Can Orr save himself?

[Globetrotter]

This team is going to be fun to watch for individual skills and actually the team play is better than we have seen in a while. If they manage to win the MAC with the depth and personnel present it would be national coach of the year worthy. I like this team but they look like a project team for the future of the program. ...

I think you're right on target. We DO have a significant talent among Holmes, Parker, Clarke, Henderson, Tisdale, and Sealey, ...and I can't quite figure out why so many people say that this year's team is so horrible. I think that people too used to saying it during the days of Kraus, Crawford, Erger, and Brown that they don't know how to respond to having guys that can run and jump.

This is a decent team that is learning to play together. If our lack of depth doesn't catch up to us, we'll be formidable in the MAC. Skillwise, our primary weakness is shooting.

I know we have guys who can run and jump, but we don't have an abundance of guys who can actually play basketball. Holmes is obviously turning into one of the best players in the Mac. Parker is developing nicely into a slasher. Clarke has talent but is so careless with the ball and goes through long stretches of forced shots and horrid shooting.

Black, Lyshe, Tisdale, and Henderson are all blah players. Some talent, sure, but none are polished basketball players.

Tisdale and Henderson are both solid 3rd and 4th guards due to their athleticism but as you said they are not great basketball players. Black is IMO. He has a decent offensive post game that he isn't put in position to use very often.

This make believe team would compete for the MAC

Pardon
Clarke-Henderson
Parker-Tisdale
Holmes-Sealey
Black-Gomez

We have needed athletic guards so much that I can't be upset when we finally get them and they can't shoot. I am upset that, as many of you said the first weeks, and I ignored, there isn't anyone to run the offense through. The offense has really no identity. I would bet that Clarke, Henderson and Tisdale all would be improved when having to think less and playing the two and the three. I would bet that we would be fine even if Sealey didn't come back. So I am just going to pretend that Denney is Pardon in waiting. That he is going to come off the bench and Willie Beamon Clarke and take over the spot. He will settle and run the offense, distribute and stretch the floor with his shooting. The game will open up for Black who will now assert himself in the post after Denny demands he touch the ball every other time down court. Tisdale will suddenly learn to make free throws after Denny teaches him his shooting stroke. Clarke and Henderson will take wiser more high percentage shots because they no longer feel they have to run everything now that Denny is here to orchestrate the offense.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_LV_q1ZKfnY

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[BGSU33]

This team is going to be fun to watch for individual skills and actually the team play is better than we have seen in a while. If they manage to win the MAC with the depth and personnel present it would be national coach of the year worthy. I like this team but they look like a project team for the future of the program. ...

I think you're right on target. We DO have a significant talent among Holmes, Parker, Clarke, Henderson, Tisdale, and Sealey, ...and I can't quite figure out why so many people say that this year's team is so horrible. I think that people too used to saying it during the days of Kraus, Crawford, Erger, and Brown that they don't know how to respond to having guys that can run and jump.

This is a decent team that is learning to play together. If our lack of depth doesn't catch up to us, we'll be formidable in the MAC. Skillwise, our primary weakness is shooting.

I know we have guys who can run and jump, but we don't have an abundance of guys who can actually play basketball.

I think our bigger problem - and it's been one we've had for years now under Orr is - we don't (and haven't) have guys who can shoot. Allegedly we finally have one in Denny, but he hasn't seen the floor. Year after year after year we struggle like hell from the perimeter to knock down shots, and teams know it. Can you imagine if we had one, just one, guy who was a legit threat to score outside and how much it could stretch a defense and unclog the paint for us. If I am a team playing BG, I double up Holmes and make BG shoot outside. Period. And we have no way to overcome that.

[Redwingtom]

No way this teams wins more than 4 or 5 more games.

They'll win one of the first three MAC home games.

Probably beat Miami at home.

Perhaps beat Ball State on the road.

And maybe pull of a road win at Miami.

Then possibly one more win in one of the Buffalo games get you to 5 wins.

They ain't beating Eastern, Western, Toledo, Ohio U, Kent State or Akron.

[factman]

Have you seen this post game video? It is PAINFUL to watch! Almost as painful as watching us play.

http://www.bgsufalcons.com/news/2014/1/ ... 42933.aspx

[BGFalconfromCincy]

No.

Seconded

[Class of 61]

Have you seen this post game video? It is PAINFUL to watch! Almost as painful as watching us play.

http://www.bgsufalcons.com/news/2014/1/ ... 42933.aspx

Factman,
So they showed EVERY ONE of BG's baskets? Too bad they didn't show us at the line....or shooting 3's....wouldn't that have been even MORE painful?

[factman]

No.....they just showed Orr's post game pressed! That all you need.

[BGSU33]

No.....they just showed Orr's post game pressed! That all you need.

For seven years now each and every one of his pressers have been downright awkward and painful to listen to. My 5-year-old niece is way more concise than he is and she can communicate more clearly than our damn head coach can! Orr can't even put together a compete sentence without pausing, saying "Ummmm" over and over, pausing again, looking up, etc. For crying out loud man, just speak without himhawing around! You're the figurehead of this program and you're painfully embarrassing to listen to as you fumble your words around. It gets so uncomfortable listening to him speak at times that I find that I'm actually embarrassed for him.

[hammb]

Public speaking is DEFINITELY not his forte (which seems like a pretty big red flag for a head coach).

We can only hope he can communicate more effectively with the team than he does to the media. Unfortunately, given the results, I find it tough to believe at this point. I don't doubt that the man knows basketball...he's been in the sport since Jr. High, and at all levels. Clearly he isn't able to teach/communicate well enough to put together a winning team though.

[BGSU33]

I think the title of this thread should now read "can we save ourselves from Orr?"

[BGFalconfromCincy]

I think the title of this thread should now read "can we save ourselves from Orr?"

We can, we just have to wait __ days (whoever has been keeping track of the day after the season ends can fill in the blank for me)

[zete]

I know it is difficult to live through BG basketball as it presently stands but blaming Coach Orr and his staff is only part of the problem. BG has always been a difficult place to put a winner on the floor and it takes somewhat of a perfect storm scenario to make it all happen. Using walk-ons is nothing new. Dakich had the same problem a few years back. Most of the elite talent from the greater Toledo area snubs the MAC for the Big Ten leaving us and the others to look at the leftovers. Frankly, if Loving, Hayes and Donnal or even AAron Craft were at BG would we be looking in the dorms for warm bodies? No, Coach Orr would be golden and we would be talking Sweet 16. I give credit to anyone coaching men's basketball at BG - it is a very difficult place to make things happen.

[HoopsFan]

Huh? So Kent, OU, Akron, etc. can put consistent winning programs together but BG can't because the talent doesn't stay in the area? We don't play Ohio State, we play Ball St, Michigan directional Schools, Toledo, Akron, OU, Buffalo, etc. Those are the teams we should compete with. Winning games with players that are fun to watch would increase attendance.

I have probably missed more men's home games in the last two years than I have in the last 30 plus seasons. There's little point in going. However, today is the chance for the old fashioned doubleheader

See if these old bones can do that again. However, along about halftime of the men's game, it might be time to think about food and better entertainment.

HoopsFan

[BGSU33]

Most of that sums up as excuses IMO, and I am well beyond that at this point. We have had multiple seasons of good teams and very good players under both previous coaches in Larranaga and Dakich. Neither coach won a MAC Championship but we were a factor in the MAC in numerous season under both. And that was in Anderson Arena. We now have a brand new facility that is rotting at its core under Orr. He had one, count it, ONE, good season and that was with Dakich's upperclassmenn. We are an afterthought in the MAC nowadays and nearly two full classes of students have come and gone not ever knowing that BG basketball used to be pretty damn good, if not decent. We are now in shambles. Yes, we avoid finishing dead last in the MAC standings, but we we make up for it by then failing miserably when it most counts in the MAC Tournament and can't even win a first round home game to the MAC's cellar dwellers anymore. We can't shoot to save our lives and had made ZERO progress in Orr's tenure. However, BG as a program 100% absolutely CAN be a factor in the MAC. I'm not saying we can lead the MAC in attendance or expect to go to the Sweet 16 or Elite 8, but there are no more excuses for why this team and program can't compete - and finally win - a MAC Championship. But it's far from that status under this coach and staff. Saying it's tough to win a MAC Championship goes without saying. It's tough for all 12 of us to win one. But the difference is, other do and are. Just look at the results of all the different teams besides BG (and also UB who joined somewhat recently) who have done it. BG has never. And with the new MAC Tournament format, it makes it much easier for a good team to win because you get byes into the later rounds. We have a new arena, there's a new tournament format, so please, no more excuses! This staff can't get it done, but there are coaches out there who can bring in the kind of guys who can and actually develop them into a teams that can. Sorry, but simply saying we can't because it's tough is an excuse and a load of $hit.

[zete]

We are a D 1 school and it would be nice to be able to keep local talent here. Same with the Rockets. We are not able to and it looks as if that will not change. I recall when Coach Weinert was recruiting Dennis Hopson out of Bowsher. H e really could have helped our program turn the corner. Kind of ironic to see him here now failing miserably. Playing for MAC titles is fun and then the one and done. Better players would make it a lot more interesting come March.