Looking Ahead: Concordia Irvine 11/4

DoubleDipper wrote:let's get loud!

AGREED!

Rev Tweets: "Tanner Riley (ankle) and Eric Waterford (calf) "out" for (tomorrow's) 7 pm exhibition game against Concordia Eagles from Irvine."

Getting a little thin in the backcourt; a good chance for others to step it up, Derrick, David!!

I'd rather see them play at UW, so that's ok. Let's hope they heal quickly.

I am looking forward to tonight's game! With Riley & Waterford out it should give us a chance to see K Bailey and Thieleke get meaningful minutes. I am really looking forward to seeing this freshman class.

I think we can all agree that the referees were making questionable calls at times, but let's focus on the play and the players.

First off, David Carr hits the final shot (I believe), so congrats to him!

The play was rather sloppy at times, and the game was closer than I would have liked. But at least the guys felt some of that pressure early on and came away with a win.

Lastly, FREE THROWS: They will make or break your team. Every close game lost is generally lost by free throws in my opinion. You have to make those and the guys need some work on that.

Yep, David Carr, welcome to the show. Kevin Bailey and Cason had some good periods out there as well. I'm looking forward to seeing how Nicholas and Barker develop over the season.

Not hitting free throws down the stretch seems like it's been a problem for a while.

Holy Cow! What a game. Nothing like an OT thriller in exhibition to get you mentally prepared for next weekend. Of course a TON of turnovers but TD accounted for 10 of them and he will be able to cut down on those with more time on the court. Rebounding was the difference here, CU had 21 points off second chances, need to cut those well off. Wings need to box out! It doesnt do a lot of good when for example Barker and Ryan seal off their men and perimater players swoop in and grab the board. Team game gentlemen in all facets.
A lot of good things to take away however. Carr played well, Kevin continues to impress just need Nem to get back to A game form. It will continue to be a win by comittee team, nothing wrong with that but I like our group, cant say they arent exciting.......

Ryan Nicholas may not be the best choice to throw in the ball in the waning moments of a game--what a lapse in judgment and the long throws to a streaking big, who in the unlikely event he caught the ball, would still have lost it. This happened not once but twice. Of course our guards could have done a better job of hustling to get open rather than planting themselves despite being pressed.

The freshmen appeared better than the sophmores: Carr, Bailey and Caison need to be on the court. Each arguably contributes at their position. Though Riley did not play, there was plenty of firepower.

Van Der Mars has questionable hands--sure had a time holding on to balls that went through his hands, perhaps two of Douglass' turnovers, but he can rebound--an apparent weakness of this version of the squad.

Go Pilots!

wrv- valid points but there were a lot of positives out there, some of them intangibales. We are deeper than last year, we have two players at each position that will play. Last year the team got tired because of just the lack of what we are doing so far this season. We need to peak later in the season rather than the first half. We overplayed some positions and it showed.
This year it will be a combination of classes playing this year. It would be great if the starters averaged around 24 minutes a game this year. That is a perfect amount of game time to make sure they are balanced from start to finish of the season. And we have freshmen that can average the remaining minutes and everyone gets a chance to improve and grow. With that said I like who starts and even more who is ending the games.
The beauty of this kind of team is that they arent dependent on one or two guys to be there night after night. We have a lot of players that can score and play defense. Some nights like tonight Tim may lead scorers, but on any night Barker can, Nem will, Tanner Bailey and Carr will be fantastic as well. Nicholas is alwyas going to be consistent with his game. Balance. Five scored in double digits tonight and that is a great example of being balanced.

Inbounds plays were a problem all last year, and there are still obvious issues as mentioned. Not understanding why the guys don't run the baseline after made baskets to help with the passing lanes.

Not only did the 'over the top' inbounds passes not work, but there were several lobs to the post players that failed. Need to improve there. Way fewer 3-pt attempts tonight, shooting 5 of 11 instead of the 3 of 20 performance last week. Good to see that. Hate to see the 8 point lead lost to end the regulation time; seemed to me some of the shots taken were ill advised when more time could have been burned off the clock.

So far coach is playing with a deep bench, using all but one scholarship player and the two injured players. That will help next weekend in the 3 game tournament. I will be interested to see if the rotation tightens up as the season develops.

Really good student attendance for the exhibition games. Good enthusiasm from the front row group, plus some natty outfits.

oldtimer wrote:Holy Cow! What a game

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I couldn't agree more!! Oldtimer, wrv, and up7587 gave expert analysis of tonight's excitement, so I will only add one thought. One player was much improved and much more "in charge" this year over last, Derrick Rodgers. He's no scorer like Tim, but he's strong, tough, and athletic. When he took over for Tim there was no let-up in the tempo, and his 3 turnovers with 3 assists and 6 points (in 13 minutes) compare favorably with TD at the beginning of last year and certainly with Eric.

Holy Cow; I don't think we'll see a more exciting game this year! Rev has said we may not win as many games with this young team as we're used to, but "we'll be entertaining." Loved the enthusiasm from the Schoenfelt Hall crowd; they added something that's really been missing for a long time -- good old college enthusiasm. And yes, those natty sweater vests with crests (and ties too) added a great Catholic School charm to the student body(although they may not want to hear themselves described as "charming").

I like the energy from the student section. This kind of buzz has been missing from them for a few years. I love hearing the scoreboard chant but maybe next time wait until there's less than 13 minutes to go with a six point lead. Exhibition games are for learning.

Exciting game, for sure... Riley Barker is going to be good. Really good.

Kevin Bailey had some great moves, too... this team is WAY more athletic than any in recent history; I cant wait to watch them develop!

Game highlights: