Grades

[dgies9156]

Any grading system based on success in a one and done style tourney is only going to lead to disappointment. I'll be sure to Leo Tony Bennett know that he had a C season

Brother TAMU, I'm kinda guessing he already knows that.

Not sure you were around when we lost to Miami of F-ing Ohio, but I will tell you there was more wailing and gnashing of teeth than you would ever imagine. I'm sure Coach Bennett is reliving that game in his mind over and over again and probably is harsher on himself than we are on Virginia -- or him for that matter.

Good coaches will take the fall when things go bad and say they need to coach better. For a team that was like 30-3 and an overall 1, it is a C- or perhaps even worse when you lose to a school that sounds like a high school.

I called our 1978 season a C- earlier. Brother Goose thought I was harsh. But when you lose to Miami of F-ing Ohio; when you team loses its composure against a LOW mid-major, as we did, C- was not unreasonable. Same for Virginia. If you're that good -- and they were -- you don't let an opponent of that caliber get anywhere close to you. And yes, if you are that elite of a team, it is a matter through your play of "letting" someone stay in the game with you.

[brewcity77]

Sam Hauser, B+ Sam was our best two-way player and I'd argue our MVP. What kept him from an A was him not being assertive enough in big games. Sam averaged 10.3 shots per game, but in the 5 losses to Villanova & Xavier, he averaged only 5.6 shots. When we needed Sam to be at his best, he wasn't getting involved. In addition, he was efficient in those games, so it wasn't like he was deferring because his shot was off. If he was more assertive in the biggest moments, we are likely dancing with two home wins over 1-seeds.

Andrew Rowsey, B He edges out Markus for me because while they were largely interchangeable, Rowsey was the better ball-handler. His incredibly prolific scoring would earn him an A, but his defense drags that down. Had a knack for the big shot, he will be missed.

Markus Howard, B- Markus improved dramatically on offense. Despite the 3PFG% drop I predicted, the addition of a floater kept his efficiency up. He needs to work on his distribution & driving into contact. His defensive issues should be less glaring next year when he (hopefully) won't be paired with another sub-six foot guard. Yes, he was Second Team Big East, but that was because of his scoring. His incomplete play on the other end earns him this grade.

Sacar Anim, C+ I didn't know what to expect from Sacar. Early on, he seemed like just a guy out there. A decent role-player that could occasionally score on the drive. Over the last 15 games he was a different player, averaging 10 ppg while still playing quality defense. He now looks like a high-major starter.

Greg Elliott, C+ Greg was a difference maker & the bench player I was most excited to see come in. He improved steadily throughout the season and exceeded my expectations.

Jamal Cain, C Like Greg, came into his own as the season went on. He's the freshman I'm most excited about going forward. Still makes a number of unforced errors, but plays high effort defense and is excellent at not overextending his role.

Theo John, C Came a long way from the foul machine he was to start the season. He hasn't fouled out since November. Plays strong in the defensive post and showed some surprising offensive moves. He needs to get his game under control, but looks like a solid rotational big going forward.

Matt Heldt, C- Our best interior defender and a fan favorite, but really disappointed me. The #2 player in the nation in terms of offensive efficiency, Heldt needs to be more aggressive in the post. I don't expect him to be Luke Fischer, but he has to work harder to get position. When he has the ball under the hoop, instead of double clutching and missing a no-foot layup, go up, dunk and draw the foul. And while Theo got better at defending without fouling, Matt went in the opposite direction. He's fine as a rotational big, but I expected more.

Harry Froling, D We'll always have those two threes at Georgetown. Otherwise, despite his rebounding prowess, he never found his rhythm on either end of the floor. I hope another season will grow his confidence.

[Pakuni]

Every class sets course objectives before the course begins. You grade based on accomplishments of the course objectives.

What we have in here is a difference in what the objective should be. A lot depends on your age and when you went to Marquette. The more you remember the Al era or the Buzz era or the Crean Final Four team, the more you are likely to be tough on what you believe the grade should be.

In my mind, here is the objectives for the team

A+ --      National Championship
A   --      Final Four
A-/B+ -- Elite 8
B   --      Second weekend of the NCAA
B-  --     Win one NCAA game
C   --     Make the NCAA
C-  --     Make the NIT
D   --     No tournament
F    --     Losing record

This is why I am harsh on the grades. We should expect some performance in the NCAA as a minimum, with the highest possible grade being 1977. We've won, albeit a long time ago, and that shows we theoretically can.

We just have to do it again!

I have a sneaky suspicion that Loyola and Nevada are feeling better than a 'B' about their seasons right now.

Since you mention Buzz, his grades under your scale would have been B-, C, B, B, B+, D.
So, you'd give Buzz a 2.5 GPA? Basically a C+ student?
Tough crowd.

[dgies9156]

I have a sneaky suspicion that Loyola and Nevada are feeling better than a 'B' about their seasons right now.

Since you mention Buzz, his grades under your scale would have been B-, C, B, B, B+, D.
So, you'd give Buzz a 2.5 GPA? Basically a C+ student?

Tough crowd.

Brother Pakuni:

Yeup.

[Silkk the Shaka]

Rowsey A-
Sam A
Howard A-
Elliot B-
Sacar B-
Cain B
Heldt B-
Theo B-
Froling D
Cheatham F

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

Brother TAMU, I'm kinda guessing he already knows that.

Not sure you were around when we lost to Miami of F-ing Ohio, but I will tell you there was more wailing and gnashing of teeth than you would ever imagine. I'm sure Coach Bennett is reliving that game in his mind over and over again and probably is harsher on himself than we are on Virginia -- or him for that matter.

Good coaches will take the fall when things go bad and say they need to coach better. For a team that was like 30-3 and an overall 1, it is a C- or perhaps even worse when you lose to a school that sounds like a high school.

I called our 1978 season a C- earlier. Brother Goose thought I was harsh. But when you lose to Miami of F-ing Ohio; when you team loses its composure against a LOW mid-major, as we did, C- was not unreasonable. Same for Virginia. If you're that good -- and they were -- you don't let an opponent of that caliber get anywhere close to you. And yes, if you are that elite of a team, it is a matter through your play of "letting" someone stay in the game with you.

Brother Dgies, I'm afraid you are committing the cardinal sin of pride. Good teams lose to bad teams. It happens all the time. To dismiss an entire body of work because of one loss is not fair to the young men who gave literal blood sweat and tears.

[Herman Cain]

Brother TAMU, I'm kinda guessing he already knows that.

Not sure you were around when we lost to Miami of F-ing Ohio, but I will tell you there was more wailing and gnashing of teeth than you would ever imagine. I'm sure Coach Bennett is reliving that game in his mind over and over again and probably is harsher on himself than we are on Virginia -- or him for that matter.

Good coaches will take the fall when things go bad and say they need to coach better. For a team that was like 30-3 and an overall 1, it is a C- or perhaps even worse when you lose to a school that sounds like a high school.

I called our 1978 season a C- earlier. Brother Goose thought I was harsh. But when you lose to Miami of F-ing Ohio; when you team loses its composure against a LOW mid-major, as we did, C- was not unreasonable. Same for Virginia. If you're that good -- and they were -- you don't let an opponent of that caliber get anywhere close to you. And yes, if you are that elite of a team, it is a matter through your play of "letting" someone stay in the game with you.

I was at that game in 78 at the old Market Square Arena. Sitting in the stands in disbelief  felt at that time it was the beginning of the end. We were well positioned to win the whole thing that year and instead we lost our swagger  which ultimately resulted in our very bad loss  as you rightfully point out .  MU had a golden opportunity to replace Al with almost any top young coach at the time, and instead they went with Hank. Hank was a good guy who was long since past his shelf life as a Head Coach,  at that point he was much better suited to be AD and be a guiding light to a good young coach like Denny Crum.

[TSmith34, Inc.]

Sam's usage rate was about the same as Anim when he should have been closer to Howard and Rowsey, both just above 30% usage.  I would have preferred all three between 24-27% usage.

Strongly agree.  I would have liked to see both Markus and Andrew be slightly more judicious with their shot selection.  Take away a couple of their worst* shots per game and let Sam take those and I think our offence is even scarier.


*Of course a few of Andrew's worst shots still somehow went in amazingly

[Floorslapper]

Strongly agree.  I would have liked to see both Markus and Andrew be slightly more judicious with their shot selection.  Take away a couple of their worst* shots per game and let Sam take those and I think our offence is even scarier.


*Of course a few of Andrew's worst shots still somehow went in amazingly

Sam, largely, could not create his own shot.  He showed some definite promise and development in his post game which led to some created shots, but his ability to get shots off, wasn't nearly what Andrew and Markus's ability allowed.  As Buzz liked to say, you need a guy who can go get you one (a bucket), don't think Sam was there this past season, possibly as a senior that will be the case.

Sam certainly couldn't get 3's up at nearly the rate of Markus or Andrew.  Most of Sam's threes came out of pick/pop action with Markus and Rowsey, or through ball swings.  Markus and Andrew flat out could rock a guy with the dribble to create separation and rise and fire.

So, while I too would have liked to see Sam get more shots, I don't feel he passed up many opportunities, nor did he play outside of himself/his abilities to try to force shots.

[MU82]

Sam Hauser, B+ Sam was our best two-way player and I'd argue our MVP. What kept him from an A was him not being assertive enough in big games. Sam averaged 10.3 shots per game, but in the 5 losses to Villanova & Xavier, he averaged only 5.6 shots. When we needed Sam to be at his best, he wasn't getting involved. In addition, he was efficient in those games, so it wasn't like he was deferring because his shot was off. If he was more assertive in the biggest moments, we are likely dancing with two home wins over 1-seeds.

Andrew Rowsey, B He edges out Markus for me because while they were largely interchangeable, Rowsey was the better ball-handler. His incredibly prolific scoring would earn him an A, but his defense drags that down. Had a knack for the big shot, he will be missed.

Markus Howard, B- Markus improved dramatically on offense. Despite the 3PFG% drop I predicted, the addition of a floater kept his efficiency up. He needs to work on his distribution & driving into contact. His defensive issues should be less glaring next year when he (hopefully) won't be paired with another sub-six foot guard. Yes, he was Second Team Big East, but that was because of his scoring. His incomplete play on the other end earns him this grade.

Sacar Anim, C+ I didn't know what to expect from Sacar. Early on, he seemed like just a guy out there. A decent role-player that could occasionally score on the drive. Over the last 15 games he was a different player, averaging 10 ppg while still playing quality defense. He now looks like a high-major starter.

Greg Elliott, C+ Greg was a difference maker & the bench player I was most excited to see come in. He improved steadily throughout the season and exceeded my expectations.

Jamal Cain, C Like Greg, came into his own as the season went on. He's the freshman I'm most excited about going forward. Still makes a number of unforced errors, but plays high effort defense and is excellent at not overextending his role.

Theo John, C Came a long way from the foul machine he was to start the season. He hasn't fouled out since November. Plays strong in the defensive post and showed some surprising offensive moves. He needs to get his game under control, but looks like a solid rotational big going forward.

Matt Heldt, C- Our best interior defender and a fan favorite, but really disappointed me. The #2 player in the nation in terms of offensive efficiency, Heldt needs to be more aggressive in the post. I don't expect him to be Luke Fischer, but he has to work harder to get position. When he has the ball under the hoop, instead of double clutching and missing a no-foot layup, go up, dunk and draw the foul. And while Theo got better at defending without fouling, Matt went in the opposite direction. He's fine as a rotational big, but I expected more.

Harry Froling, D We'll always have those two threes at Georgetown. Otherwise, despite his rebounding prowess, he never found his rhythm on either end of the floor. I hope another season will grow his confidence.

Reasonable post, brew.

<<Matt Heldt ... The #2 player in the nation in terms of offensive efficiency>>

I know that advanced stats have their place and a lot of great uses, but this shows how bogus they can be.

[brewcity77]

Reasonable post, brew.

<<Matt Heldt ... The #2 player in the nation in terms of offensive efficiency>>

I know that advanced stats have their place and a lot of great uses, but this shows how bogus they can be.

I heartily disagree. Efficiency is a case of how much you do with the opportunities you take. Matt did well with the opportunities he took, he just barely took any. He didn't demand the ball or attack the rim when he had it.

He really only went for the sure thing types of shots, which led to his high efficiency as much as his lack of assertiveness did. His efficiency is only meaningful in the context of his incredibly low usage rate.

I'm not saying he is offensively gifted, and the stats don't say that either. I am however, saying he should have worked harder to make himself an offensive option. His efficiency almost certainly would have dropped, but his productivity would have increased.

[hdog1017]

Rowsey A-
Sam A
Howard A-
Elliot B-
Sacar B-
Cain B
Heldt B-
Theo B-
Froling D
Cheatham F

That's a lot of A's and B's for a team that failed to make the tournament. 

[5DollarPitcher]

That's a lot of A's and B's for a team that failed to make the tournament.

Rowsey and Howard "A minuses", Sam "A"? All our major role players "B"? If you'd have showed me this grading before the season I'd have guessed we had 25 regular season wins and went to the Sweet Sixteen.

Some people will continue to accept this mediocrity with open arms.

How much more time do we need? Wojo was hired when Lebron was still on the Heat and Markus was 14 years old for Chrissake.

[bilsu]

For those of you that think Markus was a better player than Rousey you should consider the actual statistics. Markus even with missing a game took 20 more shots than Rousey.
Rousey scored 716 points on 495 shots.
Markus scored 694 points on 515 shots.
Rousey had 169 assists to Markus's 94.
Rousey did have more turnovers. 99 vs. 85.

[Its DJOver]

For those of you that think Markus was a better player than Rousey you should consider the actual statistics. Markus even with missing a game took 20 more shots than Rousey.
Rousey scored 716 points on 495 shots.
Markus scored 694 points on 515 shots.
Rousey had 169 assists to Markus's 94.
Rousey did have more turnovers. 99 vs. 85.

Not sure anyone thinks this, look at the MVP thread.

[Silkk the Shaka]

Rowsey and Howard "A minuses", Sam "A"? All our major role players "B"? If you'd have showed me this grading before the season I'd have guessed we had 25 regular season wins and went to the Sweet Sixteen.

Some people will continue to accept this mediocrity with open arms.

How much more time do we need? Wojo was hired when Lebron was still on the Heat and Markus was 14 years old for Chrissake.

How much time did Porter Moser need at Loyola? This is his first tournament appearance in his 7th year. After 2 prior HC stops.

Breathe in, breathe out, my man. We'll be where you want starting this coming season. Namaste, brah.

[5DollarPitcher]

How much time did Porter Moser need at Loyola? This is his first tournament appearance in his 7th year. After 2 prior HC stops.

Breathe in, breathe out, my man. We'll be where you want starting this coming season. Namaste, brah.

Yeah but here's the difference - with this line of thinking you are aligning our program with Loyola of Chicago.

[Silkk the Shaka]

Yeah but here's the difference - with this line of thinking you are aligning our program with Loyola of Chicago.

No, I'm saying a guy with 2 prior head coaching stops and seven years on the current job finally broke through to an NCAA tourney appearance with a team full of upperclassmen, stringing together some absolutely terrible records in a bad conference in the process. And it's all anyone can talk about, people saying that's the type of coach we need at MU. Well, Wojo is going to have a high level team next year in his fifth year, not his 14th year. At the end of next year, show me a 5th year HC you'd rather have than Wojo.

[TSmith34, Inc.]

For those of you that think Markus was a better player than Rousey you should consider the actual statistics. Markus even with missing a game took 20 more shots than Rousey.
Rousey scored 716 points on 495 shots.
Markus scored 694 points on 515 shots.
Rousey had 169 assists to Markus's 94.
Rousey did have more turnovers. 99 vs. 85.

You spelled Marcuss wrong

[GGGG]

For those of you that think Markus was a better player than Rousey you should consider the actual statistics. Markus even with missing a game took 20 more shots than Rousey.
Rousey scored 716 points on 495 shots.
Markus scored 694 points on 515 shots.
Rousey had 169 assists to Markus's 94.
Rousey did have more turnovers. 99 vs. 85.

Seriously have you intentionally been misspelling Rowsey's name all year long for some reason?  Or do you truly not know how to spell his name?