Likes
-- Trapani stepping up. I don't know who should be the primary scoring option on this team, but Trapani is probably our most versatile player and played well tonight.
-- Making the foul shots. The team is not getting to the line enough, but at least they are converting their attempts.
Dislikes
-- Sanders' day. It was only one game, but Sanders was terrible tonight. Poor defensive effort, too many forced shots and some really poor passes.
-- No offensive identity. Clemson's press upsets our offense because it cuts into the shot clock, but I am so frustrated this team does not revert to the flex enough. There is not enough movement. Not enough passing. Not enough patience. Sanders and Jackson drive into traffic too much. We look lost.
I am fortunate enough to sit near the BC bench a few times a year. Having watched Al up close many times, this is the most frustrated I've seen him. I think like many of us, he is not sure why the guys don't get it or how to get them to break their bad habits. This is easily his deepest team at BC, but we have no hierarchy, rotation or even a handful of guys who understand how to get solid shots in this offense. I was optimistic about the season until today. There is plenty of ACC play left to improve, but I have real doubts if it is in the mix this year.
Saturday, January 09, 2010
Thoughts on Clemson
Another rough night at Littlejohn. If you haven't been there you might not realize how tough an environment it can be. The fans sit close and are into the game from the start. The refs were also horrible in this game (including missing a foul on Trapani that drew blood). Yet the team did not lose because of those factors. We have real problem and I am now concerned that we might not get things straight this season. Here are my thoughts. Leave yours below.
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17 comments:
Spring Game countdown clock anyone?
ATL - I agree with what you said about being "optimistic about this team until today"
I'm still gonna watch them, still going to the Maryland game next weekend, but my confidence in the boys is really suffering right now. I kept having hope they'd put it together until yesterday. Hopefully we're both wrong, they're still just 1-1 in the league.
Lack of effort is this teams problem, sanders is talented but lacks heart and hustle. Al needs to fire these kids up.
Al be emotional? Hell will freeze over before that happens -he's still trying to design a play to break the press after 14 years. This is his worst coaching job since he got here. In past losing seasons there were reasons for it: just getting started, young team, etc. but he said he didn't want to add a recruit because of his confidence with this class (and we all know Skinner rarely, if ever recruits anyways).
The effort portrayed by this team on a consistent basis is absolutely embarrassing and the fact that no one is held accountable (Rakim) is a joke. If there isn't a noticeable change in effort (at this point results are secondary) it'll be time for him to go. The talent is there, the coaching and effort isn't.
need to get it turned around like yesterday or else we won't be able to hang that regular-season win banner up at ol' conte...
skinner should be frustrated. he recruited these guys, including colorado's best player, and what is turning into a headcase in sanders, our two most talented players.
not scoring against a press? how many years is this now?
not cashing in all the chips yet, but this team is regressing. leadership, leadership? wherefore art thou?
if nothing else, at least skinner isn't tim floyd. we might have gotten swept by the trojans last yr, but maybe we can hang a banner that says simply, "Clean."
Truly shocking TV coverage yesterday...
The announcers successfully carried forward the "Kevin" Trapani tradition into the 2009-10 season. Did anyone else see the graphic they put up for the player of the game? It's one thing if your announcer is an assclown who cant get a guy's name right after 2 seasons but for the production crew to put that into a graphic?? Unbelievable.
2 big issues with this team in my view, 1 with Skinner, 1 with Sanders.
The announcers always say the team's demeanor mirrors that of the coach. I agree. That means they don't wilt under pressure, which helps when they're down 10 at Chapel Hill for instance, but it hurts when they play lesser teams, and can't match their intensity or effort (thus the upsets). It also hurts when they play fired up teams like Clemson. When you have natural leaders like Uka Agbai and Jared Dudley, it's not that big an issue, the players police themselves and make a concerted efforts, but when Sanders is the guy everyone looks to for leadership, then there's a major problem.
Sanders really troubles me. He has a ton of athletic ability as we all know, but I watch these games on DVR, and I am always rewinding to watch his play. I am astounded at how much Sanders dogs it on D, especially especially especially when his shots aren't falling, like yesterday. And nad shooting affects the rest of his game - he dribbles into pressure, throws lazy passes, blows off rebounding, etc. Whatta waste. He has not improved one iota since freshman year (except free throw shooting), which is pretty amazing given all the gametime he has experienced. I'm afraid this team won't go anywhere except backward unless and until he makes a commitment to improving his effort in all phases of the game, not just chucking threes. I hope he does, but doubt he will.
maybe they are confusing him with Kevin Tapani, former lackluster Chicago Cubs pitcher
Is Kevin related to Steve Appanavoooshus?
Would any of you say this is a "smart" BC basketball team? I mean, do they look savvy to you guys out there? They drag the tempo, yeah...but are they even playing the same tune very often?
mmason:
no, i don't think this is a smart team, and i am not sure that you will find anyone who will say they are. for me, it starts with the point guard. bell knew what he was doing and had the skills to make it happen, hinnant had senior-esque poise from day 1. rice, while he may have been a little me-first at times, was a heady ballplayer and could run the offense until such a time that he needed to step up (see: all of his "slow" starts last year).
despite being a junior, biko doesn't seem to be in control at all and he doesn't have the skill or the confidence to improvise consistently when the need arises.
for some reason these guys either can't or don't want to run the offense and it leads to the chaos of everyone finding their own shot. the frustrating part was that the offense was actually working in the beginning against clemson...we just couldn't make the easy shots, we got behind, and we slipped into the bad habits that bury us.
This bball team is surprising me in the opposite way the fball team did. High(er) expectations and poor execution!
I believe GD needs to explore saying adios to Al at the end of the season.
BC vs. Clemson on Saturday was just another glaring example of how far the hoops program has fallen. After getting "dope-slapped" by many ateagle bloggers for my previous posts critical of the job Coach Skinner is doing, do I detect that the tide is turning and reality has begun to set in?!
I chuckle at the mention of "bad officiating" now being tossed out as a factor in the Eagles poor performance. What excuse is next? We already have heard from Al himself (via the Al Skinner radio show), that "its the shirts" (following his teams loss to Maine, he discussed that the problem was when his team saw the uniform shirt with "Maine" on it, they figured it was an automatic win and they didn't have to extend any effort. Then, after the Clemson debacle, Coach Al tells us that it was a "total lack of effort". So at least we know why BC is doing so poorly---the shirts, the lack of effort, and now the officiating!!
Get real folks---it's not happening any time soon. I have cited a litany of weaknesses in past posts (breaking the press, porous defense---did you count the number of dribble penetration layups by Clemson?, no leadership, poor guard play, haven't recruited a legitimate ACC "big", etc. etc.) After watching the BC vs. Clemson game do you need any more evidence?
I have to chime in on Sanders. With as mad as Skinner got at him during the game for his poor play and lack of effort, he should have been benched. In fact, I would sit him down until he proves he deserves to be on the floor. At least the rest of the guys are hustling, if if their execution is poor. Sanders is trying to be Tyrese Rice, thinking he can take anyone on the dribble. Usually, he turns it over or takes a bad shot, and then could not be any less interested in getting back on defense. You can watch him just stand there while the other team fast breaks to the other end of the court. He should be the leader on this team, but instead he is providing an example of how not to play.
I agree with Opinionater and Sr.Atlanta.
We could be wrong - but it looks like it's time for the change.
As far as the reffing goes, Maxwell has always been a menace (seriously, I made fortune betting on the home team when he's on the court), and pairing him with other average guys magnifies his incompetence.
I think the problem lies with Jackson... he was a huge pull for BC and can make great stuff happen, but he is a terrible fit for the flex. When he is out there with Sanders, they occasionally sync up for a few pretty plays, but too often it degenerates to chaos as they vie for shots. Only one can be on the floor at a time, so give each 25 minutes and overlap sparingly.
Oh yeah...
http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/players/46650
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