Iup basketball

[IUPbigINDIANS]

I think that you described the key open question: Can Indy recruit 10 D1 level athletes who buy into as well as learn the system? IMHO at the D1 level, when they break the press, opponents are definitely attacking the rim in transition due to their size and athletic ability. Indy has to have comparable size and athletic ability. I think depth was a definite issue at Indy this year, which is another challenge

We'll see how long his leash is. Year 1 was a disaster. So, he better get it going.

Hard to say how much time he'll get in the fire-happy D1 world.

[Columbuseer]

Those are fair points. Howlett also got the job very late in the recruiting cycle, which limited his pool of available players. Still, I thought they would be better then 5-24 against Division I competition.

I have not seen them in person, but on TV, they are giving up a number of easy baskets against the press where the offense throws lobs over the top of the defense. I question whether they will get the level of player or athlete necessary to speed up the players in the Horizon League to make their pressure effective. From what I've seen in my limited viewing, the guards are bigger, more athletic, and make better decisions against the pressure than the typical Division II team.

I think that you described the key open question: Can Indy recruit 10 D1 level athletes who buy into as well as learn the system? IMHO at the D1 level, when they break the press, opponents are definitely attacking the rim in transition due to their size and athletic ability. Indy has to have comparable size and athletic ability. I think depth was a definite issue at Indy this year, which is another challenge

[IUPHawks24]

Personally, I am withholding judgment on the style at Indy until Coach Howlett can actually recruit D1 level athletes.
At the beginning of the season he was starting 4 D2 players/recruits. Indy has historically been a doormat of the conference.
I watched Ohio State and Butler game in person and Wright State (#1 in Horizon league at the time) on TV.

Against OSU, Indy forced 20 turnovers and the OSU coach could not clear his bench, for he was only leading by 10 with a few minutes left.
D'Augustino is the leading scorer. The Wright State analyst (former coach) was very impressed by Indy offense. They got a lot of back-door cuts for layups. The game was much closer than the final score. The taller team just wore them down.

For Indy to win this season with D2 athletes, they have to have a great shooting night.
Here is what I observed about the disparity in a real game.
1. D1 level athletes close out much quicker on the three than d2 athletes to contest the shot, which lowers %.
2. D2 players cannot create their own shot against the quick defenders at D1 (with the exception of D'Augustino, who is crafty inside).
3. Size advantage creates problems inside on defense.

Those are fair points. Howlett also got the job very late in the recruiting cycle, which limited his pool of available players. Still, I thought they would be better then 5-24 against Division I competition.

I have not seen them in person, but on TV, they are giving up a number of easy baskets against the press where the offense throws lobs over the top of the defense. I question whether they will get the level of player or athlete necessary to speed up the players in the Horizon League to make their pressure effective. From what I've seen in my limited viewing, the guards are bigger, more athletic, and make better decisions against the pressure than the typical Division II team.

[Columbuseer]

Take nothing away from Gannon/West Lib/Nova SE, but if you look how IU Indy has fared this year, you see why the style becomes precarious as you move up a level and teams all have 13-15 players on full scholarships. With Mercyhurst now out of the picture, that’s one less fully funded team in the PSAC West, and it will require savvier talent evaluation and coaching (Danny is the only one who has proven he can do it) to threaten Gannon.

Personally, I am withholding judgment on the style at Indy until Coach Howlett can actually recruit D1 level athletes.
At the beginning of the season he was starting 4 D2 players/recruits. Indy has historically been a doormat of the conference.
I watched Ohio State and Butler game in person and Wright State (#1 in Horizon league at the time) on TV.

Against OSU, Indy forced 20 turnovers and the OSU coach could not clear his bench, for he was only leading by 10 with a few minutes left.
D'Augustino is the leading scorer. The Wright State analyst (former coach) was very impressed by Indy offense. They got a lot of back-door cuts for layups. The game was much closer than the final score. The taller team just wore them down.

For Indy to win this season with D2 athletes, they have to have a great shooting night.
Here is what I observed about the disparity in a real game.
1. D1 level athletes close out much quicker on the three than d2 athletes to contest the shot, which lowers %.
2. D2 players cannot create their own shot against the quick defenders at D1 (with the exception of D'Augustino, who is crafty inside).
3. Size advantage creates problems inside on defense.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

All seating is General Admission tomorrow (a change from past conference tournaments).

Cashless.

Tip is 7 p.m.

[Chuck Norris]

This is the end of a long era.

In the history of coaching, this is almost without fail how it always ends. We are living what it looks like.

Joe's recruiting has tanked. He's coaching like it's 2014 and has been blown by.

Ask yourself this: how many players on this team would have even seen the floor on, say, the 2018 team? One. Maybe two. That's it.

I would agree. In the end ‘21-22 was the real shot. If Shawndale doesn’t get hurt they may well have won it all. Then we had whatever went south in the latter half of the next season and then it just fell off a cliff. Even an improved team like this year’s over the past two doesn’t look anything close to what things used to be. It stinks, but like you said, it happens often with a long tenured coach.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Would think that Precious may be less likely since he already had a try at a lower D1 school (Longwood) and was a non-factor. But who knows what goes through a kid's mind in these times.

The two no-brainers (in my brain) to go up are Prosser and Cal's Bryson Lucas.

Ben Howlett would try and grab both in a heartbeat (along with many others at that lower level of D1).

I'd have to agree on Precious. He's D2 big but they are all like him at that position in D1. But, as you said, who knows.

[gman16506]

As a Gannon fan, as much as fun as it is to watch build and grow, its also sad/annoying watching players and thinking "hes gone, hes gone, hes gone".

Id have to say its inevitable that Precious, Pace and Sekasi will all go low D1 schools. Id like to think if they made a deep run, the fact theyre only losing 2 seniors, it might lure more to stay... but i doubt it.

Oh well, hoping for a deep run!

Would think that Precious may be less likely since he already had a try at a lower D1 school (Longwood) and was a non-factor. But who knows what goes through a kid's mind in these times.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

I was sitting there yesterday and the team that for some strange reason popped into my head was the 2013 team with Weigand, Wells, Mathis, Marcel etc. From a team makeup standpoint I don’t think there was ever a Joe team less equipped to face an up tempo team. And they played West Lib in that regional final and it was a one point game with 10 minutes to go. From that point their offensive deficiencies caught up to them and they wound up losing by around 20, but they fought like hell to stay in that game as long as they could. That toughness defined IUP basketball, regardless of the roster. They need to find that again.

This is the end of a long era.

In the history of coaching, this is almost without fail how it always ends. We are living what it looks like.

Joe's recruiting has tanked. He's coaching like it's 2014 and has been blown by.

Ask yourself this: how many players on this team would have even seen the floor on, say, the 2018 team? One. Maybe two. That's it.

[Chuck Norris]

I understand coaching is also about teaching the players to be good young men but winning can't be lost in all that. In order to win you have to have killers on the court! Joe has had a lot of good young men that were also killers. 2015 had guys like Norfleet, Dyer and Jeffers. More recently he had guys like Foster, Miller, Morris and Porterfield. Those guys are great humans and killers!!! Joe talks about the great young men he has this year but where are the killers??? Killers win, killers don't get blown out, killers aren't scared... where are the killers on this team???

I was sitting there yesterday and the team that for some strange reason popped into my head was the 2013 team with Weigand, Wells, Mathis, Marcel etc. From a team makeup standpoint I don’t think there was ever a Joe team less equipped to face an up tempo team. And they played West Lib in that regional final and it was a one point game with 10 minutes to go. From that point their offensive deficiencies caught up to them and they wound up losing by around 20, but they fought like hell to stay in that game as long as they could. That toughness defined IUP basketball, regardless of the roster. They need to find that again.

[IUPalum]

I understand coaching is also about teaching the players to be good young men but winning can't be lost in all that. In order to win you have to have killers on the court! Joe has had a lot of good young men that were also killers. 2015 had guys like Norfleet, Dyer and Jeffers. More recently he had guys like Foster, Miller, Morris and Porterfield. Those guys are great humans and killers!!! Joe talks about the great young men he has this year but where are the killers??? Killers win, killers don't get blown out, killers aren't scared... where are the killers on this team???

[Ship69]

As a Gannon fan, as much as fun as it is to watch build and grow, its also sad/annoying watching players and thinking "hes gone, hes gone, hes gone".

Id have to say its inevitable that Precious, Pace and Sekasi will all go low D1 schools. Id like to think if they made a deep run, the fact theyre only losing 2 seniors, it might lure more to stay... but i doubt it.

Oh well, hoping for a deep run!

Well, the way things are set up these days you can have an unsuccessful season and still watch some of your best players leave. It's best to just enjoy the wins while you can get them and let the next season take care of itself.

[bballfan03]

Few thoughts:

1) Gannon is really good. Good players (certainly more talented than IUP) and well coached. Prosser has no business being anywhere near the PSAC.

2) Until IUP is more comfortable playing in an uptempo game, they will not threaten Gannon. The snail’s pace stuff isn’t going to cut it.

3) Gannon’s style is tailored for the scholarship discrepancies that exist in the PSAC and MEC. You need more than five or six players on full scholarships to compete when a team is full court trapping and looking to get the game into the 80’s for # of possessions.

Take nothing away from Gannon/West Lib/Nova SE, but if you look how IU Indy has fared this year, you see why the style becomes precarious as you move up a level and teams all have 13-15 players on full scholarships. With Mercyhurst now out of the picture, that’s one less fully funded team in the PSAC West, and it will require savvier talent evaluation and coaching (Danny is the only one who has proven he can do it) to threaten Gannon.

As a Gannon fan, as much as fun as it is to watch build and grow, its also sad/annoying watching players and thinking "hes gone, hes gone, hes gone".

Id have to say its inevitable that Precious, Pace and Sekasi will all go low D1 schools. Id like to think if they made a deep run, the fact theyre only losing 2 seniors, it might lure more to stay... but i doubt it.

Oh well, hoping for a deep run!

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Based on the results of the past week, Joe's now riding the NCAA bubble.

They better win two games next week.

[IUPHawks24]

One thing you have to have to consistently beat a team running the WL-Gannon system is depth, and I think some of the PSAC teams are lacking it at the moment. Even Cal, which is a good squad and actually has taken down Gannon this year, doesn't go very deep, and it's tough to beat an all-out press system playing only 6-7 players. IUP, as some of its followers have noted on this site, seems to be bamboozled by press systems the past couple of years. The only PSAC team that consistently platoons as much as Gannon is East Stroud, and they haven't seemed to have as many horses as usual recently. You're also going to need some good outside shooting and quality play in the backcourt to beat the press and control tempo at times.

I'm not sure how many teams in the PSAC are supporting the full 10 allowed scholarships. Obviously more money would buy more quality depth. Whether other league teams can accumulate the need players will be something to watch.

Few thoughts:

1) Gannon is really good. Good players (certainly more talented than IUP) and well coached. Prosser has no business being anywhere near the PSAC.

2) Until IUP is more comfortable playing in an uptempo game, they will not threaten Gannon. The snail’s pace stuff isn’t going to cut it.

3) Gannon’s style is tailored for the scholarship discrepancies that exist in the PSAC and MEC. You need more than five or six players on full scholarships to compete when a team is full court trapping and looking to get the game into the 80’s for # of possessions.

Take nothing away from Gannon/West Lib/Nova SE, but if you look how IU Indy has fared this year, you see why the style becomes precarious as you move up a level and teams all have 13-15 players on full scholarships. With Mercyhurst now out of the picture, that’s one less fully funded team in the PSAC West, and it will require savvier talent evaluation and coaching (Danny is the only one who has proven he can do it) to threaten Gannon.