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Post by ALioninWinter on Mar 4, 2019 19:42:17 GMT -5
I’m sure CMD does recognize he needs to replace Batemon. The problem is he needs to find not just a good PG, but a really, really good PG. Batemon is one of the best players LMU has had over the last 25 years.
I give credit to CMD and the entire team this year for what they’ve achieved. But I’m having a tough time projecting that to next year. Take away Batemon and what do you have?
Douglas is probably the biggest plus. He’s grown a lot this year, is starting to find his own way, and should be an impact player next year ... if he stays.
One has to love Markusson’s height but he plays sooo soft and his inexperience kills him on defense. So much of defene is dependent on anticipation and positioning, and he just doesn’t have it.
He’ll get better but it’s the player assessments after him that worry me. Simmons and Williams hustle all game long. I admire their grit but they are so undersized for their positions that it’s very hard for them to become dominant impact players.
The rest of the returning roster? Meh. They hustle and they fill roles but they aren’t going to win games. I haven’t seen much on the recruiting scene to give me much hope that CMD can replace MCClendon’s aggressive defense, Hermann’s inside play or (especially) Batemon’s ability to control and win games.
Like I said, CMD deserves credit for getting his team as far as he has this year. I agree that they have to beat USF again to really classify the year as a success. But even if they do, I’m still withholding final judgment until I see next year’s team. Until then, I remain very skeptical.
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Post by ironlion on Mar 11, 2019 11:51:22 GMT -5
Here is a five-year comparison between Coach Good and Coach Dunlap. To me despite having a bigger salary, having buy games, better facilities there has not been a significant improvement in the last five years.
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Post by pumpfake on Mar 11, 2019 12:35:03 GMT -5
Great data ironlion. I was a supporter of Max and even wrote the AD a letter in support after year 5 when the wagons were circling (I still have dreams of what might have been with Stewart, Cartright etc.). One point you omitted was the extent that Good's teams were beset by the injury bug. It was criminal. That said, I support Dunlap and see some good things happening with the program. This year's team played great defense and that did not happen by accident and things seem to be trending the right way. 20 wins is 20 wins. Of course, it's a slippery slope. If we don't recruit a talented point guard for next year, we are going to struggle. We have offers out to a couple highly regarded JC players. Signing one of them or someone at their level is critical. I like the signing of Lazar Nekic at the stretch four. He looks like he can shoot the ball which would really open things up for Douglas, Scott, etc. on the inside. Our league is tough. Ask Kyle Smith who a month ago was the second coming of you know who. I strongly recommend everyone on this board listen to Jesse Kass' podcast on the bleav network (Sticher App). Great insights into LMU program from past players etc. Jesse does a great job and his interviews are very well done. Go Lions.
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Post by LIONS90045 on Mar 11, 2019 13:50:54 GMT -5
Thanks Iron. I'll say once again, Max finally had his dream team when he was dismissed and we never got a chance to see what they could do. I'm still hopeful LMU will see continued improvement next season but I'm not a Dunlap fan by any stretch. Yes, a good PG is vital.
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Post by ironlion on Mar 11, 2019 14:29:41 GMT -5
You could write a whole book about the number of injuries we had during the Coach Good years. Every single player aside from Ironman Anthony had some sort of injury. Good's first year we only had 5 healthy players all season, 3 who were freshman. During his last year I believe seven players missed a significant amount of games. We lost Goodwin and Nino for the whole year.
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Post by fanblade on Mar 11, 2019 14:55:32 GMT -5
Very impressive stat comparison. Thanks for sharing! Can you mail to AD as well.
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Post by husky on Mar 11, 2019 18:14:58 GMT -5
SUSPICIONS CONFIRMED!! Thanks Iron Lion
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