Game 9 Bucknell

[Cards]

For the most part a very pleasurable game to watch with a sizable lead in the second half. Bucknell had a 10 point lead in the first half but we turned that around to lead by 6 at the half. Ray having trouble in the 1st half with no points but looking better in the second half. Such a pleasure watching Estrada do his thing. He's a very smooth guard with a soft touch. He doesn't look like he's exerting himself but scores one basket after another effortlessly and is starting to shoot better from beyond the arc. I Iyiola really gave us a boost coming off the bench and grabbing some O rebounds and scoring of those. He looked much better then the last game. Big games Estrada and Cooks once again. He's so super quick and off steals he creates there's nobody catching him in transition. Just fun to watch both him and Estrada. Just one game after another Silverio has been Mr consistency and is really helping this team coming off the bench. He could be in the running for the most improved player award(Zeke Upshaw). This is no FLUKE guys he's playing with confidence and really contributing and helping this team on both ends of the court. Nice W today and credit this revised man to man which certainly has helped this team.

Yes, Estrada and Cooks can really play. Looks like all the guys are starting to gel and have comfort knowing each others game. It was good to see Iyiola play better than last game. Lots of weapons and playing an upbeat pace makes the guys fun to watch (especially when they successfully close out the second half!!).

Given JR missed the first few games, does anyone think he has lingering injury issues? He seems to be much less inclined to drive and push it to the hoop - just takes lots of threes. Given the team make-up, maybe he doesn't have to drive often, but I thought I recall him being more aggressive (and more often) to the hoop last year. Just wondering.

After many games of watching Omar frustrate and disappoint, I will say that his performance the last 3-4 games has been welcome. Players like him don't usually change on their own, so I gotta think that Speedy has reeled him in and explained how things work when the coach calls the shots. If Omar continues to play this way, I will be pleasantly surprised and give him any props he deserves.

Finally, Speedy keeps emphasizing how he stressed defense to this squad. I must say that I think they have all bought in - the effort on D has been great to see (I know we all have been yearning for it for years!!)

In reality Cards if Omar continues to play like he’s playing we will all be elated. His scoring off the bench just gives us another real O weapon and gives our opponents another person they have to stop in their game plan. True?

as long as "if" becomes "does", then it certainly is true.

[Jojogunne]

Not to take anything away from our guys, who played very well today, but at times the best player on the floor was Bucknell's #10, Andrew Funk, who scored a game-high 28 points. He was tough, gritty and too fast for our defenders.

And, for what it's worth, Stony Brook, our next opponent, took a beating at the hands of Wagner tonight, losing 78-49. Head Coach Bashir Mason, the former Drexel standout, has the Seahawks playing very well. They also beat VCU this year.

[Polito]

My first time seeing the team in person this season, really enjoyed the game and the overall experience - haven't been to the arena in a long time with COVID obviously, place looks great

Nice overall game for HU - couldn't hit a barn from 3 in the first, but kept getting good looks - after the first couple of poor minutes, HU stopped rushing to shoot and started better ball movement, and the improvement was clear.

Estrada, I like this kid a lot - really turning into a heckuva floor general - and will take 20+ points from the PG spot all day long. He is unstoppable with his left - automatic

Cooks is so much fun to watch - he is THE energy guy and makes a tremendous impact - seems to be just a matter of him making a decision when he wants to make his move, and once he decides, that's it, the opponent will be watching him score

As far as Silverio goes, having seen this in real life, I will now say that yes he can help this team - I have been burned with him in the past because the last staff never put him in check - this kid needs FIRM coaching, not a green light - Speedy seems to be all over his butt, and it's helping, a lot. He took pretty good shots today, and was the only guy hitting from deep for a while. If Speedy can keep setting the proper strict parameters with him, he could really be a big boost to this squad

Really like Iyiola play today - very active, nice hands around the basket, fighting for rebounds, setting good picks, playing good D

Speaking of D, this was THE biggest difference to me between Speedy and JM - this team plays extremely active D - it's awesome to see, and I believe this will be the number 1 thing that keeps this team in good position nearly every game.

Ray was absolutely awful in the first - was wondering why he was even in the game - but in classic Ray fashion he came up with some big shots in the 2nd - that said, he doesn't look right - something very off today - not sure if it's injury or not feeling well or whatever, but no way what I saw was 100%

Cramer also continue to look good in his role at the 5 - I didn't think he would be effective there, but with these guards he's finding a good groove - Dubar pretty quiet, but I'm still intrigued by his ability in the long run, and he did have an in your face one-handed alley-oop today - got out of my seat for that one

I am now pretty bullish on what I see here - team has a lot more work to do to be excellent, but they do have some serious potential - I'm really excited to see what this team can do when it's fully healthy - just might have something here...

Keep progressing, and go beat SBU.

[Pride97]

Agree with all being said. D was very active. Thought Cramer did an excellent job keeping their big man away from the hoop.

I am happy to see the guards are able to use the post players more than in the recent past. Not exactly back to the Rok years, but Estrada and Cooks are certainly looking inside when they penetrate so Iyoya and Cramer need to be ready for those quick passes - looking forward to being stronger there when Simmons is back.

Curious how the lineup looks like then. Dubar didn’t play as much as I assumed he would (did have 2 early fouls). While I assumed we’d have a Dubar/Cramer 4 this year (when healthy), it seems like the Estrada/Ray/Cooks/Silverio lineup is getting a lot of play and wonder if that continues.

Silverio is playing very well and count me in on getting sucked back in again. As all are mentioning, he does seem to be taking much better shots and not chucking. What has been a very pleasant surprise to me is his D in particular. He is very active and his positioning seems much improved - has taken some key charges this year.

Also love Cooks on D. He has super quick hands and is good for a steal or two a game.

Ray hasn’t looked right for a bit now. Someone mentioned his lack of driving to the hoop and that is a great point. He tried in the Princeton game and looked awful. Now he is settling for 3s and is currently inconsistent which makes Omar’s points that much more valuable.

This home stand has me very optimistic. The talent looks to be there and the attitude does as well. Great to be back at the Mack.


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[HUSID74]

Just watched the post game press conference. No question on status of Simmons or any of the other players that are on the bench.

In the pride lounge pregame it was asked about Cramer. Apparently he had a knee contusion that just stiffened up on him last game.

Word is Simmons will be back in time for the CAA schedule.

[Polito]

That would be a game changer IMO - get him back and automatically provide more depth at the 4 with Cramer and Dubar, and we got something legit here. Don't need him full time either, just give a quality 15-25 min a game and I'll take that all day. With the way that Parrotta has coached Cramer and Iyiola, I am impressed - they are very effective players at the 5. Gonna give him the credit there, those two have been a really positive surprise at center.

Think we got a really strong staff here.

I LOVE the way Speedy coaches his guards - stark difference - he is all over them in game and demands excellence - FINALLY - it's not just about shooting a million shots a game - not every player should have a green light - it's about coaching to the player, and he seems to do this - digging it

Speaking of guards, Ray is off, 100%. When I say he looked awful in the 1st, he looked like one of the worst players on the floor - this kid is SO talented, it's clear something is not right. No clue what - he still played a lot, but he looks slow, unsure, hesitant, and played hot potato with the ball - it was ODD. Something def up.

Now if HU can get HIM back to where he belongs, that's a championship team no question. Still might be.

Like I said, this is a huge OOC stretch for HU. Go on a win streak here, get yourself in position to possibly shock the world against a surging Arkansas, and either way get your momentum for CAA play, and this team can really do something special.

Great point on Cooks hands, and I'll go a step further, I really watched this team intently yesterday, and EVERY player on this squad plays focused D on the ball - constantly looking for the steal. They are annoying on opponents, it's awesome.

Another great point on Silverio D - meant to mention that as well. Kid surprised me on that front - for a mostly pure shooter, he gets in there on D and plays it well - with Ray in a temporary down state, his development could be HUGE - has already lessoned the impact - Ok, Speedy, you've got my attention - turn Silverio into the player he was SUPPOSED, and I'll become his biggest fan

I'm bullish because right now this team is playing better and better and winning with the CPOY candidate essentially nonexistent. When Ray returns to the player he really is, this team is likely to go dancing. Like Brady says for Hertz, Let's Goooooo!

[HofstraMathew]

Just watched the post game press conference. No question on status of Simmons or any of the other players that are on the bench.

In the pride lounge pregame it was asked about Cramer. Apparently he had a knee contusion that just stiffened up on him last game.

Word is Simmons will be back in time for the CAA schedule.

That would be great news. Would add the depth back to our lineup and help Cramer get more time at the 4.

[EvanJ]

Silverio could average over 20 minutes without starting like Ray did in his first two seasons. Playing Cooks 35, Estrada 30, Ray 30, Dubar 25, Silverio 20, Cramer 20, Simmons 20, and Iyiola 20 is 200 minutes while using top guards less than we usually do and without Burgess. In the last three complete seasons and seven of the last eight, we played at least three players at least 32 minutes.

We are ninth of 358 teams in assist/turnover ratio at 1.67, and third outside the top six conferences behind St. Thomas, who moved up to Division I to finally give Minnesota more than one Division I team, and Colorado State. We are 15th of 358 teams with an adjusted field goal percentage of .571. That counts made threes as 1.5.

Before the season, did anybody think that after nine games we would have three guards other than Ray lead the CAA in a statistic?

[triplec2195]

Silverio could average over 20 minutes without starting like Ray did in his first two seasons. Playing Cooks 35, Estrada 30, Ray 30, Dubar 25, Silverio 20, Cramer 20, Simmons 20, and Iyiola 20 is 200 minutes while using top guards less than we usually do and without Burgess. In the last three complete seasons and seven of the last eight, we played at least three players at least 32 minutes.

We are ninth of 358 teams in assist/turnover ratio at 1.67, and third outside the top six conferences behind St. Thomas, who moved up to Division I to finally give Minnesota more than one Division I team, and Colorado State. We are 15th of 358 teams with an adjusted field goal percentage of .571. That counts made threes as 1.5.

Before the season, did anybody think that after nine games we would have three guards other than Ray lead the CAA in a statistic?

Well a lot of people knew we were getting a major recruit in Cooks and certainly it wouldn't be anything to be ashamed of to take a back seat to him in any category and history tells us he's a strong rebounder not just a scorer. We have a lot of offensive weapons so watchout when Ray gets his game back on track. What I find amazing here is that people are starting to come around to this notion that maybe we have a diamond in the rough with Silverio. When I see Polito posting positively about him that speaks volumes. I think he wanted to trade him to another CAA team lol!! So fingers crossed that He's not a flash in the pan and what we're seeing is the real Silverio. After his first few misses yesterday I thought here we go again but he got on track and was having a nice game.

[Pride97]

So fingers crossed that He's not a flash in the pan and what we're seeing is the real Silverio. After his first few misses yesterday I thought here we go again but he got on track and was having a nice game.

I admittedly was a little worried when Omar missed the first few as well. However he was taking good shots and had open looks. To me, that plus his D is what makes me think Speedy had gotten him to turn the corner. I think teams are starting to respect him. That will likely open up some of the other guards on the perimeter. If he is able to make the extra pass when defenses close on him rather than to force a shot then I will fully believe!


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[triplec2195]

Probably the fact that our other guards can score may be giving him a lot more open looks.


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[HUSID80]

As we get healthy team is beginning to jell. Thought the Bucknell game was our best TEAM effort to date.

Still a few questions/ issues.

First agree that Jalen has not been himself but his second half showed that he may be on the way back.

Getting nothing from Burgess…believe that he is just not as talented as the rest of this group and his role has been marginalized…he has become a secondary defensive substitute and facilitator.

And finally, what’s up with Bethea? Will he ever play. He never played last year and I don’t think he’s been on the court this year either. Looks like he’s hurt or maybe he’s being red shirted…who knows.

Hoping for a nice win Wednesday to continue our LI domination…see Monmouth as a real challenge as we all know Arkansas will be.

If we can finish the non-conference schedule 3-1 that will be HUGE IMO.

[stuball888]

After several games this team is now finding its identity . Players are sliding into their roles. As we get healthy and have more players available the end of games will be more manageable. Lets give Speedy and his staff credit for adjusting on the fly. Its not everyday you lose your center and backup center to injuries. We have not been badly outrebounded even when their is no one on the floor bigger than 6ft7. Credit to Tom Parratta working with the big men .Speedys staff is solid. The team comes out focused. They will only get better as the season progresses. remember this is a team with many new faces and they are still learning to play with one another. Just like parents teaching toddlers to share their toys this team is sharing the ball. Means open looks beyond the arc. This team should go 3-1 and maybe with a little luck we go 4-0 and get that signature win.

[EvanJ]

Well a lot of people knew we were getting a major recruit in Cooks and certainly it wouldn't be anything to be ashamed of to take a back seat to him in any category and history tells us he's a strong rebounder not just a scorer.

I didn't know that. https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/pl ... oks-1.html says his minutes in the last four seasons are almost identical with 37.3, 37.6, 37.7, and 37.8. His rebounds went 4.8, 5.2, 4.9, 3.2. There isn't a way of finding out, but I wonder how many players had four consecutive seasons averaging over 37 minutes. On the other hand, he's become a point guard. In his last three seasons for NJIT, he combined for 418 rebounds and 166 assists. This season he has 29 rebounds and 38 assists. I think teams need at least three players averaging at least 4 rebounds or they're going to struggle rebounding with that combination of players. All of our regulars are above 4 rebounds except Cooks and Silverio, so we've been having at least three players averaging at least 4 rebounds at a time. In 2019-2020 we could afford to have Kante be our only forward because Pemberton and Coburn rebounded well by guard standards, which allowed us to have a rebounding margin of +1.0 per game with Buie averaging 3.7 and Ray averaging 2.9. Iyiola has an extremely high 0.366 rebounds per minute, which is higher than Kante's .317 last season when he averaged 10.1 rebounds. In the last 23 complete seasons, Gustys (2015-2016, 2016-2017, and 2017-2018) and Stephen Nwaukoni (2013-2014) are our only players to average over 0.366 rebounds per minute. In 2002-2003, Kenny Adeleke averaged 11.0 per game and 0.338 per minute.

[triplec2195]

Cooks has always been a strong rebounder and on this team he's not the PG that role has been taken over by Estrada. I think they want Cooks out in transition as much as possible because he can get fast break points because he's so quick. He's strong in most categories and a great get for this team.

[EvanJ]

We have two point guards. I won't say that a guy who's third in the CAA in assists per game isn't a point guard. In addition, Burgess is averaging more assists per minute than Green when he averaged 7.15 per game in 2015-2016.

[triplec2195]

We have two point guards. I won't say that a guy who's third in the CAA in assists per game isn't a point guard. In addition, Burgess is averaging more assists per minute than Green when he averaged 7.15 per game in 2015-2016.

Yeah because Burgess has been shackled voluntarily or involuntarily and all he does is pass the ball and defend. If you're saying that Cooks is a PG because he gets assists that's inaccurate. Cooks gets assists because he's super quick and the D has to collapse on him to stop him from scoring so he has the luxury of dishing to someone who's open. But there's a lot more to a PG then that. When Estrada is in the game Cooks becomes a SG but I believe that everyone down to the coach believes that Estrada is our main PG.

[Polito]

When I see Polito posting positively about him that speaks volumes. I think he wanted to trade him to another CAA team lol!!

LOL you're not off track tc I can not stand selfish play that hurts the team, and he literally lost the biggest ranked OOC opportunity in modern HU hoops because of his arrogance and boneheaded decision making - nearly unforgivable to me, UNLESS he accepts coaching and changes

what I'm seeing is this: I don't think the last staff coached this kid correctly - or at least didn't have the courage or sense to reel him in - it was all about the green light, and that was wrong for Omar - he needs to be coached FIRMLY and told specifically what is acceptable and what is not - and Speedy seems to be the man for that job

He is VERY vocal with his guards, Omar of course, but all of them really - he was up Estradas butt all game lol. Kid played great overall, but he also made a few silly mistakes and the correction was clear, quick, and firm. He is demanding excellence, and I absolutely love that. No resting on laurels. You want to be a champion, then let's see it.

This right here might finally help Omar become the player he should be - some players need lots of hugs and a free pass - others need to be strict course correction. I'm cautiously optimistic, need to see more proof when games are on the line that he will do the right thing - but I CAN see the potential - he can make a positive difference - he has skill - just needs to understand how to play HIS game and THE game properly.

[triplec2195]

I believe this staff saw the importance of Omar in this years scheme of things and went to work on it and he really is playing with such confidence. Of course with all the scorers on this team there's not nearly as much pressure on him to score with plenty of other options. Anyone that has gone to the games can see first hand about Speedy getting in your face in real time and benching players when they're making bad decisions. Silverio right now has been given a golden opportunity and is making the most of it. Let's hope it continues because it's huge for the team to have another legitimate scoring threat.

[HUSID74]

IMO Burgess is getting the minutes he deserves. He is not a starter and is not a SCORER off the bench. He can come in to give some of the backcourt starters some rest and is at best COMPETENT in his current role.