Game 20: AT Duquesne University, Saturday, January 31st, 7 PM, NO TV

[JimP]

Nobody puts Paul H. Hewitt on a bus. He flew to the game while everyone else rode the bus. Cmon people! Hewitt on a bus? He took a limo 150 feet from richmond marriott to the brown turd.

Is that true about the limo? LOL. Let Hewitt go so he can become a full time dandy and won't have to worry about his pesky basketball coaching gig anymore.

 

[Pablo]

The bus thing is a red herring, and really at the bottom of the barrel of excuses.

I've driven to Pittsburgh (from Burke, where I live) a half dozen times - a few of those times towing a trailer with a car on it.

I've flown to Pittsburgh twice for work (starting from Burke as well, driving to the airport, waiting in line, going through security, waiting around for the flight, and then being jammed in to the tiny seats for an hour, etc).

Driving is pretty much just as fast when you consider the "entire trip". Not to mention, buses actually have more legroom than a plane and more opportunity to move around. Bus travel isn't any more tiring than air travel and all the other BS associated with it.....actually in many ways it's easier. It picks you up at your place, throw your bag in the bottom, sleep for a few hours or whatever, and it delivers you directly to your destination.

First, I wasn't making any excuses for the loss. Secondly, I assume that you know the difference between a charter and a commercial flight?

 

[wijg]

I am not sold on the firing Hewitt before the bonus is really a bad thing. If I am a coach that thinks Mason is my ideal job in all other respects, am I really going to say to myself "If only they hadn't fired Hewitt a couple days early to save 85k, that really changes my mind"?

I don't think so. Remember, coaches have huge egos. They have to in order to successfully do the job. If it were me, I'd be thinking more along the lines of "Glad they fired that loser coach before they wasted another dime on him so that Mason has more money to pay me and invest in the team".

I'd have no respect for an organization that isn't swimming in money that makes a bad financial decision because they think coaches will think we are cheap. I'd wonder if that was the kind of place I want to work for. You know Hewitt and every other coach would wait until the day after such a bonus to move on if the timing worked out for them, so why shouldn't the school be able to do the same.? So a school that is willing to pay Hewitt $700k to go away is going to look cheap because they don't want to pay him an additional $85k? I don't think so.

 

[Pablo]

http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/...er-George-Mason-Patriots/stories/201501310194:

"Duquesne Jeremiah Jones blocks shot by George Masons Vaughn Gray in the first half at the A. J. Palumbo Center in Pittsburgh."

 

[gmujim92]

I am not sold on the firing Hewitt before the bonus is really a bad thing. If I am a coach that thinks Mason is my ideal job in all other respects, am I really going to say to myself "If only they hadn't fired Hewitt a couple days early to save 85k, that really changes my mind"?

I don't think so. Remember, coaches have huge egos. They have to in order to successfully do the job. If it were me, I'd be thinking more along the lines of "Glad they fired that loser coach before they wasted another dime on him so that Mason has more money to pay me and invest in the team".

I'd have no respect for an organization that isn't swimming in money that makes a bad financial decision because they think coaches will think we are cheap. I'd wonder if that was the kind of place I want to work for. You know Hewitt and every other coach would wait until the day after such a bonus to move on if the timing worked out for them, so why shouldn't the school be able to do the same.? So a school that is willing to pay Hewitt $700k to go away is going to look cheap because they don't want to pay him an additional $85k? I don't think so.

At this point, there is zero justification to keep him on the job even one more day.

I couldn't care less about the $85K. I just want to be able to move on and forget that Hewitt ever coached at Mason.

 

[Pablo]

http://www.gomason.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=25200&ATCLID=209871490:

"Mason was held to its lowest offensive first half of 15 points since December 4, 2004 when the Patriots scored 15 points in the first half against No. 12 Maryland in the BB&T Classic."

 

[CHRISTOPHER JAMES JOLLAY]

First, I wasn't making any excuses for the loss. Secondly, I assume that you know the difference between a charter and a commercial flight?

Even a charter you're looking at a minimum of three hours, especially considering all the extra bags Michael Rudy always brings that need to be hauled.

 

[MasonFanatic]

Marquise Moore had 6 of our first 8 points, and didn't score again. He only had two more field goal attempts the rest of the game and finished with one total free throw. I don't know if his ankle played into that, but that can't happen. Passing the ball endlessly around the perimeter isn't much of an offensive strategy.

Then again, if we're going to settle for long jumpers, I guess he probably shouldn't be our first option to take them.

We looked like a team that hadn't practiced against a zone anytime recently.

 

[Pablo]

Even a charter you're looking at a minimum of three hours, especially considering all the extra bags Michael Rudy always brings that need to be hauled.

Why the jokes about Michael Rudy: he's a walk-on majoring in biochemistry?

 

[wijg]

I know some of you were talking about chartered flights, but even if they flew, it would not necessarily mean charter. In the past some of Mason's flights have been standard commercial flights. Especially to a place like Pittsburgh where there a ton of flights between here and there, I would think odds of a standard flight would be higher.

 

[Pablo]

I know some of you were talking about chartered flights, but even if they flew, it would not necessarily mean charter. In the past some of Mason's flights have been standard commercial flights. Especially to a place like Pittsburgh where there a ton of flights between here and there, I would think odds of a standard flight would be higher.

You are probably right, and I'm sorry that I raised the issue. But, I'd rather take a commercial flight than drive to Pittsburgh.

 

[MasonFanatic]

Any word on Porter? I can't remember if he returned to the game after he rolled his ankle, and he's listed as only playing 3 minutes in the box score.

 

[sigmanorm]

I am so glad I did not watch this game. Thanks for all the recaps. As I imagined looking at the write-up we sucked again! And now we get a pissed of vcu team that got beat by Richmond at home. Ouch...that game is going to be painful to watch

 

[TweederGMU]

Why is Gray taking 10 shots in a game!!?? He is the most inconsistent shooter we have and makes no sense why he is taking so many shots. AWFUL

 

[TweederGMU]

We had no business losing to a shitty team like Duquesne. Ugh

 

[KAOriginal]

We had no business losing to a shitty team like Duquesne. Ugh

Im not sure we have proven ourselves to not be the shittier team of the two....

 

[gmutom]

Why is Gray taking 10 shots in a game!!?? He is the most inconsistent shooter we have and makes no sense why he is taking so many shots. AWFUL

It really is amazing how Hewitt gets schooled so baldy by average coaches. Duquesne was determined to take Thompson away and make our guards beat him, and our great coaching staff couldn't make an adjustment to counter either. As a result, our best shooter only got 7 shots (several on rebounds) and our guards combined to shoot 22% from the floor.

We allowed our opponent to dictate our "strategy" by heaving up a mind-boggling 26 threes. Mind you, we are one of the worst teams in the league from behind the arc, but don't let that get in the way of a horrible game plan. As Jim pointed out last night, every coach moving forward should throw a zone at us.

And let's not single Gray out, even though he only hit 2 of his 10 attempts. Edwards (our best shooter) managed to find net 2 of his 9 attempts, while Jackson came up empty on 11 of the 14 he took.

Our players should be able to hit wide open looks more often than not, but shame on Hewitt for putting them in the position he did last night. Rather than having them penetrate the zone to create closer shots and get Thompson involved, we camped out on the perimeter and played a losing game of Battleship. 25-footer? MISS! 23-footer? MISS! 24-footer? MISS!

 

[CHRISTOPHER JAMES JOLLAY]

Amen. I'm sure Hewitt will bemoan our guys inability to hit shots, and yes, are guards right now on bottom quarter NCAA maybe, but he does nothing to set them up or play toward our strengths.

 

[GSII]

Hewitt should be fired today bc he is putting the health of our student athletes in jeaporday. They are beyond mind f**ked. They are zoned out. They realize they have nothing organized and simply are going thru the motions. But in playing in such a mind set can cause injury. With zero killer instinct and wounded minds, guys fall prey to injury. Kinda like u see on national geograhic channel. Which btw is more entertaining than our games, but at the same time illustrates our program well. Ie the prey.

 

[JimP]

It really is amazing how Hewitt gets schooled so baldy by average coaches. Duquesne was determined to take Thompson away and make our guards beat him, and our great coaching staff couldn't make an adjustment to counter either. As a result, our best shooter only got 7 shots (several on rebounds) and our guards combined to shoot 22% from the floor.

We allowed our opponent to dictate our "strategy" by heaving up a mind-boggling 26 threes. Mind you, we are one of the worst teams in the league from behind the arc, but don't let that get in the way of a horrible game plan.

And let's not single Gray out, even though he only hit 2 of his 10 attempts. Edwards (our best shooter) managed to find net 2 of his 9 attempts, while Jackson came up empty on 11 of the 14 he took.

Our players should be able to hit wide open looks more often than not, but shame on Hewitt for putting them in the position he did last night. Rather than having them penetrate the zone to create closer shots and get Thompson involved, we camped out on the perimeter and played a losing game of Battleship. 25-footer? MISS! 23-footer? MISS! 24-footer? MISS!

26 threes - unbelievable. As ridiculous as the Cornell game was it was the first game of the year. They haven't learned by now they're not a team that can win by heaving 3's? To think, so many 3's and Holloway didn't play. It was almost as if going up against a zone was a surprise to them even though Duquesne's been playing it all year long.

Geez - the coaching staff had the bus ride to hash this out. Are they even trying?