Thoughts on the remaining season

[Xville]

I think it has become more of a cautionary tale of not getting caught up in preseason hype and hope.

I know what you’re saying because you never know what’s going to happen with injuries, but with traore this team was going to be pretty damn good from all indications. We’ve just been a snake bitten program since that horrible night in Nashville.

[Jumpin_Jamal_Forever]

Pointing to the injuries and wishing for what might have been, isn't an unreasonable way to look at the season. During the few weeks between summer and fall practice, I ran into some of the coaching staff on the golf course. Very nice people willing to talk at length about the success they expected to have this season. They, like us on this board, expected a different season to unfold than what has so far occurred.

Despite the rationality in defaulting to the "we coulda been a contender" school of thought, I find Hettel's earlier take somewhat interesting. That is, those injuries perhaps provide cover for other issues that might merit more attention than this board gives to them. In light of the injuries to Traore then Freemantle, what might be if Hugely had turned out not to be such a massive disappointment? We gave him a scholarship and we failed to keep any of our big men from last year. What about the collective under-performance of McKnight, Swain and Green? I expected all three to make big improvements to their games. Did we really recruit the talent and experience we thought we were going to receive in Maddox, Conwell and Foster? Each of those three have had the occasional strong individual performance but as a group, in bigger games, they have been MIA.

Were we experiencing the season we all expected to receive, these questions might be moot. Did the season really go to hell when Traore went down or is that, at the very least, a convenient narrative that masks at least some recruiting, roster and game management issues? I'm not sure although feel disappointed as hell in what has so far transpired. I'd like to know what others think.

[XUGRAD80]

I know what you’re saying because you never know what’s going to happen with injuries, but with traore this team was going to be pretty damn good from all indications. We’ve just been a snake bitten program since that horrible night in Nashville.

Had a coach at X that used to say….“When if and buts are candy and nuts, everyday will be Christmas.”

I try not to get caught up in the preseason hype for any of the new players….freshman or transfers….and for the team as a whole when it’s basically an all new team. Because they are all new, you can never know for sure how they will perform as a unit, or individually. Travore was a 10-10 guy sure, but against who? Certainly not against Big East caliber competition. And who else on his team? Was he the only interior player they had? Did he get all those rebounds because nobody else on his team played down low? Did he get 10 points a game in garbage time? Against smaller players? Did they play n a similar system? If we rely only on the stats that the freshman or transfers put up in the past, with no consideration of the circumstances under which they played, we are apt to be disappointed in most cases where the players are moving up to a higher level of competition. In most cases the players don’t continue to perform at the same level. We’ve had some exceptions the last 2 seasons by two players. But what about the others?

I’ll wait to get excited until after I see how the players and the team are performing against top competition.

[MHettel]

Had a coach at X that used to say….“When if and buts are candy and nuts, everyday will be Christmas.”

I try not to get caught up in the preseason hype for any of the new players….freshman or transfers….and for the team as a whole when it’s basically an all new team. Because they are all new, you can never know for sure how they will perform as a unit, or individually. Travore was a 10-10 guy sure, but against who? Certainly not against Big East caliber competition. And who else on his team? Was he the only interior player they had? Did he get all those rebounds because nobody else on his team played down low? Did he get 10 points a game in garbage time? Against smaller players? Did they play n a similar system? If we rely only on the stats that the freshman or transfers put up in the past, with no consideration of the circumstances under which they played, we are apt to be disappointed in most cases where the players are moving up to a higher level of competition. In most cases the players don’t continue to perform at the same level. We’ve had some exceptions the last 2 seasons by two players. But what about the others?

I’ll wait to get excited until after I see how the players and the team are performing against top competition.

Take a peek at how our former Euro players are doing. They managed to improve….ALOT. Against lesser competition for sure. But it does make you wonder why Swain isn’t better offensively with and extra year under his belt. Or why Green was still a one trick pony. Or why McKnight is t any better as a fifth year player.

[Xville]

Pointing to the injuries and wishing for what might have been, isn't an unreasonable way to look at the season. During the few weeks between summer and fall practice, I ran into some of the coaching staff on the golf course. Very nice people willing to talk at length about the success they expected to have this season. They, like us on this board, expected a different season to unfold than what has so far occurred.

Despite the rationality in defaulting to the "we coulda been a contender" school of thought, I find Hettel's earlier take somewhat interesting. That is, those injuries perhaps provide cover for other issues that might merit more attention than this board gives to them. In light of the injuries to Traore then Freemantle, what might be if Hugely had turned out not to be such a massive disappointment? We gave him a scholarship and we failed to keep any of our big men from last year. What about the collective under-performance of McKnight, Swain and Green? I expected all three to make big improvements to their games. Did we really recruit the talent and experience we thought we were going to receive in Maddox, Conwell and Foster? Each of those three have had the occasional strong individual performance but as a group, in bigger games, they have been MIA.

Were we experiencing the season we all expected to receive, these questions might be moot. Did the season really go to hell when Traore went down or is that, at the very least, a convenient narrative that masks at least some recruiting, roster and game management issues? I'm not sure although feel disappointed as hell in what has so far transpired. I'd like to know what others think.

I see your point, but if any team in America lost their starting 5 man and starting 4 man, they’d probably look like this. Yes hugley big disappointment.

I very much disagree with your assessment of conwell. He’s been pretty damn good for us except Marquette where he was double teamed almost every time he received the ball. I think foster has been what he was recruited for—-a role guy. I doubt he’d be starting if traore and free were healthy. Swain is playing out of position. He’s about the only guy who has done anything inside in my view and hes not a 4. McKnight was tentative at the beginning of the season, but he’s turned a corner in my view, which he did last year as well.

[Xville]

I do agree with others that are hinting at. X’s staff needs an upgrade in my view.

[Xville]

Had a coach at X that used to say….“When if and buts are candy and nuts, everyday will be Christmas.”

I try not to get caught up in the preseason hype for any of the new players….freshman or transfers….and for the team as a whole when it’s basically an all new team. Because they are all new, you can never know for sure how they will perform as a unit, or individually. Travore was a 10-10 guy sure, but against who? Certainly not against Big East caliber competition. And who else on his team? Was he the only interior player they had? Did he get all those rebounds because nobody else on his team played down low? Did he get 10 points a game in garbage time? Against smaller players? Did they play n a similar system? If we rely only on the stats that the freshman or transfers put up in the past, with no consideration of the circumstances under which they played, we are apt to be disappointed in most cases where the players are moving up to a higher level of competition. In most cases the players don’t continue to perform at the same level. We’ve had some exceptions the last 2 seasons by two players. But what about the others?

I’ll wait to get excited until after I see how the players and the team are performing against top competition.

As far as traore, I’ll trust what miller was saying about him.

[XUGRAD80]

As far as traore, I’ll trust what miller was saying about him.

I’m not trying to say that he wouldn’t have been a good player. I’m only saying that when projecting in the preseason what we expect out of new players, we shouldn’t get caught up in just looking at stats from their prior schools. There are a lot of things that can affect how a player, and a team, will perform in the regular season. I also trust Miller’s judgement and decision making.

We had posters here calling this a potential final 4 team prior to the season. We had posters last year thinking that some of the Euro players could be all-BE type players. Every year we seem to go through this scenario where to some people the team looks awesome in the preseason and then underperforms to their expectations. You’d think that after 6 out of 7 years of this some people would stop getting their expectations so high and would wait to see. I’m all for optimism, and I was certainly optimistic coming into this year too. But after losing their 2 best interior players, and others not showing development like was expected or hoped for, why are some people still expecting this team to go 12-8 and/or make the tourney? IMO those are not realistic expectations. Nor were many of the preseason forecasts realistic. To many people getting caught up in hype and not reality.

[GoMuskies]

Yeah, we've probably reached the point as a program where we should probably just assume we're going to kind of suck unless and until we don't.

[Xville]

I’m not trying to say that he wouldn’t have been a good player. I’m only saying that when projecting in the preseason what we expect out of new players, we shouldn’t get caught up in just looking at stats from their prior schools. There are a lot of things that can affect how a player, and a team, will perform in the regular season. I also trust Miller’s judgement and decision making.

We had posters here calling this a potential final 4 team prior to the season. We had posters last year thinking that some of the Euro players could be all-BE type players. Every year we seem to go through this scenario where to some people the team looks awesome in the preseason and then underperforms to their expectations. You’d think that after 6 out of 7 years of this some people would stop getting their expectations so high and would wait to see. I’m all for optimism, and I was certainly optimistic coming into this year too. But after losing their 2 best interior players, and others not showing development like was expected or hoped for, why are some people still expecting this team to go 12-8 and/or make the tourney? IMO those are not realistic expectations. Nor were many of the preseason forecasts realistic. To many people getting caught up in hype and not reality.

I don’t think anyone is expecting 12-8. I think it’s a ceiling possibility.

I think expectations are probably around 10 wins if that much if free doesn’t return fully healthy and soon