X rated thoughts

[bilsu]

I think Duane's mistakes get highlighted, because he is the one who tries to take over the game in critical times. Nobody remembers a mistake made in the first half when the game is not in doubt. Everyone remembers a mistake or missed shot when the game is on the line. We need a player that is going to take the tough shot. Wilson got the rebound and scored to give us the lead in the DePaul game that we subsequently let slip away. He is a tough player.

[MU82]

So what some folks are saying is that a veteran head coach -- who took over an excellent program with a full cupboard 7 years ago -- was able to out-coach a 2nd-year head coach who has had to rebuild a moribund program while also learning his craft on the fly?

Shocking.

And still, the second-year head coach's team took the vastly superior 7th-year coach's team down to the final minutes before losing on the road.

[willie warrior]

I would rather have Traci on the floor the last 5 minutes than Duane. With Duane and Haney on the floor together at the end, it's a turnover festival.

Haney is a freshman learning a new position - PG - but no excuses for DW.

Traci had as many assists today as the entire starting five.

Once again Brandie, you have no clue about what you say, as usual. Putting Duane in the category of "turnover festival" is clueless. Fact: Wilson is 4th on team in TO's behind Cheatham 71, Ellenson 61, Carter 56 and then Duane at 54. So if you have Carter in there it becomes a TO "extravaganza.", hey'na?
Wilson has upped his scoring average from last year, 12.4 to 11.9; is 2nd on the team in 3 point % of those who play significant minutes, and has upped his FG% and 3pt. % from last year. What more would you like?
I cannot explain his FT% as they say he was about 80% in HS. But the guy is playing better than last year while he is definitely not being utilized as much in the offense as last year.
If you want to crucify a kid for TO's, then maybe you should look at the TO "festival" of Henry. He is a lottery pick and look at his TO's.
Just ridiculous trashing of Duane when the facts are against that. But Brandie's opinion is always loaded with colorful useless opinion.

[willie warrior]

I don't understand why Duane takes such heat .  He is having a very productive year and we would be in a bad position without him. When the game is on the line , he is one of the guys I want to see with the ball.  We need multiple offensive threats and he consistently gives us one.

Agreed, absolutely. Duane has improved his productivity since last year, yet some still trash him.

[willie warrior]

The issue I havee with Duane is he's a red shirt Soph.  He should be beyond those hiccups. I get the Fr kicking the ball around, but he is front and center with bad decisions and mind numbing plays...that turnover around the 1 min mark made me want to pull my hair out.

How about the three and the spin move 2 he made in the last minute to try to keep us in the game? Were you tearing your hair out then, also?

[willie warrior]

Since the game right after his grandmother's death (that game he was awful), Duane has been very good on offense.    Today, he turned the ball over too much.     But I cannot disagree more that his role is to stand in the corner on offense.    I am not sure we are watching the same games.

Sorry Tower. Look at where Duane sets up most often on offense. Deep in either corner. That is likely so the court is spread to give more room for Luke/HE down low. That is why Duane has become a third or fourth option. More plays should be developed for him. It would make us more versatile.

[The Lens]

OK, I'm so tired of the debate on Henry I could scream!

Unless we have a direct line to God or to the Ellenson family dinner table, none of know if Henry is coming back or not. We don't know what motivates Henry, who is influencing him and what values he has as both a ballplayer and a person.

We instead place our own motivations, desires and needs on Henry and assume his actions based on what WE would do.

I have watched this debate with a friend of mine's son and saw the son do what NO one except his Mom and Dad wanted him to do. I watched as he walked away from millions to get an education.

Will Henry stay or go? Just enjoy the ride and as a fellow Warrior, hope that as a young man, he does what is best for himself and the people with whom he is close.

In the meantime, quit trying to guess!

Everything I have heard about his parents is that they are dying for him to be a Top Ten pick this year.  But so many on this board like to intimate that since he's from Northern Wisconsin and since his folks are married and since he's white that could be motivated by different things.  Well DGies news flash he ain't.  He wants NBA

[KenoshaWarrior]

I don't understand why Duane takes such heat .  He is having a very productive year and we would be in a bad position without him. When the game is on the line , he is one of the guys I want to see with the ball.  We need multiple offensive threats and he consistently gives us one.

He takes heat becaue he was 4 star player who is 21 years old.   He is a servicable player but below what he should be

[Big Papi]

1. Great Effort overall
2. Great rebounding for the first 32 minutes
3. X grabbing Offensive rebounds turned the game around with 8 or so minutes left in the game
4. Too many open 3 point looks for opponents in general
5. Too many turnovers AGAIN.
6. Couldn't get a defensive stop at the end when it mattered
7. I get this team is young, some here use it as an excuse a little too much.  This was game 24 and they had the Europe trip yet we have the same problems again and again.
8. Wojo does a good job scouting and getting his team ready to play
9. Wojo does an awful job of in game adjustments.  Need an experienced coach on staff badly.
10. A lot of the above is rinse and repeat, game after game.  That is what is so frustrating.
11. Haanif is going to be a great 4 year player.  Can we start getting players like him consistently year after year.
12. We need a point guard.  A lack of a good one is killing this team.  I don't see one on the horizon.  Carter will be better but he is not the answer.  More of a very good backup variety if we want to compete for Big East titles.
13. Henry is elevating his game.
14. JJJ needs more minutes as he has turned a corner
15. Sandy is working hard and I feel a breakout game soon if given the opportunity.

 

[WarriorPride68]

Duane can stroke the ball from deep. Most definitely a guy I want taking those shots (especially over Traci at this point)

His hype machine got going in full force because of his #59 National composite ranking from all the sites. And the obvious career comparisons with the Koenig, since they were 1A & 1B in the same class, in-state.

Duane will continue to make strides

[TSmith34, Inc.]

I don't understand why Duane takes such heat .  He is having a very productive year and we would be in a bad position without him. When the game is on the line , he is one of the guys I want to see with the ball.  We need multiple offensive threats and he consistently gives us one.

Because with a bit smarter play his offensive contributions wouldn't be offset with dumb things like carrying the ball, out of control drives, and bad checking fouls.  That doesn't even include his poor defense, which had been terrible at least the last few games (blow by after blow by, not getting out on the three point shooter, etc.)

[Dr. Blackheart]

If you benchmark via Pomeroy for returning players, everyone has statistically improved versus their last playing season.  For the freshmen if you benchmark conference to non-conference, every freshman has also statistically improved except Cheatam, who has appreciably fallen off in conference.

However, there is a reason: Wojo likes him as a PG, yet he is having a tough time there both offensively and defensively.  Is that the kid's fault? No, as he will be a stud in the future as a 2G combo. You saw his potential yesterday and his weaknesses as PG.

That said, Wojo is recruiting Howard (as a one and done?). Wojo obviously doesn't think Rowsey, Carter or Cheatham are the final answer at PG. If you remember at Duke, they used to play two PG's at the same time.

I am not at practice nor am I the coach, thank goodness. We hear Duane is not a PG even though he played it all through high school. Traci is not getting the go to minutes as he often plays like a freshmen but he is improving. Haanif did not play PG in high school but is asked to learn under fire now. 

As a result, this team is still looking for its identity and the players, especially the guards, are still trying to figure out theirs. It is slowly evolving, but they have blown a gasket at some point in every major opponent game, hanging on/recovering to win some nail biters or getting blown out or giving away others. Almost all exclusively due to the turnover issues. It is why this team is not achieving its fullest potential:  The parts are there, but the sum of the parts is not.

[Jay Bee]

That said, Wojo is recruiting Howard (as a one and done?). Wojo obviously doesn't think Rowsey, Carter or Cheatham are the final answer at PG. If you remember at Duke, they used to play two PG's at the same time.

Are you saying that the recruitment of Howard is proof to you that Wojo doesn't think Rowsey, Carter or Cheatham are the 'final answer' at PG?

I think Wojo would be dumb to not recruit Howard even if Carter or Cheatham were demonstrating impeccable PG play.

[Huge guy]

Great effort fewer t/O's they can beat anyone. Henry will be a lottery pick( remember they draft upside). The NBA rookie deals are similar $5-$10 mil guaranteed for three years and then he hits
The big $ a al Wes, Jimmy etc. he has to go, crazy not too.

[Dr. Blackheart]

Are you saying that the recruitment of Howard is proof to you that Wojo doesn't think Rowsey, Carter or Cheatham are the 'final answer' at PG?

I think Wojo would be dumb to not recruit Howard even if Carter or Cheatham were demonstrating impeccable PG play.

I don't know where you got that at all, as I clearly stated that Duke likes to play multiple point guards.  That said, if I was one of those other four, I would be thinking that is quite a log jam of small guards now that you bring it up (with five points/combos).

[WarriorPride68]

Great effort fewer t/O's they can beat anyone. Henry will be a lottery pick( remember they draft upside). The NBA rookie deals are similar $5-$10 mil guaranteed for three years and then he hits
The big $ a al Wes, Jimmy etc. he has to go, crazy not too.

Draft express updated this morning with Henry moving up again, #6 now. #4 on Chad Ford

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

Everything I have heard about his parents is that they are dying for him to be a Top Ten pick this year.  But so many on thus board like to intimate that since he's from Northern Wisconsin and since his folks are married and since he's white that could be motivated by different things.  Well DGies news flash he ain't.  He wants NBA

[Jay Bee]

Dgies point is that unless you have talked to Henry himself and he has told you "I'm going pro after this season no matter what" you don't know sh*t. You can make an educated guess, you can have an opinion, but you don't know. It is not a fact that Henry is staying or going.

...and even if Henry has said this (or the opposite) to you, it doesn't necessarily mean it will happen.

[warriorchick]

...and even if Henry has said this (or the opposite) to you, it doesn't necessarily mean it will happen.

So does that mean we can stop talking about it?  PLEASE?!?!?!?

[willie warrior]

He takes heat becaue he was 4 star player who is 21 years old.   He is a servicable player but below what he should be

Laughable.

[dgies9156]

Everything I have heard about his parents is that they are dying for him to be a Top Ten pick this year.  But so many on thus board like to intimate that since he's from Northern Wisconsin and since his folks are married and since he's white that could be motivated by different things.  Well DGies news flash he ain't.  He wants NBA

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

...and even if Henry has said this (or the opposite) to you, it doesn't necessarily mean it will happen.

Also very true

[wadesworld]

He gowne.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

He gowne.

Did Ners teach you the difference between a fact and an opinion?

[brandx]

Dear God. The kid is shooting 35% from three and has 20 more three pointers than anyone else on this team (and that's without today's 4-6 performance). What more does he have to do to be considered a good three point shooter? He's not elite but he's far better than you are trying to make him out to be. People on this board have such short memories. Only look at the bad and completely ignore the good a player brings.

Not at all. What I am saying is that we can't afford to throw away half of our offensive possessions in the last few minutes. I never said I didn't want Duane to play. I said we can not afford to have two turnover machines (DW and HC) on the floor in the last couple minutes of a game.

Possessions are important. To not even get a shot repeatedly as we have seen in the last couple minutes can't happen.