Jake

[PE8983]

A high D1 talent who plays 30 minutes as a SG would find a way to at least score 1 point...  Come on.

[BallBoy]

Jake Who?  Guy was a ghost today.  Can't play him with Derrick.  Funny how Jake plays much better with Dawson at the helm - how can a guy be so effective against another team with good backcourt - Georgetown - not even show up in the box score in 30 minutes today against Nova???

Hmmm 5 of the 6 games that Jake was in double figures had Derrick Wilson as PG for the majority of the game.  His second lowest double figure game was with Dawson as PG. So how exactly does playing with Dawson make Thomas better? 

You throw out comments as fact but nothing supports them.

In the GU game Dawson had 4 assists. I don't know how those four assists get spread around to Davante, Thomas and every other player Dawson has made better.

Another fast fact for you, in the GT game the team had two four minute stretches without a basket with Dawson at point in the first half.

You have set Dawson's expectations so high I don't know if he can reach them and when he doesn't you will blame Buzz. Maybe you should temper them with reality for once.

[77ncaachamps]

To be clear, I don't think that justifies making him a starter.  He's a classic off the bench shooter who can catch a defense off guard.  The other thing is that the guy who is chasing him on D doesn't have to be a particularly good defender, just diligent.

1) the WHY is he a starter?
2) sure he can be diligent as a defender, but he got torched for 20 while putting up...zilch.

No offense should be built around him.
If that's so, then this offense is sad sad sad.

Jake is a poor, poor man's Gerry McNamara.

Jake's has earned his scholarship and I appreciate his dedication to this program. But he's gone next year. Time to give the eaglets some significant growing minutes.

Time to push them out of the nest.

[BallBoy]

Uh No - Derrick has been credited with an assist on I believe now 15 of Davante's FG's for the entire year...which is ridiculous.  Davante backed his guy down repeatedly over and over and over today...it wasn't Derrick driving and dishing a la Junior Cadougan used to do getting DG easy looks.  Nor did Derrick get Todd any GOOD looks today - that was all Todd using his gifted offensive skills...

I will add onto the my previous post that Davante had 29 points with Derrick Wilson as PG. Wilson had 7 assists most were to Gardner. If Wilson is so stifling of Davante how did he get 29points. Another inconvenient truth to your narrative.

[MU82]

I will add onto the my previous post that Davante had 29 points with Derrick Wilson as PG. Wilson had 7 assists most were to Gardner. If Wilson is so stifling of Davante how did he get 29points. Another inconvenient truth to your narrative.

If you remember the game, most of Davante's points came after he got the ball 10 or 15 feet from the post and he gradually backed his man in as Villanova flat refused to double-team the post.

Had the game been on the road, the player who passed to Gardner likely would not have been credited with assists on those plays -- and that would have been correct, because the passes did not directly lead to baskets. But home scoring is often the equivalent of home cookin' -- not just at MU but all around the country.

Another Derrick assist came when he handed the ball to Mayo, who dribbled into the deep corner and hit that ridiculous 3.

I'm not ripping Derrick here, I'm just addressing your post. (Though, for the sake of honesty, I'll admit that I don't think Derrick is a high-major PG.)

[Sunbelt15]

I will add onto the my previous post that Davante had 29 points with Derrick Wilson as PG. Wilson had 7 assists most were to Gardner. If Wilson is so stifling of Davante how did he get 29points. Another inconvenient truth to your narrative.

Liar, liar, pants on fire!

[ATL MU Warrior]

I will add onto the my previous post that Davante had 29 points with Derrick Wilson as PG. Wilson had 7 assists most were to Gardner. If Wilson is so stifling of Davante how did he get 29points. Another inconvenient truth to your narrative.

You and I tend to fall on the same "side" of this debate or at least see things the same way.  However, according to the play by play on espn.com, Derrick's assists break down like this:

REGULATION
- Chris for dunk.  Good post-entry pass (thought Derrick couldn't do this) to Chris
- Steve for layup.  Don't remember this play but must have been another interior pass which derrick cannot do
- Jamil for layup.  same comment as for steve
- Jamil for jumper
- Todd Mayo layup
- Todd Mayo 3-pointer

OT
- Gardner for jumper

So in regulation, 4 out of 6 assists were for layups/dunks to four different guys.  I don't remember the particulars for some of them, but as is usually the case, the bashers are making up their own facts (Derrick's assists are BS, Gardner backed his guy down and did all the work, etc., etc.).  Total fantasy made up by a bunch of frustrated fans looking for someone to blame. 

BTW, 6-9 of Gardners buckets were credited an assist, mostly by Jamil.

I agree that Derrick isn't great.  I would like to see him split time with John Dawson.  But, he's not as bad as most here make him out to be.  A simple review of the facts tells you that. 

[BallBoy]

You and I tend to fall on the same "side" of this debate or at least see things the same way.  However, according to the play by play on espn.com, Derrick's assists break down like this:

I agree that Derrick isn't great.  I would like to see him split time with John Dawson.  But, he's not as bad as most here make him out to be.  A simple review of the facts tells you that. 

I stand corrected.  I was trying to go off of memory which is the first mistake.

I am in agreement with your second comment as well. 

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

People complaining about Jake and D Wil's defense, Nova averages 81 ppg. They held them to 77 in regulation. So in a bad defensive game, they held them to 4 under their average. The FROSH would have given up 80/90 points IMHO

[murphmurphy]

You forget the guards they were guarding (Bell, Hilliard, & Arcidiacono) scored around 60 of the 77 pts and their defense had nothing to do with VU missing 5 of 7 FTs in the last 1:11 in regulation.  D. Wilson's great defense also allowed VU to go the length of the court in 5 seconds and score at the end of regulation (which should have counted).  IMHO their defense was less than adequate.