ACC Tournament - MBB Edition

[KeystoneJacket]

The one pass was poor, but possession would have easily been retained if Ndongo didn’t tap it past Sturdivant out of bounds.

 

[Root4GT]

We got back in the game with defensive pressure and letting George go right at Burton. We take a one point lead and stop the pressure and let the ailing Kelly, Coleman and Sturdivant start jacking threes. Outside of George the rest of the team shot 3 of 19 from three (16%). And that was the game. Ndongo is a productive player but he missed 5 bunnies in the first half of that game and that also really hurt GT.

We need A LOT more talent to win the way Damon Stoudamire wants to do it. He doesn't give the team much schematic advantage at all. It is all my best against your best, mano y mano. He doesn't give the opposition much to think about. It is okay as long he brings in more guys who can win those match-ups.

George and Ndongo are the core and we absolutely NEED those two players to come back. To be frank, I really won't shed a tear over losing any other player on the roster. I think every other player is replaceable.

GT finishes the season rated # 249 (out of 352) in offensive efficiency and # 254 in defensive efficiency. That is awful. That is >70th percentile which means we are far, far, far away from being good at either end of the court.

I went as far back as the 1998 season and this season was the only second time that GT was ranked worse than 200 in both offense AND defensive efficiency. the only other time was last season where we finished ranked #224 on offensive efficiency and #240 in defensive efficiency (Yep this year's squad was ranked lower than last year's team on both ends of the court). We were #277/199 the year before that. Those two seasons got Pastner fired.

Bottom line: We have a LONG way to go to get our heads above water. We desperately need defense all over the floor. We are not competent in any particular area on defense and our coach doesn't try to confuse or fool anybody. We need more strength, quickness, explosiveness and competitiveness. We need way more guys who can win the hustle board stats.

On offense, we need more size and strength and skills down low. We need way better shooting from the perimeter. We need guys who can gain separation and create their own shots and make them.

We flashed sometimes this season and we have a couple of guys with tantalizing potential. But don't be dazzled by those moments. This team was not good and there is a long climb ahead of us.

Mustaf should really help on defense but I'm a bit worried how he fits on offense. Stoudamire has been bitten this year by his insistence on spreading the floor, sending players to the corners that cannot shoot. This is a liability to overcome. If Mustaf is not a decent three point shooter, we run the risk of the same liability. If Stoudamire wants to run these sets, he needs guys who can convert open threes at a decent percentage. Otherwise the defense just sags off of them and dares them to shoot and the lane is clogged..

The efficiency ratings can be a bit Miss leading as we had several horrible games on both offense and defense that are impossible to overcome.

Our offense improved from early this season. We play mostly man defense. We are better at man than zone. We really don’t have anyone close to being All ACC Defense. I think you undersell CDS’ defensive concepts. He clearly teaches the players what to expect from opponents and how to deny them what they want to do. Now execution level clearly needs work.

We are not a good team. We are a better team than we have been the past 2 years.

We have far more potential now than we have had in a long time.

Roster turnover will clearly happen. That is both the norm now and not necessarily a bad thing as far as getting a better team.

 

[57jacket]

We got back in the game with defensive pressure and letting George go right at Burton. We take a one point lead and stop the pressure and let the ailing Kelly, Coleman and Sturdivant start jacking threes. Outside of George the rest of the team shot 3 of 19 from three (16%). And that was the game. Ndongo is a productive player but he missed 5 bunnies in the first half of that game and that also really hurt GT.

We need A LOT more talent to win the way Damon Stoudamire wants to do it. He doesn't give the team much schematic advantage at all. It is all my best against your best, mano y mano. He doesn't give the opposition much to think about. It is okay as long he brings in more guys who can win those match-ups.

George and Ndongo are the core and we absolutely NEED those two players to come back. To be frank, I really won't shed a tear over losing any other player on the roster. I think every other player is replaceable.

GT finishes the season rated # 249 (out of 352) in offensive efficiency and # 254 in defensive efficiency. That is awful. That is >70th percentile which means we are far, far, far away from being good at either end of the court.

I went as far back as the 1998 season and this season was the only second time that GT was ranked worse than 200 in both offense AND defensive efficiency. the only other time was last season where we finished ranked #224 on offensive efficiency and #240 in defensive efficiency (Yep this year's squad was ranked lower than last year's team on both ends of the court). We were #277/199 the year before that. Those two seasons got Pastner fired.

Bottom line: We have a LONG way to go to get our heads above water. We desperately need defense all over the floor. We are not competent in any particular area on defense and our coach doesn't try to confuse or fool anybody. We need more strength, quickness, explosiveness and competitiveness. We need way more guys who can win the hustle board stats.

On offense, we need more size and strength and skills down low. We need way better shooting from the perimeter. We need guys who can gain separation and create their own shots and make them.

We flashed sometimes this season and we have a couple of guys with tantalizing potential. But don't be dazzled by those moments. This team was not good and there is a long climb ahead of us.

Mustaf should really help on defense but I'm a bit worried how he fits on offense. Stoudamire has been bitten this year by his insistence on spreading the floor, sending players to the corners that cannot shoot. This is a liability to overcome. If Mustaf is not a decent three point shooter, we run the risk of the same liability. If Stoudamire wants to run these sets, he needs guys who can convert open threes at a decent percentage. Otherwise the defense just sags off of them and dares them to shoot and the lane is clogged..

good grief mtn.. give the man a chance. he inherited a dumpster fire. he clearly can recruit and we all know thats the key.

 

[MtnWasp]

good grief mtn.. give the man a chance. he inherited a dumpster fire. he clearly can recruit and we all know thats the key.

First of all, I am not, nor are any fans in charge of giving coaches chances. Stoudamire will have his chances. Third, Stoudamire will never be fired from GT. When his tenure is finished it will be when he quits. He won't be fired.

Everything that Stoudamire has said and the play of his team has painted a clear picture on how he wants to go about winning. He is going to do it via recruiting superior talent and getting that talent to play with great moxie. He isn't going to out-strategize the opposition. In this regard he is quite similar to Bobby Cremins, the most beloved coach in GT basketball history.

Stoudamire rapidly turned over the roster last off-season. Most of those guys did not pan-out. Lots of work ahead.

 

[MtnWasp]

Our offense improved from early this season.

This is not right. Someone posted a nice graph on tracking efficiency rankings as the season progressed. It was in late January that our offensive efficiency peaked at 196 (at least that was when I made a spot check). Throughout February, our offensive efficiency sank: 2/6: #203. 2/11: 241. 2/18: 248. 2/25: 249. 3/3: 248. 3/10: 250.

Similar with defensive efficiency. We ranked #101 on 12/17. #190 on 1/16. We settled quickly once in ACC play, into what we were going to be by the end of January, where we were #258 and never got below #238 before finishing above 250. I think ACC coaches were able to coach circles around our guy in year one.

The team settled into an identity in January. George (a player i love) and Ndongo are exciting, foundational pieces. We need a lot more.

Stoudamire worked hard to get his players to play with toughness. He may have budged the needle in some games, but mostly the team did not exhibit the personality that the coach was espousing.

 

[Bogey]

I was proud of the way this team came back with relentless effort on both sides of the ball. The late wide open 3 point miss and the 2 turnovers killed our chances for the win but still impressed with the effort. Looking forward to next season with the new talent being added.

 

[Peacone36]

I had an opportunity to watch the game this morning before work. Proud of our guys showing some grit yesterday and coming all the way back and taking the lead. Those two freshmen...dang. They get it. I really hope MK and Gapare stay. With NTG and Baye likely to take big strides heading into their sophomore season, I think this GT squad can be a surprising team in what is shaping up to be a not very good ACC next season.

 

[Root4GT]

First of all, I am not, nor are any fans in charge of giving coaches chances. Stoudamire will have his chances. Third, Stoudamire will never be fired from GT. When his tenure is finished it will be when he quits. He won't be fired.

Everything that Stoudamire has said and the play of his team has painted a clear picture on how he wants to go about winning. He is going to do it via recruiting superior talent and getting that talent to play with great moxie. He isn't going to out-strategize the opposition. In this regard he is quite similar to Bobby Cremins, the most beloved coach in GT basketball history.

Stoudamire rapidly turned over the roster last off-season. Most of those guys did not pan-out. Lots of work ahead.

The roster needed to be turned over. 3 of the 5 best players were new to the team this year (Ndongo, George, and Reeves). Your perspective of roster turnover and what panned out are off base. Abram was a bust. He was the only one who was highly regarded that was a bust. Mostly they were projects. Gapare was playing solid basketball by the end of the season so CDS hit on 4 new players.

GT had not hit on 4 new players in one year since Hewitt's tenure.

I am less worried about a Big man than most. We, in my opinion need more good guard play. Only George could truly cause problems for defenses from the guard position. If Kelly got hot from 3 point range he was a problem. Kyle was a nice player this year. His strength was not beating players off the dribble. All the Top ACC teams have guards who can beat players off the dribble and score or set up teammates for open shots. WE need more guys who can do that. One is not enough!

 

[57jacket]

Georgia Tech season ends with loss to Notre Dame at ACC tournament

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Georgia Tech nearly completed an epic and memorable comeback Tuesday in the ACC tournament, but two late turnovers and five consecutive points by Notre Dame ended the Yellow Jackets’ season at Capital One Arena in an 84-80 win for the Fighting Irish.

www.ajc.com

 

[spdrama]

The efficiency ratings can be a bit Miss leading as we had several horrible games on both offense and defense that are impossible to overcome.

Our offense improved from early this season. We play mostly man defense. We are better at man than zone. We really don’t have anyone close to being All ACC Defense. I think you undersell CDS’ defensive concepts. He clearly teaches the players what to expect from opponents and how to deny them what they want to do. Now execution level clearly needs work.

We are not a good team. We are a better team than we have been the past 2 years.

We have far more potential now than we have had in a long time.

Roster turnover will clearly happen. That is both the norm now and not necessarily a bad thing as far as getting a better team.

Those efficiency ratings are much more than misleading. They are absolute horsesh**. They don’t take into account strength of schedule so it compares teams playing 20 conference games in the ACC with teams playing in the lowest rank conferences. NET takes those factors into consideration and as of this morning GT is ranked 126th. Last year GT’s NET was 179. Even the efficiency ratings used in another post led to an overall predictive value rank of 119, if strength of schedule is taken into consideration. KenPom also takes into consideration strength of schedule and rates GT overall & offensive efficiency at 128 and 151 defensively. GT is rated 41st in offense strength of schedule and 9th in defensive strength of schedule. Overall KenPom had GT ranked 161st last year and this year improved to 128. Last season, in games v teams ranked in the top 25, GT came in 293rd. As of this morning GT is ranked 56th. Measuring consistency GT is ranked somewhere around 200th. How much of that is a team full of new players, many young, learning to play together and under a new coach. Looks to me like lots of improvement over last year. Just doesn’t show up in Win/Loss columns and among those you only remember bad losses and are quite forgetful when it comes to big wins. I’m ok with this year. Grateful for some truly exciting wins and looking forward to next year.

 

[MtnWasp]

If all those stats you posted are "hosesh**" then they are rather insightful "hosesh**! They go a long way to understanding 7-13 conference record. GT plays in the ACC and that means a strong strength of schedule. To get out of the bottom tier in conference, the team is going to have to be more efficient on both ends. Coaches do not survive in the ACC for very long when they are in the bottom five. The idea of the big roster turnover was for a rapid turn-around. It didn't happen and now we are looking at another big roster turnover.

 

[kg01]

I mean ... are folks wanting to fire the coach or something? I'm confused.

 

[YlJacket]

Regarding a big man there are a couple of

I am less worried about a Big man than most. We, in my opinion need more good guard play. Only George could truly cause problems for defenses from the guard position. If Kelly got hot from 3 point range he was a problem. Kyle was a nice player this year. His strength was not beating players off the dribble. All the Top ACC teams have guards who can beat players off the dribble and score or set up teammates for open shots. WE need more guys who can do that. One is not enough!

I would look for a big man in the portal but it is not a cut and dried decision. By stats we were decent to good with things like rebounding and blocked shots. And Ndongo was second in field goal percentage and sixth in rebounding in the ACC. So not a glaring weakness. The two eyeball issues were on the good side Ndongo is elite at the roll - both the rim roll for a lob and the short roll where he gets the ball at the FT line and has to make a decision to shoot, pass or drive. Really elite at the short roll which is the core of the offensive set we want to run. The second on the downside is Ndongo can get overwhelmed physically by bigger, stronger 5's as we saw at the end of the ND game where we gave up a couple of crucial offensive rebounds. And he himself is not a great shot blocker as the primary defender - better coming from the weak side.

So looking to next year is the thought that Ndongo with another 10 to maybe 15 good lbs of muscle will not get overwhelmed as he sometimes does or do we need a new "rim protecting" 5?

If you bring in a starting rim protecting 5 then does Ndongo become a 4? He doesn't yet shoot well enough to play that spot as we have seen when Dowuona starts. And you lose the elite ability to play the roll that Ndongo brings. That is a big trade off for a front side rim protector and a large part of why Dowuona doesn't play serious minutes. So unless you find a 7' upper classman Ndongo clone I don't think a "rim protector" 5 helps us as a starter. I do think we need a backup 5 with more bulk but still good hands who can spell Ndongo and play against bigger 5's or double post lineups (aka Duke) when needed. But not as a starter.

 

[spdrama]

I mean ... are folks wanting to fire the coach or something? I'm confused.

lol. Sure looks like this board has at least a minion of them. They think a new coach that is hired in March, after the team goes 15-18 (with two Division 2 wins) should be able to recruit a top tier ACC team by opening day of the next season, as if the best HS players were just sitting around waiting to come to GT if CJP got fired. GT came in dead last 8th out of 8 in 1982. I wonder how long that first year GT coach lasted.

 

[57jacket]

Regarding a big man there are a couple of

I would look for a big man in the portal but it is not a cut and dried decision. By stats we were decent to good with things like rebounding and blocked shots. And Ndongo was second in field goal percentage and sixth in rebounding in the ACC. So not a glaring weakness. The two eyeball issues were on the good side Ndongo is elite at the roll - both the rim roll for a lob and the short roll where he gets the ball at the FT line and has to make a decision to shoot, pass or drive. Really elite at the short roll which is the core of the offensive set we want to run. The second on the downside is Ndongo can get overwhelmed physically by bigger, stronger 5's as we saw at the end of the ND game where we gave up a couple of crucial offensive rebounds. And he himself is not a great shot blocker as the primary defender - better coming from the weak side.

So looking to next year is the thought that Ndongo with another 10 to maybe 15 good lbs of muscle will not get overwhelmed as he sometimes does or do we need a new "rim protecting" 5?

If you bring in a starting rim protecting 5 then does Ndongo become a 4? He doesn't yet shoot well enough to play that spot as we have seen when Dowuona starts. And you lose the elite ability to play the roll that Ndongo brings. That is a big trade off for a front side rim protector and a large part of why Dowuona doesn't play serious minutes. So unless you find a 7' upper classman Ndongo clone I don't think a "rim protector" 5 helps us as a starter. I do think we need a backup 5 with more bulk but still good hands who can spell Ndongo and play against bigger 5's or double post lineups (aka Duke) when needed. But not as a starter.

I like the idea of a high-low post combo. big 5 low and Ndongo at the free through line. still pick and roll. he has a good jump shot also.

 

[kg01]

lol. Sure looks like this board has at least a minion of th. em. They think a new coach that is hired in March, after the team goes 15-18 (with two Division 2 wins) should be able to recruit a top tier ACC team by opening day of the next season, as if the best HS players were just sitting around waiting to come to GT if CJP got fired. GT came in dead last 8th out of 8 in 1982. I wonder how long that first year GT coach lasted.

I mean, I wanted the year to go better. But it didn't and we're all kinda aware of the reasons why. I just don't understand using this space to gripe after year 1.

I know of atleast 1 bloke that's still pining for Pastner, which is strange all on its own, but what's the other folks' motivations?

 

[ESPNjacket]

I know of atleast 1 bloke that's still pining for Pastner, which is strange all on its own, but what's the other folks' motivations?

They want to appear smart.

 

[Silk3]

Last year we got blown out a bunch, this year there were so many games we had a lead in the second half and couldn’t finish. A lot more competitive this year. I love what Damon is doing. Very excited about the future of this program

 

[Root4GT]

If all those stats you posted are "hosesh**" then they are rather insightful "hosesh**! They go a long way to understanding 7-13 conference record. GT plays in the ACC and that means a strong strength of schedule. To get out of the bottom tier in conference, the team is going to have to be more efficient on both ends. Coaches do not survive in the ACC for very long when they are in the bottom five. The idea of the big roster turnover was for a rapid turn-around. It didn't happen and now we are looking at another big roster turnover.

The best way to be more efficient is to have more very good players. No one less Tony Bennett wins more games than they lose with a team that has on the whole average ACC players. Bennett is a rare coach. It will be interesting to see how UVA basketball fares in the new world of unlimited transfers and NIL. My guess is UVA will be a good team but won't win any more ACC Championships.

 

[kg01]

They want to appear smart.

When I want to appear smart, I use 'inculcating' in a sentence. Right, @Northeast Stinger ?

In all seriousness though, I can understand people being unfulfilled. But there has to be an ability and a willingness to see progress amidst the disappointment. Isn't that part of being a fan anyways?