The stags won but I left feeling the Stags did not look sharp! Tonight convinced me If the stags guards do not have a good shooting night the stags will get beat. We are extremely weak inside defensively and rebounding. Casey has got to get Seck, Yetna , Smith and Bleechmore playing better.
I really felt today was the day we needed to give Alexis Yetna a long run. We are at our best when we play 4 guards, but when we are playing four guards its hard to have Louie at Center. We need on guy who can really rebound. So far, Smith has not established himself as a dominant rebounder. So when we are playing Floyd, Goodine, Leach and Fields together I really think it needs to be Yetna or Seck in the game. This team would be unstoppable if Lex could perform like he did pre injury. He still isn't leaping. Just doesn't seem like he will be their for the MAAC tourney as we all hoped. I think we need to give him an extended run like we did at Niagara to really know what he is able to give us next week. But I think Casey has already made the decision its going to be a center by committee situation. If we do that I think he needs to keep Louie at the 4 or Louie is out when we play 4 guards.
I still think Smith is our best option at the Center position. Prior to his injury he was on pace for the All-MAAC Rookie team. Once his minutes diminished his play did also. He runs the floor well, can defend other bigs and has good moves to the basket with either hand ( doesn’t always finish though). His best game was against Yale and their big Wolf who some say has NBA potential. Seck has his moments but gets pushed all over the floor and has not been a rim protector against guard penetration. For whatever reason Yetna can not jump. His knee just may never come back or he is afraid of re-injury. I’d give Peyton an extended run at MSM in preparation for the MAAC tourney.
Post by jenningsbeach on Mar 8, 2024 13:23:32 GMT -5
Three nitpicks.
1) I posted this earlier and I'm going to re-up it. Senior night should have been held before the Siena game, in front of 3,000 fans, not the 300 who witnessed it last night. Fields, Leach, Goodine, Bleechmore, Yetna and Brown deserved better.
2) If last night's game was designated as a red-out, why did Fairfield wear its black uniforms?
3) Goodine is our "secret" weapon going into Atlantic City. He absolutely needs to shoot 10 to 12 times a game, because he's going to hit at least five or six of them. He can also drive to the basket and score that way, too. Time to release the kraken.
I know Game designated as a red “ red out” in the “ know before u go” pregame notification sent to ticket holders. May have also been in other publications.
Post by 01041949bob on Mar 8, 2024 13:47:02 GMT -5
I don’t understand the schedule .. Stags looked out of sync.. not playing many games the last 3 weeks I think contributed to their rust … lousy scheduling
Was not able to get eyes on last night's game. On the one hand, winning handily despite getting outrebounded badly (40-26) is a good thing. But the triumvirate of bigs pulling down only 6 boards combined does not bode well for a strong postseason run. Bleechmore had 5 caroms himself. Depending on the opponent and their paint presence, we may need to go small with Bleechmore as the "big" for stretches; he certainly plays taller and has decent strength. We can't afford for any of the three usual bigs to be a liability on the floor.
Is everyone able to come back next year and play if they want to except Yetna and Fields ?
Yes I believe that is the case. However it is wishful thinking. There will be a significant turnover of players after 3/18/24 when the transfer portal opens similar to the turnover after the ‘22/23 season ended. This season the portal is open for 45 days.