Dec. 10- What do we have so far???

[alagold]

This team without JO and part time status from Lammers has one good win, one ungodly embarassing loss, one frustrating loss and the rest meh. I keep reminding myself we started out "slow" last year and this year is like that. But the question is whether this year's team is poised to make that same level of improvement.

I agree that the defense has been OK - certainly not great. Though the 3 point shooting numbers are skewed by the Wofford kid going all World B Free on us (see how many get that one ) But it was the hallmark of last year's team and right now I don't see it carrying us in the ACC like it did last year.

The real difference to me is watching the offense and how that has deteriorated. We want to run an offense that is based on cuts either getting layups or making the defense react to them. Right now we don't run the cuts aggressively and they are simply sluffing off the 4 to stay in the way. Chicken and egg as to which one came first / caused the other but it makes for our offense to be "not good". Right now we are averaging 63 points per game against the easier part of our schedule. It is about to get a whole lot harder when we play ACC defenses.

The freshmen are about where I had hoped they would be. Jose plays above his ranking though he still has freshman issues/plays where the ball doesn't go where it needs to or he doesn't seem to get into the game until too late. But the upside is there. I didn't expect Haywood to be a difference maker this year and he isn't - but he looks to be a solid 4 year ACC level player. Moses and Cole are about where I thought they would be - though I thought Cole would be the one showing more flashes this year with his shooting. Regardless I would have been floored if either were the answer at the 4 for us this year.

AD is better than he was last year but not really a fit for a stretch 4. He was recruited and redshirted as an athletic body and that is what he is. We need him to be in position and have the ability to score from 12 to maybe 15 feet out.

So the question is how to project this group with a healthy Ben and the return of JO. Recognize that we won't get the real JO until about 2 weeks after he is cleared to start conditioning again. Right now he can't - or isn't allowed to work out much less shoot a basketball. So we won't see his impact likely until a couple of games into the ACC part of the slate (?) depending on that date to get back and work. With a healthy JO I can see our defense improving on the perimeter. A healthy JO makes a huge difference against that Wofford kid. But he doesn't fix the offensive issues unless you play him at the 4 spot to open the floor. We can do that against a VT but not Duke or UNC types. So looking forward I still think the biggest issue is can we adjust the scheme enough to accommodate AD playing the 4 keeping the lane clear. And I don't have a lot of faith in that.

Going forward I think we will have a lot of developing/improving 4/3 types who can step into that role but are not ready now - or not here now. But not this year. If we get to 9 ACC wins I will do cartwheels. I don't see it. I am afraid by the time JO gets all the way back it will be too little too late for this year. It will likely though accelerate the development of the freshmen - especially Haywood - for next year. Then we lose Lammers but that is a whole nother post.

why can't JO be in shape by running? his HAND is hurt can't practice but can run,right?.
Is the ban ( ncaa) a concern?

 

[YlJacket]

why can't JO be in shape by running? his HAND is hurt can't practice but can run,right?.
Is the ban ( ncaa) a concern?

It was reported he is not allowed to work out at all as they are worried it might it might restart his infection. No running, no eliptical, nothing. That is why I really think it will be 2 weeks + post his comeback that we see a real impact from him

 

[Jacket Forever]

As I understand it, the training/medical staff is worried that ANY sweat or perspiration that got could drip down to the wound area would definitely worsen the situation. That’s why he’s prohibited from doing any kind of workout for the remainder of his recovery. And while I’m not certain of this next fact, it well maybe that working out caused the wound to become infected in the first place. I distinctly remember seeing JO taking jump shots with the bandage on his left hand not very long after the initial injury, say about a week or ten days. He was only being conscientious I’m sure, trying to stay in some semblance of shape, but it wasn’t but a few days later that his whole arm was in a sling and we got the bad news about the infection.

 

[Lightbulb]

Losing to Grambling may be be the worst loss in the history of Tech basketball.

I know it's not as bad as losing to Grambling, but the 07-08 season opening home loss to UNC-Greensboro was another bad loss that has always stuck with me

 

[slugboy]

On the road vs Kennesaw St is not worse than home vs Grambling

With the talent that we had, well into the Paul Hewitt experience, as opposed to year 2 of a rebuild? As statistically ludicrous as the last couple of losses have been, I still think Kennesaw was worse, at least because I thought it was foreshadowing rather than something we'd get better from.

 

[alagold]

It was reported he is not allowed to work out at all as they are worried it might it might restart his infection. No running, no eliptical, nothing. That is why I really think it will be 2 weeks + post his comeback that we see a real impact from him

wow, he might not get to being at top form for a MONTH--this season is looking amazingly different from last yr---2 of best players out, top coach out, and best player hurt leading to one of the worst losses in yrs---not good,not good at all.

 

[D-man44]

We knew This was going to be a long process from the beginning. idk how surprised the fan base would be if we were as bad as we were supposed to be last year

 

[sidewalkGTfan]

We knew This was going to be a long process from the beginning. idk how surprised the fan base would be if we were as bad as we were supposed to be last year

QFT

 

[orientalnc]

A couple of things:

Cole, Wright, Moore and AD have under performed what many of us thought they be able to do this season. Maybe our expectations were set too high. Of course, not having Okogie has been a serious blow to us on both ends of the floor.

Whether we can win more than a handful of games in the ACC is a legitimate question. Unless JO can return to his peak game quickly we could be well into the ACC schedule without him being an asset. It worries me. Hopefully this layoff has given Ben a chance to heal.

Has anyone heard a status report on Ogbonda?

It would also be nice to get a report on DLab's possible return. I think we need him for a lot more than recruiting.

 

[lv20gt]

IMO there are two way to look at things.

Just looking at what we did last year, what we lost, and what we gained, I don't think you can be anything but disappointed. Last year we were a solid team, and this year we have two bad losses. A large part of that is injuries, but I can't help but feel we should have two more victories anyways. I don't think the staff has done a great job at adjusting the offense to fit the change in dynamics this year. We have more shooters, both Alvarado and Haywood, but less shooting threat from the 4, although Wright has shown flashes. I would have expected us to become a bit more of a 3 out, with a high post/low post game, but instead we keep insisting on running AD out to the top of the key. Last year was so good because the offense, especially, seemed designed to fit the players we had. This year it doesn't feel the case.

However, looking at it big picture, I don't see how anyone can't think we are ahead of schedule still, even with the setbacks. Looking at the roster in 2015 would have told you we were going to be young this year. 5 seniors plus 3 juniors and no real time going to underclassmen. However we have a proven all acc level wing in okogie, a high performing PG in Alvarado and another sold wing in Haywood. Add to that Devoe and Moore and we are poised to have the best backcourt we've had in a decade plus in the coming years. Bigs aren't in the same situation but we have a staff that has already proven to be able to develop bigs and I don't see how anyone can look at Wright and not see the potential. Nice touch on his jumper, and a very good athlete. He does need developing but again, our staff has shown to be able to do just that. Long term the only real question for me is can the staff land a true center that can be an impact or can they adjust to having a two PF system and make it work.

I was pegging year 4 as the year we should be back in the NCAAT but I could easily see next year with some solid development,

So yeah, we should be disappointed, but I guess the fact we can even be disappointed this year shows how far we have come from two years ago.