Goodin or KyKy?

[X Factor]

After 3 BE games

Goodin has played 90 minutes. He is shooting 28% from the field, 0% from three (0-9), averaging 5.7 points.

KyKy has played 54 minutes. He is shooting 43% from the field, 46% from three (6-13), averaging 6.0 points.

What is Goodin bringing to the floor as a four year starter? Defense? He has the worst defensive rating of any starter. Offense? Clearly not.

This team needs offense. Why not give KyKy extended minutes to see what he can do? I guarantee if he played 30 minutes a game, he would probably average 10+ points per game.

[GoMuskies]

We still need a PG, and Goodin had 7 assists to Tandy's 0 tonight. Goodin is a rotten shooter, a shaky defender, and he turns the ball over too much. But he's still by far the best ball handler. I didn't mind when we went small late and had Tandy + the Core Four out there. Probably the best chance of having someone on the floor with Tandy who can get him the ball in a position to score.

[IM4X]

Q is certainly not playing as hard as he could at times or near his potential. But he is good when he plays to his ceiling.

I like the idea of starting Kyky and seeing if that lights a fire under Q’s butt to come out and be more tenacious.

I remember a point when JP was not playing well as a starter: he was standing around and throwing lazy passes. Mack then decided to sit him
and have him come off the bench. That seems to light a fire under him. All of the sudden he was playing hard again like the JP we all mostly remember - the one who was on the floor grabbing lose balls, the guy stepping up to hit key 3s, the guy coming out of nowhere to tip a ball back into the hoop...the JP who we saw during the final stretch of games his senior year.

Q does not look hungry. These players all don’t look hungry for much of the game. They all need to play like they won’t get fed if they lose.

[beatuc]

And Q constantly didn't fight through screens last night and was torched by anyone he was guarding. It was extremely soft defense!! X didn't lose because Powell was hot at times, X lost because secondary players were scoring at will and a lot of that was on Q. Now were other people to blame yes, but they at least scored a little and didn't have dumb turnovers.

Assists are great but I bet he gave up more than he dished out and right now I'm not sure what he is bringing to the table.

[drudy23]

Play them at the same time and direct Q to make the game easier for the guys that can put the ball in the hole. This team needs Tandy to score. The baby steps with Tandy need to end.

[AviatorX]

Q is certainly not playing as hard as he could at times or near his potential. But he is good when he plays to his ceiling.

I like the idea of starting Kyky and seeing if that lights a fire under Q’s butt to come out and be more tenacious.

I remember a point when JP was not playing well as a starter: he was standing around and throwing lazy passes. Mack then decided to sit him
and have him come off the bench. That seems to light a fire under him. All of the sudden he was playing hard again like the JP we all mostly remember - the one who was on the floor grabbing lose balls, the guy stepping up to hit key 3s, the guy coming out of nowhere to tip a ball back into the hoop...the JP who we saw during the final stretch of games his senior year.

Q does not look hungry. These players all don’t look hungry for much of the game. They all need to play like they won’t get fed if they lose.

This is a nice story about JP Macura, but at least according to KenPom, he started 38 games his junior year and 34 his senior year, so looks like it may not have happened.

[GoMuskies]

Jordan Crawford got benched for the UC game. Use that one!

[Mrs. Garrett]

After watching last night's game there are a lot of guys who could use a good benching to light a fire under their respective asses. Constantly out hustled on both ends of the floor. My impression is that this team doesn't want it all that bad.

[scoscox]

These players all don’t look hungry for much of the game. They all need to play like they won’t get fed if they lose.

This is maybe my biggest problem with Q. the team is lead and takes on the personality of it's point guard. point guard sets the tone. no one is more lackadaisical than q on the roster. that's not good. he can't score at any level with anything even approaching consistency and plays aloof on both sides of the ball. in our 2 big east losses, he's been absolutely torched by gillespie and mcknight. if he's not defending, which is 100% effort, and something, with his frame, he should be very good at, than he's not worth having on the floor at all.

[xuwillie]

I'd go with more Kyky and Zach. Will always give respect, but have seen enough of the core 4 the past two years to know what we are going to get. This is a big decision for Steele, continue mediocrity or try something different and piss off the upperclassmen

[GoMuskies]

I'm not sure I see the lack of effort angle. Sure, effort waxes and wanes a bit (as it does with most teams), but I thought we played really hard in the second half yesterday. I just don't think this team is that good. I mean, they're good enough to beat anyone on the schedule on a given night, but their margin is razor thin, and there's not a single gimme left on the schedule.

[scoscox]

I'm not sure I see the lack of effort angle. Sure, effort waxes and wanes a bit (as it does with most teams), but I thought we played really hard in the second half yesterday. I just don't think this team is that good. I mean, they're good enough to beat anyone on the schedule on a given night, but their margin is razor thin, and there's not a single gimme left on the schedule.

if you're talking about the team on the whole then i agree. if you're talking about Q i don't. his effort, especially on defense, was atrocious

[Mrs. Garrett]

I'm not sure I see the lack of effort angle. Sure, effort waxes and wanes a bit (as it does with most teams), but I thought we played really hard in the second half yesterday. I just don't think this team is that good. I mean, they're good enough to beat anyone on the schedule on a given night, but their margin is razor thin, and there's not a single gimme left on the schedule.

I've seen this team play hard several times after digging themselves a hole. I've also seen them take their foot off the gas once they've built up a decent lead. This team just lacks something and it's not fun to watch.

[drudy23]

For the most part, they play hard. There were numerous instances last night where certain players gave up on plays. And then threw their hands up and yelled at someone else. More to do with a consistent mental make-up than talent.

[Xville]

If it were me, I'd go paul at the 1, and kyky at the 2 and q can play about 15 minutes a game. I know paul isnt the best ballhandler ever, but he is a scorer and I think he gets lost in the offense playing off the ball like he does when q is out there.

Frankly I think this construction makes the team ten times better, but I understand there are serious implications in the locker room to q being sent to the bench, but maybe it is worth it.

[xukeith]

KYKY is nowhere ready. He does not know how to play Division 1 assist first basketball yet. As poorly as Q is, he does spread the ball with assists and his defense is obviously better. Tandy will be in great shape come mid February.

[JTG]

KYKY is nowhere ready. He does not know how to play Division 1 assist first basketball yet. As poorly as Q is, he does spread the ball with assists and his defense is obviously better. Tandy will be in great shape come mid February.

Umm, Ville said Paul at the 1, not KyKy. Tandy needs to shoot more 3s, because he appears to be the only one that can hit them, thereby opening up the floor for Naji and Paul to drive, or passes into the post. KyKy is like the 1st round NFL quarterback whom you play, and take some lumps, because he is talented and playing is the only way to get better.

[xuwillie]

Paul is shooting at 37% and kyky 33%. This team has to run thru Paul, I'm surprised Steele doesn't see that

[AviatorX]

If it were me, I'd go paul at the 1, and kyky at the 2 and q can play about 15 minutes a game. I know paul isnt the best ballhandler ever, but he is a scorer and I think he gets lost in the offense playing off the ball like he does when q is out there.

Frankly I think this construction makes the team ten times better, but I understand there are serious implications in the locker room to q being sent to the bench, but maybe it is worth it.

I understand the point you're making, but regardless of what anyone thinks of Travis, if he thought this would make this team substantially better, I have no doubt he'd pull the trigger.

[drudy23]

The team definitely needs to run through Paul but that doesn't mean Paul has to be the point guard. To put another way, this should be Paul's team (and it feels like Naji's). I have no issue with Q running the point if he plays for the benefit of others and takes care of the damn ball. KyKy absolutely needs to be on the floor for this team, otherwise there is a very limited 3 point threat. It's like playing 4 on 5 when Carter is in the game because they're going to let him shoot.

I think this team drastically limits Paul's full potential.

[drudy23]

I understand the point you're making, but regardless of what anyone thinks of Travis, if he thought this would make this team substantially better, I have no doubt he'd pull the trigger.

Would he?

Apparently he doesn't think much will make them better because he really hasn't pulled the trigger on anything.

[X Factor]

Paul is shooting at 37% and kyky 33%. This team has to run thru Paul, I'm surprised Steele doesn't see that

KyKy is shooting 11-30 from three for .367%.

What's the difference of playing him this year vs next year? Travis is going to have to let him play through mistakes next as well. Might as well let him play this year because it will only help him next year when we become a very young team.

Goodin can make the same mistake constantly, and obviously it doesn't really bother Steele.

[bleedXblue]

After watching last night's game there are a lot of guys who could use a good benching to light a fire under their respective asses. Constantly out hustled on both ends of the floor. My impression is that this team doesn't want it all that bad.

according to many (and I wont name them) we play hard as a team and dont quit.

Therefore, effort is not an issue.....

[sirthought]

Goodin stinks! Bring him off the bench to give the other guards a breather.

Sad to say he hasn't developed sufficiently in four years. We have other guys that help our chances better at this point in time.

[bleedXblue]

I don't understand the infatuation with Q. He has an occasional good game.

You watch, he's been shitty the last two games and he will have a good game on Saturday. We need a leader who brings it every game.

Also, who is the on court leader of this team? Another glaring hole we've had for almost 2 years now. We need an ALPHA dog. Too many nice guys.

[AviatorX]

Would he?

Apparently he doesn't think much will make them better because he really hasn't pulled the trigger on anything.

We can certainly disagree on this (and I understand why you might), but I'm confident Steele knows he needs to win games above all else, so I think he would certainly make a move that he thinks would move the needle. You might disagree with his assessment of what moves would help, but I promise you he's thinking from that perspective.

It's pretty obvious Steele thinks this team runs better with Goodin on the floor. It's somewhat of a parallel to his decision to not micromanage possessions and Naji despite all the heartburn. Steele knows if this team isn't in the tournament with a good chance to win a game people are going to be pissed and he'll feel a little heat. Steele thinks the version of this team that accomplishes that has Q at the 1 and Naji being Naji. That's his bet to make.

[IM4X]

This is a nice story about JP Macura, but at least according to KenPom, he started 38 games his junior year and 34 his senior year, so looks like it may not have happened.

Hey, Good stuff. You like the story and then doubting it happened because KenPom saying he started a lot of games his junior and senior year. First, I didnÂ’t mention which year it happened. Second, have a little more faith in your fellow X fans.

IÂ’lll have to do a little more digging (with my apparently overly imaginative mind) and see when it actually happened.

[IM4X]

The team definitely needs to run through Paul but that doesn't mean Paul has to be the point guard. To put another way, this should be Paul's team (and it feels like Naji's). I have no issue with Q running the point if he plays for the benefit of others and takes care of the damn ball. KyKy absolutely needs to be on the floor for this team, otherwise there is a very limited 3 point threat. It's like playing 4 on 5 when Carter is in the game because they're going to let him shoot.

I think this team drastically limits Paul's full potential.


I completely agree with this entire line of thinking. I even think Naji would end up being more efficient and still get his points if this happened.

And I will add that both Scruggs and Kyky need to get at least 5 good looks from 3 a game. Scruggs got good looks from his spot and he sunk rhem
both. No one is going to convince me it makes sense for anyone else to take a 3 instead of those two. Naji can take a few. It is just dumb that Carter, Q, or even Naji shoots more 3s than those two ever in a game!!!!

[IM4X]

This is maybe my biggest problem with Q. the team is lead and takes on the personality of it's point guard. point guard sets the tone. no one is more lackadaisical than q on the roster. that's not good. he can't score at any level with anything even approaching consistency and plays aloof on both sides of the ball. in our 2 big east losses, he's been absolutely torched by gillespie and mcknight. if he's not defending, which is 100% effort, and something, with his frame, he should be very good at, than he's not worth having on the floor at all.

Yes. He is probably and amazing kid, but Q often plays like he is in a leisure pick up game, only playing hard in spurts. He needs to be playing like every possession of every game counts, but as you and many of the rest of us are noticing, his speed and tone suggests that it doesn’t. He supposed to be the quarterback, but often Naji looks much more like he wants to be quarterback.

[Lloyd Braun]

I don't understand the infatuation with Q. He has an occasional good game.

You watch, he's been shitty the last two games and he will have a good game on Saturday. We need a leader who brings it every game.

Also, who is the on court leader of this team? Another glaring hole we've had for almost 2 years now. We need an ALPHA dog. Too many nice guys.

Who’s infatuated with Q? He gets more flack on here than anyone and it’s not close....

Agree he is so inconsistent and will likely light it up Saturday.

[AviatorX]

Hey, Good stuff. You like the story and then doubting it happened because KenPom saying he started a lot of games his junior and senior year. First, I didnÂ’t mention which year it happened. Second, have a little more faith in your fellow X fans.

IÂ’lll have to do a little more digging (with my apparently overly imaginative mind) and see when it actually happened.

The point is, this stuff isn't one size fits all and Travis has his finger on the pulse of the team dynamic, so in my view we really have to defer to him on this stuff. Because the reality is Q is going to play a lot. KyKy (not Q) finished the Villanova game and last night X tried the smaller look down the stretch, so Steele is more flexible with this stuff than people care to admit.

[xukeith]

One of the biggest alpha dogs in X history was one David West. He led X to a 15-1 A10 record BUT he failed in Matta's second year as his leadership ended in a second game in NCAA loss to Maryland. David got his points but the rest of the team couldn't contribute. West's fault? Matta's fault? Bad luck? Or perhaps it is due to Maryland had a year of veterans from a national championship the year prior.
There is no one answer to X problems. It is extremely difficult in NCAA basketball. Louisville after being #1 in the country lost 3 straight games.
UNC has more talent than many X teams. UNC is horrible this year.
Every year, players on the X roster get blamed for coaches decisions. And coaches get blamed for player decisions. It is an enigma.

Just win and everyone is happy.

[Xville]

Not that it has anything to do with this thread but thought it was kind of funny and mostly true. Heard some guys talking on the radio yesterday and they said that In order to win a final four or national title, you need that guy on your team who is either going to the nba, or going to jail. In other words, a heck of a lot of talent, but maybe just a little freaking crazy and an alpha dog.

[scoscox]

One of the biggest alpha dogs in X history was one David West. He led X to a 15-1 A10 record BUT he failed in Matta's second year as his leadership ended in a second game in NCAA loss to Maryland. David got his points but the rest of the team couldn't contribute. West's fault? Matta's fault? Bad luck? Or perhaps it is due to Maryland had a year of veterans from a national championship the year prior.
There is no one answer to X problems. It is extremely difficult in NCAA basketball. Louisville after being #1 in the country lost 3 straight games.
UNC has more talent than many X teams. UNC is horrible this year.
Every year, players on the X roster get blamed for coaches decisions. And coaches get blamed for player decisions. It is an enigma.

Just win and everyone is happy.

david was a victim of his own success. our offense was completely centered around him and lionel deferred and never really developed. only the next year, when the team was up against the wall at 10-9, did lionel fully take charge and the rest is history

[drudy23]

One of the biggest alpha dogs in X history was one David West. He led X to a 15-1 A10 record BUT he failed in Matta's second year as his leadership ended in a second game in NCAA loss to Maryland. David got his points but the rest of the team couldn't contribute. West's fault? Matta's fault? Bad luck? Or perhaps it is due to Maryland had a year of veterans from a national championship the year prior.
There is no one answer to X problems. It is extremely difficult in NCAA basketball. Louisville after being #1 in the country lost 3 straight games.
UNC has more talent than many X teams. UNC is horrible this year.
Every year, players on the X roster get blamed for coaches decisions. And coaches get blamed for player decisions. It is an enigma.

Just win and everyone is happy.

Anything can happen in one game. Any team can lose in an NCAA tournament game regardless of how great they are.

But there's a reason there was a level of consistency and excellence with both West and Matta. This current team is very consistent, just in bad ways. This is going on two full seasons of the same mistakes and concerns. Same maddening stuff, over and over and over again. It should be better.

Paul is the obvious choice for alpha dog. Naji won't allow it, and Steele won't enable it.

[IM4X]

Travis has his finger on the pulse of the team dynamic, so in my view we really have to defer to him on this stuff. Because the reality is Q is going to play a lot. KyKy (not Q) finished the Villanova game and last night X tried the smaller look down the stretch, so Steele is more flexible with this stuff than people care to admit.

Does he really have his finger on the pulse of the team dynamic? I’m not so sure (at least not quite yet). The team chemistry is not near where it should be with these veterans. While I have been impressed with (and even appreciative of) Steele’s honest assessment of the teams play and the things that need to be fixed, I think it is fair to say that many of the same players are still doing many of the same stupid things they’ve been doing for over a year now and it really seems to stem a bit from a lack of discipline a lack of leadership, and an issue with some players either not sticking to their roles or simply not having roles.

Steele recently was talking about finally having a better handle on some good lineups and yet their we saw some really bad ones out their for long stretches against SH. I am not suggestion Q should not play. I am suggesting that he and Naji and Scruggs do not look like they are in sync or have great chemistry much of the time they are out on the court together. there are lots of bad habits when the three of them play together.

I Also still don’t get the whole, “If you have a good look from 3 take it” mentality when some players taking those shots could easily hit 4 in a row while others are lucky if they could hit 1 of 3. It is very possible that if Scruggs (and Tandy) got more looks in the SH game and if some of those bad lineups we saw were not left out there too long, there might have been a very different outcome.

As far as Steele being flexible... he gets credit for being a bit flexible in the previous game. I posted how I loved Steele’s move of putting James and Tandy out there In the SJ’s game, asking them to be contributor for 20+ minutes. But then Steele seemed to have abandoned that approach for the SH game in favor of the old veteran lineup, prone to turnovers and known for forcing bad shots (Naji and Q) when a better options (Scruggs and Tandy wide open) are ignored.

[bleedXblue]

Does he really have his finger on the pulse of the team dynamic? I’m not so sure (at least not quite yet). The team chemistry is not near where it should be with these veterans. While I have been impressed with (and even appreciative of) Steele’s honest assessment of the teams play and the things that need to be fixed, I think it is fair to say that many of the same players are still doing many of the same stupid things they’ve been doing for over a year now and it really seems to stem a bit from a lack of discipline a lack of leadership, and an issue with some players either not sticking to their roles or simply not having roles.

Steele recently was talking about finally having a better handle on some good lineups and yet their we saw some really bad ones out their for long stretches against SH. I am not suggestion Q should not play. I am suggesting that he and Naji and Scruggs do not look like they are in sync or have great chemistry much of the time they are out on the court together. there are lots of bad habits when the three of them play together.

I Also still don’t get the whole, “If you have a good look from 3 take it” mentality when some players taking those shots could easily hit 4 in a row while others are lucky if they could hit 1 of 3. It is very possible that if Scruggs (and Tandy) got more looks in the SH game and if some of those bad lineups we saw were not left out there too long, there might have been a very different outcome.

As far as Steele being flexible... he gets credit for being a bit flexible in the previous game. I posted how I loved Steele’s move of putting James and Tandy out there In the SJ’s game, asking them to be contributor for 20+ minutes. But then Steele seemed to have abandoned that approach for the SH game in favor of the old veteran lineup, prone to turnovers and known for forcing bad shots (Naji and Q) when a better options (Scruggs and Tandy wide open) are ignored.

A lot of good points.......

I'm just hoping Steele is smart enough to realize that this whole thing isn't changing much without making some bold moves and making a change to the rotation. Sadly the only thing that makes sense is more Tandy and less Goodin at this point. I guess that's a silver lining of sorts in that we have some pretty solid players already.

It sounds easy, but this team has such a small margin for error b/c we don't shoot it well. We MUST value the ball more, player better D and REBOUND. Without doing those things little is going to change........

I would love to see this team unite and embrace "balls to the wall defense". Its gotta be their mantra. On the offensive end simply just take care of the ball better and get back on D after misses.

[N67ER]

Anything can happen in one game. Any team can lose in an NCAA tournament game regardless of how great they are.

But there's a reason there was a level of consistency and excellence with both West and Matta. This current team is very consistent, just in bad ways. This is going on two full seasons of the same mistakes and concerns. Same maddening stuff, over and over and over again. It should be better.

Paul is the obvious choice for alpha dog. Naji won't allow it, and Steele won't enable it.

I’m not so sure that Paul can be the alpha dog. He certainly has the physical talent, but I’m not convinced he has the requisite personality. It takes both. West had both in spades, as did Tu, Tyrone, and others. Paul disappears in far too many games - an alpha dog simply doesn’t do that.

[bleedXblue]

I’m not so sure that Paul can be the alpha dog. He certainly has the physical talent, but I’m not convinced he has the requisite personality. It takes both. West had both in spades, as did Tu, Tyrone, and others. Paul disappears in far too many games - an alpha dog simply doesn’t do that.

Exactly The last two games he was non existent in the 1st half.

[AviatorX]

Does he really have his finger on the pulse of the team dynamic? I’m not so sure (at least not quite yet). The team chemistry is not near where it should be with these veterans. While I have been impressed with (and even appreciative of) Steele’s honest assessment of the teams play and the things that need to be fixed, I think it is fair to say that many of the same players are still doing many of the same stupid things they’ve been doing for over a year now and it really seems to stem a bit from a lack of discipline a lack of leadership, and an issue with some players either not sticking to their roles or simply not having roles.

Steele recently was talking about finally having a better handle on some good lineups and yet their we saw some really bad ones out their for long stretches against SH. I am not suggestion Q should not play. I am suggesting that he and Naji and Scruggs do not look like they are in sync or have great chemistry much of the time they are out on the court together. there are lots of bad habits when the three of them play together.

I Also still don’t get the whole, “If you have a good look from 3 take it” mentality when some players taking those shots could easily hit 4 in a row while others are lucky if they could hit 1 of 3. It is very possible that if Scruggs (and Tandy) got more looks in the SH game and if some of those bad lineups we saw were not left out there too long, there might have been a very different outcome.

As far as Steele being flexible... he gets credit for being a bit flexible in the previous game. I posted how I loved Steele’s move of putting James and Tandy out there In the SJ’s game, asking them to be contributor for 20+ minutes. But then Steele seemed to have abandoned that approach for the SH game in favor of the old veteran lineup, prone to turnovers and known for forcing bad shots (Naji and Q) when a better options (Scruggs and Tandy wide open) are ignored.

Certainly some good points here and nothing I flatly disagree with. I guess I view the disjointedness and lack of chemistry (although I'm hesitant to use this term, because I think what we're really talking about is how this team plays together on the offensive end, not team bond, etc.) as a result of a roster that just doesn't really work. There's a lot of very talented square pegs trying to fit into round holes. Naji, Scruggs and Q's game do not complement each other. They work really well on a team where Jared Ridder and Elias Harden are high major role players that can provide some shooting punch (not to mention Kaiser Gates could have been on last year's roster) and someone who is an actual BE level recruit is brought in instead of Keonte Kennedy. That's how it goes when you whiff on recruiting classes - you pay the price down the road.

If Steele's teams look like this in two years when you (hopefully) have KyKy, Odom, Freemantle etc. surrounded by CJ Wilcher, Colby Jones, etc., I will be extremely concerned.

As far as the alpha dog stuff that's being discussed in this thread, that's not something a coach enables. Naji is willing to take that role and Paul isn't. Seems simple to me. What is Steele going to do, sit them down and tell Naji that Paul is the team's emotional leader now? There's countless posts on here about why Naji gets such a long rope, but it's not like that's a Naji-only thing. Scruggs gets the same treatment and hasn't gone out and taken that top dog role some want to see from him. There's a reason for that. I say all this while acknowledging that Paul Scruggs is truly one of my favorite Xavier players of all time. I love his game and when X was recruiting him, it almost felt like he was built in a lab to play guard at Xavier with his toughness and ability to play hard every second.

[drudy23]

Paul will never realize his full potential in the current arrangement. I'd love to see what this team could do with him as the head of the arrow.

[AviatorX]

Paul will never realize his full potential in the current arrangement. I'd love to see what this team could do with him as the head of the arrow.

Absolutely agree with this. Just speculating, but that's the reason a small part of me thinks Scruggs may be at X next year. I think everyone would be excited if it was basically "Paul, here are the keys."

[bleedXblue]

Absolutely agree with this. Just speculating, but that's the reason a small part of me thinks Scruggs may be at X next year. I think everyone would be excited if it was basically "Paul, here are the keys."

Wait, aren't the keys next year are going to Dwon Odom? Hes gonna play and start from Day 1 IMHO.

[AviatorX]

Wait, aren't the keys next year are going to Dwon Odom? Hes gonna play and start from Day 1 IMHO.

If Paul Scruggs is on the roster next year as a senior, I'm rolling with him. Obviously Odom will play a lot regardless. I've never seen him play, but hard to imagine you'd rather have the ball in his hands than Scruggs.

If Scruggs were to come back, I imagine he's going to play the 1.

[bleedXblue]

If Paul Scruggs is on the roster next year as a senior, I'm rolling with him. Obviously Odom will play a lot regardless. I've never seen him play, but hard to imagine you'd rather have the ball in his hands than Scruggs.

If Scruggs were to come back, I imagine he's going to play the 1.

But Scruggs isn't really a PG is he? I know he can play that position....but ODOM is a TRUE PG.

I understand wanting to put him there this year.......slide KyKy over into SG more to have two shooters on the floor......

[drudy23]

Well, if Paul comes back, something will have to give. We can't have Paul, KyKy and Odom all playing the same position. And all 3 of those guys would need minutes.

[bleedXblue]

Well, if Paul comes back, something will have to give. We can't have Paul, KyKy and Odom all playing the same position. And all 3 of those guys would need minutes.

Agreed, but no reason those 3 guys cant split up 80 minutes pretty well between PG /SG. We can go small at times with all 3 on the floor.

[AviatorX]

But Scruggs isn't really a PG is he? I know he can play that position....but ODOM is a TRUE PG.

I understand wanting to put him there this year.......slide KyKy over into SG more to have two shooters on the floor......

Fair. Thinking about it more, I don't really care who brings the ball up and initiates the offense. Those guys would be pretty interchangeable, but it would definitely be Paul's team.

[BandDad]

Q definitely had his issues defensively in the SH game, but part of that was poor coaching. We were face-guarding Powell and the players were clearly told not to leave Powell no matter what. SH recognized that and started to use Powell as a screener. If the defender was unable to get the screen, that meant SH had a player completely open and we essentially had two people on Powell at that point. (BTW Naji did a great job on Powell - he hit some incredibly difficult shots).

As to the Alpha Dog question, that is tough to determine because that is more of a team dynamic than a coaches decision. It is clear that Paul needs to have more offense run through him as he has the ability to shoot the 3, go to the hoop and he also has a great mid-range game (sorely lacking in college basketball today).

I would love to see KyKy more and I really would have liked to seen Don play more against SH but it looked like it was going to be Carter's coming out party, so I understand why Steele went with Carter most of the first half and the first part of the second instead.

Overall the team is not overly talented. I would give the following grades at this point of the season:

Q - C- (may be generous here but he has had a couple of decent games)
Paul - B+ (too many turnovers to deserve an A)
Naji - A- (would be an A or A+ if he would cut down his turnovers and a few too many forced shots)
Carter - D (has not provided anything close to what was expected)
Rique - B (two one dimensional on offense, free throw shooting needs to improve and has suffered from foul trouble at times)
Moore - D (see Carter above - has seen minutes really decrease)
Freemantle - C (has shown glimpses as a freshman of being really good - needs to build strength and will be really good in future)
KyKy - I (haven't seen enough yet to get a full grade yet, but can see glimpses of what he could be)

[IM4X]

A lot of good points.......

I'm just hoping Steele is smart enough to realize that this whole thing isn't changing much without making some bold moves and making a change to the rotation. Sadly the only thing that makes sense is more Tandy and less Goodin at this point. I guess that's a silver lining of sorts in that we have some pretty solid players already.

It sounds easy, but this team has such a small margin for error b/c we don't shoot it well. We MUST value the ball more, player better D and REBOUND. Without doing those things little is going to change........

I would love to see this team unite and embrace "balls to the wall defense". Its gotta be their mantra. On the offensive end simply just take care of the ball better and get back on D after misses.

I am with you on all your points, but I do think the answer with Goodin isn’t simply that Kyky should play more minutes and Q a lot less. If Travis is smart, he is not forgetting about how Q went 9-11 from the field and 4-4 from 3 in the WCU game. What is the one variable that was different about that game? Naji did not play (he was sick). Is that a coincidence. Not likely. Sure, someone could argue that Q some how found a way to step up because Naji was out...but what is much more likely... what would seems to make more sense is that Q was feeling like he had a chance to run the offense at his own pace, creating his personal rhythm in the game - so he can find his zone without Naji out speeding him up or throwing him off. Again, as many of us have felt, Q and Naji seem out-of-sync often when the two of them -actually the three of them (Scruggs too), are on the floor together. Honestly, I it looks like they all have their own pace and rhythm and none of those rhythms are same.

I don’t think it is all doom and gloom when it comes to our 3 point shooting. Yes, this team has struggled from 3, but that’s partly because the coaches and players had been valuing open looks from anywhere for anyone more than open looks for good shooters from their sweet spots. The team is finally getting a little better with though. X shot an impressive 44% against SH. Scruggs was 3-3 and might have been 5-5 if Naji would have given it up to him in his sweet spot a few more times. I know Paul can (and will) Continue to be very good 3pt shooter, if he just keeps getting fed the ball.

No question this team has to value the ball more, you gotta wonder if the players understand what that really means. Steele says, “It’s like I tell my guys, we gotta cut down on the turnovers” How? I would argue by being better with anticipation and creating better separation and learning better passing techniques. X players have a tendency to get lazy in the way they move, in the way they pass, and in the way they telegraph their next pass with their hands and their eyes. This should worked on and improved in practice. But is it? Or is it just mentioned as issue that needs to get better.

[Final4]

It pains me to say this but I fear this team is on track for another NIT berth. I think there are still three more losses at home and I'm not sure which road games (if any) they are capable of winning. If that in fact comes to fruition you have to go back 20 years to the last time X missed the dance two years in a row. And then what happens next year? I wouldn't put a whole lot of hope into a group of freshman and sophomores getting us back to the dance. You have to go back almost 40 years to the last time X missed the dance 3 years in a row.

I'm not sure Steele has complete control over this team. I've never been one to subscribe to the idea of "in Steele I trust". He's done nothing yet to earn my trust. I wonder if he has the trust of his players? Could the fact that he never played the game influence how some of the guys on this team respond to him?

[Xville]

It pains me to say this but I fear this team is on track for another NIT berth. I think there are still three more losses at home and I'm not sure which road games (if any) they are capable of winning. If that in fact comes to fruition you have to go back 20 years to the last time X missed the dance two years in a row. And then what happens next year? I wouldn't put a whole lot of hope into a group of freshman and sophomores getting us back to the dance. You have to go back almost 40 years to the last time X missed the dance 3 years in a row.

I'm not sure Steele has complete control over this team. I've never been one to subscribe to the idea of "in Steele I trust". He's done nothing yet to earn my trust. I wonder if he has the trust of his players? Could the fact that he never played the game influence how some of the guys on this team respond to him?

A lot of angst for losing at nova and losing to seton hall. Those are two of the three best teams in the big east. I'm frustrated as hell with this team, but I've come to realize that this core four is limited due to their bb IQ and roster construction. They are an average big east team...which for this year gets them in the tournament. And, that's good enough for right now. Next year is going to be painful with growing pains, but it should lead toward a really great team in two years and a stabilization of the program.

The fact is, basically not having a sophomore class set this program back a few years, because currently this roster construction is absolutely terrible. Limited shooting, limited inside game, bad decision makers.

Steele is making progress...defense is better, recruiting is stabilizing, roster construction is getting there....it is all just going to take some time. 2021 class is extremely important (have three good recruiting classes in a row and you can expect big things.)

[UCGRAD4X]

I am with you on all your points, but I do think the answer with Goodin isn’t simply that Kyky should play more minutes and Q a lot less. If Travis is smart, he is not forgetting about how Q went 9-11 from the field and 4-4 from 3 in the WCU game. What is the one variable that was different about that game? Naji did not play (he was sick). Is that a coincidence. Not likely. Sure, someone could argue that Q some how found a way to step up because Naji was out...but what is much more likely... what would seems to make more sense is that Q was feeling like he had a chance to run the offense at his own pace, creating his personal rhythm in the game - so he can find his zone without Naji out speeding him up or throwing him off. Again, as many of us have felt, Q and Naji seem out-of-sync often when the two of them -actually the three of them (Scruggs too), are on the floor together. Honestly, I it looks like they all have their own pace and rhythm and none of those rhythms are same.

I don’t think it is all doom and gloom when it comes to our 3 point shooting. Yes, this team has struggled from 3, but that’s partly because the coaches and players had been valuing open looks from anywhere for anyone more than open looks for good shooters from their sweet spots. The team is finally getting a little better with though. X shot an impressive 44% against SH. Scruggs was 3-3 and might have been 5-5 if Naji would have given it up to him in his sweet spot a few more times. I know Paul can (and will) Continue to be very good 3pt shooter, if he just keeps getting fed the ball.

No question this team has to value the ball more, you gotta wonder if the players understand what that really means. Steele says, “It’s like I tell my guys, we gotta cut down on the turnovers” How? I would argue by being better with anticipation and creating better separation and learning better passing techniques. X players have a tendency to get lazy in the way they move, in the way they pass, and in the way they telegraph their next pass with their hands and their eyes. This should worked on and improved in practice. But is it? Or is it just mentioned as issue that needs to get better.

If Travis is smart, he realizes that the only really outstanding performance was against WCU and we are in the Big East.

I don't think it is time to make big changes yet, but it is getting close.

[IM4X]

If Travis is smart, he realizes that the only really outstanding performance was against WCU and we are in the Big East.

I don't think it is time to make big changes yet, but it is getting close.


l look at that game and think... why was Q so good darn good in that game. How was he so “On” and in a zone. He was a stud. There can be no denying that from any of us. He was able set a tone - his rhythm- his pace- which allowed him to get in sync and stay in sync... and we see how really good things turned out for him when that happened.

This can not be ignored. We fans can not - in total fairness - say Q is incapable of playing well. We have to admit that he has shown a pretty high ceiling and that when he has struggled on offense (as we all know he has done in a number of games) he had looked out of sync with certain teammates who seem to have a different tempo and rhythm and way of moving. Naji in particular is someone who moves very differently from Q and in doing so throws things off a bit. These two need to get one the same page and adopt one tempo / pace they can both feel comfortable with... otherwise some lineups have to be tweaked. Naji, Scruggs and W all have to move as one... not separate entities.

[American X]

He's done nothing yet to earn my trust.

Dude threw down a grand for drinks at Dana's. That has to count for something.