Post by Ball1 on Jan 9, 2005 14:25:45 GMT -5
Okay, I'm finally warmed up from our trip to Florida.
Tallahassee was warmer than Daytona Beach...Ridiculous.
Okay, the men's team is 10 games ahead of last year's pace, already having matched last year's win total.
We should take 2 of 3 on this next three game homestand, which puts us at 4-6 going into the road trip of the season (5 games in 12 days).
So we still have a chance to take home the 5th seed and get out of the play-in. We will have to win ugly and these next three games will be ugly.
In a year that the MEAC champ may have as many as six losses, there will be a logjam somewhere, so blowing out teams we split with will be important, 'cause that's the first tiebreaker.
My mid year grades.
Coaching wise, Eaves has been doing a great job. The plays he calls works. The defensive lapses are somewhat due to the pressure he puts on teams. A good passing point guard will beat a trap almost every time. But he will turn the ball over - that's what Eaves wants. Our MEAC losses are due to our ineptness at the foul line (.606) and a lack of rebounding (a -6 margin per game). That's something that can't be taught.
STARTERS:
Sean Booker is getting WIDE OPEN looks and everybody knows that he's coming to shoot as soon as he enters the gym. That's a credit to the offense. Booker is shooting 47 percent from the field against the MEAC, but has made just 9 of 18 free throws. Overall, his defense has been ok, but bad fouls have contributed to his 7 DQ's - including 4 of the past 5 conference games.
We can't win without him on the floor as much as possible. I would give him a B-, but he gets extra credit for being our leading rebounder, so B.
Rechodd Carter has been playing out of his mind...averaging close to seven assists at a 3:1 A/TO ratio since the Del State game. (It helps when players make shots). He's been solid all year, but Eaves has chosen to go with him for extended periods, even though he thinks Carter is a bit of a wuss. But he's the best option we have and is one of the key reasons why we won the two games in Greensboro. The only problem is that he misses free throws (60 percent in MEAC play) - something you NEVER want from your best ball handler. Overall grade - B-
Greg Roberts: Hmm...An enigma. Somebody who lives off confidence. Somebody who needed to hit a big shot and finally did it against B-CC. He hit the game tying 3-pointer to send the game into the second overtime. He always has been our best defender, so we will need him on the floor. Gotta wonder why Eaves didn't have the courage to put him on the smaller Antonio Webb (35 pts, 16 in OT) of B-CC, who killed Rechodd Carter. He'll get better, but can he hit free throws (.545 in MEAC play, .583 overall)? Grade: C+ (plus because of his defense.
Mike Hayes: In a season long slump. Slumping so badly that Demetrius Guions has taken his minutes. His shot is way off, and has just given us nothing, really. He only starts because Guions is a freshman. He better not ask for a scholarship. Grade: D.
Jeff Alvis: Alvis really stepped his game up against B-CC (16 points) He actually used a low post move that can score against anybody in this league. I would like to see him score more. But the disappointment is in his defense (straight up) and rebounding (he gets beat on the offensive boards too often). I like that he takes charges and moves his feet well on defense, but even he is prone to some silly reach in fouls. If he can give us 10 and 5, we can turn these close games into W's. Oh, yeah, he sucks at the line, too (.471 in and out of the MEAC). Grade: C.
THE BENCH
Steve Koger: Even though he has been playing well lately (18 ppg in his last six), his decision making at crunch time will always be a huge question mark (see Bethune-Cookman). He's not Manu Ginobili (somebody who is all world even though he only goes left), so why does he go right all the time? That's because he has no choice. He is a catch and shoot player. That's what he does and who he is. He can't pass because he keeps his head in the dribble. Plus he gets selfish when he hits two shots in a row. But what really befuddles Eaves is that he's OUR BEST FREE THROW SHOOTER. So Eaves can't keep the ball out of his hands. So if we win, Steve will be a big part of it. If we lose, he'll be a big part of it also. Grade: C
Demetrius Guoins: Dude will breakout, slowly, but surely. He can explode to the rim, which he proved on Monday night, dunking over 2 and drawing cheers from the crowd. His perimeter jump shot is improving with confidence and he will get more open looks because teams know he can drive to the basket with authority. Saturday is the type of game he can be a factor in, because UMES is slow and small at the 3, 4, and 5. So far, he's had a solid year. B.
More to come.
Tallahassee was warmer than Daytona Beach...Ridiculous.
Okay, the men's team is 10 games ahead of last year's pace, already having matched last year's win total.
We should take 2 of 3 on this next three game homestand, which puts us at 4-6 going into the road trip of the season (5 games in 12 days).
So we still have a chance to take home the 5th seed and get out of the play-in. We will have to win ugly and these next three games will be ugly.
In a year that the MEAC champ may have as many as six losses, there will be a logjam somewhere, so blowing out teams we split with will be important, 'cause that's the first tiebreaker.
My mid year grades.
Coaching wise, Eaves has been doing a great job. The plays he calls works. The defensive lapses are somewhat due to the pressure he puts on teams. A good passing point guard will beat a trap almost every time. But he will turn the ball over - that's what Eaves wants. Our MEAC losses are due to our ineptness at the foul line (.606) and a lack of rebounding (a -6 margin per game). That's something that can't be taught.
STARTERS:
Sean Booker is getting WIDE OPEN looks and everybody knows that he's coming to shoot as soon as he enters the gym. That's a credit to the offense. Booker is shooting 47 percent from the field against the MEAC, but has made just 9 of 18 free throws. Overall, his defense has been ok, but bad fouls have contributed to his 7 DQ's - including 4 of the past 5 conference games.
We can't win without him on the floor as much as possible. I would give him a B-, but he gets extra credit for being our leading rebounder, so B.
Rechodd Carter has been playing out of his mind...averaging close to seven assists at a 3:1 A/TO ratio since the Del State game. (It helps when players make shots). He's been solid all year, but Eaves has chosen to go with him for extended periods, even though he thinks Carter is a bit of a wuss. But he's the best option we have and is one of the key reasons why we won the two games in Greensboro. The only problem is that he misses free throws (60 percent in MEAC play) - something you NEVER want from your best ball handler. Overall grade - B-
Greg Roberts: Hmm...An enigma. Somebody who lives off confidence. Somebody who needed to hit a big shot and finally did it against B-CC. He hit the game tying 3-pointer to send the game into the second overtime. He always has been our best defender, so we will need him on the floor. Gotta wonder why Eaves didn't have the courage to put him on the smaller Antonio Webb (35 pts, 16 in OT) of B-CC, who killed Rechodd Carter. He'll get better, but can he hit free throws (.545 in MEAC play, .583 overall)? Grade: C+ (plus because of his defense.
Mike Hayes: In a season long slump. Slumping so badly that Demetrius Guions has taken his minutes. His shot is way off, and has just given us nothing, really. He only starts because Guions is a freshman. He better not ask for a scholarship. Grade: D.
Jeff Alvis: Alvis really stepped his game up against B-CC (16 points) He actually used a low post move that can score against anybody in this league. I would like to see him score more. But the disappointment is in his defense (straight up) and rebounding (he gets beat on the offensive boards too often). I like that he takes charges and moves his feet well on defense, but even he is prone to some silly reach in fouls. If he can give us 10 and 5, we can turn these close games into W's. Oh, yeah, he sucks at the line, too (.471 in and out of the MEAC). Grade: C.
THE BENCH
Steve Koger: Even though he has been playing well lately (18 ppg in his last six), his decision making at crunch time will always be a huge question mark (see Bethune-Cookman). He's not Manu Ginobili (somebody who is all world even though he only goes left), so why does he go right all the time? That's because he has no choice. He is a catch and shoot player. That's what he does and who he is. He can't pass because he keeps his head in the dribble. Plus he gets selfish when he hits two shots in a row. But what really befuddles Eaves is that he's OUR BEST FREE THROW SHOOTER. So Eaves can't keep the ball out of his hands. So if we win, Steve will be a big part of it. If we lose, he'll be a big part of it also. Grade: C
Demetrius Guoins: Dude will breakout, slowly, but surely. He can explode to the rim, which he proved on Monday night, dunking over 2 and drawing cheers from the crowd. His perimeter jump shot is improving with confidence and he will get more open looks because teams know he can drive to the basket with authority. Saturday is the type of game he can be a factor in, because UMES is slow and small at the 3, 4, and 5. So far, he's had a solid year. B.
More to come.