|
|
Post by LIONS90045 on Nov 4, 2024 18:46:52 GMT -5
|
|
|
|
Post by lambdachi1988lion on Nov 4, 2024 18:58:01 GMT -5
Let the season begin!!! Eager to see what the guys have got. We've got a really talented group this year (probably up there with the best we've had in decades) and I'm looking forward to seeing if they can get the pieces to come together for something special.
Stating it now that I'd be happy with a winning season and some sort of post season play (NIT would be great imho).
|
|
|
|
Post by nbdlion22 on Nov 4, 2024 22:25:52 GMT -5
Our guys are verytalented but our coaching is terrible.
Why is Diop playing D on the outside every time down the court against LPU doesn’t make any sense.
Our defense is so porous. Yet we have the bodies and talent to play way better D.
Excited about our talent.
|
|
|
|
Post by ALioninWinter on Nov 5, 2024 3:43:45 GMT -5
Sure was great to be back in Gersten! 😃
Tonight was only an exhibition game against an “okay” NAIA team. In years past, too many these early exhibition games have revealed weaknesses that hurt us badly as we moved thru the season. We typically win these games, but not without some level of angst.
Tonight, the team looked different. We’ve got some real talent this year!
Good Points:
Stone Carrawell and Amey are the real deal. Both are strong, aggressive ballers who know how to score. They complement each other very well. This may be the best wing/guard combo we’ve had in quite awhile.
While we seem to be missing a true playmaking PG, the guys we have are all capable of creating their own scoring opportunities. Ideally we would have an Anthony Ireland, but I think this team won’t have problems scoring.
Alex M deserves a lot of credit. He plays hard and that hard work is paying off.
McBride showed good aggressiveness. He’s strong! I m not sure how he’ll fare against taller frontline players, but no one is going to out-muscle him. It was nice to see him play with confidence.
Last year, we had some good players but no matter who we had on the court, we basically had 5 guys competing to play 3 positions because we had no one playing PG or Wing. This year’s team has a lot more balance.
Bad Points:
We still struggle with penetration. Too many times, LPU was able to drive to the basket. We were missing our two primary bigs. I expect their presence in the paint should help with penetration but our guards and wings need to improve their one-on-one defense.
Jan Vide is a interesting player. He has a lot of potential but makes a TON of mistakes. Coach was using him as a sort of “point wing” in this game. He seems to have the talent to actual pull off the role, but he spends too much time playing ahead of himself. He had I think 4 TOs called and probably another 6-8 that weren’t called. I don’t mind the experiment and he probably has the ability to do the job but he’s gottta learn quickly.
Other Points:
Porter was not at the game because he seems to have some kind of flu. Better to keep him away from the team! No injury so he should be ready for the UCI game on Friday. Putting him in the mix with Stone-Carraway, Amey and Alex M should create quite a dynamic offense.
Rick I should also be ready Friday. It’ll be nice to have his length.
Neither of the freshmen played.
UCI is a quality opponent. Friday’s game will show us a lot more.
|
|
|
|
Post by lmu2015 on Nov 5, 2024 4:56:49 GMT -5
I was not able to watch the game, but going off the box score it doesn’t seem like we dominated the boards like we typically would in a game like this. Were we not aggressively crashing the offensive boards or were they just successfully boxing us out?
|
|
|
|
Post by ALioninWinter on Nov 5, 2024 11:42:45 GMT -5
We were missing our primary bigs - Porter and Issanza. That was one reason. Also, as NBD noted, Diop spent too much time outside. Alex hit the boards hard, but he was the only one. Also, Coach used some pretty small line-ups a lot of the game. I think Friday’s game will give us a much better idea of what kind of rebounding team we will have this year.
|
|
|
|
Post by nbdlion22 on Nov 5, 2024 14:59:43 GMT -5
We're going to start something new this year!
Each game I will have a team recap, coaching recap and a player by player recap. Maybe it will give me something more positive to put my energy into rather than being the negative nancy that I so oftentimes am thought of.
Team Recap:
The team did what it was supposed to do with the obvious gap in talent vs Life Pacific. I dont think anybody needs a reminder that Life Pacific is a mid to bottom tier NAIA team where there will be no future D1 transfers, NBA or euroleague players.
The Lions were WAY longer, stronger, athletic, and talented. Even as a tune up/warm up game for UCI I am not sure if these games actually help our players since the talent disparity was so large. My thinking is games like this oftentimes may be a hindrance and a negative for the team all around as it is not an accurate reference point/barometer for the team to work off of. 10 TO against a NAIA opponent is a too much as a team. Nonetheless a W is a W. Team Grade: A-
Coaching Recap:
IMHO as a keyboard warrior/fan I think this is going to be our weakest link this season. As I mentioned Diop our lone 6'11" / 7 footer was playing D near the three point line more than half of his minutes on the floor. During is 20-25 minutes on the floor I swear I saw him on perimeter D at least 10 of his minutes. That is just plain bad coaching. Where are the switches and help D? Especially if we are going to be hard headed and stick with a man 2 man defense this season? Wouldn't this game have been a great time to practice or try out our zone to see if we can use it in emergency situations against more talented and potent D1 offenses? also offensively I'm not sure if I really saw a ton of sophisticated action. No off ball action, No half court, no post action what is exactly our identity? Where is our pick and roll? Where is our pick and pop? Are we a team thats only going to be able score if we are on the fast break? What happens when we can't against better talent? Coaching Grade: D+
Player by Player Recap:
Jan Vide: Obviously talented but plays WAY too fast, his head is already 3 steps ahead of what his body will allow. I dont even know what you call his "carry"ing method but he was called on that 3-4 times yesterday. I think this also should fall on the coaching staff. How do you not correct this basic ball handling technique before the first game of the season during team practice and exhibitions? Has great body, length and size. I think once he gets his head organized and focused, he could be a very good tool for the Lions. It was interesting to see that his hesitance to take more shots from the outside though, I thought that was one of this strengths? Player Grade: C-
Matar Diop: Great size, athletic, and steady. I also loved the fact that it seems that he has a WAY SOFTER SET OF HANDS than our guy Rick Isanza. Had no problem handing dump offs, and quick short passes to conver to easy finishes. Obviously very raw, but I think the ceiling is very high compared to Rick. Those two may be battling for starting minutes by the time conference play rolls around. Player Grade: B
Alex M: Steady Eddy, has really improved throughout his time as a lion. Makes the "right" play most of the time, and am very happy he is with us for another year. Player Grade: B+
Caleb Stone Carawell: Its too bad this is his final year in D1 ball. Very skinny and lacks girth but is athletic, fluid, can shoot, take it to the rack. a multi tool player. Caleb was what we missed last year for the wing. Very excited to see what he does this year. 16 pts / 5 reb yesterday. Only 2 TOs considering the minutse he played and the amount of touches he had, very solid. Player Grade: A-
Will Johnston: Will probably has the toughest task this year as he transition to more of a facilitor role that a scorer. There times yesterday when he made the right pass and seemed solid in his role as the 1. However he definitely seemed uncomfrortable and didn't seem natural. With that being said 0 TO from your PG with a stat line of 5 pts /8 asts /4 reb is nothing to scoff at. Player Grade: B
Myron Amey: This guy is SUPER talented and could be an offensive juggernaut. However, I can definitely see how he can be streaky. As long as he plays under control I think we have our GO TO GUY when the team inevitably gets in a sitautino where we need a bucket to get us going. His shot is clean, can finish at the rim, can handle the ball. Dare I say he is a more polished/stronger/ longer version of a Dominick Harris? Player Grade: A-
Aaron Mcbride: Glad to see Aaron recovered from his injury and contributing. He is never going to be our offensive guy but I was happy to see him hustling and doing what he needs to do to help the team win. Looks like he tinkered his shot a bit over the summer. Looks more fluid and natural. 10 pts / 5 rebs/ 3 asts / 1 stl / 0 TOs is a solid line from him. Can't expect him to do any more. Player Grade: B
Lamaj Lewis: Lamaj has always been a head scratcher for me. A very good defender but his offensive game is SO SO LIMITED. No matter how solid he is on D he is such a liability on offense. I wonder what will happen to his minutes as the season progresses. There were too many times where the offense died when the ball got to him especiallty in the half court Player Grade: C-
Glad to see our walk ons and bench guys get some minutes yesterday.
What do you guys think of my recap and this format?
|
|
|
|
Post by thehumanbruise on Nov 5, 2024 15:26:10 GMT -5
Nice assessment. And I do like the format. I can't wait to see who the team functions with Porter in the middle.
|
|
|
|
Post by LIONS90045 on Nov 5, 2024 16:58:23 GMT -5
nbd - thanks for the post - love the positivity
|
|
|
|
Post by LIONS90045 on Nov 5, 2024 17:50:54 GMT -5
We have some real talent this season.
Coaches would love if Vide can develop into the PG we need.
Diop is better than I expected - I thought he was a real “project” but he is going to be a contributor.
Ristic showed promise in his floor time - made his first 3-pointer, blocked a shot, has good size.
McBride is going to contribute - he is strong on the boards especially for his size.
Johnson may have a hard time contributing as much as he did last season as we have lots of other shooters on the team.
The game offered a chance to shake off some cobwebs to start the season.
|
|
|
|
Post by lambdachi1988lion on Nov 5, 2024 18:05:29 GMT -5
Great recap NBD. Love the format and sharing your perspective in this way. Looking forward to more after (hopefully many) more Lions wins this year.
|
|
|
|
Post by ALioninWinter on Nov 5, 2024 20:07:00 GMT -5
Nbd - great recap! It looks like we have the same assessment of each of the players you named. But what about Kevin Carney?? He’s shooting 50% from the arc!
I agree on your comments about the coaching. I would’ve liked to see more experimenting with different defenses. I’m not sure we’ll see a lot of set plays on offense. We need some in the hip pocket for certain situations that arise, but we’ve got some guys who know how to score. Let’s let them run!
I understand trying to develop Vide’s playmaking ability. We need that! Will can bring the ball down court, even under pressure. But he’s not a playmaker. Maybe Vide can be. Frankly, we’ve got several weak opponents on the OOC schedule. I’d like to see the coaching staff continue to work with him. Yes, he carries the ball A LOT. He also has messy footwork when he starts with the ball. I’m not yet condemning the coaching staff for that. Perhaps they have been working with him on those things. I don’t know - haven’t been at their practices. Players don’t always respond just because you tell them what they’re doing wrong. I’m willing to give them some time over the next month to see if things work out. If they don’t, we’re in no worse shape than if they didn’t try. If Vide can improve, his role could really move the team to the next level.
Keep up the strong commentary.
|
|
|
|
Post by nbdlion22 on Nov 6, 2024 19:37:07 GMT -5
Thanks everybody!
Really happy to see Kevin and Ivan get PT yesterday. Excited for our game Friday.
|
|
