Iup basketball

[IUP24]

My personal opinion (having watched every game):

Their offense wasn't a 'team' offense. It was too geared around certain individuals. So much so, in fact, well, let's just say it was pretty predictable.

Dallis Dillard and Jaylen Stewart should have had WAY bigger roles. Your best deep shooter (Stewart) on the team (on a severely struggling shooting team) was never given any shots. Dallis can really drive the hoop and also shoot from outside (on a severely struggling shooting team) was never given any shots. Your unstoppable SF who is going to have every mid-major in the country calling him today, was essentially fed scraps. Kyle Polce, who can really sling it from deep, well, he had a front row seat in the second half.

Lot of tools on the work bench didn't get used. Put it that way.

I can't complain about Joe - results speak for themselves - but I agree regarding the bench usage. I often times feel he gets too attached to certain players, and wants to let only those horses run. He seems to eager to not want to play someone, whether it performance, a mistake, or attitude/behavior. They could have gone a strong 8-9 deep, but they never really did.

In my opinion, he was too enamored with the Shawndale Jones comeback story. Jones' performance in that Regional Final was putrid, but he kept throwing up ridiculous running layups and trying to back guys down in the low post. I said to myself with the game in hand and 6 minutes to play that he needed to get Jones off the court.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

When I was on campus, Marcel Souberbielle was the big man on campus. The ladies loved him.

I'm curious to know more about that. Is this essentially saying that many players believed his style or approach was why they struggled so mightily on offense the last two months?

My personal opinion (having watched every game):

Their offense wasn't a 'team' offense. It was too geared around certain individuals. So much so, in fact, well, let's just say it was pretty predictable.

Dallis Dillard and Jaylen Stewart should have had WAY bigger roles. Your best deep shooter (Stewart) on the team (on a severely struggling shooting team) was never given any shots. Dallis can really drive the hoop and also shoot from outside (on a severely struggling shooting team) was never given any shots. Your unstoppable SF who is going to have every mid-major in the country calling him today, was essentially fed scraps. Kyle Polce, who can really sling it from deep, well, he had a front row seat in the second half.

Lot of tools on the work bench didn't get used. Put it that way.

[IUP24]

This discussion is the the classic double-edged sword. Most will argue Joe went 32-2, won a 4th straight PSAC Title, won the West for the 300th time in a row and made the Sweet 16.

However, you can point to some glaring flaws in Lombardi's season this year. Was simply making the Sweet 16 really the end goal for a team of this alleged pedigree? I don't think so.

* The whole building, town and opposing teams knew they couldn't hit the side of a barn from outside since early January. It was night after night of box scores reading 5 for 28 from outside or 6 for 33. Yet, he had them just keep chucking. His long belief is outside shooting is the law of averages. Sooner or later things will click. After 8-9 weeks of watching shot after shot clang off the bucket, they needed to change their attack. They never did.

* It's hard to argue the final record standing by itself. But, there's no question a lot of luck went in to that -- especially in late Jan and most of February. Remember, this is the same team that was in severe dog fights -- late in games -- against Clarion, Edinboro and Gannon. They got bailed out at Clarion. Interpret that as you may. They survived at California after blowing a massive halftime lead. They easily could have lost to both ESU and Mercyhurst out at Shippensburg -- and probably should have lost to Winston-Salem. UPJ almost swept them instead of getting swept. They kept winning. No doubt. But should the then-No. 1 team in the country really be scraping by Edinboro, Clarion and Gannon?

* IUP went from lighting up scoreboards in the first half the season to struggling to reach 68 points. The highest IUP scored in its final 5 games was just 67 points.

* The night they lost at Mercyhurst and the lineup he elected to play that evening? Good Lord.

* Some claim his team was physically worn out down the stretch. Perhaps. But ... why was it physically worn out? In the past, Joe's teams never had depth. He had depth this year -- lots of it -- and chose not to use it. Kyle Polce was put in to witness protection in late January. Jaheim Bethea went from the deep rotation to hanging with the local tokens at the end of the bench. Ousmane Diop might as well have quit in November.

* The offense morphed in to some mix of AAU meets playground meets NBA hybrid. There was no flow to it nor any continuity. It was 'good enough' (mostly because their defense was so good) until they finally met a team they really had to score a lot against to beat. West Liberty was the one team all year that could line up with them and was also much deeper than them (again, see above on IUP's perceived lack of depth). IUP had a lot of bad nights in the second half of the season that were simply masked because they had superior talent than nearly every team they played. They won some real ugly basketball games down the stretch.

* Joe refused to let his team attack the basket in transition in the WL loss -- rather electing to force a team in a prolonged, severe shooting slump to set up its offense. That formula worked in 2014-15 but that team had snipers and scorers everywhere. This team, largely due to its 'version' of an offense, did not. This team would have been far better off playing in transition every time the opportunity existed. The end result was getting blown out and embarrassed, at home, in the regional final.

* Why did IUP's offense -- known for the past 10-15 years for being so fluid and structured -- turn in to playground ball? Why was Tomiwa's role just be a garbage man rather than having actual sets run for him?


It was a fun season. No denying. The ending, unfortunately, will always leave a sour taste when remembering this team. It wasn't the loss. Every team but one loses its last game of the season. How they lost ... why they lost ... is what will leave the sour taste.

The only people who refuse to acknowledge IUP's well-documented offensive woes are a select few West Liberty fans. Which is comical considering they only lose when they "shoot bad."

I will say, I think Tomiwa was significantly underused all season. Say what you want about anybody on the team, he was their best player. And I'm not sure it was close in that regard. It does baffle me though that this team never even tried to find something - anything - in transition against West Liberty. Largely, they didn't do that in most of the 2nd half of the season either. I don't think you should attempt to run with a team like West Liberty. The pace and scoring output from WL was where it needed to be to beat them, but as you mentioned, they struggled to put up 68 points in the 2nd half most nights.

Defense is great. But scoring the basketball is ultimately what wins basketball games, or any sport for that matter.

[IUP24]

Tomiwa is the biggest celebrity on this campus in the past 20 years.

A 6'6", ripped up star basketball player with a British accent. That dude has women following him around 24 hours a day on that campus.

He and Lombardi may have butted heads a little bit. I'll leave it at that. Although, I didn't think it was to to point he'd leave over it (just for that reason).

Joe also coached the Regional Final as if he was terrified and word is not only were many players' parents furious with him but also many players vehemently did not agree with his strategy.

So, it could be a combination of a lot of things.

When I was on campus, Marcel Souberbielle was the big man on campus. The ladies loved him.

I'm curious to know more about that. Is this essentially saying that many players believed his style or approach was why they struggled so mightily on offense the last two months?

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Interesting. As someone who is just a fan with below average basketball knowledge and zero inside info on the program, I thought something definitely seemed off about that whole night for sure.

This discussion is the the classic double-edged sword. Most will argue Joe went 32-2, won a 4th straight PSAC Title, won the West for the 300th time in a row and made the Sweet 16.

However, you can point to some glaring flaws in Lombardi's season this year. Was simply making the Sweet 16 really the end goal for a team of this alleged pedigree? I don't think so.

* The whole building, town and opposing teams knew they couldn't hit the side of a barn from outside since early January. It was night after night of box scores reading 5 for 28 from outside or 6 for 33. Yet, he had them just keep chucking. His long belief is outside shooting is the law of averages. Sooner or later things will click. After 8-9 weeks of watching shot after shot clang off the bucket, they needed to change their attack. They never did.

* It's hard to argue the final record standing by itself. But, there's no question a lot of luck went in to that -- especially in late Jan and most of February. Remember, this is the same team that was in severe dog fights -- late in games -- against Clarion, Edinboro and Gannon. They got bailed out at Clarion. Interpret that as you may. They survived at California after blowing a massive halftime lead. They easily could have lost to both ESU and Mercyhurst out at Shippensburg -- and probably should have lost to Winston-Salem. UPJ almost swept them instead of getting swept. They kept winning. No doubt. But should the then-No. 1 team in the country really be scraping by Edinboro, Clarion and Gannon?

* IUP went from lighting up scoreboards in the first half the season to struggling to reach 68 points. The highest IUP scored in its final 5 games was just 67 points.

* The night they lost at Mercyhurst and the lineup he elected to play that evening? Good Lord.

* Some claim his team was physically worn out down the stretch. Perhaps. But ... why was it physically worn out? In the past, Joe's teams never had depth. He had depth this year -- lots of it -- and chose not to use it. Kyle Polce was put in to witness protection in late January. Jaheim Bethea went from the deep rotation to hanging with the local tokens at the end of the bench. Ousmane Diop might as well have quit in November.

* The offense morphed in to some mix of AAU meets playground meets NBA hybrid. There was no flow to it nor any continuity. It was 'good enough' (mostly because their defense was so good) until they finally met a team they really had to score a lot against to beat. West Liberty was the one team all year that could line up with them and was also much deeper than them (again, see above on IUP's perceived lack of depth). IUP had a lot of bad nights in the second half of the season that were simply masked because they had superior talent than nearly every team they played. They won some real ugly basketball games down the stretch.

* Joe refused to let his team attack the basket in transition in the WL loss -- rather electing to force a team in a prolonged, severe shooting slump to set up its offense. That formula worked in 2014-15 but that team had snipers and scorers everywhere. This team, largely due to its 'version' of an offense, did not. This team would have been far better off playing in transition every time the opportunity existed. The end result was getting blown out and embarrassed, at home, in the regional final.

* Why did IUP's offense -- known for the past 10-15 years for being so fluid and structured -- turn in to playground ball? Why was Tomiwa's role just be a garbage man rather than having actual sets run for him?


It was a fun season. No denying. The ending, unfortunately, will always leave a sour taste when remembering this team. It wasn't the loss. Every team but one loses its last game of the season. How they lost ... why they lost ... is what will leave the sour taste.

[IUPalum]

Tomiwa is the biggest celebrity on this campus in the past 20 years.

A 6'6", ripped up star basketball player with a British accent. That dude has women following him around 24 hours a day on that campus.

He and Lombardi may have butted heads a little bit. I'll leave it at that. Although, I didn't think it was to to point he'd leave over it (just for that reason).

Joe also coached the Regional Final as if he was terrified and word is not only were many players' parents furious with him but also many players vehemently did not agree with his strategy.

So, it could be a combination of a lot of things.

I always say this, winning covers up a lot of issues.

Joe has won a lot at IUP including national runner up, final fours, etc. We have to remember that no person is perfect. Whether his game plan was right or not against WL, we'll never know. BUT 32-2 is a great season. You can't let one bad game tell the tale of the tape. That West Liberty team is good and hot at the right time. Anyone that is calling for Joe's head is an idiot.

Now on to Tomiwa... in the new era of college basketball, I hate the fact that he's testing the waters but it is the new age of college basketball. I can't say I agree with all this new NIL garage and transfer portal garbage but it is what it is. He's got that option to see what he can get. I truly hope he decides to stay. That kid is a force on the D2 level.

[Chuck Norris]

Tomiwa is the biggest celebrity on this campus in the past 20 years.

A 6'6", ripped up star basketball player with a British accent. That dude has women following him around 24 hours a day on that campus.

He and Lombardi may have butted heads a little bit. I'll leave it at that. Although, I didn't think it was to to point he'd leave over it (just for that reason).

Joe also coached the Regional Final as if he was terrified and word is not only were many players' parents furious with him but also many players vehemently did not agree with his strategy.

So, it could be a combination of a lot of things.

Interesting. As someone who is just a fan with below average basketball knowledge and zero inside info on the program, I thought something definitely seemed off about that whole night for sure.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

I don't know why it was inevitable. I had heard he absolutely loved IUP and had no intentions of leaving. So did somebody come in with a bag?

I was critical of Porterfield some this year, but boy, it sure worked out to IUP's benefit that he was not healthy. Because they'd be losing both of them likely.

Tomiwa is the biggest celebrity on this campus in the past 20 years.

A 6'6", ripped up star basketball player with a British accent. That dude has women following him around 24 hours a day on that campus.

He and Lombardi may have butted heads a little bit. I'll leave it at that. Although, I didn't think it was to to point he'd leave over it (just for that reason).

Joe also coached the Regional Final as if he was terrified and word is not only were many players' parents furious with him but also many players vehemently did not agree with his strategy.

So, it could be a combination of a lot of things.

[Chuck Norris]

These are the current big name suitors: Towson, Bryant, Robert Morris and Chattanooga.

it’s been one day. I don’t think he’ll end up at a power 6, but I could see a decent Atlantic 10 program making a pitch, something along that level

[IUPbigINDIANS]

These are the current big name suitors: Towson, Bryant, Robert Morris and Chattanooga.

I'd rather go to the University of Clymer than attend Robert Morris.

Just remember ... Not all who enter the portal actually leave.



Granted, I too think he's going to attract some more high-profile names than he got in the first half hour yesterday. At best, decent mid-majors. Duke and UNC aren't going to come calling.

[IUPalum]

Maybe I should’ve said it felt inevitable to me. With his body, skill set, and potential he was going to get a lot of attention. This is just where we are with college sports. I don’t know anything about him personally, but it was always hard for me to imagine he would stay.

With two years left, I think he could have some pretty big name suitors. I’ll be very surprised if he ends up somewhere like Buffalo.

These are the current big name suitors: Towson, Bryant, Robert Morris and Chattanooga.

[Chuck Norris]

I don't know why it was inevitable. I had heard he absolutely loved IUP and had no intentions of leaving. So did somebody come in with a bag?

I was critical of Porterfield some this year, but boy, it sure worked out to IUP's benefit that he was not healthy. Because they'd be losing both of them likely.

Maybe I should’ve said it felt inevitable to me. With his body, skill set, and potential he was going to get a lot of attention. This is just where we are with college sports. I don’t know anything about him personally, but it was always hard for me to imagine he would stay.

With two years left, I think he could have some pretty big name suitors. I’ll be very surprised if he ends up somewhere like Buffalo.

[IUP24]

Tomiwa leaving was inevitable. Four years was never gonna happen. Three would’ve been nice, but oh well. Don’t get emotionally attached to the really good players.

I don't know why it was inevitable. I had heard he absolutely loved IUP and had no intentions of leaving. So did somebody come in with a bag?

I was critical of Porterfield some this year, but boy, it sure worked out to IUP's benefit that he was not healthy. Because they'd be losing both of them likely.

[IUP24]

Good point. But I’d be shocked if he’s playing in the KCAC next year.

My larger point is that Pandora’s box is now open. It’s not just the grad transfer situation (which I actually understand, and will phase out after next year once all the extra year COVID players exhaust their eligibility). Without the one year sit out, Division II turns into a farm system. And I think more people are waking up to how good the players are at this level as well. Tomiwa is a bit of a unicorn, but it wouldn’t shock me if he commanded NIL money somewhere. Division II can’t compete with that.

Broader discussion, but college sports as we once knew them are over. Not necessarily even talking about NIL. Christian McCaffery started the "opt out" trend for bowl games, which I don't necessarily care about. But then one of the Bosa brothers opted out of nearly the entire college season from a nagging injury in like 2018 or 2019. Then you saw the 2020 opt outs. And things have just effectively gotten worse from there.

I've long been against the proposed by many "pay for play" model. That said, I wonder if we ever reach this point if the NCAA had just agreed to universally pay players like 20k a year. Would that have ended it? Maybe, maybe not.

It's hard to understand what's important to the college player, in any sport, today. To IUPBigIndians' point, IUP is a national brand at the D2 level. They play in a D1 facility. They average over 2,000 fans a game. I have no idea who his suitors will be, but if ends up at a place like Buffalo (and I understand why Foster landed there), it's hard to convince me that he's in a better spot overall.

[IUP24]

Unfortunately you are correct. Armoni and Alston started this fad last year (within the PSAC) and I'm sure it will get much worse.

I'm sure that's why Bradley and Ajayi left Mercyhurst, too. Tabe is going from SH to some mid-major.

I'd surely assume these are also Bryce Butler's last game(s) at West Liberty.

I was BLASTED for this last year. I said that, although I understood that Foster's situation was unique, it only took one to break the culture at IUP. And Foster was that one. Historically, Joe does a masterful job at keeping rosters intact and having a very low exit rate out of the program. I'm not saying this was never going to happen. But the program took a full year hiatus and did not lose a single player. And now they're likely going to lose 1-2 every year. Somebody had to be first, and now that door within the program is wide open.