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  • Originally posted by Scrub View Post
    The Powell kid from D&E has already found a home at a low-major D1 (signed with Jacksonville). So much for guards not being in demand. Good for him to fulfill a dream . . . and in his hometown no less. Similar story to Yahel Hill in that way.
    The caveat is did he sign with Jacksonville as a scholarship player or a walk-on? A lot of times it's the latter.

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    • Originally posted by Scrub View Post
      The Powell kid from D&E has already found a home at a low-major D1 (signed with Jacksonville). So much for guards not being in demand. Good for him to fulfill a dream . . . and in his hometown no less. Similar story to Yahel Hill in that way.
      Good for him. Perfect fit for out of control, give me the rock, dribble drive aau offense of d1. Another team for Gonzaga to slice and dice.

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      • Originally posted by Scrub View Post

        Marlon could always choose to come back as well. But, yes, this means a guy like Lamont McManus (if he chooses to come back) is licking his chops!
        Marlon acquitted himself quite well in the 2019 mec Tourney. Marlon puts on the superman cape in March!

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        • Originally posted by Columbuseer View Post
          Defeats are also what happens when:
          • Opponent shoots incredibly high %
          • Wlu shoots abnormally low %
          • Wlu departs from wlu brand of basketball
          • Opponent has better players
          • Etc.
          I will take > 85% wins over a large sample Size (decade) over anecdotal counter-examples any day.
          Without the wlu style, do you u really think great players would still be reaching out to wlu to recruit them and spurning offers from d1?
          it is not like west liberty is the Lexington of D2. Before this style, how many times did wlu even make the tourney in D2?

          Besides defeating a top 10 and top 20 team in the regional, imho I think Wlu could have beaten 6 teams in the elite 8 with their style.

          Each year we are getting increasingly skilled and athletic players who want to play with freedom and Joy that is the wlu style
          Sports in general and certainly basketball in all but lopsided blowouts is about adjustments by individual players and coaches. For example, if everytime a particular player shoots a 3, his defender is able to block it, pretty quickly the player needs to adjust by either doing an up fake and driving past his defender OR by passing the ball...during a TO, I doubt the coach is going to tell the player the answer is to "jump higher." Same thing with a coach...If the opposing team is shutting down what you do and is moving out to a large lead, the answer is probably not "try harder." Doesn't matter if you're style has resulted in 100 straight games were you've won by 40 points and in those games you've shot 100%, you are expected to adjust and adapt in THIS game.

          To adjust and adapt, you have to have the "tools" to adjust. As the saying goes, if the only tool you have is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail. Part of a coaches job is to stock his tool box with enough tools to allow him to pull out a wrench on the one time a year when a hammer just isn't working. Coaches answer should not always be, "hit it harder."

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          • Originally posted by boatcapt View Post

            Sports in general and certainly basketball in all but lopsided blowouts is about adjustments by individual players and coaches. For example, if everytime a particular player shoots a 3, his defender is able to block it, pretty quickly the player needs to adjust by either doing an up fake and driving past his defender OR by passing the ball...during a TO, I doubt the coach is going to tell the player the answer is to "jump higher." Same thing with a coach...If the opposing team is shutting down what you do and is moving out to a large lead, the answer is probably not "try harder." Doesn't matter if you're style has resulted in 100 straight games were you've won by 40 points and in those games you've shot 100%, you are expected to adjust and adapt in THIS game.

            To adjust and adapt, you have to have the "tools" to adjust. As the saying goes, if the only tool you have is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail. Part of a coaches job is to stock his tool box with enough tools to allow him to pull out a wrench on the one time a year when a hammer just isn't working. Coaches answer should not always be, "hit it harder."
            I think that you have touched on the beauty and advantage of the wlu style. Players have the freedom to make decisions and adjust in real time. St. Crutch explained it in an hour long podcast hosted by a basketball blogger. His goal is to get players to see the situation on the floor ( military calls it situational awareness), quickly analyze it, and then react appropriately. As a result, their basketball iq increases much faster than players running set plays all the time. Makes them harder to scout too. Wlu coaches would prefer that they never had to call a play. Of course, you still have to hit open looks, and execute fundamentals better than the opponents.
            Last edited by Columbuseer; 03-31-2021, 11:57 AM.

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            • Former Lock Haven guard Matt Cerruti has did a grad transfer to Albany.

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              • Originally posted by Columbuseer View Post

                I think that you have touched on the beauty and advantage of the wlu style. Players have the freedom to make decisions and adjust in real time. St. Crutch explained it in an hour long podcast hosted by a basketball blogger. His goal is to get players to see the situation on the floor ( military calls it situational awareness), quickly analyze it, and then react appropriately. As a result, their basketball iq increases much faster than players running set plays all the time. Makes them harder to scout too. Wlu coaches would prefer that they never had to call a play. Of course, you still have to hit open looks, and execute fundamentals better than the opponents.
                Yes WLU's players have a lot of freedom AND expectation to analyze and adjust on the fly. When it works, which is quite often, it is a beautiful thing to see! But this freedom, at least in the half court, does begin with a fundimental organizational structure (i.e. a play). Typically, this is some form of high weave which is an outside in offense...not surprizing given our typical ability to shoot from the outside and the "vertical challenge" of many of our players. It looks to me that the teams that gave us trouble, particularly this year, focused their D on defending the 3 point line and then collapsing hard inside should a WLU player decide to penetrate. Seemed to me that once a WLU player decided to drive, he was going to take it all the way no matter what. Cost us three games which ultimately probably cost us the ability to go to the final four or NC game (seeding).

                Perhaps it's just a re-reeducation process because I know in years past the drive-kickout was a pretty major part of our offense. It seems that the players have forgotten that that option is there...particularly when the defense is collapsing around them.

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                • Ross Young (WVW) has entered the portal.

                  He's a heck of an athlete at 6'5" and a solid player (who got lost on a bad team).

                  Looks like he'd be a one-year guy at G/F.


                  For the IUP crowd, recall WVW opened here two years ago and was actually up at halftime. He had about 3-4 dunks in the first half on us. IUP crushed them in the second half.

                  He'd be intriguing to many teams.

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                  • Originally posted by boatcapt View Post

                    Yes WLU's players have a lot of freedom AND expectation to analyze and adjust on the fly. When it works, which is quite often, it is a beautiful thing to see! But this freedom, at least in the half court, does begin with a fundimental organizational structure (i.e. a play). Typically, this is some form of high weave which is an outside in offense...not surprizing given our typical ability to shoot from the outside and the "vertical challenge" of many of our players. It looks to me that the teams that gave us trouble, particularly this year, focused their D on defending the 3 point line and then collapsing hard inside should a WLU player decide to penetrate. Seemed to me that once a WLU player decided to drive, he was going to take it all the way no matter what. Cost us three games which ultimately probably cost us the ability to go to the final four or NC game (seeding).

                    Perhaps it's just a re-reeducation process because I know in years past the drive-kickout was a pretty major part of our offense. It seems that the players have forgotten that that option is there...particularly when the defense is collapsing around them.
                    You are right about costing us 3 games. Coach said that as painful as it was, the losses convinced players to return to playing the wlu brand of ball. Subsequently they starting kicking the ball out more on drives. The issue was not the wlu style, but elite players trying to do too much on their own, which is not the wlu style. Sometimes elite players consider difficult shots as routine, but unfortunately they aren't successful in a game and they often result in no offensive rebound.

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                    • Williams (Glenville export) got an offer from Charleston Southern (D1 mid-major).

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                      • Cam Martin, D2 Missouri Southern, has signed with the Kansas Jayhawks. Huge.

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                        • Originally posted by Columbuseer View Post

                          You are right about costing us 3 games. Coach said that as painful as it was, the losses convinced players to return to playing the wlu brand of ball. Subsequently they starting kicking the ball out more on drives. The issue was not the wlu style, but elite players trying to do too much on their own, which is not the wlu style. Sometimes elite players consider difficult shots as routine, but unfortunately they aren't successful in a game and they often result in no offensive rebound.
                          WOW...If I were the coach and I had players that weren't following my instructions, they would be getting a large amount of game time sitting next to me while I "explained" the importance of playing the way I wanted them to play and how further inability to grasp the importance of team play might result in them playing on another team.

                          Comment


                          • Originally posted by boatcapt View Post
                            WOW...If I were the coach and I had players that weren't following my instructions, they would be getting a large amount of game time sitting next to me while I "explained" the importance of playing the way I wanted them to play and how further inability to grasp the importance of team play might result in them playing on another team.
                            That is certainly one approach. The risk is that one wins the battle, but lose the war.
                            Almost every coach is probably facing this challenge. I have heard Huggins complain that they are not running the plays he calls or doing what they practice. He realizes that an autocratic approach could result in 6 guys in the portal.


                            The players had good intentions. I think it takes a while for elite players, who are driven to win, to resist the temptation to take matters into their own hands. What if you had gotten very high accolades, and had been successful playing against pro and D1 players in the summer, are now facing some flunkie who can't hold a candle to you? You might see that trying to split two defenders is no big deal. Except you go stumbling, bumbling as a result of a no-call and turn the ball over. Or you mistakenly believe that you can finish in the low post against 3 guys and it is a higher percentage shot than kicking it out for an open three. In a system that allows players the freedom to make decisions, they were making decisions that did not maximize the team's chances of winning.

                            In the 3 losses, the WLU PPP was between 1.00 and 1.09, which is very good for a D1 team, for WLU was playing D1 style ball. But it is not good enough to win a high % of games against hot-shooting D2 teams that present matchup issues for WLU. WLU needs to be in the 1.25 PPP range.

                            Sometimes experience is the best teacher. I think the Coach showed long-term thinking and great leadership in having a meeting to get buy in after the three losses. According to his interview (think it was on sportline on wvmetronews.com), he told them that if we revert to WLU basketball, we can win most of our remaining games. If we keep playing the way we have these last 3 games, we stand a good chance of not making the NCAA tournament. It worked.

                            Some great leaders have the same approach. Some quotes follow (google Eisenhower quotes and Patton Quotes and there are some gems).

                            "Leadership is the art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it."

                            Dwight D. Eisenhower



                            Gen. George Patton

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                            • We probably need to take the WLU style discussion to the WLU hilltopper thread, as it is not really germane to VC transfers.

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                              • Originally posted by Columbuseer View Post

                                That is certainly one approach. The risk is that one wins the battle, but lose the war.
                                Almost every coach is probably facing this challenge. I have heard Huggins complain that they are not running the plays he calls or doing what they practice. He realizes that an autocratic approach could result in 6 guys in the portal.


                                The players had good intentions. I think it takes a while for elite players, who are driven to win, to resist the temptation to take matters into their own hands. What if you had gotten very high accolades, and had been successful playing against pro and D1 players in the summer, are now facing some flunkie who can't hold a candle to you? You might see that trying to split two defenders is no big deal. Except you go stumbling, bumbling as a result of a no-call and turn the ball over. Or you mistakenly believe that you can finish in the low post against 3 guys and it is a higher percentage shot than kicking it out for an open three. In a system that allows players the freedom to make decisions, they were making decisions that did not maximize the team's chances of winning.

                                In the 3 losses, the WLU PPP was between 1.00 and 1.09, which is very good for a D1 team, for WLU was playing D1 style ball. But it is not good enough to win a high % of games against hot-shooting D2 teams that present matchup issues for WLU. WLU needs to be in the 1.25 PPP range.

                                Sometimes experience is the best teacher. I think the Coach showed long-term thinking and great leadership in having a meeting to get buy in after the three losses. According to his interview (think it was on sportline on wvmetronews.com), he told them that if we revert to WLU basketball, we can win most of our remaining games. If we keep playing the way we have these last 3 games, we stand a good chance of not making the NCAA tournament. It worked.

                                Some great leaders have the same approach. Some quotes follow (google Eisenhower quotes and Patton Quotes and there are some gems).

                                "Leadership is the art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it."

                                Dwight D. Eisenhower



                                Gen. George Patton
                                Great point. The "my way or the highway" days are over. As you say ... coaches get too overbearing and half the team is in the portal. That's 2021.

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