Seton Hall game thread 01/02/19

[muskieman]

out-coached last eve. Plain & simple, which is to be expected in Coach Steele's first season. (AntiHomer has made similar points) I agree with many other comments made prior especially Muskieman's take on some of our kids looking "overwhelmed". But Coach Steele seems overwhelmed at times as well. Seton Hall was able to 'speed up' the Muskies with about 7 minutes remaining in the game. X made zero adjustments and it killed us. Now there are times when X can field a group capable of playing fast, but at that stage of the game, SH had a better group on the floor to handle transition scenarios. Q & Naji took the bait and failed to work for ideal shots. When we got down, the same old trend emerged of forcing action as if searching for that ever-so-elusive 5 point play. Instead of staying composed and valuing each end game possession. Now granted Paul, (who i thought played well), took a perfectly timed and positioned "3' that rimmed in then out, which would have cut the deficit to one and changed the equation. That sucked. But his was just about the only high quality shot I noticed in crunch time. Steele should have slowed the game down once SH first grabbed the late momentum under the 8 minute mark. How about running the offense through Zach, working the post area, at least a few times? Puzzled as to how he could completely disappear the entire 2nd half. This is just my opinion, and this board is ripe for other opinions which are just as valid as mine, but I have watched or coached a zillion grade school / junior high and aau games. You can tell when one team is prepared for end game pressures versus those that are not. This is not an indictment of Coach Steele or the players. Last night's game was entirely "winnable" yet we witnessed far more panic than composure during those key minutes from approx the 6 min mark down to the 2 min mark when the game had ultimately been decided.

Rick Broering
‏@RickBroering

PSA for basketball fans: If you're being critical about a team/coach and you keep bringing up the word "adjustments," you're telling on yourself. We know you don't know anything about the sport at that point.

[X-lucidity]

a bit of a snowflake this evening are we Muskieman....? So anyone using the "A" word knows 'nothing' about basketball? Good Lord. I used the word one time in my long prior comment. Have you coached at any level dude? Why would any coach call a time out other than getting drinks and catching one's breath then? Other coaches tweak game plans in-game and I suppose a good & pure coach would then not counter in kind during a game eh? Most of the time you make nice cogent comments and often offer interesting insights MM. So I will chalk up you prior emotional diaper-rash motivated dig at me with a grain of salt. (unless you preempt me and delete this) I am not offended and will just laugh it off if you do delete this. No adjustments of any kind once the game start huh, interesting concept. Just roll the ball out and let 'em go at it for 40. Wow. That said, I will give some kudos to MuMuskie. At least he offered the fact that Coach Steele was heard pleading with our boys to slow it down over the last "in the huddle" live look in. I must have been grabbing a bag of chips and late getting back to my chair as I was not at the game last eve. Thanks MuMuskie as that makes me feel a bit better and is why I love this board. Hey Muskieman, if it is your "opinion" that anyone who dares utilize the word "adjustment" is not nearly on your level of college b-ball comprehension, then you put that under your pillow at night and sleep much better. Glad I could help ya......

[muskieman]

a bit of a snowflake this evening are we Muskieman....? So anyone using the "A" word knows 'nothing' about basketball? Good Lord. I used the word one time in my long prior comment. Have you coached at any level dude? Why would any coach call a time out other than getting drinks and catching one's breath then? Other coaches tweak game plans in-game and I suppose a good & pure coach would then not counter in kind during a game eh? Most of the time you make nice cogent comments and often offer interesting insights MM. So I will chalk up you prior emotional diaper-rash motivated dig at me with a grain of salt. (unless you preempt me and delete this) I am not offended and will just laugh it off if you do delete this. No adjustments of any kind once the game start huh, interesting concept. Just roll the ball out and let 'em go at it for 40. Wow. That said, I will give some kudos to MuMuskie. At least he offered the fact that Coach Steele was heard pleading with our boys to slow it down over the last "in the huddle" live look in. I must have been grabbing a bag of chips and late getting back to my chair as I was not at the game last eve. Thanks MuMuskie as that makes me feel a bit better and is why I love this board. Hey Muskieman, if it is your "opinion" that anyone who dares utilize the word "adjustment" is not nearly on your level of college b-ball comprehension, then you put that under your pillow at night and sleep much better. Glad I could help ya......

I guess you missed who said that? BTW he went on to say

Rick Broering
‏@RickBroering

The thing is if you saw something that went wrong schematically or otherwise, you just point out what it was... you don't say "they didn't make adjustments." "They didn't make adjustments" is code for "I don't know what I'm watching but I'm mad."

maybe you need disclaimer that these are not my words and therefore do not mean that I endorse them... OR you could just read what Rick said and realize that was not me.

As for coaching yes I have coached basketball, scoccer, and baseball over the years. I bet I have a few friends you know and respect that think I have a preety good knowledge of basketball.

[X-lucidity]

well, sorry we wasted everyones' time with these last few posts of mindless drivel. But at least we seem to have established that, yes Virginia, there ARE adjustments made in-game. I will learn my lesson to never use that word again without properly elaborating on the precise nature and extent of those aforementioned adjustments. But lest we let you off the hook so easily MM, next time you take a veiled swipe at another poster, maybe clue them in on the full extent of the quote you are referencing. Your initial snippet merely implied eternal castigation for any insinuation that an "adjustment" was missed. Very glad you helped me out to see the error of my ways. I'm sure you are a fine coach and maybe we have faced off in some CYO or AAU league here in the Queen City over the past decade. I'm certain you must have prevailed if such a meeting took place.
* Moral of the story: This is the how a once proud chat board can descend quickly into the bowels of hell when the home team falls short of expectation in front of a somewhat spoiled fan base...

Thank you all, Elvis has left the building

[muskieman]

well, sorry we wasted everyones' time with these last few posts of mindless drivel. But at least we seem to have established that, yes Virginia, there ARE adjustments made in-game. I will learn my lesson to never use that word again without properly elaborating on the precise nature and extent of those aforementioned adjustments. But lest we let you off the hook so easily MM, next time you take a veiled swipe at another poster, maybe clue them in on the full extent of the quote you are referencing. Your initial snippet merely implied eternal castigation for any insinuation that an "adjustment" was missed. Very glad you helped me out to see the error of my ways. I'm sure you are a fine coach and maybe we have faced off in some CYO or AAU league here in the Queen City over the past decade. I'm certain you must have prevailed if such a meeting took place.
* Moral of the story: This is the how a once proud chat board can descend quickly into the bowels of hell when the home team falls short of expectation in front of a somewhat spoiled fan base...

Thank you all, Elvis has left the building

I don't get where you get the veiled threat, unless you are implying Rick made a veiled threat, but as you said " a bit of a snowflake this evening"

[Anti-Homer]

out-coached last eve. Plain & simple, which is to be expected in Coach Steele's first season. (AntiHomer has made similar points) I agree with many other comments made prior especially Muskieman's take on some of our kids looking "overwhelmed". But Coach Steele seems overwhelmed at times as well. Seton Hall was able to 'speed up' the Muskies with about 7 minutes remaining in the game. X made zero adjustments and it killed us. Now there are times when X can field a group capable of playing fast, but at that stage of the game, SH had a better group on the floor to handle transition scenarios. Q & Naji took the bait and failed to work for ideal shots. When we got down, the same old trend emerged of forcing action as if searching for that ever-so-elusive 5 point play. Instead of staying composed and valuing each end game possession. Now granted Paul, (who i thought played well), took a perfectly timed and positioned "3' that rimmed in then out, which would have cut the deficit to one and changed the equation. That sucked. But his was just about the only high quality shot I noticed in crunch time. Steele should have slowed the game down once SH first grabbed the late momentum under the 8 minute mark. How about running the offense through Zach, working the post area, at least a few times? Puzzled as to how he could completely disappear the entire 2nd half. This is just my opinion, and this board is ripe for other opinions which are just as valid as mine, but I have watched or coached a zillion grade school / junior high and aau games. You can tell when one team is prepared for end game pressures versus those that are not. This is not an indictment of Coach Steele or the players. Last night's game was entirely "winnable" yet we witnessed far more panic than composure during those key minutes from approx the 6 min mark down to the 2 min mark when the game had ultimately been decided.

Rick Broering
‏@RickBroering

PSA for basketball fans: If you're being critical about a team/coach and you keep bringing up the word "adjustments," you're telling on yourself. We know you don't know anything about the sport at that point.

MM,

It’s your prerogative to very selectively use points from a guy whose credibility as a basketball analyst is half a rung higher than most fans who spend a Saturday watching basketball on his sofa. Very arrogant take at that. Also, the fact that Broering makes a living in large part covering X basketball, meaning having access to insiders like….uh….the coach is critical, do you think he has an incentive to be patently pandering?

Anyway, following your lead, and assuming you equally value “takes” from others who are at least as credible as Broering, I’ve included others' perspective spanning the last decade. This incudes the guys at Banners, who have been fairly relentless in their criticism with both X players and coaches. Ironically, they too have a vested interest in towing the line with the coaches considering what they do, but they obviously value objectivity and integrity more. Following are some of their tweets from the last game:

-Xavier has some efficient players. Unfortunately, they aren't the ones getting the most possessions.
-From up 56-46, X folded like a cheap suit. No excuse for getting for getting closed in your own building like that.
-This, and horrible shots from bad offense has gotten SH back into the game.

There are plenty more gems. Just go to their twitter feed. I think the former are an indictment on coaches and players alike. Also, for some oldies but goodies:

Tom Crean, veteran NCAA coach, panned CM by saying he woke up on 3rd base.

Matt Painter, another veteran NCAA coach, said X (2011 team) had some thugs on their team.

The sports reporter from The Star Tribune who called CM an amateur for being overly sensitive re: an article he wrote about him during the 2010 NCAA tourney.

I assume you agree with those takes as well correct, considering all of them have greater credibility and forums than Broering?

[Anti-Homer]

out-coached last eve. Plain & simple, which is to be expected in Coach Steele's first season. (AntiHomer has made similar points) I agree with many other comments made prior especially Muskieman's take on some of our kids looking "overwhelmed". But Coach Steele seems overwhelmed at times as well. Seton Hall was able to 'speed up' the Muskies with about 7 minutes remaining in the game. X made zero adjustments and it killed us. Now there are times when X can field a group capable of playing fast, but at that stage of the game, SH had a better group on the floor to handle transition scenarios. Q & Naji took the bait and failed to work for ideal shots. When we got down, the same old trend emerged of forcing action as if searching for that ever-so-elusive 5 point play. Instead of staying composed and valuing each end game possession. Now granted Paul, (who i thought played well), took a perfectly timed and positioned "3' that rimmed in then out, which would have cut the deficit to one and changed the equation. That sucked. But his was just about the only high quality shot I noticed in crunch time. Steele should have slowed the game down once SH first grabbed the late momentum under the 8 minute mark. How about running the offense through Zach, working the post area, at least a few times? Puzzled as to how he could completely disappear the entire 2nd half. This is just my opinion, and this board is ripe for other opinions which are just as valid as mine, but I have watched or coached a zillion grade school / junior high and aau games. You can tell when one team is prepared for end game pressures versus those that are not. This is not an indictment of Coach Steele or the players. Last night's game was entirely "winnable" yet we witnessed far more panic than composure during those key minutes from approx the 6 min mark down to the 2 min mark when the game had ultimately been decided.

Rick Broering
‏@RickBroering

PSA for basketball fans: If you're being critical about a team/coach and you keep bringing up the word "adjustments," you're telling on yourself. We know you don't know anything about the sport at that point.

MM,

It’s your prerogative to very selectively use points from a guy whose credibility as a basketball analyst is half a rung higher than most fans who spend a Saturday watching basketball on his sofa. Very arrogant take at that. Also, the fact that Broering makes a living in large part covering X basketball, meaning having access to insiders like….uh….the coach is critical, do you think he has an incentive to be patently pandering?

Anyway, following your lead, and assuming you equally value “takes” from others who are at least as credible as Broering, I’ve included others' perspective spanning the last decade. This incudes the guys at Banners, who have been fairly relentless in their criticism with both X players and coaches. Ironically, they too have a vested interest in towing the line with the coaches considering what they do, but they obviously value objectivity and integrity more. Following are some of their tweets from the last game:

-Xavier has some efficient players. Unfortunately, they aren't the ones getting the most possessions.
-From up 56-46, X folded like a cheap suit. No excuse for getting for getting closed in your own building like that.
-This, and horrible shots from bad offense has gotten SH back into the game.

There are plenty more gems. Just go to their twitter feed. I think the former are an indictment on coaches and players alike. Also, for some oldies but goodies:

Tom Crean, veteran NCAA coach, panned CM by saying he woke up on 3rd base.

Matt Painter, another veteran NCAA coach, said X (2011 team) had some thugs on their team.

The sports reporter from The Star Tribune who called CM an amateur for being overly sensitive re: an article he wrote about him during the 2010 NCAA tourney.

I assume you agree with those takes as well correct, considering all of them have greater credibility and forums than Broering?

[Anti-Homer]

10 minute mark: X is up 58-53, then the Q Goodin, who has deluded himself into believing he’s this year’s Trae Young, fuels SH’s comeback.

-9:20 Goodin t.o.
-9:08 Goodin misses jumpoer. Putting “missing” in front of jumper for Goodin is redundant.
-8:52 Goodin turnover.
-8:39 G rebound
-5:37 Goodin foul
-2:47 Goodin missed layup
-2:23 G misses free throw
-1:14 G hits 2 free throws.
-.52 G turnover
.33 G turnover
.26 Goodin’s caps off another low I.Q. game with an airball three. I though he was throwing the ball to a fan.

Of course, when Welage chrged on a short jumper in the lane, Steele yelled at him. However, Goodin and Marshall can shoot it between their legs from half court, and Steele would tell them “Good shot.” Once again he demonstrated that he ain’t ready for prime time. I couldn’t stomach listening to his drivel after the game. His Marvin Lewisesque post game interviews makes Cronin sound like Tony Bennett. Banners (after reading my commentaries no doubt) has been brutal on his coaching decisions since day one. No one in the league is happier than Dave Laito (sp?), that Steele became X’s coach, because he may not been voted the worst coach in the league for the 5th year in a row. Steele is a length ahead. At least X may have one All League honor, albeit a dubious one. Props to Scruggs, Hankins, and Welage for having good games. Unfortunately, once again, they didn’t have company. Here’s hoping talent overcomes other glaring deficits next year.

Tandy was in the stands tonight. Hopefully Q noticed. He must be licking his chops. Thank God his L.O.I. is in! Here's hoping Odom, our stud pg for 2020, was watching a delightful Sandra Bullock movie instead of the game tonight. It's like opting to be directed by David Hasselhoff in a movie instead of Steven Speilberg.

Seacrest out.

maybe AH, and this is just a suggestion for your sanity, you should wait 24 hours until a game's conclusion before posting on here.

just a thought.

but let me summarize all of your posts for you: i'm glad Mack is gone because i hated him. Steele sucks and so do all of our players. can't wait until next year. blah blah blah.

it must be hard to be a Xavier fan like you - one that expects perfection and if he doesn't get it every game, everyone is the worst coach/player in the league/on the team.

LLS,

This is exactly why I didn’t accept your application to work on my sport’s blog, as your editing skills leave a lot to be desired. Regarding your takes:

i'm glad Mack is gone because i hated him

. To the contrary, I’m not glad Mack is gone, as he is tied with being the 3rd best coach in X’s history along with Gillen. He was overall a good ambassador, with the exception of his final year, when he started an affair with Lady Louisville before the start of the 2017 season, leading to another flameout as a historic high seed, and one of the worst recruiting efforts due to his distractions and misguided loyalties.

Steele sucks and so do all of our players

. Steele doesn’t suck. He is doing a poor job this year, as both Byron and Banners have expressed, through their words and writings, but I don't believe in throwing away the baby with the bath water. However, as usual, AH is overly supportive, and has gone on record as saying he deserves at least three years barring any catastrophes on or off the court. I have faith he will improve, especially if he heeds my advice when reading my posts as CM often did.

The players don't suck either, though I believe two players play extremely selfishly, and exhibit a low bball I.Q. Guys like Scruggs, Hankins, Jones, and Welage have over achieved in terms of their expectations, and obvious understanding of playing team bball. Same goes for guy like Castlin, Kennedy, and Harden. They can only play up to their abilities. Their effort has never been in question imo.

it must be hard to be a Xavier fan like you.

Again to the contrary, Xavier basketball is my greatest sports passion and it has been nothing short of glorious in my 60 years as a fan. I do thank you for your perspective though. It’s posters like you which makes me glad I accepted the prestigious position of board moderator.

[muskieman]

out-coached last eve. Plain & simple, which is to be expected in Coach Steele's first season. (AntiHomer has made similar points) I agree with many other comments made prior especially Muskieman's take on some of our kids looking "overwhelmed". But Coach Steele seems overwhelmed at times as well. Seton Hall was able to 'speed up' the Muskies with about 7 minutes remaining in the game. X made zero adjustments and it killed us. Now there are times when X can field a group capable of playing fast, but at that stage of the game, SH had a better group on the floor to handle transition scenarios. Q & Naji took the bait and failed to work for ideal shots. When we got down, the same old trend emerged of forcing action as if searching for that ever-so-elusive 5 point play. Instead of staying composed and valuing each end game possession. Now granted Paul, (who i thought played well), took a perfectly timed and positioned "3' that rimmed in then out, which would have cut the deficit to one and changed the equation. That sucked. But his was just about the only high quality shot I noticed in crunch time. Steele should have slowed the game down once SH first grabbed the late momentum under the 8 minute mark. How about running the offense through Zach, working the post area, at least a few times? Puzzled as to how he could completely disappear the entire 2nd half. This is just my opinion, and this board is ripe for other opinions which are just as valid as mine, but I have watched or coached a zillion grade school / junior high and aau games. You can tell when one team is prepared for end game pressures versus those that are not. This is not an indictment of Coach Steele or the players. Last night's game was entirely "winnable" yet we witnessed far more panic than composure during those key minutes from approx the 6 min mark down to the 2 min mark when the game had ultimately been decided.

Rick Broering
‏@RickBroering

PSA for basketball fans: If you're being critical about a team/coach and you keep bringing up the word "adjustments," you're telling on yourself. We know you don't know anything about the sport at that point.

MM,

It’s your prerogative to very selectively use points from a guy whose credibility as a basketball analyst is half a rung higher than most fans who spend a Saturday watching basketball on his sofa. Very arrogant take at that. Also, the fact that Broering makes a living in large part covering X basketball, meaning having access to insiders like….uh….the coach is critical, do you think he has an incentive to be patently pandering?

Anyway, following your lead, and assuming you equally value “takes” from others who are at least as credible as Broering, I’ve included others' perspective spanning the last decade. This incudes the guys at Banners, who have been fairly relentless in their criticism with both X players and coaches. Ironically, they too have a vested interest in towing the line with the coaches considering what they do, but they obviously value objectivity and integrity more. Following are some of their tweets from the last game:

-Xavier has some efficient players. Unfortunately, they aren't the ones getting the most possessions.
-From up 56-46, X folded like a cheap suit. No excuse for getting for getting closed in your own building like that.
-This, and horrible shots from bad offense has gotten SH back into the game.

There are plenty more gems. Just go to their twitter feed. I think the former are an indictment on coaches and players alike. Also, for some oldies but goodies:

Tom Crean, veteran NCAA coach, panned CM by saying he woke up on 3rd base.

Matt Painter, another veteran NCAA coach, said X (2011 team) had some thugs on their team.

The sports reporter from The Star Tribune who called CM an amateur for being overly sensitive re: an article he wrote about him during the 2010 NCAA tourney.

I assume you agree with those takes as well correct, considering all of them have greater credibility and forums than Broering?

AH as usual your stream of unconsciousness only can be answered by a ?