Giant Killer Updates

[GSII]

So TV announcers can talk about it but our press guys cant ask about it?

When Mar scored over 10pts a gm last year we won it seemed. The steep decline warrants a question.

 

[GMUgemini]

So TV announcers can talk about it but our press guys cant ask about it?

When Mar scored over 10pts a gm last year we won it seemed. The steep decline warrants a question.

I think he scored 10 points twice last year, W&M and St. Joes...

You are thinking two years ago when he averaged 10ppg

 

[GSII]

I think he scored 10 points twice last year, W&M and St. Joes...

You are thinking two years ago when he averaged 10ppg

Yes. He was hurt last year.

 

[patriotchild]

Yeah. Unfortunately Mar should have been a key piece for this team and his lack of ability this year severely handicapped this team once the injuries occurred.

agree with the points made so far. you can’t ask this question after a game unless Mar does something positive so you can phrase it different. Otherwise, You’ll look like an a**.

 

[GMUgemini]

Yeah. Unfortunately Mar should have been a key piece for this team and his lack of ability this year severely handicapped this team once the injuries occurred.

agree with the points made so far. you can’t ask this question after a game unless Mar does something positive so you can phrase it different. Otherwise, You’ll look like an a**.

After Mar's disastrous sophomore season, we couldn't really count on him being a key piece, though -- I had hope he could bounce back, but he's gotten worse, unfortunately.

 

[By George.]

Yeah. Unfortunately Mar should have been a key piece for this team and his lack of ability this year severely handicapped this team once the injuries occurred.

agree with the points made so far. you can’t ask this question after a game unless Mar does something positive so you can phrase it different. Otherwise, You’ll look like an a**.

Yeah, people assume it’s easy to sit in there, in front of Brad and co, and ask whatever I’m curious about. I’m still hopeful Mar finds himself and want nothing to do with destroying his confidence any further. I’ve talked to others at Mason about it and they’re as dumbfounded as many of you.

 

[FreeGunston12]

Yeah, people assume it’s easy to sit in there, in front of Brad and co, and ask whatever I’m curious about. I’m still hopefully Mar finds himself and want nothing to do with destroying his confidence any further. I’ve talked to others at Mason about it and they’re as dumbfounded as many of you.

I'm way more concerned with Miller and XJ's progression. Maybe there's a question to ask there that wouldn't be so dickish.

 

[Leesburg Chankenstank III]

Yeah, people assume it’s easy to sit in there, in front of Brad and co, and ask whatever I’m curious about. I’m still hopeful Mar finds himself and want nothing to do with destroying his confidence any further. I’ve talked to others at Mason about it and they’re as dumbfounded as many of you.

If Brad is that sensitive that his feathers would get ruffled at tough questions here at MASON, I can’t wait to see how this so called prodigy of an AD (that the gamecocks think is so great) will handle the South Carolina media.

Come on Gamecocks, take this fugazi already!

 

[gmubrian]

I'm way more concerned with Miller and XJ's progression. Maybe there's a question to ask there that wouldn't be so dickish.

If you can’t ask about Mar how do you ask that?

“DP, except for Shevon, your stars have all seemed to fade to the finish. Mar had a good freshman year and is spiraling down. Reuter looked worse as the season went along and ended up having to leave. Otis was almost literally half the player his senior year as he was previous years. Kier’s injuries... Given that, do you think Miller and XJ will suffer the same demise?”

 

[FreeGunston12]

If you can’t ask about Mar how do you ask that?

“DP, except for Shevon, your stars have all seemed to fade to the finish. Mar had a good freshman year and is spiraling down. Reuter looked worse as the season went along and ended up having to leave. Otis was almost literally half the player his senior year as he was previous years. Kier’s injuries... Given that, do you think Miller and XJ will suffer the same demise?”

Use stats. "Coach, Jordan Miller is shooting 39% from 3 on the season, but he has made just 12% over the last 4 games. He is also shooting 26% from the field over that time. Are defenses keying in more on him now, and what can you do to get him back to the type of efficiency we saw from him earlier in the season?".

I don't know, something like that. I thinks it's better than asking a question that spans multiple seasons with Mar now.

 

[patriotchild]

Use stats. "Coach, Jordan Miller is shooting 39% from 3 on the season, but he has made just 12% over the last 4 games. He is also shooting 26% from the field over that time. Are defenses keying in more on him now, and what can you do to get him back to the type of efficiency we saw from him earlier in the season?".

I don't know, something like that. I thinks it's better than asking a question that spans multiple seasons with Mar now.

Agree. Unless it’s an end of year recap or presser you have to ask questions related to what happened in current game. If the opportunity rises you use that context to spin it into the larger question. Using stats or specific examples is a must, otherwise it’s just like one of us board nuckleheads asking a fanboy question.

 

[Mason32]

Mar overachieved with extra playing time because of DP’s recruiting and literally no one else to play up front. Came to back to life

 

[FreeGunston12]

Mar overachieved with extra playing time because of DP’s recruiting and literally no one else to play up front. Came to back to life

Perhaps. But to overachieve for an entire season? A freshman season?

Mar had 26 and 7 @vcu, playing against Tillman/Lane. By the way, Santos-Silva logged just 1 minute that game.

There is more to this story than just regression to the mean. To me, his movement doesn't look right. I bet he compensated for his foot injury and now his knees/hips are messed up too.

Plus his confidence is entirely shot. I wonder if he is just getting every shot blocked by AJ in practice or something. There is definitely a combination of factors going on, but I think it starts with his lower body strength/ kinetic chain.

 

[GMUgemini]

Perhaps. But to overachieve for an entire season? A freshman season?

Mar had 26 and 7 @vcu, playing against Tillman/Lane. By the way, Santos-Silva logged just 1 minute that game.

There is more to this story than just regression to the mean. To me, his movement doesn't look right. I bet he compensated for his foot injury and now his knees/hips are messed up too.

Plus his confidence is entirely shot. I wonder if he is just getting every shot blocked by AJ in practice or something. There is definitely a combination of factors going on, but I think it starts with his lower body strength/ kinetic chain.

Yeah, he went from shooting almost 36% from 3 his freshman year to 8% this year. I don't think an 8% shooter spends an entire season shooting 112 3s and makes 36% of them by accident (wish I could go back and see if his mechanics have changed at all, because the way he shoots right now doesn't look right). He's also a lot less patient with the ball. He used to be a master at getting his defender to bite on pump fakes around the rim and get them into the air and either get the easy lay-in or getting fouled and going to the line (he shot 128 FT his freshman year, made 79.7% of them), now he seems to want to get the ball out of his hands as fast as possible.

You could be right about over-compensating and screwing up his hip and knee. He seemed to be rushed back (and for what? to play in two meaningless post-season games?) His recovery might have been too aggressive.

 

[By George.]

Y’all have inspired me, I’ll dive deeper. I never believed in his form, so I’m not as surprised in his fall off. I think the issues are pretty clear, and with Otis handling the show he was able to fit in and hit jumpers/shot fake against big men. Throw in the injury which limited him from getting more athletic, which he needed and here we are. I still think Mar has plenty of skills we need.

I want to read DB’s playbook so bad, so I can stop relying solely off what I see, but Mar doesn’t benefit from our motion offense right now, we need to run plays to free him up in his comfort spots if we want to get him going. Basketball is a game of runs, even individually, some guys score in bunches. Some coaches call plays and feed their guys on purpose, just doesn’t feel like anyone is confident in Mar, including himself.

 

[Falco]

It has to be mental at this point. You don't go from being a scorer and elite defender to not knowing how to play the game of basketball. He probably needs a psychologist to help him out.

Probably true. But you could frame a question about Mar’s injury. It’s less insulting that way

 

[Falco]

How would you realistically phrase the question?

Coach, is Mar completely healed from his foot injury?

 

[Pablo]

How would you realistically phrase the question?

I would simply ask him: "Can you explain Mar's shooting slump?"

BTW, Mar's 3-pt. shooting was in decline prior to the injury, although still significantly better than the current 8.0%:

2017-18: 40-112 (35.7%)
2018-19 (prior to injury): 10-42 (23.8%)
2018-19 (after surgery): 1-4 (25.0%)
2019-20: 2-25 (8.0%)

 

[mkaufman1]

Probably true. But you could frame a question about Mar’s injury. It’s less insulting that way

Yeah there are definitely ways to phrase it.

I just don’t get it at all. I watched Mar in an all star game in DC a few years ago, and I saw an athletic 6’7 wing who got up the floor, defended well in transition, and stretched the defense to the 3 point line with the threat to hit a 3.

Now he’s an athletic wing who plays okay defense, is not a threat to score at all, and seems to be afraid of having the ball. I really hope he turns it around and is working day and night to figure it all out.

 

[KAOriginal]

Yeah there are definitely ways to phrase it.

I just don’t get it at all. I watched Mar in an all star game in DC a few years ago, and I saw an athletic 6’7 wing who got up the floor, defended well in transition, and stretched the defense to the 3 point line with the threat to hit a 3.

Now he’s an athletic wing who plays okay defense, is not a threat to score at all, and seems to be afraid of having the ball. I really hope he turns it around and is working day and night to figure it all out.

He got the yips. He's done.