Coaching staff now has some time to implement changes in practices. Players get chance to understand adjusted roles. Kelvin will need to understand the need to play a little more in control to stay on floor and slow down on free throws. Bebis and Dublin will have to find ways to be productive offensively. Mohammed will have to refind confidence handling the ball. Hines and Casimir need to raise energy level and take advantage when open shots are available. Work in progress and patience needed. Be prepared for uneven performances until everyone adjusts and rotations set. Hoping for the best.
And when all of that happens, we will all be Billonaires.
Don't believe that Hines and Casimir have to step up their three point shooting. Only CC, as Ryden can't get his shot off quickly enough. While he can hit the wide open three, in order to be effective he has to get his shot off quicker. If CC, as some have suggested is to end his career with 2K+ points, he must demand and shoot the ball more, A lot more, while IW is out.
I have ignored a couple of your 2M point comments but this time I am defending myself. All Sed has to do is average 10 this year, 15 next and 20 his jnr and snr and he will reach 2,000 barring any missed time. Therefore he is ahead of schedule, but yes I agree he needs to step up while IW is gone but also the team needs to get him the ball more. At the end of the game yesterday he was wide open for 3 but AJ didn't get it to him.
Speaking of AJ he also may reach 2,000, will be very close but I believe barring no injury he will just make it and end up our third or possibly second leading all time scorer.
Coaching staff now has some time to implement changes in practices. Players get chance to understand adjusted roles. Kelvin will need to understand the need to play a little more in control to stay on floor and slow down on free throws. Bebis and Dublin will have to find ways to be productive offensively. Mohammed will have to refind confidence handling the ball. Hines and Casimir need to raise energy level and take advantage when open shots are available. Work in progress and patience needed. Be prepared for uneven performances until everyone adjusts and rotations set. Hoping for the best.
Coaching staff now has some time to implement changes in practices. Players get chance to understand adjusted roles. Kelvin will need to understand the need to play a little more in control to stay on floor and slow down on free throws. Bebis and Dublin will have to find ways to be productive offensively. Mohammed will have to refind confidence handling the ball. Hines and Casimir need to raise energy level and take advantage when open shots are available. Work in progress and patience needed. Be prepared for uneven performances until everyone adjusts and rotations set. Hoping for the best.
Good post
Yes great. Let's try to get the walk-on to fly as well.
chelseadal, better email Coach Cluess and let him know any adjustments are wishful thinking and not to bother. Really. I am sensing "Chicken Little Syndrome". I guess it better to lower expectations as it lessens the disappointment if things do not go well. Is the glass half full? half empty? or spilled on the floor? Your choice. Mine is half full and that we see efforts by Coaches and players to find ways to win games. Sorry to see that hopes have been dashed by Isaiah's injury. I hope for the team's sake that their hopes are still high and I am trying to convey that optimism versus doubt. Again, best wishes on a speedy recovery for Isaiah and GO GAELS!
chelseadal, better email Coach Cluess and let him know any adjustments are wishful thinking and not to bother. Really. I am sensing "Chicken Little Syndrome". I guess it better to lower expectations as it lessens the disappointment if things do not go well. Is the glass half full? half empty? or spilled on the floor? Your choice. Mine is half full and that we see efforts by Coaches and players to find ways to win games. Sorry to see that hopes have been dashed by Isaiah's injury. I hope for the team's sake that their hopes are still high and I am trying to convey that optimism versus doubt. Again, best wishes on a speedy recovery for Isaiah and GO GAELS!
You laid out what needs to happen. I understand that. Guys will improve. However, you nor I have any idea what some of the subs can achieve because we haven't seen enough of them. Coach Cluess hasn't played them much either. Probably a good reason for that as well. We are still a good team, but very hard to put your faith in guys to contribute in a big way that have hardly ever played this year. As an aside, if you don't mind me asking, what level did you coach? College, High School, AAU, Church League, ?
Chelseadal, you are correct that we have no idea who will respond positively to the opportunity of more playing time and the reality is that bench players are bench players for a reason, but at the same time this is Division 1 basketball and all the players have some skill set and athleticism. And we as fans can speculate. As stated I am hoping for the best based on Coach Cluess' track record and faith in these players. To answer your query I coached boys at the high school varsity and Town recreation level here in New Hampshire.
Amayo, at least vs Canisius, showed that he can replace IW in terms of points and overall defense, but not so much on the perimeter and rebounding, and he is also lower on the hoops IQ scale. But if he were as good as IW, he'd be starting. Gotta live with him there in general.
Casimir has been streaky as all frosh are prone to be. I thought he wussed out in the first half vs Canisius, but manned up in the second. His shot won't always fall but we still need him to put them up. In addition, though he's going to get his shot blocked, I want him driving to the basket because of the potential to draw fouls, as he has been tremendous from the line. So, I don't need him to "change", other than being a bit more aggressive. He has one less player to defer to without IW there.
Hines has shown flashes of what we need him to be. I don't want him chucking, but I agree with those who have said he should shoot more. Let's face it, the biggest difference between IW and Amayo is IW's ability to shoot the 3--which keeps defenses extended even when we go to the basket. With even just 1 less shooter out there, it makes it easier for defenses to lay off anyone not named English or Casimir on the perimeter. Amayo isn't going to make them--but Hines can. Again--not chucking, but being just a bit more aggressive and putting it up a bit more. On the glass, he's been uneven, but so has everyone else. He's been a nice addition on the glass since stepping in--no complaints there.
Ibn, Dublin and Bebis haven't brought enough statistically to warrant being out there more. None of them draw defensive attention, though Bebis has the most potential to. And if you score, Cluess will play you.
The walk-on brought great energy and as a bigger player is a suitable backup for either Hines or Laury when one of them is sitting. But, he's not much of a scoring threat, and as I noted, if you don't score, you don't play much for Tim.
Canisius will likely finish in the top 4 of the MAAC. Given that, and that we were on the road, and the fact that it was only our second game without IW, I was not unhappy with yesterday's performance. I still think we're going undefeated at home, and I see only 2 other potential losses on the road--Rider and Manhattan. And both are still certainly winnable. Admittedly my 17-3 prediction is in danger with no IW, but I'm sticking with it. If we fall well short of that prediction, I may hold off on purchasing my NCAA tickets.
One thing that has not been mentioned lately but we must keep on our radar is January 28, which is the impending court date for Laury if I am not mistaken. If we were to lose Laury on top of the IW injury, it's gonna be difficult to even get out of the quarters in Albany.
The greatest poster in the history of the MAAC as determined by THREE separate polls.
One thing that has not been mentioned lately but we must keep on our radar is January 28, which is the impending court date for Laury if I am not mistaken. If we were to lose Laury on top of the IW injury, it's gonna be difficult to even get out of the quarters in Albany.
Oh god no, Guy you may have to suit up.
As for IW, Zagoria reporting he is expected back after 4 weeks, and if so that would be the at Manhattan game on Feb 13th. That sounds optimistic to me.
One thing that has not been mentioned lately but we must keep on our radar is January 28, which is the impending court date for Laury if I am not mistaken. If we were to lose Laury on top of the IW injury, it's gonna be difficult to even get out of the quarters in Albany.
Don't attach too much significance to January 28th. Adjournments are very easy to obtain.
Chelseadal, you are correct that we have no idea who will respond positively to the opportunity of more playing time and the reality is that bench players are bench players for a reason, but at the same time this is Division 1 basketball and all the players have some skill set and athleticism. And we as fans can speculate. As stated I am hoping for the best based on Coach Cluess' track record and faith in these players. To answer your query I coached boys at the high school varsity and Town recreation level here in New Hampshire.
Thank you Husker! You are correct also in that we are all free to speculate and hope for the best. We all have the same goal for the Gaels.
Yes great. Let's try to get the walk-on to fly as well.
I was impressed with the walk on's energy, footwork, box out and rebounding ability yesterday. How many guys on our team could flash out and block that corner shot like Kristen did? Perhaps IW, but that's about it.
If IW is out for 4-6 weeks, I would like to see Kristen get some playing time. Heck, his energy and aggressive play may rub off on the rest of the team. Also, we cannot continue to give a team 2 or 3 shots each possession and we may benefit by his contribution.