at Miami

[HoopsFan]

Well, another loss, this time in Oxford and it sets a record. BG has lost 8 straight games for the first time in WBB history. I guess the last time Jasmine will make the court is in the Senior game.

This team is parallel to last year's mens team. I don't see a victory in the remaining schedule....


HoopsFan

[elmrfudd]

Although I was not physically at the BGSU/Miami game, I did catch the audio online. Once again, Miami did not beat us. We beat ourselves. Yes, we have lots of girls hurt. Yes, we are young. Yes, we are tired and beat up. But the coaching staff really needs to take a good look at their recruiting and take note that we have little or no depth. A deep and talented bench should be able to hang well with the cellar-dwellers of the league. We have proven we cannot. We have two active players averaging double-digits, with Hoekstra at 11 ppg and Justinger at 10 ppg. Those are our leading scorers since the flurry of injuries. We should be having three or four players averaging double digits in scoring (excluding Donovan's 15 ppg). What is sad is this.... I know our gals are playing their hearts out to the best of their abilities. Think about this..... if you were to put Achter, Mann, Honneger, and Prochaska, when they were all freshmen, against this year's underclassmen, I'm afraid it would get pretty ugly. Curt Miller had a knack for recruiting "diamonds in the rough", and so far, I have not seen those "diamonds" landed at BGSU by Coach Roos' staff. As much as we Falcon fans love this team and the effort they put forth, I really think Coach Roos is going to have to recruit some real gems this off-season if she wants to put another successful team on the floor. Falcons, keep giving it your all, because we're still behind you all the way!!!

[Flipper]

We...don't...have...a...bench...because...we...lost...about..a...half...dozen...players...to...injury

[BGFan]

We...don't...have...a...bench...because...we...lost...about..a...half...dozen...players...to...injury

Sometimes it takes a while for things to sink in. "I read, yet I do not comprehend". Perhaps your approach of "typing slower" will help!

[elmrfudd]

Okay, obviously I wasn't very clear in my previous post. Let me try again. Of the healthy players who have replaced the injured, none have successfully filled the gaps in the lineup. All I'm saying is..... those who are seeing the extra playing time that they would not have gotten had it not been for injuries, they need to show signs of growth and improvement, both individually AND as a team. Simply put, younger players getting better with more PT. It doesn't seem to be happening yet. Hope this clarifies things a little. And, as always, it's just my honest opinion.

[Flipper]

I understand what you're saying. But I really don't think anyone in men's or women's bball...except maybe Calipari who has a roster full of McDonald's All Americans...would be able to put together a decent team when almost half the roster is out. You have players being asked to fill roles that they have never been asked to fill before after they've prepared to fill their customary slots. You have freshmen like Puk playing against starters when ideally she'd be going up against subs or you have a freshman like Baer who should have spent the year watching and learning playing.

The injuries just blew eveything apart and I really don't think it's particularly fair to expect them to just magically overcome them. I am encouraged top see them pulling thing stogether and playing more competitive basketball. That stretch where they were getting bown out every week made me think they had packed it in mentally and that would be a really bad sign going forward.

I agree that this has been a very frustrating year and I feel badly for the seniors who went into the year with such high expectations. I guess that's our advantage as fans...for us there's always next year.

[falconwomenbball]

Although I was not physically at the BGSU/Miami game, I did catch the audio online. Once again, Miami did not beat us. We beat ourselves. Yes, we have lots of girls hurt. Yes, we are young. Yes, we are tired and beat up. But the coaching staff really needs to take a good look at their recruiting and take note that we have little or no depth. A deep and talented bench should be able to hang well with the cellar-dwellers of the league. We have proven we cannot. We have two active players averaging double-digits, with Hoekstra at 11 ppg and Justinger at 10 ppg. Those are our leading scorers since the flurry of injuries. We should be having three or four players averaging double digits in scoring (excluding Donovan's 15 ppg). What is sad is this.... I know our gals are playing their hearts out to the best of their abilities. Think about this..... if you were to put Achter, Mann, Honneger, and Prochaska, when they were all freshmen, against this year's underclassmen, I'm afraid it would get pretty ugly. Curt Miller had a knack for recruiting "diamonds in the rough", and so far, I have not seen those "diamonds" landed at BGSU by Coach Roos' staff. As much as we Falcon fans love this team and the effort they put forth, I really think Coach Roos is going to have to recruit some real gems this off-season if she wants to put another successful team on the floor. Falcons, keep giving it your all, because we're still behind you all the way!!!

For all the critics out there. Let's remember before the injuries, the BG women were 7-2. The team was playing well. Everyone had their roles. The entire season would look different and we wouldn't be having this discussion. Freshmen playing against juniors and seniors is not a good thing. What has been the biggest problem is the lack of size. When you have players like Miriam Justinger and Haley Puk playing post, it causes a bunch of problems. They are wing guards in our system. I also don't think a lot of fans realize that some of the people who are playing have injury problems of their own. Everyone is playing too many minutes. The team is dead tired. I am as frustrated as anyone, but to hear all the gloom and doom is frustrating too. You have to remember the MAC has gotten better as a whole. Our dominance has forced the other schools to get better. I would be a lot more worried if the offense we are playing wasn't creating open shots. It is, we just aren't hitting them.

Let's not compare teams of the past to the present. That is not fair. Different teams have different personalities. Ali, Liz et al took their lumps somewhat as freshmen. Yes we made the MAC Tournament finals, but they weren't ready yet to be the dominant team they became. Let's allow these youngsters to mature.

As to next year. 3 players have already signed. One Carly Santoro has scored well over 2000 points in high school. I have heard very good reports on her. Maddie Cole comes from a very good high school program, the same one where Miriam Justinger came from. She sounds like a blue collar worker who isn't afraid to do the little things you need to win. The young lady from Cincinnati I don't know much about other than her team won their league which is a pretty tough one. I'm sure the coaches are looking for other players to add.

I'm sorry about the long post, but the naysayers on this board get to me sometimes. We're making judgments during a really tough season. That isn't really fair to anyone.

[elmrfudd]

First of all, I want to thank you, falconwomenbball, for your post, as I am in agreement with the majority of your post. It was very well-stated. I've been involved with basketball, both in and around the game for over forty years, So, yes, I'm well aware of where we were before the injuries, and what roles the players are being asked to step into. I know it's being perceived that I am kicking the falcons when they're down, and that could not be farther from the truth. I am a longtime fan of the Falcon women's basketball team, and have been through the peaks and valleys with this team over the years. I am neither a naysayer nor a critic, but being the realist that I am, I can see both the positive and the negative aspects of the game. I am in no way unsympathetic to our youth, our fatigue, and our injury situation. Trust me, I see it and I understand it. I will support each and every player on this team, all the time. Neither am I saying that my opinions are right or wrong, as they are just my opinions. I, too, am looking forward to watching this team grow together, and return to their winning ways in the very near future. So, in closing, I do apologize for any negative perceptions I gave to the readers of this blog. However, my opinions are honest ones, and I still stand by them. They are never intended to be malicious or degrading to anyone. I love this team too much be that person. God bless our Falcons throughout the rest of this season and in the years to come!!! GO FALCONS!!!