Iup basketball

[IUPNation]

Jay Wright giving a shout out to Joe.

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[IUPNation]

It proves he could play against D1 talent. He has aspirations of playing pro ball somewhere.

In the MAC? He needed to aim higher.

[IUPalum]

He should have….he’s on a .500 team that probably won’t make the tournament. What good did it do him?

It proves he could play against D1 talent. He has aspirations of playing pro ball somewhere.

[IUPNation]

Oh…**** Slimey Pebble.

That always needs to be said…often.

:-)

[IUPNation]

Armoni had a huge game in Buffalo's blowout of Ball State last night ... finishing with 20 points and 7 assists. He was 8 for 8 from the field.

Still makes me wonder if he had stayed ...

He should have….he’s on a .500 team that probably won’t make the tournament. What good did it do him?

[IUPbigINDIANS]

I wouldn’t say last big push. Maybe Joe’s last big push is more like it. The next coach has a recruiting gold mine waiting for him.

Correct. That's what I meant. Whomever is next will continue to have success. Everything is in place.

[IUP24]

Armoni had a huge game in Buffalo's blowout of Ball State last night ... finishing with 20 points and 7 assists. He was 8 for 8 from the field.

Still makes me wonder if he had stayed ...

Armoni leaving (and I know he was in the program for a LONG time) was the move that may break the dam as it pertains to Joe’s long term retention of elite basketball players.

That was overlooked by so many simply because he was here a long time. Now there’s others who are actively looking and exploring. That was a massive program transfer.

[IUPalum]

I think this is IUP's last big push.

Read in to that what you wish.

I wouldn’t say last big push. Maybe Joe’s last big push is more like it. The next coach has a recruiting gold mine waiting for him.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

IUP would have had an unreal team; they're enough of a load now. I sure imagine California wishes they still had Alston. ESU probably is fortunate to still have Pepin around. He certainly is good enough to play at a lower-level D1 school. I've seen worse D1 guards than Shepherd's McClain-Corley, whom I mentioned above. Dustin Sleva in his latter years at Ship certainly was capable of playing in a higher division.

Some stay and some go. In the case of Alston and Foster they were able to jump to mid-majors, which is a significant leap. I think some good players are comfortable being the standout at a D2 school rather than going off to a D1 that isn't all that much.

I think this is IUP's last big push.

Read in to that what you wish.

[Ship69]

Armoni had a huge game in Buffalo's blowout of Ball State last night ... finishing with 20 points and 7 assists. He was 8 for 8 from the field.

Still makes me wonder if he had stayed ...

IUP would have had an unreal team; they're enough of a load now. I sure imagine California wishes they still had Alston. ESU probably is fortunate to still have Pepin around. He certainly is good enough to play at a lower-level D1 school. I've seen worse D1 guards than Shepherd's McClain-Corley, whom I mentioned above. Dustin Sleva in his latter years at Ship certainly was capable of playing in a higher division.

Some stay and some go. In the case of Alston and Foster they were able to jump to mid-majors, which is a significant leap. I think some good players are comfortable being the standout at a D2 school rather than going off to a D1 that isn't all that much.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Armoni had a huge game in Buffalo's blowout of Ball State last night ... finishing with 20 points and 7 assists. He was 8 for 8 from the field.

Still makes me wonder if he had stayed ...

[Ship69]

It was baffling that Ian Grady stayed in that press. It was a waste of time (and their energy).

I think SRU could be a good pressing team (if they did it consistently and got way better at it). They have the athletes. It was designed for the coffin corner trap but they were so slow getting to the corner all night it was just useless.

I'm glad they ran it all night. Obviously ESU's press is way better, but it at least exposed IUP to dealing with a version of it all night.

Having seem both play against Ship, I think East Stroud has much better talent than Slippery Rock, although I admit to being influenced by the fact that the Raiders handled Slippery Rock and were handled by East Stroudsburg. But Ship doesn't match up well with East Stroud this season. West Chester, with its quick bigs and ability to play street ball, exposed the ESU press somewhat. Watching Shepherd's guard play last night, I can see why they gave ESU a problem as well. The Rams' McClain-Corley might be the slickest guard I've seen this season, and he's been lights out from three-point range.

Since IUP combines skilled bigs with experienced and talented depth at guard, they should match up very favorably with the Warriors. The key to beating ESU is holding down Carlos Pepin and Lakeem McAliley.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

It just shows what this IUP team is when they’re interested. Well, they were interested last night and if we’re being honest, Slippery Rock was never really in this game. They never threatened IUP, never made a sustained run, and other than not just packing it in and keeping it under 20, they were outclassed from the opening tip. That gym may have been packed but it was the IUP contingent that could be heard loud and clear. You can expect attendance in that building through the rest of the season to be about 250.

Okay, enough picking on SRU. Time to focus on the big one on Saturday when ESU comes to down. I’m not sure why they’ve dropped off, but the Warriors aren’t playing like they were a few weeks ago when they showed signs of dominance. Their scoring average has dipped while their defense has slipped. That said, I expect them to play well this weekend with a chance to knock off #1. I do think this is a bad matchup for ESU. IUP can come at you with a wave of excellent guards that can handle the press. Even IUP’s bigs can handle the ball and can also pass well. Slippery Rock’s press looked silly against IUP. I think they forced one turnover with it all night.

It was baffling that Ian Grady stayed in that press. It was a waste of time (and their energy).

I think SRU could be a good pressing team (if they did it consistently and got way better at it). They have the athletes. It was designed for the coffin corner trap but they were so slow getting to the corner all night it was just useless.

I'm glad they ran it all night. Obviously ESU's press is way better, but it at least exposed IUP to dealing with a version of it all night.

[EyeoftheHawk]

IUP did tonight exactly what so many past Joe teams haven't done up there: take control immediately and take that massive crowd completely out of the game.

They announced 2,400-some but that was light. It was jammed in there. After the women's debacle, Morrow was ready for a party. IUP slammed that door shut.

SRU's lone mini run came when Joe took both Ethan and Tomiwa out. I think they cut it from 19 to 11 at that point.

Joe had them ready to play. It was clear they looked at Monday as the get it over with game. Lot of intensity tonight.

I thought the Rock played hard. They didn't lay down and kept pushing even when that game was on the fringes of a run away.

IUP's lone flaw was probably getting a little cute in the second half. Had they kept the hammer down they probably win by 30. Defensively that was one of their best games this year. SRU has a lot of weapons. That's not an easy team to keep in the 50s (they put up 97 on Cal).

Great, engaged IUP crowd up there ... Easily 250-300. Maybe more.

Rock still does all its little petty crap. They won't say 'IUP' ... It's Indiana all night. That goes back to Dr. Evil. They also announced IUP's starting lineup in less than 8 seconds. That irritated IUP.

But ... they won't say IUP but they sure heard the chant in the second half.

It just shows what this IUP team is when they’re interested. Well, they were interested last night and if we’re being honest, Slippery Rock was never really in this game. They never threatened IUP, never made a sustained run, and other than not just packing it in and keeping it under 20, they were outclassed from the opening tip. That gym may have been packed but it was the IUP contingent that could be heard loud and clear. You can expect attendance in that building through the rest of the season to be about 250.

Okay, enough picking on SRU. Time to focus on the big one on Saturday when ESU comes to down. I’m not sure why they’ve dropped off, but the Warriors aren’t playing like they were a few weeks ago when they showed signs of dominance. Their scoring average has dipped while their defense has slipped. That said, I expect them to play well this weekend with a chance to knock off #1. I do think this is a bad matchup for ESU. IUP can come at you with a wave of excellent guards that can handle the press. Even IUP’s bigs can handle the ball and can also pass well. Slippery Rock’s press looked silly against IUP. I think they forced one turnover with it all night.

[IUPalum]

IUP did tonight exactly what so many past Joe teams haven't done up there: take control immediately and take that massive crowd completely out of the game.

They announced 2,400-some but that was light. It was jammed in there. After the women's debacle, Morrow was ready for a party. IUP slammed that door shut.

SRU's lone mini run came when Joe took both Ethan and Tomiwa out. I think they cut it from 19 to 11 at that point.

Joe had them ready to play. It was clear they looked at Monday as the get it over with game. Lot of intensity tonight.

I thought the Rock played hard. They didn't lay down and kept pushing even when that game was on the fringes of a run away.

IUP's lone flaw was probably getting a little cute in the second half. Had they kept the hammer down they probably win by 30. Defensively that was one of their best games this year. SRU has a lot of weapons. That's not an easy team to keep in the 50s (they put up 97 on Cal).

Great, engaged IUP crowd up there ... Easily 250-300. Maybe more.

Rock still does all its little petty crap. They won't say 'IUP' ... It's Indiana all night. That goes back to Dr. Evil. They also announced IUP's starting lineup in less than 8 seconds. That irritated IUP.

But ... they won't say IUP but they sure heard the chant in the second half.

Great game tonight!

You say the only flaw was the 4 guards with Brooks. To me that was Joe trying some things out. That group couldn't rebound which is why the gap was thinned a little. No biggie. That's the time to try somethings.

My flaw is that the three point shooting is still struggling. They have to get that fixed.