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Post by LIONS90045 on Aug 4, 2014 12:01:46 GMT -5
I agree we need to know more For example, Hays is a proven winner on HS and JC - will that carry over to D1 ball? My guess is yes
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Post by ironlion on Dec 23, 2014 19:00:06 GMT -5
"He went to toe to toe with some big names to land Petr Herman and he will continue to do that. He will leverage his NBA experience when recruiting players with those aspirations (most do). Incidentally, he thinks Herman is so good there's no way he'll be a 4 year Lion (NBA or Europe will beckon)"
I wonder if Dunlap still feels the same way about Herman.
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Post by LIONS90045 on Dec 25, 2014 21:24:43 GMT -5
Before Hawaii, I was getting worried about the team and our new coach. After Hawaii, I have done a 180 and now think Dunlap’s coaching is starting to transform the team into winners.
Dunlap, I now believe, is way ahead of most of us and has used the pre-WCC season nicely:
1. We played a very competitive schedule, 2. Dunlap has given everyone a chance to play and assessed their capabilities for the upcoming WCC season, 3. He is closing on a nice rotation which uses the skills of all the talent on the team; not everyone will play significant minutes but he’ll give the aspirants a few minutes on the court to get comfortable in D1 ball and rely on an 8/9-man rotation in games, 4. He acknowledges Deji’s skills and encourages his offense and defense contributions and its paying off – Deji is also the team captain, 5. Okonji’s offensive development has been astounding – something clicked in Hawaii and he is gaining confidence to “create” points (hope it lasts), 6. Evan seems more comfortable with Dunlap’s approach and has continued to score lots without all the stress he previously brought on himself to carry the team, 7. Morale seems high, especially after Hawaii – I wasn’t sure before how things might trend.
Looks like our starters are Siame, Godwin, Deji, Simon and Evan. Simon has impressed me with his spark to the offense at PG.
Key off the bench are Humphries, who is a “big” wing with his power, Mornar with his length and skills, Flint to handle the ball, and Matt with his offensive potential.
That will be our main rotation. Next in line is Herman, who hasn’t shown much so far, Wyatt, who has had several “cameos” just for experience sake, and Spiers. I thought Wyatt might redshirt and that is still possible unless we have injuries.
In any case, pass the “cool aide” at least for now.
PS As Husky noted, this team could be a real force to recon with in the WCC if Levin had hung around – but alas, we’ll have to move forward with our current talent.
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Post by slblions08 on Dec 26, 2014 22:41:00 GMT -5
Before Hawaii, I was getting worried about the team and our new coach. After Hawaii, I have done a 180 and now think Dunlap’s coaching is starting to transform the team into winners. Dunlap, I now believe, is way ahead of most of us and has used the pre-WCC season nicely: 1. We played a very competitive schedule, 2. Dunlap has given everyone a chance to play and assessed their capabilities for the upcoming WCC season, 3. He is closing on a nice rotation which uses the skills of all the talent on the team; not everyone will play significant minutes but he’ll give the aspirants a few minutes on the court to get comfortable in D1 ball and rely on an 8/9-man rotation in games, 4. He acknowledges Deji’s skills and encourages his offense and defense contributions and its paying off – Deji is also the team captain, 5. Okonji’s offensive development has been astounding – something clicked in Hawaii and he is gaining confidence to “create” points (hope it lasts), 6. Evan seems more comfortable with Dunlap’s approach and has continued to score lots without all the stress he previously brought on himself to carry the team, 7. Morale seems high, especially after Hawaii – I wasn’t sure before how things might trend. Looks like our starters are Siame, Godwin, Deji, Simon and Evan. Simon has impressed me with his spark to the offense at PG. Key off the bench are Humphries, who is a “big” wing with his power, Mornar with his length and skills, Flint to handle the ball, and Matt with his offensive potential. That will be our main rotation. Next in line is Herman, who hasn’t shown much so far, Wyatt, who has had several “cameos” just for experience sake, and Spiers. I thought Wyatt might redshirt and that is still possible unless we have injuries. In any case, pass the “cool aide” at least for now. PS As Husky noted, this team could be a real force to recon with in the WCC if Levin had hung around – but alas, we’ll have to move forward with our current talent. I get trying build a program but losing a lot and getting blown out in the process as usual isn't endearing to recruits. I'd like to see more of what he said he'd do which is uptempo the press and a zone. Watching this season has been pretty boring. Hopefully he's done with that part of his coaching tenure. Going forward Herman needs to win playing time if he wants minutes. A fear of starting Siame and Okonji is quick foul trouble but this far patson has shown that he can stay on the floor. Those two together make us better defensively. If Simon can just learn to funnel his guy towards the bigs he can at least be adequate defensively because he really needs to be the starting PG. Hayes would be great off the bench as I mentioned in the past because he can provide offense and spell Payne. Hayes is not a true PG but we just need him to play his game. Hayes, Mornar who is a jack of all trades and Humphries who is good for a couple buckets a night should be a sufficient bench. Gonzage and BYU aside that bench could be on par with anyone in the WCC. What would make me really happy is Dunlap admitting that Herman is not ready and benching one if his recruits if favor of others working hard and showing results.
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Post by ALioninWinter on Dec 27, 2014 0:15:42 GMT -5
I finally got around to watching the DePaul game. I'm going to keep my Kool Aid on ice. We did some good things in that game, but I still see a team that is going to struggle more often than not. The offense was a lot more active and I only saw one possession where the shot clock was a problem. There were a lot more passes and cuts that seemed to have the purpose of actually scoring than anything I saw against Wichita or Nebraska. However, our lack of scorers still showed ... a lot.
I liked Deji's play. We need that level of aggressiveness every game. He is our second scorer. If he sits back, the defenses are going to smother Evan. He has great strength and good size for a guard. He's not a great shooter, but he should be successful with his slashes to the hoop. Most WCC guards won't have the size to stop him.
Godwin had a good game. Lots of rebounds and I counted 3 really good offensive moves to the basket that resulted in baskets. I still consider it an adventure whenever he has the ball, but yesterday's game was encouraging.
Evan had an excellent game. A couple of dumb turnovers, but great shot selection. If Deji is a strong contributor and we get some (any) offense out of the rest of the team, Evan will have some room to manuever.
Patson has so much potential ... if he can learn to play the game. He has great size and he moves well for a big. It's just that he seldom knows when or how to move. If the coaching staff can make strides with any player on the team, I hope its with Patson. He could be a real beast.
I'm not impressed with Simon. He may be the best we've got for PG this year, but he hasn't shown me much. He has to concentrate so much on not losing his dribble that he seldom sees his teammates. His passing is not good. He missed several open teammates in the DePaul game. He also made several very poor passes. Our lack of assists is very telling.
Matt seems to be struggling. The guy should be an offensive weapon but he seems to be having a hard time getting into game flow and getting good sets for his shots. I'd like to see more plays geared to opening him up for some good shots.
Marin is playing well. I like the way he uses his length. However, I think we are in trouble if we have to rely upon him as a starter. His role is that of a fairly solid rotation guy spelling the bigger bigs.
David still can't seem to find himself. For someone who had so much success at the JC level, I expect more execution. He's a hustler. He's another one I would like to see some plays geared for so he can find some offensive rhythm.
Petr is everyone's enigma. If he is still recovering from surgery, maybe he should be red-shirted. He sure hasn't shown us anything on the court. Very disappointing.
I think the season can still be interesting. Gonzaga is a powerhouse. BYU was "pretty good" but now have some injury issues. The rest of the league really doesn't have all that much. Every team should be vulnerable. I don't consider the Lions to be a strong team, but they should be able to stay competitive against "the other 8."
I hope Dunlap lets the guys play a little bit (more like the DePaul game and less like the Nebraska game). I, like SLB, had hoped to see an aggressive, pressing, up tempo game this year. But after watching the guys play the pre-season, I don't think they have the skill set for that type of game. They're going to have to play a little more methodically. I just hope it's not like they played against Nebraska. Those kinds of games will not bring out the crowds.
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Post by golions1444 on Jan 3, 2015 13:25:48 GMT -5
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Post by LIONS90045 on Jan 3, 2015 14:44:12 GMT -5
OK let's see those skills take root for the Lions
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Post by t on Jan 19, 2015 1:55:54 GMT -5
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Post by LIONS90045 on Jan 19, 2015 12:33:01 GMT -5
Looks like a clear violation of "team rules." Actually, the incident was a shame to have occurred. I'm sure the young men involved would like to take back their actions. It's difficult to rear youngsters these days with all the temptations available.
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Post by slblions08 on Jan 24, 2015 15:04:56 GMT -5
I think I have figured out what frustrates me about Dunlap, aka Little Napoleon. What is disappointing about Dunlap is that for a guy who supposedly knows and has interned with 12 legendary coaches and spends his whole day studying tape, he basically looks identical to any other vanilla coach that's out there. Mild player development, so-so Xs and Os, fuzzy relationship with players, overly rehearsed offense and basic knowledge of opponents. If you measured Dunlap with economic theorems, you'd get inefficiency for as much work that Dunlap touts about himself. For Husak to hire him, it's one of those moves where you go "I'm near retirement, I don't want to work too hard, lets get a guy in there who will do all the work, not get us in trouble and take all the attention." The praise I give Dunlap is along the line of "he's not an idiot," "he's organized" "he likes basketball" "he has qualifications to have the job"
Those of you that have gone through tons of coaches, I see why you like Dunlap. You know what you're going to get. Those of us that have only seen LMU in the NCAA tournament on YouTube, I hope you understand why he's not inspiring nor impressive.
The is a problem, however, from a fan base point of view. I was able to catch up with some of my generation alumni who came out only for this game because of the jersey and that it was Gonzaga the #3 team in the nation. Everybody is like "yeah I heard he was a decent coach," then we watched the game, and it was like "same LMU from 10 years ago". He has a flashy name and resume, but when you actually show up, there's not a lot. For the older generation, maybe because he's sharply dressed (in shirts too big btw) and looks like an accountant you are impressed. Of all my friends and peers that I saw, that was the only game they were showing up to the whole season.
What I hope is that all the journalists who came to see LMU this summer because of Dunlap, follow us around and ask some good questions, maybe so many questions that these people retire and we can get a real overhaul. I'm not sure who the next university President will be, but I hope this is just something to keep pressure on.
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Post by golions1444 on Jan 24, 2015 16:11:46 GMT -5
I think I have figured out what frustrates me about Dunlap, aka Little Napoleon. What is disappointing about Dunlap is that for a guy who supposedly knows and has interned with 12 legendary coaches and spends his whole day studying tape, he basically looks identical to any other vanilla coach that's out there. Mild player development, so-so Xs and Os, fuzzy relationship with players, overly rehearsed offense and basic knowledge of opponents. If you measured Dunlap with economic theorems, you'd get inefficiency for as much work that Dunlap touts about himself. For Husak to hire him, it's one of those moves where you go "I'm near retirement, I don't want to work too hard, lets get a guy in there who will do all the work, not get us in trouble and take all the attention." The praise I give Dunlap is along the line of "he's not an idiot," "he's organized" "he likes basketball" "he has qualifications to have the job" Those of you that have gone through tons of coaches, I see why you like Dunlap. You know what you're going to get. Those of us that have only seen LMU in the NCAA tournament on YouTube, I hope you understand why he's not inspiring nor impressive. The is a problem, however, from a fan base point of view. I was able to catch up with some of my generation alumni who came out only for this game because of the jersey and that it was Gonzaga the #3 team in the nation. Everybody is like "yeah I heard he was a decent coach," then we watched the game, and it was like "same LMU from 10 years ago". He has a flashy name and resume, but when you actually show up, there's not a lot. For the older generation, maybe because he's sharply dressed (in shirts too big btw) and looks like an accountant you are impressed. Of all my friends and peers that I saw, that was the only game they were showing up to the whole season. What I hope is that all the journalists who came to see LMU this summer because of Dunlap, follow us around and ask some good questions, maybe so many questions that these people retire and we can get a real overhaul. I'm not sure who the next university President will be, but I hope this is just something to keep pressure on. I think you were obviously a Max supporter which is fine...but it's just so early in the process for you to make these conclusions about our new coach. We have already improved some since the beginning of the season. You have to give him until at a minimum beginning of next season, prob beginning of his 3rd season realistically before we can grade this hire and Dunlap as a coach. You're entitled your opinion of course, and i too have my reservations about Dunlap, and I too wish we had that more talented team Good recruited, but I'm going to give Dunlap the chance to live up to the hype all the announcers and the basketball world gives him....and of course alumni are not showing up to games, we've won like 5 games all season...win and they will come...
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Post by slblions08 on Jan 24, 2015 16:58:34 GMT -5
I think I have figured out what frustrates me about Dunlap, aka Little Napoleon. What is disappointing about Dunlap is that for a guy who supposedly knows and has interned with 12 legendary coaches and spends his whole day studying tape, he basically looks identical to any other vanilla coach that's out there. Mild player development, so-so Xs and Os, fuzzy relationship with players, overly rehearsed offense and basic knowledge of opponents. If you measured Dunlap with economic theorems, you'd get inefficiency for as much work that Dunlap touts about himself. For Husak to hire him, it's one of those moves where you go "I'm near retirement, I don't want to work too hard, lets get a guy in there who will do all the work, not get us in trouble and take all the attention." The praise I give Dunlap is along the line of "he's not an idiot," "he's organized" "he likes basketball" "he has qualifications to have the job" Those of you that have gone through tons of coaches, I see why you like Dunlap. You know what you're going to get. Those of us that have only seen LMU in the NCAA tournament on YouTube, I hope you understand why he's not inspiring nor impressive. The is a problem, however, from a fan base point of view. I was able to catch up with some of my generation alumni who came out only for this game because of the jersey and that it was Gonzaga the #3 team in the nation. Everybody is like "yeah I heard he was a decent coach," then we watched the game, and it was like "same LMU from 10 years ago". He has a flashy name and resume, but when you actually show up, there's not a lot. For the older generation, maybe because he's sharply dressed (in shirts too big btw) and looks like an accountant you are impressed. Of all my friends and peers that I saw, that was the only game they were showing up to the whole season. What I hope is that all the journalists who came to see LMU this summer because of Dunlap, follow us around and ask some good questions, maybe so many questions that these people retire and we can get a real overhaul. I'm not sure who the next university President will be, but I hope this is just something to keep pressure on. I think you were obviously a Max supporter which is fine...but it's just so early in the process for you to make these conclusions about our new coach. We have already improved some since the beginning of the season. You have to give him until at a minimum beginning of next season, prob beginning of his 3rd season realistically before we can grade this hire and Dunlap as a coach. You're entitled your opinion of course, and i too have my reservations about Dunlap, and I too wish we had that more talented team Good recruited, but I'm going to give Dunlap the chance to live up to the hype all the announcers and the basketball world gives him....and of course alumni are not showing up to games, we've won like 5 games all season...win and they will come... Actually I was not a Max Good supporter. I remember GoLionsGO supporting me a bunch for awhile until he jumped the shark. Then again, I met Al Gersten at a game a few weeks ago...was a really nice guy seems like he cares about the program when he was talking to the little kids from Emerson Middle School. If you obviously knew that, you would point out where I supported Max Good in this message board...which never was the case. Major fail there if you try to find support of Max Good from me over the past 5 years. To be accurate to define me, I am neither a Good or Dunlap supporter. I'm a supporter of the "HIRE one of the DOZENS of LA basketball people who have experience in coaching or playing high level or NBA that are dying to revive LMU" group that exists in the SO Cal hoops prep scene. My post was more about being resigned to the fact that he'll be here and why you guys love the guy. I'm over caring about I think. What I am looking for is people who are interested in is people of influence who are looking for what a big generation of us are looking for...a new inspiring basketball culture. I guess I am just overly influenced by some people who were once close to the program. Now I admit that now I'm stuck with Dunlap, so I'm not asking for him to be fired. Give him his 4-5 years like we gave everybody else except for Tention (who produced similar results as Good). I just think its funny everybody going based on the "announcers" who dont know Loyola from Biola. Seriously. These guys are there to report a game between a small school and someone else, and they have only two angles. Talk about Mike Dunlap, a name that they know because he coached a year in the NBA and has been an assistant...and Hank Gathers. Seriously. If you dig enough through message boards, you'll find that people in Adelaide said that he pissed a lot of people off over there and they were happy when he was gone. Same in Charlotte with the Bobcats. The thing is, every game is either going to be a loss, or a lucky win, in which people proclaim that we're back baby! Now if we finish 3-15, I'll admit that Dunlap improved our standing in the WCC over what Max Good did, because he was terrible too. I'll let you guys drink the Dunlap Kool-Aid like you drank the Max Good Kool-Aid as well. Unfortunately, I won't be able to attend any more basketball games now thanks to a change in my work schedule and some other weekend commitments, so nobody will be left to support LMU from opposing fans like those from Gonzaga. I'll have to rely on your guys' eyes and ears. Hopefully we can get some recruiting updates to hear about Dunlap's incoming, most important class. GO LIONS!
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Post by TexasCat on Jan 24, 2015 18:23:37 GMT -5
slblions - It's not that you are wrong or right - it's that it's way to early for anyone to make that determination with real knowledge. Of course there's "not a lot", of course it "looks like ten years ago" - they were playing the #3 team in the country with a coach that met his team six months ago! My generation....your generation...I guess I'm somewhere in the middle - but having seen a few coaches I've learned to enjoy the process and know when to expect the big jump forward from the team (like golions said) - anything until then is just noise.
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Post by TexasCat on Feb 4, 2015 12:53:40 GMT -5
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Post by ALioninWinter on Feb 4, 2015 16:25:02 GMT -5
Thanks for the heads up. Two things that I thought jumped out were the reaffirmation that CMD will be looking strongly to the internationals and his desire to field a team capable of playing a strong up tempo game. It's going to interesting to see who he can recruit
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