Repping @BballIrl 🇮🇪
— Cal Basketball (@CalMBBall) July 15, 2022
Good luck to @SamAlajiki at the FIBA U20 European Championships in Tbilisi, Georgia! pic.twitter.com/AcjnxtKukF
HoopDreams said:
Great experience for himRepping @BballIrl 🇮🇪
— Cal Basketball (@CalMBBall) July 15, 2022
Good luck to @SamAlajiki at the FIBA U20 European Championships in Tbilisi, Georgia! pic.twitter.com/AcjnxtKukF
If I'm reading the schedule right, Sam and Ireland will be playing Latvia at 10:15 AM PDT Sunday morning and Bulgaria at 5:45 AM PDT Wednesday morning. FIBA's Youtube channelsluggo said:
Scored 15 points on 4/8 from 2, 1/4 from 3, 4/5 from the line in 67-65 win over Hungary. Third leader in minutes as well, so he must be a key player.
You can actually watch this game, and maybe you can watch others live. If I get insomnia ...
https://www.fiba.basketball/europe/u20b/2022/game/1507/Hungary-Ireland#tab=overview
I got here late and missed the game, but thanks very much for this info.Eastern Oregon Bear said:If I'm reading the schedule right, Sam and Ireland will be playing Latvia at 10:15 AM PDT Sunday morning and Bulgaria at 5:45 AM PDT Wednesday morning. FIBA's Youtube channelsluggo said:
Scored 15 points on 4/8 from 2, 1/4 from 3, 4/5 from the line in 67-65 win over Hungary. Third leader in minutes as well, so he must be a key player.
You can actually watch this game, and maybe you can watch others live. If I get insomnia ...
https://www.fiba.basketball/europe/u20b/2022/game/1507/Hungary-Ireland#tab=overview
You can catch a replay. As can anyone else.SFCityBear said:I got here late and missed the game, but thanks very much for this info.Eastern Oregon Bear said:If I'm reading the schedule right, Sam and Ireland will be playing Latvia at 10:15 AM PDT Sunday morning and Bulgaria at 5:45 AM PDT Wednesday morning. FIBA's Youtube channelsluggo said:
Scored 15 points on 4/8 from 2, 1/4 from 3, 4/5 from the line in 67-65 win over Hungary. Third leader in minutes as well, so he must be a key player.
You can actually watch this game, and maybe you can watch others live. If I get insomnia ...
https://www.fiba.basketball/europe/u20b/2022/game/1507/Hungary-Ireland#tab=overview
Thanks. I tried before my post to find a replay, but it said the video was unavailable. I'll try again later. today.sluggo said:You can catch a replay. As can anyone else.SFCityBear said:I got here late and missed the game, but thanks very much for this info.Eastern Oregon Bear said:If I'm reading the schedule right, Sam and Ireland will be playing Latvia at 10:15 AM PDT Sunday morning and Bulgaria at 5:45 AM PDT Wednesday morning. FIBA's Youtube channelsluggo said:
Scored 15 points on 4/8 from 2, 1/4 from 3, 4/5 from the line in 67-65 win over Hungary. Third leader in minutes as well, so he must be a key player.
You can actually watch this game, and maybe you can watch others live. If I get insomnia ...
https://www.fiba.basketball/europe/u20b/2022/game/1507/Hungary-Ireland#tab=overview
I found that if you go to specific game results you find a link to the whole game video. Here is today.SFCityBear said:Thanks. I tried before my post to find a replay, but it said the video was unavailable. I'll try again later. today.sluggo said:You can catch a replay. As can anyone else.SFCityBear said:I got here late and missed the game, but thanks very much for this info.Eastern Oregon Bear said:If I'm reading the schedule right, Sam and Ireland will be playing Latvia at 10:15 AM PDT Sunday morning and Bulgaria at 5:45 AM PDT Wednesday morning. FIBA's Youtube channelsluggo said:
Scored 15 points on 4/8 from 2, 1/4 from 3, 4/5 from the line in 67-65 win over Hungary. Third leader in minutes as well, so he must be a key player.
You can actually watch this game, and maybe you can watch others live. If I get insomnia ...
https://www.fiba.basketball/europe/u20b/2022/game/1507/Hungary-Ireland#tab=overview
I watched the first half as well. The bright side was that he drove strong to the hoop. I did not see any 3 point shots, but rather traditional two pointers with fouls. He is still very right-handed, but when he drives he can spin left if he feels someone on his back. He is strong and can jump. But his awareness and movement is still bad. His team sets screens and moves without the ball. He stood around, moved only towards the ball and forced shots. Mark Fox must be proud.HearstMining said:
I watched part of the Ireland-Latvia game. Sam was clearly the most athletic player on the Irish team. He hit a couple of 3pt shots, I think, and added a pump-fake and drive that I don't recall seeing last season. It would have been more effective if his ball handling had improved. Still no mid-range shot. I hoped for more rebounding, but didn't see it in this game. To summarize, Sam has improved, but not a quantum leap. Of course, all this is just IMO.
sluggo said:I watched the first half as well. The bright side was that he drove strong to the hoop. I did not see any 3 point shots, but rather traditional two pointers with fouls. He is still very right-handed, but when he drives he can spin left if he feels someone on his back. He is strong and can jump. But his awareness and movement is still bad. His team sets screens and moves without the ball. He stood around, moved only towards the ball and forced shots. Mark Fox must be proud.HearstMining said:
I watched part of the Ireland-Latvia game. Sam was clearly the most athletic player on the Irish team. He hit a couple of 3pt shots, I think, and added a pump-fake and drive that I don't recall seeing last season. It would have been more effective if his ball handling had improved. Still no mid-range shot. I hoped for more rebounding, but didn't see it in this game. To summarize, Sam has improved, but not a quantum leap. Of course, all this is just IMO.
Thanks for this, Sluggo.sluggo said:I found that if you go to specific game results you find a link to the whole game video. Here is today.SFCityBear said:Thanks. I tried before my post to find a replay, but it said the video was unavailable. I'll try again later. today.sluggo said:You can catch a replay. As can anyone else.SFCityBear said:I got here late and missed the game, but thanks very much for this info.Eastern Oregon Bear said:If I'm reading the schedule right, Sam and Ireland will be playing Latvia at 10:15 AM PDT Sunday morning and Bulgaria at 5:45 AM PDT Wednesday morning. FIBA's Youtube channelsluggo said:
Scored 15 points on 4/8 from 2, 1/4 from 3, 4/5 from the line in 67-65 win over Hungary. Third leader in minutes as well, so he must be a key player.
You can actually watch this game, and maybe you can watch others live. If I get insomnia ...
https://www.fiba.basketball/europe/u20b/2022/game/1507/Hungary-Ireland#tab=overview
https://www.fiba.basketball/europe/u20b/2022/game/1707/Ireland-Latvia#tab=overview
Why say this? isn't it possible that Fox is telling his players to set screens and move without the ball, but some or most of them are just not doing it? This is basic basketball 1A, which back in the 1950s we learned before high school if we had a coach, or we would at least be taught this as high school freshmen. By the time we were juniors in high school we were running more complicated pattern plays, utilizing 3-5 players. I can't believe Fox is not trying to have players set screens or move without the ball. I suspect he has collected a number of players who were never taught these fairly simple skills before or during high school. Alajiki is not the only player we have who doesn't seem to have developed good instincts for what to do in a motion offense. I think and older coach like Fox expects players to have some instincts when they arrive in college, but as the years go by, there seem to be fewer and fewer of them arriving in college, especially at Cal. Just IMHO.sluggo said:I watched the first half as well. The bright side was that he drove strong to the hoop. I did not see any 3 point shots, but rather traditional two pointers with fouls. He is still very right-handed, but when he drives he can spin left if he feels someone on his back. He is strong and can jump. But his awareness and movement is still bad. His team sets screens and moves without the ball. He stood around, moved only towards the ball and forced shots. Mark Fox must be proud.HearstMining said:
I watched part of the Ireland-Latvia game. Sam was clearly the most athletic player on the Irish team. He hit a couple of 3pt shots, I think, and added a pump-fake and drive that I don't recall seeing last season. It would have been more effective if his ball handling had improved. Still no mid-range shot. I hoped for more rebounding, but didn't see it in this game. To summarize, Sam has improved, but not a quantum leap. Of course, all this is just IMO.
SFCityBear said:Why say this? isn't it possible that Fox is telling his players to set screens and move without the ball, but some or most of them are just not doing it? This is basic basketball 1A, which back in the 1950s we learned before high school if we had a coach, or we would at least be taught this as high school freshmen. By the time we were juniors in high school we were running more complicated pattern plays, utilizing 3-5 players. I can't believe Fox is not trying to have players set screens or move without the ball. I suspect he has collected a number of players who were never taught these fairly simple skills before or during high school. Alajiki is not the only player we have who doesn't seem to have developed good instincts for what to do in a motion offense. I think and older coach like Fox expects players to have some instincts when they arrive in college, but as the years go by, there seem to be fewer and fewer of them arriving in college, especially at Cal. Just IMHO.sluggo said:I watched the first half as well. The bright side was that he drove strong to the hoop. I did not see any 3 point shots, but rather traditional two pointers with fouls. He is still very right-handed, but when he drives he can spin left if he feels someone on his back. He is strong and can jump. But his awareness and movement is still bad. His team sets screens and moves without the ball. He stood around, moved only towards the ball and forced shots. Mark Fox must be proud.HearstMining said:
I watched part of the Ireland-Latvia game. Sam was clearly the most athletic player on the Irish team. He hit a couple of 3pt shots, I think, and added a pump-fake and drive that I don't recall seeing last season. It would have been more effective if his ball handling had improved. Still no mid-range shot. I hoped for more rebounding, but didn't see it in this game. To summarize, Sam has improved, but not a quantum leap. Of course, all this is just IMO.
I only care what the players do. If they don't listen, maybe you get a new one, don't you think?SFCityBear said:Why say this? isn't it possible that Fox is telling his players to set screens and move without the ball, but some or most of them are just not doing it? This is basic basketball 1A, which back in the 1950s we learned before high school if we had a coach, or we would at least be taught this as high school freshmen. By the time we were juniors in high school we were running more complicated pattern plays, utilizing 3-5 players. I can't believe Fox is not trying to have players set screens or move without the ball. I suspect he has collected a number of players who were never taught these fairly simple skills before or during high school. Alajiki is not the only player we have who doesn't seem to have developed good instincts for what to do in a motion offense. I think and older coach like Fox expects players to have some instincts when they arrive in college, but as the years go by, there seem to be fewer and fewer of them arriving in college, especially at Cal. Just IMHO.sluggo said:I watched the first half as well. The bright side was that he drove strong to the hoop. I did not see any 3 point shots, but rather traditional two pointers with fouls. He is still very right-handed, but when he drives he can spin left if he feels someone on his back. He is strong and can jump. But his awareness and movement is still bad. His team sets screens and moves without the ball. He stood around, moved only towards the ball and forced shots. Mark Fox must be proud.HearstMining said:
I watched part of the Ireland-Latvia game. Sam was clearly the most athletic player on the Irish team. He hit a couple of 3pt shots, I think, and added a pump-fake and drive that I don't recall seeing last season. It would have been more effective if his ball handling had improved. Still no mid-range shot. I hoped for more rebounding, but didn't see it in this game. To summarize, Sam has improved, but not a quantum leap. Of course, all this is just IMO.
sluggo said:I only care what the players do. If they don't listen, maybe you get a new one, don't you think?SFCityBear said:Why say this? isn't it possible that Fox is telling his players to set screens and move without the ball, but some or most of them are just not doing it? This is basic basketball 1A, which back in the 1950s we learned before high school if we had a coach, or we would at least be taught this as high school freshmen. By the time we were juniors in high school we were running more complicated pattern plays, utilizing 3-5 players. I can't believe Fox is not trying to have players set screens or move without the ball. I suspect he has collected a number of players who were never taught these fairly simple skills before or during high school. Alajiki is not the only player we have who doesn't seem to have developed good instincts for what to do in a motion offense. I think and older coach like Fox expects players to have some instincts when they arrive in college, but as the years go by, there seem to be fewer and fewer of them arriving in college, especially at Cal. Just IMHO.sluggo said:I watched the first half as well. The bright side was that he drove strong to the hoop. I did not see any 3 point shots, but rather traditional two pointers with fouls. He is still very right-handed, but when he drives he can spin left if he feels someone on his back. He is strong and can jump. But his awareness and movement is still bad. His team sets screens and moves without the ball. He stood around, moved only towards the ball and forced shots. Mark Fox must be proud.HearstMining said:
I watched part of the Ireland-Latvia game. Sam was clearly the most athletic player on the Irish team. He hit a couple of 3pt shots, I think, and added a pump-fake and drive that I don't recall seeing last season. It would have been more effective if his ball handling had improved. Still no mid-range shot. I hoped for more rebounding, but didn't see it in this game. To summarize, Sam has improved, but not a quantum leap. Of course, all this is just IMO.
More importantly, if Fox wants kids to come in already having those skills or that knowledge, then why is he recruiting players who don't have them? You can't recruit kids who don't know how to set screens/move and then blame them for execution problems when you fail to teach them those things. This is 100% Fox's programs; he is deciding the type of players to recruit, and all of the success or failures of the program are on his shoulders.sluggo said:I only care what the players do. If they don't listen, maybe you get a new one, don't you think?SFCityBear said:Why say this? isn't it possible that Fox is telling his players to set screens and move without the ball, but some or most of them are just not doing it? This is basic basketball 1A, which back in the 1950s we learned before high school if we had a coach, or we would at least be taught this as high school freshmen. By the time we were juniors in high school we were running more complicated pattern plays, utilizing 3-5 players. I can't believe Fox is not trying to have players set screens or move without the ball. I suspect he has collected a number of players who were never taught these fairly simple skills before or during high school. Alajiki is not the only player we have who doesn't seem to have developed good instincts for what to do in a motion offense. I think and older coach like Fox expects players to have some instincts when they arrive in college, but as the years go by, there seem to be fewer and fewer of them arriving in college, especially at Cal. Just IMHO.sluggo said:I watched the first half as well. The bright side was that he drove strong to the hoop. I did not see any 3 point shots, but rather traditional two pointers with fouls. He is still very right-handed, but when he drives he can spin left if he feels someone on his back. He is strong and can jump. But his awareness and movement is still bad. His team sets screens and moves without the ball. He stood around, moved only towards the ball and forced shots. Mark Fox must be proud.HearstMining said:
I watched part of the Ireland-Latvia game. Sam was clearly the most athletic player on the Irish team. He hit a couple of 3pt shots, I think, and added a pump-fake and drive that I don't recall seeing last season. It would have been more effective if his ball handling had improved. Still no mid-range shot. I hoped for more rebounding, but didn't see it in this game. To summarize, Sam has improved, but not a quantum leap. Of course, all this is just IMO.
Well, whatever works, as long as the coach is respectful to the players.calumnus said:sluggo said:I only care what the players do. If they don't listen, maybe you get a new one, don't you think?SFCityBear said:Why say this? isn't it possible that Fox is telling his players to set screens and move without the ball, but some or most of them are just not doing it? This is basic basketball 1A, which back in the 1950s we learned before high school if we had a coach, or we would at least be taught this as high school freshmen. By the time we were juniors in high school we were running more complicated pattern plays, utilizing 3-5 players. I can't believe Fox is not trying to have players set screens or move without the ball. I suspect he has collected a number of players who were never taught these fairly simple skills before or during high school. Alajiki is not the only player we have who doesn't seem to have developed good instincts for what to do in a motion offense. I think and older coach like Fox expects players to have some instincts when they arrive in college, but as the years go by, there seem to be fewer and fewer of them arriving in college, especially at Cal. Just IMHO.sluggo said:I watched the first half as well. The bright side was that he drove strong to the hoop. I did not see any 3 point shots, but rather traditional two pointers with fouls. He is still very right-handed, but when he drives he can spin left if he feels someone on his back. He is strong and can jump. But his awareness and movement is still bad. His team sets screens and moves without the ball. He stood around, moved only towards the ball and forced shots. Mark Fox must be proud.HearstMining said:
I watched part of the Ireland-Latvia game. Sam was clearly the most athletic player on the Irish team. He hit a couple of 3pt shots, I think, and added a pump-fake and drive that I don't recall seeing last season. It would have been more effective if his ball handling had improved. Still no mid-range shot. I hoped for more rebounding, but didn't see it in this game. To summarize, Sam has improved, but not a quantum leap. Of course, all this is just IMO.
I think it is far more important to be an effective communicator and educator. Student athletes at Cal are smart kids and just getting people to follow orders might work in the military, but at a place like Cal, it is far better to have them understand WHY they are to do what you are asking them to do. That was when Monty was at his best, when he was an educator. That is also why he has such a strong coaching tree. Players who played for him got a great education in basketball.
Totally agree. While his recruiting is the worst in the last 40 years, he has emphasized athleticism over skills in the players he has gotten. So he needs to be able to teach skills.CalLifer said:More importantly, if Fox wants kids to come in already having those skills or that knowledge, then why is he recruiting players who don't have them? You can't recruit kids who don't know how to set screens/move and then blame them for execution problems when you fail to teach them those things. This is 100% Fox's programs; he is deciding the type of players to recruit, and all of the success or failures of the program are on his shoulders.sluggo said:I only care what the players do. If they don't listen, maybe you get a new one, don't you think?SFCityBear said:Why say this? isn't it possible that Fox is telling his players to set screens and move without the ball, but some or most of them are just not doing it? This is basic basketball 1A, which back in the 1950s we learned before high school if we had a coach, or we would at least be taught this as high school freshmen. By the time we were juniors in high school we were running more complicated pattern plays, utilizing 3-5 players. I can't believe Fox is not trying to have players set screens or move without the ball. I suspect he has collected a number of players who were never taught these fairly simple skills before or during high school. Alajiki is not the only player we have who doesn't seem to have developed good instincts for what to do in a motion offense. I think and older coach like Fox expects players to have some instincts when they arrive in college, but as the years go by, there seem to be fewer and fewer of them arriving in college, especially at Cal. Just IMHO.sluggo said:I watched the first half as well. The bright side was that he drove strong to the hoop. I did not see any 3 point shots, but rather traditional two pointers with fouls. He is still very right-handed, but when he drives he can spin left if he feels someone on his back. He is strong and can jump. But his awareness and movement is still bad. His team sets screens and moves without the ball. He stood around, moved only towards the ball and forced shots. Mark Fox must be proud.HearstMining said:
I watched part of the Ireland-Latvia game. Sam was clearly the most athletic player on the Irish team. He hit a couple of 3pt shots, I think, and added a pump-fake and drive that I don't recall seeing last season. It would have been more effective if his ball handling had improved. Still no mid-range shot. I hoped for more rebounding, but didn't see it in this game. To summarize, Sam has improved, but not a quantum leap. Of course, all this is just IMO.
sluggo said:Well, whatever works, as long as the coach is respectful to the players.calumnus said:sluggo said:I only care what the players do. If they don't listen, maybe you get a new one, don't you think?SFCityBear said:Why say this? isn't it possible that Fox is telling his players to set screens and move without the ball, but some or most of them are just not doing it? This is basic basketball 1A, which back in the 1950s we learned before high school if we had a coach, or we would at least be taught this as high school freshmen. By the time we were juniors in high school we were running more complicated pattern plays, utilizing 3-5 players. I can't believe Fox is not trying to have players set screens or move without the ball. I suspect he has collected a number of players who were never taught these fairly simple skills before or during high school. Alajiki is not the only player we have who doesn't seem to have developed good instincts for what to do in a motion offense. I think and older coach like Fox expects players to have some instincts when they arrive in college, but as the years go by, there seem to be fewer and fewer of them arriving in college, especially at Cal. Just IMHO.sluggo said:I watched the first half as well. The bright side was that he drove strong to the hoop. I did not see any 3 point shots, but rather traditional two pointers with fouls. He is still very right-handed, but when he drives he can spin left if he feels someone on his back. He is strong and can jump. But his awareness and movement is still bad. His team sets screens and moves without the ball. He stood around, moved only towards the ball and forced shots. Mark Fox must be proud.HearstMining said:
I watched part of the Ireland-Latvia game. Sam was clearly the most athletic player on the Irish team. He hit a couple of 3pt shots, I think, and added a pump-fake and drive that I don't recall seeing last season. It would have been more effective if his ball handling had improved. Still no mid-range shot. I hoped for more rebounding, but didn't see it in this game. To summarize, Sam has improved, but not a quantum leap. Of course, all this is just IMO.
I think it is far more important to be an effective communicator and educator. Student athletes at Cal are smart kids and just getting people to follow orders might work in the military, but at a place like Cal, it is far better to have them understand WHY they are to do what you are asking them to do. That was when Monty was at his best, when he was an educator. That is also why he has such a strong coaching tree. Players who played for him got a great education in basketball.
I'm definitely in the ever-increasing Mark Fox skeptic category, but I think the answer to your question is: Fox can't get players who are athletic, skilled, and have basketball savvy. So, he figures he'll go for the athletes and hope he can "coach them up". The problem is, if it takes three years just to make them an average/good player, then you only get one final year where they play at that good/average level. You'll almost never get even six average/good players at the same time.CalLifer said:More importantly, if Fox wants kids to come in already having those skills or that knowledge, then why is he recruiting players who don't have them? You can't recruit kids who don't know how to set screens/move and then blame them for execution problems when you fail to teach them those things. This is 100% Fox's programs; he is deciding the type of players to recruit, and all of the success or failures of the program are on his shoulders.sluggo said:I only care what the players do. If they don't listen, maybe you get a new one, don't you think?SFCityBear said:Why say this? isn't it possible that Fox is telling his players to set screens and move without the ball, but some or most of them are just not doing it? This is basic basketball 1A, which back in the 1950s we learned before high school if we had a coach, or we would at least be taught this as high school freshmen. By the time we were juniors in high school we were running more complicated pattern plays, utilizing 3-5 players. I can't believe Fox is not trying to have players set screens or move without the ball. I suspect he has collected a number of players who were never taught these fairly simple skills before or during high school. Alajiki is not the only player we have who doesn't seem to have developed good instincts for what to do in a motion offense. I think and older coach like Fox expects players to have some instincts when they arrive in college, but as the years go by, there seem to be fewer and fewer of them arriving in college, especially at Cal. Just IMHO.sluggo said:I watched the first half as well. The bright side was that he drove strong to the hoop. I did not see any 3 point shots, but rather traditional two pointers with fouls. He is still very right-handed, but when he drives he can spin left if he feels someone on his back. He is strong and can jump. But his awareness and movement is still bad. His team sets screens and moves without the ball. He stood around, moved only towards the ball and forced shots. Mark Fox must be proud.HearstMining said:
I watched part of the Ireland-Latvia game. Sam was clearly the most athletic player on the Irish team. He hit a couple of 3pt shots, I think, and added a pump-fake and drive that I don't recall seeing last season. It would have been more effective if his ball handling had improved. Still no mid-range shot. I hoped for more rebounding, but didn't see it in this game. To summarize, Sam has improved, but not a quantum leap. Of course, all this is just IMO.
Not me. Somewhat similar body types but completely opposite in terms of awareness on the court and fundamentals. But maybe not fair to Alajiki because Robertson had a perfect basketball education before coming to Cal and Alajiki comes from a soccer playing country and may have started playing late.Big C said:sluggo said:I watched the first half as well. The bright side was that he drove strong to the hoop. I did not see any 3 point shots, but rather traditional two pointers with fouls. He is still very right-handed, but when he drives he can spin left if he feels someone on his back. He is strong and can jump. But his awareness and movement is still bad. His team sets screens and moves without the ball. He stood around, moved only towards the ball and forced shots. Mark Fox must be proud.HearstMining said:
I watched part of the Ireland-Latvia game. Sam was clearly the most athletic player on the Irish team. He hit a couple of 3pt shots, I think, and added a pump-fake and drive that I don't recall seeing last season. It would have been more effective if his ball handling had improved. Still no mid-range shot. I hoped for more rebounding, but didn't see it in this game. To summarize, Sam has improved, but not a quantum leap. Of course, all this is just IMO.
You or somebody here has compared Alajiki to Theo Robertson (in some respects). One aspect of Theo's game I would like to see Sam try and emulate is the "hoops IQ" / "glue guy" aspect. In other words, doing the little things that help a team win. I suppose it is a process, but I hope he has the mindset that this is the way to go (pus the instruction to get him there).
HearstMining said:I'm definitely in the ever-increasing Mark Fox skeptic category, but I think the answer to your question is: Fox can't get players who are athletic, skilled, and have basketball savvy. So, he figures he'll go for the athletes and hope he can "coach them up". The problem is, if it takes three years just to make them an average/good player, then you only get one final year where they play at that good/average level. You'll almost never get even six average/good players at the same time.CalLifer said:More importantly, if Fox wants kids to come in already having those skills or that knowledge, then why is he recruiting players who don't have them? You can't recruit kids who don't know how to set screens/move and then blame them for execution problems when you fail to teach them those things. This is 100% Fox's programs; he is deciding the type of players to recruit, and all of the success or failures of the program are on his shoulders.sluggo said:I only care what the players do. If they don't listen, maybe you get a new one, don't you think?SFCityBear said:Why say this? isn't it possible that Fox is telling his players to set screens and move without the ball, but some or most of them are just not doing it? This is basic basketball 1A, which back in the 1950s we learned before high school if we had a coach, or we would at least be taught this as high school freshmen. By the time we were juniors in high school we were running more complicated pattern plays, utilizing 3-5 players. I can't believe Fox is not trying to have players set screens or move without the ball. I suspect he has collected a number of players who were never taught these fairly simple skills before or during high school. Alajiki is not the only player we have who doesn't seem to have developed good instincts for what to do in a motion offense. I think and older coach like Fox expects players to have some instincts when they arrive in college, but as the years go by, there seem to be fewer and fewer of them arriving in college, especially at Cal. Just IMHO.sluggo said:I watched the first half as well. The bright side was that he drove strong to the hoop. I did not see any 3 point shots, but rather traditional two pointers with fouls. He is still very right-handed, but when he drives he can spin left if he feels someone on his back. He is strong and can jump. But his awareness and movement is still bad. His team sets screens and moves without the ball. He stood around, moved only towards the ball and forced shots. Mark Fox must be proud.HearstMining said:
I watched part of the Ireland-Latvia game. Sam was clearly the most athletic player on the Irish team. He hit a couple of 3pt shots, I think, and added a pump-fake and drive that I don't recall seeing last season. It would have been more effective if his ball handling had improved. Still no mid-range shot. I hoped for more rebounding, but didn't see it in this game. To summarize, Sam has improved, but not a quantum leap. Of course, all this is just IMO.
Back to Sam: somebody compared him to Theo - I'd say, not even close. Theo as a freshman had way more basketball acumen than Sam. I'd say Sam is on the trajectory for Fox's "four year plan".
sluggo said:Not me. Somewhat similar body types but completely opposite in terms of awareness on the court and fundamentals. But maybe not fair to Alajiki because Robertson had a perfect basketball education before coming to Cal and Alajiki comes from a soccer playing country and may have started playing late.Big C said:sluggo said:I watched the first half as well. The bright side was that he drove strong to the hoop. I did not see any 3 point shots, but rather traditional two pointers with fouls. He is still very right-handed, but when he drives he can spin left if he feels someone on his back. He is strong and can jump. But his awareness and movement is still bad. His team sets screens and moves without the ball. He stood around, moved only towards the ball and forced shots. Mark Fox must be proud.HearstMining said:
I watched part of the Ireland-Latvia game. Sam was clearly the most athletic player on the Irish team. He hit a couple of 3pt shots, I think, and added a pump-fake and drive that I don't recall seeing last season. It would have been more effective if his ball handling had improved. Still no mid-range shot. I hoped for more rebounding, but didn't see it in this game. To summarize, Sam has improved, but not a quantum leap. Of course, all this is just IMO.
You or somebody here has compared Alajiki to Theo Robertson (in some respects). One aspect of Theo's game I would like to see Sam try and emulate is the "hoops IQ" / "glue guy" aspect. In other words, doing the little things that help a team win. I suppose it is a process, but I hope he has the mindset that this is the way to go (pus the instruction to get him there).
I think you're giving the AD too much credit. It's not that he doesn't know Cal's history, it's that he's incapable of making sound decisions IMO. It takes all of 2 minutes to Wikipedia Cal basketball and see that we had regular NCAA tournament teams in the 15 years before Williams and Knowlton destroyed the program.eastcoastcal said:
These musings as to why it is Fox has failed to attract talent are interesting but unfortunately for us, unimportant.
For whatever reason, despite being unable to secure any high end talent earlier in his tenure, Fox hasn't adjusted a thing in terms of recruiting staff. It's too late now. No matter what he does he's trying to sell tickets to a ship that is already underwater. No (good) recruit is going to buy what he's selling given his track record. The one credit I'll give him is getting Askew, who was very highly rated out of high school, but clearly fell off hard at Kentucky/Texas.
Regardless, he should've been fired after this past season and the issue is that he will now delay any improvement in the program until the class of '24 at the earliest, if he gets fired after the upcoming season. Alajiki has some talent, but lets be real- a true winning program wouldn't even be thinking about him playing a massive role on their team.
The issue at large is also that the solutions being posited by Knowlton & co are unviable imo. The $120 million practice facility is not going to get funded and since they can't start the process til funding is secured, it'll be yeeaaarrrssss until that comes to fruition. I'm sure they can blame Monkeypox as well and give another extra year of extension.
Really, the biggest fault is Knowlton not recognizing he messed up with the Fox hire. It would've been one thing to have hired him, realize he's not a viable recruiter, and target another coach. Instead, he's given Fox too long of a leash. My personal theory is that Knowlton himself doesn't understand Cal's basketball history. I think he associates the program solely with the ineptitude of Wyking, and sees the limitations of Berkeley as impossible to surmount. Obviously, this isn't the case considering coaches have won plenty here and we were literally a high seed in the tournament like 6 years ago. Oh well.
Big C said:sluggo said:Not me. Somewhat similar body types but completely opposite in terms of awareness on the court and fundamentals. But maybe not fair to Alajiki because Robertson had a perfect basketball education before coming to Cal and Alajiki comes from a soccer playing country and may have started playing late.Big C said:sluggo said:I watched the first half as well. The bright side was that he drove strong to the hoop. I did not see any 3 point shots, but rather traditional two pointers with fouls. He is still very right-handed, but when he drives he can spin left if he feels someone on his back. He is strong and can jump. But his awareness and movement is still bad. His team sets screens and moves without the ball. He stood around, moved only towards the ball and forced shots. Mark Fox must be proud.HearstMining said:
I watched part of the Ireland-Latvia game. Sam was clearly the most athletic player on the Irish team. He hit a couple of 3pt shots, I think, and added a pump-fake and drive that I don't recall seeing last season. It would have been more effective if his ball handling had improved. Still no mid-range shot. I hoped for more rebounding, but didn't see it in this game. To summarize, Sam has improved, but not a quantum leap. Of course, all this is just IMO.
You or somebody here has compared Alajiki to Theo Robertson (in some respects). One aspect of Theo's game I would like to see Sam try and emulate is the "hoops IQ" / "glue guy" aspect. In other words, doing the little things that help a team win. I suppose it is a process, but I hope he has the mindset that this is the way to go (pus the instruction to get him there).
I believe the Theo comparisons were based on similar size, similar position and seeming to have a good outside shot coming in as a freshman. I completely agree with you: That is where the comparison ends, in terms of fundamentals and hoops IQ. My hope for Alajiki is that he sees that that is where he needs improvement and is willing to do the work in that area.
If Bulgaria were playing in the PAC where would they finish?sluggo said:
Watched a bit of game 3, a 75-72 win over Bulgaria. Alajiki was the leading scorer for Ireland with 19 points and played well. I saw him draw two charges and he had good rebounding position and awareness, which was not true last game. Most of his points were on drives, and he seems to be able to finish now with both hands, sometimes after a good right to left spin move. Next step is to be able to drive with his left hand, or to stop and shoot an 8 footer, for now he always takes it all the way to the rim. As he was far and away the most athletic player on the floor, not sure how translatable his driving is, but it is great that he is doing it now.
Right now he is playing more like Matt Bradley than Theo Robertson. That could change against more athletic competition.
Near the bottom, I think. But it is so hard to say. As is typical of European teams, they are well organized, move without the ball and shoot well but are not very athletic.89Bear said:If Bulgaria were playing in the PAC where would they finish?sluggo said:
Watched a bit of game 3, a 75-72 win over Bulgaria. Alajiki was the leading scorer for Ireland with 19 points and played well. I saw him draw two charges and he had good rebounding position and awareness, which was not true last game. Most of his points were on drives, and he seems to be able to finish now with both hands, sometimes after a good right to left spin move. Next step is to be able to drive with his left hand, or to stop and shoot an 8 footer, for now he always takes it all the way to the rim. As he was far and away the most athletic player on the floor, not sure how translatable his driving is, but it is great that he is doing it now.
Right now he is playing more like Matt Bradley than Theo Robertson. That could change against more athletic competition.
sluggo said:
Ireland ended up in ninth place. Alajiki slowed down to 13 pts and 6 rebounds per game. He shot only 5/29 (17%) on 3s. So while his improved driving ability was nice to see, his continued poor shooting is somewhat worrisome. I think he is somewhere between that level and the 50% (20/40) he shot last season. 30% seems about right.
Completely disagree. If these or any players will always be shooting their threes from their preferred location, every opponent except the opponent in the season opener will know that by watching video from that first game. Our players had better not be standing around at their preferred spots behind the three point line, or every opponent will be well prepared to stop their three point shots. I believe Alajiki already has favorite spots, and he needs to experiment and find more of them to utilize. And it is nice to hear Sluggo say he has improved his drives. I'll look forward to seeing if he can drive better than last season.calumnus said:sluggo said:
Ireland ended up in ninth place. Alajiki slowed down to 13 pts and 6 rebounds per game. He shot only 5/29 (17%) on 3s. So while his improved driving ability was nice to see, his continued poor shooting is somewhat worrisome. I think he is somewhere between that level and the 50% (20/40) he shot last season. 30% seems about right.
I'd like to see Alajiki focus and practice on his 3pt shot from a favored location. Askew and Brown too. A place where teammates know to look for you. All three can drive to the hoop if defended tightly outside, but our best chance of being OK on offense is if we knock down some threes. We were a poor shooting team last year and look to ge worse this year at this point.
🇮🇪 @SamAlajiki can make a serious jump in 22-23 after a good Fr year at Cal and a convincing FIBA U20 (13 PPG & 6 RPG for a 5-1 Ireland team). Great athlete, impressive tools & motor, versatile defender, can put it on the floor, hit 3s (20-for-40 as a frosh). @BballIrl @CalMBBall pic.twitter.com/mUJl9mPjaS
— CBB Europe (@CBB_Europe) July 28, 2022
