You still think Steele should have a job ! Please vote

[skyhops]

The ball movement isn’t a problem. Even Travis admitted that and the lack of getting the ball inside.

[XU2011]

In my opinion, all facets of the Xavier play on offense and defense are doing well except for one. Our two 3-point shooters, especially Johnson, have been shooting subpar, very subpar. Zero for ten combined in last game against Providence. Then go back over the past 4 or so games and look especially at Johnson 3-point shooting. Something is grossly wrong. Without his being able to hit at least 30 to 35 %, the team is in trouble against good teams.
Don't know what the solution is but opposing teams will collapse defensively around the basket to keep us from driving. Need to correct the 3-point shooting. Do you really think that is Steele's lack of coaching?

Yes, if you hit almost anything better than we have the last four games from 3 and you win the last two instead of losing.

I almost wonder if Johnson isn't hurt again or something.

He's not the first "3 point specialist" to struggle here after transferring in. Wellage, Bryce Moore, and to a lesser extent Carter were all supposed to excel at outside shooting and never did too much here.

Hopefully Johnson is just in a slump and shoots his way out of it.....soon.

Go Xavier.

[joeabe]

if we were shooting just average things would be very different......Put the ball through the hoop y'all!!

[tacitus]

What a stupid poll. Or at least stupidly worded. Hope the poster was drunk and upset about the Providence game. The last few games, against really good teams, we seem to be playing ourselves toward the bubble. But we are still 14-5, .500 in the BE, ranked in the polls, and sporting a solid NET resume.

Everyone complains about our final possessions and end-of-game sequences. But the real problem is our slow starts and poor shooting. Living and dying by the three is only a small part of the problem. Thanks to the Golden State Warriors, that is how the game is played at all levels now. Missing the bunnies and FTs after digging ourselves into a deep hole is what is killing us, especially the last 4 games. S

The positive is that we have some impressive defense and fight back once we are in that hole. We have won the final 60-75% of all four games. It is just that 3 out of 4 times that was not enough biggest the hole was too deep.

Firing Steele in the middle of his best season to-date with the tournament resume we have, just because we have dropped 3 of 4 in the toughest league in the country, is absurd!! Now, if we do not make the tournament, or if we lose a play-in game in the tournament, then perhaps the Administration needs to take a good hard look at another possibility for next season. But anything more than that, then he is not getting fired this season and he is not getting fired next season either.

[Joe Palooka]

I'm rooting for Steele to become 'our Jay Wright'...some of you all just can't handle success though.

[XavierTragedy]

I like Steele personally and he says “a lot of the right things”. That said, his teams have a (short) history of late season swoons. I hope they can break that trend this year.

[pdxmuskie]

Some are focusing on the wrong things. The issue isn't shots not falling. It is why is the team shooting poorly? The answer is largely taking the wrong shots. Johnson, a great shooter, is struggling and instead of waiting for clean looks, he is forcing contested shots. He rarely took contested shots when he was in a groove. Freemantle was previously shooting without being properly set and it looked like he was 5 years old hoisting the ball due to lack of strength. Zach has since improved both shot selection and gotten into a proper stance before taking 3s and it has dramatically improved his execution.

Shot selection has been a serious issue for this team and all the other teams Travis has coached. It is why shooting percentages are low. Kunkel is very guilty of shooting when not set. When he is on, they often go but he needs to get in the flow first before attempting those for them to be reasonable shots. The bulk of X players, are mediocre 3 point shooters, which means the team should not shoot a lot of 3s.

Nunge is a very good post player. Zach is also a talented offensive player in various matchups. Scruggs has a great mid range and when not over penetrating, great at the rim. Jones and Odom are both good at attacking the rim. Kunkel and Johnson are both capable at attacking. The focus needs to be near the rim. Deep shots should be the result of penetration and post passes that creates great looks. Even when open, ball movement should continue when early in the shot clock rather than hoisting a 3 by all mediocre shooters.

The other missed concept is that X being borderline top 25 is irrelevant. What are they capable of being ranked? What is their ranking vs what they are capable of being? X has the pieces to be a top 10 team and they are playing more like a top 30 team. Is it possible I overrate their talent, absolutely. If they were earning a top 20 ranking then that is probably close enough.

Being a better 2nd half team is a positive for coaching. Depending on exceptional runs in the 2nd half and getting them somewhat frequently is also a bad sign for coaching. It is good when the coach makes adjustments and the team shows improvement. When the team goes on huge runs in the 2nd half, it shows a lack of full game effort and full game shot selection. Adjustments should create a slow grind back because the team make some changes that are showing benefit in the margins. When you get huge surges it generally means the team is suddenly inspired and getting after it on the defensive end and either executing properly offensively or getting very lucky.

This team doesn't have top 10 potential because of offense. They have it because of the defensive potential. The length and speed gives them so much potential to be amazing on the defensive end. We see it for stretches. We never see it for the majority of the game. Coaches need to inspire players. Find what motivates them.

Another item of confusion is that some keep thinking that pulling players for making bad decisions would result in the team having no one to play. There is no rule that says a coach can't simply pull a player, give him instruction and put him back in. Sometimes a player just needs to settle down emotionally, other times they need to get their head in the game and occasionally they need to sit and think. the last is rare other than with certain players that are focused on personal stats rather than team. This team doesn't seem to have any of those players.

Others can opine about offensive sets and things to that nature. I am not impressed with the quantity of easy buckets but I am not the person to point out where the problems are.

Travis seems to be a great guy. He is not a terrible coach. He is also not a great coach at this time. If he doesn't change his approach, he will never be a great coach. I see enough talent and basketball knowledge in his recruits to believe he is a great recruiter. It is possible talent and player understanding of the game will get X to where we want to be in the years ahead. It is also possible Travis grows as a coach and the team plays with intensity on defense all game and improves shot selection. At this point I see greater probability in players playing intelligently than in Travis coaching them to play that way. The basis for this comment: Odom and Jones. They rarely take bad shots and rarely don't give effort. That is not to say either isn't out of position from time to time or that they do not make mistakes. Coaches still matter when pointing out situational issues where a player misses his rotation to the ball or where a player incorrectly leaves the ball. Most HS players will not know the right answers for various situations instinctually.

If Travis stays, he will most likely keep Xavier as a tournament team most years based on recruiting. I personally want more. X coaches get paid way too much to be essentially mediocre. I realize some want them to get paid way more to be a destination. I would rather a modest pay with huge bonuses for success. Win the BE. Win the BE tournament. Make the NIT (small bonus). Make the NCAA Tournament (modest bonus). Advance to 2nd round (solid bonus). Advance to 3rd round (nice bonus). Advance each additional round - big fat bonuses with each win.

I do not agree with the poster suggesting a minimum of coaching experience. Strategists would make excellent coaches assuming they understand basketball and have the right assistant coaches. Bonus structure could be modified to incorporate assistant coaches when hiring a strategist vs a traditional coach. Generally, if you want to be great, you think outside the box. a 12 year veteran is a known quantity. A change in circumstances will alter that person's results a bit but not enough to expect dramatic change from their past.

[Anti-Homer]

In my opinion, all facets of the Xavier play on offense and defense are doing well except for one. Our two 3-point shooters, especially Johnson, have been shooting subpar, very subpar. Zero for ten combined in last game against Providence. Then go back over the past 4 or so games and look especially at Johnson 3-point shooting. Something is grossly wrong. Without his being able to hit at least 30 to 35 %, the team is in trouble against good teams.
Don't know what the solution is but opposing teams will collapse defensively around the basket to keep us from driving. Need to correct the 3-point shooting. Do you really think that is Steele's lack of coaching?

Yes, if you hit almost anything better than we have the last four games from 3 and you win the last two instead of losing.

I almost wonder if Johnson isn't hurt again or something.

He's not the first "3 point specialist" to struggle here after transferring in. Wellage, Bryce Moore, and to a lesser extent Carter were all supposed to excel at outside shooting and never did too much here.

Hopefully Johnson is just in a slump and shoots his way out of it.....soon.

Go Xavier.

Welage shot 42% from three. He made the most treys by far, playing only 19 min a game on a team with no other good three point or outside shooters. He was misused. Fun fact: Gooden hurled up just as many at 30%, and Marshall took thirty more treys at 27%. Spoiler alert: X didn't make the tourney that year. We also had Jones and Hankins, and I repeat: X didn't make the tourney that year.

[Anti-Homer]

I'm rooting for Steele to become 'our Jay Wright'...some of you all just can't handle success though.

In the 15 years prior to Steele becoming the HC, X had been to 3 E8s, 5 or 6 SW 16s, and about a dozen tourney appearances. He was dealt a bad hand his first year, but mismanaged his personnel including letting the worst three point shooter on the team take the most treys by far. Rookie year, but the same mistakes persist into year four. The year so far is successful, but late season swoons in the previous three years make X fans skeptical. I'd love to know what your definition of success is.

[skyhops]

Maybe it does make a difference that Steele was a manager and not a player.