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There's a game tomorrow at 4 o'clock. I am the first person to post anything in the women's basketball forum since August 30, so yay for me

Wow what can you say? Let's hope this is the worst we see.

threestooges wrote:There's a game tomorrow at 4 o'clock. I am the first person to post anything in the women's basketball forum

Any more play like that game and it may be the last post of the year.

Yep, we kinda picked up where we left off last year. Credit to Ashland, they shot very well. Our post play is still going to be an issue and the new kids are going to have to grow up in a hurry. Jennifer was able to substitute 5 players in !!! That was sweet to see. Erica seems to be O.K. on her wheels, Abby, seems to be off to a slow start but she was using her arms so maybe she's rehabbed.

The new kids did O.K. Carly didn't get many touches in the first half and she was able to score a couple of baskets in the 2nd half.

I'm not fond of the quarters. It seems to slow the game with the timeouts and the foul rules. With our FT percentage, it may be good in the long run.


HoopsFan

I was at the game tonight, and the Falcons were outplayed, outshot, and outhustled in every aspect of the game. Kudos to Ashland. They played with heart tonight. They wanted it more. This season, we have a healthy, well- balanced team in height and experience. We cannot say we're too young or too injured. The ladies played with no drive, no resolve, with no floor leadership. We made 4 threes, Ashland made 11 of them. We thrived off the 3-ball in the Curt Miller days, but now we're either not getting the looks from three-point land, or nobody wants to shoot them when we are open. We have a boatload of great three-point shooters on this year's squad, but we seemed anemic, offensively. We need two or three players to step up and take charge offensively. It's called leadership. Coach Roos also needs to find a way to better defend the perimeter shooters. We should NOT be picking up from where we left off last season. Tonight was NOT winning basketball.
On a brighter note, I did see some promise from Lauren Tibbs, Carly Santoro, and Kennedy Kirkpatrick. Perhaps one of these ladies will take the team on their shoulders. Think of it like this.....If we were down by one point, and we had the ball with ten seconds left in the game, who would you want to take the last shot? If you're not sure, then we have a problem. Which player(s) do you think wants the ball in their hands in that kind of situation? If there aren't any, then we have another problem. Players must step up and perform. Also, Coach Roos got outcoached by one of her students.
I'm sure there are some who read this that think I'm too hard on the team after tonight's performance. On the contrary, my remarks are fair and honest. Coach Roos and her staff needs to watch the film, and then make some serious adjustments. I believe we have a very talented team this year, but tonight, they played far below their potential. I just call them like I see them. And right, wrong, or indifferent, they're just my honest opinions.
I still love our Falcons basketball team, and wish them all the best and much success for the rest of the season, regardless of my opinions. Best wishes to Coach Roos and the entire Falcons team! TALONS UP! GO FALCONS!!!!

Elmer, while I was not at the game I did watch the whole thing on Espn3. I whole heartily agree with your assessment of that game. We were out played in most phases of the game with the exception of foul shooting which kept it close. I felt that Tibbs and Kirkpatrick played by far the best. Santoro had about 5-7 minutes of strong play after getting her baptism under fire. I also felt that fellow freshman Sidney Lambert showed good speed and floor presence and then disappeared from the game for some reason after starting. Also, there were too many times that a player decided to go charging through the defense like the proverbial bull in a china shop only to lose the ball out of bounds or throw up a horrendous shot. All in all, I was still more encouraged by the overall play than the men's the night prior despite the loss.

Fred, I also noticed that Lambert pretty much got "phased out" after the first quarter, especially after showing signs of promise with her quickness. The only thing I can think of was she was doing more dribbling than passing. Likewise, Rachel Myers, who I deem as one of the more talented players on the roster, saw very few minutes in the second half. From what I saw, no Falcon player imposed their will against their Ashland counterparts. Over the past couple of years, our team went from a "we're gonna go out and kick butt" attitude, to an "excuse me" attitude. I understand Coach Roos has to play most of her bench so she can try to assemble a lineup that clicks together on the floor. I was always taught that more playing time comes from hustle and making plays. When I talk about hustle, I refer to players like Lindsey Goldsberry and Deb Hoekstra, who wore knee pads to help protect themselves whenever they would dive for loose balls. We need players to step up and not be afraid to carry the team on their shoulders. Do we have anyone on the roster who would like to be an All-MAC selection at the end of the season? Falcons, it's time to step forward and assert yourselves against your opponents. To me, it's not about talent, or the lack thereof. It's ALL about performance. And I truly hope it's just as obvious to the coaching staff as it is to me. Perhaps Coach Roos should take a lesson from Curt Miller in foot stomping. Nevertheless, I'm looking for more improvement during the upcoming weekend. GO FALCONS!!! TALONS UP!!!

Not a good start. After last year, I figured the team would be chomping at the bit to get going. let's get it in gear...

I also watched on ESPN3 and agree with the assessments above. Although Goldsberry and Hoekstra were not above average athletes, they always played with effort that was contagious. We sure need someone to step forward and be that type of leader. I am sure that the substitution pattern will evolve, but it was hard to believe that this is what the team will look like this year. This is not a team that can dominate the MAC but I do believe that it is one that can compete if some aspects come together. Time will tell.

Last year, the men got beat by Grand Valley State where one Drew Lehman came in and shot the eyes out of the basket. The kids on the Ashland team come in with pretty good basketball resume's, Canton Hoover, Berlin Hiland, River View, West Holmes. Check out the tournaments, and these schools show up consistently. Those were their scorers.

In the first half, I don't think Carly even touched the ball. This is our kid who averaged 30 points a game in high school. I know, see Zach Denny, but you can't score if you don't get the ball.

Let's pretend our offense is just slow starting and we can't win them all, yada, yada, yada. Besides, it's only an exhibition game and they looked a whole lot better than the last half of last year.

I saw the same promise out of Ms Tibbs, Lambert, Santoro, Kirkpatrick and Donovan looks to be healed. I didn't see anything impressive out last year's iron players; our two Rachels or Abby or MIriam and did Haley even play?

HoopsFan

No, Haley never got off the bench, and neither did freshman Maddie Cole, and Sarah Baer got in for only a few seconds. This might sound a little crazy, but I think the coaching staff needs to tell the girls when they go in, exactly what they're expectations are, individually. For instance, "Abby, get in there and get me five rebounds, now!" Or, "Kennedy, we need a few steals from you to stay in this thing!" "Carly, look to get open behind the arc, and when you get open, pop it!" I'm not sure if the kids have been given clearly defined roles once they take the floor. We must be aggressive in every aspect of the game, on both ends of the floor. Then things will happen and fall into place. The coaching staff needs to show them the way in order for them to find their way. Once they learn to execute the system, and do so more consistently each game, we will see much improvement between now and the end of the season. Every girl needs to take on a leadership role, and gain confidence with each step. I still hold out much hope for this squad this year, but some girls are going to have to step forward and carry the team on their shoulders, and soon. GO FALCONS!! We can do this!!

They may still be sorting those roles out...

I sure hope so, Flipper. I recall when Lauren Prochaska was brought in as a freshman, she was not a prolific three-point shooter in high school. Coach Miller pulled her aside and told her that he needed her to be shooting the three. That is one instance where a coach clearly defined the role of a player in order to get the result he wanted. Because of that, Lauren had no question as to what was expected of her. She trusted her coach, accepted the role, and the rest is history. As I previously stated, our team is loaded with great shooters, but we are still looking for a few good scorers, meaning players who will do whatever necessary to get the ball in the basket, inside or outside. Examples of past scorers......Motyka, Albers, Achter, Prochaska, Mann, Pontius. Those players did not settle for taking what was given to them, but they would NOT let the defense dictate their offense. We need those types of players now. I knew of Carly Santoro's high school background, and I really think that if she's that talented of a player, you get her all the minutes she needs to turn her into the Division I player you want her to become. The coaches must know each player's potential, develop and nurture it, and let them go out there and play hard-nosed basketball. Is Carly a future All-MAC player? Let her play for three full quarters and let's find out. Let's teach her the system and turn her loose. I can go on, but I've said enough for awhile. It's time for some of you other fans to weigh in now. I really enjoy reading the various perspectives of other Falcon Women's Basketball fans. Falcons, you can do this! TALONS UP!!!

Donovan has the ability and the attitude...at least before her injury...to put the game on her shoulders. She can be that go to player when you really need someone to step forward. Santoro? that's a lot to ask of a 1st year player.... I think we'll see a rocky OOC and hope that things are sorted out and running by the MAC

It's fine. It was one exhibition game, and Ashland is really, really good. Their two frontcourt players are D-I talents, & they have a veteran club that has won a lot of games the last few years. If we lose to Illinois State on Friday I'll come back on here & say the sky is falling, but there is nothing (let me repeat ... NOTHING) to panic about after one exhibition game.