Team Thoughts

[bearcat jeff]

I know we have talked about this over several threads but I wanted to share my thoughts without answering to a previous post.

The first thing that stands out to me is how differently this team is playing now as opposed to early in the season. The depth they had has become useless and goes unused. The length and athleticism that could wear teams down and force turnovers is gone. On offense the team milks the clock then tries a one on one move that results in a forced, bad shot. Since Dec. 15th this team has scored 70points 3 times against teams not named Maryland Eastern Shore or Directional U., and one of those games took overtime to get there.

What I see is a staff that has failed to make adjustments and play to the team's strengths, or a team that absolutely refuses to do what the coaches ask on the floor. Either way it's bad. I see a team fundamentally flawed, which has a hard time executing the simpliest of basketball's basic moves, such as screens.

I see a team with no floor leader, a star player unwilling to embrace his role and who lacks the toughness to take the ball to the basket. A team with no defined roles for the players or the bench. Substitutions aren't targeted with players x, y and z coming in, they are simply an attempt to catch lightening in a bottle because their roles aren't defined and their skills developed by giving them consistent playing time. You can't develop a back up point guard playing him 6-7 minutes a game. You can't develop a bench playing a guy 19 minutes one game and them having him sit the next 3 because "he doesn't fit the match ups." You develop your team and make others make the adjustments. Your strengths versus theirs and who does a better job limiting that teams strengths wins.

I have been a Mick Cronin supporter, and I still am, but I lay this squarely at the feet of him and his staff. Yancy Gates never developed low post moves and neither has any other big that has come here under Mick Cronin. That tells a story. Gates was good when he could hit short range jumpers and use his size on put backs. Not so much in isolation. That is coaching and development pure and simple.

They fail to develop existing skills or recruit guys with the skills they need, instead they focus on recruiting athletes. Which is fine if you play to their strengths, not so much in the halfcourt they have settled into. You can't recruit guys to play a certain style and then not play that way and expect them to be successful outside of their skill set.

Players are scared to shoot, are timid when they pass, and look to the bench after every mistake they make. That tells me they are more worried about a coaches reaction to something than simply playing basketball. Not good.

I said a couple seasons ago that Mick needed to revamp this staff with teachers or spend more time on player development as it pertains to shooting, dribbling, etc.. I'm not talking about individual instructions on what the player needs to work on in the offseason, I'm talking hands on teaching, and shooting machines for repetition. The ability to pull up and hit a mid-range shot or a free throw. Recruiting is huge, but it means nothing if you can't develop what you bring in.

Mick prepared to play a certain way in the offseason and now has stopped employing that style. He and his staff have taken away from themselves the strengths they have to use against opponents. I completely hold the players accountable for their part, but where we are now is on the head coach and staff. What I have seen in the last 9-10 games is Mick trying to will this team to win other than making adjustments to help them win. Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. A good coach knows when something has to give. Mick change begins at the top and you need to make some and make them NOW!

 

[nparker1]

I know we have talked about this over several threads but I wanted to share my thoughts without answering to a previous post.

The first thing that stands out to me is how differently this team is playing now as opposed to early in the season. The depth they had has become useless and goes unused. The length and athleticism that could wear teams down and force turnovers is gone. On offense the team milks the clock then tries a one on one move that results in a forced, bad shot. Since Dec. 15th this team has scored 70points 3 times against teams not named Maryland Eastern Shore or Directional U., and one of those games took overtime to get there.

What I see is a staff that has failed to make adjustments and play to the team's strengths, or a team that absolutely refuses to do what the coaches ask on the floor. Either way it's bad. I see a team fundamentally flawed, which has a hard time executing the simpliest of basketball's basic moves, such as screens.

I see a team with no floor leader, a star player unwilling to embrace his role and who lacks the toughness to take the ball to the basket. A team with no defined roles for the players or the bench. Substitutions aren't targeted with players x, y and z coming in, they are simply an attempt to catch lightening in a bottle because their roles aren't defined and their skills developed by giving them consistent playing time. You can't develop a back up point guard playing him 6-7 minutes a game. You can't develop a bench playing a guy 19 minutes one game and them having him sit the next 3 because "he doesn't fit the match ups." You develop your team and make others make the adjustments. Your strengths versus theirs and who does a better job limiting that teams strengths wins.

I have been a Mick Cronin supporter, and I still am, but I lay this squarely at the feet of him and his staff. Yancy Gates never developed low post moves and neither has any other big that has come here under Mick Cronin. That tells a story. Gates was good when he could hit short range jumpers and use his size on put backs. Not so much in isolation. That is coaching and development pure and simple.

They fail to develop existing skills or recruit guys with the skills they need, instead they focus on recruiting athletes. Which is fine if you play to their strengths, not so much in the halfcourt they have settled into. You can't recruit guys to play a certain style and then not play that way and expect them to be successful outside of their skill set.

Players are scared to shoot, are timid when they pass, and look to the bench after every mistake they make. That tells me they are more worried about a coaches reaction to something than simply playing basketball. Not good.

I said a couple seasons ago that Mick needed to revamp this staff with teachers or spend more time on player development as it pertains to shooting, dribbling, etc.. I'm not talking about individual instructions on what the player needs to work on in the offseason, I'm talking hands on teaching, and shooting machines for repetition. The ability to pull up and hit a mid-range shot or a free throw. Recruiting is huge, but it means nothing if you can't develop what you bring in.

Mick prepared to play a certain way in the offseason and now has stopped employing that style. He and his staff have taken away from themselves the strengths they have to use against opponents. I completely hold the players accountable for their part, but where we are now is on the head coach and staff. What I have seen in the last 9-10 games is Mick trying to will this team to win other than making adjustments to help them win. Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. A good coach knows when something has to give. Mick change begins at the top and you need to make some and make them NOW!

great post...i hope change starts saturday

 

[BearcatMick]

We are lucky to have mick. He will turn this around starting with uconn. They will make a huge run and everyone will forget this little bump in the road

 

[WAITE HOYT 2]

I know we have talked about this over several threads but I wanted to share my thoughts without answering to a previous post.

The first thing that stands out to me is how differently this team is playing now as opposed to early in the season. The depth they had has become useless and goes unused. The length and athleticism that could wear teams down and force turnovers is gone. On offense the team milks the clock then tries a one on one move that results in a forced, bad shot. Since Dec. 15th this team has scored 70points 3 times against teams not named Maryland Eastern Shore or Directional U., and one of those games took overtime to get there.

What I see is a staff that has failed to make adjustments and play to the team's strengths, or a team that absolutely refuses to do what the coaches ask on the floor. Either way it's bad. I see a team fundamentally flawed, which has a hard time executing the simpliest of basketball's basic moves, such as screens.

I see a team with no floor leader, a star player unwilling to embrace his role and who lacks the toughness to take the ball to the basket. A team with no defined roles for the players or the bench. Substitutions aren't targeted with players x, y and z coming in, they are simply an attempt to catch lightening in a bottle because their roles aren't defined and their skills developed by giving them consistent playing time. You can't develop a back up point guard playing him 6-7 minutes a game. You can't develop a bench playing a guy 19 minutes one game and them having him sit the next 3 because "he doesn't fit the match ups." You develop your team and make others make the adjustments. Your strengths versus theirs and who does a better job limiting that teams strengths wins.

I have been a Mick Cronin supporter, and I still am, but I lay this squarely at the feet of him and his staff. Yancy Gates never developed low post moves and neither has any other big that has come here under Mick Cronin. That tells a story. Gates was good when he could hit short range jumpers and use his size on put backs. Not so much in isolation. That is coaching and development pure and simple.

They fail to develop existing skills or recruit guys with the skills they need, instead they focus on recruiting athletes. Which is fine if you play to their strengths, not so much in the halfcourt they have settled into. You can't recruit guys to play a certain style and then not play that way and expect them to be successful outside of their skill set.

Players are scared to shoot, are timid when they pass, and look to the bench after every mistake they make. That tells me they are more worried about a coaches reaction to something than simply playing basketball. Not good.

I said a couple seasons ago that Mick needed to revamp this staff with teachers or spend more time on player development as it pertains to shooting, dribbling, etc.. I'm not talking about individual instructions on what the player needs to work on in the offseason, I'm talking hands on teaching, and shooting machines for repetition. The ability to pull up and hit a mid-range shot or a free throw. Recruiting is huge, but it means nothing if you can't develop what you bring in.

Mick prepared to play a certain way in the offseason and now has stopped employing that style. He and his staff have taken away from themselves the strengths they have to use against opponents. I completely hold the players accountable for their part, but where we are now is on the head coach and staff. What I have seen in the last 9-10 games is Mick trying to will this team to win other than making adjustments to help them win. Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. A good coach knows when something has to give. Mick change begins at the top and you need to make some and make them NOW!

Jeff as usual your just a little over the top in your post.

Other than the obvious short comings of the post players. The main thing ailing the Cats right now is the fall off in production of Cash since the injury.

The before and after:
Cash had scored 20-or-more points in three of his previous four games and for the season was averaging 15.1 points on 47% shooting - including 44% from 3-point range.

Since returning from the injury, Cash has been mired in the worst shooting slump of his career, going 23-for-95 overall (24%) and 12-for-60 (20%) from 3-point range, while averaging 8.0 points in nine games. That is a huge drop off for a team that struggled to score in the first place. It also adds more pressure on SK and Parker to carry the load while making the oppositions job of guarding them easier.

You like others think Mick should beable to change gears in mid season and implement a new offense that will enable us to overcome a lack of ability my some getting minutes on the team. Won't happen!!! As for teaching post players Modj was injured and lost his first year and Gaines is still a project. Narsuk is a back up and always will be.

What you claim is insanity is a coach who's team was thin offensively inititially and now with injury is even weaker. He keeps running Cash out there because he is a senior and Mick Knows, when he is playig well they can compete and win. He has no choice. There is no player on the bench who can replace Cash's numbers. Not a single player or a combination. Mick won't come out and say that but anyone who watches or has played basketball knows this team is crippled without Cash.

As far as Yancy goes anyone familiar with Cincy high schol basketball new Yancy would be a problem because of lack of effort from his HS days. The fact that he is overseas and not in the NBA with his physical gifts is proof of his lack of consistent effort. Yancy tried when he wanted to.

Quite simply this team is not very good without Cash playing well. They try and compete but in the end without his consistent play they will struggle.Hope he finds his way out of his funk but i think it is more physical then anything. If he was healthy we would all be enjoying a better season.

 

[Amberlycolonel]

I know we have talked about this over several threads but I wanted to share my thoughts without answering to a previous post.

The first thing that stands out to me is how differently this team is playing now as opposed to early in the season. The depth they had has become useless and goes unused. The length and athleticism that could wear teams down and force turnovers is gone. On offense the team milks the clock then tries a one on one move that results in a forced, bad shot. Since Dec. 15th this team has scored 70points 3 times against teams not named Maryland Eastern Shore or Directional U., and one of those games took overtime to get there.

What I see is a staff that has failed to make adjustments and play to the team's strengths, or a team that absolutely refuses to do what the coaches ask on the floor. Either way it's bad. I see a team fundamentally flawed, which has a hard time executing the simpliest of basketball's basic moves, such as screens.

I see a team with no floor leader, a star player unwilling to embrace his role and who lacks the toughness to take the ball to the basket. A team with no defined roles for the players or the bench. Substitutions aren't targeted with players x, y and z coming in, they are simply an attempt to catch lightening in a bottle because their roles aren't defined and their skills developed by giving them consistent playing time. You can't develop a back up point guard playing him 6-7 minutes a game. You can't develop a bench playing a guy 19 minutes one game and them having him sit the next 3 because "he doesn't fit the match ups." You develop your team and make others make the adjustments. Your strengths versus theirs and who does a better job limiting that teams strengths wins.

I have been a Mick Cronin supporter, and I still am, but I lay this squarely at the feet of him and his staff. Yancy Gates never developed low post moves and neither has any other big that has come here under Mick Cronin. That tells a story. Gates was good when he could hit short range jumpers and use his size on put backs. Not so much in isolation. That is coaching and development pure and simple.

They fail to develop existing skills or recruit guys with the skills they need, instead they focus on recruiting athletes. Which is fine if you play to their strengths, not so much in the halfcourt they have settled into. You can't recruit guys to play a certain style and then not play that way and expect them to be successful outside of their skill set.

Players are scared to shoot, are timid when they pass, and look to the bench after every mistake they make. That tells me they are more worried about a coaches reaction to something than simply playing basketball. Not good.

I said a couple seasons ago that Mick needed to revamp this staff with teachers or spend more time on player development as it pertains to shooting, dribbling, etc.. I'm not talking about individual instructions on what the player needs to work on in the offseason, I'm talking hands on teaching, and shooting machines for repetition. The ability to pull up and hit a mid-range shot or a free throw. Recruiting is huge, but it means nothing if you can't develop what you bring in.

Mick prepared to play a certain way in the offseason and now has stopped employing that style. He and his staff have taken away from themselves the strengths they have to use against opponents. I completely hold the players accountable for their part, but where we are now is on the head coach and staff. What I have seen in the last 9-10 games is Mick trying to will this team to win other than making adjustments to help them win. Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. A good coach knows when something has to give. Mick change begins at the top and you need to make some and make them NOW!

Spot on from A to Z. Great post, Jeff!

 

[TheLongHaul]

Jeff as usual your just a little over the top in your post.

Other than the obvious short comings of the post players. The main thing ailing the Cats right now is the fall off in production of Cash since the injury.

The before and after:
Cash had scored 20-or-more points in three of his previous four games and for the season was averaging 15.1 points on 47% shooting - including 44% from 3-point range.

Since returning from the injury, Cash has been mired in the worst shooting slump of his career, going 23-for-95 overall (24%) and 12-for-60 (20%) from 3-point range, while averaging 8.0 points in nine games. That is a huge drop off for a team that struggled to score in the first place. It also adds more pressure on SK and Parker to carry the load while making the oppositions job of guarding them easier.

You like others think Mick should beable to change gears in mid season and implement a new offense that will enable us to overcome a lack of ability my some getting minutes on the team. Won't happen!!! As for teaching post players Modj was injured and lost his first year and Gaines is still a project. Narsuk is a back up and always will be.

What you claim is insanity is a coach who's team was thin offensively inititially and now with injury is even weaker. He keeps running Cash out there because he is a senior and Mick Knows, when he is playig well they can compete and win. He has no choice. There is no player on the bench who can replace Cash's numbers. Not a single player or a combination. Mick won't come out and say that but anyone who watches or has played basketball knows this team is crippled without Cash.

As far as Yancy goes anyone familiar with Cincy high schol basketball new Yancy would be a problem because of lack of effort from his HS days. The fact that he is overseas and not in the NBA with his physical gifts is proof of his lack of consistent effort. Yancy tried when he wanted to.

Quite simply this team is not very good without Cash playing well. They try and compete but in the end without his consistent play they will struggle.Hope he finds his way out of his funk but i think it is more physical then anything. If he was healthy we would all be enjoying a better season.

Pushing the tempo is not changing the offense and that is what Mick needs to do.

It doesn't matter what level you are playing, when you stand around the perimeter and just pound the ball into the ground or make a few passes around the perimeter, it's easy to guard. I've never seen so much standing around in my life.

The offense wasn't good when Cash was healthy. Mick can keep doing the same thing if he thinks it will magically reverse course. Obviously you think it will just magically get better as well.

 

[WAITE HOYT 2]

Pushing the tempo is not changing the offense and that is what Mick needs to do.

It doesn't matter what level you are playing, when you stand around the perimeter and just pound the ball into the ground or make a few passes around the perimeter, it's easy to guard. I've never seen so much standing around in my life.

The offense wasn't good when Cash was healthy. Mick can keep doing the same thing if he thinks it will magically reverse course. Obviously you think it will just magically get better as well.

Don't think that at all. But to ignore the obvious isn't the answer either. We were 16-3 when cash was healthy and effective. You certainly don't doubt that if you take his scoring avg. and drop it by 8 points that will have a impact. HE IS INJURED!!!! It is obvious. Look at the scoring throughout college basketball it is down accross the board. Have all the coaches forgot how to coach offense???? Other than our 3 wings (and one of them has fallen off dramatically) we have no one that can provide any consistent offense. SK can knock down jumpers but he can't create his own shot and his handle is suspect. Parker is trying to carry some more load but he isn't enough. Rubles/Jackson are very inconsistent and the center position is a train wreck offensively. The Bench has shown flashes of good and bad. The fact that all the games have been close makes subing a tough decision. The fact is this team lacks overall talent. The post play is well below average and there is no back up PG. We D,board and play hard. in the end that is enough to keep us in games and most of the time we won when everyone was healthy. I know its hard to accept because we were as high as no.8 in the country but look around the country no team has had a good run at no. 1. Lots of parity in NCAA this year. I would have liked to have seen how we would have turned out had Cash stayed healthy. He was having a great start.

Everyone says lets press. You have to score the ball to perss. When you barely crack 50 it is hard to press. When you only have 3 consitent scores if one gets two fouls in the first half we have to sit him. You want to give up on the season and develope the kids? Well let me remind you we were 16-3 at one point and other than the ND gme have been within striking distance of every team. i hope cash finds his stroke and we win some gamesbut in the end i don't think it will happen.

 

[User Name:]

Don't think that at all. But to ignore the obvious isn't the answer either. We were 16-3 when cash was healthy and effective. You certainly don't doubt that if you take his scoring avg. and drop it by 8 points that will have a impact. HE IS INJURED!!!! It is obvious. Look at the scoring throughout college basketball it is down accross the board. Have all the coaches forgot how to coach offense???? Other than our 3 wings (and one of them has fallen off dramatically) we have no one that can provide any consistent offense. SK can knock down jumpers but he can't create his own shot and his handle is suspect. Parker is trying to carry some more load but he isn't enough. Rubles/Jackson are very inconsistent and the center position is a train wreck offensively. The Bench has shown flashes of good and bad. The fact that all the games have been close makes subing a tough decision. The fact is this team lacks overall talent. The post play is well below average and there is no back up PG. We D,board and play hard. in the end that is enough to keep us in games and most of the time we won when everyone was healthy. I know its hard to accept because we were as high as no.8 in the country but look around the country no team has had a good run at no. 1. Lots of parity in NCAA this year. I would have liked to have seen how we would have turned out had Cash stayed healthy. He was having a great start.

Everyone says lets press. You have to score the ball to perss. When you barely crack 50 it is hard to press. When you only have 3 consitent scores if one gets two fouls in the first half we have to sit him. You want to give up on the season and develope the kids? Well let me remind you we were 16-3 at one point and other than the ND gme have been within striking distance of every team. i hope cash finds his stroke and we win some gamesbut in the end i don't think it will happen.

We were 16-3 because the majority of the wins came against teams that were clearly overmatched athletically against us and couldn't exploit our weaknesses. In the Big East, athleticism is everywhere.

We can use the Cash injury excuse all we want but we have more than enough talent to compete higher than 10th in the Big East. The coaching staff has simply not adjusted accordingly to the scouting report out there.

 

[CaptDale]

I know we have talked about this over several threads but I wanted to share my thoughts without answering to a previous post.

The first thing that stands out to me is how differently this team is playing now as opposed to early in the season. The depth they had has become useless and goes unused. The length and athleticism that could wear teams down and force turnovers is gone. On offense the team milks the clock then tries a one on one move that results in a forced, bad shot. Since Dec. 15th this team has scored 70points 3 times against teams not named Maryland Eastern Shore or Directional U., and one of those games took overtime to get there.

What I see is a staff that has failed to make adjustments and play to the team's strengths, or a team that absolutely refuses to do what the coaches ask on the floor. Either way it's bad. I see a team fundamentally flawed, which has a hard time executing the simpliest of basketball's basic moves, such as screens.

I see a team with no floor leader, a star player unwilling to embrace his role and who lacks the toughness to take the ball to the basket. A team with no defined roles for the players or the bench. Substitutions aren't targeted with players x, y and z coming in, they are simply an attempt to catch lightening in a bottle because their roles aren't defined and their skills developed by giving them consistent playing time. You can't develop a back up point guard playing him 6-7 minutes a game. You can't develop a bench playing a guy 19 minutes one game and them having him sit the next 3 because "he doesn't fit the match ups." You develop your team and make others make the adjustments. Your strengths versus theirs and who does a better job limiting that teams strengths wins.

I have been a Mick Cronin supporter, and I still am, but I lay this squarely at the feet of him and his staff. Yancy Gates never developed low post moves and neither has any other big that has come here under Mick Cronin. That tells a story. Gates was good when he could hit short range jumpers and use his size on put backs. Not so much in isolation. That is coaching and development pure and simple.

They fail to develop existing skills or recruit guys with the skills they need, instead they focus on recruiting athletes. Which is fine if you play to their strengths, not so much in the halfcourt they have settled into. You can't recruit guys to play a certain style and then not play that way and expect them to be successful outside of their skill set.

Players are scared to shoot, are timid when they pass, and look to the bench after every mistake they make. That tells me they are more worried about a coaches reaction to something than simply playing basketball. Not good.

I said a couple seasons ago that Mick needed to revamp this staff with teachers or spend more time on player development as it pertains to shooting, dribbling, etc.. I'm not talking about individual instructions on what the player needs to work on in the offseason, I'm talking hands on teaching, and shooting machines for repetition. The ability to pull up and hit a mid-range shot or a free throw. Recruiting is huge, but it means nothing if you can't develop what you bring in.

Mick prepared to play a certain way in the offseason and now has stopped employing that style. He and his staff have taken away from themselves the strengths they have to use against opponents. I completely hold the players accountable for their part, but where we are now is on the head coach and staff. What I have seen in the last 9-10 games is Mick trying to will this team to win other than making adjustments to help them win. Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. A good coach knows when something has to give. Mick change begins at the top and you need to make some and make them NOW!

Well said!

 

[CaptDale]

We are lucky to have mick. He will turn this around starting with uconn. They will make a huge run and everyone will forget this little bump in the road

You and Mick should run off together to lala land - the land of fantasy.
I will give you credit for being the most overly optimistic poster on this site.
You're in the top 5 RPI nationwide for that, I'm sure.

 

[WAITE HOYT 2]

We were 16-3 because the majority of the wins came against teams that were clearly overmatched athletically against us and couldn't exploit our weaknesses. In the Big East, athleticism is everywhere.

We can use the Cash injury excuse all we want but we have more than enough talent to compete higher than 10th in the Big East. The coaching staff has simply not adjusted accordingly to the scouting report out there.

We have competed with every team we played this year except ND. We have not been out of a game yet. If you don't think losing 8 points a game form your senior leader is tough to overcome then we have to agree to disagree. Also our OCC schedule was far from weak.

 

[TheLongHaul]

Don't think that at all. But to ignore the obvious isn't the answer either. We were 16-3 when cash was healthy and effective. You certainly don't doubt that if you take his scoring avg. and drop it by 8 points that will have a impact. HE IS INJURED!!!! It is obvious. Look at the scoring throughout college basketball it is down accross the board. Have all the coaches forgot how to coach offense???? Other than our 3 wings (and one of them has fallen off dramatically) we have no one that can provide any consistent offense. SK can knock down jumpers but he can't create his own shot and his handle is suspect. Parker is trying to carry some more load but he isn't enough. Rubles/Jackson are very inconsistent and the center position is a train wreck offensively. The Bench has shown flashes of good and bad. The fact that all the games have been close makes subing a tough decision. The fact is this team lacks overall talent. The post play is well below average and there is no back up PG. We D,board and play hard. in the end that is enough to keep us in games and most of the time we won when everyone was healthy. I know its hard to accept because we were as high as no.8 in the country but look around the country no team has had a good run at no. 1. Lots of parity in NCAA this year. I would have liked to have seen how we would have turned out had Cash stayed healthy. He was having a great start.

Everyone says lets press. You have to score the ball to perss. When you barely crack 50 it is hard to press. When you only have 3 consitent scores if one gets two fouls in the first half we have to sit him. You want to give up on the season and develope the kids? Well let me remind you we were 16-3 at one point and other than the ND gme have been within striking distance of every team. i hope cash finds his stroke and we win some gamesbut in the end i don't think it will happen.

You are using Cash' injury too much as an excuse and it hides the issues. They were 2-3 in their last 5 games prior to Cash's injury. In those three losses, UC scored 54, 52, and 60. As soon as the brunt of the schedule started, Mick tensed up and went back to the slow it down style of basketball that he always resorts to. Their half-court offense sucked earlier in the season too but they pushed the ball up the court and created easier baskets. That's how they scored 78 against Iowa St and 77 against Oregon.

As for pressing, I'm not a big fan. But I do like forcing the tempo. And you don't have to press defensively to push the tempo offensively. But walking up the court isn't getting it done, especially with a half court offense that is horrible....But if you really did want to press, they aren't doing it and scoring isn't the issue. So they score 50 a game. Depending on how many 3's they make, that could be between 10-25 made shots a game. Out of those, how many has UC pressed? None. They don't make a lot of baskets but when they do they still don't press. So that isn't a good excuse either.

Who wants to give up on the season to develop players? At this point Cash isn't one of the 5 best players on the court for UC. Guyn, with everything he lacks, is more efficient than Cash right now. It sucks to have to say that but it's true. Cash has been flat out bad since his injury. On both sides of the ball.

 

[User Name:]

We have competed with every team we played this year except ND. We have not been out of a game yet. If you don't think losing 8 points a game form your senior leader is tough to overcome then we have to agree to disagree. Also our OCC schedule was far from weak.

Not disagreeing with you about competing. A lot of the wins and losses could have gone either way.

I think Cash's injury is a symptom of the problem, not the problem itself.

And our OOC schedule wasn't 'weak' by any means, but it also wasn't 'far from weak'. It was average.

Only Iowa State, Oregon, Alabama, and New Mexico could compete with UC athletically in our OOC schedule.

 

[bearcat jeff]

Don't think that at all. But to ignore the obvious isn't the answer either. We were 16-3 when cash was healthy and effective. You certainly don't doubt that if you take his scoring avg. and drop it by 8 points that will have a impact. HE IS INJURED!!!! It is obvious. Look at the scoring throughout college basketball it is down accross the board. Have all the coaches forgot how to coach offense???? Other than our 3 wings (and one of them has fallen off dramatically) we have no one that can provide any consistent offense. SK can knock down jumpers but he can't create his own shot and his handle is suspect. Parker is trying to carry some more load but he isn't enough. Rubles/Jackson are very inconsistent and the center position is a train wreck offensively. The Bench has shown flashes of good and bad. The fact that all the games have been close makes subing a tough decision. The fact is this team lacks overall talent. The post play is well below average and there is no back up PG. We D,board and play hard. in the end that is enough to keep us in games and most of the time we won when everyone was healthy. I know its hard to accept because we were as high as no.8 in the country but look around the country no team has had a good run at no. 1. Lots of parity in NCAA this year. I would have liked to have seen how we would have turned out had Cash stayed healthy. He was having a great start.

Everyone says lets press. You have to score the ball to perss. When you barely crack 50 it is hard to press. When you only have 3 consitent scores if one gets two fouls in the first half we have to sit him. You want to give up on the season and develope the kids? Well let me remind you we were 16-3 at one point and other than the ND gme have been within striking distance of every team. i hope cash finds his stroke and we win some gamesbut in the end i don't think it will happen.

Paul D. is quoting former members of he Bearcat Family and one said, “You and I can guard them now, the way they stand around with the ball on the perimeter.’’ That's a fact. Moving, be it from running or cutting and screening, will make it harder to do that. Yes, Cash injury has hurt, but there are many other factors you just choose to ignore. Yes they were 16-3 but had scored 70 once in a month prior to Depaul.

 

[waterhead]

Don't think that at all. But to ignore the obvious isn't the answer either. We were 16-3 when cash was healthy and effective. You certainly don't doubt that if you take his scoring avg. and drop it by 8 points that will have a impact. HE IS INJURED!!!! .

We have lost 8 of our 9 games by 7 points or less. Cash playing like he was prior to injury would come in extremely handy right about now.

Without that extra dimension (and not having to worry whatsoever about the post) the opponents can focus more on stopping SK.

This team needs Cash and I am glad Mick is very aware of it...per the Koch article.

 

[Bearcat04]

We have lost 8 of our 9 games by 7 points or less. Cash playing like he was prior to injury would come in extremely handy right about now.

Without that extra dimension (and not having to worry whatsoever about the post) the opponents can focus more on stopping SK.

This team needs Cash and I am glad Mick is very aware of it...per the Koch article.

With a healthy Cash we were right on schedule as a 4/5 seed at the time, despite all the other issues that Jeff correctly pointed out. Since then one of our biggest strengths has become our biggest concern. Cash not being able to hit an open shot has also really hurt at the end of games as he was our best closer. He's always had a knack for hitting tough shots late. I remember at Pitt he quieted the crowd two possessions in a row with clutch jumpers that kept Pitt from cutting the lead down to one possession. We desperately need that guy back.

Cash is far from the only problem on this team. Far from it! However, it is the biggest problem right now and I believe the main reason for the 3-6 stretch.

 

[WAITE HOYT 2]

Paul D. is quoting former members of he Bearcat Family and one said, “You and I can guard them now, the way they stand around with the ball on the perimeter.’’ That's a fact. Moving, be it from running or cutting and screening, will make it harder to do that. Yes, Cash injury has hurt, but there are many other factors you just choose to ignore. Yes they were 16-3 but had scored 70 once in a month prior to Depaul.

Jeff, i'm not ignoring anything. Thy do have other problems and I've pointed them out. many are personell issues that can't be fixed as easy as you try to make it out. They have no post game. the fact you say they don't set screens is a role of post players. how many moving screens have you seen this year. i no i he seen many. Doesn't sound like Mick doesn't have them screening sounds like they don't know how to stop and not move. If you screen and roll and don't look for the ball how can you have it thrown to you. As tight of games as we have played if I'm Cash,SK or Parker no way am I putting the ballin their hands and run the risk of a TO. Lots of factors go into the drop in performance. The main one is that Cash has a 8 point drop in klscoring per game since the injury. This team isn't as skilled as many want it to be. they play hard and guard. All the coaching in the world won't turn gaines,modj , Narsuk into a viable center in the Big east. It won't make jackson a difference maker at the PF position. Hopefully with the new talent on the way we can fill some holes and move to the next level. fact is without the injury to cash this was a very good team with a shiot at another sweet 16 appearance.

 

[UCBearcats]

I know we have talked about this over several threads but I wanted to share my thoughts without answering to a previous post.

Duplicate thread, will a mod please delete?!?!?

 

[UCBearcats]

Jeff, i'm not ignoring anything. Thy do have other problems and I've pointed them out. many are personell issues that can't be fixed as easy as you try to make it out. They have no post game. the fact you say they don't set screens is a role of post players. how many moving screens have you seen this year. i no i he seen many. Doesn't sound like Mick doesn't have them screening sounds like they don't know how to stop and not move. If you screen and roll and don't look for the ball how can you have it thrown to you. As tight of games as we have played if I'm Cash,SK or Parker no way am I putting the ballin their hands and run the risk of a TO. Lots of factors go into the drop in performance. The main one is that Cash has a 8 point drop in klscoring per game since the injury. This team isn't as skilled as many want it to be. they play hard and guard. All the coaching in the world won't turn gaines,modj , Narsuk into a viable center in the Big east. It won't make jackson a difference maker at the PF position. Hopefully with the new talent on the way we can fill some holes and move to the next level. fact is without the injury to cash this was a very good team with a shiot at another sweet 16 appearance.

Waite, your points seem to be in contradiction of each other. Last week it was that we can't win because we don't have good bigs and now it's because Cash is hurt. You say our guards struggle because the other team doesn't have to pay attention to our bigs but you also say we'd be a sweet 16 team with a healthy Cash. You say that Mick wants to run a slow pace offense yet all Mick talked about before the season was pressure and an uptempo style of play. I remember a quote from Cashmere in the Enquirer prior to the season where he talked about the goal in practice was to have the ball in bounded in 1 second or less and constantly be running the floor on offense. Mick said himself 10 minutes before the UConn game that the goal in that game was to increase the number of possessions on offense and take advantage of UConn's lack of depth. Well we wound up playing the exact opposite style of ball in that game which tells me that we are not imposing our will on the other team. We are playing into the hands of what our opponents want us to do. That is all about coaching, that's what coaches do. Coaches come up with game plans and schemes to put their players in the best situation to win and Mick has been getting out coached. There is no other way around that statement, it is a fact.

Jeff is spot on in his analysis, this team is not playing the style of basketball Mick preached about in the offseason. This is a good team and we do have good players, at one point we were the #8 team in the country. We got into the Big East and we caved. This season is on Mick, if we don't make the NCAA's it's a complete failure and it's on Mick.

Jeff is also spot on about player development. We failed miserably at developing Yancy Gates and one of my biggest worries is that if Mick doesn't change what he's doing we're going to see the same with any and all future recruits that come thru Mick's program.

 

[CaptDale]

With a healthy Cash we were right on schedule as a 4/5 seed at the time, despite all the other issues that Jeff correctly pointed out. Since then one of our biggest strengths has become our biggest concern. Cash not being able to hit an open shot has also really hurt at the end of games as he was our best closer. He's always had a knack for hitting tough shots late. I remember at Pitt he quieted the crowd two possessions in a row with clutch jumpers that kept Pitt from cutting the lead down to one possession. We desperately need that guy back.

Cash is far from the only problem on this team. Far from it! However, it is the biggest problem right now and I believe the main reason for the 3-6 stretch.

We've talked about or referred to Cash's injury ad infinitum. Could it possibly be he has recovered from that injury, but his self-confidence is so low that his entire game is being affected? We need to stop attributing all our problems to Cash or lack of Cash. If, in fact, Cash's injury is that bad, then he needs to man up and say, "Coach, I'm way less than 100% and I think it would behoove you to replace me and use me off the bench, if you're really certain even in that capacity I would benefit the team." Cronin needs to man up and do just that!