Going Positive

[jfp61]

Over those 13 games, the only players (count 'em, four guys) with a PRPG! of > 1.0 all started the season on the bench. SMH.

When you don't play CH and SJ.... the team looks tolerable offensively. Who would havethought.

[NCMUFan]

Hope the swagger continues against Butler tonight.

[Pakuni]

Over those 13 games, the only players (count 'em, four guys) with a PRPG! of > 1.0 all started the season on the bench. SMH.

They need to focus on practice?

[tower912]

I really like the growth I am seeing  out of Royce and DO.  Hopefully, they learn from last night that they don't need the spin move in traffic and choose to attack the basket.

Speaking of attacking the basket, the last few games have flipped the script about MU being unable to finish around the basket.

Part of that is improved ball movement and off the ball movement.  Much better job of creating the angles for the drives, slipping into spaces around the basket, and seeing teammates in those spots.   Except at crunch time last night.   Ah, well.

Stretches where it is all freshmen and sophomores on the floor.

I appreciate Ben still diving to the floor and driving from the 3 pt line to the rim for a dunk.  I wish that was his normal and not just a pleasant surprise.

Down to two glaring issues.  3 pt shooting and the defense.   Sadly, those are two immensely large issues.  3pt shooting, they can't not take open looks.   Especially the young guys.   Defense, that is the biggest one without an answer right now.   

[Scoop Snoop]

Defense, that is the biggest one without an answer right now.   

As this season was about to begin, did we not hear about how a tenacious defense would be our calling card? Drop the word tenacious and this is spot on. Our defense has become our calling card.

[tower912]

As this season was about to begin, did we not hear about how a tenacious defense would be our calling card? Drop the word tenacious and this is spot on. Our defense has become our calling card.

Staying positive in this thread.   See Muggsy's defense thread.

[Scoop Snoop]

Staying positive in this thread.   See Muggsy's defense thread.

Got it! Reality checks are not welcome in this thread.

[Zog from Margo]

We're starting to see Hamilton used a little more as expected in recent games and he's had some decent moments. I think feeling toward him as a player would be somewhat more positive if this is how he'd been used from the start of the season.

[brewcity77]

Got it! Reality checks are not welcome in this thread.

More than enough reality in the games and the rest of Scoop lol.

[hawk]

Although they lost another winnable game last night I have have to say thaey have become fun to watch. I think we are all seeing a team emerging from mere players.  Excluding Ross and Gold as seniors look at the chemistry amoung James,Parham, Stevens and Owens.  I'm excited to see the growth.  That said, a 6 man rotatioon isn't deep enough.  I would still like to see Jones return and hope for development of Philips.  Honorable mention to Hamilton for a high quality 6 minutes.  All hands on deck and this team could beat somebody they aren't supposed to. 

[MU82]

Got it! Reality checks are not welcome in this thread.

I mean, the subject of this thread is "Going Positive." But I guess the 374 B!tch About Everything threads aren't enough, so have at it.

[Scoop Snoop]

I mean, the subject of this thread is "Going Positive." But I guess the 374 B!tch About Everything threads aren't enough, so have at it.

It's fun to pull Tower's and your chains once in a while. You two guys are scoop's Bluebirds of Happiness, the Sunshine Boys. Makes me want to puke.

Have at it? Nah. I'm now looking for the 374 threads you mentioned. Has anyone ever told you that you seem to have a problem with first grade arithmetic? 

Have a good day Mike and be glad you are not still in Charlotte with this storm. Scoopers who hate my posts will likely get a nice break, as we are likely to be without power for at least a day and I will be confined to reading books and playing classical guitar as I shiver.

[tower912]

It's fun to pull Tower's and your chains once in a while. You two guys are scoop's Bluebirds of Happiness, the Sunshine Boys. Makes me want to puke.

That is kind of fun.  Staying as positive as I can to make you want to puke.  My day is made.

Be safe.

[Scoop Snoop]

That is kind of fun.  Staying as positive as I can to make you want to puke.  My day is made.

Be safe.

    

[BCHoopster]

Positive is watching Nigel James, I remember stating he should start and got totally shot down, guess I was right!

[wadesworld]

Positive is watching Nigel James, I remember stating he should start and got totally shot down, guess I was right!

Shaka needs to hire you as GM. You're all over all of this.

[MU82]

Really liking what we're seeing from Parham the last month. Aggressive, decisive, tough.

James' game speaks for itself - has a chance to be a Marquette all-timer.

Stevens and Owens are really having some good stretches. Lots of reasons for optimism.

There will be several more wins for MU this season, as the Big East is mediocre after UConn. (And even they almost lost twice to the Providence team we beat.)

[1SE]

I mean the probability of a BET sweep is now something greater than zero. There's a pulse.

[GoldenEagles03]

A game like last night worries me in a sense that Shaka thinks we have enough moving forward.

This team could be good if we add a few older guys to help Nigel next year.

Right now Tre and Sean are slotted as our only Seniors and both could realistically move on. Need to give NJ some help.

[hawk]

I sort of get the attitude about Tre aroound here but I don's get it about Sean.  I don't knoe what the prognosis is for Sean in terms of this seson and his injury status But in the 3 games he has played in conference he averages 8 points a game.  I hope he gets healthy and can help out when James hit the wall as a freshman.  Jones can play, period.  Looking to next season even if Tre stays on there is an opening and it needs to be a post player to balance the youth in that position next year.  MU has a ton of wings for next year, not worried at all.

[Jay Bee]

I sort of get the attitude about Tre aroound here but I don's get it about Sean.  I don't knoe what the prognosis is for Sean in terms of this seson and his injury status But in the 3 games he has played in conference he averages 8 points a game.  I hope he gets healthy and can help out when James hit the wall as a freshman.  Jones can play, period.  Looking to next season even if Tre stays on there is an opening and it needs to be a post player to balance the youth in that position next year.  MU has a ton of wings for next year, not worried at all.

Or if we want to look at more meaningful stats, he's got a sub-97 Ortg, shooting 40.6% eFG%, 4.5 fc/40 and a to rate of 20%.

[jfp61]

Or if we want to look at more meaningful stats, he's got a sub-97 Ortg, shooting 40.6% eFG%, 4.5 fc/40 and a to rate of 20%.

or we can just look at his height

[Vander Blue Man Group]

I sort of get the attitude about Tre aroound here but I don's get it about Sean.  I don't knoe what the prognosis is for Sean in terms of this seson and his injury status But in the 3 games he has played in conference he averages 8 points a game.  I hope he gets healthy and can help out when James hit the wall as a freshman.  Jones can play, period.  Looking to next season even if Tre stays on there is an opening and it needs to be a post player to balance the youth in that position next year.  MU has a ton of wings for next year, not worried at all.

I just posted this in a separate thread but why would Sean want to come back and play 6-10 MPG behind Nigel for his last season?  Playing them together just isn't feasible. 

[Juan Anderson's Mixtape]

I sort of get the attitude about Tre aroound here but I don's get it about Sean.  I don't knoe what the prognosis is for Sean in terms of this seson and his injury status But in the 3 games he has played in conference he averages 8 points a game.  I hope he gets healthy and can help out when James hit the wall as a freshman.  Jones can play, period.  Looking to next season even if Tre stays on there is an opening and it needs to be a post player to balance the youth in that position next year.  MU has a ton of wings for next year, not worried at all.

Unfortunately, Sean has had a negative Bayesian Performance Rating, or BPR, every season at Marquette.

BPR is a catch-all metric that measures player impact, with an average D1 player being equal to a 0.0 BPR.

Caedin, Tre, and Sean are the three players on this roster with a negative BPR. This coincides with many Scoopers opinions about who might look to move on.

Damarius Owens has crept barely into the positive, after having a BPR below -1.  A sign of his stronger play of late.

Michael Phillips and Josh Clark have positive BPRs, but on smaller sample sizes than most of the regular rotation players.  Not conclusive enough to form a strong opinion, but some slight optimism for their development.

For the record, Nigel James is in the 3.5 range for BPR, which is comparable to sophomore year Tyler Kolek.  Definitely, a blossoming young star.

[GoldenEagles03]

Tre is definitely gone. Sean probably too at this point.

Will Shaka add players from the portal if they do? That is the real question.