Alfred game

[glenlaw]

IMO Miles Rose played well enough vs. Alfred to be included in a rotation. He is loyal to the program and is showing an upside that deserves to be developed. This team screams for an uptempo offense, a pressing defense and a ten man rotation. Bonas showed pressing defense and a fast paced running of the offense. Now figure out how to keep 10 people happy and willing to return to the program next year.  That is when this group will kick A-10 azz.

[Sipowicz]

Do not think it was mentioned, but I thought the student turnout was pretty good.

[demourse]

Look on the bright side, at least we have Woj! That and $10 will get you a combo meal at Tasta.

[MM77]

I got what I wanted from last night,# 1 no injuries, # 2 I saw some half court ball movement and players running a play together # 3 defense brought intensity both full and half court. Now Monday lets improve on all three area's and add better rebounding. Obviously shooting is another topic all by itself that needs improvement and I believe will get better Monday. Go Bona's beat CSUN

[localfan]

I would very much disagree with anyone who assesses the team as a whole based on a performance against D3 Alfred.

A few points:

1. I hate this as an exhibition game. It does very little to get us prepared for the season, other than seeing a random opponent. But the size/speed/athleticism of Alfred will pale in comparison to Monday's opponent and any team early on in the season, and that creates an unnecessary adjustment that we wouldn't have to make if we played a higher-level D2.

2. The quality of basketball in a game like this doesn't matter. Right now, it's about the players trying to play at a faster speed (which is hard because they're still learning the vast majority of the system). The transition stuff looked good and gives us a decent window into what things may look like in January/February. But you can see multiple times when the players were looking at each other confused on where to go (which really hurts the overall product) and Schmidt even more times barking at a player for being in the wrong spot on offense or defense. That's October basketball.

3. I would imagine Schmidt opened up the playbook a little bit to see exactly where his guys are. He'll condense it quite a bit more when the game matters Monday. That's the only advantage of playing an above-average D3 opponent.

4. I appreciate and listen to the perspective of people on where who regularly attend practice. That will give a nice window into the rotation and who's slated to play. The Alfred game will give absolutely zero window into those things, IMO.

[proudbonnie89]

Oct 31, 2024 12:12:32 GMT -5 MM77 said:

I got what I wanted from last night,# 1 no injuries, # 2 I saw some half court ball movement and players running a play together # 3 defense brought intensity both full and half court. Now Monday lets improve on all three area's and add better rebounding. Obviously shooting is another topic all by itself that needs improvement and I believe will get better Monday. Go Bona's beat CSUN

MM, I like that you were able to pull some positives out of that game, because I am struggling to.  I thought that even if we were still learning Coach's system our athleticism and ability would allow us to overwhelm them and run away with this contest.  That didn't happen.

To another poster's point, maybe when we shorten the bench we will show better.  I was impressed by Dasonte, Melvin is a difference maker for sure and I have trust in Noel based on his play last year (not last night).  From there, it is hard to tell what we've got.

Time will tell, but I didn't expect to see what we saw last night.  Hoping for the best.

[ceharv]

Watching Mark’s post game comments he clearly was not overly concerned or angry about the shooting. He always comments that jump shooting is fickle, so I think what that means is that he believes this was just an off night for team shooting but he was pleased that the team was working to have the guys he wants shooting getting the looks he wants and he trusts that once guys settle down, they’ll hit those shots at or near the percentage they have shown they are capable of either in practice or where they played previously, which will make us competitive going forward in the offense he has planned. I would be ok with that, as long as the next time it happens, it’s not against a team we can’t overwhelm with defense and inside play.

[joe48]

Did not watch the game. Concerning comments about a weak 3 point offense. It will interesting to see how quickly Schmidt can pull this group together. Our opponents will face the same challenges.

[letsgobonas]

Saw the replay on +... one thing to be really encouraged about was the overall team quickness... Bowen and Council can really scoot, something that was lacking from last year's team.

[skeller6]

Hello - this was an exhibition game against D3 Alfred U......its a time to gauge the team, no more, no less. I would be concerned if we lost the game......but we did not.

UB on the other hand did lose their exhibition, and I for one could not be happier......smug, arrogant, soul-less UB of the great SUNY empire losing to Daeman, got to love that....oh yea!!

[Chuck]

A big positive, from Alfred game was the athleticism. There is little doubt this team is a far better athletic team. It was unreal how many times a Bonnie player blew by their defender for a dunk or layup. You want proof? Checkout the following incredible stat (gained from play by play of both games).

Comparison of attempted layups and dunks.
— This team had 41.
— Last years had 8.

By the way last year Bonnies shot 30.4% from 3s against Alfred. This is significantly below their impressive 36.5% for the season. To give you an idea of the difference. Bonnies finished 3rd in A-10 for 3 point shooting accuracy. With 30.4% for the season, Bona would have finished last. Schmidt saying “shooting is fickle” well here is proof.

What is more important, shooting or athleticism? I say athleticism. Shooting can be fickle, but athleticism is there for every game. Also believe this team is a much better shooting team than what they showed on Monday.

gobonnies.com/sports/mens-basketball/stats/2024-25/alfred/boxscore/7113
gobonnies.com/sports/mens-basketball/stats/2023-24/alfred/boxscore/6197
atlantic10.com/stats.aspx?path=mbball&year=2023

[vodorr]

I am really rooting for Miles and Duane. I hope they both make it into the rotation. They were loyal to the program. Hopefully they are able to be successful here.
Miles seemed to have an offensive game, although it did not seem to be within Schmidt's system.
Duane looked solid.

[joe48]

Chuck,
Great job as always. I would like athleticism with great shooting. I will take shooters over athleticism. Two former players had athleticism but were poor shooters Shoon and Evans.

[ddsmugs]

Rose looks taller this season. Like others have said not sure where he fits but l liked what I saw in the minutes he played.

[bigcat]

Nov 1, 2024 11:01:30 GMT -5 Chuck said:

A big positive, from Alfred game was the athleticism. There is little doubt this team is a far better athletic team. It was unreal how many times a Bonnie player blew by their defender for a dunk or layup. You want proof? Checkout the following incredible stat (gained from play by play of both games).

Comparison of attempted layups and dunks.
— This team had 41.
— Last years had 8.

By the way last year Bonnies shot 30.4% from 3s against Alfred. This is significantly below their impressive 36.5% for the season. To give you an idea of the difference. Bonnies finished 3rd in A-10 for 3 point shooting accuracy. With 30.4% for the season, Bona would have finished last. Schmidt saying “shooting is fickle” well here is proof.

What is more important, shooting or athleticism? I say athleticism. Shooting can be fickle, but athleticism is there for every game. Also believe this team is a much better shooting team than what they showed on Monday.

gobonnies.com/sports/mens-basketball/stats/2024-25/alfred/boxscore/7113
gobonnies.com/sports/mens-basketball/stats/2023-24/alfred/boxscore/6197
atlantic10.com/stats.aspx?path=mbball&year=2023

The other key talents or intangibles besides shooting and athleticism are intelligence and drive/determination. Teams and players with a high bball IQ and great will to work hard, improve etc. — Lofton, Holmes, Adaway and Shoon for example — can overcome many deficiencies like poor shooting.

Last year’s squad was not overly athletic and they seemed to fall asleep at the wheel at times … and also made too many dumb mistakes. Those are not the normal characteristics of a Schmidt team.

If we don’t have great shooting we can win with excellent D and high IQ. Guys like Lofton, AN, Bremer etc were great Bona players because they had high intelligence and an incredible drive to succeed/win. They carried big chips on their shoulders from being overlooked and counted out … like many of the guys on this roster.