BIG TIME W
Really showed something here, payback of course, but more than that when they beat HU half the team/starters were battling the flu in a major way - fully healthy this team showed they are more than ready to take them on - super sign
And yes, this team and program IMO have been better on the road - HU loses big home games more than big road games, or at least feels that way...
And I'll take that too for the CAAT
Kante, man, this kid deserves huge kudos, went toe to toe with a pro - he is really coming into his own - and man he's got some real skill with the ball - he's making the impact we all hoped for, but funny enough in a very diff way than I think most of us expected - I figured him for a bruising beast - and he can def hold his weight down low, but he's so much more footwork and finesse than I really imagined - can post back to basket, drive to the hoop, or hit turnaround mid range - I mean that's nice to have at the 5
TC just a beast - still want more consistency, but man that kid can do it all when he's focused and aggressive
What can ya say about DB, Pemba, and Ray, just doing their thing
First place 2nd half of the year, hard to ask for much more in the JWF adjustment year
I maintain my position that this league is highly unimpressive - any of the top 4-5 can win it all, and I won't be fooled one minute by NU's recent struggles - upper half of conf will all be dangerous when it's showtime
But a fantastic win tonight, time to take advantage and hold court at home, a little luck to peak at the right time, and ya never know. Shaping up to be very interesting.
MBB Game 24 at William & Mary on 2/1/2020 at 4:00 P.M.
Re: MBB Game 24 at William & Mary on 2/1/2020 at 4:00 P.M.
I know we talk a lot about developing a bench, but the reality of that is that the bench is what it is.
This was another example (and we've seen it before), that the starters can not only win (and not only against bad teams), but can win big (and against good teams) basically on their own when they play smartly, efficiently and with focus and determination, as they did in this game.
Starters minutes: 35, 35, 38, 36 39
Bench minutes: 4, 5, 3, 3
Points: Starters 80, Bench 3
FG: Starters 31/55, Bench 1/4
Rebs: Starters 29, Bench 4
Asts: Starters 14, Bench 0
Stls: Starters 5, Bench 1
Even with that huge disparity between the starters and the bench, they get an easy 23-point win on the first-place team's home floor. Yes, 3 in 3 days is a different thing, but they can even get through that and cut the nets as long as they get consistency from the starters, especially from Eli and Coburn. They're a different team when those two are having big games. Buie will show up for the CAAT, Kante is reliable now and Ray is hot and cold, but will be there enough (in the one or two games out of the three) that they'll need him for in D.C. This is all on the starters. If they play how they played today (in a big test), they can climb the ladder next month.
This was another example (and we've seen it before), that the starters can not only win (and not only against bad teams), but can win big (and against good teams) basically on their own when they play smartly, efficiently and with focus and determination, as they did in this game.
Starters minutes: 35, 35, 38, 36 39
Bench minutes: 4, 5, 3, 3
Points: Starters 80, Bench 3
FG: Starters 31/55, Bench 1/4
Rebs: Starters 29, Bench 4
Asts: Starters 14, Bench 0
Stls: Starters 5, Bench 1
Even with that huge disparity between the starters and the bench, they get an easy 23-point win on the first-place team's home floor. Yes, 3 in 3 days is a different thing, but they can even get through that and cut the nets as long as they get consistency from the starters, especially from Eli and Coburn. They're a different team when those two are having big games. Buie will show up for the CAAT, Kante is reliable now and Ray is hot and cold, but will be there enough (in the one or two games out of the three) that they'll need him for in D.C. This is all on the starters. If they play how they played today (in a big test), they can climb the ladder next month.
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triplec2195
- Posts: 4833
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Re: MBB Game 24 at William & Mary on 2/1/2020 at 4:00 P.M.
Probably if this was a home game our bench would have played more. For whatever reason we're seeing Burgess come in before Silverio. I just have this gut feeling that Silverio is our trump card and he will come up huge in a big situation. Burgess not only showed us his quickness which he does on a consistent basis but also showed us a little scoring as well. Its well planned that he's getting into games on a more frequent basis now. I had a fair amount of angst going into this one knowing how important a game it was but it was the reverse of the game in Hempstead. Almost everything went right for us and the converse true for them. Their big guy Vliet or (Violet) from a prior post showed he's pretty much just a bit above average player and if he's not getting wide open looks from beyond the perimeter he's not going to kill you with three's.
We have now gotten two strong back to back games from Eli after he laid an egg for a couple of games. When he's on we're a tough team to beat and when are guards are dealing we're THE TEAM TO BEAT. I don't think that any team in this league can match our 5 starters right now. 1-5 we're the best team here and we're playing improved D even though we're small we have guys like Coburn who plays much larger then his size due to his vertical leap. Something that we will see finally from Cramer next year. I thought it was pretty evident that we were the much quicker team in this game and although they have size they give up quickness with their starting five!
We have now gotten two strong back to back games from Eli after he laid an egg for a couple of games. When he's on we're a tough team to beat and when are guards are dealing we're THE TEAM TO BEAT. I don't think that any team in this league can match our 5 starters right now. 1-5 we're the best team here and we're playing improved D even though we're small we have guys like Coburn who plays much larger then his size due to his vertical leap. Something that we will see finally from Cramer next year. I thought it was pretty evident that we were the much quicker team in this game and although they have size they give up quickness with their starting five!
Last edited by triplec2195 on Sun Feb 02, 2020 3:21 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Re: MBB Game 24 at William & Mary on 2/1/2020 at 4:00 P.M.
Great to get a little national attention. This was a great week for the team.
The looked very in control the past few games and in addition to better defense, the ball movement has been much improved.
Dumping the ball to Kante after Knight’s third foul was smart basketball and they did it to perfection. If Kante’s offensive game continues to improve, it opens an whole new dimension to what they can do.
The looked very in control the past few games and in addition to better defense, the ball movement has been much improved.
Dumping the ball to Kante after Knight’s third foul was smart basketball and they did it to perfection. If Kante’s offensive game continues to improve, it opens an whole new dimension to what they can do.
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Flying Dutchmen
- Posts: 927
- Joined: Thu Jul 17, 2014 5:09 pm
Re: MBB Game 24 at William & Mary on 2/1/2020 at 4:00 P.M.
Last nights win was reminiscent of a game back in '05-'06 vs St. Johns, where something seemed to just click with our starters that carried itself though that great year.
Awesome overall performance, most complete win of the year. Pemba and Buie hit big shots in the first half that never let W&M get momentum, Coburn had two huge 3's at the end of the half to extend our lead to double digits. In the 2nd, Beast and Ray got to work, we exploited Knight getting in foul trouble, and we were truly paced by Buie's tremendous game. An offensive 180 from the first matchup where everything seemed forced, we were incredibly patient last night, we moved the ball well, we didn't settle for difficult shots, and we had a good inside-outside balance that kept W&M honest all night.
I thought we had a solid defensive effort as well, we moved with them better, they don't really have many guys who can beat us off the dribble, and they never were able to generate the amount of opportunities they had in the first game. Knight had his points, but it was mostly under the hoop, I thought we did a good job limiting the more dynamic aspects of his game, kudos to the coaching staff for some good gameplanning.
Hopefully this game was our springboard into the second half of the conference season, tied for first, 7 games left, 5 at home, CAA is wide open, let's get it done!
Awesome overall performance, most complete win of the year. Pemba and Buie hit big shots in the first half that never let W&M get momentum, Coburn had two huge 3's at the end of the half to extend our lead to double digits. In the 2nd, Beast and Ray got to work, we exploited Knight getting in foul trouble, and we were truly paced by Buie's tremendous game. An offensive 180 from the first matchup where everything seemed forced, we were incredibly patient last night, we moved the ball well, we didn't settle for difficult shots, and we had a good inside-outside balance that kept W&M honest all night.
I thought we had a solid defensive effort as well, we moved with them better, they don't really have many guys who can beat us off the dribble, and they never were able to generate the amount of opportunities they had in the first game. Knight had his points, but it was mostly under the hoop, I thought we did a good job limiting the more dynamic aspects of his game, kudos to the coaching staff for some good gameplanning.
Hopefully this game was our springboard into the second half of the conference season, tied for first, 7 games left, 5 at home, CAA is wide open, let's get it done!
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stuball888
- Posts: 4610
- Joined: Sat Jul 12, 2014 9:21 am
Re: MBB Game 24 at William & Mary on 2/1/2020 at 4:00 P.M.
Our guard play is superior the theirs 4 turnovers to 12 turnovers. So any apology to the coaching staff who were Wright about Kante. He went head to head with the best center in the CAA and played him almost even. Still would like to see more out of Burgess and Silverio. The D seems better and if we continue to improve on the D end we can absorb and bad game from one of our starters.
Re: MBB Game 24 at William & Mary on 2/1/2020 at 4:00 P.M.
Generally agree Stu - the "D" is definitely improved. Still have some lapses, but compared to previous seasons, well, lets just say there is not much comparison.stuball888 wrote:Our guard play is superior the theirs 4 turnovers to 12 turnovers. So any apology to the coaching staff who were Wright about Kante. He went head to head with the best center in the CAA and played him almost even. Still would like to see more out of Burgess and Silverio. The D seems better and if we continue to improve on the D end we can absorb and bad game from one of our starters.
Guard play is way better then W&M, and better than most in the CAA.
Agree on CB and OS.
No apologies needed re IK comments. Criticism of his early season play was fair, he clearly needed to improve. I think most of us were willing to give him the OOC to get his playing legs. I also think most of us would agree he has made real progress, which is great to see. Being a little undersized in height, I personally kept hoping he would develop into a Devante Cacock type player. It could happen - I really like his short jump hook, he's learning to work with the guards on the PnR, I'm not crazy about the 15 footers (but if he only takes a few a game and make a high make %, then great), and he's shown a few times that he can drive to the hoop if defenders slack off of him. At this stage I would say his rebounding is adequate, but like other aspects of his game it too has improved. In fairness to him, its tough when you're the only real big on the floor playing with 4 guards. For his sake, I'm really hoping that Green and Cramer can help him out over the next few seasons.
Re: MBB Game 24 at William & Mary on 2/1/2020 at 4:00 P.M.
Kante just needs to be who he is and to keep progressing. That's all HU needs from him, and so far, he's been a good help as the season has gone on. Asking him to be Cacok is a lot. Cacok was a beast in the CAA and right now, he's putting up 18 & 12 per game in the G-League on a two-way deal with the Lakers. Not sure Kante will ever approach that level, but he doesn't need to. What he's been so far has been helpful.Cards wrote:Generally agree Stu - the "D" is definitely improved. Still have some lapses, but compared to previous seasons, well, lets just say there is not much comparison.stuball888 wrote:Our guard play is superior the theirs 4 turnovers to 12 turnovers. So any apology to the coaching staff who were Wright about Kante. He went head to head with the best center in the CAA and played him almost even. Still would like to see more out of Burgess and Silverio. The D seems better and if we continue to improve on the D end we can absorb and bad game from one of our starters.
Guard play is way better then W&M, and better than most in the CAA.
Agree on CB and OS.
No apologies needed re IK comments. Criticism of his early season play was fair, he clearly needed to improve. I think most of us were willing to give him the OOC to get his playing legs. I also think most of us would agree he has made real progress, which is great to see. Being a little undersized in height, I personally kept hoping he would develop into a Devante Cacock type player. It could happen - I really like his short jump hook, he's learning to work with the guards on the PnR, I'm not crazy about the 15 footers (but if he only takes a few a game and make a high make %, then great), and he's shown a few times that he can drive to the hoop if defenders slack off of him. At this stage I would say his rebounding is adequate, but like other aspects of his game it too has improved. In fairness to him, its tough when you're the only real big on the floor playing with 4 guards. For his sake, I'm really hoping that Green and Cramer can help him out over the next few seasons.
Re: MBB Game 24 at William & Mary on 2/1/2020 at 4:00 P.M.
Wags wrote:Kante just needs to be who he is and to keep progressing. That's all HU needs from him, and so far, he's been a good help as the season has gone on. Asking him to be Cacok is a lot. Cacok was a beast in the CAA and right now, he's putting up 18 & 12 per game in the G-League on a two-way deal with the Lakers. Not sure Kante will ever approach that level, but he doesn't need to. What he's been so far has been helpful.Cards wrote:Generally agree Stu - the "D" is definitely improved. Still have some lapses, but compared to previous seasons, well, lets just say there is not much comparison.stuball888 wrote:Our guard play is superior the theirs 4 turnovers to 12 turnovers. So any apology to the coaching staff who were Wright about Kante. He went head to head with the best center in the CAA and played him almost even. Still would like to see more out of Burgess and Silverio. The D seems better and if we continue to improve on the D end we can absorb and bad game from one of our starters.
Guard play is way better then W&M, and better than most in the CAA.
Agree on CB and OS.
No apologies needed re IK comments. Criticism of his early season play was fair, he clearly needed to improve. I think most of us were willing to give him the OOC to get his playing legs. I also think most of us would agree he has made real progress, which is great to see. Being a little undersized in height, I personally kept hoping he would develop into a Devante Cacock type player. It could happen - I really like his short jump hook, he's learning to work with the guards on the PnR, I'm not crazy about the 15 footers (but if he only takes a few a game and make a high make %, then great), and he's shown a few times that he can drive to the hoop if defenders slack off of him. At this stage I would say his rebounding is adequate, but like other aspects of his game it too has improved. In fairness to him, its tough when you're the only real big on the floor playing with 4 guards. For his sake, I'm really hoping that Green and Cramer can help him out over the next few seasons.
He doesn't have the natural 'nose for the ball' or superior positioning that Cacok has, so I doubt he'll approach that level of rebounding prowess.
That being said he's really a freshman in terms of playing experience. All along he's been the key to the season and you have to be happy with his progress thus far.
Re: MBB Game 24 at William & Mary on 2/1/2020 at 4:00 P.M.
Its really good to see a group of the former CAA guys playing well - Justin, Brantley, Cacock, Knight (projected) and other guys in European or other leagues. Good to see that these guys stayed in the CAA for all four years. I just hope it pays off down the road by showing the better recruits and better players that you can advance beyond the CAA. Makes me kinda long for the old VCU, Old Dominion, and George Mason games.
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Flying Dutchmen
- Posts: 927
- Joined: Thu Jul 17, 2014 5:09 pm
Re: MBB Game 24 at William & Mary on 2/1/2020 at 4:00 P.M.
It seems like Kante plays a little tentative in the first half as to not get in foul trouble, which is smart, and I think he's improved in playing aggressive enough while not getting in foul trouble.cactus wrote:He doesn't have the natural 'nose for the ball' or superior positioning that Cacok has, so I doubt he'll approach that level of rebounding prowess.
That being said he's really a freshman in terms of playing experience. All along he's been the key to the season and you have to be happy with his progress thus far.
Clearly more games in the offense has helped, and our guards have found him inside more, but maybe most importantly, Kante's conditioning seems to be back, he's knocked off the rust.
Re: MBB Game 24 at William & Mary on 2/1/2020 at 4:00 P.M.
His conditioning has improved for sure.Flying Dutchmen wrote:It seems like Kante plays a little tentative in the first half as to not get in foul trouble, which is smart, and I think he's improved in playing aggressive enough while not getting in foul trouble.cactus wrote:He doesn't have the natural 'nose for the ball' or superior positioning that Cacok has, so I doubt he'll approach that level of rebounding prowess.
That being said he's really a freshman in terms of playing experience. All along he's been the key to the season and you have to be happy with his progress thus far.
Clearly more games in the offense has helped, and our guards have found him inside more, but maybe most importantly, Kante's conditioning seems to be back, he's knocked off the rust.
He is figuring out how to playing with a great dishing point guard.
Defensively he has also improved - he is not a superior athletic, high flying, above the rim player - and I agree he is finding his niche and is a great get for us.