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mat1992

Elon routs MBB, 86-66 as Santa Ana goes for 34

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Skerry comments after the game

Credit to Elon. We couldn't stop them. Santa Ana looked like Steph Curry out there today. We're very aware they live by the three and they are 7th in the country on percentage of shots they get from 3. We couldn't stop them. We weren't good on offense. Some of that had to do with our mental toughness. We would get down a little bit. We were missing layups. We were bad offensively in the first half. We couldn't stop them. The guy had a triple-double. He just destroyed us. We have to get stops defensively and we couldn't. That's why they took us to the woodshed.

On first half

First three possessions they made threes. He made one to start on Brian and he was deep. We were really bad on offense in the first half. They were hedging ball screens, we didn't get it out of our hands. Then you're behind, 13 is a lot but not insourmountable. We're not beating anyone if they make 18 threes. We have to get stops. On offense, we were missing layups. Guys were fighting each other for rebounds. This is as bad as Brian has played all year. He's had to do a lot for us. If he's not scoring at a high rate, we would have gotten beaten anyhow the way that kid killed us. The played at a high level. Brian had a tough game. That was it.

On how Santa Ana was getting open in first half

I'll have to watch the tape. Were they all open threes? Contested? We lost him a bit cutting. We didn't do a good job extending on stagger actions. He got loose. I thought we were out of position because they started making threes. That's an execution thing, that's a focus thing. We weren't able to do any of those today. The only positive today was that it counts as one. They were really good today. 

On effort

The last timeout I got on them. I thought we went out on the backboards pretty good. We didn't come up with a lot of loose balls. That's a lack of mental toughness. We played about as bad as we could play. I was disappointed in our effort. I was telling the staff the other day that I was worried about how many body blows we were taken with some close losses and quick turnaround. I was worried about. Our efforts and execution have been pretty good and sharp, even though we didn't shoot it well every night. Tonight, whether that was Elon or we were a tick late or both. I'm going to use next week to prepare and practice a little bit. I'm going to shake up a couple of things. I'm going to be in the mindset of playing guys I'm going to bring back a lot more so they get experience on a 2-3 game run. We have some recruiting as well. We have some good leads and are ahead on some things. We have to do that. That wasn't good enough. Our guard has to be better. That makes it easier. Right now, if you really study us, where  we really struggle is that Fobbs takes the most shots and shoots the 3rd best percentage. That's pretty good. But then, we have guards who have taken the next most shots but they have the worst percentage. It's not good. 

On play-in game

I'm disappointed in today. I'm more disappointed in the season that we've lost nine games or whatever it is by six or less points. I'd like for the most part that we've guarded, rebounds and had pretty good efforts. I don't think we're good enough yet, potentially we can be if we recruit the right way. We're very well aware that we have to add some perimeter punch and obviously some more skill. They played poorly against Elon after just beating Hofstra (JMU). One of the things I liked about our group up until today was the effort. Tough to lose close games. Today, we got taken to the woodshed. They still stuck 18 threes. Not all us. If we had a couple of guys in the gym by themselves, they couldn't make 18 of 34. 

On guys coming back

Pretty good starting piece with Fobbs. All three of the freshmen need a big offseason. Freshmen usually make a big jump from Year 1 to Year 2. They all played about 20 minutes a game so they got experience. They have good bodies and work ethic but they have to really improve skill level. I like the frontcourt guys. Most will be back. Juwan (Gray) gives us that 4-3 that we lack right now far as as if have to guard a smaller guy or if we see zone, we're a bit limited. We still have at least a couple of ships. At least.

 

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I’ll give credit where credit is due; Santa Ana had a game for the ages. But, how many times has that happened to us this season? The kid from Cornell also almost scored 40. Hell, a D3 kid dropped 30 on us this season. Aside from that, Elon had other guys who torched us today. If this game doesn’t prove my point about how we’re in the Stone Age, when it comes to not recruiting 3-point shooters, nothing ever will. And I don’t want to hear how we can’t have a team of slow guys who can shoot, but can’t play D. The 2 don’t have to be mutually exclusive; there are actually kids out there who can do both. 

Aside from the humiliation of getting run by Elon at home on senior day, I’m not sure we got a single 50-50 ball today. Completely outhustled, outplayed & outcoached. 

Does anyone REALISTICALLY have any optimism about this program going forward? What have we got? Fobbs? He’s gone after next season anyway. Solomon? He has potential. Timberlake? Maybe. After that, who else is there? Christ, did anyone see Dottin try to shoot a 3-pointer today? It’s awful. Betrand isn’t much better. Sanders has 2 fouls before the opening tip. Howard is nothing more than a backup.  Maybe we’ll have an impact freshman next year, you know, like other programs in the conference do. Maybe Gray will be an impact player, but he only averaged 6-7 ppg at USD. 

14-22 the last 2 years in conference play. 8 years without winning more than 1 game in the conference tournament.  And we’ve got 8 more years of this. Meanwhile, UMBC is looking like they’re going dancing for the 2nd straight year, even after losing their 2 top players from last season 

 

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I didn't have much confidence in the season, especially in the first month. Six wins in the conference is not underachieving. It's what we were. Would have been nice to win a couple close games to get to 8-10 like last year. That would have been overachieving.

But look what happened today? Drexel got killed by Northeastern, Hofstra decimated Delaware, Charleston won by 9 over UNCW, W&M edged JMU. So Elon gets 7th and Drexel somehow gets 6th at 7-11 despite getting their ass kicked today by a team playing for nothing other than a win. So sure, we blew a chance to get out of the play-in game. Terrible league. Santa Ana was fantastic today, our players lost him in the first half. Not sure what PS was looking at by his earlier comments. By the time we found him, he started taking 3 steps back and making them. Then everybody including the Elon manager made them.

But you know what? They are one game up on us and still in the play-in game with a team that jacks up 30 3s a game. I'd love to make more threes but I don't want to be Elon. Charleston doesn't need to shoot a million threes. Hofstra can but they have explosive players. NE has Pusica. It's about having star players and good guards and Santa Ana was a start today. Maybe next year, Gray, at 6-8, can go out and defend a hot three-point shooter like Santa Ana was today. Tunstall isn't great at that but Sanders and Solomon can't either. Having Gray will give us that versatility and sure, he averaged 6ppg as a sophomore at San Diego, kind of like Pusica.

Call me the eternal optimist, which I wish I was. But I think we still can be pretty good next season no matter how horrific we were today. Jordan is a great kid but he's not a good D1 player to be nice. He missed so many freakin' wide open jumpers. I hate to say his loss is a gain, but it is on offense. Defensively he was solid. I hope Betrand becomes a better player but I don't know. Timberlake has the potential but he also has spend an entire summer work in his J. He has to be more aggressive and confidence. If he had the confidence Dottin had, he'd be a stud.  We need another 1 and 2 desperately. Pat knows we need better guard play but not just to feed the bigs as he said. They have got to make open shots and they have got to make the right decision in transition. Howard took a terrible shot today in transition. Dottin never looks to make the extra pass. How is that possible when you aren't a good shooter and then he takes two threes.

Fobbs and Gray are set. Who else? Sanders will probably have to start at center. Solomon has to get bigger and stronger. He at least has potential. I don't know what to make about Charles Thompson. Big and strong but who knows? Need another athletic 4-5 type who can block shots to eventually replace Tunstall but also has some offensive skills. When you put DT and AT on the floor at the same time, you are playing 3 on 5. DT is what he is. A nice player, good rebounder and defender but isn't going to average more than 6-7 ppg. 

I don't know who else might not return but likely 13, maybe another player. I'd love to get a legit grad transfer who can play right away and I don't care what position. Somebody in the media room mentioned a guy like Riller to a bigger program since he's a r-junior. This league is so bad, I'm not so sure he could be a really good point guard at a P5-type of school. Maybe more of a combo

Anyhow, I'm just not going to be gloom and doom despite how we all felt in those lousy 2 hours today. I literally wanted to leave at the half and I felt that way almost the entire PK era save for when Neal played. I can't say I felt like that save for the first year under PS when we knew they had no talent. 

 

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Interesting that he said “we still have a couple of ships. At least.” 

Also interesting when he said, “I’m going to be in the mindset of playing guys I’m going to bring back....” (when talking about the conference tournament, I suppose). 

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33 minutes ago, El Tigre Oro said:

So he’s punting in the CAA tourney to play guys coming back?

He’s not punting. He’s said he’s going to play the younger guys more. It’s really not that big of a deal because he’s starting two freshmen guards so I don’t really know how to take that statement other than maybe Al just sits out due to his injury and he plays Solomon more.

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Mike Rhoades. Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year. And it isn't even close. The Broad Street Bullies are back. Deal with it America.
 
 
A few coaches from the MPSSAA and the Baltimore Catholic contacted then Towson AD Mike Waddell and suggested that he hire Mike Rhoades. We were told "he lacked experience, and we want to go with a proven recruiter. " Rhoades wanted the Towson job. The rest is history. 
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On 3/2/2019 at 6:20 PM, mat1992 said:

Skerry comments after the game

Credit to Elon. We couldn't stop them. Santa Ana looked like Steph Curry out there today. We're very aware they live by the three and they are 7th in the country on percentage of shots they get from 3. We couldn't stop them. We weren't good on offense. Some of that had to do with our mental toughness. We would get down a little bit. We were missing layups. We were bad offensively in the first half. We couldn't stop them. The guy had a triple-double. He just destroyed us. We have to get stops defensively and we couldn't. That's why they took us to the woodshed.

 On how Santa Ana was getting open in first half

I'll have to watch the tape. Were they all open threes? Contested? We lost him a bit cutting. We didn't do a good job extending on stagger actions. He got loose. I thought we were out of position because they started making threes. That's an execution thing, that's a focus thing. We weren't able to do any of those today. The only positive today was that it counts as one. They were really good today. 

 

On play-in game

I'm disappointed in today. I'm more disappointed in the season that we've lost nine games or whatever it is by six or less points. I'd like for the most part that we've guarded, rebounds and had pretty good efforts. I don't think we're good enough yet, potentially we can be if we recruit the right way. We're very well aware that we have to add some perimeter punch and obviously some more skill. They played poorly against Elon after just beating Hofstra (JMU). One of the things I liked about our group up until today was the effort. Tough to lose close games. Today, we got taken to the woodshed. They still stuck 18 threes. Not all us. If we had a couple of guys in the gym by themselves, they couldn't make 18 of 34. 

 

 

1. Then why were we overplaying their bigs and guards driving. They drive to pass.  We ALWAYS help off of the wrong player, and leave the other teams best shooter. 

2. Why have Fobbs on Santa Anna most of the game??!  He's their best player and runs around a lot. Don't want your only offensive threat getting tired like that, especially when we have 3 other players that can defend, Dottin, McNeil, Betrand?????

3. Same old excuses, close games, can't close, yadda yadda yadda. Its old, stop complaining Pat. Everyone has short turn arounds, but we lost both games at home twice this year. Other teams have less depth than us and "being tired and travel" arent their excuses. 

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