There were 2 little girls sitting in front of us who summed up one of our big problems, "Why don't we rebound like they do?" When they drove to the basket or threw up a 3, they crashed the board for the rebound, and if they didn't get it they still were able to get back on defense because we seldom fast break.
When one of our players shoots they never follow their shot and everybody immediately rushes back on defense. A friend of my son commented how much faster they were than SIU. Outside of Jones and Banks (who I thought looked good until he got bumped in the schnoze.) we have meh for speed. Our guys look strong and athletic, just not very quick.
Just a thought; For all their administrative problems and playing a gazillion road games prior to conference, Alcorn State played better than their record and are obviously well coached...even though we won we may have been out-coached last night.
I thought the same thing. Alcorn had 14 offensive rebounds to our 4. That's 10 more chances. Are we not boxing out or were our guys not as quick. It also seemed like we got more than a few rebounds ripped out of our hands although it was hard to see those scrums under the basket from the poor camera angles. On a related note, does anybody else think the telecasts from the Arena are lacking compared to previous years?
1st half effort was very sluggish - no energy. Mullins did not like the effort in the 1st half.
Could very well have been hangover from the previous three tough games.
Verplancken barely shot the ball. We need more than Jones and Domask to score.
And Jones won't shoot FTs that bad in the future hopefully.
If Filewich could shoot FTs, I'd definitely play him more, but they were killing us inside and his D and quickness are not great.
If I were Mullins, I would absolutely be training Muila to shoot underhand FTs like Rick Barry (even though Bobber wouldn't like it!)
Something I've been wondering about, how is it Muila has been here for over a year and is shooting really high arching one handed free throws. Seems like someone should have taught him how to shoot a free throw in the last year so at least it has a chance. Or is it that they tried but he wouldn't listen?
There were 2 little girls sitting in front of us who summed up one of our big problems, "Why don't we rebound like they do?" When they drove to the basket or threw up a 3, they crashed the board for the rebound, and if they didn't get it they still were able to get back on defense because we seldom fast break.
When one of our players shoots they never follow their shot and everybody immediately rushes back on defense. A friend of my son commented how much faster they were than SIU. Outside of Jones and Banks (who I thought looked good until he got bumped in the schnoze.) we have meh for speed. Our guys look strong and athletic, just not very quick.
Just a thought; For all their administrative problems and playing a gazillion road games prior to conference, Alcorn State played better than their record and are obviously well coached...even though we won we may have been out-coached last night.
I thought the same thing. Alcorn had 14 offensive rebounds to our 4. That's 10 more chances. Are we not boxing out or were our guys not as quick. It also seemed like we got more than a few rebounds ripped out of our hands although it was hard to see those scrums under the basket from the poor camera angles. On a related note, does anybody else think the telecasts from the Arena are lacking compared to previous years?
Yes, we did get more than a few rebounds ripped out of our hands: I would say a minimum of 4-5 times when one of our guys just failed to wrap up a rebound he should have had. It reminded me of poor tackling in football. I didn't think it was poor positioning, at least not on the defensive end.
Four offensive rebounds isn't going to cut it, is it? Lordy, there is some work to do on this team.
(Inflammatory political snark)
Not trying to offend anyone here. We are all Saluki fans. But I'm seeing a lot of rah-rah, know-nothing fans on here making excuses, celebrating us barely getting by a winless team at home (who we were favored to beat by 15+), and then chiding the rest of us for "making outlandish statements." The irony....
Yes, I'm concerned. We lost to a horrible team in UALR and almost just lost to another at home. These are teams we should've beaten soundly, if we are going to "turn the corner" so to speak. We played hard in the Virgin Islands, but came away 1-2. That included a sound beating by another team we were favored against (Northeastern).
I'm worried about our program. I'm also worried about those of you who keep saying "we'll be fine" or "this team really needs Trent Brown." Really?? The kid averaged what 3 PPG last year? Sure, it would be great to get him back (and Harvey) but that's not going to be a game-changer. This team has issues.
As for recruiting. Someone asked if we have any stud Freshmen coming in. Yes, we do. But not the one you think I'm referring to. Cade Hornecker is a great get, but he's going to need time. He's skinny AF. The Freshman I'm talking about is Scotty Ebube, assuming he does redshirt this year. He is going to be a future stud big man in the MVC.
As for Foster Wonders being a small school kid who's not going to be able to compete in D1? Bullshit. This kid has size & strength for a wing guard and can absolutely shoot the lights out. My guess is the only reason he's not playing (as someone mentioned earlier) is that the staff thought they were loaded at 2G before the injuries to Brown & Harvey. Foster Wonders can play and if they take the redshirt off, he will be an immediate contributor on offense.
OK, rant over. None of this was directed at anyone in particular, as I can't even remember who said what. Carry on and Go Salukis! In Mullins we trust. 😉
Not trying to offend anyone here. We are all Saluki fans. But I'm seeing a lot of rah-rah, know-nothing fans on here making excuses, celebrating us barely getting by a winless team at home (who we were favored to beat by 15), and then chiding the rest of us for "making outlandish statements." The irony....
Yes, I'm concerned. We lost to a horrible team in UALR and almost just lost to another at home. These are teams we should've beaten soundly, if we are going to "turn the corner" so to speak. We played hard in the Virgin Islands, but came away 1-2. That included a sound beating by another team we were favored against (Northeastern).
I'm worried about our program. I'm also worried about those of you who keep saying "we'll be fine" or "this team really needs Trent Brown." Really?? The kid averaged what 3 PPG last year? Sure, it would be great to get him back (and Harvey) but that's not going to be a game-changer. This team has issues.
As for recruiting. Someone asked if we have any stud Freshmen coming in. Yes, we do. But not the one you think I'm referring to. Cade Hornecker is a great get, but he's going to need time. He's skinny AF. The Freshman I'm talking about is Scotty Ebube, assuming he does redshirt this year. He is going to be a future stud big man in the MVC.
As for Foster Wonders being a small school kid who's not going to be able to compete in D1? Bullshit. This kid has size & strength for a wing guard and can absolutely shoot the lights out. My guess is the only reason he's not playing (as someone mentioned earlier) is that the staff thought they were loaded at 2G before the injuries to Brown & Harvey. Foster Wonders can play and if they take the redshirt off, he will be an immediate contributor on offense.
OK, rant over. None of this was directed at anyone in particular, as I can't even remember who said what. Carry on and Go Salukis! In Mullins we trust. 😉
Dude. Calm down. Those people will make every excuse every time. Let it go.
it’s pretty clear that a lot is not right. But all we will hear is how great the defense is.
unfortunately basketball requires being good on offense.
Not trying to offend anyone here. We are all Saluki fans. But I'm seeing a lot of rah-rah, know-nothing fans on here making excuses, celebrating us barely getting by a winless team at home (who we were favored to beat by 15), and then chiding the rest of us for "making outlandish statements." The irony....
Yes, I'm concerned. We lost to a horrible team in UALR and almost just lost to another at home. These are teams we should've beaten soundly, if we are going to "turn the corner" so to speak. We played hard in the Virgin Islands, but came away 1-2. That included a sound beating by another team we were favored against (Northeastern).
I'm worried about our program. I'm also worried about those of you who keep saying "we'll be fine" or "this team really needs Trent Brown." Really?? The kid averaged what 3 PPG last year? Sure, it would be great to get him back (and Harvey) but that's not going to be a game-changer. This team has issues.
As for recruiting. Someone asked if we have any stud Freshmen coming in. Yes, we do. But not the one you think I'm referring to. Cade Hornecker is a great get, but he's going to need time. He's skinny AF. The Freshman I'm talking about is Scotty Ebube, assuming he does redshirt this year. He is going to be a future stud big man in the MVC.
As for Foster Wonders being a small school kid who's not going to be able to compete in D1? Bullshit. This kid has size & strength for a wing guard and can absolutely shoot the lights out. My guess is the only reason he's not playing (as someone mentioned earlier) is that the staff thought they were loaded at 2G before the injuries to Brown & Harvey. Foster Wonders can play and if they take the redshirt off, he will be an immediate contributor on offense.
OK, rant over. None of this was directed at anyone in particular, as I can't even remember who said what. Carry on and Go Salukis! In Mullins we trust. 😉
Dude. Calm down. Those people will make every excuse every time. Let it go.
it’s pretty clear that a lot is not right. But all we will hear is how great the defense is.
unfortunately basketball requires being good on offense.
A lot of the people making excuses for Mullins are the same people that wanted B***y out the door every time SIU played a bad game. We all want SIU to win and turn the corner but I'm not seeing it right now. Domask and Jones are a great duo but I don't know if this team has enough scoring options outside of them. Verplancken has been impressive but I'm not sure he's ever going to fill up the box score consistently. Ben Coupet is a guy that needs to step up IMO. But as of right now, if you don't get a great performance from Domask/Jones, this team is gonna be in trouble.
I think it's reasonable to assume that if Foster was good enough to be playing then he would be playing.
I think it's reasonable to assume that if Foster was good enough to be playing then he would be playing.
Free Foster Wonders.
Upper Peninsula for L-I-F-E.
Not trying to offend anyone here. We are all Saluki fans. But I'm seeing a lot of rah-rah, know-nothing fans on here making excuses, celebrating us barely getting by a winless team at home (who we were favored to beat by 15+), and then chiding the rest of us for "making outlandish statements." The irony....
Yes, I'm concerned. We lost to a horrible team in UALR and almost just lost to another at home. These are teams we should've beaten soundly, if we are going to "turn the corner" so to speak. We played hard in the Virgin Islands, but came away 1-2. That included a sound beating by another team we were favored against (Northeastern).
I'm worried about our program. I'm also worried about those of you who keep saying "we'll be fine" or "this team really needs Trent Brown." Really?? The kid averaged what 3 PPG last year? Sure, it would be great to get him back (and Harvey) but that's not going to be a game-changer. This team has issues.
As for recruiting. Someone asked if we have any stud Freshmen coming in. Yes, we do. But not the one you think I'm referring to. Cade Hornecker is a great get, but he's going to need time. He's skinny AF. The Freshman I'm talking about is Scotty Ebube, assuming he does redshirt this year. He is going to be a future stud big man in the MVC.
As for Foster Wonders being a small school kid who's not going to be able to compete in D1? Bullshit. This kid has size & strength for a wing guard and can absolutely shoot the lights out. My guess is the only reason he's not playing (as someone mentioned earlier) is that the staff thought they were loaded at 2G before the injuries to Brown & Harvey. Foster Wonders can play and if they take the redshirt off, he will be an immediate contributor on offense.
OK, rant over. None of this was directed at anyone in particular, as I can't even remember who said what. Carry on and Go Salukis! In Mullins we trust. 😉
listen to this man. he knows what he is talking about.
Craving a McBride Special!
Its not always about stats. Trent Brown is one of those glue guys. This team misses his toughness and intangibles, IMO. His return definitely isn't a fix-all, but he's needed.
I'm with you 100% on Ebube. That kid is gonna be a stud. He has a lot of tools at the 5 this team otherwise doesn't have. I'm actually quite frustrated he's redshirting. Same with Wonders. I'd be more okay with those two sitting if SIU was humming along at 5-1 or 6-0, but they're not, and a 5th year senior at one school is more of the exception nowadays, not the rule.
Thoughts on Hornecker; I legit think we'll see an SIU front court featuring both Ebube at the 5 and Hornecker at the 4 in the not so distant future. After spending some time doing some digging on Cade, I'm convinced it won't take us long to realize how lucky we are that we snagged him early. I think he's set to blow up this year.
I'm not defending SIU or Mullins. They need to win now. Anything short of 20 wins is a failure. Although, I'm not at all surprised by the 3-3 start, I am surprised and disgusted at how two (and almost a third) of those losses happened; SIU looked poorly coached and devoid of leadership, by both players and coaches when it mattered most.
That said, I'm still in wait-and-see mode. I had a feeling the beginning of this season could be a head-scratching struggle, so check back in with me in January. If everyone's basically healthy and they're struggling to keep their heads above water in MVC play, I'll be leading the charge pitchfork in-hand. For now, I'll be patient while this group hopefully gels and Mullins gets his shit together, gets back to being the coach we know he can be, and gives us more of what we saw in season one.
--Insert something witty here--
Here's the full game on YouTube (if you can bear it), adding this to the list of games in that thread:
Not trying to offend anyone here. We are all Saluki fans. But I'm seeing a lot of rah-rah, know-nothing fans on here making excuses, celebrating us barely getting by a winless team at home (who we were favored to beat by 15+), and then chiding the rest of us for "making outlandish statements." The irony....
Yes, I'm concerned. We lost to a horrible team in UALR and almost just lost to another at home. These are teams we should've beaten soundly, if we are going to "turn the corner" so to speak. We played hard in the Virgin Islands, but came away 1-2. That included a sound beating by another team we were favored against (Northeastern).
I'm worried about our program. I'm also worried about those of you who keep saying "we'll be fine" or "this team really needs Trent Brown." Really?? The kid averaged what 3 PPG last year? Sure, it would be great to get him back (and Harvey) but that's not going to be a game-changer. This team has issues.
As for recruiting. Someone asked if we have any stud Freshmen coming in. Yes, we do. But not the one you think I'm referring to. Cade Hornecker is a great get, but he's going to need time. He's skinny AF. The Freshman I'm talking about is Scotty Ebube, assuming he does redshirt this year. He is going to be a future stud big man in the MVC.
As for Foster Wonders being a small school kid who's not going to be able to compete in D1? Bullshit. This kid has size & strength for a wing guard and can absolutely shoot the lights out. My guess is the only reason he's not playing (as someone mentioned earlier) is that the staff thought they were loaded at 2G before the injuries to Brown & Harvey. Foster Wonders can play and if they take the redshirt off, he will be an immediate contributor on offense.
OK, rant over. None of this was directed at anyone in particular, as I can't even remember who said what. Carry on and Go Salukis! In Mullins we trust. 😉
Brown who? Our problem is scoring. Quit wondering about Foster! He'll play when he's ready. Muila has been taking FT lessons from Bobber - it's all not good! Put Cade Hornecker on a Culver's milkshake diet - worked for me! Marcus is back. Lance will never miss another FT.
Next year Sweet 16!
We have some emoting tonight. Some thoughtful analysis. Good to see.
👍
I think it's reasonable to assume that if Foster was good enough to be playing then he would be playing.
Oh, gosh, no no no no NO!
Random dudes on message boards ALWAYS know more than those dumbass experts and professionals! Don't you know that???
It could very well be that FW will be a solution if given a chance. It is more l Iikely that he's not ready for D1 basketball at this point in the opinion of the man who recruited him and whose balls are on the line with whether he is good enough or not.
Those of you calling for FW to play: how many minutes of practice have you seen?
Again, the staff might decide, in desperation, to pull the redshirt. And maybe it will work out, like it does in a crappy movie. And maybe it won't.
Either way, the redshirt would be pulled despite professionals thinking it shouldn't be: i.e., people who have seen him play way more than you have and are in a much better position to evaluate his abilities at this point.
(Inflammatory political snark)
I think it's reasonable to assume that if Foster was good enough to be playing then he would be playing.
Oh, gosh, no no no no NO!
Random dudes on message boards ALWAYS know more than those dumbass experts and professionals! Don't you know that???
It could very well be that FW will be a solution if given a chance. It is more l Iikely that he's not ready for D1 basketball at this point in the opinion of the man who recruited him and whose balls are on the line with whether he is good enough or not.
Those of you calling for FW to play: how many minutes of practice have you seen?
Again, the staff might decide, in desperation, to pull the redshirt. And maybe it will work out, like it does in a crappy movie. And maybe it won't.
Either way, the redshirt would be pulled despite professionals thinking it shouldn't be: i.e., people who have seen him play way more than you have and are in a much better position to evaluate his abilities at this point.
I don't think anyone thinks Wonders is some big difference maker sitting on the bench. I think the question is, is it worth it to keep Wonders on the bench and redshirting when SIU is down Harvey, Brown, and maybe Banks now. This team can't afford to go to an 8 man rotation in December, it's going to kill them in February. If Wonders can give you quality minutes like D'Amico is doing and learning on the job, it's worth pulling the redshirt.
