Nova Thoughts

[Nukem2]

Derrick:   4-7 shooting, 1-4 from the line, 10 points, 8 assists, 3 rebounds, 1 turnover, 40 minutes.    Just stop. 

Derrick had more than one turnover.  The official scorer was being very kind.

[tower912]

So now the official scorer is part of the pro-Derrick conspiracy?

[GGGG]

So now the official scorer is part of the pro-Derrick conspiracy?

He reminds him of when he used to score Wojo's games.

[Nukem2]

So now the official scorer is part of the pro-Derrick conspiracy?

No, but Derrick had at least 3 TOs, if not more.  Nice game for him, but he simply had more than 1 TO.

[tower912]

The team was only charged with 8 TO's.   I remember Derrick throwing away the entry pass to Luke on the first possession, but that is all I remember for him.   I remember travels, double dribbles and offensive fouls for some of the others, Nova stole the ball a bunch, but I only remember that first one for Derrick. 

[Stretchdeltsig]

Nice game for him but he deflated our momentum by slowing down play too much.  When we are behind by 10 or more Derrick shows no urgency.  Between him and the other team a minute is burned almost every change of hands.  What happened to our transition game?  We rarely push the ball up court anymore but play slow down allowing the opponents to defend us in half court.

[tower912]

Nice game for him but he deflated our momentum by slowing down play too much.  When we are behind by 10 or more Derrick shows no urgency.  Between him and the other team a minute is burned almost every change of hands.  What happened to our transition game?  We rarely push the ball up court anymore but play slow down allowing the opponents to defend us in half court.

Yesterday, to me it looked like when they had enough energy, they pushed the ball.   When they got tired, they didn't.   Only played 6.

[brewcity77]

Yesterday, to me it looked like when they had enough energy, they pushed the ball.   When they got tired, they didn't.   Only played 6.

Exactly right. The first half strategy of 'Nova was obvious. Aggressive fouls and full court pressure to wear MU out. It worked, we looked tired even before the end of the first half. It impacted the speed of our defensive rotations and led to us looking disjointed on offense by the end of the half.

That's why the game was over with about 10 minutes left to play. Yes, we repeatedly got back to 10 and even single digits, but we didn't have enough bodies to manufacture an actual run. The guys just didn't have the energy to string enough consecutive scores together to make it close.

But I suppose it's easier to blame the guy who scored 10 and added 8 assists 

[tower912]

Exactly right. The first half strategy of 'Nova was obvious. Aggressive fouls and full court pressure to wear MU out. It worked, we looked tired even before the end of the first half. It impacted the speed of our defensive rotations and led to us looking disjointed on offense by the end of the half.

That's why the game was over with about 10 minutes left to play. Yes, we repeatedly got back to 10 and even single digits, but we didn't have enough bodies to manufacture an actual run. The guys just didn't have the energy to string enough consecutive scores together to make it close.

But I suppose it's easier to blame the guy who scored 10 and added 8 assists 

Well, they weren't tough assists and the scorer was bailing him out. 

[MU82]

Only played 6.

I can't believe Wojo is ruining the development of the twins by refusing to play them.

[connie]

I can't believe Wojo is ruining the development of the twins by refusing to play them.

I know, right?  If they just got 25 minutes a game their production would double!  Its too hard to get into the flow spending 39 minutes a game on the bench.

[Canned Goods n Ammo]

Well, the good news is that this is the first game in almost 3 years where posters aren't bitching about the rotation.

JJJ looked good. He still looks a little out of control, but the ball seems to get to where he's aiming. His ceiling could be pretty high if he can add strength and weight. He seems to have a pretty good touch and he's creative in the lane. Add some strength to be able to absorb more contact, and he could be a pretty good slasher. His shot still looks atrocious, but whatever... I'll leave that to the coaching staff to figure out.

Duane had a bad night. It happens with younger players. They show flashes of what they COULD be, and then they usually come back to earth. Same for Luke. Same for JJJ.

Tough season, but I like how they are building.

[MU B2002]

I like the aggressiveness JJJ has shown.  He is obviously not afraid to put his head down and try to get to the hoop, he just needs to pick his spots. 

Like on defense... he needs to temper his desire to steal that pass to the wing.  Has he gotten to that ball once this year?

[Anti-Dentite]

Well, the good news is that this is the first game in almost 3 years where posters aren't bitching about the rotation.

JJJ looked good. He still looks a little out of control, but the ball seems to get to where he's aiming. His ceiling could be pretty high if he can add strength and weight. He seems to have a pretty good touch and he's creative in the lane. Add some strength to be able to absorb more contact, and he could be a pretty good slasher. His shot still looks atrocious, but whatever... I'll leave that to the coaching staff to figure out.

Duane had a bad night. It happens with younger players. They show flashes of what they COULD be, and then they usually come back to earth. Same for Luke. Same for JJJ.

Tough season, but I like how they are building.

I like that JJJ showed he has the ups to absorb the contact, hang and get a good, balanced shot off...add some strength and it will be a big part of his game.

[Canned Goods n Ammo]

I like the aggressiveness JJJ has shown.  He is obviously not afraid to put his head down and try to get to the hoop, he just needs to pick his spots. 

Like on defense... he needs to temper his desire to steal that pass to the wing.  Has he gotten to that ball once this year?

Agreed.

It's actually a bit "McNeal-esque".

Add some strength, a more consistent shot, and better decision making and he's a good player. Basically, he just has to mature. Like most sophs., he's shown flashes, but he'll need more time to develop consistency at this level. 

[brewcity77]

I like the aggressiveness JJJ has shown.  He is obviously not afraid to put his head down and try to get to the hoop, he just needs to pick his spots. 

Like on defense... he needs to temper his desire to steal that pass to the wing.  Has he gotten to that ball once this year?

He has, but he misses far more often than he makes the steal. He had 1 steal Saturday and at least 3 bad misses that led to wide-open looks. Honestly, that's my biggest issue with him. Bigger than his three-point shooting (which has improved) or his somewhat selfish tendencies on offense (as long as he scores some, so be it). On defense, he can be okay when he stays in position. Unfortunately, 4-5 times per game he's out gambling, and he has worse luck than me with PowerBall.

[GooooMarquette]

He has, but he misses far more often than he makes the steal. He had 1 steal Saturday and at least 3 bad misses that led to wide-open looks. Honestly, that's my biggest issue with him. Bigger than his three-point shooting (which has improved) or his somewhat selfish tendencies on offense (as long as he scores some, so be it). On defense, he can be okay when he stays in position. Unfortunately, 4-5 times per game he's out gambling, and he has worse luck than me with PowerBall.

Yep.  This is one area where the box scores are deceiving - he has a good number of steals for the time he's played, but the wide open looks he concedes when he misses are a killer.  JJJ has all the tools to become a solid defender, but he needs to add better discipline and decision making to his physical tools.

Very high ceiling if he can do that.

[mu-rara]

Anybody figure out what Mache stats project out over 25 minutes?

[mattyv1908]

Anybody figure out what Mache stats project out over 25 minutes?

43 jump balls obviously.

[GooooMarquette]

43 jump balls obviously.

But it gets better.  Extended PT will actually mean that his stats get better, not worse.  We could be looking at 50 or 55 jump balls per outing if Wojo doesn't play mind games with him.

[Vander Blue Man Group]

But it gets better.  Extended PT will actually mean that his stats get better, not worse.  We could be looking at 50 or 55 jump balls per outing if Wojo doesn't play mind games with him.

Personally, I'm concerned that one twin getting some time while the other didn't may cause a serious disruption to team chemistry.  We may have a Seton Hall situation on our hands here soon. 

[BossplayaOtto]

But it gets better.  Extended PT will actually mean that his stats get better, not worse.  We could be looking at 50 or 55 jump balls per outing if Wojo doesn't play mind games with him.

Too funny!

[wadesworld]

Personally, I'm concerned that one twin getting some time while the other didn't may cause a serious disruption to team chemistry.  We may have a Seton Hall situation on our hands here soon. 

That's Carlino chucking all the shots, not the twins, ai'na?