Well just got back to the Haute from Evansville, probably a good thing because it allowed me to collect myself. LOL! Not sure where to start, the Sycamores came out of the gates playing very well on both ends of the floor. The last 5 minutes of the first half might have lost us that game tonight. Well that and several other things that I am going to get to in a minute. I have not been very critical of the Sycamores this season, have tried to take things in stride - that all is about to go out the window.
Kelly - Granted he didn't play but I have some comments I'd like to make. We could have used him on the floor tonight, but his lack of enthusiasm on the bench and in timeouts drives me nuts. Hands are in his pocket and he's just kinda staring off into space. He being a SR. on this team needs to take on more of a leadership role and it hasn't happened.
Lathan - Have not seen the box score yet but dude that was brutal. Saw him and Lansing get into a time or two during the game, he is starting to hurt this team more than he is helping us. He couldn't hit shit at the freethrow line and he continues to be amazingly careless with the basketball. I don't know how you can play D1 ball and be that horrible of a ball handler? Amazed by that.
Carl - I like him and he rebounds the ball well most of the time, but the guy is soft. It's just the way it is, he needs to get more physical inside, that is something that just has to happen with him. They needed him to come up big in the second half and he never really got off the bus.
Odum - My man crush on him (as ISUCC pointed out to me today via text message) has been well documented at this point. I know Jake personally and I've watched him play for several years now. It's a damn shame when your freshman plays harder on both ends of the floor than anyone on the entire team. People can say what they want about Carters effort (he gives it all) but Jake Odum wants to win and he plays his ass off. Throw all the other things he does out the window, the kid just flat out comes to play each and every night. He doesn't hang his head when things go wrong, sure he maybe shakes his head at a bad call and he's a little cocky at times. But in my mind he's got every right to be. Outside of Colt Ryan - Jake Odum was yet again the best player on the floor tonight. He has tried to lead this team the best he can, but a freshman can not be your leader in any division 1 sport - it just can't happen. You can try and he does, but if your freshman is your leader you are going to have things happen like they did tonight.
JP - Glad to see him back shooting the ball. Not sure what else to say about JP. If he shoots the 3 well then you know he was in the game, other than that he's just a quiet player. Not quiet bad, not quiet good... Just quiet.
Carter - He played great D on Ryan (was in early foul trouble) in the first half. He continues to struggle to shoot the ball, has to be shooting around 22% from long range and that just wont cut it. But when you work your rear off on D you are going to give something up on the other end of the floor. Tonight was probably more of a product of that than anything else, he just seemed to be pressing on the offensive side of the ball - him and the rest of the Sycamores not named Odum.
Martin - Not at all sure why he didn't get in the game? I'd have played him 15 minutes tonight. Could have used his length inside, EU does not shoot the ball well enough (again other than Ryan) to not go big inside.
Walker - Dude struggles on the offensive side of the ball and his free throw shooting is horrible. He plays hard and he gets beat to hell inside and rarely get's calls. Didn't do much tonight though.
McWorther - He plays hard also, he really works his butt off when he is in the game. I will give him that, still very raw and has a lot to learn. Not ready to make a prediction on how he will develop, just haven't seen enough about him. And it will be more of a guess than a predication...
Kong - Between him and Lathan tonight, wow! Turned the ball over a few times, got away with a travel or 2 or 3. Did have some big rebounds inside, but that's about all I can say.
RJ - Thought he played much better tonight. Hit a few big 3s inside and heck he was in the paint fighting for rebounds and fighting for position. He couldn't get ANY calls which was BS. He got called for a charge in the 2nd half which was just HORRIBLE. He showed some emotion after a big 3 in the 2nd half and I was really happy for him to finally get a few to go down for him.
Lansing - Thought he lost the team in the second half of this ball game. Not sure why he didn't call a TO at some point in the last 5 minutes of the first half. The momentum changed and you could feel it. I told my buddies with 18 minutes to go in the 2nd half that we were NOT going to win this game and I meant it. I knew we were not going to win that game. He has got to get these kids focused on shooting free throws, in my mind them missing free throws shows a lack of concentration and a lack of discipline and I put a little of that on his back.
Well that's all I got - sorry if I was a little harsh on the some guys. I give the good when it's good and I guess if I am going to continue to breakdown the game (as I see it) then it's gotta go both ways in what was a horrible loss to a bad team. You see when you hold a team to 8 points with 8 minutes to go in the first half and are just putting it to them and you fall apart like that, something went VERY wrong. Heck Odum was outscoring the Aces for the better part of 15 minutes in the first half, then it changed.
The officiating was typical Valley officiating, not very good both ways. Wouldn't say that they cost us the game. On a side note that Odum 3 at the end almost went down, I thought it was good. Some might think he should have dished off to JP on that play, but the D sucked toward JP and left Odum wide open. Thought he made the smart play, had a great look at it FTT (for the tie). Not the way I wanted to start 2011. Take it easy on me fellas, still love my Sycamores - just telling it the way I think it needed to be told.
Kelly - Granted he didn't play but I have some comments I'd like to make. We could have used him on the floor tonight, but his lack of enthusiasm on the bench and in timeouts drives me nuts. Hands are in his pocket and he's just kinda staring off into space. He being a SR. on this team needs to take on more of a leadership role and it hasn't happened.
Lathan - Have not seen the box score yet but dude that was brutal. Saw him and Lansing get into a time or two during the game, he is starting to hurt this team more than he is helping us. He couldn't hit shit at the freethrow line and he continues to be amazingly careless with the basketball. I don't know how you can play D1 ball and be that horrible of a ball handler? Amazed by that.
Carl - I like him and he rebounds the ball well most of the time, but the guy is soft. It's just the way it is, he needs to get more physical inside, that is something that just has to happen with him. They needed him to come up big in the second half and he never really got off the bus.
Odum - My man crush on him (as ISUCC pointed out to me today via text message) has been well documented at this point. I know Jake personally and I've watched him play for several years now. It's a damn shame when your freshman plays harder on both ends of the floor than anyone on the entire team. People can say what they want about Carters effort (he gives it all) but Jake Odum wants to win and he plays his ass off. Throw all the other things he does out the window, the kid just flat out comes to play each and every night. He doesn't hang his head when things go wrong, sure he maybe shakes his head at a bad call and he's a little cocky at times. But in my mind he's got every right to be. Outside of Colt Ryan - Jake Odum was yet again the best player on the floor tonight. He has tried to lead this team the best he can, but a freshman can not be your leader in any division 1 sport - it just can't happen. You can try and he does, but if your freshman is your leader you are going to have things happen like they did tonight.
JP - Glad to see him back shooting the ball. Not sure what else to say about JP. If he shoots the 3 well then you know he was in the game, other than that he's just a quiet player. Not quiet bad, not quiet good... Just quiet.
Carter - He played great D on Ryan (was in early foul trouble) in the first half. He continues to struggle to shoot the ball, has to be shooting around 22% from long range and that just wont cut it. But when you work your rear off on D you are going to give something up on the other end of the floor. Tonight was probably more of a product of that than anything else, he just seemed to be pressing on the offensive side of the ball - him and the rest of the Sycamores not named Odum.
Martin - Not at all sure why he didn't get in the game? I'd have played him 15 minutes tonight. Could have used his length inside, EU does not shoot the ball well enough (again other than Ryan) to not go big inside.
Walker - Dude struggles on the offensive side of the ball and his free throw shooting is horrible. He plays hard and he gets beat to hell inside and rarely get's calls. Didn't do much tonight though.
McWorther - He plays hard also, he really works his butt off when he is in the game. I will give him that, still very raw and has a lot to learn. Not ready to make a prediction on how he will develop, just haven't seen enough about him. And it will be more of a guess than a predication...
Kong - Between him and Lathan tonight, wow! Turned the ball over a few times, got away with a travel or 2 or 3. Did have some big rebounds inside, but that's about all I can say.
RJ - Thought he played much better tonight. Hit a few big 3s inside and heck he was in the paint fighting for rebounds and fighting for position. He couldn't get ANY calls which was BS. He got called for a charge in the 2nd half which was just HORRIBLE. He showed some emotion after a big 3 in the 2nd half and I was really happy for him to finally get a few to go down for him.
Lansing - Thought he lost the team in the second half of this ball game. Not sure why he didn't call a TO at some point in the last 5 minutes of the first half. The momentum changed and you could feel it. I told my buddies with 18 minutes to go in the 2nd half that we were NOT going to win this game and I meant it. I knew we were not going to win that game. He has got to get these kids focused on shooting free throws, in my mind them missing free throws shows a lack of concentration and a lack of discipline and I put a little of that on his back.
Well that's all I got - sorry if I was a little harsh on the some guys. I give the good when it's good and I guess if I am going to continue to breakdown the game (as I see it) then it's gotta go both ways in what was a horrible loss to a bad team. You see when you hold a team to 8 points with 8 minutes to go in the first half and are just putting it to them and you fall apart like that, something went VERY wrong. Heck Odum was outscoring the Aces for the better part of 15 minutes in the first half, then it changed.
The officiating was typical Valley officiating, not very good both ways. Wouldn't say that they cost us the game. On a side note that Odum 3 at the end almost went down, I thought it was good. Some might think he should have dished off to JP on that play, but the D sucked toward JP and left Odum wide open. Thought he made the smart play, had a great look at it FTT (for the tie). Not the way I wanted to start 2011. Take it easy on me fellas, still love my Sycamores - just telling it the way I think it needed to be told.
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