Musketeer Madness

Obviously something is not working with Xavier this year. It is possible we don't have the talent to win. Playing close against Purdue could be an aberration or possibly because of matchups/style of play. Playing with Houston could simply be Houston played horrific that game.

The Purdue style of play and personnel did contribute to Xavier being close. Houston playing poorly did contribute to Xavier being in position to win that game. I'm not sold that those are the only reasons X was in those games.

McKight is good. Olivari is a great shooter. Trey will produce. The bigs as a collective stay in the face of their man down on the block. They rebound ok. They have shown the ability to score but not with a lot of consistency. Not a dominant group by any stretch but probably solid enough to be on a winning team.

The team has no identity. Makes sense, there is 1 returning player. Miller in his first showing at Xavier was a defensive coach. Now he is an up tempo coach. Up tempo is not a good fit for this team. The bigs are slow. The guards are not especially fast.

Changing pace doesn't necessarily improve results given that the team doesn't have many shooters. Olivari can knock down open shots. Trey will eventually find his shot but that is it other than possibly Gytis and Lazar who haven't taken enough shots to know.

Xavier must make defense the focus. They don't have the personnel to outscore teams. They also need to modify who is taking shots. Sean has to implement a rule that Claude does not shoot a 3 unless there is less than 5 seconds on the shot/game clock.

Claude is probably the most talented player on the team. The team is however better off with Claude sitting if he can't stop shooting 3s. Claude has a tendency for making silly turnovers which is frustrating. When you add in him taking 3s, the frustration reaches levels where it impacts the psychology of the team. To be good, the team needs Claude but they need a Claude that doesn't waste possessions. He is the best player for creating his own shot. The team can however be solid without him. Team chemistry will immediately improve. Defense might get worse but it is so bad already that I'm not sure it will matter.

I love what Claude can become but I worry he will simply be another Marshall, taking too many shots outside his skillset.

Pdx, Claude was our best player last night and besides Quincy our only true BE player. Sitting him because he can't shoot is ridiculous considering only two others can shoot 3's. Naji Marshall is a solid NBA player and former first team BE player. If Claude is another Marshall we should be ecstatic. Talent trumps all.

PDX .....You can't be serious about sitting Claude? He is our best player. Yes he is not a good 3 point shooter but so what. He defends, rebounds, assists, scores and leads the team. When he is out the other team is happy. He is not all the way there yet as a finished product but he is essential to our team. He would start for any Big East team

I believe I said Claude is possibly the most talented player on the team. That should indicate that I recognize his skillset and what he means to the team. I also said, he should sit until he understands that him shooting from deep is hurting the team. Sacrifice a game if you have to but maybe just not starting him or sitting him 10 minutes will get the point across.

If someone tells me he is shooting a high percentage in practice, then I'd suggest he doesn't need to stop shooting 3s but needs to figure out the difference between practice and games.

Is he shooting shots in a specific rhythm? From certain spots on the floor? Or maybe he is just relaxed in practice? Figure out what works and replicate it.

Off games happen but off seasons happen for a reason. I can't take the court with guys that play outside their skillset. It drives me crazy. Claude is mostly great at creating scoring opportunities for himself and others. He doesn't need to shoot from deep. He is an asset when he plays to his strengths and a liability when he doesn't. That doesn't mean he should force the drive when it isn't there as that will likely result in a TO or contested shot. Play within the offense. Move the ball. Attack when the opportunity is there.