Here's a guy to tab: Mike Moser, UNLV. Watched him the other night when they beat North Carolina. 16 points, 18 rebounds. Incredible rebounder. Incredible rebounder. Boards translate to the next level kids. UNLV has had a great program the last five years. This year too.
Rick Majerus has loaded up the Saint Louis ship with his kind players and it's really start to pay dividends. 6-0, in the top 25. I caught snippets of a couple of their games this weekend. They really play a beautiful game. Fundamentally sound offense. Almost every bucket I saw came off 15 seconds of crisp old school motion offense, where the shooter was either shooting a wide open jumper or laying the ball in. I read an article Majerus a while ago, mostly describing how he's both a genius and the meanest person ever routinely calling his players MF'ing C*n**. But he knows his way around a court and develops players to do what he thinks is right.
With the start of the season, I forgot about all the little things that I hate about the college game. Then I saw 15 guys take fake charges that were called and I remembered what I hated the most. Yes, it punishes the shitty players. That's good. But there's still way too many bad charge calls. And they have to institute that little half circle box like the NBA.
Aaron Craft from Ohio State is such a monster. He's the best point guard in the Big Ten, and one of the three best in the country. He's so dominant defensively. Check out the Billy Donovan quotes about Craft after they lost to Ohio State last week. What a beast. I'd love to work out with him.
Hey Wake Forest, you guys sucks. And it serves you right. That's what happens when you hire a shitty coach and fire a hell of a guy. Although Coach Gaudio wasn't setting the world on fire, he was getting good players and going the NCAA tournament. Bizdelik is a joke. I wrote about how mad I was about that hire somewhere in my past writing two years ago. If I can link it, I will. Possibly the worst, unimaginative hire ever. But have fun being irrelevant this year again Wake.
Feel for Ben Howland and UCLA. See this kinda shit pisses me off: UCLA goes to 3 straight Final Four's. Wow. They produce guys like Kevin Love (1 year but who cares), Russ Westbrook, Darren Collison, Josh Shipp (Player, 3 Final Fours, No NBA), Aaron Afflalo, and whoever else I am missing. These guys were tough as nails, and won with defense and skill. Then Jrue Holiday comes in and people in his camp, and bloggers and writers start jabbering about how Howland is too tough and too defensive oriented and won't let him play in the offense. Now they can't get the right guys to come. They're stuck with 400 pound idiot Josh Smith, who someone is in worse shape than he was last year. And Reeves Nelson, a tatoo sleeved malcontent whose probably on the run for meth possession and robbery. Amazing how quick things turn. Losing Scott Duncan from the staff really hurts too.
Wouldn't want to get stuck guarding Missouri's Marcus Denomon in a pickup game. God, can that guy get to the rim, and shoot. Beast.
This Kentucky train is gonna be hard to stop.
Great guy to watch: Indiana State's Jake Odum. All league last year as a freshman. Very creative passer. Pushes the ball hard and leads his team. Indiana State is a nice team. Potential tournament team again this season.
Monday, November 28, 2011
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Kentucky
Watched the Kentucky show last night. Came away impressed. Gonna be tough to beat with all those guys. There are some problems though. John Calipari has a hard job man. Doesn't look hard, but it is. Cause those players are ego freaking maniacs who just fly off the handle without a second's notice. They are so competitive and immature (and insane and unstable), all trying to be the alpha dog and do their best for themselves and their teammates. They have to prove themselves every second of every possession or else they are going to be left out of the mix. The culture there is the biggest and most productive alpha dog gets to play. Everybody else doesn't. And that sometimes becomes counterproductive. Some days it can be very tough to police. It's interesting.
You look at Marquis Teague last night against Kansas. He was a disaster. He couldn't go by anyone. He couldn't defend anyone. He threw the ball all over the court. He missed free throws. Yet he's so into the game and his teammates, that the second he hits a three he's taunting and screaming at Kansas guys, he's doing the "goosey" hand over the eye move. It's crazy. Terrance Jones too. Guys coming a long like a freight train. He looks bigger and more disciplined. He punked Thomas Robinson last night. He should have been focused on that and that alone. But he gets so excited, that every bucket, he's flexing and looking into the crowd. Every chance he has he's trying to show people how tough he is. It's just stupid. The only times he ever showed any maturity was when he was guarding Thomas Robinson 1 on 1 in the post. He did a good job for the most part. But if you're scout looking at his play last night, you're drooling but also still mystified by his unbalanced temperment.
The one thing Cal has going for him is that Anthony Davis and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist are professional business men. They go out there and play well. Mouths shut. They do what the coaches tell them to do for the most part. They don't get too high or low. They are quietly productive and can play without the ball. And they are incredible ball players which always helps. Anthony Davis is very efficient and has a Kevin Durant like ceiling. Gilchrist is an intense athlete who cares about winning. It's just a question of whether they're professionalism, along with the coaching staff can override the psychotic nature of Teague, Doron Lamb and T Jones.
They will be tough to beat as they continue to grow and mature. Just a question of whether they can mature quickly enough. And Kyle Wilter, a prominent versatile recruit might have picked the wrong spot. Doesn't fit right now. Hopefully they can find a role for him in the second half of the season and postseason.
You look at Marquis Teague last night against Kansas. He was a disaster. He couldn't go by anyone. He couldn't defend anyone. He threw the ball all over the court. He missed free throws. Yet he's so into the game and his teammates, that the second he hits a three he's taunting and screaming at Kansas guys, he's doing the "goosey" hand over the eye move. It's crazy. Terrance Jones too. Guys coming a long like a freight train. He looks bigger and more disciplined. He punked Thomas Robinson last night. He should have been focused on that and that alone. But he gets so excited, that every bucket, he's flexing and looking into the crowd. Every chance he has he's trying to show people how tough he is. It's just stupid. The only times he ever showed any maturity was when he was guarding Thomas Robinson 1 on 1 in the post. He did a good job for the most part. But if you're scout looking at his play last night, you're drooling but also still mystified by his unbalanced temperment.
The one thing Cal has going for him is that Anthony Davis and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist are professional business men. They go out there and play well. Mouths shut. They do what the coaches tell them to do for the most part. They don't get too high or low. They are quietly productive and can play without the ball. And they are incredible ball players which always helps. Anthony Davis is very efficient and has a Kevin Durant like ceiling. Gilchrist is an intense athlete who cares about winning. It's just a question of whether they're professionalism, along with the coaching staff can override the psychotic nature of Teague, Doron Lamb and T Jones.
They will be tough to beat as they continue to grow and mature. Just a question of whether they can mature quickly enough. And Kyle Wilter, a prominent versatile recruit might have picked the wrong spot. Doesn't fit right now. Hopefully they can find a role for him in the second half of the season and postseason.
CSU Vikings
Somebody tell the Ohio college basketball teams to take it easy on people. Geese. There's been some beastly performances by teams in our neck of the woods this first week. Akron dominates Mississippi State. Cleveland State crushes Vandy. Kent State rolls through West Virginia. Ohio State handles Florida. All done in a pretty matter of fact fashion. It's awesome to see.
I watched the Cleveland State/Vanderbilt game and came away very impressed with Cleveland State. They just punched Vandy in the mouth. They guarded the crap out of them, and did a pretty good job running offense to get good looks. But shit, the defense was an instructional video on ball pressure man to man defense. Gary Waters and his staff do a fantastic job drilling in defensive basics. Great closeouts. High hands. When they are denying the passing lanes, they are using the right hand and footwork. When guys penetrate in the key the bump with their lower body and rarely foul guys unless it's a clean layup. They are just in your face, taking up all your personal space at all times. Trevon Harmon did a great job on John Jenkins, the SEC coverboy. He's a good player, but wasn't ready for the level of defense CSU played. They ate him up, forced him into 5-14 shooting. Important to note: Vandy's 7'0 big, who has a chance to play at the next level sat out due to injury.
I loved the CSU freshman, Charles Lee and Anton Grady. I think you'll be hard pressed to find better freshman in the Horizon League than them. They're tough. Grady is a local guy, who I hated the 5 times I saw him play in person. He just didn't get it and played with no courage. Looks like that is changing. He's improved his upper body strength, and didn't try to force anything offensively. He has a knack for blocking shots. Credit to Waters and his great staff for changing his attitude with 2 months of work. Charles Lee is a 5'9 dynamo. He's lightning with the ball and can create space for himself in the half court offensively with jabs and step backs. He's a junkyard dog defensively. He can really pressure the ball. If he stays healthy, he'll be a cornerstone.
I have gained a lot of respect for Jeremy Montgomery and Tre Harmon. Those guys always seem to be ready to play. Montgomery especially has had a great little career. He is a little sleepy at times, but he's not afraid to play in big games. He takes big shots and makes them. Harmon is a solid two way player. Good shooter.
These guys will be tough to beat in the Horizon League. They have had a hard time stringing it together over these last few years. They've been outstanding for stretches, but have also blown big games. They have to continue to try to get over that hurdle and string together a great conference season. That will be a great race this year. A lot of good teams. Valpo, Detroit, CSU, Butler.
I watched the Cleveland State/Vanderbilt game and came away very impressed with Cleveland State. They just punched Vandy in the mouth. They guarded the crap out of them, and did a pretty good job running offense to get good looks. But shit, the defense was an instructional video on ball pressure man to man defense. Gary Waters and his staff do a fantastic job drilling in defensive basics. Great closeouts. High hands. When they are denying the passing lanes, they are using the right hand and footwork. When guys penetrate in the key the bump with their lower body and rarely foul guys unless it's a clean layup. They are just in your face, taking up all your personal space at all times. Trevon Harmon did a great job on John Jenkins, the SEC coverboy. He's a good player, but wasn't ready for the level of defense CSU played. They ate him up, forced him into 5-14 shooting. Important to note: Vandy's 7'0 big, who has a chance to play at the next level sat out due to injury.
I loved the CSU freshman, Charles Lee and Anton Grady. I think you'll be hard pressed to find better freshman in the Horizon League than them. They're tough. Grady is a local guy, who I hated the 5 times I saw him play in person. He just didn't get it and played with no courage. Looks like that is changing. He's improved his upper body strength, and didn't try to force anything offensively. He has a knack for blocking shots. Credit to Waters and his great staff for changing his attitude with 2 months of work. Charles Lee is a 5'9 dynamo. He's lightning with the ball and can create space for himself in the half court offensively with jabs and step backs. He's a junkyard dog defensively. He can really pressure the ball. If he stays healthy, he'll be a cornerstone.
I have gained a lot of respect for Jeremy Montgomery and Tre Harmon. Those guys always seem to be ready to play. Montgomery especially has had a great little career. He is a little sleepy at times, but he's not afraid to play in big games. He takes big shots and makes them. Harmon is a solid two way player. Good shooter.
These guys will be tough to beat in the Horizon League. They have had a hard time stringing it together over these last few years. They've been outstanding for stretches, but have also blown big games. They have to continue to try to get over that hurdle and string together a great conference season. That will be a great race this year. A lot of good teams. Valpo, Detroit, CSU, Butler.
Monday, November 7, 2011
Teddy Sums It ALL Up
It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs; who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotion; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.
-Teddy Roosevelt
-Teddy Roosevelt
John Solves the Browns Problems
1. Ask Mike Holmgren to quietly resign his post.
2. Ask Bernie Kosar to quietly become the Browns President of Football Operations. His duties will strictly be football operations. He will also address the Cleveland media once a week, and hold a town hall meeting for ten Browns fans who won a weekly lottery once a week. He will be surrounded by diligent young business saavy interns at all times.
3. Fire Tom Heckert, Hire Michael Lombardi
4. Fire Pat Shurmur, Hire Les Miles
5. Hire Mike Leach as Offensive Coordinator
6. Trade for Brian Hoyer
7. Trade for Ben Tate
8. Draft Justin Blackmon and Barret Jones in the first round of the 2012 Draft
Pretty simple.
2. Ask Bernie Kosar to quietly become the Browns President of Football Operations. His duties will strictly be football operations. He will also address the Cleveland media once a week, and hold a town hall meeting for ten Browns fans who won a weekly lottery once a week. He will be surrounded by diligent young business saavy interns at all times.
3. Fire Tom Heckert, Hire Michael Lombardi
4. Fire Pat Shurmur, Hire Les Miles
5. Hire Mike Leach as Offensive Coordinator
6. Trade for Brian Hoyer
7. Trade for Ben Tate
8. Draft Justin Blackmon and Barret Jones in the first round of the 2012 Draft
Pretty simple.
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