2014-2015 schedule thread

[gmujim92]

You know what's really sad? A team with 3 seniors, 3 juniors (including an ACC transfer who should pose matchup problems on the perimeter for opposing power forwards), and two sophomores who were starting the second half of the season as freshman, one of whom was on the A10 all-rookie team, and with a highly rated incoming recruiting class has "no chance to make the NCAAT."

Do you disagree with that assessment?

 

[GMUgemini]

No, just mentioning that it's a sad state of affairs when a returning roster with the above components is dead in the water even before the season starts.

 

[GSII]

Im excited to see what Royal can do. And the new guys as well. Who knows, maybe something good can come out of this year. (Like hewitt realizing he cant coach and resigns)

 

[gmutom]

No, just mentioning that it's a sad state of affairs when a returning roster with the above components is dead in the water even before the season starts.

I completely agree with you that it's disappointing, but I disagree with the sentiment that we should be good just because we have three seniors. Can you recall a Mason senior class that has produced so little to this point in the last 15 years? Some of that is obviously attributed to poor coaching and roster management, but it would an understatement to say this group of seniors has not met expectations (especially Copes).

If we are going to built toward something bigger (regardless of who our coach is after this season), I'd rather play the underclassmen more this year. Give most of the PG minutes to Moore and Jackson, and play Copes in a rotation with Royal, Jenkins, Thompson, Porter and Mark0.

I still haven't figured out where Mayimba and Lockett will be used, but Gray should rotate in to spell them and Holloway when needed. I get that Hewitt is coaching for his life, but it will actually set our program back even more if we don't develop the young guys this season.

 

[gmujim92]

No, just mentioning that it's a sad state of affairs when a returning roster with the above components is dead in the water even before the season starts.

Lack of talent hasn't been our problem at any point since you-kn0w-who left.

Give our 2014-15 team a competent coach and I'd love to see what they could do.

 

[933127]

If we can't even make it to the NIT or NCAA in 2015 even in a weaker A10 with many teams rebuilding, then Hewitt needs to go.

Some schools go for young coaches on the upswing. Some schools go for older coaches who had great success during their earlier years at big name schools or were a one hit wonder at some point but have declined since then.

Sometimes going young works sometimes it doesn't. The same 50/50 results happen when hiring someone older who had success in his early years.

vcu has continued to bring in young coaches with an upswing over the past decade and it has paid off. Mason has continued to hire older coaches with past success but with recent decline with hopes that maybe the coach will find a spark with a change of scenery at Mason. Didn't work too well with Westhead, in the present with Hewitt not too well either.

If Hewitt does get fired, Mason should go after Andrew Toole at Robert Morris or Brad Stevens (hopefully he gets conveniently fired by the Celtics if Hewitt gets fired)

 

[GMUgemini]

I completely agree with you that it's disappointing, but I disagree with the sentiment that we should be good just because we have three seniors. Can you recall a Mason senior class that has produced so little to this point in the last 15 years? Some of that is obviously attributed to poor coaching and roster management, but it would an understatement to say this group of seniors have not met expectations (especially Copes).

If we are going to built toward something bigger (regardless of who our coach is after this season), I'd rather play the underclassmen more this year. Give most of the PG minutes to Moore and Jackson, and play Copes in a rotation with Royal, Jenkins, Thompson, Porter and Mark0.

I still haven't figured out where Mayimba and Lockett will be used, but Gray should rotate in to spell them and Holloway when needed. I get that Hewitt is coaching for his life, but it will actually set our program back even more if we don't develop the young guys this season.

It had a lot to do with coaching and a system that plays into the weaknesses of our players rather than their strengths.

Edwards: being asked to switch onto centers and power forwards, and to play an isolation one-on-one style offense = failure.

Copes: being asked to handle the ball on the perimeter and to switch off on guards and defend out to the three point line instead of parking his a** in the low post and clearing out space around the rim = failure.

Gray: well never give him consistent minutes and park him on the bench behind just about everyone including guys like Okoloji and Bennett = failure.

I wouldn't project all three seniors to start, but those are eight players, with a good coach, who would form the core of a team who should be able to compete in what will be a weaker A10 this year. Would they be an NCAA team by season's end? Maybe, maybe not, but our entire fanbase (outside of Raider) wouldn't be so defeatist and dismissive of the season before it starts if we had a coach we were confident in.

 

[Pablo]

Yeah, no gimmes here - not for this team under this coach.

I'm really looking forward to the Cornell game. The Big Red won just 2 games last season (both at home) vs. D-III Oberlin & Ivy opponent Dartmouth.

 

[gmutom]

It had a lot to do with coaching and a system that plays into the weaknesses of our players rather than their strengths.

Again, I'm not disagreeing with that point. Hewitt is obviously ultimately responsible for shaping the roster, the system and player development, so he needs to own those shortcomings. My point is that because he is our coach — it's silly to say what somebody else hypothetically do with these same players — he needs to realize we aren't an NCAAT team and play the younger guys for the betterment of the program and not his career.

That doesn't mean Edwards, Gray and Copes don't deserve the right to play. I just wouldn't do so solely because they are seniors. This is where Brad Edwards needs to be clear about his expectations. If he tells Hewitt it's NCAAT or bust, then Hewitt is obviously going to go with the older players for self preservation. If he tells him that he has some cushion, then it will be about getting the younger kids more playing time and building for the future.

One thing is for sure. It can't comfort the Hewitt detractors that Edwards tweeted a picture of him and Hewitt with their arms around each other yesterday. It sure looked like an endorsement to me, as temporary as that might be.

 

[mason2k1]

I'm really looking forward to the Cornell game. The Big Red won just 2 games last season (both at home) vs. D-III Oberlin & Ivy opponent Dartmouth.

May the best coach win...

 

[GMUgemini]

The one thing Hewitt isn't afraid to do is play younger players.

He's also a very stubborn man and slow to change, but he seems to eventually get it right, so is this the season he finally looks at himself and makes changes in his approach and philosophy? Who knows.

The biggest question to me is still how is the frontcourt going to look vis a vis Jenkins and Royal. I still have this feeling that Hewitt will want to start both of them, which means one of them will have to play small forward or an undersized center. I'm very curious to see who is in the starting five against Cornell. It's one of the few things I'm looking forward too.

 

[MasonFanatic]

Friday, Nov 14th home against Cornell
Sunday, Nov 16th home against Princeton
Thursday, Nov 20th through Sunday, Nov 23nd, Puerto Rico Tourney
Saturday, Nov 29th home against Manhattan
Wednesday, Dec 3rd home against ODU
Saturday, Dec 20th home against Iona
Tuesday, Dec 23rd away against Wright State
Wednesday, Dec 31st away against Oklahoma

We should have a game at Northern Iowa, too. That leaves one spot. JMU?

 

[gmutom]

Does anybody know if Royal can play the 3? I know he has range outside the 3-point line, but it would mask some of our deficiencies if we could start either Royal or Jenkins on the wing. The main issue would be one of them having to cover a guard on the defensive end, which didn't work when we tried it with Marko and Okoloji.

Just throwing things out there, maybe we go with a lineup of Moore, Holloway, Jenkins, Royal and Copes/Thompson.

 

[GSII]

One thing is for sure. It can't comfort the Hewitt detractors that Edwards tweeted a picture of him and Hewitt with their arms around each other yesterday. It sure looked like an endorsement to me, as temporary as that might be.

That was a goodbye hug.

 

[gmutom]

That was a goodbye hug.

I don't know, man. They looked pretty chummy.

 

[Washingtonian]

Friday, Nov 14th home against Cornell
Sunday, Nov 16th home against Princeton
Thursday, Nov 20th through Sunday, Nov 23nd, Puerto Rico Tourney
Saturday, Nov 29th home against Manhattan
Wednesday, Dec 3rd home against ODU
Saturday, Dec 20th home against Iona
Tuesday, Dec 23rd away against Wright State
Wednesday, Dec 31st away against Oklahoma

We should have a game at Northern Iowa, too. That leaves one spot. JMU?

Well, you can see where the exam break is, but we did have an OOC game in January last year, so maybe that is the Northern Iowa game.

 

[GSII]

I can see Brad giving Hewitt another year or two. Especially if TOC is still around helping to coach the the coach.

 

[MasonFanatic]

I don't know, man. They looked pretty chummy.

If we're 2-8 at Christmas, I doubt the feeling will be quite the same.

 

[Plink833]

If we're 2-8 at Christmas, I doubt the feeling will be quite the same.

at Northern Iowa is Dec. 6.

 

[Patriotsince81]

Totally bored so I'm projecting numbers out as far as scoring for next year. Looked at trends and just gut feelings.

Gujanicic 5.3 as a fr, 6.2 as a soph, project 7.1 next year
Holloway 5.3 as a fr, 8.7 as a soph, project 12.1 next year
Copes 3.3 as a fr, 5.9 as a soph, 4.4 as a jun project 5.8 next year
Edwards 2.5 as a fr, 4.9 as a soph, 2.7 as a jun, project 4.4 next year
Jenkins 7.2 as a fr, project 12.0 next year
Moore 3.9 as a fr, project 5.7 next year
Gray 3.4 as a fr, 1.7 as a soph, 2.7 as a jun, project 4.0 next year

Projected 51.1 points from our returning players. Last year we averaged 69.5 as a team so Royal, Thompson, and the freshman have to make up the 18.4 points. We gave up 72 a game last year on our way to a 4 win A10 campaign and an 11 - 20 overall record. Like many here I am not confident in PH's leadership/coaching abilities and am going into the year with VERY low expectations. Huge improvements needed on both ends to have any chance at respectability. 5 - 13 in the weaker A10 unless we prove we can win a game at home.