[Cider Jim]

We did miss our fair share of layups tonight. And our bench was almost non-existent: unless I missed something, I didn't see Baird, Smith, or little Layer in the game at all.

According to the scoreboard and the boxscore, Burrus only had 4 fouls, so I don't know why he sat for the last several minutes of the game.

Have Burrus and JVP in the game at the same time seemed to work well in the paint.

Lang's article: http://www2.newsadvance.com/sports/2012 ... r-1582960/

[truthorconsequences]

PH must be on staff. That was another sad performance. You must hold home court. The Vines Center is empty. Upper classmen miss lay ups and we sit in a soft confused zone. JB and Sommy won't help the 3 pt shooting. The program has taken a big dip.

Yet despite all that we had a chance to win. Would JB and Sommy help our interior defense or our rebounding? Hmmmmm. Gee Mr Wizard I don't know. Are those things more important then 3 point shooting?
Glad to see you are working hard to come up with solutions! Yeah that Fire the AD and recruit more talent are really ground breaking. Perhaps you suggest a magic wand to wave that makes fans suddenly appear! Oh wait, my bad If we fired the AD MBB coach and recruited more talent they would automatically appear.
Are you sure you are not the inspiration behind the Guiness beer commercials? BRILLIANT,

Ok let's not hold anyone accountable...criticize ff posters in hopes of diffusing the real issue of our mbb performance. We are now 2-16 in last 18 D1 games, 0-8 in BSC are you serious. Last year we beat some teams with injuries early but when it counted went 0-5. Lost to George Mason and Iona in the Vines by 50 pts, as well as a 7th seed winless on the road High Point team in BSC tourney with John Brown and Evan. The only thing more deceitful is saying I was one of 475 in attendance last night. if there was 200 I would be surprised. We need to do better.

[Cider Jim]

Still harping on attendance? TorC, the students are on vacation, and Lynchburg had snow flurries a couple of hours before tip-off. If the locals dared to hit the streets at all last night, they were at Kroger and Food Lion buying up every last gallon of milk and loaf of bread.

Remember, this is NOT Alaska or Maine or Binghamton: people in the Hill City are afraid of snow.

[LUconn]

so what's the solution?

[ToTheLeft]

We did miss our fair share of layups tonight. And our bench was almost non-existent: unless I missed something, I didn't see Baird, Smith, or little Layer in the game at all.

According to the scoreboard and the boxscore, Burrus only had 4 fouls, so I don't know why he sat for the last several minutes of the game.

Have Burrus and JVP in the game at the same time seemed to work well in the paint.

Lang's article: http://www2.newsadvance.com/sports/2012 ... r-1582960/

Layer played the last 50 seconds.

And Antwan's 4th foul came with about 8 minutes left.

[BJWilliams]

We pretty much did everything we could last night...I read Chris' piece on the game and the ball literally sometimes didnt bounce our way. Jesse holds on to that one ball last night instead of losing it out of bounds, and we get another possession and maybe score. grab a few more defensive rebounds in that last stretch of the game and we are talking about a different result (and ToC shuts up for a couple days thank goodness). It is rather frustrating to see one area or another bite us every single night. First it was our shooting, the games when the shooting is better, maybe its the turnovers. If we hold on to the ball better, maybe its defensive breakdowns. If the defense works better, then its rebounding (like last night)...I really do think that this year is a throwaway year at this point. I was reading another verse of ToC's talking points (which he pretty much repeats ad nauseum) and I was reminded of something I was thinking about a couple years ago in football...that with any coach at the collegiate level, he gets (or should get at least) at minimum 5 years...up to four years to cycle the recruits from the previous coach through, and then one or two years to see if he can make it work with his own players. DL is in his 3rd year, and is dealing with a program that had mass defections, and then add to that injuries to a pair of defensive contributors (plus a freshman who his finally just getting his legs) and having to completely retool his player rotation. ToC, if you are the "grand poobah of all knowledge" as it relates to basketball, what can we do, right now (as in THIS season), with who we have, to improve? LUconn, myself, PH and quite a few others are waiting with baited breath to hear from your vast wellspring of knowledge.

[Chippy]

We did miss our fair share of layups tonight. And our bench was almost non-existent: unless I missed something, I didn't see Baird, Smith, or little Layer in the game at all.

According to the scoreboard and the boxscore, Burrus only had 4 fouls, so I don't know why he sat for the last several minutes of the game.

Have Burrus and JVP in the game at the same time seemed to work well in the paint.

Lang's article: http://www2.newsadvance.com/sports/2012 ... r-1582960/

Layer played the last 50 seconds.

And Antwan's 4th foul came with about 8 minutes left.

Agreed that Burrus should have been in there maybe with JVP on D and not Chene. This would have given us the best opportunity to gather those rebounds in the last few minutes that turned into extra chance points for PC. The reason we didn't get off a lot of 3's was their man to man D which was stifling and we're not quick enough to separate ourselves from them nor our we quick enough to play M 2 M for long periods because we lack team quickness, so we sometimes have to settle for the 2-3 zones. I still love our effort. We are still a relatively young team missing our second leading scores/top rebounder and key reserve. This is PC's best team in a while and can see why they beat Cincinnati. Give the coach and team a break

[LUminary]

Layer missed the last shot, which would have given Jesse Sanders the fourth triple-double of his career. Maybe it was co-ink-e-dink, but it seemed as if the goal on those last two possessions was to get Sanders the 10th assist. John Caleb missed a shot on the next-to-last possession that would have given Jesse No. 10. He wound up with 10 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists.

[IMBach]

PH must be on staff. That was another sad performance. You must hold home court. The Vines Center is empty. Upper classmen miss lay ups and we sit in a soft confused zone. JB and Sommy won't help the 3 pt shooting. The program has taken a big dip.

Yet despite all that we had a chance to win. Would JB and Sommy help our interior defense or our rebounding? Hmmmmm. Gee Mr Wizard I don't know. Are those things more important then 3 point shooting?
Glad to see you are working hard to come up with solutions! Yeah that Fire the AD and recruit more talent are really ground breaking. Perhaps you suggest a magic wand to wave that makes fans suddenly appear! Oh wait, my bad If we fired the AD MBB coach and recruited more talent they would automatically appear.
Are you sure you are not the inspiration behind the Guiness beer commercials? BRILLIANT,

Ok let's not hold anyone accountable...criticize ff posters in hopes of diffusing the real issue of our mbb performance. We are now 2-16 in last 18 D1 games, 0-8 in BSC are you serious. Last year we beat some teams with injuries early but when it counted went 0-5. Lost to George Mason and Iona in the Vines by 50 pts, as well as a 7th seed winless on the road High Point team in BSC tourney with John Brown and Evan. The only thing more deceitful is saying I was one of 475 in attendance last night. if there was 200 I would be surprised. We need to do better.

Those numbers speak for themselves. T/C isn't the one getting paid ( I am sure attractively) to answer the questions for LU Athletics and MBB. Although his answers are as common sense as we have a couple injuries and I like the coach. Maybe the guys can pull off a major road victory at UNCA.

[BJWilliams]

IMBach, the issue a lot of people around here have with ToC is more the fact not that...but its that he doesnt give any concrete solutions. All he has suggested (encapsulating my interpretation of his ad nauseum talking points) is that DL needs to be fired, JB (the AD) needs to be fired and we need to "recruit more talent". that and he seems to come around and repeat these ad nauseum points only when we are losing, with little regard for the contextual circumstances (such as people transferring because they think the grass is greener on the other side of the fence, or players blowing their knees out in preseason practice)

[Purple Haize]

ToC Says:
Last year we beat some teams with injuries early....

And this is where your argument falls apart. You give OTHER teams a pass and 'downgrade' our victories because the other team had injuries.
Fast forward to the present. Our team has been hit hard by the injury bug yet you appear to hold THIS team to a different standard.

Last years end of the season was concerning, because for whatever reason we didnt get it done. It is hard to judge whether or not those issues have been corrected or not when we are playing with a depleted roster this year. Firing the AD or magically waving a wand in the air causing more people to show up at the Vines will do nothing to heal our injured players. We are LU not ORU!

[Bigsouthking]

Injuries are part of athletics, regardless sport. plan accordingly... its different if a guy gets hurt the day before the big game, but JB was hurt in August.

there is a reason they give u 13 schollys.

also DJ was out for year at unca and Jaron Lane recently was academically dismissed, they are still 3-0 in confrence...2 starters btw. vmi has played with a limited Covington... HP best recruit didnt qualify... examples of how everyone goes thru it...

just the facts guys.

[olldflame]

Come on King, you should know better than to pull that 13 scholarship crap. At this level nobody actually has that many players who are ready to contribute. To think that all you need is time to prepare and bench players can step in and fill the role of one of the leagues best is even more ludicrous.

Cunningham is a young big with potential, but you'll excuse me if I dispute the impact of his loss being compared with JB, and if we are going to count academic casualties, then I suggest the loss of transfers should also count, and Lane was not an all BSC player like Gordon.

As far as bringing up the fact that one of High Point's recruits didn't qualify........you're kidding, right? You can't lose what you never had (and HP isn't exactly lighting it up anyway).

Yeah, sometimes teams succeed in spite of injuries and other losses, but it is the exception, not the norm, and it usually results in a coach-of the year award.

[Purple Haize]

And FLAME if I might add one thing. The fact that the injury occurred in August makes no difference. It's not like you can go out and recruit someone for the season in AUGUST, GEEZ.

[Bigsouthking]

Really??

13 schollys is not a big deal???

DJ Cunningham is monster, i forgot LU beat them last year when he was hurt though.... unca just had chris stephenson go for a monster game vs Radford like 30pts and 15rebs.....he was a backup to Cunningham and jaron lane....player development?? or 13 schollys at good use???
i dont know, i guess i'm the moron? you tell me....

yes u can recruit in august...what's the last day of drop/add classes?? sometime n september?? add an athlete at christmas break, ODU
just did it.... figure it out boys

[Purple Haize]

Really??

13 schollys is not a big deal???

DJ Cunningham is monster, i forgot LU beat them last year when he was hurt though.... unca just had chris stephenson go for a monster game vs Radford like 30pts and 15rebs.....he was a backup to Cunningham and jaron lane....player development?? or 13 schollys at good use???
i dont know, i guess i'm the moron? you tell me....

yes u can recruit in august...what's the last day of drop/add classes?? sometime n september?? add an athlete at christmas break, ODU
just did it.... figure it out boys

You said it you are a moron
Part of using scholarships effectively is having player you can coach up and develop.
Have you even looked at the recruiting and scholarship time frames? Plus what kid with any level of D1 talent has gone all the way through his senior year, through the summer and STILL doesn't have an offer by August.
I've already figured it out. You need to do some research

[Bigsouthking]

There are tons of transfers every year... juco, fifth year guys ready to study grad work (new rule), Coastal has no problem finding them... kids leave at all times of year also...

[truthorconsequences]

Really??

13 schollys is not a big deal???

DJ Cunningham is monster, i forgot LU beat them last year when he was hurt though.... unca just had chris stephenson go for a monster game vs Radford like 30pts and 15rebs.....he was a backup to Cunningham and jaron lane....player development?? or 13 schollys at good use???
i dont know, i guess i'm the moron? you tell me....

yes u can recruit in august...what's the last day of drop/add classes?? sometime n september?? add an athlete at christmas break, ODU
just did it.... figure it out boys

You said it you are a moron
Part of using scholarships effectively is having player you can coach up and develop.
Have you even looked at the recruiting and scholarship time frames? Plus what kid with any level of D1 talent has gone all the way through his senior year, through the summer and STILL doesn't have an offer by August.
I've already figured it out. You need to do some research

BSK you are taking the toys (excuses) AWAY FROM THE BABIES and they are reduced to name calling. The program speaks so loudly right now that we can hear the clatter of excuses. The way we play is as big a problem as the talent. but some on here would rather defend a fantasy then admit the flaws.

[Purple Haize]

He called himself a moron. I was just agreeing.
Glad you responded to the point about recruiting and player development with such cogent insight.
Fantasy: we are going to win the Big South this year
Reality: we are going to struggle this year but the guys play hard
Excuses: we would be winners if only we had a new AD and more people in the stands

[Bigsouthking]

Purple Passion, I mean Haize,

I was just trying to give insight how things get done, not ruffle feathers.. totally agree that the boys play hard. winthrop tried to sneak kids in when Dreher got the boot, sometimes they workout sometimes they dont

Burrus has potential to do what Staphenson did for unca last night. don't disrespect Minaya, sanders, and POY Sanders those r 3 really good ones. by just using JB as an excuse.

[Purple Haize]

There are tons of transfers every year... juco, fifth year guys ready to study grad work (new rule), Coastal has no problem finding them... kids leave at all times of year also...

The 5 th year thing has been around awhile.
The same argument holds with a JUCO transfer as a HS senior. If they are any good they won't be around come August.
A player transferring from D1 to D1 or from a lower tier has to sit out. The bottom line is once the school year ends pickins are slim. You still may pick up someone decent in July but after that it's a crap shoot and probably not worth it.
Having a strategy of recruit more talent is a no brainer but also not as easy as it sounds.
Glad you agree the guys are playing hard. No one is thrilled with the w and L's this year. But the difference is I don't think we are careening off the cliff either.

[truthorconsequences]

at 2-16 in last 18 d1 games the cliff may be enticing.

You have to have some concern with our direction.

[Purple Haize]

at 2-16 in last 18 d1 games the cliff may be enticing.

You have to have some concern with our direction.

Not really. I'm not thrilled but I doubt anyone is. As I said if these loses we're by large numbers and we hadn't had any success last year I would be concerned. If we didn't have the injuries that we do I would be concerned.
If I just looked at the numbers and not the reason for them then I would think the cliff was enticing.

[BJWilliams]

of the four games we lost by greater than 10 points, two were to CAA teams (and the CAA is probably top 3 mid major conference right now), and one was to the #19 (at the time, I think they are top 10 now) team in the country, who could probably crush all the teams in VA (except maybe Tech and UVA). The other was to Campbell, who just knocked off Coastal...these arent Our Lady of Mount Carmel teams we are losing to here...and many of these games we are right there which underscores the fact that we are one or two guys away (and underscores the importance of the two guys in street clothes on the end of our bench). DOes losing suck...you bet...but as PH said, you have to look behind the numbers instead of contemplating jumping off a cliff like you are ToC (and Im sure hoping to take the AD with you since you hate him so much...and yes I said hate)

[jcmanson]

I agree with Big South King to an extent, as I've stated on here before. But I'm chalking this season up as a mulligan for Layer at this point, and hoping for improvement for next year.