purposes, they try to get the best to play a pair against each other.  The one I don't like is having to play Hofstra only on the road.  But if it means we don't have to play Drexel at their bandbox, then I'll take the push.

I suspect based on this continued charade that this is a ‘me-first’ player.  Those can become other schools’ problems.  If I’m wrong, so be it.  But it seems like this one is interested in attention. 

https://twitter.com/RoccoMiller8/status/1674501373403054080?s=20

Not exactly a neutral site but still a pretty strong non-con game.  Tweet not embedding correctly -- it's a negotiation to play South Dakota State at the Pentagon in Sioux Falls.

21 hours ago, mat1992 said:

 

A home game that close to Xmas that I can attend?  Guess I know where I’ll be that day. 
 

So…Bryant neutral, at Colorado, Nicholls home.  Haven’t heard any others trickle out so far. 

I'll definitely be rooting for him.  He graduated from here and had a ton of high-major interest.  How could he turn down that opportunity?  And now he's in a great situation where he doesn't have to be be the man every night.  With the talent that KU has, teams may lose track of him and he can get 12-15 per night with some games in the 20's.

May not have been one of the 10 best in the era but will always have a place in my book somewhere is Bilal Dixon.  Could have transferred anywhere but he comes to us after that 1-31 season.  Didn't put up the biggest of numbers but was a solid, veteran presence that a bunch of young guys needed and helped set the foundation for the 25-win season in 2013-14.

Had a nice chat with Coach Clark in Savannah in November.  It was kinda funny that he knew the high school coach who nearly chased me out of a building after a game a few years ago.  That’s a lot of institutional knowledge and strong player connections that will need to be replaced.  Very nice tribute video produced for him. 

On 6/2/2023 at 3:33 PM, tu_fan said:

Can you show some class on here for once?   How about some respect in wrapping up a 41 year career - that's an impressive accomplishment.  

When you’ve been no class your entire existence on here, you’re not just gonna magically find any.  Maybe Pat should hire him since he’s God’s gift to basketball knowledge.  I have said this many times - the ignore feature is a glorious thing.  That and not quoting the trash will make the board experience much better.  

When you haven’t won anything in 30 years at the same job, you make dumb decisions like saving your ace for Game 2.  Lost this opportunity in the most Towson way possible. 

And if you were there that night and stormed the floor, here's your chance to find yourself:

11 hours ago, mat1992 said:

Alright, Chris. Yes or No?

https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/player/_/id/4708214/zach-hicks
 

Overall shooting numbers are poor

Well, if you want a stretch guy that can shoot, he could be a pretty good target.  He set the Temple record for 3's in a game with 10 in the '21-22 season (albeit vs Del State) and when he's on a streak, he's dangerous.  Problem is, he doesn't drive much (shot 32 free throws all year) and he's a bit of a lax defender.  Given the list of teams that he's heard from, we probably don't have a shot at him.  I think we can do better but I wouldn't complain if he showed up on our roster.

7 hours ago, mat1992 said:

The problem with Sylla was that he was a 6-4 power forward who wasn’t very athletic. He could dominate scrawny D2 guys with his strength but could muster a few good games at this level. Is that coaching or recruiting?

I think it's both.  That's part of being able to recognize talent when going through the portal.  A guy is D2 POY for a good reason and you create a splash by bringing him in but once you have him in the stable, how does his skill set translate to this level?  There's a lot to take into account.  He gets in here and has the big first game vs Albany but then sorta melts into the landscape.  That then goes to player development.  He wasn't a finished product when he got here (maybe he was at the D2 level) so now he has to be developed into a D1 talent.  Some nights he belonged but a lot of nights he looked lost.

Random musings...

--Gibson's loss was really big.  He wasn't going to be missed defensively or on the boards but him going down so early caused a big hole in the lineup that not-yet-ready players Hicks and Conway had to fill immediately.  That busted chemistry was a big contribution to that losing streak in December.  Once they got stabilized, the loss of Gibson hurt in that he was one player who always had to be accounted for on the perimeter because of his shooting prowess.  That's a big deal in a matchup scenario when you know that you can't send a double or help off a screen because leaving him would be so dangerous.  Conway had his moments of being able to hit from 3 but his consistency hasn't approached Gibson's.

--The fact this team should have beaten a 30-win team all three times it played it defines for me more about the group's resiliency than the season's result did.  I'm pessimistic by nature with all of my teams but I was convinced that if they had beaten CoC in the semis, they were gonna beat UNCW in the final.  But it was always something with these guys.

--That something would be basketball IQ.  That's not saying they aren't smart.  But when it came down to certain situations, they'd come up small because they'd foul a 3-point shooter or they'd settle for chucking from 3 when a simple drive would open up a better shot, or they'd get caught too aggressive on a hedge and foul 30+ feet from the basket, or even worse, they'd go belly-up at the free throw line.  Talent can only get you so far and coaching can only prepare you so much for the crucial situations.  This team lacked for that floor leader who we could turn to that wouldn't lose his head in the final 2 minutes of a tight game.  That's something I hope Conway can develop as he appears to the be the lead guard going forward.

--Speaking of coaching, I'm not going to get into the tug-of-war about job security that everyone likes to speculate about here.  But the biggest thing that disappoints me about this staff is player development in certain areas.  There's no doubt how much Timberlake and Gibson and to a degree Hicks and Conway have improved since they first came on campus.  If Sylla was the D2 player of the year, then either D2 was pretty weak in 2021-22 or he severely regressed when he stepped up in class.  To wit, why was Kelsay's D2 players so much better?  Nygal Russell held a lot of promise and he was good enough to start just about every game but I think we could have gotten a lot more out of him at the offensive end than we did.  We also have a big man in Charles Thompson who is very good on defense (when he's not committing silly fouls 30 feet from the bucket at both ends of the floor) and on the boards but could be so much better than that weak jump hook that has become his go-to in the post.  Someone needs to go the Izzo route with him and get the football pads out and just pound the crap out of him in the post and when he goes up for shots at the basket so he can get used to finishing with contact.  As big and wide as he is, the jump hook should be just one secondary portion of CT's arsenal.  If he is coming back for another year, he's a good keystone to build around but we can definitely get more out of him at the offensive end of the floor.  A team should always improve as the season progresses and I felt like we leveled off very quickly while other conference rivals peaked when they needed to.

--So where do we go next?  These last 2 years were our best chance to get to the Tournament since I started at Towson in 1994.  Not only have we not won a conference title in that time but we haven't even been to a conference championship game.  That's something roughly 17 other eligible D1 teams (depending on your criteria) can also say.  That's absurd, yes, but not unacceptable because most of us accept that March and the variances of a one-and-done situation can be a whole different animal.  However, what discourages me greatly is that other coaches have come into this conference and manipulated their rosters in a short amount of time to get their team to the summit.  Pat Kelsay did it in 2 years.  Martin Inglesby and Zach Spiker did it in 5.  Speedy may only need 3 to get Hofstra there.  This offseason is giant.  There can't be any more rebuilding but only building upon these last 2 semifinal runs and 46 wins in the last 2 seasons.  Find the right fits in the portal, add them to what we've recruited (the kid out of Chicago seems exciting...but I'll believe it when the lights come on in a college game) and what's returning, and then develop them as the season progresses so that we can be the team that is considered a favorite.  

1 hour ago, Tgr4life said:

Anyone who watched the Princeton-Arizona game yesterday should have no question as to the value of coaching. Solid offensive sets, great screens, back door cuts for layups come from discipline and hard work at practices. Practice is the work, games are the fun. Princeton has run the same offense for 30 years and they still win games against superior athletes. It is all in the coaching. Take it for what it is worth, but fundamentals are always critical....ALWAYS!

 

Make your layups and free throws.  Block out and limit turnovers.  The game really isn't that difficult.  That 3-point line gets in everyone's head.  Princeton was 4 for 25 from 3 in that game.  Didn't matter.

15 hours ago, mat1992 said:

Great rebounding guard 

https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/player/_/id/4593263/charles-pride

Had 8 pts, 8 rebs against us in that debacle back in December in a rotten shooting night by his standards.  45% from the field for the season and over 40% for his career.  I’d sign up for this one. 

1 hour ago, TuTigers2012 said:

That’s why he’s a 5 minute per game guy.  Charles would have finished that and more importantly wouldn’t have run over the shooter on the 3

Are you sure about that?  The same Charles you called Charmin a few weeks ago?  Which is it, Dr. 2-Face Pessimist?  If we could fire anyone, it would be you out of this fanbase.

1 hour ago, AtlantaTiger said:

On one hand I'm happy we're not on this list but with Furman finally getting in, we're one team closer to being on it......Longest NCAA Tournament Droughts....

 

Teams With Longest NCAA Tournament Droughts | BetMGM

Ran numbers last night (thanks Wiki) and since we made our last trip, 85% of D1 has been to the Dance.  That doesn’t include the ineligible ones but Bellarmine last year and maybe Merrimack tonite have won their conference tourney title. 

Seems to be standard practice to 1)wish the outgoing ‘nothing but the best’ (too bad there aren’t some that would say ‘I hated their guts’) and 2)have security escort a person out, regardless of the industry, so they don’t go nuclear and start deleting and/or corrupting files.