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Western Illinois at ORU


theeagleman5

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It's hard for me to blame Bradley. It was a hectic/disjointed play, in the waning seconds, where we saved the ball from a turnover a couple of times. Even if he had dribbled out behind the 3-point line, he may not have even gotten a shot off before the buzzer.

Being overly critical of 18-21 year old kids, who seem to really be putting forth the effort, is hard for me to do.

Truth is...this group of kids are REALLY NICE GUYS. Everyone you talk to raves about how polite, friendly, and nice they are. All of my experiences (limited as they may be) have been nothing but pleasant.

This season has sucked...no doubt. The most depressing in my lifetime of ORU basketball, which started in the fall of 1989. But, please let's us some discretion when calling out these kids. And yes, they are kids.

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19 minutes ago, oruvoice said:

Being overly critical of 18-21 year old kids, who seem to really be putting forth the effort, is hard for me to do.

Truth is...this group of kids are REALLY NICE GUYS. Everyone you talk to raves about how polite, friendly, and nice they are. All of my experiences (limited as they may be) have been nothing but pleasant.

I think the blame rests with the coaches not the players.

The players can't help that they are limited. It's the coaching staff's job to work around those limitations and put the team in the best position to win. That hasn't happened.

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TheEagleman is sure that Bradley is a nice guy and I apologize for the personal attack...he is surely NOT the main reason we are 7-19 but he is a contributor....he seems to get his stats but he turns the ball over and doesn't come up big in the clutch...just not my kind of player.....that being said...I wish him the best with whatever he does with his life after ORU...he surely won't be playing organized basketball except in some adult league in Okmulgee or something.....but we will honor him on Senior night with his folks and he will get a nice plaque with his jersey along with Anderson and Young....those guys haven't been huge this season either....I need a break....time for some baseball....:blink:

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The summit league is no basketball powerhouse. You don't get to last place on lack of talent alone. 

I really don't believe our talent has been outmatched by any conference foe yet this season. 100% of the blame falls on the coaching staff. 

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For me, the test will come these next 4 games.  Whether or not we win or lose any or all of these games really does not matter in the grand scheme of things, although I would much rather win than lose.  What I mean to say is that if the staff goes in a different direction with the lineup and sits the Seniors and plays the others to give the underclassmen more PT and experience, I can live with that.  At that point we are at least looking to change things and prepare for next year.  However, if we roll out the same game plan for the next 4 games featuring all 3 Seniors and our patented 4 guard lineup, and do not go with D. Harris, Dez or more of Chris Miller, than I say dump the staff.  If they continue with the same game plan when clearly this season is a total loss, that tells me they have no clue where to go from here or do not have the courage to try different things and start to give the underclassmen some real game-time experience. 

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TheEagleman told you that we should have suited up Sam McCants when he was in Tulsa for the HOF last month....the 66 year old PG still has at least two years of eligibility left....and Where's Ken Trickey when we need him?....Dig 'em up!!!...:-P

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41 minutes ago, ORU82 said:

For me, the test will come these next 4 games.  Whether or not we win or lose any or all of these games really does not matter in the grand scheme of things, although I would much rather win than lose.  What I mean to say is that if the staff goes in a different direction with the lineup and sits the Seniors and plays the others to give the underclassmen more PT and experience, I can live with that.  At that point we are at least looking to change things and prepare for next year.  However, if we roll out the same game plan for the next 4 games featuring all 3 Seniors and our patented 4 guard lineup, and do not go with D. Harris, Dez or more of Chris Miller, than I say dump the staff.  If they continue with the same game plan when clearly this season is a total loss, that tells me they have no clue where to go from here or do not have the courage to try different things and start to give the underclassmen some real game-time experience. 

Ain't gonna happen.

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I hear you Voice.  If we continue the next 4 games doing the same thing as we do every game, that to me is really sad and signals that we need to move in a different direction with regard to the staff.  Why continue to give PT to the Seniors other than AA (closest thing we have to a point guard) when in 4 games they are gone? 

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I understand the point and I'm not saying the lineup shouldn't be shifted a bit, but I completely disagree with the "sit the seniors because the season is shot" thinking. Play the players that you think are going to get you W's. Screwing seniors because they aren't of any value next year is a low class move. 

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17 minutes ago, EagleManiac said:

Play the players that you think are going to get you W's.

Which would mean sitting the seniors.

This isn't an elementary school church league. The seniors don't "deserve" minutes the best players do. The seniors are not the best players.

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What, so that in the best of worlds we finish 11-18 instead of a possible 7-22?  What makes the difference.  This is not "screwing" the seniors, it is trying to do something to prepare the underclassmen so that they can hit the ground running next year.  There is no better teaching tool then real game experience.  Let the staff put the underclassmen on the floor and use it to coach them.  By preparing them now we are hopefully not where we are as a program a year from now.

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Maybe I misunderstood. By no means am I saying that seniors deserve minutes simply because they are seniors. All I was saying is that they shouldn't be benched BECAUSE they are seniors. 

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The lineup we have been playing most of this season has gotten us to 7-19.....TheEagleman has seen enough of that....not working to say the least and can't hold a lead in the final five minutes to save their lives...I am all for some changes in the final four games.....might as well see what these kids can do.....and let them know that if they play well they are going to get a lot of minutes in 2017-18.....it just makes sense.....Start the seniors on Senior Night vs. NDSU and play them for a few minutes....then put them on the sidelines unless somebody gets in foul trouble....how can you be loyal to guys who got you to 7-19?....those guys are running Scott out of a nice paying job.....:blink:

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4 hours ago, oruvoice said:

It's hard for me to blame Bradley. It was a hectic/disjointed play, in the waning seconds, where we saved the ball from a turnover a couple of times. Even if he had dribbled out behind the 3-point line, he may not have even gotten a shot off before the buzzer.

Being overly critical of 18-21 year old kids, who seem to really be putting forth the effort, is hard for me to do.

Truth is...this group of kids are REALLY NICE GUYS. Everyone you talk to raves about how polite, friendly, and nice they are. All of my experiences (limited as they may be) have been nothing but pleasant.

This season has sucked...no doubt. The most depressing in my lifetime of ORU basketball, which started in the fall of 1989. But, please let's us some discretion when calling out these kids. And yes, they are kids.

Time and score.

"Time and score!"

"TIME AND SCORE!!!!"

Everyone on every team in every sport must be aware of these two factors down the stretch in a close game, ESPECIALLY if their job includes controlling the ball (quarterback, point guard, etc.)

Every team works on situational awareness; some more than others, and a few are fanatical about it.

And, down three with the ball on possibly the last possession of the game?  Man, that's Basketball 101 - the defense will give you ANYTHING that only counts two points! :doh:

 

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I'm really surprised that Western didn't foul once it got under four seconds.  I realize that this strategy is hotly debated (and I don't mean to start that debate again), but I find it generally to be a good approach.  Perhaps they too, were not paying attention to TIME and SCORE.

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Random observations:

* I think this team is full of nice guys and good students. As much as I want to win, I know that they want to more.

* We seem to have digressed on offense. Our spacing is bad and passing is not crisp. Several players - especially Martin - have lost their confidence and play tentative. 

* This team lacks chemistry and cohesiveness. Not sure why that is - or who is to 'blame'. It may be a function of not winning. Body language on court and the bench is not good  

* I see lots of fundamental mistakes. Not sure how much basketball IQ this team has. Others have mentioned taking a two pointer last night when we needed three points. And the 8-foot entry pass with a second left was a real head scratcher  

* The lack of rebounding really bugs me. I know that it is partially a function of a small line up, but many times our guards outrebound our post players. Guys don't block out or fight for the ball. Rebounding is effort and tenacity. 

* We are only a couple of players away from being competitive. We need a strong, tough, smart point guard who is a leader. Hard to think a freshman can come in and provide that - at least early on. May need to go juco. White should provide depth down low. Need another scoring option or two.... and it wouldn't hurt to get some defensive stoppers. 

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