Iup basketball

[IUPbigINDIANS]

If Joe wants to win this game Herring better play 30+

Rock's guards are way too big and fast for Joe's normal lineup.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

For you degenerates out there, the men's line today is:

SRU -5.5

Over-Under, combined points, 144.5

Over-Under IUP 69.5 points

[IUPbigINDIANS]

UPJ and Clarion both lost last night.

IUP is now tied with Seton Hill (both 7-10 conference records). However, IUP swept the Griffins this year.


Looking ahead at what remains for the current bubble teams:

IUP - SRU, Cal, at Clarion

UPJ - Gannon, at Seton Hill,

Seton Hill - at Edinboro, UPJ, at Gannon

Clarion - IUP



Based on the schedule ... it's still hard to predict anything. This league is so jacked up this year.

IUP has SRU and Cal, but both games are in the KCAC. The finale, at Clarion, is a wild card. Clarion will likely be eliminated. So, we'll see how interested they are ... last year they had a player skip the last game to go on Spring Break. Not joking. So, we'll see. Joe has to be looking at 2-1.

UPJ has a tough path. Winning in Erie will be very difficult. Playing in Greensburg isn't easy, either. Seton Hill's zone complicates a lot of the UPJ offense. That could literally be a play-in game, which means the McKenna Center will be humming.

Seton Hill - The Griffins also have a tough finish. They'll be underdogs in McComb and at Gannon. Keep in mind they did beat Gannon this year in Greensburg.

[EyeoftheHawk]

Freeman was so much fun to watch. He was a great all-around player but what I remember most were his thunderous dunks. He had a knack for getting them in big moments too and would bring down the fieldhouse when he did.

RIP Derrick. :(

[Chuck Norris]

I also want to share this, in case anyone didn't know: https://tonycoccagna.substack.com/p/...eeman?r=411ko9

Oh man, that is terrible news. To me, the 94-95 team is still the best in school history and Derrick and Darryl Webb are the best players I’ve personally ever seen at IUP. I was a teenager during that 93-96 run that put IUP basketball on the national map and have a lot of great memories of games in the Field House, especially against Cal, where the place got crazy in a way that the KCAC, for all it’s great amenities, just can’t match.

Rest in peace, Derrick.

[tonyc]

I also want to share this, in case anyone didn't know: https://tonycoccagna.substack.com/p/...eeman?r=411ko9

[tonyc]

Wednesday's IUP-Seton Hill game story: https://open.substack.com/pub/tonyco...meOnShare=true

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Crazy call at the end of the IUP game. It went in Joe's favor. Ben Wilkins may still be in the McKenna Center screaming.

That said, the Griffins got two freebies when Sarp was knocked into Row G two different times with no calls.

Always an adventure down there.

Little payback opportunity up next. Hopefully this team can string something together.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Big win !

Not dead yet

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Minus two blown coverages that resulted in gimme treys, IUP played pretty well in first half. They seemed to crack the zone the last 10 minutes.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

On my phone it looks perfectly fine, but on the app on my tv the dimensions of the court are backwards, like they’re playing on a very short but extremely wide floor. Trippy.

The feed on the app sucks.

Watch it on Westmoreland Sports Network.

[Chuck Norris]

On my phone it looks perfectly fine, but on the app on my tv the dimensions of the court are backwards, like they’re playing on a very short but extremely wide floor. Trippy.

[Chuck Norris]

Am I on drugs or is this the weirdest looking video feed ever?

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Great speech! The piece I always forget is the Garvin Clarke walk away.

Well, this team is in the coffin. But, it isn't closed just yet.

It may be by 10 p.m.

We'll see.

Put up or shut up time.

[IUPalum]

The ending of a long era is rarely simple. We aren't at the 'end' yet, but, well, the train is heading for the station.

The odd item here, of course, is the program went from elite to Captain Smith hitting the iceberg -- and, did so very quickly. Some of it was due to terrible (and, I mean terrible) luck. Some of it was due to extremely illogical decisions. Combine the two, and, well, this is where we are.

Two years ago at this time Joe was on the verge of winning his fourth straight PSAC title. For several weeks that season, IUP was ranked No. 1 in the country -- an incredible accomplishment.

Now, 24 months later, he's running arguably the worst (and by far the youngest) team in the PSAC West. Granted, the difference between 2nd and 8th in this version of the West is usually which team hits a couple more foul shots. It's just not IUP down this season. The entire PSAC, with 2-3 exceptions, is pretty average. Some call it parity. Some say the whole league stinks. Gannon, for example, is the perceived top team in the PSAC right now -- and has been blown out in three non-conference losses.

Regardless, Joe hasn't helped himself much. Tomiwa left and was never replaced. He almost came back a year later, left Joe at the altar, then again wasn't replaced. The KJ charade was epic (and not in a good way). Damir Brooks didn't start last year but instead a converted 6'3" guard did. Dallis blew out his knee. Garvin Clarke left early to play professionally. Bautista Rodriguez was ruled ineligible due to a recruiting violation. Sarp is starting over Ian Herring. Denzel Kasabele was injured in his first camp and never played a second at IUP. Jordan Watson was a JUCO star PG who is so far down the IUP bench he might as well be in Section 113. Luke Triggs came in from Mercyhurst and is a gold card member at Joe Island Hotel & Resort (Siberia). Alphonso Pickens was hurt in camp, missed the first month and likely still isn't anywhere near 100 percent. Attendance has tanked. Joe's assistants, once a staple of the program, are all in the one-and-done program and/or the basketball version of witness protection.

A lot of players on a lot of current PSAC and CIAA teams wanted to play at IUP. This isn't hearsay. They were largely ignored. A couple of them just smoked Joe when Edinboro was in town. Two of them are at Virginia State having strong seasons.

The rest of the West got new (and younger) coaches. Younger coaches are doing better in the Portal World. They are hungrier. The days of "West Ball" being your best 6.5 vs their best 6.5 are long gone. Joe's routinely running in to teams with 10-man (or more) rotations. The West is no longer Wrestlemania. His last several teams have been (physically) toasted by late February due to his best players playing upward of 35 mpg.

One way or another, this season is almost (thankfully) over. Hopefully, the two-year run of misery goes with it. They have a chance to bounce back in a hurry. Joe has (7) strong players in the mix - already here - for next season. He still needs a couple more. The nice thing is he doesn't need to find 'stars' for 2025-26, but rather a couple effective role players to fill certain needs.

Providing those (7) are all back (I'd actually bet money on them returning), I think he'll add a bruiser forward and also a Bryce Radford-type guard.

Perhaps the logic was he didn't want mercenary rentals for a year (to maybe go 17-13 again), but rather wanted to gear up for one last push. That's the positive spin, anyway.

His three (true) freshmen are special. I think he'll have said trio for at least one more season. Adding Dallis and Bautista will make everything and everybody much better. Christian Moore will thrive with Dallis absorbing a lot of the heat he's receiving this season. Bautista will draw so much attention Tyler Grove will sit on an island to launch treys. Trust me, they are going to be a difficult team to play next November. The growing pains will be gone, and the current glaring weaknesses dramatically upgraded.

The question is ... does Joe have one last run in him? One last run when he's playing to win -- and none of the past two years' charades are anywhere near the program. We'll find out soon enough. If not, I'd guess retirement is nearing.

Great speech! The piece I always forget is the Garvin Clarke walk away.