Serious ? from a BB "newb"

[AUFC]

Don't really put any stock in that 2nd half. Northwestern really checked out at half time (understandably) and Pastner lit into the guys at halftime...of course they were going to respond by putting forth a little bit of effort.

 

[slugboy]

of sorts. I have to confess I have drifted away from GT BB over the years, for a variety of reasons probably most would understand. So, anyway, today for the first time in eons, I ended up in a mall,although one of those "outdoor" types. So, while my better half was doing her thing, I walked into a Barnes & Noble (they still exist!) and perused the magazines as I did in the days of yore. One of the more recognizable rags (Athlon? Street & Smith? Sporting News?) had GT picked dead last in the conference??!

My questions to you who follow the sport - is this a realistic and rationale pick? Why or why not? Are you satisfied with the progress being made under Coach Pastner? Is he on schedule to bring GT BB back to respectability, which I would define as middle of the pack in the ACC/NCAA bubble team?

As always, thank you for your patience and any insight you can provide.

Back to the original questions (from one of the weaker basketball minds on the forum):

• "Dead last in conference": probably close,but 2nd, 3rd, or 4th from the bottom. Wake, Pitt, and possibly BC end up lower. Wake is bad. If you're upset with how we're doing, look over at Wake.
• "Realistic pick": Yes. Team plays decent defense, but Jose and maybe Alston have strong ball handling skills. You wouldn't have any of our wings bring the ball upcourt, and if Jose is out the team doesn't have much of a direction. We're not good on offense.
• "Progress under Pastner": We look flat for this year. The last couple of years haven't seen much progress getting out of the ACC basement. The main pieces on the floor are Sophomores and Freshmen. The idea is that they'll get better and get coached up and be contenders next year and the year after. As of right now, there isn't a strong freshman class coming in for next year. We lost two talented assistant coaches last season, and the wings don't seem to have improved from last year (but there have been injuries). For some reason, I think getting out of the ACC basement should have been quick, but getting out of the middle would be hard. We're still in the basement. We spent the first two years in a different scheme waiting to get Pastner's players in, and now we're in a new scheme, but we haven't bridged to a new, deep, roster yet. This team needs more players and probably a more realistic scheme for the talent we have.
• "Schedule towards respectability": Right now, I see marginal improvement for next year, but not substantial improvement. At the current rate, I don't see us trending towards the top of the ACC--maybe the middle, but not next year. My gut feel is that we're trending to be a mid-level ACC team in 5 years. We aren't developing players in a way to make "get old, stay old" work. I don't see us as a bubble team this year or next right now unless we do something about our offense and find another player who can sub for Alvarado.

Note, we dropped 30 places in KenPom after last night's loss. We're still ahead of BC, Pitt, and Wake after that awful performance.

Pitt is out-recruiting us right now, and looks like they'll move out of the ACC basement soon. Wake is also out-recruiting us, but somehow that doesn't matter.

 

[4shotB]

Note, we dropped 30 places in KenPom after last night's loss. We're still ahead of BC, Pitt, and Wake after that awful performance.

Pitt is out-recruiting us right now, and looks like they'll move out of the ACC basement soon. Wake is also out-recruiting us, but somehow that doesn't matter.

I appreciate the response, as gloomy as it may be. I had always thought that BB was a sport that didn't take the excruciating long and slow rebuild but as I said, I don't follow the sport closely anymore. A lifetime ago I recall a young coach from Appy State taking over a program that was in a state of disrepair so bad that I don't think a younger fan could even comprehend. But in year 3, it was apparent that there was a new sheriff in town and things were going to get better. Soon. And drastically.

 

[AE 87]

I appreciate the response, as gloomy as it may be. I had always thought that BB was a sport that didn't take the excruciating long and slow rebuild but as I said, I don't follow the sport closely anymore. A lifetime ago I recall a young coach from Appy State taking over a program that was in a state of disrepair so bad that I don't think a younger fan could even comprehend. But in year 3, it was apparent that there was a new sheriff in town and things were going to get better. Soon. And drastically.

We shot like crap.

I've never been a fan of CJP. Our D--which has been solid--wasn't there, but that isn't on CJP imo.

Ultimately, a player has to make a play. We have mid major talent getting mid major results.

 

[awbuzz]

We shot like crap.

I've never been a fan of CJP. Our D--which has been solid--wasn't there, but that isn't on CJP imo.

Ultimately, a player has to make a play. We have mid major talent getting mid major results.

Mid-major??? Might be giving some more juice than they deserve.