Game 25: GMU (13-11 / 5-6) at Duquesne (15-8 / 5-5) on Wednesday, February 8, at 7:00 PM.

[gmujim92]

I didn’t think we were a top 4 team this year but I sure as hell didn’t expect bottom 4.

This is CKEs first head coaching gig. His failures here could cost him his entire future as a head basketball coach. He needs to figure something out by the end of next year or he’ll be running basketball camps for the rest of his life.

I don’t even need a top 4 finish necessarily. I just need to see a positive trajectory.

Yes Hewitt and DP were horrible, but they already had success previously. He needs to fight for his coaching life and let any and all heads roll if necessary to get shit done.

He can always go find another P6 assistant job and rebuild his profile, but yeah if there isn’t a significant upward movement in our trend line by the end of Year 4, pretty sure we’ll be looking for another HC. This mess just cannot be acceptable to anyone.

 

[gmujim92]

I think Kim needs to make changes to his coaching staff this upcoming offseason. I thought terribly wrong, but I was extremely hopeful for a top-75 team this year. I think it was fair to have somewhat aggressive expectations. There is nothing more to say than highlight how underperforming this team currently is.

Last years' team, all 4-5 players we had, was MUCH better than this years' team. We are regressing in every facet. It's really hard to explain.

We have extremely low attendance, no AD, lackluster student turnout, and really nothing going well for us right now. Unless a roster turnover occurs, I'm not renewing my tickets next year.

Kim is definitely going to have some very uncomfortable conversations with coaches and players after the season. There are some good pieces to build around on this roster, but we remain extremely talent-deficient at the most important position on the floor and that won’t change by developing the existing players.

At least Dinkins has time to get in the weight room and improve his body and his game. It looks like Ronnie is what he is at this point and as much as it sucks to say, it’s just not close to good enough.

 

[Dawgs99]

Missing bad on Singleton really hurt, he's just not very good and certainly far from a PG. Not that it has effected the season at all but holy shit Peter Oduro is bad! Agree on the roster overhaul and coaching changes needed.

 

[Dawgs99]

Kim is definitely going to have some very uncomfortable conversations with coaches and players after the season. There are some good pieces to build around on this roster, but we remain extremely talent-deficient at the most important position on the floor and that won’t change by developing the existing players.

At least Dinkins has time to get in the weight room and improve his body and his game. It looks like Ronnie is what he is at this point and as much as it sucks to say, it’s just not close to good enough.

I really like RP but if I was a head coach in the CAA I wouldn't want him as my starting PG.....let alone the
A-10.

 

[gmujim92]

Oddly enough it might be easier for Kim to land a quality PG this offseason because we won’t be running the offense through a first-team all-A10 center next year. We need to be a guard-focused team on both ends of the floor.

If Keith Dambrot can get Grant, Brewer and Clark to Duquesne of all places, I don’t want to hear any excuses about why we went after a dozen good PGs in the portal and whiffed on all of them.

 

[gmujim92]

I really like RP but if I was a head coach in the CAA I wouldn't want him as my starting PG.....let alone the
A-10.

I don’t know if it’s the accumulation of all the lower body injuries or what, but he is a shell of the kid who was catching alley-oops and dunking on people’s heads in HS — and the rest of his game hasn’t come along enough to make up for the lack of explosiveness. It’s really too bad.

 

[PDGL Hoops]

So...what did I miss?

 

[mkaufman1]

Last night was not good. Not going to lie. I know many of us are still behind English (myself included) and I keep trying to tell myself "patience, patience". Its really hard when you see Mason get completely embarrassed like they did last night.

I definitely think we underestimated the amount of "rebuild" needed for the program and unfortunately the "I have transfer guys ready to come" hasn't worked to the level that we thought it would. Lesson learned. I also think that English has needed more of a learning curve for the A10 than we all thought. But I do agree that if he doesn't figure this out in the next 2 years, Mason will be looking for yet another coach, and Kim will be an assistant somewhere. I'd love to give Kim as much time as possible, but we have to see some tangible improvement. My goals of top 4, semis appearance etc, that I have been asking for since like 2018, have not been hit.

I for one, agree, that its time for some roster turnover. As much as Kim loves Ronny, I think its time to part ways and give him a fresh start. Will that happen? Tbd. Some other guys like Blake, P. Oduro, I wouldn't be shocked if they venture off as well. Also, love Ticket and Josh but I'm not sure if they will want to come back. I'd take both back because you won't find a 6'9 big who is polished like Josh, and Ticket helps out on the wing a lot especially defensively.

I also think the staff needs to be shaken up too. Simpkins has been with the program for 8 years and I feel has the most value of the 3. I'd like to see someone new, maybe a replacement for Nate or Felton? Maybe a new scouting guy? Don't know what it is.

We'll have plenty of time to debate this stuff because we all expect a 1 and done in the A10 tournament and I'm sure that is what we will get.

 

[Patriotsince81]

So...what did I miss?

Another turd in the punchbowl. A BIG one.

 

[thebiasedannouncer]

So...what did I miss?

View: https://youtube.com/watch?v=PmNYefYYRko&si=EnSIkaIECMiOmarE


If the GiantKiller reaction tells you anything, you'll know that it was bad.

 

[Jack Strop]

Too much dribbling and not enough passing... no, I was not at the old folks home last night. This team definitely needs a collective enema.

 

[Patriotsince81]

Too much dribbling and not enough passing... no, I was not at the old folks home last night. This team definitely needs a collective enima.

I was clocking RP last night. On almost every possession he'd just dribble for 10-12 seconds before passing. On several occasions last night he dribbled for about 15 seconds, tried to get to the rim, and bricked the shot. Not one pass to a teammate. He is not a point guard. He isn't a great shooter. He can get to the rim on occasion. He would be a serviceable 2 for 5-8 minutes a night.

What happened to pushing the ball? What happened to the first 7 seconds are for the players? Well, RP wastes more than 7 seconds on just about every trip down the floor.

 

[gmujim92]

I also think the staff needs to be shaken up too. Simpkins has been with the program for 8 years and I feel has the most value of the 3. I'd like to see someone new, maybe a replacement for Nate or Felton? Maybe a new scouting guy? Don't know what it is.

Simp is universally regarded as a good dude, and I thought it was smart of Kim to keep him on to help the holdover players during the transition, but 8 years with very little winning tells me it’s time for a change. For a staff with two guys who played PG at a very high level in P6 leagues, we sure have struggled to recruit and develop one.

Also not sure what Felton’s role is, but given our repeated struggles at the end of games, if he’s supposed to be the wise old assistant who helps the green HC with Xs and Os/game situations, we might need somebody different in that spot.

 

[Dawgs99]

Too much dribbling and not enough passing... no, I was not at the old folks home last night. This team definitely needs a collective enema.

Last night was not good. Not going to lie. I know many of us are still behind English (myself included) and I keep trying to tell myself "patience, patience". Its really hard when you see Mason get completely embarrassed like they did last night.

I definitely think we underestimated the amount of "rebuild" needed for the program and unfortunately the "I have transfer guys ready to come" hasn't worked to the level that we thought it would. Lesson learned. I also think that English has needed more of a learning curve for the A10 than we all thought. But I do agree that if he doesn't figure this out in the next 2 years, Mason will be looking for yet another coach, and Kim will be an assistant somewhere. I'd love to give Kim as much time as possible, but we have to see some tangible improvement. My goals of top 4, semis appearance etc, that I have been asking for since like 2018, have not been hit.

I for one, agree, that its time for some roster turnover. As much as Kim loves Ronny, I think its time to part ways and give him a fresh start. Will that happen? Tbd. Some other guys like Blake, P. Oduro, I wouldn't be shocked if they venture off as well. Also, love Ticket and Josh but I'm not sure if they will want to come back. I'd take both back because you won't find a 6'9 big who is polished like Josh, and Ticket helps out on the wing a lot especially defensively.

I also think the staff needs to be shaken up too. Simpkins has been with the program for 8 years and I feel has the most value of the 3. I'd like to see someone new, maybe a replacement for Nate or Felton? Maybe a new scouting guy? Don't know what it is.

We'll have plenty of time to debate this stuff because we all expect a 1 and done in the A10 tournament and I'm sure that is what we will get.

No chance Kim fires Nate....zero. I'd move on from Felton and get another older established former HC, dare I say someone in the mold of DP?

 

[gmujim92]

No chance Kim fires Nate....zero. I'd move on from Felton and get another older established former HC, dare I say someone in the mold of DP?

Agreed, bring in a young recruiter in the No. 3 spot and find a different veteran assistant. Nate isn’t getting fired.

 

[GSII]

Felton left fordham....and now they are top 5? Hmmmm

 

[thebiasedannouncer]

No chance Kim fires Nate....zero. I'd move on from Felton and get another older established former HC, dare I say someone in the mold of DP?

Felton is supposed to be defense and Xs and Os assistant. Time to go, honestly give Matt McCall a call.

 

[GSII]

Lamar Butler time

 

[gmujim92]

Lamar Butler time

I think it’s “Bring us a big-time PG and you’re hired!” time lol

 

[Jack Strop]

I was clocking RP last night. On almost every possession he'd just dribble for 10-12 seconds before passing. On several occasions last night he dribbled for about 15 seconds, tried to get to the rim, and bricked the shot. Not one pass to a teammate. He is not a point guard. He isn't a great shooter. He can get to the rim on occasion. He would be a serviceable 2 for 5-8 minutes a night.

What happened to pushing the ball? What happened to the first 7 seconds are for the players? Well, RP wastes more than 7 seconds on just about every trip down the floor.

We could use less crawl-ball and a little more Paul Ball—break out the ol' parachutes!

I know that CKE deliberately installed a slow-game at Duquesne in an effort to reduce turnovers. Welp... that didn't work too well. But it showed me that Mason needs to go back to fundamental basketball—passing drills, wind sprints, and weaves. It's never too late to hone basic skills. Time to show Rocky IV in the film room rather than parse and analyze last night's shat-show.