Iup basketball

[IUPbigINDIANS]

SRU bounced back today and beat UPJ by 14 points.

The Rock's Spring semester starts Jan. 20 so Joe should avoid the normal circus in Morrow in four days.

[EyeoftheHawk]

One thing that will help a bunch is it looks like Bautista is getting a little stronger with each game. In fairness to him, he had some rust to knock off and before this year hadn’t played a college basketball game. If they can get him going that will account for a couple more wins alone. My biggest concern with the bench is the way Herring has been playing. He hasn’t given IUP anything in the last few games other than sloppy play and silly fouls. Sarp is Sarp and is doing the best he can. Fair argument about how many minutes he should or shouldn’t be getting. Triggs should play more in my opinion. Grove’s role has changed so I’m not too worried about his rebound production being down. I’ll take the points he’s providing, although streaky but not atypical of a 3-point shooter.

[IUPalum]

The bench is going to make or break the season. The starting unit is strong enough to keep them in MOST games. Rest assured, another game like West Chester (when Dallis had to sit extended periods due to foul trouble) will come along. Somebody else has to be ready to come in and produce.

Dissecting the bench the past (4) games (ESU, WCU, Millersville, UPJ) gives a good indication. That was a challenging stretch of games against solid competition. Below are the bench averages for the past (4) games:

-

NAME	AVG MPG	POINTS	REBOUNDS	ASSISTS	STEALS	TOs
SARP	11.25	1.5	1.50	0.00	0.00	0.00
TRIGGS	14.25	6.75	2.00	.5	0.00	.5
HERRING	12.00	0.50	2.25	.5	.5	.75
GROVE	14.00	7.75	0.75	0.00	.25	.25

This doesn't even tell the whole story about the bench. How about their defense or lack thereof? Yikes, many times IUP starts to extend their lead then the bench enters and we all know what happens after that.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

This next week is key to the season and roster rotation. The bench has to get their **** together or this team will be very flawed. Dallis was completely gassed yesterday. He can't go the rest of the season like this. I know Joe says he needs to be better conditioned but come on Joe... that kid carried the team last night. He shouldn't have to be balls to the wall for 40 minutes. That bench has to pick him up! As BigIndians said, they could've used a 4th legit guard last night. WHY IS AN EXPERIENCED PLAYER LIKE SFANOS REDSHIRTED???

I'll stop there for now because there is plenty more I want to hammer with this team.

The bench is going to make or break the season. The starting unit is strong enough to keep them in MOST games. Rest assured, another game like West Chester (when Dallis had to sit extended periods due to foul trouble) will come along. Somebody else has to be ready to come in and produce.

Dissecting the bench the past (4) games (ESU, WCU, Millersville, UPJ) gives a good indication. That was a challenging stretch of games against solid competition. Below are the bench averages for the past (4) games:

-

NAME	AVG MPG	POINTS	REBOUNDS	ASSISTS	STEALS	TOs
SARP	11.25	1.5	1.50	0.00	0.00	0.00
TRIGGS	14.25	6.75	2.00	.5	0.00	.5
HERRING	12.00	0.50	2.25	.5	.5	.75
GROVE	14.00	7.75	0.75	0.00	.25	.25

[IUPalum]

This next week is key to the season and roster rotation. The bench has to get their **** together or this team will be very flawed. Dallis was completely gassed yesterday. He can't go the rest of the season like this. I know Joe says he needs to be better conditioned but come on Joe... that kid carried the team last night. He shouldn't have to be balls to the wall for 40 minutes. That bench has to pick him up! As BigIndians said, they could've used a 4th legit guard last night. WHY IS AN EXPERIENCED PLAYER LIKE SFANOS REDSHIRTED???

I'll stop there for now because there is plenty more I want to hammer with this team.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

For the third straight game, IUP blew a comfortable, double-digit lead.

Joe said after the game they are going to use this bye period to work on conditioning - in an attempt to stay stronger in the second half of games.

His starters are in good shape. His bench isn't playing. That's more the problem. Frankly, some of them haven't deserved to play as of late. So, double-edged sword.

Consider his bench last night:

NAME	MINUTES	POINTS	REBOUNDS
Luke Triggs	13	7	3
Tyler Grove	11	1	0
Sarp Furtun	12	0	3
Ian Herring	10	0	3

-

Add to it the bench foursome combined for (0) assists, (0) blocks and (0) steals.

Going a step further, the bench sparked both UPJ rallies by committing really bad fouls on 3-pt shots, which UPJ then converted all (6) FTs.

So, as I mentioned last night, Joe suddenly has a bench problem (and for once, it has nothing to do with depth). More to the point, I think these guys are struggling in their roles of coming off the bench. Grove and Furtun both started last year. Herring and Triggs played heavy minutes.

You can also see -- with each game and each blown lead -- the leash is getting shorter and shorter.

This obviously needs fixed. If Joe can get these guys going, IUP can be really good this year.

For now, however, this bench is in a serious funk.

It's not just stat sheet production. Some need a little more effort and aggression. Some have looked a bit lost lately.

They have to get going. Joe will have them playing 2-3 mpg soon if not. This isn't exactly a program known for playing deep rotations.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

IUP defeated UPJ, 80-70.

Dallis had a night.

31 points
6 Rebounds
7 Assists
5 Steals

Bautista Rodriguez had his long-awaited coming out party, going for 11 and 9.


Joe's bench, however, is having major issues. Joe knows it. The dwindling minutes don't lie. That stat sheet surely doesn't lie.

I hated when Joe elected to redshirt Sfanos (a proven D2 guard on both ends). I sure hope that decision doesn't really hurt this team. They really needed another impact guard tonight.


Credit to UPJ. They fought hard. That's not an easy team to play against.

IUP is off Saturday.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

The old cliche ... throw out the records ... applies when Pitt-Johnstown visits the KCAC tonight.

The Mountain Cats (3-3, 9-5) know IUP as well as anybody. Longtime coach Bob Rukavina may know IUP's sets and calls better than most of IUP's players. When Joe calls out a play, the UPJ bench immediately calls out the counter.

It makes for a very tricky game. This matchup is more chess than checkers.

Some history:

IUP is 29-4 against Pitt-Johnstown in Indiana. UPJ's last win in Indiana came on Feb. 8, 2018 -- against a short-handed IUP team. Prior to that slim, 65-63, win, the Mountain Cats hadn't won in Indiana since 2007.

Since joining the PSAC, UPJ is 3-19 against IUP.

Purely by wins/losses, the series has been pretty lopsided. However, IUP rarely wins this game in a manner most would call comfortably. The series is littered in single digit, tight wins. Even in IUP's biggest years, these games were always pretty close.

Tonight will be a vast swing in style of play from this past weekend. Millersville and (especially) West Chester are big, physical teams. UPJ has some size but they play a very fluid brand of basketball. This is the closest you can come to playing against Norman Dale's Hickory Huskers. They run the picket fences and back-door screens all night. They make very few mistakes. UPJ routinely has a size and talent disadvantage, but overcomes it in playing smart and in their style. They will pass the ball around 7-8 times until they get a shooter left alone.

From what I've seen this year, IUP will have a very large speed advantage tonight. But, the question in this series is always will Joe push the pace and try to exploit it -- or, get sucked into playing the Mountain Cats' pace?

One item to watch: IUP (again this year) has struggled to keep the three-point line defended. If they do that tonight, UPJ could smoke them from outside. IUP is deeper underneath. If the zebra crew is touchy and UPJ's post players get in foul trouble, it will be a massive advantage to IUP.

My guess: This is a game with 5 minutes to play. IUP got up huge on them last year in the KCAC in the first half and then nearly blew the game in the second half. Sounds familiar (Millersville and West Chester). I'd take IUP -3.5 tonight. But, IUP better be ready to go. UPJ doesn't treat this neighborhood rivalry as just another game.

IUP is deeper. I say Joe pulls away in the final minutes.

[IUPalum]

Maybe he said he was going for masters and backed out?

lol

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Maybe he said he was going for masters and backed out?

He was playing 2 mpg.

That's my guess as to why.

[bballfan03]

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.

Maybe he said he was going for masters and backed out?

[IUPbigINDIANS]

I noticed Blundo dressed as well and thought that was interesting. Regarding Sfanos, I imagine a conversation was had when he came here about his eligibility vs education plans. Playing time based on IUP’s current guard situation is a big part of that as well. If he’s not in a hurry to get out of here, redshirting makes a lot of sense. Totally agree about Triggs too. It’s baffling. The kid hits the floor and provides a scoring spark only to be put back on the bench and barely seen again.

The post is interesting this year -- perhaps mainly because Joe doesn't actually have any traditional post players.

I think three of the four (Grove, Rodriguez and Triggs) are used more like hybrid guards. Damir is the closest to a true post player they have but he is undersized compared to the average big man he'll face all year.

To be honest, Triggs has been the most well-rounded this year. He can bang and get rough. He has a tremendously underrated shot. Yet ... Joe doesn't like to play him. Baffling. I personally think he should start.

I thought the one thing they were lacking entering the season was that traditional 6'8" or 6'9" Forward - the big, strong kind who could bang and rebound. I'd die to have Daddy Ugbede on this team lol.

The positive with this current rotation of post players is 3 of the 4 can shoot outside. Grove is essentially a 6'8" shooting guard at this point. That's fine. At his size he really stretches the defense. But, I'd like to see him get much more aggressive under the basket. Other than the occasional play run for Damir, they aren't really even trying to score with the post players (down low). Rodriguez seems to have the dreaded Joe 'red light' and is passing up a lot of open looks.

But, this isn't the 1999 PSAC. Most of the teams IUP will play this year are built like IUP. They won't see many West Chester types trying to play 1990s PSAC bang 'em ball.

Joe hasn't beat a 'system' team in forever. I don't count ESU as they don't run the same type of 40-minute press as Gannon, WL or USCB. IUP has lost (7) straight games to the trapping press -- (5) in a row to Gannon, (1) to WL and (1) to USCB. He had to get mobile, fast post players.

Fortunately, the West Chester-type rosters are becoming very rare in the PSAC. In the West, even Slippery Rock has gone away from the 6"8", 250 lb. types. That said, Seton Hill has two really good, big and physical post players. The Griffins will be a problem for IUP this year. From what I've seen thus far, I don't like the low-post match-up in those upcoming games.

I don't think Joe's found his magic rotation yet under the basket. He's kind of using four guys -- each with very different skill sets -- to fill two spots.

[EyeoftheHawk]

I do think Joe has quite the conundrum with Sfanos. He's clearly an experienced D2 player who could help them immediately on both ends.

However, with Kymani, Christian and Dallis, the minutes are scarce. So, the issue is burning a year to play 5-7 mpg.

That, of course, assumes Joe will continue to play those three at high minutes (likely).

Thus far, the roles of Triggs, Herring and Grove are quite interesting.

Grove is essentially being used as a 6'8" guard. Herring had a rough weekend and didn't play a whole lot. As discussed earlier, Triggs needs to play way more. Rodriguez is being run ragged at the tip of that (usually worthless) press.

That leaves Sarp, who also didn't play a whole lot this weekend.

As a whole, the rotation is in way better shape this year than its been the past two seasons. However, it still has some ironing out that needs done.

Overall, I think this is a pretty good IUP team. The question is will it take the next step. It's far from a great team as of now.

I noticed Blundo dressed as well and thought that was interesting. Regarding Sfanos, I imagine a conversation was had when he came here about his eligibility vs education plans. Playing time based on IUP’s current guard situation is a big part of that as well. If he’s not in a hurry to get out of here, redshirting makes a lot of sense. Totally agree about Triggs too. It’s baffling. The kid hits the floor and provides a scoring spark only to be put back on the bench and barely seen again.

[Ship69]

Their Center is 6'9" and probably 240 lbs. He can run and creates a lot of havoc. He's not a real scoring threat but does everything else. He was the prototype PSAC big man back in the 90s. Every team had about 3-4 of those guys. They are becoming unicorns in this era.

Day Waters is a tough assignment. He can get really, really hot and has vast shooting distance. He's a legit 6'5", too, and built well -- and plays almost like a G/F for them this year. He's obviously a top player in the league this season.

The East is going to be interesting. I'm not counting ESU out yet as they'll be much better if and when healthy. But, they are taking some heavy damage in the loss column.

West Chester is sporadic. Same with Shepherd. Ship needs some bodies under the basket to return. Lock Haven is always capable but inconsistent.

If I was betting, I'd put the coin on Millersville.

Millersville vs WCU will literally be all about the officiating crew. If they let it go, that game will be like an old WWF Battle Royal. If they get a ticky-tack crew, both teams may be fouled out by halftime.

You summed it up pretty well. I probably like Millersville for the lead at this point as they're usually less erratic than West Chester.

I think you might see Chris Fite hitting the portal a little more than usual this offseason if things continue as they've been going. They looked like they had gotten some extra height last season with 6-8 Donovan Hill coming in, but then Hill got himself booted off the team. He would have had a year of eligibility left after last season, but perhaps he'd have pulled a Whippen and moved on anyway. This year's freshman class has shown some potential, but I think the only way they get a big body that can help them quickly in the next year or two is through the portal.

What hasn't helped this year is that this isn't one of Fite's better shooting teams, which would make up a little for the size issue. Jaydon Smith and Timmy Conner are probably their most consistent 3-point threats, but they can't really start the 6-foot Conner when they already have 5-10 Michael Dickson at point guard because it makes for an awfully small lineup. Conner usually comes in when Dickson needs a blow. That means if Smith is having an off night, there isn't going to be much 3-point shooting. When you're getting a 3-for-17 night as they had against Gannon and getting pounded on the boards as well, it's not going to work. On the other hand, when Smith and Conner both got hot with 10-for-12 against Clarion, it enabled them to overcome a night where Clarion made more free throws than Ship attempted. Consistently get outshot at the 3-point line these days and you lose — simple as that unless you have absolute beasts on the boards.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

I did see Blundo dressed and I'm guessing that is because a freshman can play up to 10 games and not lose an eligibility.

I do think Joe has quite the conundrum with Sfanos. He's clearly an experienced D2 player who could help them immediately on both ends.

However, with Kymani, Christian and Dallis, the minutes are scarce. So, the issue is burning a year to play 5-7 mpg.

That, of course, assumes Joe will continue to play those three at high minutes (likely).

Thus far, the roles of Triggs, Herring and Grove are quite interesting.

Grove is essentially being used as a 6'8" guard. Herring had a rough weekend and didn't play a whole lot. As discussed earlier, Triggs needs to play way more. Rodriguez is being run ragged at the tip of that (usually worthless) press.

That leaves Sarp, who also didn't play a whole lot this weekend.

As a whole, the rotation is in way better shape this year than its been the past two seasons. However, it still has some ironing out that needs done.

Overall, I think this is a pretty good IUP team. The question is will it take the next step. It's far from a great team as of now.