Post by ALioninWinter on Nov 30, 2014 3:47:28 GMT -5
None of us likes moral victories, but I think we can be happy with what we saw tonight. As Coach Dunlap said after the game, UCI is a year or two ahead of us. They are a very good team. I don't know what the rest of the Big West has this year, but I have a hard time believing the conference has someone better than UCI. They definitely have height, and not just from that 7'6" guy. #3 is a very solid forward and their guards are good enough to score and feed their two good inside guys. They don't have much of a bench, and that will probably serve as their undoing down the road.
I agree with the other comments on various players' contributions. Patson did a very commendable job on the big guy. He was obviously up for the game and played with real enthusiasm. I hope he got a good taste for "raw meat" tonight and is able to build upon this game. He won't face anyone else this year that out-matches him size-wise like he had tonight. If he plays the rest of the season the way he played tonight, he will have some dominating nights.
I know I raked Simon over the coals after the UCR game, but he deserves credit for playing a very good game. He did manage to penetrate the paint a number of times and he had a good point contribution. I still think Hayes is the better option but it will be interesting to watch the competition between the two.
I finally saw a glimmer of hope with Hermann. Toward the end of the game he made two very solid plays in a row. I hope Dunlap puts those two plays on a continuous loop and makes Hermann watch them over and over and over. He could and should be doing that all game long. Earlier in the second half he had a clear lane to the basket. He took his drive in and had a great opportunity to score, .... then passed the rock! Ugh! The guy has the size (and I believe the ability). I think he just needs to believe in himself.
Yes, missed dunks were a problem but I attribute those misses to a bit too much adrenalin. Evan was obviously trying to send a message to those NBA scouts ... and that 7'6" guy that he wasn't intimidated by the size. Unfortunately, it backfired; but I'll live with those misses (Patson's too) because it was that same fire in the belly that kept the game close almost all game long.
I agree with others that as Patson and Hermann get better, Godwin is going to see more bench time; and as Matt and Simon improve, Chase will see his role limited to game control as it was tonight.
I think this was Coach Dunlap's best game to date:
1. For the first time I felt he had the right starting lineup.
2. For the first time I felt he got the game substitution pattern right. He didn't constantly yank players, yet he still spread the minutes very well. I thought rotating Simon and Chase at the end was the right thing to do. I thought he made good use of Patson's minutes
3. The guys looked like they were playing basketball and not rehearsing choreography. He allowed some freedom of movement. He seemed to let Evan do his thing
One last thing. Guys, just because the ref blows the whistle against you doesn't mean the referees are bad. Tonight's game was actually pretty well called. There were not an excessive number of fouls. Yes, there were some blown calls but they went both ways. One LMU charge call was probably wrong but the others were right. Conversely, a UCI player got a foul called when he had a very clean block. Those misses are going to occur. if all games are called like tonight's game was called, I'll be ecstatic.
On to Troy. Let's beat the Trojans!
I agree with the other comments on various players' contributions. Patson did a very commendable job on the big guy. He was obviously up for the game and played with real enthusiasm. I hope he got a good taste for "raw meat" tonight and is able to build upon this game. He won't face anyone else this year that out-matches him size-wise like he had tonight. If he plays the rest of the season the way he played tonight, he will have some dominating nights.
I know I raked Simon over the coals after the UCR game, but he deserves credit for playing a very good game. He did manage to penetrate the paint a number of times and he had a good point contribution. I still think Hayes is the better option but it will be interesting to watch the competition between the two.
I finally saw a glimmer of hope with Hermann. Toward the end of the game he made two very solid plays in a row. I hope Dunlap puts those two plays on a continuous loop and makes Hermann watch them over and over and over. He could and should be doing that all game long. Earlier in the second half he had a clear lane to the basket. He took his drive in and had a great opportunity to score, .... then passed the rock! Ugh! The guy has the size (and I believe the ability). I think he just needs to believe in himself.
Yes, missed dunks were a problem but I attribute those misses to a bit too much adrenalin. Evan was obviously trying to send a message to those NBA scouts ... and that 7'6" guy that he wasn't intimidated by the size. Unfortunately, it backfired; but I'll live with those misses (Patson's too) because it was that same fire in the belly that kept the game close almost all game long.
I agree with others that as Patson and Hermann get better, Godwin is going to see more bench time; and as Matt and Simon improve, Chase will see his role limited to game control as it was tonight.
I think this was Coach Dunlap's best game to date:
1. For the first time I felt he had the right starting lineup.
2. For the first time I felt he got the game substitution pattern right. He didn't constantly yank players, yet he still spread the minutes very well. I thought rotating Simon and Chase at the end was the right thing to do. I thought he made good use of Patson's minutes
3. The guys looked like they were playing basketball and not rehearsing choreography. He allowed some freedom of movement. He seemed to let Evan do his thing
One last thing. Guys, just because the ref blows the whistle against you doesn't mean the referees are bad. Tonight's game was actually pretty well called. There were not an excessive number of fouls. Yes, there were some blown calls but they went both ways. One LMU charge call was probably wrong but the others were right. Conversely, a UCI player got a foul called when he had a very clean block. Those misses are going to occur. if all games are called like tonight's game was called, I'll be ecstatic.
On to Troy. Let's beat the Trojans!