gaelfu {l Wrote}:eagle9903 {l Wrote}:gaelfu {l Wrote}:Are you saying the team is worse than last year's team? I think that's a stretch.
In any case, doesn't really matter, as I am predicting Donahue is not the coach for the 2015-16 season, and not because he leaves for a better job. Failure by a little or failure by a lot is still failure nonetheless.
I can never tell how much of this you watch as you came in earlier in the season and didn't comment for a few games, but while maybe I'm blinded by what I want to see happen, it has seemed very clear to me that this team was exponentially better than last year when they were running the limited bench and often looked like it was more talented than Wake, Maryland, Va Tech and even NC State but they only go about 4 and a percentage deep. Way too much depends on Clifford's health right now and if he can't play significant minutes I guess your earlier 18-20 game prediction seems right to me. If he can I think this has the potential to be a very good team with two more decent players preferably a big and a swing type.
I've watched about 75% of the games this year, and most of all of the ACC games except for UVA. The team is better than last year's team. Anyone who's watched them play this year will agree with that.
That said, let's look at the core of this team right now: Anderson, Hanlan, Rahon, Jackson, Clifford. Say what you want about the others, but I think the others are fringe ACC players at best.
that's pretty fair, I never want to see Danny Rubin ever again and obviously Caudill is a Erik Witt, Andrew Dudley (das-big man ommitted for U of Albany graduates benefits) non-entity, I still think Heckmann and maybe even more likely Odio can contributeAnderson - I thought at the beginning of the year he was primed for a monster year. Really thought he could be the next Dudley for this program, same body type, same skill set, round out the 3ball as an upperclassman and turn into an ACC POY candidate. Statistically, at 16 and 9, he's lived up to expectations. I don't understand the inconsistency though. He seems to just disappear in certain games. But, he is the furthest thing from what's wrong with the team, and I'll say he's on schedule to develop into that player.
agreed, my only issue is I can't tell if he is soft or tired from playing out of position and surrounded by a bunch of sub 210 lb teamates and thus saddling way too much of the interior defensive load and rebounding, moreover I can't tell if he is actually a horrific interior defender or if it is again a product of the talent surrounding himRahon - Loved him at the beginning of the year, but the more I see him play, the lower I think his ceiling is. Think for a deep tourney run kind of team, he is a solid 7th man/glue guy. Have seen him miss way too many open shots this year. Maybe it's the ankle, but I see him as a nice bench piece, and not a starting 2 guard for a team making a deep tourney run. Smart defender and has taken a lot of charges, but I question his ability to effectively defend for 40 minutes (depth is an issue here to be fair).
If he is either injured or just out of gas, I still think his smart play, size (he's one of our few guards who isn't a stick figure and effort (yes, I went there) to be a four year starter who is a plus in multiple categories. He should not be playing 40 minutes a game, that is a huge problem. He was really just too good in the stretch from the charleston tournament through Wake for me to just assume he's gotten shitty or that the ACC is too talented. But I readily admit it has been ugly since wake and maybe I'm wrong and the athleticism of ACC guards are too much for himHanlan - Think he's a bulldog. Really tough, love his ability to attack the basket. Another guy who I worry about his shooting from deep, but overall happy with him. He'll need to take a massive leap for this team to have a shot at making the tourney next year.
My favorite player by far, I worry more about his FTs than the outside shot, the outside shot would be more of a plus than anything.Jackson - Has proven me wrong in that he's bounced back from an awful start. Ultimately, I think another 6th/7th man on a good team however, because he's a one-dimensional player. Doesn't bring anything to the table off the bounce, and is a minus defender. Great shooter though, and a guy I'd like to have coming off the bench to heat up and lead the 2nd unit.
I think this is somewhat lazy analysis, and I say that relative to the others which I think are good. He is a very good shooter but he can dribble and pass a little bit too. He is not Rice or Jackson obviously, but he is not a guy who you smack your forehead when he gets the ball at times other than when he is wide open and ready to shoot. I haven't noticed the poor defense since early in the season where there were some very visible blown responsibilitiesClifford - This is where we probably most disagree. A huge question mark in my eyes. For all the shit CAG has been getting, I don't know how we can think we can depend on him when you consider how prone to chronic injury big men can be, especially with the knees. I don't think he's a particularly good rebounder for his size, and another thing I'll say is that he doesn't strike me as a particularly intelligent player. I will say that he shows nice touch on his J, but his post moves are a work in progress, and after 2 years, he's just a big ? to me.
I think you said you didn't watch last year, correct me if I'm wrong (again, if this is me confusing you with someone else, possible CAG, apologies. But Clifford had some really nice post moves last year. In fact that and his ability to move well for a 7 footer were the reasons for the optimism. He is not a good rebounder for a 7 footer, but his rebounding would be the difference between us losing or not losing rebounding margins this year. Moreover it would mean Anderson didn't have to defend the 5 and often times play with Odio or Heckmann as the next biggest BC guy on the floor, which would have -I believe- a huge effect. My issue with this whole argument is that I have never said Clifford will be healthy and therefore we will make the Tournament next year, I have said if Clifford is healthy I think we will make the tournament next year. People on the CAG side have insisted there is no way he will be healthy because they are assholesSo we finally come to Donahue. In year 3, what has he done with the foundation? We have one good to potentially great player in Anderson. We have potential, but ultimately question marks, all over the floor everywhere else. We have a team devoid (for the most part) of consistent outside shooters in a system that demands them. Inconsistency and stretches of downright putrid play characterize our team's defense. We have significant depth issues in both the frontcourt and the backcourt, with only one swingman signed for next year. We might sign more players, but who knows? We have walk-ons playing meaningful minutes night after night.
If you don't think Hanlan is a good player, I don't know what to tell you. If you don't think Jackson is a good outside shooter I have the same issue. Defensive lapses and inconsistency could pretty easily relate to having no bench, no? We have two swingmen coming in next year Owens and Dragevich. One who has shown the ability to shoot from the outside in comparable league play, one who is pegged to be the athletic and strong 2/3 we don't have now. I hope for additional recruits in this class. This should be the last year of walk ons. If Heckmann leaves, I'm sure he will all of a sudden become an "ACC player" again posthumously, and I hope it doesn't happen.
Then you have the potential for improvement of players on the roster. Stupid posters said that the freshman last year wouldn't ever be much better than they were. This was obviously ridiculous. Eddie Odio is still not ready to play that kind of minutes against a team like UNC, but did you ever think you'd see him contributing at all last year? Beerbohm was a very useful piece on the 2000 team. Odio is looking like he could be on a similar trajectory, an athletic project who finally puts it together. You've acknowledged that Anderson has improved, even if not to the level you expect, it could happen again if he gets stronger. I said earlier I don't think Jackson is the defensive minus he's been made out to be, but he is certainly a better defender this year than last year. I am nearly certain Hanlan and Rahon will improve conditioning if nothing else. Most importantly, I get the feeling that this team's ceiling is far lower than some of the yahoo's on this site would have you believe. One really good player (Anderson), one solid starter (Hanlan) and a few nice role players does not make a tourney team. Donahue said it himself, give this squad 50 games. It's been 50 games. We know what we have. And what we have is a team that's 9-11, 1-6 in conference, and going nowhere fast.
Getting back to the tournament is the short term goal, right? What was the last BC team to make the tournament? 2008-09? That team had one really good player, Rice, one solid starter, Trap, and a few nice role players, Sanders, Raji, Freshman Jackson. That team was hardly the 83 Sixers. As to 50 games, I'm not happy where we are right now. I think we are poised to be fine later though.