Iup basketball

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Re: Iup basketball

Hopefully IUP moves back the start time of the Nov. 25 game against The Sciences. It's currently set for 2 p.m. (same day as first football playoff game). For the teams sake, anyway, hopefully they move it back. The KCAC would be pretty empty going up against the football team.

[Chuck Norris]

Re: Iup basketball

Nah, I'm there with you. Something is very much amiss. Why on earth are a guy with "severe" tendinitis (per the Gazette) and a guy who just had a surgical procedure playing 39 minutes? I've never heard of getting banged up guys through the season by running them into the ground in the first few weeks. A lot of things just aren't making sense.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Re: Iup basketball

Two sides of the coin, I suppose. Could they have played a gimme schedule and hid the problems? Perhaps. I guess one positive is they've exposed the issues (some blatantly).

I'm just not as optimistic based on four games. Granted, they've played 3 outstanding teams and one below average team. The Ferris and VA State games, despite the flaws, were there to take in the final 2 minutes. Findlay was just a smackdown and they weren't prepared (an exhibition would have done wonders).

One note about the VA State game: They got VA State's best (and biggest) player (Richard Granberry) in foul trouble immediately. He only played 13 minutes the entire game. The coach stashed him for the final 10 minutes and it worked brilliantly for them. IUP couldn't take advantage of it. That's alarming.

VA State did a great job taking away the three. IUP shot 5-22 and earned all five they got. Everyone was contested hard-core. So, the question that kept me up Saturday night: If you get a teams best (post) player off the floor and you know they are just not giving you the three ... how did IUP just not change the offense and pound the ball inside?

IUP was also completely gassed with 10 minutes left.

Glover played 35 minutes
Cobo - 39 minutes
Blake - 37 minutes
Dante - 39 minutes

Willem gets 9 minutes and only had 1 personal foul? Jaylen Vaughn gets 1 minute?

Geez oh man. Is this now Norman Dale coaching Hickory? You can't play against an athletic team using 9-10 players with 4 guys never coming off the floor. You just aren't going to win. This is the same team that said there wasn't enough minutes to justify playing Dom Keyes this year?


I hate to do this ... and haven't in a long time (Chuck Norris: don't jump me) but the big guy lost that game Saturday night. The players fought to the end but just ran out of gas. Joe got out-coached. With Willem and Vaughns riding the pine with exhausted players ... there are some major trust issues at play.

History shows 8 losses will 'usually' get you to the dance. Nine ... depends on the year. Ten ... you're really playing with fire. That's three already by Nov. 11. I can't believe we're having this discussion already.

Next 3 games: Lock Haven and Amir Hinton. Bloomsburg and Larry Bird. Trip to Bowie.

This is the biggest three-game stretch in a long time. Not one of them will be easy, either.

[IUsuallyPonder]

Re: Iup basketball

That was a tough game to watch... Clearly there is talent, but putting it together is the issue...
I won't count this team out, there's a whole season left to grow and develop. All I can say is if it's to mean anything, it better happen sooner rather than later.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Re: Iup basketball

I will say there is talent on that roster. It's not being used correctly. This 1-3 start falls on the big guy. That was just a huge loss last night.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Re: Iup basketball

Maybe they'll get a split next weekend.

Amir Hinton will have a field day on Saturday. Not sure what else Lock Haven has. Christian Moretelite will hit about 10 uncontested treys on Sunday.

Hoping for a split against Lock Haven and Bloomsburg .... says a lot.

Vaughns is one of the best athletes on the team. VA State had speed everywhere. One minute is baffling. Willem was actually OK last night and had a massive defensive play. He's in the dog house for something.

There are so many things you could question from last night. Not worth it.

This team will beat the Urbana types and perhaps compete for the West. Perhaps. Pending something miraculous happens this isn't a regional team. As of now ... Not even close.

After seeing 4 games ... I'd predict something around 17-13 or 18-12.

Joe's last slow starting team had Brandon Norfleet. This one does not. This is a real mess right now. Lineups and rotations need addressed immediately.

This group has now also lost its last 4 home games against top teams (Ship twice, Fairmont and Va State).

Re: Iup basketball

I'll just leave a few thoughts here...

1) Vaughns plays 1 minute? WOW!
2) Willem 9 minutes? That kid hasn't shown me anything!
3) Blake plays way to many minutes. He's not that good.
4) This team forces way to many three point shots, probably because the bigs aren't good.
5) Man to man defense is awful!
6) Team speed is below average.

This is not the team I thought it could be. Not even close.

Very good analysis. Solution is to change the starting 5.

[IUPalum]

Re: Iup basketball

I'll just leave a few thoughts here...

1) Vaughns plays 1 minute? WOW!
2) Willem 9 minutes? That kid hasn't shown me anything!
3) Blake plays way to many minutes. He's not that good.
4) This team forces way to many three point shots, probably because the bigs aren't good.
5) Man to man defense is awful!
6) Team speed is below average.

This is not the team I thought it could be. Not even close.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Re: Iup basketball

Have a lot of thoughts and comments on this team. Gonna just keep them to myself.

From what I've seen in four games .... this will be a competitive PSAC West team. Nothing more. Shippensburg would kill them right now.

I'd love to know why Willem sat the final 10 minutes of the game. I'd love to know why Indiana High School could defend the low post and three point line better.

I'd love to know why the most inept interior defensive team at IUP in 20 years redshirted their 6'8" defensive specialist. I'd love to know why no matter who comes in here they shoot the lights out from deep against Joe teams.

They got some bad breaks tonight. Cobo missed about 400 layups. The trey wasn't falling. But come on. Nice crowd. Saturday night. And that .... ??????

Joe doesn't need to buy a guard on Craig's List. The team needs to get tough. That's what it's missing. Right now that's a soft, soft team.

Right now the 2015 title game team would beat this team by 25 points. Maybe more.

Devante would have whipped these guys a$$es for playing like this. Different time I suppose.

It's disappointing.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Re: Iup basketball

Congrats to Va State

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Re: Iup basketball

Just awful. Joe 1-3.

More later. Disgusted.

Re: Iup basketball

Edinboro looks like it could be the biggest problem for iup women. They beat highly ranked Virginia union team in a game that was never really close.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Re: Iup basketball

Tom 1-0 ... won by 30 against West Va. Wes.

[IUPalum]

Re: Iup basketball

They shot good from three last night stat wise but Hutton needs to put that brick ball away!!! He kills them offensively!!! Vaughns will be good and Malik is a spark plug, he's a quick bursts type of player but I don't see him playing long stints. Daunte playing last night was shocking, they could've won without him. Got to make sure he's healthy for the long run. Tonight should be a good one and almost a must win for IUP!

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Re: Iup basketball

I was actually pleasantly surprised with drawing 1,500 last night. A huge number of Joe fans are also football fans and most went to West Chester yesterday. Being the football game won't end until after 3pm today and is 5-6 hours away tonight will be similar I'd assume.

The frat thing ... They do that every year. As soon as musical chairs is over at halftime they all leave.

The Dante story changed as the week went along. Initially the Gazette reported he had surgery on Monday. On Friday Joe said in his radio show he had the knee cleaned up but not surgery. He looked pretty mobile last night and played more than I expected.

Urbana played a much better second half. They were pretty shell shocked in that first half. As a team they did way too much internal bickering with each other.

I was pretty impressed with UPJ. Bob does a great job there finding under the radar players. Talent-wise Va State was vastly superior but UPJ just finds ways to hang around.

It's going to be a good one tonight.

IUP hit 15 of 29 treys last night. Let's hope that carries over.

Jalen Vaughns stat line ... 13 points and 8 boards in 13 minutes. His tune up games are going to end soon. He'll be getting heavy minutes soon. Man, is he athletic. Joe is easing him in for now.

My only complaint last night was with Malik. Joe Gets too trigger happy with pulling him after any mistake. He's the future. I'd like to let him play through the mistakes.