Optimist View

[jacob]

While I wanted to win and I hate losing there were some definite positives.
-Nicholson (obvious)
-comeback from 7
-Matthews and Eleby have taken some crap they don't deserve. In past years against that defense we jack a bunch of threes. This year we go inside. Nicholson got his points because they were just using one guy on him. They were guarding the perimeter. I think the Johnnies had an old scouting report and it almost cost them
-Cook in the first half looked OK. when he took it to the basket with confidence he got some points
-Crowd was good. It is good to reconnect and make some new connections. SBU needs to reach out and this is a great opportunity.
-things are only going to get better We should appreciate this team and the opportunity to support the players that have chosen to play at SBU. I expect some great wins this year.
-We have talent and athletes on this team. Sit back and enjoy the ride.

[sneakers]

Jacob

Good post. There is way too much whining on this list (not to mention disparaging players that are giving their best to the Bonnies). We are improving, but we are not “there” yet.

It sounds like we have talent and played out hearts out and yet lost to a talented team. The loss is obviously a bummer, but it is great that we can take them wire to wire. This team will win its fair share of big games and add excitement to the school. Watch out Cuse!

Go Bonnies!

[b4life]

Immediately after a heart breaker like last night people will look at the negatives that cost us the game. I think the for the most part it was the 3pt and foul shooting. Now that I have had a night to sleep on it I can look at the big picture. It is the second game in a long season. Sure it would have been great to win but as the old saying goes "you learn more from failure than you do from success". Unless you are a true contender for an at large bid (i don't think the Bonnies are there yet) an OOC loss isn't back breaking and can help prepare you for the conference play. I hope the Bonnies can learn from this game and move on to beat up on Binghamton.

Nicholson is awesome!

[bartmitchell]

Nov 18, 2009 7:40:47 GMT -5 sneakers said:

Jacob

Good post. There is way too much whining on this list (not to mention disparaging players that are giving their best to the Bonnies). We are improving, but we are not “there” yet.

It sounds like we have talent and played out hearts out and yet lost to a talented team. The loss is obviously a bummer, but it is great that we can take them wire to wire. This team will win its fair share of big games and add excitement to the school. Watch out Cuse!

Go Bonnies!

Ahhh, the voice of reason. Really like the post Sneakers.

I'm disappointed too, but I hate that after 2 games some 'fans' rip our guys. I'm not talking about legitimate criticism of in-game play. That's one of the reason's this board is here.
But we are not North Carolina,Duke, etc. These kids come to Bonas and not the ACC or Big East because they have holes in their games. From all accounts, Coach is a demanding task master and he is happy with the effort and hard work of kids like Eleby and Mathews, so for me that buys a kid a lot of grace. Let's be fair. Mathew's had an off night, but had a real solid first game. Clearly he was told to cut down the shots this year (last year he had a green light but long rebounds on misses led to too many opposition points last year) and care for the ball better and he has done that. And yeah, I curse out loud every time Hall fumbles the ball away, but he is an absolute warrior. Look at Eleby - the kid must have put on 15 pounds of muscle and significantly dropped his body fat % in 2 years. That's a ton of hard work and pain in the weight room right there. I think the kid is trying the best way he knows how to be a good teammate. I hate that he missed the free throw at the end of the game. I hate that Hall fumbled the ball away on a breakaway at a crucial time in the game. If I thought they didn't care I would be pissed to no end. But I think they are both a lot more torn up about it today than me or any posters on this board.
Hey, watch North Carolina and Duke. McDonald's all - americans make lots of mistakes too. Because we're fans and we care so much it sucks when it's our guys who make the mistakes. A kid screws up and we immediately forget the last 5 good plays he made. I've screamed some really bad things at my computer during games the last few years. But before I come here and post anything about one of OUR guys, I take a deep breath and try to keep it in perspective.

This team plays hard. I'm sure going to enjoy watching them this year.

[garf]

Amen Bart and Sneakers and Jacob.

I firmly believe that Schmidt wants to win every game. Therefore he is playing the players he views as the best all-around or the best for that particular game/situation.

This team is further ahead at this point than I would have thought, given the new and young players.

The point guards did not get overwhelmed by St. John's press and got the ball into Nicholson--two big keys for me. The University of Rochester's longtime hoops coach, on the radio praised the Bona point guards last night.

Cook showed solid progress--despite many posters tossing him (along with Eleby) under the bus last year.

Does the team need better FT shooting? Yes. Does it need 3 pt shooting? Yes.

Overall are things looking pretty good? I would say yes.

[pepp]

Why do people always talk about how many pounds of muscle somebody added? Is Eleby going to be posting up somebody in the paint? Maybe he can't shoot because his arms are too tight. I'm not saying cut out the weights completely, but maybe a little less time lifting and more time shooting would be beneficial.

[ddsmugs]

Eleby needs to work on his foul shooting because he is good at getting to the rim. To Eleby's credit he is not attempting any three's. Matthews needs to put up more points for the minutes he plays. He should start off the game with some 15 foot jump shot than work his way beyond the 3 point line, get his confidence up. Putting the ball in the hoop will help with his confidence and stoke.

[bartmitchell]

Nov 18, 2009 18:23:29 GMT -5 pepp said:

Why do people always talk about how many pounds of muscle somebody added? Is Eleby going to be posting up somebody in the paint? Maybe he can't shoot because his arms are too tight. I'm not saying cut out the weights completely, but maybe a little less time lifting and more time shooting would be beneficial.

Hey Pepp. Strength is very important for a guard, especially one like Eleby who doesn't shoot from the outside and needs to be able to keep his body under control when he is driving, gets in the air and a defender makes contact. You hear about it over and over with guards coming out of high school - that he needs to get stronger to get to the hoop and finish in college. Read the scouting reports Molloy guard Russ Smith who we recruited. His recruiting shot through the roof (he signed with Louisville) after he got stronger senior year and this summer. (he is prepping this year) According to the write-ups from the recruiting gurus, a big part of his improvement was just getting physically stronger. Why do you think every D1 school has their basketball players lifting weights ? It's not for show. "the arms are too tight" is only a problem if your strength and conditioning coach doesn't know what he is doing.

[az63]

pepp-
I've been following college hoops since the '50's (short shorts to the current day Capri length).
The game now calls for strength not only to post up, but strength needed if you are posted up. Most PG's coming out of HS are skinny, quick kids and as Frosh or Sophs are facing older, stronger PG's who will take them low, beat them up and score at will.
A good S & C coach will put "good" muscle on each player depending on their size, position and body type. A PG's strength program is mostly upper body while the bigs need more work on legs because of all the pushing, leaning, pic (sp?) setting,etc.

[pepp]

Wow, thanks for the explanation on what lifting weights can do. However, you could have saved yourself time and effort if you would have read what I wrote:

"I'm not saying cut out the weights completely..."

Given how poorly our guards shoot, all I was saying is that perhaps part of it is due to the lifting. I'm not an expert on it and I'm not criticizing the strength coach but perhaps it's something that should be noted is all.

Now could someone tell me why the tallest players on the court usually play near the basket while the shorters guys are around the perimeter?

[bartmitchell]

Pepp - I did read what you wrote: "Why do people always talk about how many pounds of muscle somebody added ?" You asked a question about the value of a basketball player working out to become more muscular/stronger. People attempted to answer it. No one else was being sarcastic or condescending. Just you.

I originally mentioned The change in Eleby because he takes a beating here and I just wanted to point out that he has obviously worked very hard in the weight room, under the direction af a good strength and conditioning coach. By all accounts he also works extremely hard on his game in the gym, which I assume includes a lot of work on his shooting too. He seems to be doing everything they ask of him and more.

[az63]

Gee pepp, thanks for your "cute" reply.

Now about short guys/perimeter, tall players/near basket .... naw, forget it.

[sneakers]

Pepp

I can see why the rugby team gave you wedgies all the time.