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Originally posted by Layton
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Always possible I guess. Hopefully, it is apparent that his future is in Europe, for the physical measurables are not a fit for the NBA. IMHO, WLU is a style that fits well with the unselfish nature of Euro ball rather than high ball screen dribble drive in D1 with little passing on many teams.
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Been forever since I posted...I've always been lurking...
I know the story about crutch leaving, ben taking over etc, etc...
but what I want to know is--- Does anyone know if Ben and Crutch are true friends? Should be bc of the time spent playing for him and on staff...but I wonder if the fact that some WL fellas transfer to Nova SE, and Ben doesn't like it or considers it tampering? Crutch still recruits Ohio it looks like....I know they are both competitiors, but are they "civil" to each other? I want to know the dyamic if they do play each other....PLease shed some light on it...Really interesting story line if they both make the final....but my guess is they don't...upsets happen...Comment
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I have no knowledge with which to answer your question. But welcome back, ExtraMile! Been a minute since you've been around. Glad to see you back.Originally posted by IUP Extra Mile View PostComment
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Imho, I believe they are. Crutch hired Ben as assistant coach just a year or two after he graduated. Ben was primarily responsible for recruiting. Crutch was his mentor. Yoakum had been at wlu 5 years and had graduated and went to nova for covid year. Both Ben and crutch will recruit any location for players that fit their style. He told Ben to just be himself in coaching style.Originally posted by IUP Extra Mile View PostComment
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FYI WLU vs IUP Stats
Advantage IUPTeam WLU IUP FGM 27.00 16.00 FGA 54.00 53.00 FTA 12.00 20.00 Three Point FGM 6.00 5.00 three Point FGA 20.00 18.00 OFF REB 5.00 17.00 Assists 19.00 12.00 Turnovers 7.00 15.00 Points 70.00 53.00 Number of Possessions 61.28 59.80 Points per Possession 1.14 0.89 Offensive Rating: Points/100 possessions 114 89 Shooting Efficiency (FGM +0.5*3ptFGM)/FGA 55.6% 34.9% Turnover % 11.42% 25.08% Assists % of Possessions 31.01% 20.07% Assist to Turnover Ratio 2.71 0.80 - Offensive rebounds 17-5
- Free throws attempted 20-12
- Free Throws Made 16-10
- Shutdown defense
- Held IUP to offensive rating of only 89 points per 100 possessions, when they averaged 111 points for the season. Need at least 100 to have a chance to win in most games.
- Forced Turnovers on 25% of the IUP possessions
- Held IUP to 0.80 assist to turnover ratio, which indicates forcing more 1 on 1 play
- WLU offensive efficiency
- Offensive rating of 114 – below average of 124, but still very good for D2
- Shooting Efficiency – WLU 56% IUP 35%
- Turnovers on only 11.4% of possessions
- Points in the paint – WLU 38, IUP 22
- Fast break points WLU 11, IUP 4
- Assists on 31% of possessions compared to only 20% for IUP
- Stellar Assist to turnover ratio of 2.71, well above nation leading average of 1.93
IMHO, the root cause for the superior stats was the cumulative effect of fatigue from the WLU pressure and pace. This is the typical effect that most opposing teams exhibit from the pressure and pace over the course of the game.- IUP was a step slow, resulting in open looks at the rim.
- They had to quit double teaming Bryce, because IUP was too slow to close out on shooters.
- No one defender could stop Bryce in the post.
- IUP shooting % dropped due to fatigue.
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I’ve always wanted to know why your username is what it isOriginally posted by IUP Extra Mile View PostComment
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FYI - Season Stat comparison WLU vs New Haven
New Haven has good shooters, who can create their shot off a high ball screen or drive to basket.
Their 7-1 center has good timing for rebounding and shot blocking. He can disrupt interior offense for opponent.
It will be interesting to see if he guards Butler or just provides help defense.
Note: Offensive Rating is independent of whether a team plays fast or slow.
Statistic West Liberty Season New Haven Season FGM 1237 836 FGA 2495 1815 FTA 679 454 Three Point FGM 423 237 three Point FGA 1110 712 OFF REB 433 240 Assists 753 396 Turnovers 390 348 Steals 367 170 Turnovers Forced 651 314 Points 3404 2254 Games Played 34 33 Number of Possessions 2751 2123 Avg. Possessions per Game 81 64 Pts per Possession 1.24 1.06 Offensive Rating - pts/100 possessions 124 106 Shooting Efficiency (FGM +0.5*3ptFGM)/FGA 58.1% 52.6% Turnover % 14.2% 16.4% Forced Turnovers per Game 19.1 9.5 Percent Forced Live Ball Turnovers 56.4% 54.1% Assists % of Possessions 27.4% 18.7% Assist to Turnover Ratio 1.93 1.14 Last edited by Columbuseer; 03-15-2023, 10:07 PM.Comment
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Couldn't ask for a better tip off time and opponent. There is no doubt that playing at 1:00 pm on a Tuesday afternoon after being off for a week hurts teams, I've been to 6 elite 8's and I see it all the time, early start after a long layoff is a recipe for disaster. 3:30 isn't the greatest either but at least you get a chance to warm up and watch another game while preparing for your own. These guys are creatures of habit so WL having some experience being here before could help a little. As far as New Haven they have 5 players that seem to log most of the minutes with 1 or maybe 2 (that's being generous) that may come in for a few minutes per game, this has the makings of WL running them into the ground, which is why New Haven will try and slow it down. West Liberty in recent years has gotten much better playing teams who want to slow it down (see Mercyhurst and IUP), so I'd rather see New Haven pace then Nova pace.Originally posted by Layton View PostComment
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I agree...Not the most talented Topper team but they are peaking at the right time. As the saying goes in tourney play..It's not as important to be the "best" team as it is to be the best team "right now." Seeding is equally important in a tourney. We learned that in the 20-21 Elite 8 when we drew NWMSU. I like how the seeding is breaking for the Toppers this year.Originally posted by TopperNation View Post
Concerning the "most talented" Topper team, a great case can be made for the 20-21 team that had current D1 players Dalton Bolon, Pat Robinson, current Nova SE leader Will Yoakum, current WLU star Bryce Butler and WAY underrated PG Luke Dyer. Bench that included McKinney, Moore and Rasile, etc wasn't half bad either!!Comment
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I agree with you Boat, from top to bottom that 20-21 team might be the most talented team I've seen since I first attempted to transfer there and started tracking the team in 2003. That 2014 WLU team can go toe to toe with anyone.Originally posted by boatcapt View PostComment
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The 13-14 team is an excellent choice as well. It certainly was the most well rounded team we've had in quite a while. We seemed to have a bit of evrything on that team from a dynamic penetrating PG (Harris) 3 point snipers (lead by Bonifant), shot blocker (Cockburn) to more inside rebounders/defenders (Kirkbride/Lamberti). Nine players averaged double digit minutes and seven players averaged 10+ PPG. I think that team was the epitome of what the "WLU Style" could be...Not many high-flying athletes but everyone knew their role and played at 100%.Originally posted by TopperNation View Post
If I were looking to build a team to play the true "WLU Style," I'd look at that team.Comment
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