I'm not going to totally flay Dave, but that seat did warm up just a tad tonight IMO. The T&M used to be hallowed ground. it just isn't anymore and it's losses like that which have soured most of the fanbase on him. This is also the kind of loss where if u aren't careful, it can derail a team going forward. Was it all coaching? No. There's a lot of blame to go around after an epic flameout like that.
First and foremost, the lulls the offense has seen finally came back to bite us in the ass. U simply can't go on these elongated cold streaks and hope to win basketball games. I keep hearing how Rice wants to offer "freedom" within his offensive scheme. That's the reason (Or the excuse given) our guards chuck and the reason for all of the horrid one-on-one hero ball. If that's freedom, give me some good ol' fashioned tyranny any day of the week. Structure and well thought out planning is the only thing that can save our offense from this anemia we've been seeing. Run some plays that are going to be SUCCESSFUL. Have contingencies in place for every conceivable situation. This fire away mentality isn't helping anyone.
Which leads me to Jerome. I will say that i'm glad Rice has been sitting him for Poyser down the stretch of the last couple games. Jalen was a bright spot in an otherwise severely muddled night. It ended up being too little too late, but when the wheels come off with Jerome, they come ALL the way off. The way Seagears has been playing, i can see his minutes dropping pretty considerably. Hopefully he can get back on track, but he has hit a wall and the team with him.
Rebounding absolutely killed us again. The effort just isn't there. The want isn't there. U have to scrap and fight on the glass. Not enough of our guys are willing to do so. 1-5, everyone has to crash the boards with purpose. I kept waiting for that, "This is our house!" moment, but it never came. Too bad.
McPassive. Usually i love Pat, but tonight he was the antithesis of a go-to-player. When an offense is struggling that mightily, u need your star to put the team on their shoulders and carry the burden. I though Zimm did an admirable job trying to be that guy, but he isn't strong enough around the basket yet and he missed some crucial bunnies. When u have a dynamic guard like McCaw, u shouldn't have to put that load on a true freshman.
And finally, the D. The Sundevils chewed up the press and man when it counted. I really would have liked Dave to at least try some zone out. Our bigs were in a lot of foul trouble and that man funneled their penetrating guards into them EVERY time. That's just bad recognition and reaction IMO.
Is this loss the end of the world? No. If the team rallies around one another and gets back on track offensively they are going to be fine. If not? Well then we're going to see a very similar season to the one we witnessed a year ago. 30 minutes of good basketball doesn't cut it. We all know that very well by now.
First and foremost, the lulls the offense has seen finally came back to bite us in the ass. U simply can't go on these elongated cold streaks and hope to win basketball games. I keep hearing how Rice wants to offer "freedom" within his offensive scheme. That's the reason (Or the excuse given) our guards chuck and the reason for all of the horrid one-on-one hero ball. If that's freedom, give me some good ol' fashioned tyranny any day of the week. Structure and well thought out planning is the only thing that can save our offense from this anemia we've been seeing. Run some plays that are going to be SUCCESSFUL. Have contingencies in place for every conceivable situation. This fire away mentality isn't helping anyone.
Which leads me to Jerome. I will say that i'm glad Rice has been sitting him for Poyser down the stretch of the last couple games. Jalen was a bright spot in an otherwise severely muddled night. It ended up being too little too late, but when the wheels come off with Jerome, they come ALL the way off. The way Seagears has been playing, i can see his minutes dropping pretty considerably. Hopefully he can get back on track, but he has hit a wall and the team with him.
Rebounding absolutely killed us again. The effort just isn't there. The want isn't there. U have to scrap and fight on the glass. Not enough of our guys are willing to do so. 1-5, everyone has to crash the boards with purpose. I kept waiting for that, "This is our house!" moment, but it never came. Too bad.
McPassive. Usually i love Pat, but tonight he was the antithesis of a go-to-player. When an offense is struggling that mightily, u need your star to put the team on their shoulders and carry the burden. I though Zimm did an admirable job trying to be that guy, but he isn't strong enough around the basket yet and he missed some crucial bunnies. When u have a dynamic guard like McCaw, u shouldn't have to put that load on a true freshman.
And finally, the D. The Sundevils chewed up the press and man when it counted. I really would have liked Dave to at least try some zone out. Our bigs were in a lot of foul trouble and that man funneled their penetrating guards into them EVERY time. That's just bad recognition and reaction IMO.
Is this loss the end of the world? No. If the team rallies around one another and gets back on track offensively they are going to be fine. If not? Well then we're going to see a very similar season to the one we witnessed a year ago. 30 minutes of good basketball doesn't cut it. We all know that very well by now.
