The Official “Regular Posters of the Basketball Forum” Thread

[VolGee4]

Forget what? He started 58 games here for a reason. He’s averaging 18.8 points & 8.8 rebounds per game so far this season, our fanbase was always too critical of his play here because everyone wanted him to be Grant.

You can’t take what he’s averaging right now. It’s funny you are clamoring for him after what people have said on this board.

 

[MoCo_Vol]

You can’t take what he’s averaging right now. It’s funny you are clamoring for him after what people have said on this board.

Talk about reading too much into things. I see you’re looking for an argument, not in the mood though.

I don’t care what people say on this board, I watch the games and form my own opinions.

 

[Vol49er]

Forget what? He started 58 games here for a reason. He’s averaging 18.8 points & 8.8 rebounds per game so far this season, our fanbase was always too critical of his play here because everyone wanted him to be Grant.

Michigan has played UNC Asheville, Youngstown State, St. John’s, Long Beach State (who they lost to!), and Memphis. Our third hardest game so far would be the hardest on their schedule. Maybe our fourth hardest would be. The whole thing is that ON would dominate sucky schools and would disappear in tough games like JJJ’s detractors say he does but at least Josiah contributes in other ways when he’s not scoring. Can’t say the same for ON.

 

[Kas232323]

I just hate that Edey is allowed to forearm guys and displace them under the rim the way he is. Awaka’s 5th foul was basically him doing the same thing.

If it’s a foul on one side it needs to be on the other side. He’s already got the advantage of free over the backs because of his size & reach, why allow him to also get away with the forearm for displacement?

Awaka’s 5th foul was the worst call of the night. The offensive player put his shoulder into Awaka to feel where he was….no foul on anyone and the ref blows his whistle. Every post move starts with that shoulder to the chest…. Awaka was starting to have a real impact during that part of the game as well.

 

[MoCo_Vol]

Michigan has played UNC Asheville, Youngstown State, St. John’s, Long Beach State (who they lost to!), and Memphis. Our third hardest game so far would be the hardest on their schedule. Maybe our fourth hardest would be. The whole thing is that ON would dominate sucky schools and would disappear in tough games like JJJ’s detractors say he does but at least Josiah contributes in other ways when he’s not scoring. Can’t say the same for ON.

Both have been inconsistent. My point was just that we have Aidoo and Awaka and then two true freshmen Barnes doesn’t trust yet. ON would have been a 3rd experienced big here might have helped in the last two games more than JJJ, all I was saying/wondering.

 

[VolGee4]

Talk about reading too much into things. I see you’re looking for an argument, not in the mood though.

I don’t care what people say on this board, I watch the games and form my own opinions.

I’m not looking for anything. It’s just ironic that you mentioned him because this board was hard on him just as much as JJJ. He was so inconsistent. Better offensive player than defensive. Estrella will be good, IMO.

 

[MoCo_Vol]

I’m not looking for anything. It’s just ironic that you mentioned him because this board was hard on him just as much as JJJ. He was so inconsistent. Better offensive player than defensive. Estrella will be good, IMO.

I don’t give a **** what this board thinks, the vast majority of the mouth breathers bashing our players are miserable idiots.

Hell most were ready to write off Santi until he went off today. We needed an inside scoring threat the last two games to put pressure on Edey & Hunter so they couldn’t camp for rebounds.

I’m hoping one of Aidoo, Awaka, or JP start giving us 8-10 points a night consistently.

 

[DuckInAPen]

Maybe this is a dumb opinion on my part, but I truly believe twenty years of disastrous football broke some people in this fanbase . Some of them are now happiest when they have something to be miserable about.

I don't know. I remember a fan calling Manning a structure of the female anatomy when he stepped out of bounds after getting a first down against East Carolina. I remember other fans loudly (and drunkenly) calling for an undefeated Fulmer's firing back in '98. It seems the Legions of the Miserable have always been with us, but now they get to start their own threads on VN.

I do think your hypothesis has some merit, though. Some fans, it seems, have come to prefer the drama of a coaching search to the growing pains of a rebuilding year.

 

[MoCo_Vol]

I love Rick Barnes & the culture he’s created. I actually prefer his teams to Pearl’s too.

I just want to see March success, same as everyone else here that’s a regular. I get annoyed by the fair weather fans that only show up to be miserable.

What I saw in Maui is that we belong in the conversation for being a top 10 team. And if we can stay healthy the more minutes playing together the better we’ll get.

 

[VolGee4]

I don’t give a **** what this board thinks, the vast majority of the mouth breathers bashing our players are miserable idiots.

Hell most were ready to write off Santi until he went off today. We needed an inside scoring threat the last two games to put pressure on Edey & Hunter so they couldn’t camp for rebounds.

I’m hoping one of Aidoo, Awaka, or JP start giving us 8-10 points a night consistently.

Aidoo had 8 and 11 today and a double double against Syracuse. He got into foul trouble against Edey. I think he will.

 

[Vol49er]

Both have been inconsistent. My point was just that we have Aidoo and Awaka and then two true freshmen Barnes doesn’t trust yet. ON would have been a 3rd experienced big here might have helped in the last two games more than JJJ, all I was saying/wondering.

Interestingly it seemed like we were gonna be able to squeeze one more scholarship player onto the team (Ledlum), so it might not have needed to be an either/or. Maybe ON was looking to be the guy this year. Maybe he decided Knoxville was too hot. Who knows

 

[MoCo_Vol]

Aidoo had 8 and 11 today and a double double against Syracuse. He got into foul trouble against Edey. I think he will.

He was also ill going into Syracuse. Still has lots of room to grow as a player, I have hope DK has a big influence on these guys.

He seems to have the exact mindset you want in a star.

 

[MoCo_Vol]

Interestingly it seemed like we were gonna be able to squeeze one more scholarship player onto the team (Ledlum), so it might not have needed to be an either/or. Maybe ON was looking to be the guy this year. Maybe he decided Knoxville was too hot. Who knows

Who knows, I never really felt like ON really bought into Barnes’ philosophy or style of coaching.

ON with Santi or JJJ’s buy in would have been All-SEC once or twice here.

 

[Vol49er]

FWIW (which is nothing), SDSU finished 4th in the Maui Invitational last year and of course made the championship

 

[vol_in_ga]

Not a fan of how small our roster is. Thoughts?

 

[TheMookieMonster]

Not a fan of how small our roster is. Thoughts?

We’re not huge, but our roster isn’t as small as Maui made us look. We faced a 7’2” and 2 7’4” players in 3 games. We aren’t going to see that much size the rest of the year.

 

[knoxvol52]

Aidoo is adequate size,as well as Estrella.....
Awaka plays bigger than he really is....

Those two guys we were against in Maui are far and few....the only other one that is even close is the guy from UCONN.....Donovan Klingman...

Happy Thanksgiving BTW....

 

[vol_in_ga]

We’re not huge, but our roster isn’t as small as Maui made us look. We faced a 7’2” and 2 7’4” players in 3 games. We aren’t going to see that much size the rest of the year.

Not necessarily true. Uk and Mizzou both have 3 7 footers on roster. Haven’t looked at every sec team but think it’s fair to say we will measure up smaller against a large majority of teams if they choose to go big in their lineup.

 

[TheMookieMonster]

Not necessarily true. Uk and Mizzou both have 3 7 footers on roster. Haven’t looked at every sec team but think it’s fair to say we will measure up smaller against a large majority of teams if they choose to go big in their lineup.

So you picked out 2 of the 14 teams in the SEC? Like I said, I’m not saying we’re a team whose size is its strength, but we’ve faced the two best big men in the country and don’t think we’ll face any thing close to the combination of size and talent that Kansas and Purdue had the rest of the year.

Doesn’t mean I don’t think we need to rebound better though. We do.

 

[walkenvol]

I agree. That and getting a taste of winning basketball with Pearl had turned some into this "win all games or else" monster and if we don't then it's time to trash everything. Football, basketball, baseball, women's basketball, softball....everything is all or nothing.

 

[TrippieRedd]

That Gaines kid that plays for UAB has a DIFFERENT level of athleticism. Holy ****

 

[vol_in_ga]

So you picked out 2 of the 14 teams in the SEC? Like I said, I’m not saying we’re a team whose size is its strength, but we’ve faced the two best big men in the country and don’t think we’ll face any thing close to the combination of size and talent that Kansas and Purdue had the rest of the year.

Doesn’t mean I don’t think we need to rebound better though. We do.

Well since you insist that I go as far as to look at all the teams we’ll play: in addition to uk and mizzou, ole miss, miss st, uga, Florida, bama, lsu, Arkansas all bigger lineups than us. So, I wasn’t wrong.

Not saying size equates to outcome, obviously we have a better coach than the majority of teams we’ll play. Also, those bigger players in their lineups might not be starters. Just saying personally don’t like small ball lineups and find their production to be more inconsistent and less dependable than those that can trot out big dudes and live in the paint and from the charity stripe.

I do think there’s merit to your point that Edey and Dickinson are two of the best big men in the game. So maybe we look better against less talented big men. I am concerned about it though. If I were an opposing coach, I’d go big, out rebound us, get us in foul trouble, and take my chances against us having a big day from downtown. Shooting <35% from 3 as a small ball team will not yield great results.

 

[TheMookieMonster]

Well since you insist that I go as far as to look at all the teams we’ll play: in addition to uk and mizzou, ole miss, miss st, uga, Florida, bama, lsu, Arkansas all bigger lineups than us. So, I wasn’t wrong.

Not saying size equates to outcome, obviously we have a better coach than the majority of teams we’ll play. Also, those bigger players in their lineups might not be starters. Just saying personally don’t like small ball lineups and find their production to be more inconsistent and less dependable than those that can trot out big dudes and live in the paint and from the charity stripe.

I do think there’s merit to your point that Edey and Dickinson are two of the best big men in the game. So maybe we look better against less talented big men. I am concerned about it though. If I were an opposing coach, I’d go big, out rebound us, get us in foul trouble, and take my chances against us having a big day from downtown. Shooting <35% from 3 as a small ball team will not yield great results.

Well small ball lineups are basically the new version of college basketball, so we’re not going to change. And all 4 teams that made the final four last year did so with guard dominant lineups. Connecticut won the national championship with a roster not too dissimilar from us with size. Clingan was 7’2” but only played 13 MPG last year.

I don’t think size is the reason we’re getting beat. For whatever reason, we’re just not rebounding well. In all 3 games, there were countless instances of a perimeter shot bouncing off the rim for a long board opportunity that we just didn’t capitalize on.

I also don’t think we’re that small. I mean Aidoo is basically a 7 footer. Awaka is built like a truck. Aidoo just has to be more aggressive. Which maybe that ship has sailed since we are in his Junior year, but for someone his size he is constantly going up weak at the glass and tries to lay it in more than dunk it, and he doesn’t aggressively rebound. These are all things he should be able to excel at and he just doesn’t. He has the size to do it though.

 

[VolFreakJosh]

Who knows, I never really felt like ON really bought into Barnes’ philosophy or style of coaching.

ON with Santi or JJJ’s buy in would have been All-SEC once or twice here.

ON was lazy and took plays off.

He can play good when he wants too but he didn’t show up when we needed him the most.

 

[TrippieRedd]

Had to post the video. That first cross is filthy