Back from the game. Yikes!

2,456 Views | 6 Replies | Last: 6 yr ago by parentswerebears
Big C
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Been to at least a few hundred games. Was this the very worst? Possibly. Definitely Bottom Ten.

First, to give Central Arkansas a bit of credit, they have a number of guys who can shoot from various places on the court. We do not.

The big debate in our group was which was worse tonight, the offense or the defense. That was a tough one! On offense, not only do we not have any shooters, we also do not have any facilitators. Or anybody who appears to have a high hoops IQ. We did work it inside to Lee and Okoroh on a number of occasions, with occasional success.

So I'd guess I'd have to say the defense was worse. Time and time again we left shooters wide-open and let opposing players just flat-out beat us to the basket. I think we are reminded why many good coaches play mostly man-to-man defense as their default and try and perfect that to start off with.

A little anecdote: Right before taking the floor after halftime, Hamilton (I think) brought all the players together to get them fired up. FWIW, they looked determined, but that's neither here nor there: Sad to say, but the game was already lost.

Do we even have somebody running our athletic department now? Because if we do, they need to pull together an ad hoc brain trust (I'd start with Monty and Braun) and try and figure out if this program, such as it is, can be salvaged.
helltopay1
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ordinarily, I do not believe in capital punishment. but, in thge case off AD Williams, I just might reconsider. was that too harsh??
Big C
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helltopay1 said:

ordinarily, I do not believe in capital punishment. but, in thge case off AD Williams, I just might reconsider. was that too harsh??
yes
HoopDreams
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I've always said the game of basketball is a lot easier when you can shoot the ball

one of the biggest concerns I have is there are so few shooters on this team. McNeil looks to be our best shooter. Sueing, Coleman and Nick can hit a wide open 3. Maybe Grant too. Austin was suppose to be a shooter, but I haven't seen him hit a shot, either because he's just missed his shots, or our offense isn't getting him open looks.

Too many turnovers by our bigs, partly because they are doubled often and can't handle it.
Most walks/travel/carry fouls I've ever seen in a game.
several bad or at least cheap calls today.

Coleman at some point resorts to hero ball, but do you blame him? We went long periods with no points, and at least he was scoring at the FT line (team overall shot well from the stripe). Obviously it would be nice if he drove and kicked once in a while. He tried making a cross court pass once (for a turnover), but one of the easiest plays in basketball is to drive and kick out when a defense is loading up to stop a drive. Such as simple concept that I don't understand why we don't use it as a designed play. When the team watches the game film that will see Arkansas do it over and over for open looks.

after being so critical of Nick early, and then re-assessing after two good games from him, I isolated on him when he was guarding Howard. Nick did a very good job defending Howard, especially in the first half. I also saw him guiding other players when we were in zone. It was funny ... he once pushed McNeil to the spot he was suppose to be. That type of on-court coaching is critical.

As poor as our offense was, our defense is the biggest problem, and it's been a problem all season. The good news is defense can be learned faster DURING a season, compared to shooting.

Lots of blocked shots, and I especially liked the one in the last minute of the game by Dyson. The arkansas player looked to have an open lane and shot that would have put them up 30, but Dyson rose for a huge block. Then the next play he takes it down the court with a extremely pretty finish. It showed me that he was certainly playing hard till the last buzzer.

two of the last 3 OOC games are going to be tough. cal will only be favored vs Seattle U
hopefully we take 2-3 to get some confidence back

I go to games to support the players, and plan to do so the entire season
joe amos yaks
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HoopDreams said:

I've always said the game of basketball is a lot easier when you can shoot the ball

one of the biggest concerns I have is there are so few shooters on this team. McNeil looks to be our best shooter. Sueing, Coleman and Nick can hit a wide open 3. Maybe Grant too. Austin was suppose to be a shooter, but I haven't seen him hit a shot, either because he's just missed his shots, or our offense isn't getting him open looks.

Too many turnovers by our bigs, partly because they are doubled often and can't handle it.
Most walks/travel/carry fouls I've ever seen in a game.
several bad or at least cheap calls today.

Coleman at some point resorts to hero ball, but do you blame him? We went long periods with no points, and at least he was scoring at the FT line (team overall shot well from the stripe). Obviously it would be nice if he drove and kicked once in a while. He tried making a cross court pass once (for a turnover), but one of the easiest plays in basketball is to drive and kick out when a defense is loading up to stop a drive. Such as simple concept that I don't understand why we don't use it as a designed play. When the team watches the game film that will see Arkansas do it over and over for open looks.

after being so critical of Nick early, and then re-assessing after two good games from him, I isolated on him when he was guarding Howard. Nick did a very good job defending Howard, especially in the first half. I also saw him guiding other players when we were in zone. It was funny ... he once pushed McNeil to the spot he was suppose to be. That type of on-court coaching is critical.

As poor as our offense was, our defense is the biggest problem, and it's been a problem all season. The good news is defense can be learned faster DURING a season, compared to shooting.

Lots of blocked shots, and I especially liked the one in the last minute of the game by Dyson. The arkansas player looked to have an open lane and shot that would have put them up 30, but Dyson rose for a huge block. Then the next play he takes it down the court with a extremely pretty finish. It showed me that he was certainly playing hard till the last buzzer.

two of the last 3 OOC games are going to be tough. cal will only be favored vs Seattle U
hopefully we take 2-3 to get some confidence back

I go to games to support the players, and plan to do so the entire season
+1
Well stated and positive.
You might need to apply some procaine hydrochloride to your seat cushion.
"Those who say don't know, and those who know don't say." - LT
RJABear
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The game last night was as bad as I can ever remember from the Cal Bears. We have had season tickets to both football and basketball for decades. We have been to a lot of mediocre games over the years. last ni was at or near the top.

The defense was terrible. No clear plan on offense. Sad. Wyking appears to be way over his head. Hope the coaches figure something out.

We stayed to the end of the game and will go to all the home games this year. Looking forward to an upset win or two.

Big C
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HoopDreams said:

I've always said the game of basketball is a lot easier when you can shoot the ball

one of the biggest concerns I have is there are so few shooters on this team. McNeil looks to be our best shooter. Sueing, Coleman and Nick can hit a wide open 3. Maybe Grant too. Austin was suppose to be a shooter, but I haven't seen him hit a shot, either because he's just missed his shots, or our offense isn't getting him open looks.

Too many turnovers by our bigs, partly because they are doubled often and can't handle it.
Most walks/travel/carry fouls I've ever seen in a game.
several bad or at least cheap calls today.

Coleman at some point resorts to hero ball, but do you blame him? We went long periods with no points, and at least he was scoring at the FT line (team overall shot well from the stripe). Obviously it would be nice if he drove and kicked once in a while. He tried making a cross court pass once (for a turnover), but one of the easiest plays in basketball is to drive and kick out when a defense is loading up to stop a drive. Such as simple concept that I don't understand why we don't use it as a designed play. When the team watches the game film that will see Arkansas do it over and over for open looks.

after being so critical of Nick early, and then re-assessing after two good games from him, I isolated on him when he was guarding Howard. Nick did a very good job defending Howard, especially in the first half. I also saw him guiding other players when we were in zone. It was funny ... he once pushed McNeil to the spot he was suppose to be. That type of on-court coaching is critical.

As poor as our offense was, our defense is the biggest problem, and it's been a problem all season. The good news is defense can be learned faster DURING a season, compared to shooting.

Lots of blocked shots, and I especially liked the one in the last minute of the game by Dyson. The arkansas player looked to have an open lane and shot that would have put them up 30, but Dyson rose for a huge block. Then the next play he takes it down the court with a extremely pretty finish. It showed me that he was certainly playing hard till the last buzzer.

two of the last 3 OOC games are going to be tough. cal will only be favored vs Seattle U
hopefully we take 2-3 to get some confidence back

I go to games to support the players, and plan to do so the entire season
You pay good money to go to the games and your reason is "to support the players"? That's selflessly awesome, I must say.

Maybe this is a good year for me to ask myself that question, as in "Why the heck do I go to the games?" Supporting the players would be, I guess, an ancillary reason, with the main ones being...
+ I like basketball and I like having "my team" to root for
+ seeing my old buddies, group camaraderie, cheering for the ol' Alma Mater
+ sense of belonging, to the University and to the basketball program, which I have followed for decades

Indeed, there is a lot of overlap there. I guess I could include "supporting the players", as I know I get a little emotional on Senior Day.

I, too, will keep coming to the games this season. And next season, too. And the one after that.

Go Bears!
parentswerebears
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I love Cal, support it because it is my team, and will attend no fewer games than I usually do. Win or lose.

But this is one of the most depressing places on the internet right now. I am wondering when we will be rewarded with some hope.
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