Hoops v Wright state-Wrong School

[BGWriter]

I haven't really seen any of the other Mac teams yet freak (really haven't looked at their records even) but I just don't see how this team can possibly compete.

Their playing better basketball this year than in years past largely due to successfully pressing, and the growth of Holmes. Unfortunately we're so thin I just do t see how they can compete with the 2 games every week trudge through the Mac. If they get Denny and Sealey back it would help but right now they're basically playing only 6 guys...they can't keep that up all season.

Maybe they give you more scholarships for a reason?

I completely agree that he needs to deepen his bench some how. But.....Thad Matta has had very very short benches for years and been very successful.

As someone who sees every OSU basketball game (I live in Columbus), Matta's bench has never been as short as 6 or even 7. I think the shortest bench I've seen from him at OSU is 8, and he's done that a few times. Seems like he's been working on that aspect of his coaching, though, as he's running more players in and out so far this season than in the past -- even though he has less on scholarship this year.

[Globetrotter]

I haven't really seen any of the other Mac teams yet freak (really haven't looked at their records even) but I just don't see how this team can possibly compete.

Their playing better basketball this year than in years past largely due to successfully pressing, and the growth of Holmes. Unfortunately we're so thin I just do t see how they can compete with the 2 games every week trudge through the Mac. If they get Denny and Sealey back it would help but right now they're basically playing only 6 guys...they can't keep that up all season.

Maybe they give you more scholarships for a reason?

I completely agree that he needs to deepen his bench some how. But.....Thad Matta has had very very short benches for years and been very successful.

As someone who sees every OSU basketball game (I live in Columbus), Matta's bench has never been as short as 6 or even 7. I think the shortest bench I've seen from him at OSU is 8, and he's done that a few times. Seems like he's been working on that aspect of his coaching, though, as he's running more players in and out so far this season than in the past -- even though he has less on scholarship this year.

I live in Columbus as well and work at the school. We should hang sometime. But It absolutely has.

http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketb ... e-buckeyes
http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketb ... e-buckeyes
http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketb ... e-buckeyes

[hammb]

Eastern like Toledo has fully adapted to the "new" college basketball. Transfers, transfers, and more transfers.

Or how about Ohio? They have made all kinds of noise in the MAC in recent years (three championship appearances in the last four years including two titles and a Sweet 16 run) fueled by transfers. They rode the back of former Indiana transfer Armon Bassett a few years on that incredible MAC Tournament Championship run as a 9-seed. Last year they had transfers from Ohio State and Missouri on the roster. This year their roster features transfers from Texas Tech, Saint Louis, Southern Illinois and two JUCO's. They also had a Kansas transfer that fell through. There's no question when you look at some of the better teams in the MAC in recent years, they have often featured a key transfer or two. We don't have them, but at least we stopped all the transfers we used to lose.

Coincidentally we stopped losing players to transfer about the same time we stopped getting players that were good enough to play at schools like Iowa State, Cleveland State, or Ohio State.

I also find it humorous that our coach who has brought in so few transfers currently has (I think?) only one on the roster. Ane he is by FAR our best player.

There is no doubt that securing transfers has become key to winning in the MAC. Obviously you still want to recruit top HS talent, but it seems like the best players that you can get to the MAC are oftentimes guys that originally were offered by larger programs and didn't get minutes there. Or Juco's that needed some time to prepare for college.

I don't think you can build a program of partial/non qualifiers, jucos, and transfers. But I do think all 3 need to be something that are part of your program. That doesn't really seem to be the case here.

[FalconTurf]

Men's Basketball or Women's Basketball - the transfer is essential for success. At the same time some players don't fit and must leave. Our fanbase seems to have difficulty with the idea that some of our players are going to leave. The key is to keep the best on your roster and bring in transfers that are more than role players who come off the bench for minutes. Our women's program has 3.

1 Jasmine Matthews ** G 5-9 Jr. Matteson, Ill. / Marian Catholic
3 Deborah Hoekstra ** G 5-10 Jr. East Lansing, Mich. / East Lansing
11 Jillian Halfhill *** G 5-6 Sr. Canfield, Ohio / Canfield
12 Rachel Konieczki G 5-3 Fr. Rockford, Ill. / Rockford Lutheran
13 Katrina Salinas * G 5-5 Sr. Sacramento, Calif. / Sacramento Central Arizona Coll.
21 Erica Donovan G 5-11 R-So. Northside, Texas / John Jay North Carolina State Univ.
23 Kennedy Kirkpatrick G 5-10 Fr. Lawrence, Kansas / Free State
24 Leah Bolton F 5-11 Fr. Chicago, Ill. / Marist
30 Miriam Justinger * G/F 6-0 So. Sylvania, Ohio / Northview
32 Alexis Rogers ** F 6-1 R-Sr. West Chester, Ohio / Lakota West Duke Univ.
40 Jill Stein *** F 6-2 Sr. Clyde, Ohio / Tiffin Columbian
43 Abby Siefker C 6-2 Fr. Ottoville, Ohio / Ottoville

[BGSU33]

Eastern like Toledo has fully adapted to the "new" college basketball. Transfers, transfers, and more transfers.

Or how about Ohio? They have made all kinds of noise in the MAC in recent years (three championship appearances in the last four years including two titles and a Sweet 16 run) fueled by transfers. They rode the back of former Indiana transfer Armon Bassett a few years on that incredible MAC Tournament Championship run as a 9-seed. Last year they had transfers from Ohio State and Missouri on the roster. This year their roster features transfers from Texas Tech, Saint Louis, Southern Illinois and two JUCO's. They also had a Kansas transfer that fell through. There's no question when you look at some of the better teams in the MAC in recent years, they have often featured a key transfer or two. We don't have them, but at least we stopped all the transfers we used to lose.

Coincidentally we stopped losing players to transfer about the same time we stopped getting players that were good enough to play at schools like Iowa State, Cleveland State, or Ohio State.

I also find it humorous that our coach who has brought in so few transfers currently has (I think?) only one on the roster. Ane he is by FAR our best player.

There is no doubt that securing transfers has become key to winning in the MAC. Obviously you still want to recruit top HS talent, but it seems like the best players that you can get to the MAC are oftentimes guys that originally were offered by larger programs and didn't get minutes there. Or Juco's that needed some time to prepare for college.

I don't think you can build a program of partial/non qualifiers, jucos, and transfers. But I do think all 3 need to be something that are part of your program. That doesn't really seem to be the case here.

The biggest transfer loss we had (in the last decade or so during our "transfer era") for me personally was Ron Lewis to Ohio State. He was my favorite BG player and you could see he was oozing with talent and ability, but was almost a misfit with Dakich. He was the kind of player to build a team around to make a MAC Championship program. Instead, we lost him. Maybe it was Lewis, maybe it was Dakich, who really knows why it didn't work out. But I remember when Lewis transferred to Ohio State there were some fans glad to see him go and some who felt he would go to OSU and just sit on the bench. I was pissed that we lost him. Well, as time would tell, he not only flourished at Ohio State but was arguably their best player. That shot he hit in the NCAA Tournament vs Xavier, the threes and dunks during his two years there, etc. I was happy for him but I would be lying if I said it didn't sting every time I saw him lighting it up for the Buckeyes. It all put a pit in my stomach. Others who I was sad to see go were Steven Wright, Chris Knight and Erik Crawford.