What a difference time and circumstance make. THIS is the year we really could have used Wade.
I thought playing wade and needham together really hurt us last year, I always felt Nickerson and Needham should have run the floor together. That said, Wade would be a superstar on this team. And we would have won a minimum of 4 more games with Wade maybe more.
I think its really an interesting dynamic. Last year we had two good players that I felt were redundant in Wade and Needham. We did not have a high percentage shooter to complement the point guard. This year, Sydney recruited 4 guys that are very much the same kind of player. Grennan, Chappel, Davis and Rose are redundant resources. Basketball is not about playing the best 5 guys - its the best combination of guys, and we lack key pieces of putting the right 5 on the floor.
I still think we can win the MAAC Tourney this year.
I was one of those people like Joe Stag who was boldly predicting we could pull off an upset in 87 and would pull off an upset in 97. Heck I was actually walking around telling people we would beat North Carolina. So I put myself firmly in the optimist camp. That said, there is no chance we are winning the Maac tournament this year. Zero. While I'd love to be wrong about this, we are having an apples and oranges discussion when talking about those runs and this year. If we were currently undefeated in Maac play, I would be dubious of our chances to win this year. The maac tournament is generally won by senior laden teams who 1) have experience, 2) are tournament tested and 3) feature solid guard play. We are not this kind of team. Manhatten and Canisius are. I envision one of these two teams, or perhaps Iona winning the Maac tournament. I'll be happy if we can go a game or 2 deep.
The 1987 team played 14 games without Jeff Gromos. There was no viable replacement at Center. Many of the losses came during that stretch, and some of the other losses included BC, Syracuse, UConn and Richmond. The team had a senior guard who was good enough to secure some NBA minutes (wynder), a sophomore guard who was a scoring machine (Bradford, a 1600 point career scorer), a competent senior point guard (Golden), an undersized yet intense forward (Tim O'toole), and an all Maac center in Gromos. The entire group had played in and won the Maac tourney the prior year and had NCAA tournament experience. There is no comparison between a team with 4 seniors starters and this one. That team had 2 all maac players (gromos and wynder) this team has zero.
Like the 87 team the 1997 team had senior leadership. Francis and Bowman had both been all conference players the prior season. They had played in the Maac championship game the year before and were tournament tested in the NIT. The team had the addition of two major components to aid them in their tournament run, first the recovery of Shannon Bowman, who had been hampered by injury for much of the season. This was a team that with Bowman had taken top 25 BC into overtime and who when Bowman went down couldn't beat Manhatten, Loyola, Saint Peters or Niagara. So the return of Bowman had everything to do with that run, and I don't see a player of that caliber appearing in time for this years MAAC tournament. Another major factor in that run of course was the emergence of eventual 2 time all maac player Darren Phillip who had watched the first half of the season because the NCAA had ruled him ineligible to play.
Those two tournament runs took play under special circumstances. Those were great teams. I would be optimistic about our chances to make some noise in this tournament if we had even one player of the caliber of Gromos, Bowman or Phillips joining the team for the tournament run. I don't see a circumstance where that can happen. So even though I am an eternal optimist, I think the realistic side of me is saying we simply don't have the personnel to make the magic happen this time around.
Of course I really hope I am wrong about this. I have felt from the beginning that this would be a rebuilding season, but I thought the talent level coming in would be much better than it turned out to be. Despite the many positives of Wade, Needham and Nickerson we had a terrible offense last year, and it was hard to imagine we could find 5 guards that were worse percentage shooters than those three. But somehow Sydney did find them . I actually think these kids might be good shooters and the real issue is we are running an offense that never creates good shots. But whatever the cause, I don't see anything changing this year that will turn this season into a special one.
What a difference time and circumstance make. THIS is the year we really could have used Wade.
I thought playing wade and needham together really hurt us last year, I always felt Nickerson and Needham should have run the floor together. That said, Wade would be a superstar on this team. And we would have won a minimum of 4 more games with Wade maybe more.
Record-wise we played much better with Wade and Needham together, in addition to being much better offensively. After Wade got hurt our offensive effienciency went from 185 to 355 (the worst in the Division I)
Last Year ---------------- After Wade got injured => we went 4-6 Before Wade got injured => 15-10 Games were Wade played zero minutes => 2-2
Wade would have been a big help on this years team as he would bring the Ballhandling, Passing and Quickness we need. Rose is not matching Wade's output, but thats comparing Rose as a Frosh to Wade as a senior. The key thing is that both players could penetrate. I would love to see what Rose could do playing next to Needham
I don't see Rose as much of a penetrator. He doesn't have the quickness to get in the lane on his own. He needs a breakdown to get in. Needham or Wade could take their man off the dribble. The scouting report on Rose has to be play off of him.
I don't see Rose as much of a penetrator. He doesn't have the quickness to get in the lane on his own. He needs a breakdown to get in. Needham or Wade could take their man off the dribble. The scouting report on Rose has to be play off of him.
Rose might not have the foot speed, but he is constantly penetrating in the half court and transition because he has enough of quickness, Ballhandling and crafty head fakes and hesitation dribbles . He is turning that penetration into wide open shots for our 3 point shooters, or Scoring himself. He is a very good inside finisher. And while they they can play off him from the outside, he certainly draws the defense's attention, and even draws double team when he penetrates...... a key to guards success (like Wade and Needham).
His shot is somewhere between a Nickerson and Fields. And while neither of those 2 really improved their shots, I have heard that Rose is a very hard worker, and hopefully he will improve.
He started out the season looking like an improved player. He was taking it to the hoop and getting fouls. I don't have a problem with him as a volume 3PT shooter, but he has to keep working at the other parts of his game.
55 FTA over the first 12 games. 17 FTA over the last 10 games.
typhaon, another disappointment with marcus and also with Mo barrow is they do not take care of the ball and have turned into turnover machines. You usually want a player to have a positive assist to turnover ratio ( 2:1 or 1.5:1 etc.) or at least a 1:1 assists to turnovers. Marcus ratio so far this season is .57:1 (36 assists/63 TO's) and MO .77:1 (27 assists/35 TO's). KJ rose who handles the ball as the point gurard has a 1.05:1 assist to TO ratio and has been improving over his last few games. Not so with Marcus and MO. Both do not have good ratios and improvemnet should be expected from them. I guess if your sid you live with their carelesness for this year because your team is offensively challenged and both of them are your two leading scorers.
typhaon, another disappointment with marcus and also with Mo barrow is they do not take care of the ball and have turned into turnover machines. You usually want a player to have a positive assist to turnover ratio ( 2:1 or 1.5:1 etc.) or at least a 1:1 assists to turnovers. Marcus ratio so far this season is .57:1 (36 assists/63 TO's) and MO .77:1 (27 assists/35 TO's). KJ rose who handles the ball as the point gurard has a 1.05:1 assist to TO ratio and has been improving over his last few games. Not so with Marcus and MO. Both do not have good ratios and improvemnet should be expected from them. I guess if your sid you live with their carelesness for this year because your team is offensively challenged and both of them are your two leading scorers.
Agree, Marcus numbers in this regard are terrible. Mo, although below par are actually somewhat reasonable given that he is a scorer and a forward and not a guard. But our guards ratio are ridiculous compared to most teams as there are usually at least a couple of backcourt players on most squads that will hit or get close to the desired 2:1 mark.
I think .500 unfortunately is a realistic expectation for next year.
If we are truly going to become a top mid major you don't do it by scheduling all lower level teams. Although the wins may feel good they don't really add to our credibility. Just my opinion
Agree on scheduling and .500 next year would be a delight after this season.
Dream on. Top mid-major status, a sustained winning tradition with regular conference championships and tournament appearances (not CIT/CBA) is never going to happen at FU without a major overhaul of business process and practice from the top down. Good luck to you all. I'm 61 and been following this program for over 40 years. It will not happen in my lifetime and maybe never.
...is never going to happen at FU without a major overhaul of business process and practice from the top down.
I agree completely. The competition has been closing in and in some cases passing our alma mater. Everyone at Fairfield from Athletics to Communications to Advancement to even Facilities Management needs to be on the same page with the same plan and goals BUT somebody at some level needs to see that it happens. Otherwise it will be business as usual.
...is never going to happen at FU without a major overhaul of business process and practice from the top down.
I agree completely. The competition has been closing in and in some cases passing our alma mater. Everyone at Fairfield from Athletics to Communications to Advancement to even Facilities Management needs to be on the same page with the same plan and goals BUT somebody at some level needs to see that it happens. Otherwise it will be business as usual.
There's too many "good" people running things at FU. We need effective people instead. Too many comfortable, entrenched, same as last year. A change is needed at the top and the new guy needs to bring in his people to do things. Von Arx should have led a major turnover ten years ago. Instead we have many stale people from father Kelleys reign who best days were during that era. I agree that incompetence in various areas handicaps others.