Horrendously coached year...

[jesmu84]

no not might *WONT*

and Whatever your starters suck live with it Slupery.... you bitch too.. stop it..

"your"?? are you even a Marquette fan?

[GGGG]

no not might *WONT*

Really?  Are you the coach of Metro State? 

[g0lden3agle]

Did not notice your new name until earlier, Sultan. I see you picked up what I tabbed for you. Things are looking brighter, you are starting to slurp toward my side. Congratulations! Let me know when you start believing that Al was MU's greatest coach.

So for the record, you "tabbing" Sultan a slurper isn't the same as the people you get angry at for calling you names?  Just making sure I have the double standards down properly.

[forgetful]

Oh please Started 51 games at South Dakota in the Great West Conference "Wow"...
Brandon Jefferson of (23-1) Division 2 Metro State averages 21 points a game shoots 92 percent from the free throw line and would compete with both of them for their starting job.

One can't starter cant create his own Shot and the other cant shoot period. It is what it is...

Brandon Jefferson is listed at 5'9", meaning he is likely 5'7".  Against D1 competition he shot 33% from 3 and 40% from 2 with a whopping 1.2 A/TO ratio.  That is against the likes of power houses canisius, Elon, Fair Dickinson and Rhode island.  The last was the only team they played that even qualifies for mid major status and they are dreadful.

Agains RI, he was 4-14 (29%) from the field and 2-8 (25%) from 3.

Dylan Flood would see the game for us before Jefferson got off the Bench.  Try again.

[Wojo'sMojo]

Perhaps Buzz believes he's helping to build the future and this year by playing Derrick so many minutes because Derrick will be the main PG next season as well.

Geez we have had so much success with him this year...hopefully next year he can play even more minutes!!!

[NersEllenson]

And playing weaker defenders would have prevented that?

No...playing weaker defenders wouldn't have prevented Thames, Carson, Garrett, Harrison, Christon, et al from going off....but you know what...we also likely wouldn't be outscored in the backcourt 40-10 in those games either....and I can live with Jake getting minutes....but when we are constantly outscored at the PG position by 10 points per game...and when the opposition totally disrespects our PG and sags off 8' allowing a help defender into the paint and to shut off our interior game, as well as make slashing from the wing from Mayo more difficult....yeah...I'd sure as hell be happy to run the risk of Dawson and Mayo playing 32 minutes per game as opposed to the Derrick and Jake show we've gotten all year long...and just seeing if by chance we could have beat a few of the decent opponents on our schedule...but possibly run the risk of giving up a few more points in the process.

[mattyv1908]

Ners - you must be proud today as Dawson had a good run yesterday with Wilson in foul trouble.  Had a good game I thought.

[NersEllenson]

Ners - you must be proud today as Dawson had a good run yesterday with Wilson in foul trouble.  Had a good game I thought.

Dawson showed his potential again yesterday, and pros/cons of him playing - he's without question an upgrade offensively over Derrick, and the team is much better at the offensive end with him in the game.  Dawson did struggle defensively yesterday, more so than what I felt I've seen from him in other games.  That said, Derrick struggled defensively with Garrett as well...not sure our defensive gameplan was sound yesterday, with a lot of the switching taking place - and how we played pick/roll action wasn't very good either.

I genuinely believe it is hard to replicate game speed/intensity in practice, and this is how it would benefit our young guys to get more game action...they need to figure it out a little better on defensive end...

[jesmu84]

Geez we have had so much success with him this year...hopefully next year he can play even more minutes!!!

Did you even read the post I responded to? Because that's not at all the conclusion to be taken from my post. The original was a comment on how we should be trying to win now and builidng for the future - indicating we should play Dawson to get him ready for the furture. However, if Buzz feels Derrick is the future, next year, then Buzz would be trying to win now, by playing Derrick more now, and trying to build for the future, by playing Derrick more now and building him for next year. I don't know if that's Buzz's plan, but it's certainly logical if he views Derrick as better this year and Derrick as the starter next year.

Instead of jumping to conclusions about my posts, please ask for clarification if you aren't sure what I mean.

[jesmu84]

No...playing weaker defenders wouldn't have prevented Thames, Carson, Garrett, Harrison, Christon, et al from going off....but you know what...we also likely wouldn't be outscored in the backcourt 40-10 in those games either....and I can live with Jake getting minutes....but when we are constantly outscored at the PG position by 10 points per game...and when the opposition totally disrespects our PG and sags off 8' allowing a help defender into the paint and to shut off our interior game, as well as make slashing from the wing from Mayo more difficult....yeah...I'd sure as hell be happy to run the risk of Dawson and Mayo playing 32 minutes per game as opposed to the Derrick and Jake show we've gotten all year long...and just seeing if by chance we could have beat a few of the decent opponents on our schedule...but possibly run the risk of giving up a few more points in the process.

While I agree the bolded portion is frustrating, doesn't it all even out if our C outscores their C by 10 points per game? You attempt to score based on match-ups and advantages. Other teams have the advantage at PG; typically we have it in the frontcourt. As long as we win, does it matter where the points come from?

[Eldon]

Dawson showed his potential again yesterday, and pros/cons of him playing - he's without question an upgrade offensively over Derrick, and the team is much better at the offensive end with him in the game.  Dawson did struggle defensively yesterday, more so than what I felt I've seen from him in other games.  That said, Derrick struggled defensively with Garrett as well...not sure our defensive gameplan was sound yesterday, with a lot of the switching taking place - and how we played pick/roll action wasn't very good either.

I genuinely believe it is hard to replicate game speed/intensity in practice, and this is how it would benefit our young guys to get more game action...they need to figure it out a little better on defensive end...

+1,000,000

[willie warrior]

So for the record, you "tabbing" Sultan a slurper isn't the same as the people you get angry at for calling you names?  Just making sure I have the double standards down properly.

never get angry--as you likely do. No double standard, as slurping is a good thing and not considered as idiot, jerk, etc. But think what you want, Golden one.

[Wojo'sMojo]

Did you even read the post I responded to? Because that's not at all the conclusion to be taken from my post. The original was a comment on how we should be trying to win now and builidng for the future - indicating we should play Dawson to get him ready for the furture. However, if Buzz feels Derrick is the future, next year, then Buzz would be trying to win now, by playing Derrick more now, and trying to build for the future, by playing Derrick more now and building him for next year. I don't know if that's Buzz's plan, but it's certainly logical if he views Derrick as better this year and Derrick as the starter next year.

Instead of jumping to conclusions about my posts, please ask for clarification if you aren't sure what I mean.

My bad jesmu...I feel like this site has turned into a battlefield lately and it's easy to jump to conclusions.

[NersEllenson]

While I agree the bolded portion is frustrating, doesn't it all even out if our C outscores their C by 10 points per game? You attempt to score based on match-ups and advantages. Other teams have the advantage at PG; typically we have it in the frontcourt. As long as we win, does it matter where the points come from?

How much more effective do you think Gardner, Otule and Jamil could operate in the paint, and Todd slashing to the basket - if there wasn't Derrick's defender typically sagged to the painted area?

I feel our Center advantage gets nullified due to the above - certainly not maximized as much as it could be.  The trickle down/domino effect having such a limited PG offensively results in the other guys on the floor not being as effective as they could be.  I've said it before, I'd be happy with Derrick launching 5 3pt shots a game when they sag that far off of him - I think he'd likely make 1 of 5...and that's enough to keep the defense honest.

But, we haven't won at a rate anyone on this board expected going into this year - even when it was known Duane and McKay were gone...so I can't agree with your statement - "As long as we win, does it matter where the points come from."  If we were winning at a higher rate, yes, I could go along with that and say no, it doesn't matter where the points come from...but our resume really is pretty poor this year...

[Nevada233]

Ners - you must be proud today as Dawson had a good run yesterday with Wilson in foul trouble.  Had a good game I thought.

+1

[TSmith34, Inc.]

The big area of frustration of course for me is at PG. 

Really? Why didn't you say so before?

[g0lden3agle]

never get angry--as you likely do. No double standard, as slurping is a good thing and not considered as idiot, jerk, etc. But think what you want, Golden one.

Slurper has a positive connotation? Interesting.

[bilsu]

Losses to New Mexico we allowed 40 back court points (Cullen Neal went off), Xavier we allowed 42 back court points (Christion went off had 28), Arizona State we allowed 44 Points back court points (Thames went off) and St Johns 31 back court points. (Harrison had 27)... All Games where a guards went off on our outstanding defenders....

You have to realize that part of the problem is the new foul rules. In some games all you have to do is touch a guard as he drives to the basket (even if the guard runs into you) and a foul is called. Put a team in the bonus who has a very quick guard that drives to the basket and you have no chance to stop them.

[jesmu84]

How much more effective do you think Gardner, Otule and Jamil could operate in the paint, and Todd slashing to the basket - if there wasn't Derrick's defender typically sagged to the painted area?

I feel our Center advantage gets nullified due to the above - certainly not maximized as much as it could be.  The trickle down/domino effect having such a limited PG offensively results in the other guys on the floor not being as effective as they could be.  I've said it before, I'd be happy with Derrick launching 5 3pt shots a game when they sag that far off of him - I think he'd likely make 1 of 5...and that's enough to keep the defense honest.

But, we haven't won at a rate anyone on this board expected going into this year - even when it was known Duane and McKay were gone...so I can't agree with your statement - "As long as we win, does it matter where the points come from."  If we were winning at a higher rate, yes, I could go along with that and say no, it doesn't matter where the points come from...but our resume really is pretty poor this year...

I just don't agree with many of the items here. If you're going to look at PG points between teams in a vacuum, then you should also look at C points in a vacuum. Regardless of how effective the frontcourt is, if they're scoring more points than the other team's frontcourt, then we have the advantage there, like they might have at PG.

I understand the point you are making about sagging and being disruptive, but points are points, regardless if they're hard to get or if they're easy to get. In fact, that sagging is one reason Buzz has opted to start bring the ball in from the wing with Todd, Jamil and Jake.

And I really just don't understand why you can't agree with my statement. Even if we haven't won as much as some people thought (including myself), all that matters is that we score more than the other team, regardless of who/how we score. Whether we have 20 wins or 3 wins, it shouldn't matter how we score as long as we score more. That seems straight-forward to me.

[bilsu]

There are things you can criticise Buzz about. The number of transfers, which keeps the team young and inexperienced. Not fouling when up three. I just do not think we should believe we know more about who should be playing on this team, because we do not see what players are doing every day and we do not understand what Buzz wants them to do. Buzz knows more about basketball than we do and coaching is his livelihood. He is going to play who he thinks will win the game. His goal this year is still to get to NCAA tournament and he is not going to give up to play younger players.

[jesmu84]

There are things you can criticise Buzz about. The number of transfers, which keeps the team young and inexperienced. Not fouling when up three. I just do not think we should believe we know more about who should be playing on this team, because we do not see what players are doing every day and we do not understand what Buzz wants them to do. Buzz knows more about basketball than we do and coaching is his livelihood. He is going to play who he thinks will win the game. His goal this year is still to get to NCAA tournament and he is not going to give up to play younger players.

Well said bilsu.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

There are things you can criticise Buzz about. The number of transfers, which keeps the team young and inexperienced.

Is our number of transfers really that bad? Not picking on you specifically, but I sense so much frustration and fear about transfers. But I really think we are on par for most D1 programs.

2013 Class (as of right now): Jameel McKay (reason unknown)
2012 Class: Jamal Ferguson (clearly wasn't able to play at this level)
2011 Class: 0 transfers
2010 Class: Jamail Jones (had to transfer to FGCU to find minutes), Reggie Smith (had to transfer to Eastern Illinois to find minutes...also potentially related to sexual assault case)
2009 Class: Jerrone Maymon (dragged off the team by father), Erik Williams (couldn't even get minutes at Sam Houston State...also potentially connected to sexual assault case), Yous Mbao (couldn't even get minutes at Marshall)
2008 Class: Liam McMorrow (had a heart condition)

Basically, we've been getting one transfer a year (I think the average for D1 is around 1.8 transfers a year). The years we've had multiple, it's been for things beyond the coach's control or the players clearly didn't pan out.

I really don't think transfers are an issue for our team.

[ChicosBailBonds]

Is our number of transfers really that bad? Not picking on you specifically, but I sense so much frustration and fear about transfers. But I really think we are on par for most D1 programs.

2013 Class (as of right now): Jameel McKay (reason unknown)
2012 Class: Jamal Ferguson (clearly wasn't able to play at this level)
2011 Class: 0 transfers
2010 Class: Jamail Jones (had to transfer to FGCU to find minutes), Reggie Smith (had to transfer to Eastern Illinois to find minutes...also potentially related to sexual assault case)
2009 Class: Jerrone Maymon (dragged off the team by father), Erik Williams (couldn't even get minutes at Sam Houston State...also potentially connected to sexual assault case), Yous Mbao (couldn't even get minutes at Marshall)
2008 Class: Liam McMorrow (had a heart condition)

Basically, we've been getting one transfer a year (I think the average for D1 is around 1.8 transfers a year). The years we've had multiple, it's been for things beyond the coach's control or the players clearly didn't pan out.

I really don't think transfers are an issue for our team.

Reggie Smith actually transferred to UNLV first.  Roseboro, not sure if he was considered a transfer...I know Newbill was not (nor was Durley), but for some reason I thought Roseboro was.  

TJ Taylor is another one that transferred.  Of course Juan Anderson and Jake Thomas transferred and then untransferred.  

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

Reggie Smith actually transferred to UNLV first.  Roseboro, not sure if he was considered a transfer...I know Newbill was not (nor was Durley), but for some reason I thought Roseboro was.  

TJ Taylor is another one that transferred.  Of course Juan Anderson and Jake Thomas transferred and then untransferred.  

Regarding Smith, that's why I used the phrasing "to find minutes." I know he transferred to UNLV first but he couldn't crack their rotation either.

I forgot about TJ Taylor and Roseboro. Neither of them ended up at quality programs either...North Texas and Maryland-Baltimore County (with a stop at St. Bonaventure's) respectively.

[mu03eng]

Reggie Smith actually transferred to UNLV first.  Roseboro, not sure if he was considered a transfer...I know Newbill was not (nor was Durley), but for some reason I thought Roseboro was.  

TJ Taylor is another one that transferred.  Of course Juan Anderson and Jake Thomas transferred and then untransferred.  

Juan was going to transfer for family reasons and Jake because he didn't want to pay full freight at MU...neither of which really count as negatives against the program.  I think the transfers aren't an issue so much as some misfires in recruiting.  I think Buzz is in love with the diamond in the rough player but sometimes it turns out to just be a rock.