Alright...I'm just about done whining about the officials in last night's game.
That's the card you get dealt on the road, so I guess we'll just have to live with it. Either way, it's a 24 point loss on the road. Another blowout. Now we get to come home...again...to face another team that's already beaten us by 27 earlier in the year. So, even if we win this one and pull back even in the SEC, we still get to play at LSU next Wednesday. Yippee.
So what exactly is the problem with the basketball team right now? I would say it's only when they play on the road, but the early showing against Georgia was disgusting. Is it lack of hustle to start games? Is it a lack of defensive execution down the stretch? Is it lack of offensive execution?
I think, to sum it up, it's a combination of everything going wrong at the worst possible time. Sure, Ronald Steele had 19 points last night, but his defensive effort and his turnovers absolutely killed us. He single handedly gave them points on several occasions. Another problem for this team is lazy passes. Riley has been the biggest problem so far, but Steele, Davidson, and Torrance all threw weak passes to the wing last night that were picked off and returned for a dunk at the other end.
So, will this team ever show up? We know they're more talented than this. But, the 2003 team that was ranked # 1 in the country at one point was better than they showed, and they ended up with a 10 seed and a first round NCAA tourney loss to Indiana.
I guess, if you want to look at the good thing from all this, it's that we'll get Ronald Steele back next year. This year's draft is going to be ridiculously deep. He's had a horrible showing so far this year, and he would be lucky to be drafted right now. So we'll get back four starters next year, since Davidson is a senior.
I just hope this team doesn't completely collapse. I don't blame this on coaching...I blame it on players not stepping up when their leader is down. If you remember last year, Steele single handedly won several ballgames for us. His dribble drive ability and his fiercely accurate 3 point shooting helped us beat Florida, Tennessee, Arkansas, Vanderbilt, and many many others last year. This year he just can't do the same things he's done before. Keeping him in the ball game destroys any defensive ability we may have had, because when we're in a 2-3, that opens up spots for outside shooters. When we're in man to man, Steele can't guard the opposing player, so he is able to penetrate and create open shots because others have to come in and help.
It's very possible that this could be the most frustrating basketball season I've witnessed in quite a while.
¶ 9:26 AM
Comments:
So much for the momentum I thought we had coming out of the Georgia game.
Halftime adjustments, shmalftime adjustments. # posted by Michael Pigott : 9:54 AM
Listen dude I have been reading and enjoying your site for about 4months and KNOW you LOVE OUR TIDE(Im a 90 grad). If you think MG is a good "coach" you're nutz~! He's a very good recruiter and great ambassador for TIDE hoops but NOT a good coach...Mike Davis has been mentioned and he's definately a better "coach" than MG. Mark's a NICE guy and an alum of UA(as am I). He's a consistent top 15 recruiter and that's KEY. He's a VERY mediocre "coach". Teams lack PASSION often. When we lose games we QUIT. Should I say that again ma'am?? Q U I T....and that's the problem here. The offense we run is abhorreus 75% of the time. No sets that work for all 5 players. All Hi-lo based play that often is 2 passes at MOST. The WORST PART you ask? Defensive INTENSITY CONSISTENTLY. It's HARD to get that type of play consistently, but that's what keeps you from getting BLOWN OUT and EMBARRASSED like tonite and VANDY and the pigz and we get BLOWN OUT 2-3 times AT LEAST EVERY YR. It's a lack of PRIDE and that's from the coach.
John Calipari would leave Memphis for The University of Alabama and the SEC. He beat MG's azz like a rented mule on MG's home court and can recruit toe 2 toe w/ MG all day. So that's where Id start. RS is a hell of a player who's really hurt and I applaud his play. MG playing him is WRONG. RS is a warrior so when MG says play he PLAYS. Tonite he hit a bunch of 3's but had FIVE TO's and was getting BEAT routinely of the defensive end. Defense darlin' is about WANT 2### PERIOD. I guarantee I could find a guy on our bench who'd LOVE to play ONLY for the defensive opportunity(ie being told that his offense would consist of picks and passes). Jemison is a candidate for that role. Id sit RS until the SEC tourney if I had to for the ankle to heal and the knee to get to 80%. Walking boot would do the trick. PLay BH at point with the other 4 and focus on pounding inside to Hendrix and JD. If RH doesnt come around we're NOT going anywhere. He's young and gets NO consistent plays run for him - that's BAD coaching. The best talent other than RS on the team and he gets NO sets consistently. He gets frustrated and fouls - thats youth. He's NOT being developed and thats MG.
If you are telling me that BH at point w/ Gee, MR, JD and RH couldnt win with good coaching offensively and defensive intensity and coaching on that end to hold serve at home and get to the SEC tourney, where we bring back a healthier RS to make our run then you are simply not coaching material yourself. I bet MG will continue to "stay the course" and look A WHOLE LOT like MIKE SHULA on the sidelines, like he did tonite, with his DUBOSIAN claps of "come on"!. It's EMBARRASSING. Wimp Sanderson was a better coach than Mark hands down. We won the SEC tourney w/ MG playing for Wimp. Wimp's teams didnt take the total beat downs MG ROUTINELY gets. WHY?? Because Wimp learned 1 thing from being in Bear's shadow....DEFENSE wins Championships!!
In ANY sport but especially football and basketball. MG was a scorer for Wimp and his mentality is still the same, sadly.
Summation: Sit RS til the SEC tourney. PLay inside//out down the stretch with the 2 studs we have inside- Gee will floursih off the putbacks and backcuts and let MR bomb away 7-8 times a game. Try to develop some depth(one of MG's worst traits). Bring RS back for the tourney or a game before and get ready 2 ROLL.
And let Chuck Neinas get in touch with Calipari for next year. # posted by hyjack : 12:46 PM
And let the church say, "AMEN!" # posted by Unknown : 5:10 PM
no way...don't want calipari. he's not a good x's and o's coach...just recruits well in a weak conference. gottfried could win 30 games in c-usa. haha. # posted by Memphis Tider : 4:28 PM
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