Game 22: Saint Bonaventure University, Wednesday, January 31st, 7 PM, Stadium

[gmujim92]

Yea ok. Dixon and Murrell we going to be 4 YR A10 players at Mason. And we are going to Final Four this year too.

Again, Lil Dave screwed up roster in his first 2 years and that is why we suck today. To make it worse, he takes no responsibility for any of it. Some of our delusional fans act like that did not happen. That's crazy.

Do you get some perverse pleasure from referring to our coach as Lil Dave?

Or are you just an asshole?

 

[sleeperpick]

Do you get some perverse pleasure from referring to our coach as Lil Dave?

Or are you just an a**hole?

can you answer my question for you since I am not a d bag lol

 

[GSII]

Do you get some perverse pleasure from referring to our coach as Lil Dave?

Or are you just an a**hole?

Big Dave signs horses. Lil Dave, well I won't say since its gonna hurt your feelings.

Assholes make shit up for their benefit. I'm just calling it like I see it.

 

[mason lawyer]

Do you get some perverse pleasure from referring to our coach as Lil Dave?

Or are you just an a**hole?

Bro you are the biggest A*hole on here and your posts only brainwash the Paulson sheep. Lil Dave is a perfect name for this clown we call a coach here.

 

[gmujim92]

Is their ZERO evidence of them going out with BS defensive strategies lately too?

If you have a strategy that can cover for guys who just don’t play very good defense, I’m sure our coaches would love for you to share it with them.

Again, Otis is not a great defender. I doubt you’d find anyone who will argue he is. But I’m not sure why you seem so hung up on him getting torched by Matt Mobley, who has done the same thing to pretty much everyone in the A-10 the last 2 years.

It’s not like we have some amazing defensive stopper and Dave stubbornly refused to have him guard Mobley.

Before you say Kier, Mobley got buckets against him too.

Fact is, we have a terrible defensive team. There’s no magic potion or strategic adjustment that will obscure that reality. It is what it is at this point.

 

[gmujim92]

Big Dave signs horses. Lil Dave, well I won't say since its gonna hurt your feelings.

a**holes make shit up for their benefit. I'm just calling it like I see it.

Yeah like I figured. You’re just an asshole.

 

[smccart5]

The reason we're not very good is extremely simple. There are 3 key parameters to winning basketball games: 3 pt %, post play/layups, and free throw attempts. We are below average in ALL of those categories! That's it. The coach and staff are responsible for assembling the players on the court and putting a scheme together. Other than that it's up to the guys to hit shots. And we're not hitting shots! Who knew in this era of everyone shooting 3's that we would have a team of guards who seem incapable of consistently hitting them.

There is no doubt Paulsen can coach, and he's proven that over a long career. Instead of people getting all bickery over that point, I think what we need to do is focus on the recruits we're getting because that is the only way we're going to get better. We have a team of role players, and we need one or two guys who can throw the team on their back. If Paulsen nor anyone on his staff can get the right players, then their needs to be a change, but i'll never say its because he isn't a good coach.

 

[Washingtonian]

What do our assistants do in game? I watched their coach with the pink/red tie teach/yell at their kids every time a sub was made. The three of ours just like they are hanging out. Who is the head of watching film for defensive prep? They are either terrible or watched some other poop brown uniformed team play when coming up with the gameplan

If I recall, didn't Simpkins say in the gold room once that the assistants divide the games up when the schedule is released, and that respective assistant is the one that is in charge of scouting/watching film?

I wonder how many people on this site go to the games that live in the DC area? I am not trying to defend how the season is going, but you see more things in person than TV shows.

 

[PoorManProfit]

Yea ok. Dixon and Murrell we going to be 4 YR A10 players at Mason. And we are going to Final Four this year too.

Again, Lil Dave screwed up roster in his first 2 years and that is why we suck today. To make it worse, he takes no responsibility for any of it. Some of our delusional fans act like that did not happen. That's crazy.

Yep, and in a year or two or three when he is fired finally all the supporters will be saying "What took so long?" and "He was terrible."

Then after BBB (as some of these dudes like to refer to him) hires another underwhelming coach, they will jock him anyway.

What a mess.

 

[gmujim92]

Nobody was complaining about the assistant coaches or the head coach when we had two seniors leading the way for a 20-win team.

Funny how that works.

 

[Petey Buckets]

Fact is, we have a terrible defensive team. There’s no magic potion or strategic adjustment that will obscure that reality. It is what it is at this point.

Dave's pack-line defense goes under on ballscreens or switches them almost every single time. Oversimplifying, but the idea is to keep a body in front of everyone at all times and fight like hell to prevent the ball from getting into the paint. The concession is that you'll give up some good looks from deep, but not many teams are going to beat you if that's all they're getting.

We've got the worst of both worlds because we give up plenty of open looks from deep (by design, sort of) but our current personnel totally fail at keeping opposing guards out of the paint. Mobley is a good shooter and doesn't need much space - a couple of those threes were the result of Kier going under a screen and Mobley firing immediately, before Kier could close out effectively. This happens to Otis all the time since he's just too damn small to go under and effectively close out on taller shooters.

Why it's so easy for guards to get into the paint is still a mystery to me. It's exactly what's not supposed to happen when you're going under and switching constantly. Otis, Jaire, Kier, Boyd, and Javon all offer their own impressions of a traffic cone on the perimeter. Kier looks better because he has the lateral quickness and length to stay on his man's hip and continue harassing, but no one is very good at preventing their man from getting around them in the first place. Most disappointed by Boyd here - thought he'd be able to use his unique frame and athleticism to muscle up opposing guards without fouling, but that hasn't been the case. They've also all got this weird tendency to just usher their man into the paint without trying to body them up or handcheck or anything.

This has been happening all season. Part of the reason I want to see the team jump passing lanes more and gamble a little to force turnovers, since this straight-up defense is crap with this personnel. Steals also have the added benefit of turning into runouts a lot, and lord knows we need easy buckets.

TLDR: defensive scheme doesn't fit personnel. Need more turnovers.

 

[PoorManProfit]

Nobody was complaining about the assistant coaches or the head coach when we had two seniors leading the way for a 20-win team.

Funny how that works.

Yes, they won 20 games on the nose. However, they also lost 14 games as well and went 9-9 in the league? And got their doors blown off by a Patriot League squad on their home floor in some 4th rate post-season tournament. Maybe all that impresses you, but it's "Meh" to many on these boards.

 

[gmujim92]

Dave's pack-line defense goes under on ballscreens or switches them almost every single time. Oversimplifying, but the idea is to keep a body in front of everyone at all times and fight like hell to prevent the ball from getting into the paint. The concession is that you'll give up some good looks from deep, but not many teams are going to beat you if that's all they're getting.

We've got the worst of both worlds because we give up plenty of open looks from deep (by design, sort of) but our current personnel totally fail at keeping opposing guards out of the paint. Mobley is a good shooter and doesn't need much space - a couple of those threes were the result of Kier going under a screen and Mobley firing immediately, before Kier could close out effectively. This happens to Otis all the time since he's just too damn small to go under and effectively close out on taller shooters.

Why it's so easy for guards to get into the paint is still a mystery to me. It's exactly what's not supposed to happen when you're going under and switching constantly. Otis, Jaire, Kier, Boyd, and Javon all offer their own impressions of a traffic cone on the perimeter. Kier looks better because he has the lateral quickness and length to stay on his man's hip and continue harassing, but no one is very good at preventing their man from getting around them in the first place. Most disappointed by Boyd here - thought he'd be able to use his unique frame and athleticism to muscle up opposing guards without fouling, but that hasn't been the case. They've also all got this weird tendency to just usher their man into the paint without trying to body them up or handcheck or anything.

This has been happening all season. Part of the reason I want to see the team jump passing lanes more and gamble a little to force turnovers, since this straight-up defense is crap with this personnel. Steals also have the added benefit of turning into runouts a lot, and lord knows we need easy buckets.

TLDR: defensive scheme doesn't fit personnel. Need more turnovers.

If I had to guess why we aren’t putting more pressure on the ball, it comes down to 2 reasons:

1. High-pressure teams foul a lot, which goes totally against Dave’s philosophy of not sending opponents to the line.

2. We don’t have the depth to do it consistently, considering the load Otis, Jaire and Justin are carrying on offense.

We need the three of them on the floor for 30-35 mpg and that’s not gonna happen if they’re either worn out or in foul trouble.

 

[GMUgemini]

If they are going to play a pack line defense, they should just watch tape of UVA all day long every day as something to aspire to -- double team comes immediately when the ball goes into the post (not haphazardly or late), and every shooter gets closed out on the second the ball goes back out to the 3-point line, The way UVA masks the open man to prevent the easy kickout when the ball goes into the paint is pretty masterful, too.

Our players make defeating the pack line look easy.

 

[gmujim92]

If they are going to play a pack line defense, they should just watch tape of UVA all day long every day as something to aspire to -- double team comes immediately when the ball goes into the post (not haphazardly or late), and every shooter gets closed out on the second the ball goes back out to the 3-point line, The way UVA masks the open man to prevent the easy kickout when the ball goes into the paint is pretty masterful, too.

Our players make defeating the pack line look easy.

They look a lot like UVa’s players did early in Bennett’s tenure. He had to recruit several classes worth of kids capable of defending at a high level before it all clicked.

I know a lot of UVa fans who were openly skeptical of Bennett before he got it rolling. Now they’re desperate to keep him.

 

[Jack Strop]

Hey, Petey B and the GiantKillaz, would you ask Coach Dave a question for me?

Q: We have a six-pack of douches on this forum who say over and over that you need to take responsibility for the shorthanded roster that we have. So Coach Dave, do you take responsibility?

P.S. I'm serious! However, you may take liberty to edit the question a bit to make it a bit more G-rated.

 

[Falco]

Hey, Petey B and the GiantKillaz, would you ask Coach Dave a question for me?

Q: We have a six-pack of douches on this forum who say over and over that you need to take responsibility for the shorthanded roster that we have. So Coach Dave, do you take responsibility?

P.S. I'm serious! However, you may take liberty to edit the question a bit to make it a bit more G-rated.

Who else should take the responsibility?

 

[Petey Buckets]

Hey, Petey B and the GiantKillaz, would you ask Coach Dave a question for me?

Q: We have a six-pack of douches on this forum who say over and over that you need to take responsibility for the shorthanded roster that we have. So Coach Dave, do you take responsibility?

P.S. I'm serious! However, you may take liberty to edit the question a bit to make it a bit more G-rated.

Hard pass.

By the way, I post about the A10 Player of the Year race on Fridays. I think Otis is right around second team at the moment. Check it out here:

http://giantkiller.co/2018/02/01/a10-player-of-the-year-watch-2018-edition-2/

 

[sleeperpick]

If you have a strategy that can cover for guys who just don’t play very good defense, I’m sure our coaches would love for you to share it with them.

Again, Otis is not a great defender. I doubt you’d find anyone who will argue he is. But I’m not sure why you seem so hung up on him getting torched by Matt Mobley, who has done the same thing to pretty much everyone in the A-10 the last 2 years.

It’s not like we have some amazing defensive stopper and Dave stubbornly refused to have him guard Mobley.

Before you say Kier, Mobley got buckets against him too.

Fact is, we have a terrible defensive team. There’s no magic potion or strategic adjustment that will obscure that reality. It is what it is at this point.

Mobley scored almost 20'over his average and 75% of that was when Otis was guarding him. The lefty who scores 5 pts a game scored 20 75% of that with Otis guarding him. Taqqee had 4 points and can't shoot. But our coach refused to put Otis on him strangely. That's what I'm talking about with horrible in game and pre game defensive strategy.

 

[DJ5 SIZE]

Who else should take the responsibility?

I think we should have another email sent to Bard on these topics.

Dear Bard,

I'm part of the douchebags who dont know anything about basketball on Masonhoops, but please bear with me for a moment as I express some topics to you that I try to sound like I know about, but I really don't.

1) The offense that DP runs is so predictable. All they do is have the point guard dribble the ball up, have Mars Calixste and AGee set screens, pass the ball to Keyer and then swing the ball to Grayee for a three. Its so predictable. Why is that? Why can't we run an offense that is complex where we do granny shots and have an offense where we never miss?

2) Why does Otees always guard guys who are shooting three pointers. His arms are like Tee Rex' arms and hes barely an A10 player. We need guards with size so I can obsess about them.

3) Who is that guy who is randomly on the Mason bench. Can he guard the 3 position? Maybe we can bring back Abrahams and he can help us there. Also what is the status on mason football, and making the basketball team schedule their games around me as well as having a red carpet rolled out for the 2 games I attend a year?

Love always
Dee Jay 3