Iup basketball

[IUPbigINDIANS]

This has nothing to do with Triggs. Sharp should be seeing less minutes in favor of Pickens and Herring.

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NAME	MPG	PPG	ASSISTS	REBOUNDS	TO	STEALS	3PT
Sarp	27.6	4.7	26	91	22	14	14 for 36
Herring	23.0	7.2	21	94	25	38	10 for 30
Pickens	15.7	3.7	16	14	16	3	5 for 10

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I will note that -- far and away -- the best IUP has played all year was against Clarion. Herring played 30 minutes in that game. IUP held Clarion to 57 points -- 20.7 below its average. Not a coincidence.

This isn't some personal attack. They are just better with him on the floor. It's plain as day. Defensively it's not even close. He's 6'5" (legit) with a huge wingspan, and is one of the fastest on the team. Yes, he does some 'freshman things' on occasion but the good far outweighs the bad.

Damir Brooks hardly played last year. That issue was plain as day to see, too. He's all the sudden averaging near a double-double for the season.

Pickens being the last guard is baffling.

You can't over-think this stuff. Lay your best cards on the table and see what happens. If this team was allowed to play to its actual strength ... who knows what may happen. They may not win every game but they'd be a scary bunch. The one thing this team has an abundance of is speed. Why slow them down (and play a style they don't play very well)? This team isn't in NCAA contention. Let it rip. See what happens. Nothing to lose.

[IUPalum]

Less of an experiment and more of not keeping a consistent 5 on the floor for any meaningful amount of time. As for Sarp, I don’t know. I’m also surprised by the limited minutes Triggs gets, but what do I know?

This has nothing to do with Triggs. Sharp should be seeing less minutes in favor of Pickens and Herring.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

I’ll admit they’ve grown on me, but part of it is the intrigue of the inconsistency. You just never know what you’re going to get. The most exciting part of the season may be the off-season when we see who stays and who doesn’t. IF this group sticks together there’s potential for bigger things. There’s a lot of raw talent, or talent that just needs a little more experience. I’m particularly encouraged by how Grove’s confidence seems to have returned. He very much reminds me of a young Bryce Butler.

I suspect what they'll really work on this offseason with Grove is his inside game. He's big, but they need to get him bulked up some. That's obviously perfectly normal for a true freshman. I think a hard-core season in the weight room will go a long way. He's already a threat outside. Once he's a threat both inside and outside ... then it's really on. He'll have more of a swagger next year. It's hard to really play with confidence/swagger as a true freshman.


This current 8-man rotation ... I think there's only one candidate to not be here next year. That, of course, is Luke Triggs. I hope he stays. I just wonder if he's real happy with his limited minutes. And, with Bautista joining the team next year, those minutes may be even fewer. Triggs is better than the minutes he's getting.

Like we've seen, this team has potential galore. They are just young. You can count on one hand how many true freshmen Joe has played in 19 years -- and this year he's not only playing 3 of them but starting 2 of them (and the third one - Herring - SHOULD be starting).

They've had their moments -- good, bad and everywhere in between. I think this team has actually reinvigorated Joe a bit, too. Truth be told, he's had so much talent the past 10 years I don't think he had to do a whole lot of coaching.

Kymani Merraro can leave Indiana as one of Joe's greats. Ian Herring has an incredibly high ceiling.

Adding Dallis and Bautista to this team next year -- the exact two pieces they are currently missing -- it could be a fun ride. There's certainly a belief around the building next year should get them back in the Region mix. This year, unfortunately, was part of the process.

[EyeoftheHawk]

Rest assured, this isn't anything like those Joe teams.

This season has actually been enjoyable as a fan. Once you accepted this team for what it is, it has been fun to watch.

Just get ready. All the bandwagons will be back next year.

Joe may be pretty powerful come next November.

I’ll admit they’ve grown on me, but part of it is the intrigue of the inconsistency. You just never know what you’re going to get. The most exciting part of the season may be the off-season when we see who stays and who doesn’t. IF this group sticks together there’s potential for bigger things. There’s a lot of raw talent, or talent that just needs a little more experience. I’m particularly encouraged by how Grove’s confidence seems to have returned. He very much reminds me of a young Bryce Butler.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

If this IUP team were like some of Joe's former teams, this would be a great final stretch warmup like when Alabama football schedules Tuscaloosa High School in Week 9.

Rest assured, this isn't anything like those Joe teams.

This season has actually been enjoyable as a fan. Once you accepted this team for what it is, it has been fun to watch.

Just get ready. All the bandwagons will be back next year.

Joe may be pretty powerful come next November.

[Fightingscot82]

Interesting item about PSU-D is that this Harbin player has missed most of the season -- including both the Edinboro and Clarion games. It seems they are still working him back slowly but he's scoring 16.5 ppg in just around 20 mpg.

I'm no scout, but I've seen my share of these players. He's certainly a D2-level player. I wonder how he ended up there. Looks like he started out at Lackawanna.

He's a legit 6'4", athletic, built and has a nice shot. He's also a solid defender.

Should he enter the Portal he'd get a lot of interest. Quickly. I think after last night Joe would be interested.


As for the 'why' IUP played them, PSU-D's HC was Joe's assistant two years ago. He also lives in Indiana. Joe needed a game rather than taking a double bye.

Like I said, it actually turned in to a pretty good practice. That team had a lot more 'zip' than the usual D3 (or whatever they are) group. Joe spoke after the game about having maturity and respecting opponents. I think his team thought it was going to be an off night. Most of these teams come in here and play almost scared. That wasn't the case last night.

If this IUP team were like some of Joe's former teams, this would be a great final stretch warmup like when Alabama football schedules Tuscaloosa High School in Week 9.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

FWIW, only a handful of the Penn State Outlet Store campuses are NCAA D3. These are the only relatively successful ones with over 1,000 students: Abington, Altoona, Behrend/Erie, Berks, Brandywine, and Harrisburg. Everyone else plays the JUCO circuit. Might as well schedule CCAC Boyce.

Interesting item about PSU-D is that this Harbin player has missed most of the season -- including both the Edinboro and Clarion games. It seems they are still working him back slowly but he's scoring 16.5 ppg in just around 20 mpg.

I'm no scout, but I've seen my share of these players. He's certainly a D2-level player. I wonder how he ended up there. Looks like he started out at Lackawanna.

He's a legit 6'4", athletic, built and has a nice shot. He's also a solid defender.

Should he enter the Portal he'd get a lot of interest. Quickly. I think after last night Joe would be interested.


As for the 'why' IUP played them, PSU-D's HC was Joe's assistant two years ago. He also lives in Indiana. Joe needed a game rather than taking a double bye.

Like I said, it actually turned in to a pretty good practice. That team had a lot more 'zip' than the usual D3 (or whatever they are) group. Joe spoke after the game about having maturity and respecting opponents. I think his team thought it was going to be an off night. Most of these teams come in here and play almost scared. That wasn't the case last night.

[tonyc]

Wednesday's game story: https://tonycoccagna.substack.com/p/...-star?r=411ko9.

[EyeoftheHawk]

He didn't experiment at all. What line up changes did he make that were experiments??? Sarp playing the amount he does is a problem! He's no starter or heavy minute player but Joe does both for some dumb reason!

Less of an experiment and more of not keeping a consistent 5 on the floor for any meaningful amount of time. As for Sarp, I don’t know. I’m also surprised by the limited minutes Triggs gets, but what do I know?

[Fightingscot82]

FWIW, only a handful of the Penn State Outlet Store campuses are NCAA D3. These are the only relatively successful ones with over 1,000 students: Abington, Altoona, Behrend/Erie, Berks, Brandywine, and Harrisburg. Everyone else plays the JUCO circuit. Might as well schedule CCAC Boyce.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Some good. Some bad. I think the worst part was IUP was out hustled and outworked all night, including when PSUD got down 24 points. That team was tremendously overmatched in every way but found a way to cut the lead to 7 midway through the second half.

Joe did seem to be experimenting with a lot of different combinations throughout the night and it’s not like the game was ever in doubt, but being almost even on the boards and beaten on the offensive boards by that team is unacceptable. You get that type of thing from young teams though and they’ll learn from it. It kind of got lost in the shuffle but PSUD lost their top two players to injury early in that game. Had they been able to play it might have been a much tighter game down the stretch.

It’s a win. No injuries. IUP is a game over .500, which seems about right for this group.

Normally I don't think that type of game would get more than a comment or two on here but that game left a lot to process.

For starters, that's not a good D3 team. Penn State-Dubois is 9-12, and Edinboro beat them by 57 points earlier this season. As you said, they also lost their two best players to injury in the first half.

What continues to baffle me (and many) is Joe refuses to let this team just run. They built the big lead up last night (24 points) when he let them go for a stretch. Dang-near - without fail - as soon as he slowed them down again, it went from 24 points to 7 points (with 10 minutes to play). To IUP's credit, they fought off the run. PSU-D had all the momentum in the world there when Joe (amazingly) called that timeout.

This particular IUP team just cannot play at his desired turtle speed. They just can't. It's reaching the insanity definition. Different game, same result. Over and over. They don't have the post players. The third guard position is a mess (especially at a slow pace). Sarp is playing way too many minutes. Ian Herring is not geared to play at that pace. He looks like a star when they speed up the tempo. He looks rattled when they slow it down. Alphonso Pickens is not a slow-down player. He's a run-n-gun. Christian Moore and Kymani Merraro both have elite speed.

So, what the team has left this year is all guys geared to play fast. Yet, they are being forced to play like the 2015 team.

As for PSU-D:

* Fantastic game plan. Certainly their coach coming from IUP in the recent past helped. They were very well prepared.
* Their pressure was actual pressure. They ran a good, trapping press.
* They wanted to get physical with IUP. Mission accomplished. On one hand, if those were typical PSAC officials, half their team would have been fouled out by halftime. They weren't, and the game played like a street brawl. IUP isn't an overly physical team this year.
* Anybody else notice that the D3 team had a much deeper rotation than the D2 team?
* If Kyron Harbin (No. 12) enters the Portal for his last year, Joe should jump all over him. He is the exact big, physical guard this current team is lacking. Granted, Dallis will be back next year to fill that role. But, I'd add him anyway.
* PSU-D shot nearly 45% from outside on the night. Every team seems to go bonkers from outside against this IUP team. It's a continuing issue.
* That team didn't quit down 24 points. They showed a lot of fight. They weren't intimidated.


All in all, yes, it's a win. IUP got out of the game healthy. But, that should have never been a 'game' with 9 minutes to play. IUP let off the gas. Hopefully that's a lesson learned. This young IUP team could have thought that was going to be a night off and they'd get to show off for the ladies. PSU-D came to fight.

And, that was way better than a practice leading up to Gannon. IUP got worked out hard last night.

[IUPalum]

Some good. Some bad. I think the worst part was IUP was out hustled and outworked all night, including when PSUD got down 24 points. That team was tremendously overmatched in every way but found a way to cut the lead to 7 midway through the second half.

Joe did seem to be experimenting with a lot of different combinations throughout the night and it’s not like the game was ever in doubt, but being almost even on the boards and beaten on the offensive boards by that team is unacceptable. You get that type of thing from young teams though and they’ll learn from it. It kind of got lost in the shuffle but PSUD lost their top two players to injury early in that game. Had they been able to play it might have been a much tighter game down the stretch.

It’s a win. No injuries. IUP is a game over .500, which seems about right for this group.

He didn't experiment at all. What line up changes did he make that were experiments??? Sarp playing the amount he does is a problem! He's no starter or heavy minute player but Joe does both for some dumb reason!

[EyeoftheHawk]

The good:

Nobody from IUP got hurt


That about concludes the list.

It wasn't pretty. Lot to learn from this game.

Some good. Some bad. I think the worst part was IUP was out hustled and outworked all night, including when PSUD got down 24 points. That team was tremendously overmatched in every way but found a way to cut the lead to 7 midway through the second half.

Joe did seem to be experimenting with a lot of different combinations throughout the night and it’s not like the game was ever in doubt, but being almost even on the boards and beaten on the offensive boards by that team is unacceptable. You get that type of thing from young teams though and they’ll learn from it. It kind of got lost in the shuffle but PSUD lost their top two players to injury early in that game. Had they been able to play it might have been a much tighter game down the stretch.

It’s a win. No injuries. IUP is a game over .500, which seems about right for this group.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

No. 12 from PSU-Dubois would start at the third guard spot for IUP. Without question. He's certainly a D2 player.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

The good:

Nobody from IUP got hurt


That about concludes the list.

It wasn't pretty. Lot to learn from this game.