That's how you lose a basketball game
I'm not going to give much of an in-depth recap because I'm so sick of everything Gonzaga-related I can hardly stand.
With that, here's a quick outline of things we did in Sunday's game that would've meant a loss to any team, no matter how good they were:
- Come out flatter than Qvale's feet on the dunk above. At first, we didn't seem intimidated but once the game started we were a little brushed back. Not by the crowd, but by GU's speed. Their pressure on defense rattled us a bit. From the first offensive possession, I could tell we were going to have a tough time getting confidence.
- Not rebound. GU has a size and strength advantage at just about every position but we looked exceptionally bad on the boards. No boxing out, waiting for the ball to come down to us, etc.
- Not making and taking open shots. There were shots that could've kept us in the game. We didn't make several open shots and even more were left untaken. There were several times where an open shooter would get a pass, then take a dribble so he was no longer open and then take a contested shot.
- Go down early. We did this throughout last year. We'd go down by 15+ to teams that were a lot worse than he Zags. This has a lot to do with coming out flat. The problem has to be figured out and solution needs to be applied. We cannot do this all season.
- Miss foul shots. A big reason GU built the early lead it did was because we couldn't make our free throws and they made pretty much all of theirs. Not once did someone step to the line who made me think "alright, two easy points." That needs to be fixed.
- Don't be selfish. This wasn't a huge problem but I know there were at least two instances where a Griz player should've made another pass. One was not kicking it out for three while the other was not giving it up on a fast break.
TINKS DOESNT THINK WE ARE ATHLETIC ENOUGH TO BE AGGRESIVE ON D OR O AND UNTIL WE SEE A CHANGE AND THIS TEAM IS LET LOOSE WE ARE TOAST.I KNOW ONE THING WHEN YOU PLAY A PARGO I WOULD HAVE MY BEST ATHLETE IN HIS SHORTS- GRAVES. WHAT THE HELL IS THIS KID ON THE BENCH FOR? HE IS WHAT COACH SAYS WE DONT HAVE. PUSH THE BALL UP AND GET SHOTS BEFORE DEFENSE IS SET AS MUCH AS YOU CAN THEN GO TO YOUR SETS IF IT ISNT THERE. QUIT WALKING THE BALL UP SO THEY CAN EASILY TRAP YOU.
DUH. I WATCHED THIS LAST YEAR AND THOUGHT TINKS WOULD CHANGE BUT NO. IM AFRAID WE ARE IN FOR A LOT OF FRUSTRATION. HOPE IM WRONG. GOOD LUCK KIDS.
I hope ... after that Gonzaga game ... that not only the coaching staff, but also the players realize ... Strait and Martin should only come off the floor if they are begging for rest. The team is Matt's and Andrew's, and the rest of the guys are there to help where ever they can. Strait and Martin should have the green light ... ALWAYS !!!!
If Martin will continue to try to teach Rundles how to run the point, Rundles will be OK next year. For now, Martin is the only one capable, with the experience and basketball IQ, to run the team.
Hasquet should stay closer to and make strong moves to the basket, THEN rebound. Jordan, for crying out loud, leave the three point shots to Martin, Rundles and Staudacher. THAT SHOULD BE AN ORDER !!!!!
Qvale, GREAT job for a true freshman rookie. You are going to be good.
I'm sorry you "can hardly stand". Are you sure this is solely related to Gonzaga??
Of course not.
Sober up ... maybe you can stand, and hopefully even think.
After the major screwing up of last years team, I was hoping someone in authority would make some decisions that would make even a little sense. It's probably a lot to ask for, but worth hoping for.
Classy guys.
This game was against Gonzaga. Unless Martin, Cam and Stads made every three they were taking, we weren't going to win this game. The season is young, don't panic after one loss to a top 15 team.
- Colin
Interesting last comment given the negativity shown in your original post.
Agreed, but I'm not freaking out. We just couldn't have lost that game any worse. We did all these things in the CSU game, just not against GU. Things like FT shooting HAVE to improve no matter who you're playing against but I expect better rebounding and shooting to get better when the guys in front of us don't have a huge size advantage.
- Colin