AU/BC post game thread L[72-71]

[FoundationEagle 637]

1 minute ago, TexasTiger said:

He needs to play the guys that are willing to play smart as a team.

While I agree in principle, Lang got hurt, Brown can't hit the broad side of s barn suddenly and Harper has no one to pass to as they are all standing in one spot covered. No one else is a team player that I've seen.  Maybe a leader worth following will emerge. I thought Heron may be that guy, but he is disappearing more by the day.  Maybe Danjel can become that guy after lighting it up tonight and gaining some confidence, though he's not quite the definition of a team player himself. Someone is gonna have to get this team to become a team or this season will get real ugly real fast.  We just got out coached and outplayed by a team with half the talent and supposedly half the coach. Personally I'm wondering if it's time for Bruce to make some new hires. Something isn't meshing well and needs fixing before Bruce gives up and takes a better job.  Of course, Wiley coming in could change our scheme entirely and this whole concern could become moot. Let's hope. 

[cole256 17,050]

22 minutes ago, AU64 said:

checked the stats.....36% from the field and 32% from 3pt....so still lost despite forcing 30 TOs....      gonna lock back later in the year when tourney time comes and regret this loss. 

Did you look at the rebounding?

[Charhair 345]

I see the out of control on offense too. It may be lack of coached plays (seems like there's a lot more ISO than necessary but I'm not sure) or it may just be all the young and new guys getting used to each other. 

There were a few points where i was wishing coach pearl would call a timeout and draw up a play just so that we'd get something going and nearly every time I thought that....BOOM we hit a three or get to the line. So that made me think that coach pearl understands that they just haven't hit that in game stride. The talent is there because when we make a run we look good, Horace blocking shots, stealing inbound passes, knocking down three, running the court, the team plays well when they are on (as all talented teams do). I'm not informed enough from a coaching standpoint to know what a good remedy is but from personal experience I would just say the more these guys plays together and the longer they are under coach pearl, the more cohesion we will see. I see this team improve in certain categories every game and see them slip up in certain ones from time to time, obviously a very young team. We can't expect to see a top 30ish team yet but I think we can and should expect to see a much improved team within the next month. Adding Wiley would be huge for us as it would also open up a lot offensively if he ends up getting more minutes (just off second chance and being a huge presence.)

 

Not having TJ also hurt us a lot. He seems to provide a lot of leader ship, plays pretty clear headed and hard most of the time. He and Johnson both seem to provide a steady hand in "overwhelming" situations. 

i do think this will be looked at as a bad loss come seasons end. But I also think we improve much more my seasons end than most teams, based on my confidence in the coaching staff and the amount of young talent we have on the floor at multiple positions at all times.

this is still coach pearl's first season back dealing with a highly rated and talented team and we are still missing at least one piece of the puzzle. I'm thinking and hoping he continues to improve this team where it needs to be. 

Heron was having an off night as well, a normal night for him would have made our offense much more effective.

big props to DP and HS. DP's offensive production was great and he only took a couple (literally one or two) shots that I thought we ill advised. Spencer's performance needs no summarazing but I do hope Trigga Treys flex move made its last basketball appearance tonight lol. 

He played like he was 7'2 defending the rim tonight though. Amazing effort 

[AU64 10,122]

4 minutes ago, cole256 said:

Did you look at the rebounding?

Not after the half....so took a look when I saw your note......OMG it was even worse....40 rebounds by BC....hard to imagine that many in a game and outrebounded by 19 which was about where we were at the half.....Funny I looked a couple minutes ago and then confirmed the numbers and both teams were credited with fewer the second time......but.....Neither team shot worth a crap and more than 70 rebounds to be had.....hard to imagine that.

Oh well....a lot of very forgettable stats though the team did hit 80% from the FT....and DP hit a pair of clutch shots at the end of the game so that's looking better at least.

 

[cole256 17,050]

This is what trips me out.....everything getting complained about in this thread......unreal expectations because YOU guys over hyped the team then you're all angry and cave see progress.  

No leader. I wrote about that. Of course there's no leader when you're playing 4 first time starters. And dunnans was out.

Not organized....your floor general is an under sized first year TRUE freshman....yeah it's going to be that.

Our shooters aren't shooting as well, yes they don't have a post presence now teams extend their defense. Nobody to draw a double

Herron up and down. Yes once again TRUE freshman.

Purifoy good on offense liability on post defense and rebounding. Yes undersized at the position and his first year playing it. His post defense isn't there right now.

Why we lost this game....rebounding. What have I been posting about? Rebounding. You guys talking 3 point percentage. 

Team is improving if you actually watch them and stop focusing on negative stuff that wasn't going to be good anyway.

Herron and Harper are going to hit walls. Brand new team they don't know roles yet that is most effective. Plus once again the little continuity they had dunnans was out. Even the traveling to New York and stuff is going to effect the young guys. 

Brown and Lang are going to have to rely on Harper and he's going to be up and down. They can't create enough space to get off their own shots....at least good ones.

I literally wrote about all of this stuff mentioned above before one game was played......because that's how obvious the situation is but most of you refuse to see it and try to pump this team up into a ncaa team.....

We do have a talent upgrade but they aren't Josh Jackson, lonzo ball, Dennis Smith, derran foxx type of program changing talent in their freshman year. We didn't sign guys that can make that big jump you all were thinking in one year.

Also watch how much better Brown and Lang start shooting once we get a post presence in there. Watch how the spacing and Harper decision making improve. Like I said they have the potential for a tremendous improvement gap as the season progress barring injuries

The fact Purifoy converted what looked to be a go ahead basket. Attacked the rim, drew the foul, hit BOTH free throws under that pressure in Madison square garden....stop crying about a leader and realize you're watching one being developed right in front of your face... 

[TexasTiger 12,835]

36 minutes ago, cole256 said:

Did you look at the rebounding?

Looked for it, didn't see much.

[AU64 10,122]

Well, when a team misses two thirds of its shots ...... a lot of rebound opportunities are created . And statistically , missed shots go to the defense more often than the offensive team.  Just suggesting that if we shot better from the field , there would be fewer rebounds for the other side to get.

Just my opinion, but rebounding or lack there of is both a factor of pootr shooting and lack of aggressiveness on the part of the team. Back in the day, Charles Barkley dominated as a rebounder and he was not much over 6 foot five but seemed to have the attitude that every rebound should be his.   Just thinking that we need a little bit of that attitude on this team. 

[cole256 17,050]

Just now, AU64 said:

Well, when a team misses two thirds of its shots ...... a lot of rebound opportunities are created . And statistically , missed shots go to the defense more often than the offensive team.  Just suggesting that if we shot better from the field , there would be fewer rebounds for the other side to get.

Just my opinion, but rebounding or lack there of is both a factor of pootr shooting and lack of aggressiveness on the part of the team. Back in the day, Charles Barkley dominated as a rebounder and he was not much over 6 foot five but seemed to have the attitude that every rebound should be his.   Just thinking that we need a little bit of that attitude on this team. 

That's true but Barkley also had a big body and unreal athleticism. I know how, especially our fan base, love a defeat the odds, nobody thought he was going to be good type of guy and story and usually find a way to hate on high ranked guys but you all need to sort of understand... We're not winning anything without talented players all around. Not just one talented guard and everybody else is mediocre. Overall talented players. And the guys that aren't super great need to be super great at at least one thing they will be doing. Example Spencer. Not a scorer, but hustle defense, rebounding...

[NoALtiger 3,850]

BC has gotten beat by some pretty crappy teams this year so maybe I was expecting more. This was a chance to get a W at a great venue, on tv, and against a "name" opponent (even if they are bad) and we blew it. Shouldn't have even come down to the end like it did. Very frustrating watching all the bad shots and general lack of basketball IQ at times. 

I will say we obviously have much better talent than the recent past and I do expect us to win some games. It's all about expectations really, the whole glass full/ half empty bit. 

[AuburnNTexas 7,140]

Even if Spencer is not scoring we need to get the ball to him down low so we can play an inside out game and so people can cut down the lane when he gets the ball. What we do is exclusively perimeter passing and throwing up an outside shot or then trying to dribble it to the basket through the whole defense. I disagree with the ones who say we are playing like an All Star team. An All Star team does not play the pressing defense that leads to so many turnovers.

The effort is there the team work is not. This is to be expected when you have 5 freshmen and sophomores starting. What bothered me the most was how many times we turned them over under our basket and did not get points out of it.  We often turned it back over rather than settling down and getting points.

In other posts many of the people who know basketball have said this year that this team will win some they shouldn't win and lose some they shouldn't lose. This is a combination of their youth, size and lack of an inside scoring presence. They are living up to this expectation.

[AU64 10,122]

48 minutes ago, AuburnNTexas said:

Even if Spencer is not scoring we need to get the ball to him down low so we can play an inside out game and so people can cut down the lane when he gets the ball. What we do is exclusively perimeter passing and throwing up an outside shot or then trying to dribble it to the basket through the whole defense. I disagree with the ones who say we are playing like an All Star team. An All Star team does not play the pressing defense that leads to so many turnovers.

The effort is there the team work is not. This is to be expected when you have 5 freshmen and sophomores starting. What bothered me the most was how many times we turned them over under our basket and did not get points out of it.  We often turned it back over rather than settling down and getting points.

I somewhat agree but in this era of early departures, teams all over the place are playing with freshmen and sophs....and coaches are having to figure out how to meld them into cohesive units right away.   Maybe it has been the nature of the players he has had available but thus far BP has experienced some trouble at AU building "teams"....though that might not be just an AU situation....lots of individualism out there with some other good teams too.

The season has just begun and plenty of time for the team to become a "team"....but as noted, the energy level was high and for most of the game, the aggressive defense was good to see and forced BC into an unheard of number of turnovers.....but we just did not do a good enough job of turning them into points.  The next game is an opportunity for additional development and improvement....as will each following game. 

[AuburnNTexas 7,140]

1 minute ago, AU64 said:

I somewhat agree but in this era of early departures, teams all over the place are playing with freshmen and sophs....and coaches are having to figure out how to meld them into cohesive units right away.   Maybe it has been the nature of the players he has had available but thus far BP has experienced some trouble at AU building "teams"....though that might not be just an AU situation....lots of individualism out there with some other good teams too.

The season has just begun and plenty of time for the team to become a "team"....but as noted, the energy level was high and for most of the game, the aggressive defense was good to see and forced BC into an unheard of number of turnovers.....but we just did not do a good enough job of turning them into points.  The next game is an opportunity for additional development and improvement....as will each following game. 

We have very good talent but not Super Star Talent across the board. The teams that win big with very young players example Kentucky have super star talent across the board. The teams that win with very good talent take a couple of years to get there. I agree with you about the next game being an opportunity for development and improvement. I also expect us to have games where we are super hot and everybody will think we are great followed by games similar to the BC game. It happens with young guys.  The last third of the season is when we will really be able to judge this team.

BC was less talented then us but once they got by our pressure and set up their offense they moved the ball better than we did. They found a way to go inside out which we have not done thhis year.

[johnnyAU 3,630]

Who thought we'd be NCAA bound this year? I'm just happy to see a bump in the talent level, and hope to see continued improvement throughout the year from these guys.  We're coming from a long stretch of being in the bottom of the SEC barrel. Getting to the upper echelon doesn't happen overnight. 

[NoALtiger 3,850]

1 hour ago, johnnyAU said:

Who thought we'd be NCAA bound this year? I'm just happy to see a bump in the talent level, and hope to see continued improvement throughout the year from these guys.  We're coming from a long stretch of being in the bottom of the SEC barrel. Getting to the upper echelon doesn't happen overnight. 

Oh, there are some who've said that. Repeatedly. 

[Tiger 8,821]

12 hours ago, cole256 said:

This is what trips me out.....everything getting complained about in this thread......unreal expectations because YOU guys over hyped the team then you're all angry and cave see progress.  

No leader. I wrote about that. Of course there's no leader when you're playing 4 first time starters. And dunnans was out.

Not organized....your floor general is an under sized first year TRUE freshman....yeah it's going to be that.

Our shooters aren't shooting as well, yes they don't have a post presence now teams extend their defense. Nobody to draw a double

Herron up and down. Yes once again TRUE freshman.

Purifoy good on offense liability on post defense and rebounding. Yes undersized at the position and his first year playing it. His post defense isn't there right now.

Why we lost this game....rebounding. What have I been posting about? Rebounding. You guys talking 3 point percentage. 

Team is improving if you actually watch them and stop focusing on negative stuff that wasn't going to be good anyway.

Herron and Harper are going to hit walls. Brand new team they don't know roles yet that is most effective. Plus once again the little continuity they had dunnans was out. Even the traveling to New York and stuff is going to effect the young guys. 

Brown and Lang are going to have to rely on Harper and he's going to be up and down. They can't create enough space to get off their own shots....at least good ones.

I literally wrote about all of this stuff mentioned above before one game was played......because that's how obvious the situation is but most of you refuse to see it and try to pump this team up into a ncaa team.....

We do have a talent upgrade but they aren't Josh Jackson, lonzo ball, Dennis Smith, derran foxx type of program changing talent in their freshman year. We didn't sign guys that can make that big jump you all were thinking in one year.

Also watch how much better Brown and Lang start shooting once we get a post presence in there. Watch how the spacing and Harper decision making improve. Like I said they have the potential for a tremendous improvement gap as the season progress barring injuries

The fact Purifoy converted what looked to be a go ahead basket. Attacked the rim, drew the foul, hit BOTH free throws under that pressure in Madison square garden....stop crying about a leader and realize you're watching one being developed right in front of your face... 

Man, all great points and I agree on every single one of them -- and I'd mentioned a few of these before as well. I especially agree with your last blurb on Purifoy. He has it. Last night was step 1 in identifying who our leader is IMO. It happened in a loss (a really bad one) but roles will start to be solidified now because now IMO there is someone who can be looked to as a leader. We will take our bumps with having a freshman being a leader and he will be off some nights but when we play so many young guys you gotta take it. But we got annihilated on the glass again and surprise, surprise -- we lost on a put back.

Would've loved to see Horace on the floor on the last defensive possession.

[Tiger 8,821]

Also those of you complaining about how our offense looks...Bruce Pearl has never run an offense that you guys are wanting. His teams have always placed an emphasis on this exact style of play we are seeing right now -- but just imagine it with a more balanced roster and more developed players that actually know how to play with one another. We are starting 3 freshman and 2 sophomores, and nobody is a 1 or 2 and done type talent -- which is fine, and frankly what we need while we complete the foundation. We are still building and I'm OK with that. If you can't see progress from year 1 to this year, even with this crappy loss, I think you're looking at our team with a microwave mindset -- this is the true year 1 for Pearl. We should assess the direction of our program this year and how we are trending from this point on IMO. Our team is still learning about itself right now and how to play with one another. 

We need a true big man in the worst way. I love Horace's game and energy but we need a force on the boards so badly. If we could pair him with a plus rebounder his weak side help would be even more lethal for us.

 

Our defense would look a lot better if we didn't give up so many 2nd and 3rd chances.

[tigerbrotha12 2,362]

Story of the game:

AU favored.

BC was hot to start, AU could not get a shot to fall. 

BC starts to believe.

They keep shooting well. 

Auburn comes back like a good team should and has lead with under 10 seconds.

BC gets a tip in to win it which can be summed up to "pretty lucky" and just being in the right place at the right time. 

AU is a young team still trying to get experience and figure out how to win. Don't discount what this team has done to tournament teams this year already. It was pretty easy to see this team was going to have a let down game or two at some point. BC, while not a good team, just had our number last night. They got some breaks, hit some shots, and just happened to be in it at the end. 

I don't think this game is indicative of how this AU team will play the rest of the year. We'll compete in just about every game we play, meaning you can expect the wins to begin to fall. Two upcoming home games should be enough to get two wins. Connecticut and Oklahoma will be tough games, but again, I believe we will compete in them. I would go as far as saying Connecticut vs. Auburn could be a fantastic game. We're looking at ending the OOC season with a record anywhere from 10-2 to 8-4. This team will continue to grow and continue to recognize strengths and weaknesses about themselves. Just look at how we progress. 

[tigerbrotha12 2,362]

By the way, just about every team in the country has a "bad loss" going into tournament resume time, except for your Kansas, Kentucky, NC blue bloods. This isn't an anomaly; more games in basketball= more chances to be upset on any given night. Look at any big win we've had in the last 7 years and there's your bad loss for that team. These things happen- our team is growing! 

[JwgreDeux 1,279]

6 minutes ago, tigerbrotha12 said:

Story of the game:

AU favored.

BC was hot to start, AU could not get a shot to fall. 

BC starts to believe.

They keep shooting well. They shot 44% from the field and 32% from three, that is not a team being hot or shooting well.

Auburn comes back like a good team should and has lead with under 10 seconds.

BC gets a tip in to win it which can be summed up to "pretty lucky" and just being in the right place at the right time. They were "lucky" 14 times on the offensive glass

AU is a young team still trying to get experience and figure out how to win. Don't discount what this team has done to tournament teams this year already. It was pretty easy to see this team was going to have a let down game or two at some point. BC, while not a good team, just had our number last night. They got some breaks, hit some shots, and just happened to be in it at the end. Agree with that part of your statement, but it coming against BC is much worse then say Oklahoma. 

I don't think this game is indicative of how this AU team will play the rest of the year. We'll compete in just about every game we play, meaning you can expect the wins to begin to fall. Two upcoming home games should be enough to get two wins. Connecticut and Oklahoma will be tough games, but again, I believe we will compete in them. I would go as far as saying Connecticut vs. Auburn could be a fantastic game. We're looking at ending the OOC season with a record anywhere from 10-2 to 8-4. This team will continue to grow and continue to recognize strengths and weaknesses about themselves. Just look at how we progress. I hope it's not, and I'll also tell you that if it is 8-4 we are praying for an NIT berth. 

 

2 minutes ago, tigerbrotha12 said:

 

[AU64 10,122]

2 hours ago, NoALtiger said:

Oh, there are some who've said that. Repeatedly. 

Probably the same people who insist that we should / ought to  be in the SEC championship game every year....and in their defense...ya gotta have a goal....or there is no point in playing the game. 

[Charhair 345]

16 hours ago, cole256 said:

The fact Purifoy converted what looked to be a go ahead basket. Attacked the rim, drew the foul, hit BOTH free throws under that pressure in Madison square garden....stop crying about a leader and realize you're watching one being developed right in front of your face... 

DP is definitely getting there, it's fun to watch. Adding that shot to his arsenal has turned him into a threat no matter where he has the ball.

I also agree that having a bigger post presence will definitely help the shooters too. It's hard to have an outside shooting game going when you've got nothing going on inside unless you've got a bunch of creators like Purifoy on the court. We are good at attacking the basket at times but even when we are doing it well, it's only half of it. 

This is the most exciting basketball team I've followed in a while just because they have so much potential to grow by the end of the season. I feel that with Bruce having this much talent this year, he will be able to see what he needs to do and fix that aren't talent related issues.

As someone else said (including you) it's unreasonable to expect a great team this year after seeing it take five years at South Carolina. 

 

[JwgreDeux 1,279]

3 hours ago, Tiger said:

Also those of you complaining about how our offense looks...Bruce Pearl has never run an offense that you guys are wanting. His teams have always placed an emphasis on this exact style of play we are seeing right now -- but just imagine it with a more balanced roster and more developed players that actually know how to play with one another. We are starting 3 freshman and 2 sophomores, and nobody is a 1 or 2 and done type talent -- which is fine, and frankly what we need while we complete the foundation. We are still building and I'm OK with that. If you can't see progress from year 1 to this year, even with this crappy loss, I think you're looking at our team with a microwave mindset -- this is the true year 1 for Pearl. We should assess the direction of our program this year and how we are trending from this point on IMO. Our team is still learning about itself right now and how to play with one another. 

We need a true big man in the worst way. I love Horace's game and energy but we need a force on the boards so badly. If we could pair him with a plus rebounder his weak side help would be even more lethal for us.

 

Our defense would look a lot better if we didn't give up so many 2nd and 3rd chances.

First, for all of those claiming there is no offensive plan,don't under estimate being able to play together.  CBP's offense is a variation off of your Flex Offense, with ball screen, weaves, and pick and rolls called from time to time. Good basketball offense is predicated more on chemistry vs go here, cut there, type movements. I'll try a football analogy, many passing plays the wr runs his route no mater what the coverage is, other times he varies his route (a read) based on the coverage. On those reads, the QB has to make the same read for the play to work. Basketball is like that on virtually every play. The players have a system of cuts and floor spacing, but have the freedom to read what the defender is doing. The players have to be on the same page, without a stoppage of play after every play, but rather in a game that keeps moving and flowing. Imagine how difficult it is to teach these new players how to do this together. Every football possession starts at the line of scrimmage with the center snapping it to the QB. Basketball possessions start off rebounds, turnovers, and made baskets, with the ball in the hands of any player on the team, at virtually any spot on the floor. Now let's say you have gotten your first 5 to learn to play together, now mix in 4-5 more guys and figure it out. It takes time to mesh. 

 

I agree that we need help on the boards, but the sentiment that it takes a "true big man" I'll have to disagree with. If and when Wiley comes in, I hope it helps our woes, but we can't wait on that.  For all of is faults, Cim Bowers could rebound, as like many great re-bounders, he wasn't a true big man. Neither was Barkley for that matter. It is a skill that requires, positioning, awareness, and most of all determination. Sure size and athleticism always help. 

[Tiger 8,821]

32 minutes ago, JwgreDeux said:

First, for all of those claiming there is no offensive plan,don't under estimate being able to play together.  CBP's offense is a variation off of your Flex Offense, with ball screen, weaves, and pick and rolls called from time to time. Good basketball offense is predicated more on chemistry vs go here, cut there, type movements. I'll try a football analogy, many passing plays the wr runs his route no mater what the coverage is, other times he varies his route (a read) based on the coverage. On those reads, the QB has to make the same read for the play to work. Basketball is like that on virtually every play. The players have a system of cuts and floor spacing, but have the freedom to read what the defender is doing. The players have to be on the same page, without a stoppage of play after every play, but rather in a game that keeps moving and flowing. Imagine how difficult it is to teach these new players how to do this together. Every football possession starts at the line of scrimmage with the center snapping it to the QB. Basketball possessions start off rebounds, turnovers, and made baskets, with the ball in the hands of any player on the team, at virtually any spot on the floor. Now let's say you have gotten your first 5 to learn to play together, now mix in 4-5 more guys and figure it out. It takes time to mesh. 

 

I agree that we need help on the boards, but the sentiment that it takes a "true big man" I'll have to disagree with. If and when Wiley comes in, I hope it helps our woes, but we can't wait on that.  For all of is faults, Cim Bowers could rebound, as like many great re-bounders, he wasn't a true big man. Neither was Barkley for that matter. It is a skill that requires, positioning, awareness, and most of all determination. Sure size and athleticism always help. 

Thanks for this. I wasn't saying that we have no offensive plan as it felt like others were alluding to that. You explained it beautifully in the first paragraph though -- much better than I could have. I think we look stuck in the mud sometimes because of lack of team chemistry -- which was to be expected. But I remember even Pearl's UT teams would have these offensive lulls as well and it looked like a better version of what we see from time to time. But we are still a work in progress, it's not some fundamentally flawed thing IMO.

I meant true big man in someone who plays the 4 or 5 but is taller than 6'7 like Horace is. We don't have rebounders at other positions so IMO we need to bring someone into the program who is 6'9+ and can rebound, scrap, and rim protect -- added bonus for being a plus offensive player. Spencer is one of my favorite players on the team to watch but he only averages 5 reb/game as our center on a team full of perimeter players. And when he goes flying over to the weakside to contest a shot, as our strongest rebounder, it hurts us badly as we don't have anyone else on the floor who's can clean up when Horace vacates from around the rim. 

Cim Bowers could rebound, definitely, but we cannot succeed like we want to with 6'7 and shorter guys being our strongest rebounders if we don't have plus rebounders at other positions. It's unrealistic IMO. Barkley is a bad example because he was a mutant. Humans that size don't usually accomplish what he accomplished. Similar to comparing QBs to Cam Newton. But I agree with you that it doesn't necessarily have to be a big man. I'd take any good rebounder at any position at this point (Boston College's PG had 10 rebounds at halftime, or soon after I think), but we are really lacking the PF/C department and it's killing us on the glass mostly as I see it (and of course an inside presence to help our shooters out). But I'm thinking from an idealistic standpoint. I'll take rebounding help from a damn PG if thats what helps us win games.

Not trying to pick a fight or anything, as I really love reading your breakdowns and posts. I just feel that an additional big with true height would help us tremendously. Horace is basically the same height as our army of SFs.

[AU64 10,122]

41 minutes ago, JwgreDeux said:

First, for all of those claiming there is no offensive plan,don't under estimate being able to play together.  CBP's offense is a variation off of your Flex Offense, with ball screen, weaves, and pick and rolls called from time to time. Good basketball offense is predicated more on chemistry vs go here, cut there, type movements. I'll try a football analogy, many passing plays the wr runs his route no mater what the coverage is, other times he varies his route (a read) based on the coverage. On those reads, the QB has to make the same read for the play to work. Basketball is like that on virtually every play. The players have a system of cuts and floor spacing, but have the freedom to read what the defender is doing. The players have to be on the same page, without a stoppage of play after every play, but rather in a game that keeps moving and flowing. Imagine how difficult it is to teach these new players how to do this together. Every football possession starts at the line of scrimmage with the center snapping it to the QB. Basketball possessions start off rebounds, turnovers, and made baskets, with the ball in the hands of any player on the team, at virtually any spot on the floor. Now let's say you have gotten your first 5 to learn to play together, now mix in 4-5 more guys and figure it out. It takes time to mesh. 

 

I agree that we need help on the boards, but the sentiment that it takes a "true big man" I'll have to disagree with. If and when Wiley comes in, I hope it helps our woes, but we can't wait on that.  For all of is faults, Cim Bowers could rebound, as like many great re-bounders, he wasn't a true big man. Neither was Barkley for that matter. It is a skill that requires, positioning, awareness, and most of all determination. Sure size and athleticism always help. 

Yep...some of the best rebounders were not big post men....Wes Unseld, Charles  Barkley, Bill Russell, Elvin Hayes....come to mind...and they all seemed to have attitude....plus great anticipation about where the ball was going on a missed shot.  And they were big enough  and strong enough to do the job.   Wiley might be the same kind of player.....rumored to be coming in with the bulk to command the middle of the floor.....hoping he has the attitude too.   

[cole256 17,050]

That's my point....unreal expectations....want to cry about losses but expect great rebounding without any big men or just one. Absolutely ridiculous. 

Yeah there are always anomalies but size and athleticism will trump 95% of the time.  But like I said this board love that Hoosiers and Rudy stories.....

 

Oh and the last couple of years had to argue with people about how much cim really brought to the team but we see now right? Purifoy is plenty athletic and is very active.... I told you he was undersized but I guess you guys thought he was going to average a double double just because he played the 4.....