Game 5: GMU (4-0) at JMU (3-0) on Friday, November 19, at 7PM.

[GMU79]

Tiredness?? We are 4 games into the season and these kids are capable of playing multiple games in a single weekend. It is unacceptable to ever lose to JMU period.

I was with you up until that last sentence.
I agree, it's sort of like tourney time, you play two, three, four days in a row...and to advance you have to win. But unless you're Clemson going 0 for 50 years at Chapel Hill, everybody loses to a rival occasionally.

 

[Patriotsince81]

Other than the one play at Maryland where he dove on the loose ball and got it ahead to Ticket for the dunk, Jamal has given us almost nothing the last few games. I know he’s a senior but give his minutes to one of the kids for now and see if they can’t provide a spark. I doubt they can do any worse.

Not trying to kick a guy while he's down. I have never questioned Jamal's heart, desire, or work ethic. What I can, and have questioned, is his in game production. Many here have made excuses for him but it's time for others to get an opportunity. For the season he is shooting 23.1% overall and 26.3% from 3. Time to ride the pine.

 

[MasonSAE4]

A lot of factors here:

1.) Two road games in three days and JMU had an extra day of rest.
2.) Oduro having a dud/nothing would fall. Sometimes the ball just rims out. Sometimes it does it eighteen times in a game.
3.) Hartwell is…not good. Nice kid but let’s call him what he is which is Paulsen’s attempt to capture lightning in a bottle twice. Sometimes you get Otis, other times you get store-brand Otis.
4.) A little regression to the mean from deep. Gonna happen. Not too worried as long as we don’t constantly rely on the 3 ball.

Also, their friend just got picked up on a f**king murder charge. And they kept this close until the end. Not worried about them, just sucks it happened against JMU and not some random team.

 

[GMUgemini]

Whatever Otis needs to do to get more PT, I hope it happens soon. He played less than a minute tonight … CKE gotta find productive bench minutes from somebody other than Malik or he’s gonna run the starting 5 into the ground before Christmas.

Well uo

Other than the one play at Maryland where he dove on the loose ball and got it ahead to Ticket for the dunk, Jamal has given us almost nothing the last few games. I know he’s a senior but give his minutes to one of the kids for now and see if they can’t provide a spark. I doubt they can do any worse.

There’s only one kid you’d give it to and that’s Gray. And I doubt Gray would have handled JMU’s pressure any better.

And they’re giving way more minutes to Blake than I thought they would be. And way fewer to Frazier.

Here is hoping Polite can come in and take most of Hartwell’s minutes., but he wasn’t known as a shooter last year so not quite sure what he would bring if our big three all struggle at the same time like they did tonight.

 

[gmujim92]

Well uo


There’s only one kid you’d give it to and that’s Gray. And I doubt Gray would have handled JMU’s pressure any better.

And they’re giving way more minutes to Blake than I thought they would be. And way fewer to Frazier.

Here is hoping Polite can come in and take most of Hartwell’s minutes., but he wasn’t known as a shooter last year so not quite sure what he would bring if our big three all struggle at the same time like they did tonight.

We needed somebody who could get to the rim tonight and that’s Polite’s game when healthy. JMU’s guards played physical on the perimeter and dared our guys to go past them, and they couldn’t/wouldn’t.

 

[Earl the Squirrel]

Other than the one play at Maryland where he dove on the loose ball and got it ahead to Ticket for the dunk, Jamal has given us almost nothing the last few games. I know he’s a senior but give his minutes to one of the kids for now and see if they can’t provide a spark. I doubt they can do any worse.

I've always had a soft spot for Hartwell but it's hard to watch him be put in a position where he's asked to do too much. I too would have liked to see more of Otis tonight. Haven't seen enough of Gray to have an opinion.

 

[psyclone]

any post game presser links?

 

[Earl the Squirrel]

Tiredness?? We are 4 games into the season and these kids are capable of playing multiple games in a single weekend. It is unacceptable to ever lose to JMU period.

Were they tired or full of themselves and not fully engaged and looking past this game? I imagine it's hard to get up for a team you have beaten 19 out of the past 22 games.

Ticket didn't seem tired, nor did XJ. Cooper seemed like he had good energy. We forced a bunch of turnovers, which is hard to do without effort. Like was said earlier, our loss tonight was a confluence of several factors that doomed us. Still had a chance to win and I wish we would have found a way...

 

[gmutom]

To Jim’s point, English is going to have to expand his rotation next week with multiple games back to back. I know Coach L rode our 2006 starters for 30-some minutes a game, but eventually it’s going to take its toll on this team.

 

[sleeperpick]

Mason is really missing Polite right now. Not sure what Grays status is at the moment, but he could be a little banged up as well. I think Frazier might be as well but no idea with him.

Any possibility that these guys are just not good enough and that’s why he plays 6-7 guys out of necessity. His project player is getting mins over them and Hartwell is just plainly not very good other than the theee games a year he can’t miss from three. Polite not having that full offseason to improve is troubling because he wasn’t very good last year either

The rotation is so short this early because he wants to win.

 

[sleeperpick]

To Jim’s point, English is going to have to expand his rotation next week with multiple games back to back. I know Coach L rode our 2006 starters for 30-some minutes a game, but eventually it’s going to take its toll on this team.

Not if he wants to win these games he won’t. These 3 games are against all against JMU caliber teams

 

[GSII]

Our offensive scheme needed more back door cuts.

 

[gmutom]

Not if he wants to win these games he won’t. These 3 games are against all against JMU caliber teams

I’m not suggesting major minutes, but even finding Frasier 8-10 minutes a game spells two starter 4-5 minutes each. And if people justifiably want Hartwell playing less, than Gray will have to absorb those minutes until Polite is healthy. Other than Gadsden, there really aren’t any more options.

 

[Earl the Squirrel]

To Jim’s point, English is going to have to expand his rotation next week with multiple games back to back. I know Coach L rode our 2006 starters for 30-some minutes a game, but eventually it’s going to take its toll on this team.

Agreed. 3 games in 3 days is a bit of a grind. Not sure I'd ration Ticket's minutes, though

I want to see more of Frazier, who has made significant contributions in the last 2 games where he got more than 3 mins -- the vcu game last year and Morgan St, where he was a point-a-minute guy. His size, ability to put the ball on the floor and get to the hoop, and stroke make him the most intriguing piece on our bench. He clearly offers more dimensions than Jones.

If Polite is ready to go I want to see where his game is at. His coming out party in the GW game last year, while impressive, may have been a bit of a head fake. I do know that regardless of where that part of his game is at, he is an A+ defender.

 

[Earl the Squirrel]

Oduro and Gaines are good offensive rebounders and Frazier's numbers put him in their company. Give Otis (if he's healthy) 10 mins in each of the next 3 games and see what he does.

I expect a max effort against UW and a big win (10+ pts)

 

[tblack33]

Are y’all really surprised that we’re going with a short bench? You do realize this is how like 75% of college basketball manages their rosters? There’s no reason to go 11 deep and never give guys a chance to get into a rhythm for fear of them getting tired, that’s some Paulsen bullshit. These dudes are in the best shape of their lives, they don’t need minutes restrictions two weeks into a season.

English said in his opening presser he wants to get down to an 8 man rotation by A10 play, so some of y’all need to strap in if this is what you are worried about now. Trust that he knows the players and their level of fitness better than us.

 

[variaban]

Anyone else at the game notice the enthusiasm of the crowd? On 3 separate effing occasions, the band and student section started a countdown from 5 when we had 9 on the clock and all three times our guys threw it up when they yelled one. Then carrying over that bullhorn from their football team on third downs into the basketball arena where the screen would flash the bull and the electricity lights around the arena and score board flashing in unison really got the crowd and team going. It was hard for us to overcome that atmosphere. Hell, that could have been part of the reason for the off night from Oduro, Cooper and Schwartz. These guys were on par with the Maryland fans, if not more so. I yelled 'Let's Go Mason' during one of the JMU foul shots and thought I was going to get lynched.

 

[Mason32]

I'm not going to question KE in any way but as a fan it's bit puzzling to see Blake get minutes over Frazier in a game like that. There's definitely a Kim's guys vibe and then the rest of the holdovers

 

[GSII]

It's not the Otis mins over Blake argument you should be making. Otis could of been a point forward last night like he did vs vcu last year. We could of used someone big going to the rim.

 

[mkaufman1]

Any possibility that these guys are just not good enough and that’s why he plays 6-7 guys out of necessity. His project player is getting mins over them and Hartwell is just plainly not very good other than the theee games a year he can’t miss from three. Polite not having that full offseason to improve is troubling because he wasn’t very good last year either

The rotation is so short this early because he wants to win.

It quite possibly could be the case. I mean it appears Gadsden and Kabimba are going to be practice players until they improve. That’s fine.

I agree about Polite and we probably won’t see him for a while but I do think based on how things went last night the rotation needed to be a little wider. For whatever reason Frazier couldn’t get more than 30 seconds although someone said he got blown by on defense. In my opinion having Frazier and gray out there for maybe 5 minutes each could have helped. Maybe it wouldn’t have but it just seemed like a game where they could have used extra bodies. To your point, there could have been a reason why those guys didn’t play as well.

Either way, when you have quick turnarounds especially early in the season, I would think you’d try to expand who plays before shortening for conference play, but I’m obviously not on staff.