ST JOHNS GAME THREAD

[olsingledigit]

Even Elite programs struggle at some point but (4)Yrs of the same results calls for a change hopefully with a coach with head coaching experience. I guess for some making the NIT in Yr 2 is good enough.I just don’t see things changing must the rest of the season. Will beating Georgetown twice be enough?

We only play Georgetown once. The missed game will not be rescheduled so I am told.

[edgecliff hall]

You should post more, xavier71.

[Anti-Homer]

I don't post very often, and when I do it's usually the next day so I won't let emotions run wild. While driving home from the game I listened to TS describe how good St. John's were. They're big, they're athletic, they're fast, they shoot well, they defend and on and on and on. If you didn't know he was talking about St. John's, someone might have thought he was describing Gonzaga. Note to Travis: They've lost 11 games, their below 500 in league play, this was a must win, your team was not ready to play and that's on you. Right before the season started, a friend who is very, very close to the program described the team this way, "we are loaded, we have no excuse this year".

I doubt you're going to get a coaching change until his contract runs out. I have to smile, just a little, when I think back to the posts I sent right after he was hired saying it was the wrong move, and how I was bombarded by people saying how the next man up philosophy had worked in the past. My answer was always that it might have worked in lesser conferences, but this is the Big East. There is not time for on the job training for a 9 year assistant coach.

Great post.

Many pundits agree with you about the talent level. However, it is how one strategically utilizes the chess pieces which determines the level of success. I don't think Steele is a fan of Bobby Fisher. SM gave a damning indictment about X in the podcast I posted earlier. Just because he is corrupt, it doesn't mean he still isn't a great bball strategist. I also know he likes Steele, but just gave a visceral take, not thinking of the implications he was making. I wish Steele success because I know he is giving it his damn best. I just haven't seen anything in four years which gives me any confidence that he is a keeper for an upper-echelon program.

[pdxmuskie]

One of the posts mentioned X fans becoming less engaged. A friend and longtime season ticket holder is thinking about giving up his seats. He is beyond frustrated with the situation. Has no confidence in the coach. I wonder how many others are considering doing the same.

This was unlikely to be a good hire. Mack was not a great coach. He underachieved regularly and overachieved once. Had some success because he had the right personnel for a few years. Unless Travis had a significantly different coaching philosophy, he was also going to be dependent on players bailing him out. The 2 have a very similar coaching style. Mack allowed his players to do whatever they wanted and Travis seems to do the same.

Travis is 100% dependent on X hitting deep shots. Nunge is great and needs to be utilized. Others have the ability to put the ball on the floor. The team shouldn't need to be dependent on 3s but they are because that was always the game plan.

[kyzrex]

Xavier is reliant on hitting 3’s because nobody on the team has a strong inside power game. None of them, including Nunge, are that type of player. Without that type of threat the opposing teams can play the outside players right and force them out from around the 3 point line. In the case of SJU, they used their inside players to take away the drive and dish game of the X guards. That resulted in multiple blocks and turnovers.

The BE has figured X out and it’s going to be very difficult for X to win any games in conference the rest of this year. I have absolutely no confidence that X can make any adjustments and change the situation this year. Nor do I think that the recruits coming in will change that, as they are not power inside players either. This lack of a true inside presence is IMO the really glaring hole in the Xavier roster.