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

[GSII]

No post game presser??

 

[Mason32]

Kabimba was a starter at Stetson wasn't he or at least starter some games. Seems weird he'd come here to sit on the bench even with Oduro and Malik are in foul trouble.

 

[CHRISTOPHER JAMES JOLLAY]

I agree with some of the rotation things but very, very inconsequential to the final outcome. Hartwell is our 6th man right now and he pretty much has to be. He's been terrible, but at least he had three assists/13 minutes. Just hope he gets hot because we really, really need him and XJ first half of season especially. Streaky player...he'll also win us a game or two.

Fun trip down here. Pleasure meeting gmumike at the SUPER AWESOME BOJANGLES TAILGATE

Buddy offered me football tix so Im staying down for JMU-Towson

ALL ARE INVITED TO THE BOJANGLES LOT AT NOON

SUPER AWESOME BOJANGLES TAILGATE II

 

[CHRISTOPHER JAMES JOLLAY]

Also hunting season so bring your bassets

 

[GMU_Polevaulter]

Nice arena, nice club level area as well.
I think either a bit tired or emotional MD hangover or a bit of both - the player energy we have seen was lacking and the shots were not falling. 3 starters that had been lighting it up had a off night shooting.
Refs I thought had some questionable calls but like several have said the bench rotation needs to contribute at a higher level - taking care of the ball, defensively and offensively.

 

[sleeperpick]

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

Well except XJ who’s like third in mins and Oduro who shoots the ball 15 times a day. Maybe Frazier just isn’t very good. I mean y’all hype him after 2 good games last year

 

[gmujim92]

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.

Everyone shortens the rotation for conference play and that’s fine. You’re never going to play 7 games in a 2-week period in conference. And I get KE is trying to win every night, glad that he is, but part of that is managing minutes when some of the guys obviously have no legs.

That was a winnable game with even a C-level performance but we didn’t get that.

He’s 33 and nobody should expect him to be perfect.

 

[GSII]

He's 33....really...there is alot of experience on that bench. Where was the back door cuts to keep them honest??

 

[Five Two]

I'm looking at it this way (other than I owe two people lunch because we laid an egg)-
On Wednesday night, the casual college basketball fan saw we beat Maryland and took notice
On Friday night, the casual college basketball fan didn't know we even had a game
Time to move on

 

[Mason32]

Well except XJ who’s like third in mins and Oduro who shoots the ball 15 times a day. Maybe Frazier just isn’t very good. I mean y’all hype him after 2 good games last year

Yes everyone sucks when we lose, got it. You said the same thing for 2 years about Oduro

 

[FreeGunston12]

Well except XJ who’s like third in mins and Oduro who shoots the ball 15 times a day. Maybe Frazier just isn’t very good. I mean y’all hype him after 2 good games last year

I mean he had 9 and 3 in 9 minutes against Morgan St., who also played with a lot of pressure and pace. He has looked good from what I've seen in practice. He can slot in 2-4 and give us some flexibility in the rotation. Maybe he's not fully healthy, but we've got to get him to contribute if we want to have any bench production this year.

 

[sleeperpick]

Yes everyone sucks when we lose, got it. You said the same thing for 2 years about Oduro

The kids that can’t find minutes might just not be good enough to play and the coach may know more than you and I about that. Mike gray looked horrible first couple games and he hasn’t played a minute when it counted. OTis scored in garbage time and hasn’t seen the court since, maybe the coach knows he’s injured or not good enough to contribute. Just a thought. We are talking about this year, new coach, new Oduro with 5% body fat that still can’t rebound or play defense but is amazing offensively other than last night.

 

[GMUgemini]

Well except XJ who’s like third in mins and Oduro who shoots the ball 15 times a day. Maybe Frazier just isn’t very good. I mean y’all hype him after 2 good games last year

Hard to say. I'd say he's closest to Schwartz in build and game and in a tight game English is going to trust Schwartz to be on the floor a lot more than Frazier. Even if you say, well, you can have them both on the floor together, he's going to be taking minutes from Gaines or Cooper, and is English going to trust Frazier over Gaines or Cooper in a tight game?

Blake is a skinny freshman, but he's 6'9 and brings a different dimension to the lineup when he's out there. Hartwell is undersized, but he's a ballhandler and our backup PG right now. Henry obviously is our backup center.

I think for Frazier, he's going to have to be really, really good to take minutes away from the starters at his position.

 

[FreeGunston12]

Hard to say. I'd say he's closest to Schwartz in build and game and in a tight game English is going to trust Schwartz to be on the floor a lot more than Frazier. Even if you say, well, you can have them both on the floor together, he's going to be taking minutes from Gaines or Cooper, and is English going to trust Frazier over Gaines or Cooper in a tight game?

Blake is a skinny freshman, but he's 6'9 and brings a different dimension to the lineup when he's out there. Hartwell is undersized, but he's a ballhandler and our backup PG right now. Henry obviously is our backup center.

I think for Frazier, he's going to have to be really, really good to take minutes away from the starters at his position.

Why can't he take minutes from Hartwell?

 

[GMU79]

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

As with every coach.

 

[sleeperpick]

Why can't he take minutes from Hartwell?

Because I don’t think he’s as good of a ball handler as our fans allude. Trust me I want Hartwells minutes at least cut in half but I’m not seeing a guard that can spell XJ not named Hartwell on our roster

 

[GMUgemini]

Why can't he take minutes from Hartwell?

Because up until this game, Hartwell had been a very good caretaker of the ball (averaging 2.5 apg, 0.8 to).

And let's keep in mind that Frazier was coming back from injury in the first two games of the season, played a few end of game minutes against Morgan State and then we played UMD (close game) and JMU (playing from behind for most of it).

We don't know what the rest of the season is going to look like right now.

 

[Jack Strop]

Five games in 11 days ending on a two-game road trip against two of Mason's top-five most-hated rivals—that's a tough draw. Hated to lose the finale of this stretch—missed an opportunity there.

Horrible turnovers, many good shots missed, Oduro fouling out = fatigue. JMU wasn't tired and didn't play much better (just sayin'). At least our boys got to sleep in their own beds last night before heading to SD.

Coach Kim said that, "...this is how life is in the NBA—let's see how the team handles it." Loss to JMU is a good teaching moment. I like the fact that as sloppy as that game was, it was within one shot, one stop, of being a win.

 

[FreeGunston12]

Because I don’t think he’s as good of a ball handler as our fans allude. Trust me I want Hartwells minutes at least cut in half but I’m not seeing a guard that can spell XJ not named Hartwell on our roster

Frazier wouldn't be taking the minutes at the 1. Xj or Cooper would be playing there. Shifting Gaines or Shwartz to the 2 if needed in that case. Hartwell would still get some minutes at the 1 too. But no more XJ and Hartwell on the floor at the same time is basically what I'm proposing.

 

[GMU1983]

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.

You are right our crown on hear just doesn't get it we need yell leaders or coordinators