[LUconn]

"pass it around the perimeter endlessly"

This actually has been Liberty's base offense for the last 10 years or so. I think that's basically what you get at this level if you're not running some tricky Princeton style stuff.

[SuperJon]

Do the LUnatics still exist?

No.

[olldflame]

OK you basketball geniuses. You do realize we just played a team pretty much everyone picket to finish ahead of us and a few picked to win our conference? Our offense was good enough to score 9 more points than they did.

(Yes I do understand it was mostly our defense and rebounding that earned us the win.)

[SuperJon]

Our offense is very good when we have a slasher/shooter (Anthony Smith, Seth Curry) and one or two guys that can shoot the outside shot (Kyle Ohman, Jeremy Anderson as a freshman). Evan's trying to become that slasher and shooter and John Caleb is starting to knock down shots.

Our defense is going to win us games, not our offense. If our offense ever comes around we'll be in very good shape.

[olldflame]

It is looking more and more to me like Evan Gordan is the key to just how good we can be this year. Coming in, he projected to be our best player. So far he has not been. With JB looking like a walking double-double, Jesse good for a triple 7 every night, and Minaya playing way above all expectations, it's Gordon and Burrus who look like they can still step it up a notch and make us a real factor in the conference.

[SuperJon]

If we want to make any noise this year, it falls squarely on Evan. We've got the people around him. He's just gotta become the guy.

[Purple Haize]

A big, heavy-set guy in the pep band had a few white poster board signs like the LUantics used to do. One said "Predestined to Lose" but my favorite was "STOP Infant Baptism." And the guy had a lot of volume, so he was easy to hear from my corner of the Vines.

).

TO rehash an old argument about fan behavior. THIS is the type of 'creative heckling' that I wish we saw more of!! It is not personal , it is clever and a whole lot better then the 'You suck" type heckle. "STOP INFANT BAPTISM" is just funny ALL DAY LONG!!! IMO, though it is not a good idea to engage a coach in a dialogue during a game.

As for style of play, SUPER made an intersting point. Ask ANY coach what wins basketball games and they will all say the same thing: Defense and Rebounding. Apparently we did that pretty welll.

[LUconn]

Do the LUnatics still exist?

No.

drywhenitrains is his username

and me and him were talking about it a couple of days ago and we aren't letting the LUnatics die as long as we are in school

Did these 2 drop out of school? Man, I feel stupid for giving them 2 years.

[SuperJon]

Th3rd couldn't come back this semester because of financial stuff and the other guy said he didn't have the time to put into it.

No one took it over when the core group left. It died.

[SuperJon]

A big, heavy-set guy in the pep band had a few white poster board signs like the LUantics used to do. One said "Predestined to Lose" but my favorite was "STOP Infant Baptism." And the guy had a lot of volume, so he was easy to hear from my corner of the Vines.

).

TO rehash an old argument about fan behavior. THIS is the type of 'creative heckling' that I wish we saw more of!! It is not personal , it is clever and a whole lot better then the 'You suck" type heckle. "STOP INFANT BAPTISM" is just funny ALL DAY LONG!!! IMO, though it is not a good idea to engage a coach in a dialogue during a game.

That's what we used to do. As a group, The LUnatics sort of policed the most vocal students and made sure there weren't the "You suck" stuff and tried to be as creative as possible. I really, really, really wish a group of students would get together and do it even better than we did.

[LUconn]

Yeah, I think this team has improved a lot from last year. I think they would be in the upper quarter of last year's Big South, but after having watched some of the other teams, I think the entire conference has really improved. So I don't know where that will leave us. Hopefully beating what is thought to be a good Presby team is an indicator.

[jbock13]

I think we can agree, we'll all know better how we are when we play Winthrop.

[SuperJon]

Speaking on Winthrop, they're the reason I'm not as concerned about our shooting being down so far this season. Last season they couldn't hit the broad side of a barn but their defense was good enough to stay in games. They won the ones they were supposed to and stayed competitive (top half of the league) and then at the end of the year they found their shot, got hot, and went to the tournament. It was all based on defense though.

[LUconn]

the other guy said he didn't have the time to put into it.

Was that the platform he ran on when he got elected president of the LUnatics?

[SuperJon]

the other guy said he didn't have the time to put into it.

Was that the platform he ran on when he got elected president of the LUnatics?

Nope. After he saw what all was involved with it and his schedule for this year that included a practicum class, he realized he couldn't do it all.

[ToTheLeft]

Yeah, the offense is no different than it's been. If anything, with Evan, JB, Jesse, and Minaya not being afraid to get to the basket, it's better than it has been with the exception of those games where that one guy was playing and he made 3's and did a lot of other stuff and then he left.

D and Rebounding with a little bit of creative offense will be enough in the Big South. That's what we did last night. Coach went to his best rotation and didn't sub as much as he did OOC, because he knows who he can trust. The starting 5, JC, Chene, and a few minutes from Sommy/JVP. 7 1/2 deep isn't bad, if JA can come back and start shooting, then our depth is perfect, and I have always had faith in James Spencer giving us 5-10 good minutes in any game.

[olldflame]

I agree about Spencer. He presents zero scoring threat, but if Jesse were to get in early foul trouble (or God forbid get hurt) James can run the offense and play adequate defense for several minutes so all the pressure isn't on Chene.

[BJWilliams]

A big, heavy-set guy in the pep band had a few white poster board signs like the LUantics used to do. One said "Predestined to Lose" but my favorite was "STOP Infant Baptism." And the guy had a lot of volume, so he was easy to hear from my corner of the Vines.

).

TO rehash an old argument about fan behavior. THIS is the type of 'creative heckling' that I wish we saw more of!! It is not personal , it is clever and a whole lot better then the 'You suck" type heckle. "STOP INFANT BAPTISM" is just funny ALL DAY LONG!!! IMO, though it is not a good idea to engage a coach in a dialogue during a game.

As for style of play, SUPER made an intersting point. Ask ANY coach what wins basketball games and they will all say the same thing: Defense and Rebounding. Apparently we did that pretty welll.

The guy CJ was mentioning is a friend of mine. when I got to the game it sounded like Coach Nibert was busy jawing back and forth with him about something. the pep band was all over him (and I even got in on it) the rest of the game. He didnt talk to us after that but you could tell he could hear it.

[Cider Jim]

I wish SCAR would chime in on the game (and I wish I would have taped it and gone back and watched it again this weekend). What surprised me--and I thought was genius on Layer's part--was that he mostly went with a smaller lineup of Minaya as his tallest player. I guess Layer figured that he couldn't out muscle Coleman, so he would out quick him instead with Minaya and Brown guarding him instead of Burrus.

Also, Jesse is becoming quite a force inside. Almost all of his points came in the paint doing Ohman-like drives to the basket, and he's got new found hops with his dunking ability. And I still like John Caleb's outside game better than Evan's.

[Cider Jim]

"STOP INFANT BAPTISM" is just funny ALL DAY LONG!!!

Yea, that reminded me of something that Super might have done in his prime with the LUnatics.

[olldflame]

There is a reason Jesse is doing all his scoring inside. he is OH-FER from 3!

[SuperJon]

And I still like John Caleb's outside game better than Evan's.

I do too. I think Evan is more of a slasher who can hit a 3 point shot than a shooter who can slash. Think Anthony Smith (but obviously not as big).

[Chris Lang]

The problem is that Gordon isn't slashing. He took it to the hole once last night that I can remember, on the three-point play that gave LU the lead. He absolutely has to become more of an off the dribble threat for this team to get better offensively. Jesse Sanders is a great drive to pass guy, and he can get a few shots here or there when teams sag off of him to play the pass. But when Gordon doesn't drive, Liberty gets very stagnant on offense. The only one really attacking the rim, at least early, was Minaya.

[SuperJon]

The problem is that Gordon isn't slashing.

Agreed.

[Chippy]

I think he will regain his shot. Saw him in intersquad scrimmage and he was lights out. I also agree that if he can be a threat to attack basket then the D will have to slough off on him a little bit which would give him the space to hit the 3 ball. I also think the offense need to free him up with some double screens to get him some better looks. Of the 5 he is our best offensive threat and best shooter. It seems every time he touches the ball he has a man in his face. Just a thought.