Better Off W/O Jackson and Elmore?

[Mitch]

That's the question of the hour.

Sometimes a clean break from an old regime is the best thing that can happen.

One could make the case that Al Skinner's recruits developed their bad habits from the coach that brought them to BC.

Case in point: the Clemson game in the ACC Tournament...a game that we now know was BC's make or break game for the NCAAs. What can we say about Jackson and Elmore's impact on that game? Minimal, at best. Even worse, really, when one considers the stupor Reggie Jackson sunk into after he missed his first two shots---a stupor that was eerily reminsicent of the stupor we would see game after game on Al Skinner's face whenever he coached a game.

The look suggested: this is last place I want to be. I have no enthusiasm for this.

The tremendous irony here is...the one player who actually could have the most impact on next year's new team?

Yup, a kid who was a practice player for the BC Eaglettes.

What?

If you want an older player to help younger players develop good habits, do you have to look farther than John Cahill?

Smart---smart---smart.

Plays the game the way the game is supposed to be played.

Team first.

Make the extra pass.

Stay between your man and the ball.

Call out the screens.

Fight through screens.

Take the charge.

Use your dribble to create a better angle to make the entry pass to the post.

Play with your head up at all times.

Dance like nobody is watching.

If we have learned anything from college basketball the past few years...it's the smart teams that advance, not the most talented.

I wish Reggie Jackson well. I do not have high hopes for his pro prospects because he shows no interest in defending anyone and at BC he got away with it under Al and the Don had to tolerate it because he had to try to score points. And the Don got more out of Jackson than I ever thought he could---that is, when Jackson decided to show up and decided not to mope.

Now the Don has his own players all to himself---and he can groom them to be unselfish, to be tencacious on the defensive end and to be unified in a common spirit.

In other words, he can devlop good habits.

Sure, there will be no bubble talk next year.

Fine.

The cupboard was left bare...and that's OK.

What we will have is a largely intriguing team of spirited youngsters who will be learning the value of unity and chemistry---so that as they mature, they will be able to ride their individual and collective talents toward a wild run through March Madness---which is every player's dream.

[MattTheEagle]

I agree with you for the most part. Cahill deserves a scholarship for a year, after with Reggie and Elmore leaving that means we shouldn't be any strain to give a scholarship to someone like Cahill who has shown to deserve it if it means playing for one more year. I think if he gets it he would definitely want to play for BC again. He has a great shot but more importantly, as you mentioned he can really at least show some leadership qualities and maybe get his good work ethic to rub off.

I am not high on either Moton or Rubin. Nothing against them individually, but they were not recruited for the ACC and nothing in last year tells me otherwise. I would love to see them prove me wrong and if they are motivated to show that they are going to put in the work and demonstrate abilities to compete in the ACC, power too them but I have yet to be optimistic.

Better off without Jackson and Elmore? Certainly not next year as we are going to struggle big time without them. However, I think we are better off in the long run as our incomers get more early experience and with Cahill they will get good senior leadership.

[angrychicken]

You hoops weirdos are...well...weird.

[BC923]

Hell no.

[cvilleagle]

If you wrote that post to homestar runner, he would say....


BUH-LEETED!

[Shaddix]

Um, obviously not better....but if you are thinking that it might be funner to watch with a complete new, young team next year..then I'd agree.

[bignick33]

I can't wait to be Wake Forest circa 2010-2011.

[BCEagles25]

Wake Forest had ESPN Top100 kids. He have California kids, who are hopefully diamonds in the rough. But wait, I thought only Skinner could get diamonds in the rough?

[joemack13]

We are not better off without them. If they were sophomores you could make the argument.

[Bender]

We are not better off without them. If they have a really bad season next year it will set them back in recruiting. Even if you think that Jackson and Elmore would've helped them to another NIT next year it would be better than the potential sub .500 season they look headed towards without them.

[commavegarage]

didnt even come close to reading what was posted...but the fact that you are even questioning this is a joke.

you hoops weirdos are weird. who in in their right mind thinks wed b e better off w/o reggie?

[apbc12]

didnt even come close to reading what was posted...but the fact that you are even questioning this is a joke.

you hoops weirdos are weird. who in in their right mind thinks wed b e better off w/o reggie?

Or Elmore. We're not exactly the deepest team around, and losing a rotation player hurts, no matter who it is.

[EagleDave]

Wait...the Clemson game wasn't a make or break game...we were already in the tournament at that point. I read that here.

[eagle9903]

I'm starting to see much merriment here.

Listen up weirdos, losing honorable mention all-americans before their senior year is bad, mmmkay. It is not as bad as it would have been if we were returning enough surrounding talent to make a tournament run next year, but it is absolutely 100% worse than having such player return. Most of us realize that next year is probably nothing special with or without Reggie (My personal view on Elmore is that he brings little value, I've never understood what his skill set allegedly is, and his main attribute seems to be not being Dunn, Rubin or a non-Cahill walkon). However, that is no reason to throw up all kinds of mental gymnastics to justify how it is better.

Also, regardless of your views on Skinner, Al; he did not have some laziness contagion that spreads from his former recruits to new players and frankly if this was somehow a real concern and the Don can't address it, then I'm very unimpressed with the Don. Fortunately, I think its a bunch of happy horse shit.

Just to reiterate for the phonically challenged, I am not suggesting Reggie leaving is some traumatic event; I am suggesting him staying is better than him leaving.

[b0mberMan]

Derp.

I wasn't around for the inception of the Cosmo Reif award, I've only heard it spoken of and I don't really know what the criteria is, but this feels like something that could get the committee's attention.

But I'll leave that up to those in the know.

[branchinator]

I love how about 10 people post on this board and 9 of them address the board using the "hoops weirdos" term.

[eepstein0]

We're so much better off with Reggie and Elmore. This team will be absolutely horrible next year if Reggie leaves.

[pick6pedro]

[BCMcG]

It crossed my mind before, but I am now convinced that Mitch is an alias designed to throw out asinine ideas to validate 74's opinions on basketball.

[Hawkaroo]

Sometimes a clean break from an old regime is the best thing that can happen.

One could make the case that Al Skinner's recruits developed their bad habits from the coach that brought them to BC.

Case in point: the Clemson game in the ACC Tournament...a game that we now know was BC's make or break game for the NCAAs. What can we say about Jackson and Elmore's impact on that game? Minimal, at best. Even worse, really, when one considers the stupor Reggie Jackson sunk into after he missed his first two shots---a stupor that was eerily reminsicent of the stupor we would see game after game on Al Skinner's face whenever he coached a game.

The look suggested: this is last place I want to be. I have no enthusiasm for this.

The tremendous irony here is...the one player who actually could have the most impact on next year's new team?

Yup, a kid who was a practice player for the BC Eaglettes.

What?

If you want an older player to help younger players develop good habits, do you have to look farther than John Cahill?

Smart---smart---smart.

Plays the game the way the game is supposed to be played.

Team first.

Make the extra pass.

Stay between your man and the ball.

Call out the screens.

Fight through screens.

Take the charge.

Use your dribble to create a better angle to make the entry pass to the post.

Play with your head up at all times.

Dance like nobody is watching.

If we have learned anything from college basketball the past few years...it's the smart teams that advance, not the most talented.

I wish Reggie Jackson well. I do not have high hopes for his pro prospects because he shows no interest in defending anyone and at BC he got away with it under Al and the Don had to tolerate it because he had to try to score points. And the Don got more out of Jackson than I ever thought he could---that is, when Jackson decided to show up and decided not to mope.

Now the Don has his own players all to himself---and he can groom them to be unselfish, to be tencacious on the defensive end and to be unified in a common spirit.

In other words, he can devlop good habits.

Sure, there will be no bubble talk next year.

Fine.

The cupboard was left bare...and that's OK.

What we will have is a largely intriguing team of spirited youngsters who will be learning the value of unity and chemistry---so that as they mature, they will be able to ride their individual and collective talents toward a wild run through March Madness---which is every player's dream.

Was this post supposed to be in red font? I can't take it seriously it is so retarded. My oh my...

[joemack13]

Dance like nobody is watching.

you had me at hello...

[Mitch]

It appears that I either did not explain the nature of my question (is BC better off w/o RJ and DE?) well enough, or that some of you may have missed my point...so allow me to clarify my thoughts:

1. Obviously---talent-wise, BC would be much better off next year with Reggie Jackson on the team.

2. But---Reggie Jackson is an enigma. Does anyone here have a handle on what makes this kid tick? Does anyone here really know what caused Coach Donohue to bench Jackson at the start of the Duke game? Does anyone know why Jackson---in what was arguably the most important game of the year, the Clemson ACC Tourney game---got totally owned by Demontez Stitt---and throughout the game looked so mopey and disinterested that the ESPN crew commented over and over that for a bubble team, BC was playing with "no urgency whatsoever." That comment was directed first and foremost at Reggie Jackson. Joe Trapani was playing his tail off as usual---even on poor shooting nights Trapani kept his head up and kept playing hard. The same cannot be said about Jackson.

How about Jackson's listless performance in the 2nd round of the NIT (which likely was his last game at Conte and in a BC uniform). Again, he was dominated, far outplayed and outhustled by the other team's point guard, Michael Thompson. Talk about "lack of urgency."

3. What's clear is the extreme value Coach Dononhue places on practice. What Dononue said to justify Jackson's benching at Duke was: "I am trying to build a program here." Then Donohue alluded to the fact that the five payers he started had "earned it in practice."

The most salient manifestation of Dononue's "how you play is how you practice" philosophy is his playing and eventual starting of senior walk-on John Cahill. Cahill earned his playing time and his starts by showing up every day and working his tail off.

And the way in which Cahill performed is a testament not only to Coach Donohue's sincerity (he means what he says), it is a testament as to how well his players are being coached---for Cahill looked extraordinarily well-prepared and fundamentally sound on both ends of the court, especially for a player who had never played a minute of Division 1 basketball.

Donohue's coaching also was readily apparent in the ways in which Jackson, Paris and Raji improved this year---especially with the accuracy of their shooting and their confidence as shooters. The same can be said about how improved Joe Trapani was in taking the ball to the basket. In addition these players didn't turn the ball over nearly as much as they did the year before---there was a striking difference there.

However, the effort that Jackson, Paris and Raji gave Donohue on defense was extremely disappointing, imo. They were veteran players who did not pressure the ball well...they were slow to help...did not take charges...did not rotate out to defend the perimeter with anticipation or urgency...especially Jackson---his effort on defense was often embarrassing---it looked like he had never been coached or never understood the concept of ball pressure or help defense. Basically he was a self-appointed cherry-picker---almost as bad as Rakhim Sanders, who might have been the worst effort (lost in space) defender for a high recruit BC has ever had.

4. So, the reason why BC might be better off without Jackson comes down to whether or not Jackson would set the right example for the younger players in practice and in general. If he came back and played the part of the primadonna and continued to find himself at odds with Coach Donohue---that would not serve Dononhue's program well in the long run.

This is the crux of my question.

Now---if Jackson returned and embraced the leadership role and busted his tail every practice---and started to actually put forth a decent effort on defense---that would be the best-case scenario.

I do not have a sense as to what the case would be.

Just as I still do not have any idea as to why Jackson crawled into a shell in two of his last three games at BC.,,,and at other times during the season.

[commavegarage]

and started to actually put forth a decent effort on defense

Where did this Reggie doesn't give a shit in general idea come from?

[eepstein0]

and started to actually put forth a decent effort on defense

Where did this Reggie doesn't give a shit in general idea come from?

hoops weirdos of course

I mean he's an awful one v one defensive player. He's also our best player.

[pick6pedro]

and started to actually put forth a decent effort on defense

Where did this Reggie doesn't give a shit in general idea come from?

I call it ex post butthurtco.

[Mitch]

Jackson isn't just a poor on-the-ball defender, he is an even worse help defender. If you have saved any tapes of the BC games, just follow Jackson on the defensive end. What you will see repeatedly is Jackson getting turned around---caught in no man's land---and three steps slow to react when an opponent is taking the ball to the hoop or when a ball is getting kicked out to the perimeter. He is what I termed when I was coaching: "lost in space." And that's the worst defense anyone can play---you'd rather have an overcommitment than an undercommitment.

Defense tells you quite a bit about a player's character. Playing defense is a commitment and the ultimate test of a player's desire to win. It's all about effort, comunication and teamwork.

Case in point: Cory Raji. How is it that he has an uncanny knack for grabbing offensive rebounds and little to no knack for grabbing defensive rebounds? The answer is simple. Raji was far hungrier about scoring points than he was about preventing points. Now---most players---if they are allowed to be so---are wired this way. Most players want to score more than anything else.

Yet, this is where good coaching comes in. A good coach has to convince his players that if they don't do everything it takes to prevent the other team from scoring, they will have little chance of winning. Like the old coaching adage states: "The rim can get smaller on some nights, but the one thing you can always control is how hard you play defense." Or the most popular adage: "Defense wins championships."

The player who likely was the worst influence on Reggie Jackson was his original mentor, Tyrese Rice. Sure...Rice was an electrifying offensive player and was worth the price of admission...that is when he wasn't sitting on the bench. If you recall, Rice's defense was so suspect, Al Skinner---during Rice's senior year---got in the pattern of benching Rice for the majority of the first halves. Were you yelling at the TV the way I was---game after game? Skinner was afraid that Rice would hack his way into quick foul trouble. So, whether Rice was in foul trouble or not, Skinner had him riding the pine in the first halves anyway.

Rice also went into his senior year season on suspension---vis-a-vis---due to a violation of team rules.

Rice may have electrified the team and the crowd when he put on his offensive shows...but...one has to wonder just how much of an influence---in a negative way---he had on the younger players like Reggie Jackson.

So, again, this is my concern...the developing of bad habits...and the setting of poor examples.

One of the things that stands out about Ryan Anderson is his and Poly's focus on defense.

And if Coach Donohue can get a senior walk-on to play fundamentally sound defense and take the charge (which Jackson never did), he can certainy do the same with this group of talented and aggressive young players.

And just as a reminder...look at Nolan Smith...he led the ACC in scoring AND he was quite possibly the best defensive player in the league. Look at UNC...they started winning because of their tencious defense...same with Florida St. with Singleton and crew...same with Clemson with Stitt and company.

[commavegarage]

So you're arguing that you'd rather not have Jackson because you think he is a poor defender and a terrible influence on the team than have him next year?

I'm telling you you hoops weirdos are lunatics.

[BC923]

It is asinine to think that we will be better off without Reggie. I want him to do whatever is best for him, if that's leaving than so be it, but it certainly won't help the team.

[commavegarage]

Were talking about a player who may be the favorite to win the ACC player of the year. One of the best players we've had in the 2000s. And we don't exactly have suitable replacements for him lined up. And some people think we would be better off without him.

Good God wake up.

[branchinator]

Tyrese Rice was suspended because he played in an unsanctioned pickup game. That's not exactly territory.