Where they are -- Duquesne Dukes Basketball Forum

[ Show ]

Support VoyForums

[ Shrink ]

VoyForums Announcement: Programming and providing support for this service has been a labor of love since 1997. We are one of the few services online who values our users' privacy, and have never sold your information. We have even fought hard to defend your privacy in legal cases; however, we've done it with almost no financial support -- paying out of pocket to continue providing the service. Due to the issues imposed on us by advertisers, we also stopped hosting most ads on the forums many years ago. We hope you appreciate our efforts.

Show your support by donating any amount. (Note: We are still technically a for-profit company, so your contribution is not tax-deductible.) PayPal Acct: Feedback:

Donate to VoyForums (PayPal):

a, December 21 2024 [ Login ] [ Main index ] [ Post a new message ] [ Search | Check update time | Archives: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 ]

[ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ]

Date Posted: Thursday, December 23, 07:28:36am
Author: Abdul Rahman
Subject: Where they are

Well the team has reached the 1/3 point of the season and the record or 5-5, even to the most pessamistic of fans, is bit disappointing.

To their credit they have beaten the gallatically bad / bad teams ( Bluefield, B. Green, UMBC ) on the schedule. Against the average to above average ( RMU, PSU, GB, WVU, UIPUI, GM )they have managed a 2-4 record with very limited contributions from the "Minutemen" ( Jones, Peggau, Marhold, Theis )and uneven, in most cases, contributions from the more "Erratic" players on the team ( Johnson, Montiero, Talley, Wright ). Against the one really good team on the schedule ( Pitt ) they were beaten soundly.

So going forward what does this season hold ??

1) If there is truly a run to be made it probably will be made in the middle third of the season. If not, I suspect the team will be a slightly above .500 team when the season ends.

2) It is a over simplification to say "We would have won this game or that game had we shot our free throws better / or rebounded better". The team, I suspect, is "What it is" in those two areas.

3) I suspect we will get a bit of a boost when EE returns. I expect his play to be "Uneven". He will mix the good with the bad ( much like BJ M ).

4) If there is a bit of hope it is that Joel W. seems to be coming on a bit. I question his use / non use sometimes, but not being privy to all that is occuring I'll defer to the coach to allocate his minutes. All, I'll say is on a nite ( G. Mason ) when there was not a lot of rebounding or offensive juice Joel got 20 minutes and Mike T. got 38. I realize they play different postions, but with the flexibility in players being able to play multiple positions I would have liked more JW and less Mike T ( 1 rebound, 2 assists, and not a lot of scoring ). As for "D" impact on the game I'll allow that Joel W misses an assignment occasionally but I'm willing to sacrifice that for what else he brings to the table.

5) TJM has played better than I thought he would initially ( mea culpa ). Even with that the team is only 5-5. How will his play translate as the road toughens. Here is hoping that he continues to improve and this is reflected in the W-L column.

I ask myself what would cause me to raise my expectations going forward and how likely are they to occur.

To materially alter the season :

1) Damian S has to play materially better, at least statistically.
2) BJM must play better for longer stretches of time.
3) Rod. P must find some sort of game.
4) EE must play better than I anticipate he will.
5) The one true "Wildcard" ( Joel W ) takes a quantum leap forward.

In summary, while there are MANY ( maybe too many )things that have to go right over the remainder of the season for the pre season expectations to be met, I resolve to try and "Enjoy the journey".

[ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ]

Replies:

Great points! BJ and Damien are both non-shooters and having them on the court together hurts. Wright gives muscle and intensity. Should have played in the overtimes; should now start. Rod needs to understand the game and he will help. Evans has experience. Time to limit the 3 guard sets! (NT) -- Ohio Duke, Thursday, December 23, 08:32:56am
All good points Abdul. -- El Duque, Thursday, December 23, 09:40:40am
- ED, regarding Saunders, I said something similar on another board way back after the Pitt game and was torn apart for it. He creates some stats, no question, but he is not the player we saw last season. Unless he really steps it up big time I think his NBA chances are slipping away rapidly. (NT) -- UncivilDKizzle, Thursday, December 23, 10:19:36am
- Marhold 'looks' like a basketball player however I'm beginning to think he's not....I think he is a fine athlete who cannot play basketball. (NT) -- Greg, Thursday, December 23, 12:06:34pm
  - Marhold has no offensive game to speak of, and he's too small to defend a true big. At this point I am considering his schollie up for grabs. I'd rather see Theis, Peggau, Wright from here on out. (NT) -- Slim, Thursday, December 23, 01:02:16pm
Someone posted about BJ shooting 3 and DS doing likewise and they just can't do that - too inconsistent. Secondly, why doensn't RE get on DS like he got on JW he is only a fresh.? GM's players don't make the kind of mistakes that ours do, not the Fresh., and I attribute that to their coach. If BJ doensn't know to not take that dumb 3 or DS doesn't know to force things, who is accoutable? (NT) -- Truth II, Thursday, December 23, 10:42:58am
as far as records Dukes are now -2 meaning they've lost two games they should have won (Robert Morris and Gmason at home). Gmason is the 3rd best team the Dukes have played this year however at home we should get them. Very dissapointed in RE's rotation at end of regulation and in OT. Gmason big men each with 4 fouls we need to bang the inside with Saunders and Wright to get them to foul out....then u can match up with their guards after the big men foul out. Wright needs to be on the floor regularly if this team is to be successful in the A10. (NT) -- Greg, Thursday, December 23, 11:56:34am
Totally agree about Saunders. I watched him take some 3's last night that were poor selections and he kept trying. Great kid and great last year but something is missing so far. If he and Billy were both on we would be so much better. Hopefully things will improve. TJ is a PLAYER! (NT) -- FAM, Thursday, December 23, 01:44:15pm
- Evans will be back soon and maybe Joel Wright will get some extra minutes, which I think will help, but if Damian goes back to playing the way he has his first three seasons, that's the key. (NT) -- El Duque, Thursday, December 23, 04:15:23pm
About where I thought we'd be at this point. Starting 2 freshmen guards is a recipe for diaster. (NT) -- Fred Moon, Thursday, December 23, 03:42:04pm
Fred Moon: have to disagree about the freshman guards. So far, I see them as one of the bright spots rathen than a recipe for disaster. No team disciple, no individual dicipline on the court, recruiting the same type players every year, not doing the basics--blocking out, defense, etc, and not playing the best "game" players vs "practice" players. These I see as a recipe for disaster. (NT) -- apluski, Thursday, December 23, 04:41:55pm
- Couldn't agree more. And recruiting is the elephant in the room. No size = no win. (NT) -- Mike Ignelsi, Thursday, December 23, 04:53:00pm