I went to the game last night. Something is definitely amiss. On paper, this team is superior to last year's. However, last year's team would beat this one by 15, easily. Maybe it's the lack of a true point guard. That's all I can tell. Not sure why the defense is so sluggish. Maybe they read too many press clippings.
I think it just highlights the variability with using the portal. It worked perfectly for us last year getting just the right mix of personalities and talent. The team gelled beautifully and played great together. So far this year it doesn’t just doesn’t seem to be quite the right mix.I went to the game last night. Something is definitely amiss. On paper, this team is superior to last year's. However, last year's team would beat this one by 15, easily. Maybe it's the lack of a true point guard. That's all I can tell. Not sure why the defense is so sluggish. Maybe they read too many press clippings.
Last year we had a defined style of play out of the gate. BJ Mack was the hub of the offense in the low post. Meechie was one of our closers with the dribble drive. We played inside out and knocked down a good measure of our open 3's. My issue is that they are trying to play the same way as last season, but don't quite have the same type of players. Pringle can be good for us, but I don't know if he can be good how we are trying to use him. We are trying to use Murray-Boyles and Pringle in that BJ Mack. Murray-Boyles is suited for it. Pringle is not. He does not have the footwork or the touch around the basket to be a consistent low post threat to me. Alabama used him more as a screener and he would dive to the basket for slam dunks. That is how he should get his offense in my opinion. As stated earlier, I am not sure we have a lead guard. Thomas is more of a scorer and he is really small. Wright is doing well, but can he be a leader for this team after coming off the bench for 3 years. They just have a lot to figure out. Defensively, I think they will be fine. They have talent. Pringle gives us rim protection that we didn't have last year. The pieces have just not come together in a defined unit as of yet.I think it just highlights the variability with using the portal. It worked perfectly for us last year getting just the right mix of personalities and talent. The team gelled beautifully and played great together. So far this year it doesn’t just doesn’t seem to be quite the right mix.
You sound optimistic, & I dang sure hope you're right. We can't afford any more bad losses before league play begins, & it would help tremendously to notch victories over Michigan & Xavier coming up. I don't see it right now. Did enjoy CMB busting a couple of 3s last night.Last year we had a defined style of play out of the gate. BJ Mack was the hub of the offense in the low post. Meechie was one of our closers with the dribble drive. We played inside out and knocked down a good measure of our open 3's. My issue is that they are trying to play the same way as last season, but don't quite have the same type of players. Pringle can be good for us, but I don't know if he can be good how we are trying to use him. We are trying to use Murray-Boyles and Pringle in that BJ Mack. Murray-Boyles is suited for it. Pringle is not. He does not have the footwork or the touch around the basket to be a consistent low post threat to me. Alabama used him more as a screener and he would dive to the basket for slam dunks. That is how he should get his offense in my opinion. As stated earlier, I am not sure we have a lead guard. Thomas is more of a scorer and he is really small. Wright is doing well, but can he be a leader for this team after coming off the bench for 3 years. They just have a lot to figure out. Defensively, I think they will be fine. They have talent. Pringle gives us rim protection that we didn't have last year. The pieces have just not come together in a defined unit as of yet.
We were actually undefeated & ranked in the top 10 prior to that Georgia Tech debacle.I have the honor of witnessing in person our only loss to Mercer. It was February 10, 1992 in Macon GA. After graduation, I took a job near Macon so I went to the game. How embarrassing. Oh, I also attended our football game vs Georgia Tech in 1988 in Atlanta with some Tech graduates from work. I think we were 6-1 and they were 1-6 and they mopped the field with us.
It may take until conference play for this team to figure it out. They are a more athletic, less skilled team. I think they should play more up and down with this team and play more 4 out 1 in instead having 2 bigs in the post a lot. I was a little concerned with how we were going to use Pringle when we got him. I knew he wasn't the same type of big as Mack and we would need to change some to fit his style of play. We are doing the opposite. We are trying to get him to fit as a Low Post Big. He is improving at it, but it is going to take some time for him and this team.You sound optimistic, & I dang sure hope you're right. We can't afford any more bad losses before league play begins, & it would help tremendously to notch victories over Michigan & Xavier coming up. I don't see it right now. Did enjoy CMB busting a couple of 3s last night.
??? Mack was not good on defense IMO and got played off the court several times last year due to his defense. He was smart, played angles well, but was a limited athlete and would get overwhelmed sometimes in the post.Still looking for the right chemistry which should have been established in preseason. But sometimes it takes a little longer to figure things out. There is talent and 3pt shooting looks good. As always FT shooting is terrible. Did not see the defense in the middle that Mack offered last year.
Damn. I went and looked up ours and Techs 1988 results. Just damn. Enough said. Not going to further bring football into this roundball thread.We were actually undefeated & ranked in the top 10 prior to that Georgia Tech debacle.
And oh yeah......