Manhattan thoughts

[Globetrotter]

Scouting report

The Scheme
Defense: Great. Ever since they moved to the half court press/zone d they have been competitive. It fits each one of their guards strengths on defense and annoys the other team.
Offense: If the threes were not falling at a 40% clip I don’t know how the game would have went. Some nice entry passes got some easy baskets but they were few and far between

The players
As a hole they frustrate me because they have a ton of potential but you don’t see anyone grabbing it.

Scott Thomas: Wasn’t a great night but cant really complain. Filled up the stat sheet. Was what we need of him, steady, consistent. I would like to see a little more energy from the entire team and think he can bring it and when he does it will be contagious.

Luke Kraus: Solid night shooting and he as always is active on defense which I love. Had some boneheaded plays (shooting early on the shot clock and fouling late) but as a whole it was a pretty nice game. I don’t see him ever being a real offensive threat but I do think he can be a great defender and score when it comes his way.

Joe Jak: Great game. He was everything I thought he would be going into this year and everything I said he wasn’t. Steady, active on D, smart with the ball. Played like a senior and the guy who should be out there at the end of games.

Jo Craw: Active tonight on both sides of the ball but his size is really a detriment. Great off the bench and provides energy but is almost too full of energy. Hopefully he will settle down a bit. His energy was important during the losing streak because we had no one else providing it. We seem to be getting more energy from others now.

Dee Brown: really a non factor tonight. I was surprised he even played in the second half when I herd he did. I wonder why he wasn’t in. We won, and that’s great, but Orrs subs befuddle me sometimes.

Cameron Black: This guy is an average big man. He can score when he gets the ball, gets rebound and is a factor on D. He is a great baseline to start from but I would just like to see him be more aggressive. He could be dominant if he would just be more mean

A’ Calhoun: Seeing him in person makes his play all the more frustrating. He has all the physical attributes you want, can clearly play both forward spots, has some excellent post moves and a decent shot. Yet he is coming off the bench because, I am guessing, focus and shot selection. If he puts his mind on it I think he can be ALL-MAC. Just as easily could flake out.

McCelroy: Athletic big who will always get rebounds and do some nice things but I wonder if he will ever be great. Would like to see him be more aggressive just like Cam.

Oglesby/Sealy: I am guessing its just a minutes thing because these guys see very few and flash quite a bit every time they do. This is a good problem to have, but it must be frustrating for both of them. They come in play well and then sit on the bench the rest of the night.

[AyZiggy97]

Scouting report


Cameron Black: This guy is an average big man. He can score when he gets the ball, gets rebound and is a factor on D. He is a great baseline to start from but I would just like to see him be more aggressive. He could be dominant if he would just be more mean

I wonder about the shape he is in. CB is likely to improve as he gets stronger. The best thing about freshman is that they become sophomores.

[Falconfreak90]

It's good to get another home win. Yeah, I know Manhattan was only 2-9 coming in but we need to get every win we can at this point. Looks like our D played very well.

GO BG!!

[Redwingtom]

At least they weren't a NAIA Division II school with the talent level of a high school team.

[hammb]

Glad you finally made it to a game and thanks for sharing your thoughts, Globe! Unfortunately, I missed this one...had some last minute shopping to do Bummed out, because it seems the team is finally starting to play better. Yeah the competition was terrible last night, but they went out and put up a double digit win like they should against that sort of team.

The players
As a hole they frustrate me because they have a ton of potential but you don’t see anyone grabbing it.

Agreed. This team has more natural talent than any I've seen at BG in awhile, I think. It's why I'm not as willing to jump on the "fire Orr" bandwagon that others were on earlier. This team is talented, and if they start to develop they could be quite good.

Jo Craw: Active tonight on both sides of the ball but his size is really a detriment. Great off the bench and provides energy but is almost too full of energy. Hopefully he will settle down a bit. His energy was important during the losing streak because we had no one else providing it. We seem to be getting more energy from others now.

This has been my take on Crawford all along. I think he's brings an awesome energy, but his size is such a detriment and he's just not good enough to completely overcome it. And he does play out of control at times. It just sucks because he breaks people down on the perimeter, but it is just too small to finish or find a teammate. Still, I love his energy & defense off the bench.

Dee Brown: really a non factor tonight. I was surprised he even played in the second half when I herd he did. I wonder why he wasn’t in. We won, and that’s great, but Orrs subs befuddle me sometimes.

Agreed on Orr's subs. I don't get it either. But then I think some of that is we've got a lot of young players that we want to get minutes for. Still, Dee is one of the guys who should be the leading 2-3 scorers on this team. It's just weird how one game a guy will get a lot of minutes, then the next he'll barely play. Must be stuff behind the scenes that we don't know about?

Cameron Black: This guy is an average big man. He can score when he gets the ball, gets rebound and is a factor on D. He is a great baseline to start from but I would just like to see him be more aggressive. He could be dominant if he would just be more mean

He IS an average big man. And he does need to be more aggressive. BUT...how often at the MAC level do you get a guy that comes in and is an average big man in his first 10 games on campus? I think this kid could end up being a damn good player at BG before it's all said and done. He may have some conditioning issues, right now, but overall he's the best Freshman big I can remember at BG. He didn't come in too skinny to play the post, he didn't come in to chubby to play 10 minutes, he doesn't foul himself out every game, and he has some semblance of a post game already. I cannot remember a BG big man to come in and play this well right away as a freshman. Yeah, he's still only average right now, but to be that this early in his career, is a VERY good thing, IMO.

A’ Calhoun: Seeing him in person makes his play all the more frustrating. He has all the physical attributes you want, can clearly play both forward spots, has some excellent post moves and a decent shot. Yet he is coming off the bench because, I am guessing, focus and shot selection. If he puts his mind on it I think he can be ALL-MAC. Just as easily could flake out.

The riddle, wrapped in an enigma, wrapped in an apostrophe. The dude can flat out play. He might be the most physically gifted player to come into our program since Daniels. He must learn to harness it, and play with in the team dynamic at all times. If he ever does that he will be first team All-MAC, and is a legit MAC POY level talent. Unfortunately we've only seen it in spurts up to this point. Hopefully he'll realize that he's got a legit chance to dominate this conference, and play at the next level if he can play the team game.

McCelroy: Athletic big who will always get rebounds and do some nice things but I wonder if he will ever be great. Would like to see him be more aggressive just like Cam.

McElroy has a very good jump shot. He's athletic, and gets rebounds. Unfortunately, he's too small to really play offense down low. He is, however, pretty good off the Pick 'n' Roll, popping those mid range jumpers. If we got a guard that could actually RUN the pick 'n' Roll well, McElroy's offensive value would skyrocket. He's a promising talent, IMO.

[qutoe]Oglesby/Sealy: I am guessing its just a minutes thing because these guys see very few and flash quite a bit every time they do. This is a good problem to have, but it must be frustrating for both of them. They come in play well and then sit on the bench the rest of the night.[/quote]

I haven't seen a ton of Oglesby to really be thrilled about, but he is a big body. I REALLY like what I've seen from Sealy. He is awfully skinny for the post, but his post moves are lightning quick. When I've seen him on the court it's been obvious that he was the most athletic post player on the court, every time. I REALLY want to see him get in a breakaway situation sometime, because I think he can probably jump out of the gym.


I'm bummed I missed last night's win, but overall I have enjoyed watching this team this year, even if they haven't played well. There is a lot of promising talent on this team...something that I haven't been able to say in our previous bad years. I really think if Orr starts getting through to these guys this team could be decent by MAC tourney time. I still think our guard play will be our detriment, but if the young guards that will come in next year live up to the billing we could be very good.

[orangeandbrown]

That's a nice capsule, Hammb.

[FalconTurf]

This team has some developing parts but just not the TEAM concept yet. I feel like Coach Orr still is figuring them out as well. When they get to know each others games and develop their own game a little more I see promising things going into The Stroh.

Most interesting and reasonable thread on MBB in quit a while. Must be a Christmas Miracle.

[h2oville rocket]

At least they weren't a NAIA Division II school with the talent level of a high school team.

That's a pretty cheap shot and I resent it. No way did that UNC team have the talent level of a high school team.

[Globetrotter]

That's a nice capsule, Hammb.

Why Dont I get any love?

[hammb]

That's a nice capsule, Hammb.

Why Dont I get any love?

It was a nice capsule Globe!

I was just commenting back to your comments with what I've observed so far this year

[Globetrotter]

I can honestly say I am directly in the middle on coach Orr. I see talent, I dont see a ton of production but we are improving and young. Have no thoughts either way and think I am easily influenced. When I read someone say he needs time, I agree, when someone says he has to move on because we should be better, I agree. If he stays I am ok with it, if he leaves, I am ok with it. The one thing I dont like, is there is not a whole lot of energy in that arena. I know the students were gone but it just felt dull. Only Luke Kraus looked like he enjoyed playing basketball.

[HoopsFan]

Now here's the AZZ I know and hate. Geeze. The arena was the RO crowd, and since the 2nd half of the WKU game this team has been fun to watch. Frustrating? Hardly, it's a team of underclassmen that has some gems in the raw talent. Two years from now, you won't be bitching about the seniors. Until then, I hope they continue to play as they have lately. I guess they'll win about 1/2 the games they play, but after the Duquesne drubbing, it's about the best I can hope for.

I know I'm preaching to the choir, but get out and WATCH these guys. There's talent there.

GO Falcons!

HoopsFan

[Globetrotter]

Now here's the AZZ I know and hate. Geeze. The arena was the RO crowd, and since the 2nd half of the WKU game this team has been fun to watch. Frustrating? Hardly, it's a team of underclassmen that has some gems in the raw talent. Two years from now, you won't be bitching about the seniors. Until then, I hope they continue to play as they have lately. I guess they'll win about 1/2 the games they play, but after the Duquesne drubbing, it's about the best I can hope for.

I know I'm preaching to the choir, but get out and WATCH these guys. There's talent there.

GO Falcons!

HoopsFan

I am confused by this entire post. You start out saying you hate AZZ because we/me are frustrated then you give the same reasons we give for being frustrated. There is talent and its frustrating because its evident but its not developed.

[HoopsFan]

No, I'm not frustrated. I'm being entertained. Sure these guys are going to make mistakes, they're not going to win them all. At least they're fun to watch. If the game was perfect, we'd will all of our games by 30+ points and shut out the opponents. To call the team frustrating is retarded. They're Freshman and Sophomores. They're not (insert your best TOSU players here), but they're OUR team. Sure, I'd like them all to play better and go on a 20 game win streak. Actually, I'll be happy with 8-8 conference and 5-10 OOC or whatever.
That's my target.

HoopsFan

[Globetrotter]

I think they are frustrating to watch. I am a retard.