Iup basketball

[IUPbigINDIANS]

I no longer comment on Joe's team. After last night, that's a good thing. But, last night made me sick.


Imagine a team having its star take deliberate cheap shot after cheap shot all night ... and his team didn't retaliate.

That's what happened last night. Kymani was turned into a Ping-Pong ball. I'll be shocked if he plays today. And, if he doesn't, well, it won't be pretty.

I'll give full credit to West Chester and its head coach. The game plan was to clearly turn that game into a street brawl and it worked. With a different crew, it wouldn't have, but it did last night.



I would guess in that quiet locker room last night Joe used the word "toughness" about 75 times. I sure hope he did, anyway, because they got physically mauled last night.

Anybody notice when the game changed? I did. As soon as West Chester started pressing. IUP's press break is entirely too slow and ineffective. Watch the film. Joe literally tee's it up for the pressing team.

[EyeoftheHawk]

I left after the women’s game but did catch some of the men’s online. The men’s team has just failed to catch my interest in recent years for a variety of reasons, but I do plan to stay today. As was pointed out, it looked like a game that was allowed to get way too physical, and IUP isn’t a team that can play that game like they could a few years ago. That appeared to be West Chester’s strategy and the officiating crew let it happen, hence the result. IUP lacks toughness and I think Tony alluded to that a few times during the broadcast.

IUP still had plenty of chances. They were atrocious from the foul line in the second half and while the refs did let it get out of hand at times, they did call 29 fouls on West Chester. IUP also played poor defense (giving up almost 54%), especially down the stretch when they needed stops. It seemed like West Chester got to every loose ball. Obviously another key factor was Dillard playing with foul trouble all night, which is another topic in itself.

[IUPalum]

Just curious.. anyone know what Alfonso Pickens is up to?

Funny question... I've tried getting info and radio silence. I know he graduated in December but there has to be more to this story. No way Joe keeps him on the roster as player 10 knowing he'd only play till finals. He suited up for the first four games then wasn't even on the bench after that. Finals were over then, poof, off the roster.

[bballfan03]

Just curious.. anyone know what Alfonso Pickens is up to?

[IUPalum]

A lot to digest in that crap show today. All I'll say for now is that wasn't basketball. That West Chester coach is a joke. All he coached was for his players to come out and goon it up! How many times is Ky going to get tackled without the player making a play on the ball??? That ref crew could've put a stop to the goon fest if they would've call an intentional foul or something. Wishful thinking with that hack crew of official. I hope IUP doesn't get them again tomorrow.

[EyeoftheHawk]

The KCAC was humming this past weekend.

Yes, this past weekend -- while the usual residents were across the state.

Indiana High School, sponsored by Mark Arbuckle Nissan, played a boys/girls doubleheader.

The "Road to the KCAC" Heritage Conference Championship is almost always the best atmosphere of the season in there ... but this wasn't all that far behind.

IHS has a budding superstar in Aaron Webb. Webb is a 6'8", do-it-all Junior -- who recently picked up an offer to play at Penn State (main). He will soon be flooded in major D1 offers. He's the show -- and the whole WPIAL knows it. He routinely is getting double and even triple teams. It didn't matter Saturday. Dubois had no chance against him.

I'm sure the local college coach can dream, but Webb is probably never playing another game at the KCAC. He put up 40 against Dubois -- including a few dunks that would even excite Damir Brooks. He also drained some NBA three-pointers. At the high school level, he can play all five positions.

Webb's brother Darius will likely be a D1 defensive lineman. Also a Junior, he's currently at about 6'5" and 250 lbs (and growing). He's athletic and not easy to move on a high school basketball court (or football field).

Indiana High also had a fantastic PA announcer -- loud but not over the top, energetic, enthusiastic, etc.

Both teams were also introduced with the fancy light show. The players eat it up. It adds to the atmosphere. The crowd loves it. I only wish the IUP men's team would be allowed to use it. It is a state of the art arena lighting system, yet the IUP men's team won't use it during introductions. I guess Joe prefers the "put the crowd to sleep" intro instead.


Indiana High put on a great show. It was so good, in fact, it was like a tease for what the KCAC could be like on IUP gamedays. The typical atmosphere as of late for Joe's games has been, well, not good.

This is a college basketball team. IUP has a phenomenal arena -- lighting, sound system, huge video board, etc. However, I think you know where this is going. You can't treat the game like it's being played in the Field House. Use the bells and whistles. Players want them. Students want them. Play college music. Use the fancy lights.

It's maddening. Get the energy going. It's needs spice. Attendance has been terrible the past 2.5 years -- and continuing to decline. They want students to actually show up and get engaged? Get the place bumping.

It's like owning a Ferrari and keeping it under 35 mph.

One time ... when IUP forces the other team to call a timeout ... I'd love to have some lively music que'd up, etc. (like all D1 teams do). It's these little things that the KCAC is capable of doing but doesn't. These are the things that engage the crowd. Not dead silence.

IUP has never gotten this right. Ever! Local high schools pull off an entertaining game experience in their own gyms and football stadiums way better than IUP. Your music comment is interesting. I like the music, but I’m 30 years out of college, LOL. If I like it you can bet the students don’t. They had a modern playlist for the women’s Education Day game and the kids loved it. It was the loudest the building will probably be all year and it was the IUP women vs Chatham.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

The KCAC was humming this past weekend.

Yes, this past weekend -- while the usual residents were across the state.

Indiana High School, sponsored by Mark Arbuckle Nissan, played a boys/girls doubleheader.

The "Road to the KCAC" Heritage Conference Championship is almost always the best atmosphere of the season in there ... but this wasn't all that far behind.

IHS has a budding superstar in Aaron Webb. Webb is a 6'8", do-it-all Junior -- who recently picked up an offer to play at Penn State (main). He will soon be flooded in major D1 offers. He's the show -- and the whole WPIAL knows it. He routinely is getting double and even triple teams. It didn't matter Saturday. Dubois had no chance against him.

I'm sure the local college coach can dream, but Webb is probably never playing another game at the KCAC. He put up 40 against Dubois -- including a few dunks that would even excite Damir Brooks. He also drained some NBA three-pointers. At the high school level, he can play all five positions.

Webb's brother Darius will likely be a D1 defensive lineman. Also a Junior, he's currently at about 6'5" and 250 lbs (and growing). He's athletic and not easy to move on a high school basketball court (or football field).

Indiana High also had a fantastic PA announcer -- loud but not over the top, energetic, enthusiastic, etc.

Both teams were also introduced with the fancy light show. The players eat it up. It adds to the atmosphere. The crowd loves it. I only wish the IUP men's team would be allowed to use it. It is a state of the art arena lighting system, yet the IUP men's team won't use it during introductions. I guess Joe prefers the "put the crowd to sleep" intro instead.


Indiana High put on a great show. It was so good, in fact, it was like a tease for what the KCAC could be like on IUP gamedays. The typical atmosphere as of late for Joe's games has been, well, not good.

This is a college basketball team. IUP has a phenomenal arena -- lighting, sound system, huge video board, etc. However, I think you know where this is going. You can't treat the game like it's being played in the Field House. Use the bells and whistles. Players want them. Students want them. Play college music. Use the fancy lights.

It's maddening. Get the energy going. It's needs spice. Attendance has been terrible the past 2.5 years -- and continuing to decline. They want students to actually show up and get engaged? Get the place bumping.

It's like owning a Ferrari and keeping it under 35 mph.

One time ... when IUP forces the other team to call a timeout ... I'd love to have some lively music que'd up, etc. (like all D1 teams do). It's these little things that the KCAC is capable of doing but doesn't. These are the things that engage the crowd. Not dead silence.

[IUPNation]

Was there a message of sour grapes on the East Dennyburg score board?

[EyeoftheHawk]

There's a hometown homer broadcast ... that's expected.

Today was too over the top.

#mute

I don’t mind it to an extent and it’s to be expected. To your point though, it was over the top and unprofessional.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

The amount of crying on the broadcast about calls, no calls, and everything in between had me wishing the Valley Girls were calling the game. Nobody is saying PSAC officials are good, but they at least tend to be bad both ways. The better teams won today, simple as that. 🧹

There's a hometown homer broadcast ... that's expected.

Today was too over the top.

#mute

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Did anyone see what happened in the Poconos today?

According to the broadcast video, all (10) dressed IUP players should have been fouled out in the first half.

[EyeoftheHawk]

The amount of crying on the broadcast about calls, no calls, and everything in between had me wishing the Valley Girls were calling the game. Nobody is saying PSAC officials are good, but they at least tend to be bad both ways. The better teams won today, simple as that. 🧹

[IUPalum]

Can somebody explain how the "shoot around" usually works? The game is at 3pm. Is 7-8am unreasonable? Is it out of the ordinary, perhaps even unfair? I don't know, so I'm asking the experts.

The time frame is fine. Usually, since IUP played and traveled yesterday, the home team takes the early shoot around slot as a courtesy. ESU obviously pulled an ESU hates IUP and made them take that slot.

[IUPalum]

Did anyone see what happened in the Poconos today?

[IUPbigINDIANS]

🧹