Chief’s Briefs - Xavier Edition

[Chief00]

Spot on.

We have lost 6 of the last 7 games playing 4 out and 1 in. Yet, we can’t even try the double big that countless teams have done very successfully over the years. Instead, we have one of our top 3 players playing 7 minutes. That’s not how you win, as the results have proven. People need to let go of this failed concept, which doesn’t align with our talent.

 

[NotADime89]

I was discussing this exact same issue with a couple of my sons tonight, Hurleys lucky Clingan wanted to stay home and be near his family so the chances of him leaving are probably very low. 34 minutes for Sonogo and 7 for Clingan, and Johnson had 0, That’s coaching malpractice.

Ehhh I wouldn't call not giving Clingan many minutes last night coaching malpractice. Clingan didn't play well at all last night on either end of the court, Nunge is a tough matchup for him. Sanogo played really well in the second half so he stuck with him. If you were watching you could tell it just wasn't Clingan's night

 

[Billy Jack]

We are approaching February and this team still doesn’t know it’s identity other than we don’t quit.

Actually the teams body language and their energy level was terrible late in the first half. They were hanging their heads and nit paying attention to what X was doing as X transitioned from defense to offense.

I thought that in the second half they absolutely did rediscover their identity. They pressure zones changing between different looks gave them renewed energy and out them in attack mode. Shot selection became much better as they took what the defense was offering instead of trying to drive to the basket on every possession as they did in the first half. If they continue to approach each game as they approached the second half, they will have an identity and they will be very successful.

What’s also became apparent is against physical teams one Big just doesn’t cut it. Xavier penetrated with ease and got second shots. We need to clog up the lane.

Xavier’s offense was successful because they hit 50% of their 3’s, which was playing over their heads even for a great shooting team like them. Had they hit their normal 40% on 3’s, we would have won the game.

Only 32 of their 82 points were scored in the paint. What 2 bigs would have done would have done would have been to clog up the lane for our offense, which scored 26 points in the paint - almost equal to X’s 32 which you say were accomplished with ease.

 

[Billy Jack]

We have lost 6 of the last 7 games playing 4 out and 1 in. Yet, we can’t even try the double big that countless teams have done very successfully over the years. Instead, we have one of our top 3 players playing 7 minutes. That’s not how you win, as the results have proven. People need to let go of this failed concept, which doesn’t align with our talent.

Clingen did not play well last night. I certainly did not want to see more of him. He committed 2 fouls in 7 minutes. At that rate, he wouldn’t have lasted more than 17 minutes. He missed both of his FTs. In general he was not particularly effective.

 

[methodology]

I turned it on at 9-0 as well so didn’t see AJax misses. If they’re giving him enough space (I realize 15ft may be an exaggeration) why didn’t he drive to basket and force the defense to defend or foul? He’s got a decent enough handle and can obviously jump/ challenge any defender. But again, I didn’t see the plays so I may be unfairly judging. What did you guys think as you saw it in real-time?

It was all of 15ft maybe more. It was comical and he was content with jacking shots and when he did drive it was an ugly floater/push shot he put up. He is afraid of contact it seems to me

 

[gsmooth]

It was all of 15ft maybe more. It was comical and he was content with jacking shots and when he did drive it was an ugly floater/push shot he put up. He is afraid of contact it seems to me

Afraid of contact? Possibly, you might be correct. But I think he is afraid of shooting much more especially when he gets to the lane. It's like when he gets to the lane he would rather do anything else on the court but shoot. It doesn't come naturally for him or come at all for him for that matter. The way Colby Jones shoots when he gets in the lane is the way I would want AJax to shoot and that should be his prototype model to try to emulate.

 

[PAHusky]

We have lost 6 of the last 7 games playing 4 out and 1 in. Yet, we can’t even try the double big that countless teams have done very successfully over the years. Instead, we have one of our top 3 players playing 7 minutes. That’s not how you win, as the results have proven. People need to let go of this failed concept, which doesn’t align with our talent.

Chief let go of the 4 out 1 in hate. Forget about the guards here and realize that the only chance our bigs have at being effective offensively is if the floor is spaced enough to allow them room to operate in the post without immediate double teams, which AS definitely can't handle and DC is less effective against. Playing two bigs on offense clogs up the lane, as both AS and DC are most effective in the low post and neither is an amazing passer. You're getting too hung up on the three point shooting aspect of this and you're advocating for the wrong thing.

It also doesn't address our offensive issues at all. If we stay in man and go two bigs, the other team is going to just pull AS or DC out of the middle of the court and/or try to run PnRs at them all day until they get a switch they like. AS can not guard smaller fours, and we can't afford to get both AS and DC in foul trouble.

DC needs to play more. The answer is putting AS on the bench more, not playing them together.

 

[tentoes4rings]

Great summary as usual. Agree too big a hole. Had no confidence we were going to pull a seton hall and only lead at the end. Heck we couldn’t even get a shot off when needed. Hurley is allergic to the 2 bigs. Jackson a liability when in a half court set offense. If DC was my son he may already be in the portal.

Right. DC has played only 7 minutes in each Xavier loss.

 

[Billy Jack]

AJax has no touch. On one shot in particular he penetrated and was above the rim to lay it in but it rolled out. No wonder he dunks as often as he can. Very frustrating.

 

[Chief00]

Clingen did not play well last night. I certainly did not want to see more of him. He committed 2 fouls in 7 minutes. At that rate, he wouldn’t have lasted more than 17 minutes. He missed both of his FTs. In general he was not particularly effective.

I get it, you don’t want to use a 7-2 freshman center that Bill Walton raved about, while seeing him play three games. What does Bill Walton know about playing the center position?

 

[Billy Jack]

I get it, you don’t want to use a 7-2 freshman center that Bill Walton raved about, while seeing him play three games. What does Bill Walton know about playing the center position?

Don’t know what Walton has to do with this conversation, but more to the point, do you think he played well last night?

 

[gsmooth]

AJax has no touch. On one shot in particular he penetrated and was above the rim to lay it in but it rolled out. No wonder he dunks as often as he can. Very frustrating.

That's exactly what I was alluding to in my post #53. When he is within 15 ft of the basket he will only shoot if he has no other option. It's like his mindset is "oh , I have to shoot this I have no other choice". It's like he is playing basketball for the first week of his life in the sense that I am not sure he ever learned or was taught how to shoot in these situations.

 

[Chief00]

It was all of 15ft maybe more. It was comical and he was content with jacking shots and when he did drive it was an ugly floater/push shot he put up. He is afraid of contact it seems to me

Sometimes I think there’s a little too much going on upstairs. Andre is a smart and thoughtful kid who athletically can do things others can just dream about.
But, having said, there comes a time either on a drive or a stationary shot where you just have to get in a shooting zone with eyes singularly focused on the rim and visualizing arching the ball just over the front of the rim.
I don’t know if he always gets in that zone but he needs to.

 

[Chief00]

Don’t know what Walton has to do with this conversation, but more to the point, do you think he played well last night?

Donovan is one of our top players but had the eighth most minutes (7). He shot 1-2, had 3 rebounds and missed a couple foul shots. He’s a 65% FG shooter for the season, so I would have liked to see him get more minutes and shots.
Bottom line, he’s scored 150 FG points in 296 minutes. So a point every two minutes. Give him 20 minutes (10 points), 30 minutes (15 points) and he’s only going to get better if he gets minutes.
He averages 6 rebounds in 13 minutes. Give him 26 minutes per game and that’s 12 rebounds. Looking at what certain other guys produce, we are crazy leaving that production on the bench.
More importantly, he can change a game. We only have a few guys who can do that.

 

[Seamus84]

Sometimes I think there’s a little too much going on upstairs. Andre is a smart and thoughtful kid who athletically can do things others can just dream about.
But, having said, there comes a time either on a drive or a stationary shot where you just have to get in a shooting zone with eyes singularly focused on the rim and visualizing arching the ball just over the front of the rim.
I don’t know if he always gets in that zone but he needs to.

100%. I love everything about Ajax…his intensity, passion, instincts, hustle and all the skills he brings to the team, full stop. Would just love to see him try getting more aggressive when DC on the court at the same time. Drive to the basket, get fouled or get it to the rim and let DC clean it up. You got this AJ, and we’re all rooting for you!!

 

[Conndog]

I'm not sure what is wrong. If we had one of those big aggressive scoring forwards that the other team lately always seems to have, I don't know if they would have the same success playing for us as when they are playing against us. Somehow, these last 6-7 games the other team has open space to operate near the basket. Is it just that our front line defenders aren't doing a good job stopping penetration? Is it because we don't always have 5 credible shooters in the game, which lets the other team to clog area around the basket? These top Big East teams seem to have 5 players who all can make the outside shot which opens up things for them. The screens that free their shooters have been tough to defend- do we have the personnel to use the same strategy? I just can't understand what needs to change to win again- maybe having Jackson start on the bench is the best first step.

 

[JB75]

Your referencing a Bill Walton lineup is pretty revealing. Two bigs is not the answer. It doesn’t solve our defensive problems and it definitely doesn’t help offensively. Clingan should 100% get more minutes, but it should be with Sanogo on the bench. He needs the post to himself anyways and Sanogo can’t play outside ten feet again.

Also having trouble getting excited about Hurley “figuring some things out” in this game. It’s the end of January and we’re 2-6 in our last 8. One or two more games “figuring it out” and they’re going to be figuring out what beach they’re on for spring break

U guys keep saying 2 bigs is not the answer but meanwhile the losses keep piling up and DC continues to get Minimal tick. I still don’t understand and wud like to kno what we have to lose by trying it? One thing we do know is that we have lost 5 of our last 6 —- so, again—- what’s to lose by trying it? 5-6 mins of bad basketball? Big deal, cuz the way things are going with this team, not trying or changing anything wud be a big deal.

 

[ClifSpliffy]

ajax can't shoot, for physiological reasons, and pointed out here years ago.
we are who we are.
having said that, even a broken clock is correct twice a day.
i believe that the best offensive strategy with him is to have him jack a few earlier in the game to see if he has it working that day. other than my usual buckets resulting from sheer will and effort, i too am not a consistent shooter (usually, not my job), yet there are plenty of times when, magically, it all goes in. mebbe i had a good day earlier, mebbe i had a bad day earlier, good news, bad news, who knows where it came from? a cold? ask pro athletes and most will tell a tale of being barely able to stand up, yet on the field of play that day, they became babe ruth. i sure don't know, but it does happen every now and then. i once put up 52 in a league game, and every single observer thought 'where is the defibrillator, cuz my ticker is aboot to stop.'
sooo, yes, see if he is 'in the zone,' and proceed accordingly.

the real problem, discussed at length last summer, is that his inability simply allows the d to sag way off, and his defender to just further clog up the paint, making it more difficult for us to operate in there.
ajax is a good player, tho subject to poor management, like a few others on the team.

that '52' tale is my version of the al bundy 5 touchdown game, both coming in relatively meaningless games.
pretty funny, except for my pals who've heard it and usually say 'not that again...'

 

[yungdowork]

Donovan is one of our top players but had the eighth most minutes (7). He shot 1-2, had 3 rebounds and missed a couple foul shots. He’s a 65% FG shooter for the season, so I would have liked to see him get more minutes and shots.
Bottom line, he’s scored 150 FG points in 296 minutes. So a point every two minutes. Give him 20 minutes (10 points), 30 minutes (15 points) and he’s only going to get better if he gets minutes.
He averages 6 rebounds in 13 minutes. Give him 26 minutes per game and that’s 12 rebounds. Looking at what certain other guys produce, we are crazy leaving that production on the bench.
More importantly, he can change a game. We only have a few guys who can do that.

I'm not even going to touch your double big argument because you obviously won't be swayed. But extrapolating stats like that is insane, especially for a guy who is 7'2 who has never played more than 21 minutes in a game at the college level.

 

[DawgEnjoyer]

Donovan is one of our top players but had the eighth most minutes (7). He shot 1-2, had 3 rebounds and missed a couple foul shots. He’s a 65% FG shooter for the season, so I would have liked to see him get more minutes and shots.
Bottom line, he’s scored 150 FG points in 296 minutes. So a point every two minutes. Give him 20 minutes (10 points), 30 minutes (15 points) and he’s only going to get better if he gets minutes.
He averages 6 rebounds in 13 minutes. Give him 26 minutes per game and that’s 12 rebounds. Looking at what certain other guys produce, we are crazy leaving that production on the bench.
More importantly, he can change a game. We only have a few guys who can do that.

He also at least tries to contest shots in the paint when the other team blows by our over aggressive perimeter D.

Even in the second half when Adama was "good" he still did that numerous times.

 

[ClifSpliffy]

'aww, man, u should have seen it. gym was packed that day (mebbe 50 people, including the 2 other teams waiting to play the next game). i was el fuego, draining from 40 feet (thru up a chuck at end of 1st half),
dunking on everyone (run outs on breaks against no defenders), and i owned the stripe like kobe (8 or 9 for 10 from the line, which happens like never).
good times. lol. sheer luck.

 

[Chief00]

I'm not even going to touch your double big argument because you obviously won't be swayed. But extrapolating stats like that is insane, especially for a guy who is 7'2 who has never played more than 21 minutes in a game at the college level.

Extrapolation isn’t perfect but when the counter argument seems to be based solely on feelings, especially after 6 recent loses, Chief would rather go with the data and evidence.

 

[HuskyinWRNY]

A great crowd at Gampel erupted in the second half as the team finally recognized their two best offensive players are Hawkins and Sanogo. Mr Hawkins brings us back with 26 points in the second half in a wire type game but we fall just short. We lost this game early.

After Hawkins and Sanogo led us back in the game, Danny benches both and Xavier ran off 5 points, and then moved the lead back to 11. What don’t we understand about riding the hot hand? But then we finally did learned that until late turnovers killed us.

We are approaching February and this team still doesn’t know it’s identity other than we don’t quit. Our centers are shooting over 58%, yet Danny still has failed to institute the double big, despite playing a zone defense.

What’s also became apparent is against physical teams one Big just doesn’t cut it. Xavier penetrated with ease and got second shots. We need to clog up the lane.

Jackson takes 8 shots to open up the game while Hawkins took 1. A woman reporter pressed Andre last game about why he wasn’t more offensive and I wonder if tonight’s out of character opening was some response to that?

Newton put some points on the board the first half and ending up with 21 points, kept us in the game until Hawkins got hot.

A very tough lose, Xavier repelled our runs. I think Danny needs to learn the early timeout at the start of the game. We dug too deep a hole.

this team is looking like the team everyone thought it was pre season - out of the top 25

 

[evmore]

A great crowd at Gampel erupted in the second half as the team finally recognized their two best offensive players are Hawkins and Sanogo. Mr Hawkins brings us back with 26 points in the second half in a wire type game but we fall just short. We lost this game early.

After Hawkins and Sanogo led us back in the game, Danny benches both and Xavier ran off 5 points, and then moved the lead back to 11. What don’t we understand about riding the hot hand? But then we finally did learned that until late turnovers killed us.

We are approaching February and this team still doesn’t know it’s identity other than we don’t quit. Our centers are shooting over 58%, yet Danny still has failed to institute the double big, despite playing a zone defense.

What’s also became apparent is against physical teams one Big just doesn’t cut it. Xavier penetrated with ease and got second shots. We need to clog up the lane.

Jackson takes 8 shots to open up the game while Hawkins took 1. A woman reporter pressed Andre last game about why he wasn’t more offensive and I wonder if tonight’s out of character opening was some response to that?

Newton put some points on the board the first half and ending up with 21 points, kept us in the game until Hawkins got hot.

A very tough lose, Xavier repelled our runs. I think Danny needs to learn the early timeout at the start of the game. We dug too deep a hole.

Spot on as usual... Could it be his infatuation for Karaban, who does play like a much older, mature player at the expense of boards & defensive ability, is clouding his judgment? Could not 6-8 of Ak's minutes go to DC in a 2-big lineup?

 

[Husky pride]

Eh…this is probably the best example of a team we should be able to defend with two bigs. Sanogo on Freemantle, Clingan on Nunge.

Nunge’s “second chance” basket toward the end of the game, really hurt. Can’t help but wonder if Nunge couldn’t have been contained, to a greater extent, if Clingan had played more than 7 minutes. By the way he handles his “bigs” Hurley seems to coach strictly on the basis of a guard mentality—his own former position. We have capable “twin towers” but fail to use them…even now with Johnson available as a 6’10” possible backup. We’ll be at a match-up disadvantage, at a number of future scheduled Big East games if we don’t take advantage of our “big man” talent!