Post by St. Louis Gael on Nov 10, 2019 12:06:42 GMT -5
It seems to be a rite of Iona basketball opening day passage – “what do I do with this big orange people keep throwing to me?” And we saw it again yesterday. Our opponent started a young team albeit on its home floor. That team came ready to play. Iona, on the other hand, started four holdovers from last year’s NCAA team. During the first half, Iona looked like they all had just met in the locker room. And probably due to Coach's absence, that's how many of them felt. As the half progressed, we got tighter and tighter to the point that this talented group, other than Agee, could barely hit the rim.
To me the missing factor on the floor was the McGill presence – the straw. The good news is I think we have it in IW, although you would not know it in the first half. In the second half, IW began to realize that he has to be the PG on this team, he has to be the straw. That game tying shot aside, IW has to create the flow, the ball movement that forces teh D to collapse, and sets up open looks for this talented group.
Iona was missing two leaders yesterday – “McGill” and Cluess. I wish the latter well in returning to health. I think the former got the message yesterday in the second half. Going forward, my measure of IW’s success in order is turnovers, assists, steals, turnovers, assists, FT%, FG%, and PPG.
FWIW, some thoughts 1- Our coach not there obviously hurt 2-5 players in their 1st Iona game 3- 8-40 from three,inexcusable and really bad,I don’t think we’ll shoot this bad the rest of the year 4-Tough road crowd,we had few fans there 5-Amazing we even got to overtime 6-No defense or intensity at all in 1st half,totally opposite in 2nd half 6-IW only 4 assists,would have had many more if we hit just a small amount of our open looks,as good a rebounding guard we’ve had in quite awhile 7-Agee tough as nails,should have his way come MAAC play 9-We will improve off this subpar effort immediately
We beat a good Ohio team in our 1st game at renovated Hynes!! 8-
Yep, we had a shitty first half and everyone except Agee should forget about it.
We played exponentially better in the second half and everyone should use that second half to remind themselves that the Iona Gaels are never out of a ballgame and never give up. Iona showed a lot of talent and a lot to build on for the rest of the season in yesterday’s second half.
TC’s teams usually start slow but he always has the Gaels playing their best when it counts. I’m thinking that they will be playing up to their potential earlier than last season. Keep the faith!
ok only one game rough game from EJ but i expected so much more from this team and the new people we brought in here. Thiam and Van Eych look to be a long way from contributing. I also expected big things from A.J. McNeil? Was he hurt? Perez in 2nd year played almost the entire game is a high effort guy but seems to be better suited as a role player. Looks to me that high level division one basketball moves to fast for him. On the bright side IW can create, consistency on jumper could make him shine here. i can see why he was a highly regarded high school player. The other newbie that pleasantly surprised me was Ross, despite a few of his shots not dropping this guy is ready to contribute immediately and what i saw at a quality level.
The stats do not show how bad Crawford played.. probably his worst game as a Gael. Shot selection was awful but we know how good he is. Perez hits half of his wide open looks this game is in the win column. Kudos to Agee ..he has a shot at Maac POY.
Finally watched the game last night, and my thoughts aren't wildly different than what I posted the other day after reviewing the box: just a really rough offensive game on the whole, but the defense was good, and this game would have been a win had we had Cluess the past two weeks and on the bench Saturday.
Couple other things after watching the game:
The big difference in the offense from the first half to the second (though we still missed a ton of shots in the second) was less one-on-one and more team basketball. Quite a few players were guilty of this. In the second half, the inside-out game created by Washington made a difference; his penetration damaged the integrity of their defense and provided open opportunities that generally just didn't fall. I am hopeful Iona just needed a game to figure out some of this stuff and they'll be fine from here on. The shots will fall. And speaking of which, we definitely need to be an inside-out team, because I am not certain this roster is full of great shooters--but we'll shoot well when they are spotted up and given space. We have a lot of good ballhandlers--go to the basket and get to the line, and that will open up the perimeter.
As I said, the D was outstanding, particularly in the second half and OT. It wasn't bad in the first half either despite 50% allowed--a lot of the baskets in the first half came in transition, off turnovers, etc. Our halfcourt defense in the first half wasn't bad.
Certainly not "blaming" Arnold, who's been but into a pressure-filled spot. The halftime adjustments were spot on, so he deserves credit there. The only gripe I have is that the substitution patterns were a bit unclear to me. I agree with sticking with the guys who are playing well during a run, this is a Cluess trait and Arnold has already learned it. Perez and Ross are both intangibles guys who defend well, but Perez just couldn't get the ball into the basket even from the line and I think he may have been out there a bit too long. I realize in OT there were fewer choices after Jelly fouled out but I feel like we did not see enough of Gist down the stretch and in OT. And speaking of OT, agree with the comment others made--Agee has to get the ball more, as he was clearly our best player on that day.
Hoping this also ends the commentary about how our second five can finish mid-pack in the MAAC. McNeil and Cashaw aren't even getting off the bench and Thiam, Van Eyck and Risto didn't do too well in their limited minutes. We'll need more players to step up other than Ross.
Guy, your comments about our substitution patterns was a big reason why I think Coach Arnold needs help on the bench, if TC won't be back soon.
It was his first game, a season opener (rather than, say, a random game in January), it went to OT, and nobody on the roster could make a perimeter shot. I'll give him a pass. And the time and respect to learn.
The greatest poster in the history of the MAAC as determined by THREE separate polls.
Finally watched the game last night, and my thoughts aren't wildly different than what I posted the other day after reviewing the box: just a really rough offensive game on the whole, but the defense was good, and this game would have been a win had we had Cluess the past two weeks and on the bench Saturday.
Couple other things after watching the game:
The big difference in the offense from the first half to the second (though we still missed a ton of shots in the second) was less one-on-one and more team basketball. Quite a few players were guilty of this. In the second half, the inside-out game created by Washington made a difference; his penetration damaged the integrity of their defense and provided open opportunities that generally just didn't fall. I am hopeful Iona just needed a game to figure out some of this stuff and they'll be fine from here on. The shots will fall. And speaking of which, we definitely need to be an inside-out team, because I am not certain this roster is full of great shooters--but we'll shoot well when they are spotted up and given space. We have a lot of good ballhandlers--go to the basket and get to the line, and that will open up the perimeter.
As I said, the D was outstanding, particularly in the second half and OT. It wasn't bad in the first half either despite 50% allowed--a lot of the baskets in the first half came in transition, off turnovers, etc. Our halfcourt defense in the first half wasn't bad.
Certainly not "blaming" Arnold, who's been but into a pressure-filled spot. The halftime adjustments were spot on, so he deserves credit there. The only gripe I have is that the substitution patterns were a bit unclear to me. I agree with sticking with the guys who are playing well during a run, this is a Cluess trait and Arnold has already learned it. Perez and Ross are both intangibles guys who defend well, but Perez just couldn't get the ball into the basket even from the line and I think he may have been out there a bit too long. I realize in OT there were fewer choices after Jelly fouled out but I feel like we did not see enough of Gist down the stretch and in OT. And speaking of OT, agree with the comment others made--Agee has to get the ball more, as he was clearly our best player on that day.
Hoping this also ends the commentary about how our second five can finish mid-pack in the MAAC. McNeil and Cashaw aren't even getting off the bench and Thiam, Van Eyck and Risto didn't do too well in their limited minutes. We'll need more players to step up other than Ross.
Good post.
McNeil was injured and unavailable for the game.
Cashaw should have seen the floor IMO.
Not willing to write off Van Eyck or Risto after one game. Still think they are just as good as many mid-pack MAAC starters.
Finally watched the game last night, and my thoughts aren't wildly different than what I posted the other day after reviewing the box: just a really rough offensive game on the whole, but the defense was good, and this game would have been a win had we had Cluess the past two weeks and on the bench Saturday.
Couple other things after watching the game:
The big difference in the offense from the first half to the second (though we still missed a ton of shots in the second) was less one-on-one and more team basketball. Quite a few players were guilty of this. In the second half, the inside-out game created by Washington made a difference; his penetration damaged the integrity of their defense and provided open opportunities that generally just didn't fall. I am hopeful Iona just needed a game to figure out some of this stuff and they'll be fine from here on. The shots will fall. And speaking of which, we definitely need to be an inside-out team, because I am not certain this roster is full of great shooters--but we'll shoot well when they are spotted up and given space. We have a lot of good ballhandlers--go to the basket and get to the line, and that will open up the perimeter.
As I said, the D was outstanding, particularly in the second half and OT. It wasn't bad in the first half either despite 50% allowed--a lot of the baskets in the first half came in transition, off turnovers, etc. Our halfcourt defense in the first half wasn't bad.
Certainly not "blaming" Arnold, who's been but into a pressure-filled spot. The halftime adjustments were spot on, so he deserves credit there. The only gripe I have is that the substitution patterns were a bit unclear to me. I agree with sticking with the guys who are playing well during a run, this is a Cluess trait and Arnold has already learned it. Perez and Ross are both intangibles guys who defend well, but Perez just couldn't get the ball into the basket even from the line and I think he may have been out there a bit too long. I realize in OT there were fewer choices after Jelly fouled out but I feel like we did not see enough of Gist down the stretch and in OT. And speaking of OT, agree with the comment others made--Agee has to get the ball more, as he was clearly our best player on that day.
Hoping this also ends the commentary about how our second five can finish mid-pack in the MAAC. McNeil and Cashaw aren't even getting off the bench and Thiam, Van Eyck and Risto didn't do too well in their limited minutes. We'll need more players to step up other than Ross.
Good post.
McNeil was injured and unavailable for the game.
Cashaw should have seen the floor IMO.
Not willing to write off Van Eyck or Risto after one game. Still think they are just as good as many mid-pack MAAC starters.
Thanks--didn't know McNeil was injured.
Not writing off anyone, but I think you're overrating them a bit.
The greatest poster in the history of the MAAC as determined by THREE separate polls.
Finally watched the game last night, and my thoughts aren't wildly different than what I posted the other day after reviewing the box: just a really rough offensive game on the whole, but the defense was good, and this game would have been a win had we had Cluess the past two weeks and on the bench Saturday.
Couple other things after watching the game:
The big difference in the offense from the first half to the second (though we still missed a ton of shots in the second) was less one-on-one and more team basketball. Quite a few players were guilty of this. In the second half, the inside-out game created by Washington made a difference; his penetration damaged the integrity of their defense and provided open opportunities that generally just didn't fall. I am hopeful Iona just needed a game to figure out some of this stuff and they'll be fine from here on. The shots will fall. And speaking of which, we definitely need to be an inside-out team, because I am not certain this roster is full of great shooters--but we'll shoot well when they are spotted up and given space. We have a lot of good ballhandlers--go to the basket and get to the line, and that will open up the perimeter.
As I said, the D was outstanding, particularly in the second half and OT. It wasn't bad in the first half either despite 50% allowed--a lot of the baskets in the first half came in transition, off turnovers, etc. Our halfcourt defense in the first half wasn't bad.
Certainly not "blaming" Arnold, who's been but into a pressure-filled spot. The halftime adjustments were spot on, so he deserves credit there. The only gripe I have is that the substitution patterns were a bit unclear to me. I agree with sticking with the guys who are playing well during a run, this is a Cluess trait and Arnold has already learned it. Perez and Ross are both intangibles guys who defend well, but Perez just couldn't get the ball into the basket even from the line and I think he may have been out there a bit too long. I realize in OT there were fewer choices after Jelly fouled out but I feel like we did not see enough of Gist down the stretch and in OT. And speaking of OT, agree with the comment others made--Agee has to get the ball more, as he was clearly our best player on that day.
Hoping this also ends the commentary about how our second five can finish mid-pack in the MAAC. McNeil and Cashaw aren't even getting off the bench and Thiam, Van Eyck and Risto didn't do too well in their limited minutes. We'll need more players to step up other than Ross.
I don’t believe there were many substitutions at all in the second half. Thiam didn’t see the floor and Risto made a cameo appearance when one of our players fouled out.
I think fatigue played a significant role, as we saw in OT.
Post by jerseygael on Nov 11, 2019 14:32:04 GMT -5
Just saw the box score from the LaSalle game and I didn't realize that EJ played 44 minutes out of a 45 minute contest. Don't know how he was standing at the end of the game. Hopefully he gets a couple of more minutes rest in the Ohio game.
Also didn't realize that besides his 21 points and 9 rebounds Agee had 5 blocks and 2 steals...incredible..
I saw on the MAAC board that a couple of Siena posters stated the Burns will be the best big man in the MAAC off of his performances in his first two games...don't think Mr. Agee would agree
Just saw the box score from the LaSalle game and I didn't realize that EJ played 44 minutes out of a 45 minute contest. Don't know how he was standing at the end of the game. Hopefully he gets a couple of more minutes rest in the Ohio game.
Also didn't realize that besides his 21 points and 9 rebounds Agee had 5 blocks and 2 steals...incredible..
I saw on the MAAC board that a couple of Siena posters stated the Burns will be the best big man in the MAAC off of his performances in his first two games...don't think Mr. Agee would agree