UT at BG

[BGSU33]

Maybe next year.

It is next year.

[falconfan1]

Very proud of this team. We have seven available players. One is barely able to go and it just now practicing full go. I understand the posts, but we need to also recognize the hard work here. We made some mistakes. One of our guards had a poor shooting game. This is the same guard who played so well at UT earlier. Cameron Black- another tremendous effort. This guy gives his all against rotating big men for most teams. Yes, we miss too many foul shots; we are tired late in every game. We aren't a great shooting team. All our starting five must go 35 minutes plus for us to have a chance.

Yes, yes, yes, we can blame coaching and recruiting.

Right now, I just want to say thanks to seven guys who took the best team in the MAC from 19 down to a lead that we just couldn't hold.

And thank you students and fans. Nice work pulling for the guys.

And Clarke's shot was right there. Right there.

Go Falcons!

[footballguy51]

Clarke is garbage. He tries to sprint everywhere he goes, and he just throws the ball up into the air when he's near the hoop. Hell, I could do that.

As for the rest of the team, definitely a nice job. I was shocked that many students and fans showed up to the game. I know I personally wasn't going to waste any money sitting in the gym to watch this team, but apparently enough people wanted to watch the game to see how good Toledo was (that's the only explanation, right?).

[hammb]

I have no idea what the explanation is for the crowd...rivalry, ESPN, how good IS UT, etc, but it was freaking awesome. The student section was fantastic...packed on the one end and probably 80% full on the other side. Obviously we had the sellout against MSU, but I think this might have been the best CROWD in the Stroh Center.

As for the game, tough to really say much that hasn't been said a million times before. Louis again doesn't have his team ready, and this on a day when obviously a large student contingent was jacked up for the game. As per usual these guys do battle, and when they started trapping UT and getting transition baskets rather than playing half court they got right back into it. Unfortunately Louis Orr is a horrid basketball coach and much like the previous 4 years he INSISTS on putting the ball in the hands of his crappy guards in crunch time. Clarke took a contested layup on the break up 1 with a minute to go when he should have pulled it back out; he forced a ridiculous shot from the foul line on our last real possession; and there was no way he was going to consider passing the ball on the last possession, although time was a factor (and he got a good look).

This team is just so frustrating. They're definitely not overly talented, but the guys that play certainly do battle to the end. I'm not sure I've seen a team that can more frequently battle back into games from double digits down. But my god, why do they have to find themselves down by 15 points every single game?

[Flipper]

I feel badly for the team...they worked hard and did their best...but like James Ingram said, their best just wasn't good enough.

Looking ahead to next year...we have a nice pair of forwards in Holmes and Parker to build on. If Gomez can play a high post and hit the occasional jump shot trailing behind the athletes that can run the floor, we'll be a decent backcourt away from being pretty good....ish.

[guest44]

Yep, next years team will be the best in years (Not saying much). A new coach, some depth, and above .500 looks very possible. Just imagine what Holmes could do with a PG who could pass (like a simple post entry pass), and a shooter who really stretches the floor.

[hammb]

The problem, as I see it, is that between Cam Black, Richaun Holmes, Spencer Parker, A'ustin Calhoun, Torian Oglesby, and Scott Thomas we've been "a decent backcourt away from pretty good-ish" for the past 7 years. Our guard play has been borderline abysmal in these last 7 years, and everybody knows that college basketball is a guard oriented game.

We continue to field ball hogging, score first PGs who don't score efficiently and cannot facilitate their teammates. We continue to field Shooting Guards who cannot score. Hell, as painful as it may be, Henderson might be the best SG that Orr has fielded in his tenure.

I just really hope that whoever we get to coach can somehow, someway, find a point guard. I don't care if it's a one year rental transfer, get us a damned PG that can actually play the position. Clarke & Henderson can play off the ball and if Denny proves that he can shoot we'll be ok over there, but we DESPERATELY need a true PG to come in here and lead the way.

[Flipper]

No question about it...Orr has actually done a good job of finding frontcourt guys who can run the floor and finish...and Thomas had some range and Calhoun did as well (although he fell in love with the jumper way too much last year). Joe Jak, Crawford and now Clarke ...he's never been able to develop that guy who can smartly distribute the ball consistently. Ultimately, that's why he's failed here.

[Rocket_Fanatic]

I was actually disappointed in the number of people there. I know the 9pm start turned away a lot of folks but to only get 3,000 to a rivalry game on ESPNU has to be a letdown. I do give credit to the BG students who were there in numbers...that's always a good thing.

I knew BG would come back in the second half but I had no idea both teams would miss so many shots. Still, a fun night of basketball.

This was my first visit to the Stroh. I like the overall design and it was a great place to catch a game.

[Globetrotter]

The problem, as I see it, is that between Cam Black, Richaun Holmes, Spencer Parker, A'ustin Calhoun, Torian Oglesby, and Scott Thomas we've been "a decent backcourt away from pretty good-ish" for the past 7 years. Our guard play has been borderline abysmal in these last 7 years, and everybody knows that college basketball is a guard oriented game.

We continue to field ball hogging, score first PGs who don't score efficiently and cannot facilitate their teammates. We continue to field Shooting Guards who cannot score. Hell, as painful as it may be, Henderson might be the best SG that Orr has fielded in his tenure.

I just really hope that whoever we get to coach can somehow, someway, find a point guard. I don't care if it's a one year rental transfer, get us a damned PG that can actually play the position. Clarke & Henderson can play off the ball and if Denny proves that he can shoot we'll be ok over there, but we DESPERATELY need a true PG to come in here and lead the way.

I completely agree on the pg spot but I actually think Clarke has shown he might be able to play pg if properly coached at it. There have been times where he made great passes. Where he seemed to be under control. However, when he faces adversity he melts down into that shoot first chuck the ball at the hoop guy who is out of control. I think he has the talent to be an ok point guard, a guy you can win with, he just doesn't play that way with anything close to consistency and his focus is on getting the ball to the hoop as fast as possible. I think a good coach could have solved that in the preseason. However, I also think that his skill set fits off guard way more than PG.

[Globetrotter]

No question about it...Orr has actually done a good job of finding frontcourt guys who can run the floor and finish...and Thomas had some range and Calhoun did as well (although he fell in love with the jumper way too much last year). Joe Jak, Crawford and now Clarke ...he's never been able to develop that guy who can smartly distribute the ball consistently. Ultimately, that's why he's failed here.

And ridiculous rotations and in game management and player development. I don't think he is an awful recruiter. A bit too loyal to his recruits but not a bad recruiter overall.

[hammb]

I'll never deny the ability of a great coach to get through to a player and improve vastly on his game. Especially if they have years of working together to improve upon a base skillset. I just know right now I can't stand the mentality that Clarke brings to the PG spot, and I think it is probably so far ingrained into him by this point that there is no way he's going to change in a single year of working with a new coach. I'd love to be proven wrong, but I'm just not seeing it.

The infuriating thing to me is that he continues to hoist jumper after jumper and he's got a pretty terrible jump shot. The scoring he does do is slashing to the rim, which he can do a little bit, but he has no business launching 5 three pointers a game. He has no business shooting 15 times in a game. He's just not a good scorer, and until he realizes that he's a detriment to the team. Yeah, there are stretches at times where he works more as a facilitator of the offense, and during those periods he looks like a much better player. Still, those are few and far between, and he's shown time and again that when the chips are down he's going to go Jordon Crawford on ya.

[Globetrotter]

I'll never deny the ability of a great coach to get through to a player and improve vastly on his game. Especially if they have years of working together to improve upon a base skillset. I just know right now I can't stand the mentality that Clarke brings to the PG spot, and I think it is probably so far ingrained into him by this point that there is no way he's going to change in a single year of working with a new coach. I'd love to be proven wrong, but I'm just not seeing it.

The infuriating thing to me is that he continues to hoist jumper after jumper and he's got a pretty terrible jump shot. The scoring he does do is slashing to the rim, which he can do a little bit, but he has no business launching 5 three pointers a game. He has no business shooting 15 times in a game. He's just not a good scorer, and until he realizes that he's a detriment to the team. Yeah, there are stretches at times where he works more as a facilitator of the offense, and during those periods he looks like a much better player. Still, those are few and far between, and he's shown time and again that when the chips are down he's going to go Jordon Crawford on ya.

Considering both Clarke and Crawford did it I think you may be right. I have to believe they are teaching them this in a Allen Iverson is our point guard kind of way. There is also the idea that it's just his survival instinct. "If we are not going to run an offense and we are not going to get guys open we have to get shots some how so I am going to just fire it up over and over and over. Ever so often you see him and he makes a great pass to a streaking Holmes, or Henderson who has snuck in on the block. He knows how to do it. He is capable of it. It's not his best trait by any means but he knows how to do it. I think back to the very first week when we played I think Evanston (I am too annoyed to look) and you said if we are going to run a team, why not use it as a teaching game. I had never thought about that but it's 100% correct. Take the first three games and tell Clarke he isn't allowed to shoot unless he has a layup. Tell him he has to pass the entire game. You might be conditioning the scorer out of him but if you are going to demand he play out of position at pg atleast try to develop some point guard skills for him.

[Globetrotter]

Overall I can't say that I have often said to myself....wow what a smart play on offense...many times this year outside of Holmes, who moves well without the basket and Black who can use his body well to post up and has decent touch around the hoop.