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Post by wsutommygun on Feb 16, 2014 20:40:07 GMT -5
BBallRaider, you made me think of a few things. I had to chuckle about putting in new things and expecting that by this time of year the guys should be able to pick up plays. Can't comment on this year's team but, you'd think everyone that has been here for awhile should know the important stuff. Anyway, I remember Brad's first year and we got thumped by Bradley ( I was at the game at Butler that year when we got thumped by them, too...not to worry, I wasn't a total jinx because I did see some road wins ) and I asked if that is how you like to run the motion offense to which he said no, he preferred a slower pace. Billy has talked about a motion offense...maybe that is something to work with concerning its use.
I do have a good feeling about the next recruit saying he's down to 3 teams, Duke, Kentucky, and Wright State.
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Post by uptempo on Feb 16, 2014 23:18:07 GMT -5
I welcome feedback that calls me an idiot but as an avid basketball fan with no real technical understanding beyond the high school level I have to wonder this. BD team clearly is well coached if not one of the nations better coachesd defenses. Why not let our guys run like they did in desperation at the end of today's game where we closed a 13 pt deficit and won. We seriously have offensive talent and no post player that traditionally calls for a slow 1/2 court offense. Why not run and gun with our quick talented guys, especially with our depth!! We won because of depth today. What am I missing? Great post. This is what everyone has been saying all year. This team is talented, deep, yet small. Get the ball up and down the court. Wear the opponent out with numbers and win.
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Post by hhgreen on Feb 18, 2014 11:27:43 GMT -5
Don't be shocked if BD don't get an offer from a bigger school with a bigger basketball budget. I would think there are a couple dozen colleges wanting a defensive minded coach that want to get better kids in their school to play ball. I could see him going to a Northwestern or Tulane or somewhere like that
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Post by raiders93 on Feb 18, 2014 11:52:57 GMT -5
I would be sort of surprised. He has no great wins. He is just above .500 as HC. He has no significant postseason success to speak of. (In my mind). I see the possibility but think he needs to prove a little more. We will see what happens in the HL tournament.
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Post by mrose on Feb 18, 2014 12:02:49 GMT -5
Northwestern has a new coach. They hired Chris Collins (formerly a Duke Assistant) last spring--this is just his first year in Evanston.
I too would be surprised, but HAPPY!, if a big basketball school offered BD its top job. Quite frankly, I don't think his resume he built here would excite many alumni and fans of bigger basketball schools.
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Post by gerb on Feb 18, 2014 12:53:05 GMT -5
I have seen some head scratching hires before (I'm a Detroit Lions fan) but I have a very hard time believing anyone would be interested in a ~.500 coach who can't draw fans. MAYBE if he pulls one of the all-time greatest miracles and wins a round in the tournament. I think the most likely scenario if he keeps a status quo record is that he gets canned and Brownell or someone picks him up as top assistant again. I hope I'm wrong and he can right the ship. Im rooting like hell to have Billy turn it around, but I think that's where things ultimately end up.
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Post by wolf41 on Feb 18, 2014 13:45:51 GMT -5
At this point in his career I doubt that there is much interest by a school with more success than WSU reaching down to bid Billy away to greener pastures. If he has success next year and beyond, then it could happen. IF he can develop a top notch defense that can shoot the lights out, drive the lane, protect the ball, rebound, etc. then the sky is the limit for him. But right now his only claim to fame is defense, and even that claim is a bit cloudy IMO.
I think he is a personable coach who works hard and is liked by his players. Those are all positive attributes. But until he can win 20+ games a year against a decent schedule, and get to the NCAA and have some success, I suspect he'll be mired at WSU or some similar school. Sad to say, but since Underhill was let go, WSU has been running in place relative to the national picture. Until we break out and become established as a known winning commodity I don't expect many schools will be looking to WSU as a cradle of basketball coaches. So far we have had a volleyball coach taken by Iowa, a softball coach taken by Arkansas, and a baseball coach taken by Penn State. So the best we can do is wish him success at WSU if his desire is to move into the upper level of basketball coaches.
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Post by keithfromxenia on Feb 18, 2014 14:04:23 GMT -5
Guys, I could be all wrong about this, but I swear hh was pulling our leg, just a hint of sarcasm.
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Post by hhgreen on Feb 18, 2014 15:36:09 GMT -5
KFX you are very intuitive. Your post are usually spot on as a realist.
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Post by wolf41 on Feb 20, 2014 16:41:56 GMT -5
I have been thinking lately about the similarities and differences between the men's and women's teams. Recently I'd say the women have been going with one tall player and 4 guards on the floor at any one time. I think Donlon would actually like to do that himself, and maybe next year or thereafter we'll get to see that play out with the guards he has coming in next year. Now Coach Bradbury may disagree with my saying that he starts 4 guards. But when the other team is out sizing you on the front line, I consider forwards at 5'8" and less to really be guards that give you the speed and quickness that you want on the court at all times.
The actual play that ensues on the court is like night and day. Since most of you hardly ever see a women's game I'll spend a little more time discussing it. Quite simply it is the closest thing to a horse race that I have seen at WSU. On every defensive rebound the team is geared to run, trying to get a fast break lay up, an open pull-up jump shot or 3-pointer, or draw a foul. If that doesn't happen, they set up and start moving the ball quickly in an attempt to open a crack for a shot or a foul. In this run and gun offense, my term, their shooting %s are usually not as good as the men's team, but I think they accept that in the larger scheme of things.
The larger scheme, in this case, is to wear the other team out, sooner or later. There have been games where the other teams have hung with them most of the way, but sooner or later the pace wears on the other team. The fouls mount, their rebounding may fall off, mental mistakes/TOs begin to break our way. I think WSU doesn't care if they only win by 1 point, as long as WSU wins. All in all, it is an exciting game to watch, even with a smaller crowd. It also works as the team is currently 19-7 and ranked around 13th in the mid-major poll, ahead of the perennial HL champion Green Bay.
In the end the women's team usually loses the boards, with an average short fall of 5 boards. They are out shot in %s from the field and arc. And yet they win. They win because while they are shooting .403 from the field to the opponents .466, they have taken 1651 shots versus the other team's 1424, making 666 shots versus 664. They also shoot .323 from the arc versus .350 for the other teams. Again, they have shot 617 shots from the arc versus 389 for the opposition, and end up making 63 more 3 pointers. They also draw more fouls, nearly 100, and shoot .710 from the line versus .671.
But a major key to their abundance of shots and baskets is their defense. They have 303 TOs while the other teams have 530. They have 241 steals to the other teams 127. The net result is a winning margin of 6.2 points against a very strong schedule.
The men's team, on the other hand, has a winning margin 5.4 versus a much weaker schedule. They shoot a better % from the field, but have taken over 300 fewer shots than the women. They have a better % from the arc, but have taken nearly 200 fewer shots than the women. From the line they once again have a higher % than the women, but have taken fewer shots. On the defensive side they have an advantage in TOs versus the opponents of 84, whereas the women's edge is 227. The men have 200 steals versus 155 for their opponents, an edge of 45. The women's advantage is 114.
In short, as has been commented about all year, the men are playing at a much slower pace, taking fewer shows and getting less from their defense than the women. All of that is relative, of course, since they are playing different opponents. I know some folks have said that they don't care about Ws and Ls, but they just want to see "good" "entertaining" games with good GPAs and graduation rates. That's fine for them.
Yet these same folks, for the most part, don't attend women's games.
In any case, we'll be there tomorrow night to root for the Raiders. We need to win these next 3 games and I think the team can do that.
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Post by wsutommygun on Feb 20, 2014 21:35:18 GMT -5
Wolf41, Bradbury won't disagree that he starts 4 guards. That is the way they've been announced all season. I've never heard of women's schedules mention RPI's or big name teams being afraid of going on the road to a mid-major. I can't say anything against the Lady Raiders and the job Bradbury has done but, you see very few men's season ticket holders ( with their free all-sports pass ) crossover to watch both. It may not make sense or fair to the ladies but, we need the men to do well for the university regardless of how any other WSU team performs.
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Post by copeinc on Feb 23, 2014 13:35:09 GMT -5
Wright State should be at the top of the Horizon league. It has the facilities and student population to support a competitive team in the Horizon league. If the current coach can't be in the top 2 or 3 in this league I see the year as a failure. Wright State should be a school that is getting offers from other leagues. How is Butler and Loyola getting offers and Wright State not? Let's give Donlon one more year. One year should allow us to see his vision more clearly.
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Post by Class of '83 on Feb 23, 2014 16:29:02 GMT -5
How is Butler and Loyola getting offers and Wright State not? Statements like this make our fan base look delusional. Wright State has absolutely nothing going for it in regards to conference expansion compared to Butler or Loyola. Butler has had tremendous basketball success. They have made 12 trips to the NCAA tournament. They have made it to the championship game twice. Overall they have won 19 NCAA tournament games. That alone would have gotten them invited to a better conference. They also have the benefit of being an elite academic school in a major media market. Loyola has been down as a basketball program for quite some time, but they still have solid NCAA tournament credentials. They have made 5 appearances in the NCAA tournament. They have made it to 2 final fours and have 1 National Championship. Overall, they have won 9 NCAA tournament games. They also have the benefit of being an elite academic school in a major media market. Wright State has 2 NCAA tournament appearances and we got our asses kicked in both games. We are very very far from being considered an elite academic institution and we are the second tier school in our own city, which is a much much smaller media market than either Indianapolis or Chicago.
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Post by raidergrad98 on Feb 24, 2014 9:19:36 GMT -5
How is Butler and Loyola getting offers and Wright State not? Statements like this make our fan base look delusional. Wright State has absolutely nothing going for it in regards to conference expansion compared to Butler or Loyola. Butler has had tremendous basketball success. They have made 12 trips to the NCAA tournament. They have made it to the championship game twice. Overall they have won 19 NCAA tournament games. That alone would have gotten them invited to a better conference. They also have the benefit of being an elite academic school in a major media market. Loyola has been down as a basketball program for quite some time, but they still have solid NCAA tournament credentials. They have made 5 appearances in the NCAA tournament. They have made it to 2 final fours and have 1 National Championship. Overall, they have won 9 NCAA tournament games. They also have the benefit of being an elite academic school in a major media market. Wright State has 2 NCAA tournament appearances and we got our asses kicked in both games. We are very very far from being considered an elite academic institution and we are the second tier school in our own city, which is a much much smaller media market than either Indianapolis or Chicago. Wow, you should give the pep talks before games or maybe the commencement address. :-)
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Post by hhgreen on Feb 24, 2014 12:13:08 GMT -5
We got some good kids coming in next year from what it looks like Donlon will have to change his philosophy of Defense Defense Defense to Defense Offense Rebounding. These kids coming in are in an offensive mind. From film footage there is not too many of them worried about defense.
I don't see us being world beaters at the first half of next season but if Billy can get them playing some sort of defense later in 2015 we might finish around 5 or 6th in league play next year.
Our pitiful schedule probably won't be any better next year considering all the new personnel coming in. Can't see us scheduling Kentucky, Michigan St, Ohio St and the like. I see Alcorn State for at least a couple more years.
Billy is either gone this year or here for another 3 years at least. Has to be given a chance to get the new recruits going. We are going to have a pretty new class of players two years straight.
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