Random thoughts/stats/discussion after 4 games

#1

bleedingTNorange

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jan 9, 2012
Messages
72,722
Likes
43,085
#1
-The Vols sit at 3-1 after 4 games, probably about what most expected, some may have thought 4-0, doubt anyone thought 2-2. Next up is Army, they gave George Washington (Thursday's opponent) all they wanted for 35 minutes, but GW pulled away late. This Army team is the best of the non P5 schools we've played, Tennessee should win, but they have to come to play or they'll find themselves in a hole they may not be able to get out of as they did against Marshall.

- Tennessee will head to te Barclay's Center for the thanksgiving tournament up there, we play GW Thursday, and then either Cincinnati or Nebraska on Friday. Obviously 2-0 would be the ideal outcome, but 1-1 would seemingly be a must if this team is gonna reach the ~18 win mark that many were hoping for.

- KP looks like a different player, we will see if he can stay consistent, but the shot change has already made him a much more consistent shooter. I don't know that with his size he'll get many looks, but right now he's averaging 21ppg shooting 57%fg and 50%3pt and that's got to be catching the attention of some.

- If there's any player who I hope good luck for more than any it's Robert Hubbs, he seems to finally be coming into his own and you are starting to see some confidence and fire in him, love it. He's averaging 17ppg shooting 52% from the field, you'd like to see him find a little better stroke from 3, if he does then watch out. He's also improved his handling and basketball IQ a ton, currently holding a 4:1 assist to turnover ratio makes it an easy choice to give him all the minutes he can handle.

- if only Armani Moore could grow 2-3 inches, I would have zero doubt he'd be playing in the NBA in a couple years, unfortunately for him a growth spurt is not likely at this stage. To his credit though that doesn't stop him from crashing the boards, he's also improved his range and is now respectable from 3, averaging 16&10 is very impressive, if he can keep that up who knows where he ends up, but he'll be playing somewhere.

- I'm aware that every game doesn't allow it, but I would love to see more of the 5 guard lineup we saw yesterday with Moore at the 5. Let's be honest, Moore is a better rebounder and defender than Reese 99% of the time, so I'm not sure you're really losing much. With that lineup I would look to press some, continue that trapping zone we saw some of, and really look to push tempo. Playing that lineup basically eliminates Alexander or Kasongo from having to play which right now they're just used for spot minutes anyways, it gets Mostella a few more minutes a game as well, which I think he's deserving of simply because of the commitment he's shown and you're gonna need him next year, it also gets Phillips on the court some which I think he is further along than either Kasongo or Alexander. I would like to see:

PG: Punter 32/ Phillips 8
SG: Baulkman 10/ Mostella 25/ Phillips 5
SF: Hubbs 20/ Baulkman 20
PF: Moore 25/ Hubbs 15
C: Reese 20/ McGhee 15/ Moore 5

- I'm hoping th GW game was just a hiccup as far as ft, we shot exceptionally well against Marshall, if this team is gonna exceed expectations and by playing lots of guards, we should shoot 75%+ from the line as a team.

- I'm hoping for Jabari's sake he can figure out this fouling thing, the aggravating part is most of them seem to be dumb fouls, slapping at a guy after he grabs a defensive rebound, just sprint back and play D. It's obvious he's ahead of Alexander and Kasongo, his body has definitely benefited from a redshirt year, and he's definitely shown flashes. If he can eliminate the dumb fouls his minutes will go up and you will see little of Alexander and Kasongo, Jabari has shown flashes offensively and defensively that make you excited to think he's got another 3 years of eligibility after this season.



GBO
 
  • Like
Reactions: 3 people
#2
#2
I am very pleased with what we have going on right now with the BBAll team. I think RB is going to have us very good very quickly. We have gutted out some wins. I think making the Tourney is not out of the question this year. However, I just want to focus on bringing in top tier talent.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 2 people
#4
#4
I guess it's hard to accept games like we've seen, but I suppose it's about par for the course. Thanks for the post bleeding. Looking forward to seeing the Vols improve over the season. I think Moore has a good shot at getting a pro look. He works intensely hard on the little things. Boards, blocks, and defense. Finding a niche in the league will take word but I won't count him out.
 
#5
#5
I honestly agree with your ENTIRE POST except for the adjectives...but it is to be expected! LOL! #GBO
 
#6
#6
That's about where I'm at. I think we can put out a pretty good team if we figure the whole defense thing out
 
#8
#8
Great post. I would like for Reese to have zero offensive touches unless it is a wide open dunk or lay up.
 
#11
#11
Great post. I would like for Reese to have zero offensive touches unless it is a wide open dunk or lay up.
well you should be happy then, he's barely shot the ball at all this season. Even being a 31.1% career 3 pt shooter.
 
#12
#12
I don't see any problem with calling McGhee's fouls dumb because they are dumb at times. I bet even Barnes would agree. That's not to say he's a dumb player. He's just committing dumb fouls that get him in foul trouble. We need him on the court and his foul trouble is hurting him. A lot of players commit dumb fouls. He's a high energy guy and it just takes time and experience how to channel that energy and not commit them. He's still a young pup learning. He'll get there.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 2 people
#13
#13
I don't see any problem with calling McGhee's fouls dumb because they are dumb at times. I bet even Barnes would agree. That's not to say he's a dumb player. He's just committing dumb fouls that get him in foul trouble. We need him on the court and his foul trouble is hurting him. A lot of players commit dumb fouls. He's a high energy guy and it just takes time and experience how to channel that energy and not commit them.

I think McGee is a guy you don't need to try to "change"

If you slow down his aggressive style you lose what he does best. He's a banger, hustler, garbage man, and ect...

Trying the reign that in would be a mistake
 
#14
#14
I think McGee is a guy you don't need to try to "change"

If you slow down his aggressive style you lose what he does best. He's a banger, hustler, garbage man, and ect...

Trying the reign that in would be a mistake

I'm not asking to reign him in, just for him to learn what's an ok foul and what's not, I guarantee when he watched the tape of the GW game he knew immediately that foul was a mistake on his part. I don't have a major issue with him going over the back for an offensive rebound, that's an effort foul. However, when we shoot the ball, all 4 of our guys are heading back on defense, and he swipes at the guy as he runs by, that's just a dumb foul that is uneccessary.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 person
#15
#15
I think McGee is a guy you don't need to try to "change"

If you slow down his aggressive style you lose what he does best. He's a banger, hustler, garbage man, and ect...

Trying the reign that in would be a mistake

I'm not saying reign in his aggressiveness. I'm saying he has to know what is a good foul and what is a bad foul. That comes with experience usually. If he continues to play careless then he'll find himself on the bench more when we need him on the floor.
 
#16
#16
I'm not saying reign in his aggressiveness. I'm saying he has to know what is a good foul and what is a bad foul. That comes with experience usually. If he continues to play careless then he'll find himself on the bench more when we need him on the floor.

Let him get his 5 fouls in by playing balls to the wall. That's what garbage guys do. We need that rodman type guy

Speaking of rodman why can't moore be that kind of guy in pro ball?

How tall was rodman?
 
#19
#19
Let him get his 5 fouls in by playing balls to the wall. That's what garbage guys do. We need that rodman type guy

Speaking of rodman why can't moore be that kind of guy in pro ball?

How tall was rodman?

He has the potential to be so much more than just a guy with 5 fouls to give though.

He has shown a real knack for cleaning up misses around the rim offensively, and to be honest, that isn't a skill we have in spades as a team right now. At this time, he offers an attribute that hardly anyone else does offensively, and it is wasted on the bench because of foul trouble.

BTO is right. Harness that energy and aggressiveness, and stay going balls to the wall, but play smart, eliminate the silly fouls, and he instantly becomes a 10 and 8 guy if he can stay on the floor.

He has committed 13 fouls in 57 minutes of action. Over the past 2 games, he has played 20 minutes combine, and committed 6 fouls, several needless ones. In that same 20 minutes, he has contributed 4 pts and 6 rebs. We need more of the latter, and less of the former.

Differentiating between good fouls and bad ones comes with experience, which he has little of right now. Hopefully, he grows each game and learns from the mistakes.
 
#20
#20
Let him get his 5 fouls in by playing balls to the wall. That's what garbage guys do. We need that rodman type guy

Speaking of rodman why can't moore be that kind of guy in pro ball?

How tall was rodman?

I agree with your point but Rodman was a very intelligent ball player. He knew how to outrebound bigger guys by technique as much as hustle. He could rebound and not foul and that is the part JM needs to learn.
 
#21
#21
I have kept up with Vols basketball since the 70s. You can really tell the difference with adjustments that Barnes makes that our last two coaches could not do. Barnes is a quality hire who knows what he is doing.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 2 people
#22
#22
I agree with your point but Rodman was a very intelligent ball player. He knew how to outrebound bigger guys by technique as much as hustle. He could rebound and not foul and that is the part JM needs to learn.

Rodman to my memory was good for 3-4 dumb BTO fouls a game
 
  • Like
Reactions: 2 people
#23
#23
Rodman to my memory was good for 3-4 dumb BTO fouls a game

Later in his career yeah. But even a lot of those he was trying to set up getting a technical or just getting in someone's head. To me the real Rodman was the one that played in Detroit, that was the ball player Rodman and he was a very smart player.
 
#25
#25
Sometimes if Rodman couldn't grab a rebound because he was bit out of position he'd tip it to an open space on the floor and then go get it.

Rodman was a savvy player who understood quite well what was happening out on the court.

He adored his Detroit coach Chuck Daly.
 

VN Store



Back
Top