The collapse of Dominic James has been painful to watch

[MU Avenue]

I cannot remember seeing a player stumble and regress like this. Then again, I believe James' confidence and swagger far exceed his abilities and consistency.

Many people, including some who participate in this site, began the season by annointing James one of the nation's best and a soon-to-be first-round pick in the NBA draft. I never saw it and thought it absurd a few months ago when James was named a pre-season All-American -- whatever that means.

I thought it equally preposterous that many, especially Coach Crean, were hyping James as NBA-ready. James was -- and is -- nowhere close to NBA-ready. No team would go anywhere near him.

James will get back on track when he stops buying all the hype and ends his obvious efforts to pad his résumé and add to his highlights reel.

[mu_hilltopper]

Couple things .. had DJ put in a season as good as last year, he'd be drafted in the NBA, meaning a few hundred NBA draft analysts would vouch for him at the next level.  So at the time, Crean, or anyone else hyping him, wasn't just BSing.

And I don't think DJ is currently "buying all the hype" .. he really looked dejected out there tonight.  He's in a deep, deep funk, and there's little light at the end of the tunnel, as there doesn't appear to be an end to this death spiral, at the moment.

[MU Avenue]

... but I still see a guy who is extremely high on himself -- despite his being in a "deep, deep funk." His strut and swagger have not abated in the least. Nor has the overconfidence he has in his outside shooting, which is about as poor as it gets.

Yes, James had a fine freshman season. But did that really make him ready for the NBA? Come on! There are many, many players in professional basketball who are every bit Dominic James' equal, if not much better and much, much more consistent than him. A lot of them are spending plenty of time on the bench.

Even if James bounces back to have a solid sophomore season, his next couple of years will be in the NCAA, not the NBA. His supporters and his coach should stop telling him otherwise.

[HoopDreams]

I want to see the kid step up and be the leader he should be for this team..it appears he is playing with "one foot out the door", and it is very difficult to watch. He has a lot of maturing to do with both his game and his ego. Honestly the biggest disappointment in watching the team this year (for me) is team chemistry and a team that is willing to put everything on the line. "The hardest working team on the hardwood" seems hard to swallow at this point in the season. I just feel this team is so much more talented than the level they are playing at..

[NYWarrior]

I want to see the kid step up and be the leader he should be for this team

This is McNeal's team now.....a funny thing happened on the way to the NBA -- Jerel McNeal, despite his maddening inability to protect the ball, has the moxie, skill, drive and hustle that has made him this team's leader. 

Its Jerel's program now IMHO

still, I dont think James is 100%....his game is so different now v last year -- no drives, little effort to attacking the basket.  Something is amiss

[Murffieus]

I think he read all this preseason stuff and expected TC get him more involved in the offense----to be the go to guy (even if he had to go to himself)----however the way things evolved this didn't happen-----he finds himself playing #2 guard a lot and not being able to take the initiative as much as last year (because of zones)----in short he sees his immediate NBA dream slipping away (he told TC before the season he was going into the draft because of his family situation in Richmond)----and this contributes to an even deeper "funk".

He needs a breakout game----but he also needs his perimeter shot overhauled----his delivery is fatally flawed!

[tckmu24]

i definitely agree that something is wrong with DJ.  what is odd is that at the valpo game he pretty much took over with drives to the basket which gave him confidence because he hit his FT's and a few 3's (including the game winner).  lately he is just brutal and won't try and penetrate the zone at all.  these 2-3 zones are pretty much taking DJ out of games and that means that is could be a long season if crean doesn't figure out a way to fix it.

[PuertoRicanNightmare]

I didn't see or hear the Valpo game, but wasn't he less than stellar in the first 3/4 of that game?

[mu_hilltopper]

I didn't see or hear the Valpo game, but wasn't he less than stellar in the first 3/4 of that game?

Yup.  Less than stellar is an understatement.  -- I didn't think he deserved such a party after that game.   Everyone points to his feat of scoring the last 14 (?) points of the game .. well, if no one else on the team can score diddly squat, is that such a big deal?  And don't great players, you know, contribute for 40 minutes?

[Sir Lawrence]

MU and Syracuse.  Wade and Carmelo.  Dang, just woke up from that sweet dream.  I sure didn't see any NBA guards/small forwards on the court last night.

[MUfan12]

And I don't think DJ is currently "buying all the hype"

Anyone who is on campus can vouch for this.... the kid's ego is out of control. Last year he was always a little cocky, but this year he walks around like he's God's gift to MU. Whenever MU needed a big basket last night, he jacked one up completely out of the flow of the offense. Why? Because he wants to be the hero. It may sound a bit harsh but I'm pretty positive of that.

[Harrison]

One simple question why does he fall back on his free throws?  One thing you will see all good free throw shooters do is to "fall" with their next step into the lane.  Helps with the follow thru and spin of the ball.  James fades away, is that that difficult to fix?  I question our ability to coach fundamentals.

[ecompt]

DJ has never had to work on his fundamentals because his sheer talent got him through high school and then he and the other freshmen took people by surprise last year. This year they're the hunted, not the hunters. He thinks he's great and he's far from it. In fact, he won't even go on to have the best career of any of his teammates. Jerel, as raw as he is, has a much brighter future.

[MU71]

Hard to tell what the porblem is because I'm not close enough to the situation but as an outside observer a case could be made for any of the following:
1- too many preseason accolades
2- frustration over the zones we're facing
3- lack of openings because we have no outside game
4- lack of openings because we have no inside game
5- something physical
6- lack of work on shortcomings because things have been too easy for him
7- the way Crean is using him
I can't say what it is but he sure hasn't been effective this year.  Any or all of the above could be contributing.

[ChicosBailBonds]

... but I still see a guy who is extremely high on himself -- despite his being in a "deep, deep funk." His strut and swagger have not abated in the least. Nor has the overconfidence he has in his outside shooting, which is about as poor as it gets.

Yes, James had a fine freshman season. But did that really make him ready for the NBA? Come on! There are many, many players in professional basketball who are every bit Dominic James' equal, if not much better and much, much more consistent than him. A lot of them are spending plenty of time on the bench.

Even if James bounces back to have a solid sophomore season, his next couple of years will be in the NCAA, not the NBA. His supporters and his coach should stop telling him otherwise.

Do we know what his supporters and coach are telling him or is this speculation?

[mviale]

In the NBA, they dont play zone as much.

[MUshrooms]

Correct me if I'm wrong but doesnt DJ have a tattoo of HIMSELF playing basketball with the words "God Given Talent" on his left arm??? He needs an attitude adjustment.

[muhoosier260]

there's talk of the "funk" that james is in recently, which isn't hard to notice. remember in the valpo game when there was something up w/DJ and Crean, there was supposedly something going on with James and crean was very emotional after the game? did anyone ever find out what that was? is there something up with his psyche related to that event that has something to do w/his current state? just a thought

[ChicosBailBonds]

And I don't think DJ is currently "buying all the hype"

Anyone who is on campus can vouch for this.... the kid's ego is out of control. Last year he was always a little cocky, but this year he walks around like he's God's gift to MU. Whenever MU needed a big basket last night, he jacked one up completely out of the flow of the offense. Why? Because he wants to be the hero. It may sound a bit harsh but I'm pretty positive of that.

If true, that would be very unfortunate.  Not the first kid in the world to have success go to his head and not the last.  Usually you have to learn a painful lesson or two before it rectifies itself.  Have the lessons been learned?  That is the question.

[ChicosBailBonds]

One simple question why does he fall back on his free throws?  One thing you will see all good free throw shooters do is to "fall" with their next step into the lane.  Helps with the follow thru and spin of the ball.  James fades away, is that that difficult to fix?  I question our ability to coach fundamentals.

I agree, his form is terrible, definitely shouldn't be leaning back.

I'm guessing that the coaches decided not to work with any of the players this year on fundamentals with free throws but instead focused just on it last year focused just on Novak, Chapman, Fitz. Matthews and McNeal...all who shot over 70% last year.      Or was it that last year they were teaching fundamentals to these guys and this year they are not?  Come on.  Give me a break.  Same kids...last year they shot over 70%, this year the SAME KIDS are not.  What are you suggesting, the coaches taught them a different technique this year?


James shot 64.1% last year.  This year he's shooting 63.5%.  Simply put, he's not a good free throw shooter.  He wasn't in high school, he wasn't in AAU and he's not in college.  From what I've heard, they have identified clearly the flaw that you and I and every person in the world sees...arching the back and backpeddaling on the line.  He doesn't want to listen, he's shooting it his way.

[ecompt]

The fact he's not listening speaks volumes, I think.

[Warrior2008]

Unfortunately I can second MUfan's statement about Dominic's attitude around campus.  Its sad to see because deep down I think he is well intended.  I think a lot of the success he has experienced inflated his own self image.  While it may be harsh to say, maybe this is just the thing that is needed to motivate Dominic to work on all facets of his game, as well as teach him a little bit of humility.  We'll just have to see.  IMHO though, this is Jerel and Wes' team at the moment, but that doesn't mean Dominic can't join the act in the future.  He most certainly has the ability to lead, as the comeback in the Alabama game last year was due to his leadership in the 2nd half.