Just one thing

[DawgatAuburn]

If I could tell some of our basketball team just one thing...or maybe better yet if someone they would listen to would tell them just one thing....it would be these.

Peters: You have so much talent and passion. Keep that, but focus it on your own game and not your frustration with your teammates, your coaches or the referees.
Holman: You're not the thickest guy around, but we need you to bang more. Get in there and mix it up more. You might get a bruise here and there, but we need you to be stronger.
Kegler: Just play well and the limelight will find you, I promise. You don't need to try to let everyone on the floor and in the arena know when you do something good. Your showboating and talking are hurting the team.
Q: Just lead man. You don't appear to be the most vocal guy, and that's OK. But these young guys are watching every step you take. When you make a lazy pass, or take a trip off on D, or force a shot, it becomes OK for them to do the same thing.
Herard: Just keep working. It's not fair that you are having to play the minutes you're being forced into right now, but you are getting better. Keep at it.
Carter: I know you are 3 for your last 17 on threes, but you have to keep shooting. It's the one area of your game that plays right now. We can work on your strength and defense in the offseason, but right now we need a confident shooter. Let 'er rip. You'll feel better when you see a few go through the net.
Stapleton: We need you to do all the little things. Block a shot, grab a loose ball and stick it in, force a turnover. Keep bringing energy with you when you enter the game.
Wright: Make the most of your minutes. This team desperately needs a defensive stopper. Can that be you? Being that guy means you might get some shots along the way too.

 

[coach66]

As the roster improves I think some of these things will fix themselves as

Howland has opportunities to give minutes to other players who want it more and don't have attitude issues. When you have to work like hell to keep your
minutes lot's of good things happen.

 

[Shooter McGavin.sixpack]

You are spot on with these comments. Well done.

 

[dawgstudent]

I just wish we would learn how to play the pick and roll defensively. I don't know if it comes with experience or not but it seems like it shouldn't be that hard to teach. It happens so many times that both of our defenders will continue with the dribbler.

 

[57stratdawg]

Peters' immaturity shows quite often. Let him drive and dish a low (open) ball to herard that ends up out of bounds and watch his reaction.

Hopefully he grows out of that. I thought his actions towards Kegler last night were a step in the right direction.

 

[Wizard.sixpack]

Kegler: Just play well and the limelight will find you, I promise. You don't need to try to let everyone on the floor and in the arena know when you do something good. Your showboating and talking are hurting the team.

.....AND GET OFF MY LAWN!!!!

 

[KingBarkus]

Good post, Mark, and I agree with most of your points. Let me add some without getting into the stats:

1. Kegler and Stapleton are getting into "punk" territory with their attitudes. They are making it harder for themselves with the officials and the fans on the road going forward. Will someone on our coaching staff start reading the riot act to these guys? Talking trash down 17 is not a good look.
2. Defense. Horrible playing the high screen and roll. You can't tell me we don't have one athlete that can stay in front of his man consistently. It takes effort. Auburn beat us off the dribble so badly it was embarrassing.
3. Too many of our guys have the "brook trout" look. Youth, I guess.
4. Trying to put this nicely, we have some very dumb basketball IQ guys. That includes Q. How many times will you fire a low pass to a running Herard to understand HE CAN'T CATCH THAT TYPE OF PASS!? Hello coaches?
5. I misjudged the importance of Ready. Peters actually tries too hard. He wears his emotions in his body language. Terrible luck with Ready getting injured and losing that calming influence.
6. Holman frustrates me more than anyone. He needs to live in the weight room in the offseason. Hate his body language too.
7. What is killing us besides the poor defense is lack of consistent paint scoring and rebounding. Herard has to gather himself while drawing the entire defense to him. Look to the future for help there.
8. Carter? Not ready to play in the SEC. When his shot is not there, he is even more useless. He has no concept or physicality to play defense.

 

[BulldogBacker]

Good post, Mark, and I agree with most of your points. Let me add some without getting into the stats:

1. Kegler and Stapleton are getting into "punk" territory with their attitudes. They are making it harder for themselves with the officials and the fans on the road going forward. Will someone on our coaching staff start reading the riot act to these guys? Talking trash down 17 is not a good look.
2. Defense. Horrible playing the high screen and roll. You can't tell me we don't have one athlete that can stay in front of his man consistently. It takes effort. Auburn beat us off the dribble so badly it was embarrassing.
3. Too many of our guys have the "brook trout" look. Youth, I guess.
4. Trying to put this nicely, we have some very dumb basketball IQ guys. That includes Q. How many times will you fire a low pass to a running Herard to understand HE CAN'T CATCH THAT TYPE OF PASS!? Hello coaches?
5. I misjudged the importance of Ready. Peters actually tries too hard. He wears his emotions in his body language. Terrible luck with Ready getting injured and losing that calming influence.
6. Holman frustrates me more than anyone. He needs to live in the weight room in the offseason. Hate his body language too.
7. What is killing us besides the poor defense is lack of consistent paint scoring and rebounding. Herard has to gather himself while drawing the entire defense to him. Look to the future for help there.
8. Carter? Not ready to play in the SEC. When his shot is not there, he is even more useless. He has no concept or physicality to play defense.

These are very good points!

 

[IBleedMaroonDawg]

If I could tell some of our basketball team just one thing...or maybe better yet if someone they would listen to would tell them just one thing....it would be these.

Peters: You have so much talent and passion. Keep that, but focus it on your own game and not your frustration with your teammates, your coaches or the referees.
Holman: You're not the thickest guy around, but we need you to bang more. Get in there and mix it up more. You might get a bruise here and there, but we need you to be stronger.
Kegler: Just play well and the limelight will find you, I promise. You don't need to try to let everyone on the floor and in the arena know when you do something good. Your showboating and talking are hurting the team.
Q: Just lead man. You don't appear to be the most vocal guy, and that's OK. But these young guys are watching every step you take. When you make a lazy pass, or take a trip off on D, or force a shot, it becomes OK for them to do the same thing.
Herard: Just keep working. It's not fair that you are having to play the minutes you're being forced into right now, but you are getting better. Keep at it.
Carter: I know you are 3 for your last 17 on threes, but you have to keep shooting. It's the one area of your game that plays right now. We can work on your strength and defense in the offseason, but right now we need a confident shooter. Let 'er rip. You'll feel better when you see a few go through the net.
Stapleton: We need you to do all the little things. Block a shot, grab a loose ball and stick it in, force a turnover. Keep bringing energy with you when you enter the game.
Wright: Make the most of your minutes. This team desperately needs a defensive stopper. Can that be you? Being that guy means you might get some shots along the way too.

You and Dawgstudent below are hitting the nail on the head.

We are sooooooo close.

 

[Faustdog]

Good points, especially on Q.

One thing on Herard is that our guards have to stop putting him in situations he isn't equipped to handle. Twice last night they threw him the ball when he was running near full speed in transition with a man between him and the basket. That is going to result in a negative play 9 out of 10 times. So is him facing up his defender and putting the ball on the floor. These are things we did in the first Alabama game that had been corrected since, but showed back up last night.

The thing with Stapleton is that we have to make him realize that he has an important role on this team, but it's not as a scorer. He needs to be an energy guy who tracks down loose balls, gets rebounds, and gets in passing lanes on defense. Unfortunately I'm not sure he is capable of understanding his role. He is all about showing people he can score, and plays completely out of control on the offensive end. He's one guy who should be thankful for the way games are being called, because he gets bailed out on a regular basis.

The team as a whole has to realize that they can't only play hard when they feel like it. One thing about Stans teams is that they always played hard, sans one particular player at the end. This team is talented, but not talented enough to half *** it and still win. Q does need to show more leadership in that respect.

 

[Delmar]

 

[DawgatAuburn]

I was trying to keep mine mostly framed in the positive but there is a lot of truth in your list.

 

[DesotoCountyDawg]

The consistency just baffles me with them. A good example is the Tennessee game Saturday. Come out first half shooting terrible and playing half *** defense and are just getting throttled early on but then those guys pick up the defense and are almost smothering in the second half and start making shots. At some point you would think that maybe they will get it that if they come out with that intensity for a whole game or at least start the game with it, good things will happen and youre not having to push from being 20 points down and trying to come back.

I know some of it will click at some point, just hope its sooner than later and definitely before next season.

 

[philduckworth]

I'm frustrated by how easily we get beat off the dribble. Especially Q and Peters. To be a good defense, you have to have that guard that can pressure the ball. Hopefully Nick Spoon will fill that void next year.

Also, as Jay Bilas has said a million times, DON'T HELP OFF THE CORNER SHOOTER.

 

[Shamoan]

 

[o_fredgarvin]

Peters: STOP THE LANE PENETRATION
Holman: STOP THE LANE PENETRATION
Kegler: STOP THE LANE PENETRATION
Q: STOP THE LANE PENETRATION
Carter: STOP THE LANE PENETRATION
Stapleton: STOP THE LANE PENETRATION
Wright: STOP THE LANE PENETRATION