Iup basketball

[IUPbigINDIANS]

I haven't watched any IUP games this year. Pre-season it was said that Joe was changing styles and would be playing the WLU Style. Did that happen or was it just pre-season hype?

Seems like in the new transfer portal era, coaches can no longer build their team to fit their style. And you never know if the transfers you get to replace the transfers you lost are going to match the highlight tape sizzle and which will be busts. Net result is that coaches in this era need to be prepared to make lemonade out of lemons. They need to adapt their style to the players they have and if it means playing a completely different style, coach needs to swallow his ego and do it.

From the record book and comments on this board, that appears to be the situation Joe and IUP find themselves in. He seems to have a collection of players who's particular skills don't match up with Joe's preferred style. At this midway point on the season, Joe needs to look at what he has and figure out a way to win. The question is can Joe swallow his ego and do it??

His two best players are out for the season. His star PG left for pro ball in July. Tomiwa changed his mind.

What's left is a 7-6 team - featuring (3) true freshmen.

They'll be good next year. They'll likely pull an upset this year. But, they'll putter around .500 most of the season.

[boatcapt]

Joe can at least make this season entertaining.

How? Completely scrap everything he believes in.

Throw out the offense. Half of them still don't know it after 13 games. He doesn't have anywhere remotely close to the shooters he needs.


Toss the normal defense. They can't run it.


BUT, what this team is good at is creating chaos and scoring on the fly. They have a lot of slashers.

It's a no-brainer to me to start Kymani, Moore, Pickens, Grove and Damir. That is a FAST lineup.

Triggs and Herring are first off the bench. Sarp is the 8th man.

Herring is far and away their most polarizing player. He's constantly out of position (on both ends). Joe hammers him all night. That said, they score when he's in the game. A lot. He's instant chaos (whether he's trying to be or not). He can fly for being 6'5". His defense is pretty good (almost by accident). He's great on the press. He draws attention. He does true freshman things. But, it works.

Scan the play by play. Every run IUP goes on has a common theme: Herring is on the floor.

Joe's conundrum is Sarp is the right-spot guy and knows the system. Herring is vastly more athletic, bigger and more dynamic -- but, a loose cannon. Joe doesn't like loose cannons.


I have some bad news for him ... this isn't 2019 (or any of his other years). This team could actually be dangerous, but he needs to go 90 percent AAU ball. It is what it is. This rotation isn't built to play his style (odd being he built it).

His two stars aren't playing this year. Mix it up.

I haven't watched any IUP games this year. Pre-season it was said that Joe was changing styles and would be playing the WLU Style. Did that happen or was it just pre-season hype?

Seems like in the new transfer portal era, coaches can no longer build their team to fit their style. And you never know if the transfers you get to replace the transfers you lost are going to match the highlight tape sizzle and which will be busts. Net result is that coaches in this era need to be prepared to make lemonade out of lemons. They need to adapt their style to the players they have and if it means playing a completely different style, coach needs to swallow his ego and do it.

From the record book and comments on this board, that appears to be the situation Joe and IUP find themselves in. He seems to have a collection of players who's particular skills don't match up with Joe's preferred style. At this midway point on the season, Joe needs to look at what he has and figure out a way to win. The question is can Joe swallow his ego and do it??

[bballfan03]

Kaaba Murray (guard) has been added to the roster.

He's been with the team all season but was just officially added. Not sure what the deal was regarding his eligibility in the first semester.

6' / Guard / Freshman

Also with a freshman could be transcript hours issue. Not all high schools require the same credit hours, but most colleges are along the same lines... if his HS credit hours were less than what IUP required, he needed to get the credit hours in the first semester to make him eligible.

[bballfan03]

Maybe it's just me, or the web stream ....... but did we forget to pay the lights bill? Why is it so dark?

It was sooooo dark! It looked like they had all the lights off except for a few over the court

[bballfan03]

Kaaba Murray (guard) has been added to the roster.

He's been with the team all season but was just officially added. Not sure what the deal was regarding his eligibility in the first semester.

6' / Guard / Freshman

If he's being added for the 2nd semester, it's because he "transferred/enrolled late". Enrollment paperwork has to be in by a certain date (very early in the fall semester) and the student has to have X# of credit hours before they can be eligible to play. Gannons had a few of those over the years.

[IUPalum]

Joe can at least make this season entertaining.

How? Completely scrap everything he believes in.

Throw out the offense. Half of them still don't know it after 13 games. He doesn't have anywhere remotely close to the shooters he needs.


Toss the normal defense. They can't run it.


BUT, what this team is good at is creating chaos and scoring on the fly. They have a lot of slashers.

It's a no-brainer to me to start Kymani, Moore, Pickens, Grove and Damir. That is a FAST lineup.

Triggs and Herring are first off the bench. Sarp is the 8th man.

Herring is far and away their most polarizing player. He's constantly out of position (on both ends). Joe hammers him all night. That said, they score when he's in the game. A lot. He's instant chaos (whether he's trying to be or not). He can fly for being 6'5". His defense is pretty good (almost by accident). He's great on the press. He draws attention. He does true freshman things. But, it works.

Scan the play by play. Every run IUP goes on has a common theme: Herring is on the floor.

Joe's conundrum is Sarp is the right-spot guy and knows the system. Herring is vastly more athletic, bigger and more dynamic -- but, a loose cannon. Joe doesn't like loose cannons.


I have some bad news for him ... this isn't 2019 (or any of his other years). This team could actually be dangerous, but he needs to go 90 percent AAU ball. It is what it is. This rotation isn't built to play his style (odd being he built it).

His two stars aren't playing this year. Mix it up.

I think he built this team thinking Bautista, Dillard and Tomiwa were going to be playing. Yes, I said it, Tomiwa. Joe screwed himself with thinking Tomiwa was coming back, thinking Dillard would be healthy and Bautista would be eligible.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Joe can at least make this season entertaining.

How? Completely scrap everything he believes in.

Throw out the offense. Half of them still don't know it after 13 games. He doesn't have anywhere remotely close to the shooters he needs.


Toss the normal defense. They can't run it.


BUT, what this team is good at is creating chaos and scoring on the fly. They have a lot of slashers.

It's a no-brainer to me to start Kymani, Moore, Pickens, Grove and Damir. That is a FAST lineup.

Triggs and Herring are first off the bench. Sarp is the 8th man.

Herring is far and away their most polarizing player. He's constantly out of position (on both ends). Joe hammers him all night. That said, they score when he's in the game. A lot. He's instant chaos (whether he's trying to be or not). He can fly for being 6'5". His defense is pretty good (almost by accident). He's great on the press. He draws attention. He does true freshman things. But, it works.

Scan the play by play. Every run IUP goes on has a common theme: Herring is on the floor.

Joe's conundrum is Sarp is the right-spot guy and knows the system. Herring is vastly more athletic, bigger and more dynamic -- but, a loose cannon. Joe doesn't like loose cannons.


I have some bad news for him ... this isn't 2019 (or any of his other years). This team could actually be dangerous, but he needs to go 90 percent AAU ball. It is what it is. This rotation isn't built to play his style (odd being he built it).

His two stars aren't playing this year. Mix it up.

[hawks16]

Maybe it's just me, or the web stream ....... but did we forget to pay the lights bill? Why is it so dark?

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Kaaba Murray (guard) has been added to the roster.

He's been with the team all season but was just officially added. Not sure what the deal was regarding his eligibility in the first semester.

6' / Guard / Freshman

[IUPbigINDIANS]

So, Joe's bench team (featuring Dallis Dillard and Bautista Rodriguez) took down his starters in an exhibition Monday. I've heard from somebody (in the know) the score wasn't very close.

Granted, Rodriguez is the best player in the program. He'd be playing 37 mpg right now if he was eligible - and highly-likely be an all-conference player this year. Dallis is the exact big, physical guard this team is missing.

It's going to be a fun second half. Next year can't come fast enough but they still have to finish this out.

Like all the D3 teams that come in, I'm sure Thiel will come in fired up tonight. Past Joe teams would screw around for the first half, and he'd blast them at halftime. IUP would then curb stomp them in the second half. Lord knows what we'll see tonight.

Obviously this would have typically been IUP/Mercyhurst Round 1.

[Ship69]

IUP basketball update: https://tonycoccagna.substack.com/p/restart?r=411ko9

I used to work with your brother Tom at the PO many moons ago.

[tonyc]

IUP basketball update: https://tonycoccagna.substack.com/p/restart?r=411ko9

[EyeoftheHawk]

Well, 'rock bottom' arrives when even your die-hard fans don't comment (at all) in the 24 hours after a loss.

Joe's normal mess was even worse yesterday as Luke Triggs was ill and didn't make the trip.

IUP is now 6-6. It's going to be a struggle to finish above .500

I didn’t even realize there was a game until I saw some after the fact social media posts.

[Chuck Norris]

Well, 'rock bottom' arrives when even your die-hard fans don't comment (at all) in the 24 hours after a loss.

Joe's normal mess was even worse yesterday as Luke Triggs was ill and didn't make the trip.

IUP is now 6-6. It's going to be a struggle to finish above .500

It was a pretty loaded day football wise. When I did briefly tune into the game the audio and video weren’t synched up which became irritating quickly.

[IUPalum]

Well, 'rock bottom' arrives when even your die-hard fans don't comment (at all) in the 24 hours after a loss.

Joe's normal mess was even worse yesterday as Luke Triggs was ill and didn't make the trip.

IUP is now 6-6. It's going to be a struggle to finish above .500

Tis the season...