[kel varson]

Hubbard=Solid DIII player.

We do need more post players. Whoever said that is right. But I still hold that you can win small if you have talent and I think we have talent. Its a matter of hustle and boxing out. We have only been outrebounded a couple times and one game we really outrebounded the opposition and still lost. Which means inside offense is the issue. You don't necessarily have to be 6-10 to get rebounds. We have to learn to score off our defense and Dunton HAS to adjust. We probably don't have the tools to play teams straight up.

Rell, sadly, has really not materialized. He should have been our second option inside. If Baker can toughen up maybe he can play inside. Right now, for this season to be pulled from the dumps, he needs to give up his visions of gradeur as a 6 foot 9 three point specialist and be what the team needs, a second option in the post.

[SuperJon]

Coastal proved last year that you can win by playing small. Then again, they played offense.

And rebounded.

[paradox]

You guys are making a couple of good points.

Rell is a good role guy. He plays solid D and he sets a good pick. But he needs to be more versitile with his scoring and rebounding in order to be a more complete player. I like him as a role guy though.

And yes, we can win small if we play smart and play well as a team with one collective goal, and that goal should in no way include the all-time big south individual scoring title.

[JDUB]

i think that the new coach we will have next year will bring in some solid recruits and figure out who should play point

[kel varson]

i think that the new coach we will have next year will bring in some solid recruits and figure out who should play point

[kel varson]

i think that the new coach we will have next year will bring in some solid recruits and figure out who should play point

Maybe he can get Chip Richmond....I wonder if JR Nicholas has any eligibility left.

[paradox]

I don't think anyone needs to figure out who plays point next year when we have TJ Bannister.

[Cider Jim]

If Baker can toughen up maybe he can play inside. Right now, for this season to be pulled from the dumps, he needs to give up his visions of gradeur as a 6 foot 9 three point specialist and be what the team needs, a second option in the post.

Well said: we have plently of people who can shoot the 3; what we need is a 6'9" guy who can play inside. Baker can still be a finesse player inside, like a shorter version of Ralph Sampson.

[paradox]

I know that there was at least one poster out there that questioned Gabe Martin's leadership on the court back in '04.

We need more Gabe Martin's on this team who are willing to step up and do whatever it takes
and play whatever position neccessary in order to win. Martin came in here as a 6'5 gaurd and ended up at the four and was very productive there.

Baker, Hubbard, Brewington, Porter, and even Smith should all be helping out more in the post. Mclean can't do it all by himself. What's more, Mclean is one of those late bloomers who hit a huge growth spurt after high school. He's only been playing organized ball for a couple of years coming into this season. There are gonna be times when he's just gonna get schooled by a more savvy and experienced player. I think that Mclean has great skills, but he needs more support from his teammates in order for this team to turn the corner.

[LUconn]

seriously, dude got beat by the same post move everytime when Bradshaw had the ball. It was a nice move, but you'd think he would have caught on after a few times. Fake pass to the lane, spin around the other way, dribble the base line, lay it in, repeat

[paradox]

Yea, I agree, and that was hard to watch.

But where do we go from here?

Will he improve enough this year in order for us to turn it around this season?

And can we get some kind of Gabe Martin type value from some of our bigger gaurds at the four?

[kel varson]

The one game I attended this year McClean's post defense was lacking. He's just not ready.

[mrich]

No disrespect to Mcclean, but of course he is not ready. He didn't even play HS basketball. The only post players we have been able to recruit are homeschoolers (Monroe), and people that have been playing basketball for less than 3 years.

[WWJFD]

Yea, McLean is raw. You can tell his "O" skills around the basket are not all there. He just needs to work hard at them. He does work hard, so I think he can improve. Armon has been a flop. I bet he is gone after the season is over. The mystery man is Lamont. He was involved in some activities last week. If we can get him for February that would be a boost. I bet RD does not redshirt him, it is now or never for RD.

[Ed Dantes]

i think that the new coach we will have next year will bring in some solid recruits and figure out who should play point

Maybe he can get Chip Richmond....I wonder if JR Nicholas has any eligibility left.

Yeah, you forgot El-Gotta Carter.

[jmdickens]

Martin came in here as a 6'5 gaurd and ended up at the four and was very productive there.

I thought he played the 3 at Lu with Sarchet and Sneed at the 4 and 5

[SuperJon]

I love how you guys are ripping Alex.

All stats are of players listed by their teams as forwards and only during conference play. WU, UNCA, CCU, and HPU all have had the advantage of playing VMI which has somewhat inflated stats.

Points Per Game
Reggie Williams - VMI - 30
Chris Oliver - RU - 18
Jerald Minnis - HPU - 15.67
Craig Bradshaw - WU - 13.75
Alex McLean - LU - 13.67
Joseph Harris - CCU - 13.5

Rebounds Per Game
Reggie Williams - VMI - 9.75
Joseph Harris - CCU - 7.25
Jerald Minnis - HPU - 7
Chris Oliver - RU - 7
Phillip Williams - WU - 6.75
Alex McLean - LU - 6.34
Moses Sonko - CCU - 6.25

What does this prove? It says that, even though some teams have played VMI, the average big man in the Big South is scoring around 13 points which is exactly where Alex is. The average big man in the Big South is grabbing between 6 and 7 rebounds a game which is right where Alex is.

Alex's numbers go down a lot because of the Winthrop game. We only have two games to balance that game out rather than three like most schools. Now, if Alex stays at his current pace and throws down and average game for a big man against VMI (20 points and 10-15 rebounds) that will pull his averages up like is has Bradshaw and a few others.

For a team with absolutely no other presence down low, Alex is playing good basketball.

[Chris Lang]

I will not rip on Alex here, but I will make an observation: He really needs to work harder to get touches. He hardly flashed at all against Winthrop, didn't demand the ball in the post. Part of that had to do with the screening (and I agree with Dunton, Liberty's screening was awful the other night). Motion gets stagnant when the big man doesn't at least get touches. You'll hear coaches all the time yell at their big man ... "get a touch!" Just getting the ball down low forces teams to defend differently. Granted, Bradshaw was taller and did a real nice job of fronting McLean and denying entry passes. But that's when you need to set a nice pick to find a way to get Bradshaw off him.

Remember, this is a guy who has played all of 17 games of Division I basketball. JC guys tend to struggle a lot at the end of their first year, too. Just guessing here, but Alex probably didn't play teams nearly as physical as the ones he is facing now back at Suffolk.

He's smart, though, and he'll adjust.

[jmdickens]

I agree...we are lucky to have someone as good as Alex in the post...get off his back

[Purple Haize]

To come to Alex's defense (insert ANY pun here)..
Realisticaly how many touches ARE there for him? With Blair and Brew as options one and two are there that many touches? If he keeps working hard on the boards he will do a whole lot more for our team than if he looks for touches. We need someone to do the dirty work. That type of play doesn't take alot of D1 experience (Which is does not have) but can be very productive if you hav ethe raw skill (which he does)

[Chris Lang]

Haize, I'm talking about touches, not shots. A touch in a good position draws a double team, which opens up a jumper or a drive. You can't just pass the ball around the perimeter for 30 seconds and expect a great shot to materialize in the last five seconds. That's all I'm getting at.

[bigsmooth]

here is a coach who from a source has an interest. he is young, has ACC experience and has strong commonwealth ties. this is very intriguing, and IMO, could be a good fit. let me say that im not quitting on randy, just passing along information.

ARIZONA STATE ASSOCIATE HEAD COACH
Mark Phelps
Hometown:
Dayton, Ohio

Birthdate:
01/22/1966

Former North Carolina State assistant coach Mark Phelps joined Herb Sendek's staff in Tempe after more than a decade in the Atlantic Coast Conference. He will enter his 18th year in coaching and his 11th on the collegiate level in 2006-07 after a highly successful high school coaching career.

Phelps was part of Sendek's staff that went 53-39 (.576) in ACC regular season and tournament play the past five years, tied for the second most wins in the ACC since the 2001-02 season.

Phelps, who had been a member of the Wolfpack staff for a decade after enjoying tremendous success in the high school ranks, added a new list of responsibilities last year as he also was NC State's Director of Scouting and Recruiting Coordinator. The 1996 Old Dominion graduate had spent the previous six seasons as an assistant after serving as the Wolfpack's Director of Basketball Operations for four years. He originally joined the NC State program after a highly successful tenure as a high school head coach.

Phelps is extremely familiar with successful basketball programs, having coached his way to a 148-53 (.736 winning percentage) overall record during his six years directing a pair of Virginia independent high school teams.

Phelps spent two seasons (1995-96) at Atlantic Shores Christian High School in Chesapeake, Va., where his teams compiled a 44-12 record. His 1996 squad finished 20-3 and set school marks for winning percentage (.870) and fewest losses. Two of his former Atlantic Shores players went on to play basketball and graduate from North Carolina State -- Damon Thornton and Kenny Inge.

Prior to his tenure at Atlantic Shores, Phelps coached four years at Rock Church Academy and posted a 104-41 record. His teams played in the Metro Conference, where he was twice named Coach of the Year as the Eagles won three straight conference championships. Each of his last five prep teams advanced to the Virginia Independent School State Tournament. Four times he coached teams to the quarterfinals of the state tournament and twice to the state semifinals. He also served as athletics director at both high schools.

A graduate of Old Dominion with a B.S. degree in physical education, Phelps is a native of Virginia Beach, Va.

MARK PHELPS BACKGROUND

EDUCATION AND BACKGROUND: Born Mark Edward Phelps Jan. 22, 1966, in Dayton, Ohio...B.S. in physical education from Old Dominion in 1996... a 1984 graduate of Kempsville High School Virginia Beach, Va.

COLLEGIATE COACHING EXPERIENCE: Recruiting Coordinator/Director of Scouting/Assistant Coach, NC State (2005-06); Assistant Coach, NC State (2000-05); Director of Basektball Operations, NC State (1996-2000).

HIGH SCHOOL COACHING EXPERIENCE: Head Coach, Atlantic Shores Christian School in Chesapeake, Va., and was 44-12 (.786) from 1994-96; Head coach, Rock Church Academy in Virginia Beach, Va., from 1990-94 and was 104-41 Overall (.717)...won three Metro Conference Tournament championships, two Metro Conference regular-season titles and was a two-time Metro Conference Coach of the Year while at Rock Church.

[Cider Jim]

An ASU assoc. head basketball coach who used to coach at Atlantic Shores Christian? That sounds like a marriage made in heaven for LU basketball. Atlantic Shores church and school were both started by an LBC alumnus & former LBC basketball player, so I'm sure this coach must have a pretty strong Christian background, and if he's 41 years old, that's mid-life crisis time when folks of that age want to change jobs and often want to move back home.

Great find, Smoothie. This beats the heck out of my Rick Reeves idea!

[TDDance234]

Quick! Someone fire up AirFalwell!

[TIMSCAR20]

I know Mark a little from the days when we were recruiting Damon Thornton and Kenny Inge from Atlantic Shores. Of course they ended up at NC State as did Mark. I don't have much of an opinion either way on him but It would have been nice to get Damon Thorton. He would have been a tremendous Big South Player. Kenny Inge's brothers have both played football for Liberty as some of you probably know.