Post by iona05 on Aug 29, 2014 23:14:30 GMT -5
Optimist, pessimist, or realist? Happy Labor Day all.
1. The Optimist:
- Casimir: quickly shows that Iona staff has found diamond in the rough and is set at PG position for next four seasons, and that a few vanity inches set him apart from being a BCS recruit.
- English: lives up to the billing as conference POY, generates early NBA buzz, and puts himself in position to join the ranks of Gael legends heading into senior year.
- Amayo: injuries are not a factor, carries chip on his shoulder to show Gael fans that he was well worth the wait, and proves all of those who have seen him in practice and scrimmages whispering "he's the best player on the roster" perfectly right.
- Williams: makes seamless transition from role player to team leader, settles in with aggressiveness and takes over scoring prowess, and his motor and energy are replicated by rest of teammates.
- Laury: highly motivated, in shape, and lives up to full potential finally turning heads and erasing any doubts that he is one of best and most unique big men in the northeast.
- Dublin: body and speed help fill rebounding and transition void for Gaels. Fans ask why he has spent previous three seasons in obscurity at Longwood?
- Hines: no sophomore slump whatsoever, no injuries to worry about, 15-20 quality minutes of effective rebounding and reliable outside shooting, and questions about lack of size to replace DL3 after graduation quickly fade away after seeing his contributions all season long.
- Robinson: injuries are not a factor, clear development and physical maturity shown all year long, reliable shot blocking and rebounding support when needed in certain situations.
- Bebis: hot touch from outside keeps Iona's deadly 3 point shooting tradition going, and sparks continued trend of looking abroad for sleeping giants.
- Muhammad: speed, passing and defensive sparkplug gives Iona flexibility at PG position and constant rotation of fresh legs.
- Ellis: out of the doghouse, and finally earns playing time that fans have been looking for since he was first recruited.
- Staff: anyone who questioned TC and co. in past is silenced, offensive brilliance continues, defensive effort and focus clearly improved, in-game clock and situational management clearly improved. Leads to more wins in close games, and a signature win or two that would have eluded us in previous years. Staff deserves all credit.
- Fans: Hynes packed every night, student section shows up rain or snow to make home court advantage one of most intimidating in NY area despite limitations of facility.
2. The Pessimist:
- Casimir: fan favorite for his giant sized heart, but with his size he just can't get the job done at this level.
- English: solid MAAC level player, but unable to make transition to star as opposing teams game plan around him. Takes mental toll on him and team, and defensive effort is absent to boot.
- Amayo: injuries continue to plague him, sad story but just can't count on him to be in lineup on regular basis.
- Williams: was great as a role player, but ineffective in role as part of the "Big 3". Remains passive and afraid to attack rim.
- Laury: poor foul shooting, physical conditioning and toughness define senior season as Iona fans place him in all too familiar category as what "could have been".
- Dublin: now we know why he has spent previous three seasons in obscurity at Longwood!
- Hines: progress is stunted from frosh to soph years, not a reliable player in the rotation, and injuries continue to be an issue.
- Robinson: unable to stay healthy again, people write off this one time "project" and cut losses for future by looking for alternatives at 4/5 positions.
- Bebis: end of EuroIona project, back to JUCO or BCS transfer market.
- Muhammad: good kid, great attitude, but on the floor shows he wasn't MAAC level player and can't find more than a cup of coffee in regular rotation.
- Ellis: it's only halfway through the season and already looking at D2 transfer openings.
- Staff: why doesn't the staff preach the slightest bit of defense? Why can't we win a close game just once? Why is it always the opponents who get the buzzer beaters and not the other way around? Have we ever beaten a team that we shouldn't have?
- Fans: student support is paltry save for rivalry game or TV game here or there, season ticket side remains empty save for same folks who fear that showing emotion, standing or clapping for home team will lead to removal of names on chairbacks.
3. The Realist (Somewhere in Between):
- Casimir: shows tons of potential and gives fans reason for hope in the future, but remains a project. Incredibly undersized and inexperienced. Expectations on ice for another year or two.
- English: star MAAC player, lives up to POY hype, reliable 20+ PPG scorer, although a few question marks remain when it comes to leadership and ability to make teammates better.
- Amayo: health not an issue, solidifies himself as regular starting 5 contributor and matchup nightmare for MAAC teams, however has some difficulty getting rid of rust that remains from not playing in a few seasons.
- Williams: makes power move from role player to leader, hands down All-MAAC, but still would like to see more aggressiveness and comfort with slashing. Leaves lots of hope for fans heading into senior year.
- Laury: repeat of last season, shows glimpses of greatness and matchup problems, but conditioning and silly mistakes hinder him from reaching true potential. Also is not utilized as effectively as possible in lineup with continuation of PG experiment from last year.
- Dublin: contributes in spurts, but not on consistent basis, and leaves debate wide open on whether or not it's worth it to continue recruiting one year rental players.
- Hines: solid production as sophomore, reliable 15 MPG player with terrific attitude and hustle, but seems like he'll be 4-year role player and not a star.
- Robinson: still raw, but shows value all season long with match-up problems and ability to be used in certain situations when bodies are needed.
- Bebis: doesn't get much chance to display skills in game situations, shows glimpses in practice. Jury out for another season.
- Muhammad: great energy and defensive effort, solid fundamentals give staff confidence to use him in situations when turnovers need to be reduced, but not going to get much more than that out of him, and scoring inability cuts into playing time.
- Ellis: progress shown from last season, upgrade from non-factor to role player. Reason to hope for his upperclassman years.
- Staff: continued improvement from last year, exciting brand of basketball continues, but so does inability to defend in big spots.
- Fans: student support is spotty, terrific in rivalry and TV games but light otherwise, winning brand of basketball and upgrades in facility bring better attendance numbers, but fan support remains subpar overall. Chicken and egg conversation about what comes first, new arena or more fans, continues into offseason for 25th consecutive year.
1. The Optimist:
- Casimir: quickly shows that Iona staff has found diamond in the rough and is set at PG position for next four seasons, and that a few vanity inches set him apart from being a BCS recruit.
- English: lives up to the billing as conference POY, generates early NBA buzz, and puts himself in position to join the ranks of Gael legends heading into senior year.
- Amayo: injuries are not a factor, carries chip on his shoulder to show Gael fans that he was well worth the wait, and proves all of those who have seen him in practice and scrimmages whispering "he's the best player on the roster" perfectly right.
- Williams: makes seamless transition from role player to team leader, settles in with aggressiveness and takes over scoring prowess, and his motor and energy are replicated by rest of teammates.
- Laury: highly motivated, in shape, and lives up to full potential finally turning heads and erasing any doubts that he is one of best and most unique big men in the northeast.
- Dublin: body and speed help fill rebounding and transition void for Gaels. Fans ask why he has spent previous three seasons in obscurity at Longwood?
- Hines: no sophomore slump whatsoever, no injuries to worry about, 15-20 quality minutes of effective rebounding and reliable outside shooting, and questions about lack of size to replace DL3 after graduation quickly fade away after seeing his contributions all season long.
- Robinson: injuries are not a factor, clear development and physical maturity shown all year long, reliable shot blocking and rebounding support when needed in certain situations.
- Bebis: hot touch from outside keeps Iona's deadly 3 point shooting tradition going, and sparks continued trend of looking abroad for sleeping giants.
- Muhammad: speed, passing and defensive sparkplug gives Iona flexibility at PG position and constant rotation of fresh legs.
- Ellis: out of the doghouse, and finally earns playing time that fans have been looking for since he was first recruited.
- Staff: anyone who questioned TC and co. in past is silenced, offensive brilliance continues, defensive effort and focus clearly improved, in-game clock and situational management clearly improved. Leads to more wins in close games, and a signature win or two that would have eluded us in previous years. Staff deserves all credit.
- Fans: Hynes packed every night, student section shows up rain or snow to make home court advantage one of most intimidating in NY area despite limitations of facility.
2. The Pessimist:
- Casimir: fan favorite for his giant sized heart, but with his size he just can't get the job done at this level.
- English: solid MAAC level player, but unable to make transition to star as opposing teams game plan around him. Takes mental toll on him and team, and defensive effort is absent to boot.
- Amayo: injuries continue to plague him, sad story but just can't count on him to be in lineup on regular basis.
- Williams: was great as a role player, but ineffective in role as part of the "Big 3". Remains passive and afraid to attack rim.
- Laury: poor foul shooting, physical conditioning and toughness define senior season as Iona fans place him in all too familiar category as what "could have been".
- Dublin: now we know why he has spent previous three seasons in obscurity at Longwood!
- Hines: progress is stunted from frosh to soph years, not a reliable player in the rotation, and injuries continue to be an issue.
- Robinson: unable to stay healthy again, people write off this one time "project" and cut losses for future by looking for alternatives at 4/5 positions.
- Bebis: end of EuroIona project, back to JUCO or BCS transfer market.
- Muhammad: good kid, great attitude, but on the floor shows he wasn't MAAC level player and can't find more than a cup of coffee in regular rotation.
- Ellis: it's only halfway through the season and already looking at D2 transfer openings.
- Staff: why doesn't the staff preach the slightest bit of defense? Why can't we win a close game just once? Why is it always the opponents who get the buzzer beaters and not the other way around? Have we ever beaten a team that we shouldn't have?
- Fans: student support is paltry save for rivalry game or TV game here or there, season ticket side remains empty save for same folks who fear that showing emotion, standing or clapping for home team will lead to removal of names on chairbacks.
3. The Realist (Somewhere in Between):
- Casimir: shows tons of potential and gives fans reason for hope in the future, but remains a project. Incredibly undersized and inexperienced. Expectations on ice for another year or two.
- English: star MAAC player, lives up to POY hype, reliable 20+ PPG scorer, although a few question marks remain when it comes to leadership and ability to make teammates better.
- Amayo: health not an issue, solidifies himself as regular starting 5 contributor and matchup nightmare for MAAC teams, however has some difficulty getting rid of rust that remains from not playing in a few seasons.
- Williams: makes power move from role player to leader, hands down All-MAAC, but still would like to see more aggressiveness and comfort with slashing. Leaves lots of hope for fans heading into senior year.
- Laury: repeat of last season, shows glimpses of greatness and matchup problems, but conditioning and silly mistakes hinder him from reaching true potential. Also is not utilized as effectively as possible in lineup with continuation of PG experiment from last year.
- Dublin: contributes in spurts, but not on consistent basis, and leaves debate wide open on whether or not it's worth it to continue recruiting one year rental players.
- Hines: solid production as sophomore, reliable 15 MPG player with terrific attitude and hustle, but seems like he'll be 4-year role player and not a star.
- Robinson: still raw, but shows value all season long with match-up problems and ability to be used in certain situations when bodies are needed.
- Bebis: doesn't get much chance to display skills in game situations, shows glimpses in practice. Jury out for another season.
- Muhammad: great energy and defensive effort, solid fundamentals give staff confidence to use him in situations when turnovers need to be reduced, but not going to get much more than that out of him, and scoring inability cuts into playing time.
- Ellis: progress shown from last season, upgrade from non-factor to role player. Reason to hope for his upperclassman years.
- Staff: continued improvement from last year, exciting brand of basketball continues, but so does inability to defend in big spots.
- Fans: student support is spotty, terrific in rivalry and TV games but light otherwise, winning brand of basketball and upgrades in facility bring better attendance numbers, but fan support remains subpar overall. Chicken and egg conversation about what comes first, new arena or more fans, continues into offseason for 25th consecutive year.