WH did a preview for us.
Thanks for the heads up.
Why in the world would he normally pick Davidson over us @ Davidson?
Hard to argue with WH’s breakdown. I think he sees us as a wild card in the mix. Just like most of us, we’re not sure how soon Major’s style will take root but we all know we have talent.
As for the 18-11 prediction, I think that is the lowest he sees us- with a big upside if the team gels, but I don’t want to put words in his mouth.
He really put that George Mason game in perspective. Ugh. More than just a W or L, it could really set the tone for our non-conf SOS to get dumped into the losers bracket in Charleston.
Other than the quirky Davidson comment, that was pretty fair and a good read. Thanks WH.
Looking at Mason’s schedule from last year, they seemed to play very inconsistently. They nearly beat Villanova, they lost to GT by 8, and they beat Indiana. They also lost to Northeastern (twice), Radford, and Fairfield. Their RPI was much worse than ours, and their strength of schedule was weak too. They finished the season 17-15 and return all 5 starters.
We return 4 out of 5 starters, but replace the 1 lost starter with one that should provide more scoring ability. Our season depends heavily on how well Briscoe plays. If he is comfortable in the system and adjusts to playing on a team with talent around him while limiting turnovers, we’ll be a very good team. Getting Voncina eligible is crucial as well. If he is declared ineligible, then we’ll be forced to put Dew (if he’s healthy) at the 2 or Barnett/Sirin at the 2. While I don’t doubt the 3 point ability to Barnett & Sirin, I do doubt their ability to guard quick players.
fimnally had that site blocked at work. damn
It’s really hard to argue with his analysis. 9-7 non-conference doesn’t sound terrible but he made a great point about the RPI issue we may face. In that case, we would need to win one or two bigger games to be in a better position going into A10 play.
In the end, his point about it all being a guess since Major is new is very true. If there are hiccups along the way, then we could get off to a rough start…
[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif][/font][quote=“NinerAdvocate, post:5, topic:24113”][font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif][/font]
[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif][size=78%]He really put that George Mason game in perspective. Ugh. More than just a W or L, it could really set the tone for our non-conf SOS to get dumped into the losers bracket in Charleston. [/size][/font]
[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif][size=78%] [/size][/font]
[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif][size=78%]Other than the quirky Davidson comment, that was pretty fair and a good read. Thanks WH.[/size][/font]
[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif][/font][/quote][font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif][/font]
[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif][size=78%]Yeah, the George Mason game is going to be big for us. I wish we had another game or two before it to prepare. Schedule says that game will be on MASN by [/size][/font][font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif][size=12px]the[/size][/font][font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif][size=78%] way. [/size][/font]
EDIT: no idea what all that ^ formatting stuff is about.
Fair assessment, though I do think we’ll do better.
If we stay healthy, I can’t imagine we don’t win at least 20 games.
This notion that simply “focusing on D” or “more disciplined offense” is tiresome already. Every NCAA coach focuses on defense.
At the end of the day, you must land recruits and talent to win. Period.
Agreed every NCAA coach focuses on defense. Lutz focused on 3 or 4 and I think we will see some improvement in that area just by focusing on 1 or 2 with man to man being a staple.
I think the difference may be accountability on the defensive end.
My favorite coaches focus on having more points at the end of the game than the other team.
[quote=“gangreen95, post:12, topic:24113”]This notion that simply “focusing on D” or “more disciplined offense” is tiresome already. Every NCAA coach focuses on defense.
At the end of the day, you must land recruits and talent to win. Period.[/quote]
I’ve been thinking the same thing. The guy hasn’t coached one game. Yet he’s a defensive minded coach and develops players? It seems like we’re setting ourselves up for potential disappointment.
[quote=“gangreen95, post:12, topic:24113”]This notion that simply “focusing on D” or “more disciplined offense” is tiresome already. Every NCAA coach focuses on defense.
At the end of the day, you must land recruits and talent to win. Period.[/quote]
Obviously you need talent, but what you are saying is that Joe Q can go out there and coach with talent. A coach not only has to recruit talent, but he needs to be able to establish a solid defensive system as well as a solid offensive system. Some guys can do it, some guys can’t. And every coach in the NCAA doesn’t focus on defense, evidiently you haven’t watched VMI play over the years.
[quote=“Normmm, post:16, topic:24113”][quote=“gangreen95, post:12, topic:24113”]This notion that simply “focusing on D” or “more disciplined offense” is tiresome already. Every NCAA coach focuses on defense.
At the end of the day, you must land recruits and talent to win. Period.[/quote]
I’ve been thinking the same thing. The guy hasn’t coached one game. Yet he’s a defensive minded coach and develops players? It seems like we’re setting ourselves up for potential disappointment. [/quote]
Track record means a lot. Pretty much every where he’s been the big guys have improved. I remember Terrance Dials errupted when Matta became coach, to the tune of a 6 point per game improvement.
[quote=“Ninerballin, post:17, topic:24113”][quote=“gangreen95, post:12, topic:24113”]This notion that simply “focusing on D” or “more disciplined offense” is tiresome already. Every NCAA coach focuses on defense.
At the end of the day, you must land recruits and talent to win. Period.[/quote]
Obviously you need talent, but what you are saying is that Joe Q can go out there and coach with talent. A coach not only has to recruit talent, but he needs to be able to establish a solid defensive system as well as a solid offensive system. Some guys can do it, some guys can’t. And every coach in the NCAA doesn’t focus on defense, evidiently you haven’t watched VMI play over the years.[/quote]you ever picked up a ball of any sort? serious question
What scares me is he is using a lot of the phrases Hal Wissel used when he arrived here;
First to get after a loose ball
Hustle and team defense
Looking out for each other
I know it is Coach Speak but a couple of times I have actually cringed when I heard them.