There are dozens of ways that this could have happened differently. Jeff Jones could have called for a foul to send Lafayette to the line for two at the end of regulation, instead Ryan Willen ties the game at 53 with a long three. Troy Brewer's three could have rolled in instead of out. Vlad could have hit that three in the corner with six seconds left in the second overtime.
AU had a shot to win the game at the end of regulation and the first overtime, and a chance to extend their lead with a few seconds left in the second overtime. But they didn't get it done. Lafayette had one hectic chance with time expiring in the second overtime, and Jim Mower buried it over a diving Nick Hendra. All of the sudden, that was it. The next full-court inbounds was a formality. Nick Hendra tried to find Vlad Moldoveanu, but his pass was plucked out of the air.
"I'm really sorry," Hendra said through tears, "that this team couldn't bring back the championship to where it belongs. And I feel personally responsible for that."
"I'm not really sure what happened," Moldoveanu said. "We were up six [in the second overtime], and it felt like the next second the game was tied.
"They made big shots, and we - slash, I think I - missed big shots. And kind of like Nick said, I feel really guilty for it. Last year's playoffs, now this year, this game, I got to take a lot of blame for it."
AU had been down most of the second half, but they had always kept the deficit manageable. Five points, three points, but you always knew they would cut it down. If they could make an 18-6 run against Colgate, they could squeak out a 7-0 run on Lafayette.
"I don't think we played well," Jones said. "We played awfully hard."
That might be the epithet written on the 2010-11 Eagles' tombstone. The effort was there, as was the goodwill, but there was always a stretch - however small - of bad play that would come back to doom them, or at least expose their mortality.
What makes tonight's example so excruciating was that the Eagles had their chances. It wasn't sloppy turnovers. It was a three pointer rolling out of the basket.
"Whether you're college age or a 50-year-old coach, it's the kind of thing that sticks with you," Jones said. "Hopefully with time, that pain and that disappointment will subside a little bit."
Maybe. But part of what makes this so shocking is that this year's senior class includes three starters, and Moldoveanu joined the 1,000 point club tonight after just 53 games. He will wind up tied with Gordon Stiles, who scored 1,012 points between 1967-1970. Replacing Moldoveanu's production will no doubt be done by committee. But it will be a committee of unproven players who didn't play much this season.
Stephen Lumpkins will be back. Brewer will be back. Charles Hinkle will be back. We'll probably get our first real look at Wayne Simon II. Jordan Borucki will get more than the six minutes he got this season. Warren Flood, Jr. may get an expanded role. Incoming freshman forward Kyle Kager looks promising. But we don't really know what next year's team will look like. We can guess, but we don't know.
That is the question for the next eight months while Jones and his staff assess the status of the roster. As much as I loved Moldoveanu, and he was one of the best players we will see in Bender for a while, here's hoping the next iteration of the Eagles is more balanced offensively. The difference between the '08-'09 teams and the '10-'11 teams was that you knew who would produce in those first two years. But In the last two seasons, it was Vlad and the rest. It was difficult to judge who else would provide meaningful production every night.
These Eagles gave us great moments. The double overtime win last Friday at Lafayette, the 5-0 start, the Cable Car Classic win, the one-point win at Lehigh, and that magical second half run to put Colgate away last Wednesday. All told, it was another 20-win season, the team's third in four years. After the game, Jones gave a farewell to the three players that won't be here to make another run next season.
"I wanted to thank them," he said. "I hope each of their teammates has an opportunity to thank them. Not just for what they've done as far as basketball, but for them as people and their contributions across the board. You look at it, and Luptak and Hendra are kind of your typical [player]. They've grown up so much and they've come so far. With Vlad, it's hard to believe that somebody in just a year and a half can have as much of an impact on a program. People will either believe me or they won't, but they need to understand, that with Vlad it's not just about him being a good player. He's a damn good player. But he's a great teammate. He's just an outstanding young man and I think has made my job easier and hopefully his teammates have enjoyed playing with him. I think it's rare that you play with someone that good who's also that good a person."
A toast to the 2010-11 AU Eagles. You went before your time, but it was a sweet ride.
"Jeff Jones could have called for a foul to send Lafayette to the line for two at the end of regulation, instead Ryan Willen ties the game at 53 with a long three. Troy Brewer's three could have rolled in instead of out. Vlad could have hit that three in the corner with six seconds left in the second overtime."
ReplyDeleteI thought a big moment was when Lump went to the line with 20+ seconds left in regulation and drained the first shot but missed the second. Had that second shot from the charity stripe dropped in its a two possession game and most likely the game is over.
With so many missed opportunities I don't want to pin it on one player or play, but I thought that was significant.
All around, a solid season, but this AU team has always been underwhelming, and it really shouldn't have been. This was never really a team that made you believe in or expect miracles. Granted, with the exception of yesterday, they pretty much played exactly at expectations, losing the tough games they were supposed to lose, and winning the rest of them. But still, there was never really any fight in this team (except when it shouldn't have been necessary against a below .500, albeit gritty, Lafayette) And that probably explains why it felt so damn hard yesterday to overcome what was never more than a 2 possession deficit. This was also not a team that ever gave you a reason to be confident. Lumpkins committing a foul in the back court yesterday was just another in a long string of lapses in judgement by him and the rest of the AU squad. These guys obviously were a talented bunch, but with a low basketball IQ and weak on the fundamentals. Jeff Jones has to share a healthy portion of the blame for that. These basic shortcomings also made this AU team I could never have realistically imagined pulling off an NCAA upset. That's a high and unfair bar to hold a team to, but all I'm asking for is that faint glimmer of hope that if all the pieces fell into place we could do something special. We didn't have that this season. All we could ever hope for was that Vlad would put up 30+. Bucknell might have such a chance (if a whole lot goes their way), so I must say, as we approach the tourney, go bisons!
ReplyDeleteThat being said, it will be interesting to watch the next AU team take shape, except it's still a bit too sad to move on from this season to think about it too much. I look forward to seeing Brewer assert himself as a team leader. As a total aside, as I was going over yesterday's heartbreak time after time, I remembered that against Columbia, Brewer also put up an agonizingly close shot at the buzzer on the same hoop. Damn that rim to hell.
-Mike
I think JJ should tell Brewer to take a few hundred shots per day over the summer. He could be deadly if he was a bit more consistent. Next year might test AU's record of finishing fourth or better in the conference. The difference between this rebuilding year and 09-10 is that we knew Vlad was on his way then.
ReplyDeleteYesterday is still too painfully etched in the brain to be able to fully process it properly. With time will likely come a better sense of what this team was. But some things are clear.
ReplyDeleteI don't think any of us felt this was a great team, certainly not on par with the two NCAA teams. The reason was obvious: we were subpar at the point. Nick evolved into the position and had some really good moments, but he never was a point guard and it was indicative of how much we struggled there that he wound up being our best one. Not blaming or criticizing him; he did his best. But we were extremely limited because of that problem.
We also were a very unathletic team. Very few turnovers created, almost no fast-breaks or even secondary breaks. Because of that we had to slug it out every game in the halfcourt, and because we weren't a great shooting perimeter team that necessarily meant almost every game was going to be a close one. Eventually, you lose a close one, like we did yesterday.
I'm sure the JJ bashers will come out in force today and in the coming days. There's nothing any of us who support JJ and what he's done can do to change that. I do hope that we can add another big in the late signing period. I think Lump and Tony will be good next season but we could use another body. Recruiting will be crucial this year.
If--if--Wayne can take over at the point next year we could be interesting, with Brewer and Hinkle running out on the wings and Lump working inside. Replacing Vlad's scoring will be difficult, though not impossible. But we have to get the pg spot solidified if we're going to do anything in the near future.
This year might not be over quite yet. Looks like StatSheet has already projected AU to be in the CollegeInsider.com tourney: http://clawedfan.com/american-university-basketball/statseed-update/statsheet-projects-american-university-as-cit-team-03-01-2011.
ReplyDeleteHere's to hoping we get some postseason basketball to reward a great season!
Point guard was the least of our problems. Total points and assists per game and we matched or surpassed any point guard in the patriot league except for shazier. Our real problem lies in the lack of creativity on the offensive end. Very slow ball movement in our designed plays and little or no ball screens at the top of the key requiring players to constantly go one on one. Case in point was Tony Johnson. Almost every play started with a high screen being set. Our offensive sets start with a pass to the wing and then an instant look for vlad or lumpkins. Very little involvement by others except for hendra and troy. Luptak,munoz,simon,hinkle and wroblicky were simply role players with little or no expectation of scoring.
ReplyDeleteDisagree that next years team compares to 09-10. Next year we have troy and hinkle (players we did not have then). Lumpkins should be even more dominant (mintz and keister are gone)
Don't understand why people think wayne simon will take over the starting spot at point. H e had all year to beat out luptak and munoz and didn't get it done ( I hope I am wrong and he comes on strong next year).
Obviously it is very difficult to lose a great player like vlad. But this can be an opportunity to reset the offense and incorporate everyone into the game plan much like Lafayette and quite honestly most other teams.
A Patriot League rep told reporters last night that he didn't believe AU would accept an invitation to a tournament lower then the NIT. But it wouldn't shock me, and I'm sure the seniors would like one more game.
ReplyDeleteSo far, I can't quarrel with anything anyone has said. As noted, a sad and sudden ending to what had been in many ways a great and exciting season -- and not least of all exciting as a result of the hardwork of our AUHOOPS.COM Chief BLOGGER . . .of course, the contributers all helped too.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, let's hope for a post-season bid -- just to see the seniors one more time and good luck for next year!
I hoped against reality that somehow this AU team could over compensate for its shortcomings and win the tournament. It was my dream and that of all of us who watch this team closely, and are emotionally involved with winning and losing. Yet the facts proved those hopes were only wishful thinking.
ReplyDeleteThis AU team played with almost zero scoring from its point guards and the back line almost every game. You cannot play 4 on 5 on the offensive end and expect big success. Nick our 3 guard struggles also with his offense. Those are facts and not an opinion. It was the problem with game # 1, and the final game. Our kids played hard, but our strength up front sometimes could not make up for pathetic offense from the backline. We hustled, played strong defense but we are slow. Quick guards left our guys two steps behind. That is what is so frustrating to me. In the Patriot League especially, having talented big guys like we had this year, is usually a ticket to at least the finals. We all know its a lot easier to find recruits who are 5'11" guards who can play and score than it is to find 6'9" kids who can play and score. The big guys are usually grabbed up by the bigger programs. Our big guys are usually tweeners or projects. Not Vlad or Lump. They are big and they can play. How many of us have said "if this team only had a good point guard?"
I am sure that Coach Jones wants to win more than i do, and i assume that Wayne Simon and Blake Jolivette were not good enough to start. I know the coaches feel that Wayne is the point guard of the future. So let's hope he fulfills the expectations we have for him. Yet there is still that small lingering doubt in my mind that they could have "coached him up" while giving him some PT this year. We cannot start Munoz at the point next year and expect him to blossom into something he has not been. He and Steve Luptak do their very best, but they are not starting point guards even in the Patriot League, and would not start for one other PL program this year. It is not the guard's fault that we lost, just the fact that our team was not as complete as it had to be to win the Tournament.
Great Job on the Blog and keeping us in the loop with all your passion. I am confident about next season, and look forward to further postings.
I hope that AU actually declines a CBI or CIT bid. As much fun as it would be to see the team one more time, for the most part they are tournaments that require expensive last-minute travel, but do not have the benefits of added exposure like the NCAA or even the NIT provide. The championship games of these tournaments are not going to be on ESPN or the like, so the question is why would AU do that when the money could probably be better spent.
ReplyDeleteThe point guard play was average, not good nor that bad, at least by PL standards. We were spoiled with 4 years of Derrick Mercer. This year was tough because we were a forward-oriented team in a guard-heavy league.
I actually think that replacing Vlad's scoring will not be that hard. I anticipate (read: hope) Brewer and Hinkle will take steps forward over the summer so that those two players plus Lumpkins can score 40-50 points a night.
You cannot expect to be a championship caliber team with average point guard play. I would repeat that while seeing every PL team this season AU had point guards who would not start for our league rivals. you need a good point guard. great is better. By defintion: AU needed someone who was quick, top dribbler, top passer, solid defender, good play executor, threat to score from the arc and drive to the hoop. That is what a good point guard can do.
ReplyDeleteThe AU teams that reached the finals all had good if not top point guards : Stokes, Rodriguez, Mercer. Coach Jones certainly knows what the value of a top point guard is -since he was one. Recruiting is a crap shoot sometimes -and i am sure he hoped Blake would not be in the doghouse, and that Wayne would have been able to contribute some this season.
This is a team game, and you need strength at ALL positions in order to be a championship caliber team. Playing "3.5" men on offense against 5 is too much of an obstacle to overcome against solid teams. So it is not surprising that short of playing a near perfect game from the offensive side of the court that AU was not able to get to the championship.
I wish I could say we were average at the point. But we weren't. (Mike Sampson, for you old heads, was, to me, an average point guard. Andres Rodriguez was an average point guard.) BLB is exactly right; we were playing 3 or 4 on 5 most of the year. The reason our offense was so predictable was that we didn't have a point guard who could either shoot or break opponents down off the dribble with any consistency. All we could do was post Vlad or Lump (and Nick was quite good at post entry passes) or bring Vlad off a pin down for a jumper. That's all we had, and it won a lot of games for us this year because Vlad was so talented. But eventually, he was going to have a slightly off night like Sunday, and we would be in trouble.
ReplyDeleteI also agree (hope?) that next year we'll be more diverse offensively, out of necessity as much as anything else. This is why I hope Wayne can realize what JJ wants in a point and get the job, because he is, by far, our most dynamic point offensively. He can create for himself and get the ball to others. We will need to score by committee next season, with everyone carrying part of the load. I just don't see Danny being able to score enough or pass well enough for that to happen. But Wayne has to develop the kind of habits in games and in practice that JJ demands from his point guard.
I think I'm finally starting to recover a little from yesterday's shock, if only a little.
ReplyDeleteA few initial thoughts: I agree with most of what's being said, but let's remember that even with our weakness at guard, we went 22-9. When we're in a position to complain so fervently about a 22-win season, I am left confident about this program's future. In the non-conference schedule, we beat out teams even the 08-09 squad struggled with, we just couldn't get it done near the end. If a few shots had fallen differently, we could have gone to the Championship, or even the NCAA, but it's not helpful to play too much of the "what if game" at this point. Frankly, we probably would have been slaughtered in the NCAA Tourney and the silver lining is that at least our legacy there remains strong.
As for the CIT or CBI, those tournaments are privately run, and usually teams offset their price by the fact that they can draw huge crowds. Sadly, I don't think we'd be able to draw the road crowd necessary to make that kind of game worth it. While I'd love to give Vlad, Nick, and Steve one more game (especially as poor Vlad must be killing himself over that last three), I just don't see it being worth it. Better Vlad focuses on getting a great degree and then making a name for himself in Europe (or, in my ideal dream world, the NBA).
Finally, as for recruiting, I believe we currently don't have any scholarships beyond what we've given to John Schoof and Kyle Kager. Yes, I know we have three graduating seniors and two incoming freshmen, but due to the fact that we've been sporting a 17-man roster all season, I have a feeling at least one of those schollies is going to be spread around internally.
Speaking of a 17-man roster, it was telling that yesterday Vlad had 25 points, Lump 19, Troy 14, Nick 9...and everyone else 4. Without a doubt I don't think we'll be as bare next season as we were in 09-10, but I hope we really take the opportunity to make it more of a team effort. I'd also love to see one of our freshman really break out. In my four years at AU I've seen championship teams and three 20+ win seasons, but never a Rookie of the Year or even a single player on the All-Rookie squad. The reason is simple - we've relied on phenomenal transfers. Finally, however, I think our recruiting class will be entirely freshmen, and that's refreshing.
NJJ- sorry but Andres Rodriguez was a top, top point guard. Just ask Coach Jones and he will clear things up for you.
ReplyDeleteAndres Rodriguez was excellent. He transformed AU the very first time he stepped on the court - a win at Florida State. Before that, AU was a team that could lose by thirty (and did vs Maryland).
ReplyDeleteLast night's game was a very well played game against a team that toughened up by the end of the season. Almost every AU shot was a very good one; we had excellent decision-making. The fact is that we missed shots we usually have a good chance of making.
We didn't need a scoring point guard in this game; we got good shots. A few miscues, yes, that's to be expected. Every 3-pointer was just beyond the arc, on every one we were squared to the basket. Vlad and Lumpkins missed some easy inside shots, Hinkle missed a tremendously easy put back, Munoz missed that short, short pull up for the win, both teams played a hell of a game, and we could have had this one sealed away, but we misssed shots.
Maybe we were a bit stagnant on offense, but the end result would not have been different. We got the kinds of shots we look for. It's hard to do better than that.
JJ has done a good job of elevating the AU program over the years. I still remember the 90's when we played in the CAA and we were the definition of mediocrity. We have made strides since then.
ReplyDeleteWith that said, I don't think we're established enough to turn down any invite for a post season tournament. So if an invite comes our way, I think we should gladly accept and take any exposure (how little it may be) that may come with it as a result.
Final Four participant George Mason played in the CIT last year. It would be an honor for a PL team to be invited, and AU would be crazy not to accept.
ReplyDeleteQOUTE: "Finally, as for recruiting, I believe we currently don't have any scholarships beyond what we've given to John Schoof and Kyle Kager. Yes, I know we have three graduating seniors and two incoming freshmen, but due to the fact that we've been sporting a 17-man roster all season, I have a feeling at least one of those schollies is going to be spread around internally."
ReplyDelete- - - - - -
1. Yes, there is one scholarship available.
2. In basketball a scholarship cannot be "spread around". It has to go 100% to one player.
3. Although Jones may opt to save it for next year if he can't land the right player, I'd be very surprised if he gave it to a current non-scholarship player. (possibly Fischer for one-year only IF he ends up not using it.)
4. I wouldn't be surprised if he is looking at a juco as a possibility for the last scholarship.
5. Any chance of Jolivette transferring out and freeing up another scholarship?
@bison: As always, your insight is appreciated. I definitely used the wrong phrase when I wrote "spread around" - what I meant was that there's likely a non-scholarship player on the squad (maybe Fisher?) who is in line for one. Not sure if that's common practice or not, but I can easily see it happening. Anyway, good catch, I definitely didn't mean that a scholarship would be split between multiple players. As for a juco transfer, clearly we've had a lot of success with those in the past (Frank Borden recently comes to mind), but on the other hand I would really like to see us take the time to develop solid 4-year players instead of relying on another transfer (of which we already have 2 very solid ones). If I had to guess, I'd still say that the third scholarship will be used for an existing player, my own preferences aside. That's just my gut, which actually has a horrible track record, so who knows. ;)
ReplyDeleteAs for Jolivette, at this point I see him sticking around. If he were to transfer now, he'd only have a single year of eligibility left somewhere, and he has great relationships with the guys on this team and is well on his way to earning an AU degree. While it's *possible*, I'd say that ship has already sailed.
ReplyDeleteIt may be nothing and too much read into it, but i noticed at the end of the Colgate quarterfinal game, that Jones substituted Jolivette and Hill for the starters with 30 seconds left in the game. Joe Hill we know works his tail off in practice and I wonder if Jones rewarded him and Jolivette for those practice efforts. He left 3 other guards on the bench and chose those 2. Maybe Blake has figured out what JJ wants from him in order to get pt. Blake loves AU and chances are he will be on the roster come next fall.
ReplyDeleteQUOTE: "As for Jolivette, at this point I see him sticking around. If he were to transfer now, he'd only have a single year of eligibility left somewhere."
ReplyDelete- - - - -
No. If he transferred to another D1 program, he'd still have two years of eligibility left after his sit-out year. If he transferred to a D2/D3/NAIA school, he could play immediately and have two years left.
Re: CIT/CBI: are you guys nuts? We've made two postseason tournaments in 30 years! We don't have any right turning down anyone who offers to have us in their show. The better question: why on earth WOULDN'T you go if asked? When AU has been to 15 straight NCAAs, we can have this discussion. Not now. Go.
ReplyDeleteRe: Blake Jolivette: I have learned to never say never, but I doubt Blake is going to transfer at this point. He's obviously seen JJ bring Danny in late in the signing period in '10, start Luptak most of the last two years and bring Wayne in last year. The handwriting on the wall is pretty clear: JJ wasn't/isn't satisfied with the point guards he had (and Blake was a pretty highly regarded PL-level guard coming in). If he was burning to play why wouldn't he have left last summer, when he would have had three years of eligibility left after sitting out? My guess--and it's just a guess-is that Blake likes it in DC and wants to continue with the broadcast production that he displayed on the trick shot video. (Nice work, by the way.)
I continue to hope against all logic that Blake and JJ can work things out between them and that he can be a part of the rotation next season. He has talent. If he or Wayne could step in and really take over at the point next season you could live with a starting five of Wayne/Blake, Troy, Charles, Lump and Wroblicky (or, perhaps, Lump and Fisher). To me, though, we still need another big to fill out the frontcourt rotation.
NJJ- i know you follow this team closely, but what has Fisher shown to even mention him, other than he is tall? He is lost on offense, lost on defense, and shows no toughness or willingness to bang the boards. I wish he would be a capable player but has shown in his infrequent appearances- really nothing in my opinion.
ReplyDeleteThe AU 2011-12 team needs exactly what this current team lacked. Guards who are quick, can penetrate, and hit a jump shot. If that is Blake or Wayne or both then that would be sweet. More Munoz and McCormack type play or players will mean more post mortems next post season like this string of comments.
BLB, I'm not advocating big minutes for Fisher. But there really isn't anybody else available to play the four if JJ wants to keep bringing Wroblicky off the bench--unless he goes smaller and plays Charles at the four. If he does that, and plays Troy at the three, who plays the two? Simon? (A shooting guard has to actually shoot!) Believe me, I hope there's a better alternative to Fisher next year, but if JJ doesn't go Lump/Wroblicky up front I don't see one on the current roster.
ReplyDelete@bison: I don't understand how Blake would have two years of eligibility left? I'm not saying you're wrong, just showing my own ignorance really. If Blake transfers to another D1 school, he'd sit out his junior year, then have his senior season left. Similarly, when Vlad transferred his sophomore year, he had 1.5 years left. Unless it had something to do with transferring mid-season, or the sit-out year counting as a redshirt year (which I don't think it does), how would Blake have 2 years left if he is just finishing his sophomore year? By that same logic, wouldn't we have Vlad for another year (sans his ability to go pro in Europe)?
ReplyDeleteJK: The NCAA has what it calls a "Five Year Clock" for student athletes. Basically, you have five years to complete four seasons of athletic eligibility. This does include redshirt players but that obviously wouldn't be the case with Blake.
ReplyDeleteIn some cases, an athlete is granted an additional year to complete his eligibility (such was the case with Kyle Roemer at Colgate, who actually got a sixth year to complete a fourth season of eligibility after suffering two season-ending injuries during his time there.)
When you transfer, you have to sit out a full academic year from the time you officially leave your original school. That wasn't the case for Vlad and Charles because they didn't officially leave Mason and Vandy until December of '08 and '09, respectively. That's not unusual; kids try to give it one more go when practice starts in October, find things aren't getting any better or they're officially told they won't be getting any PT, and decide to leave school during the semester.
I am hoping the players we have now will get better. Munoz showed better quickness and strength toward the end of the season, and he could turn into a very capable PG under JJ. No predictions here, but please remember that Derrick Mercer didn't show us much until his junior year. Low three-point percentage and worse assists to turnover ratio than the Luptak/Munoz tandem. I am not expecting the kind of improvemnt we got out of Mercer, but Mercer's sophomore year showed very little of what was to come.
ReplyDeleteHinkle is very much a power forward in the PL. AU will not play as 'big' as with Vlad and Lumpkins together, but hopefully we will have a frontline capable of challenging in the league next year. Lumpkins projects as first-team All PL.
If players who did not get significant PT this year manage to step up their game, I will be happy to see that. Until then, our starting five will be Munoz, McCormack, Brewer, Hinkle, and Lumpkins. Wroblicky and one of the other guards (Jolivette/ Simon) will get the lion's share off the bench. Any other contributions remain to be seen.
@NJJ: So with the "five year clock", does that mean Vlad would have another year if he chose? At this point, he's completed 3 years of playing time. Even if this is true, he's likely to go pro, but under NCAA rules, he *could*?
ReplyDelete@Steve: Hinkle is definitely going to start at the four. What he lacks in height, he makes up for in raw toughness. In the power conferences, he'd probably be a three. My biggest fear with him is how physical he plays, many times this season I was scared he'd injure himself pretty badly. Hopefully when he gets the starting spot he steps up a bit, as he spent the half of this season he had in Vlad's shadow. As for the guard spot, great point about Mercer (same was true for Carr at the 2). That kind of player development is rare though, but who says lightning won't strike again? It's that sort of breakthrough we have to hope for.
I also hope JJ gives at least one of the freshman more than cleanup minutes. We all know he's normally loathe to play freshmen, unless they're Mercer quality (and he's partial to guards due to his own pedigree), but I really want to see someone develop early on. If we want to stand a real chance again in a few years, we need to develop these guys now, or we'll be relying on transfers again in no time (and it will be a while before another Vlad comes along).
It's unwise to expect lightning to strike, but if Munoz can get an open look by dribbling across the lane vs a man-to-man (like he did vs Lafayette), then that can go a long way to breaking down a defense.
ReplyDeleteI usually don't frequent this site because most posters are frustrated jocks who don't deal with facts but rather with emotions. Blanket comments about one player being better than another without facts to support it are useless. I do come on at times to see if there is any recruiting news.
ReplyDeleteThis team just put together the 4th best record in AU history but fell short in a game where the ball wasn't dropping and people are criticizing certain players because they did not contribute more.
Each player who started had a role that Jones formulated and they executed it to the best of their ability and were better doing it than players who did not start. If any player on the bench would have contributed more I'm sure Jones would have played him. It's always wishful thinking to believe that if someone on the bench improves they will supplant this years starter. That presupposes that the current starter is not going to improve. That is highly unlikely.
Next years team by necessity will have to be much more balanced offensively. I would expect the starting team to be Munoz, Hinkle, Brewer Lumpkins and whoever shows that they can replace Hendra. Or Jones may decide to go big again and start Wroblicky.
JK: No. When you participate in any part of a season, it counts as a full season. So when Vlad transferred from Mason in December, '08, he had, in the NCAA's eyes, used two years of eligibility at Mason, even though he didn't actually play two full seasons. He then had to sit out a calendar year (12/08 to 12/09) and was then eligible to play at AU. He played the second half of the '09-'10, which counted as his third season of eligibility, even though he didn't play the whole season. Then he played this past season, his fourth and last year of eligibility. Think of it this way: he played one full season at Mason (his freshman year), one full season at AU (his senior year) and parts of one season at Mason (in '08) and at AU (in '09). In the NCAA's eyes, that's four years of eligibility.
ReplyDeleteJosh- Any transfer from one D-1 program to another D-1 must wait one academic year after transfering and registering at the new D-1 school before they are eligible to PLAY.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous- I am not a frustrated jock. I am an expert AU BB watcher, and have been for 45 years. Those are my credentials. most us AU bb watchers scream from the roof of Hurst Hall that we need guards who can score on offense. Dan Munoz is not that guard, and although is a capable ball player he is NOT of STARTING CALIBER. He will not become a better shooter, or a quicker defender. He played because there was no one better right now to take over that role. He was not better than Steve Luptak, who is another backup player. One of the AU coaches told that directly. If Wayne Simon cannot step into the role of starting point guard, then this will not be a team in 2012 that will not be able reach the championship game. In fine art they say "you will know it when you see it". We did not see it this season from the backline. This season was not about balls rimming out. This was about AU not being good enough at all positions ! We were as good or better at 3 positions as everyone else. One reason we never were able to win and put another PL team away was that we never had a complete offensive team. Our 3 strong players made up for the short comings of our back court. We need to be a stronger team at 5 positions. Bucknell is better than AU, and if AU does not match up better against Bucknell next season (and probably Holy Cross)at ALL 5 POSITIONS then we will have more mental masturbation in talking about the 2012 season.
Derrick Mercer had all the raw skills needed to be a great point guard his freshman year. he only lacked confidence. Garrison Carr scored 25 points one game his freshman year. He sat most of his sophomore year because he was a knucklehead and refused to play the kind of defense JJ wanted. He had the shooting skills and quick shot the minute he enrolled at AU. An AU coach has told me that Wayne Simon will be a very, very good point guard. In his opinion he will not be as good as Mercer became, but he will be very good. Let's hope that he is right. The other PL teams are not standing still. Lump, Troy, and Hinkle, will most likely not bring us a championship next season unless we get good scoring and solid defense from the guards. Quick opposing guards left Munoz and Luptak in the rear mirror. College basketball and the PL in particular is built around strong guard play. We did not have that this year, and that is why we were not good enough. Who cares how many games we win if we do not win the PL tournament ? Sure winning 21 games is better than winning 8 like last year, but the final loss hurts just the same. We want a # 1 seed, and without scoring guards we will not get it next season. That is the Bottom Line.
Like I said frustrated jocks and in some cases EXPERT AU BB WATCHERS FOR 45 YEARS ????.
ReplyDeleteAU has never had the kind of sweeping talent to dominate even the lil ole PL. Our two NCAA teams struggled to get out of the PL tournament. The margins for error will always be slim at AU.
ReplyDeleteOur first year winning the PL Tournamnet, Holy Cross, the #8 seed in the quarterfinal, was ahead at the endgame. Only when we threw caution to the wind and let fly with 3 pointer from Bryce Simon, Brian Gilmore, Derrick Mercer, and Garrison Carr (the final three from close to NBA range) did we gain an advantage against HC, and even then they could have won it on their final possession.
Our second year winning the PL, it took a deep Brian Gilmore three to break down Army in the closing minute of the semifinal. We won that game 61-60.
AU played very well against Lafayette, the best we've played since mid-season. We kept the score low and we pretty much got the kind of shots we were looking for. Lafayette played solid defense down low without fouling.
If there was one strategy that back-fired on us, it was having Troy Brewer cover the point guard. Mitch Rolls in the Colgate game and Tony Johnson for Lafayette were able to use their speed to get around Troy.
Alright, a couple things:
ReplyDelete1. American has no scholarships remaining. One went to Schoof, another to Kager and the third to Daniel Fisher, who is on a 2-2 deal (first two years w/o scholarship, second two with it).
2. Danny Munoz will start at PG next season, and he deserves to. Blake and Wayne are talented guards, but they cannot run the offense or play solid defense the way Munoz can. With regards to Danny's offensive abilities, he can develop into a 10 pt, 5 ast guard if given the proper encouragement to attack the rim. He's a very talented shooter, but he needed to be a distributor this year because it was in the best interest of the team.
3. I'm not the biggest JJ fan because I prefer a fast-paced offensive style. That said, you can't dispute the fact that he's done a TREMENDOUS job with this group. Not only did we go 22-9, but look at HOW we lost those nine games. Four of them (WVU, Florida, Northwestern and Pitt) were almost guaranteed losses against Big East, SEC and Big Ten opponents. Two more were against Bucknell, another NCAA Tournament team. And a final two (Columbia and Lafayette) were lost in the final seconds.
The 2010-11 season should be remembered as a fantastic journey with a disappointing end. But that end doesn't discount all of the successes that we had throughout the year. While Bucknell will be tough to beat, expect the Eagles to definitely be one of the strongest teams in the conference yet again next year.
Curious about your source for Fisher getting a scholarship next year.
ReplyDeleteI will add that we were without Vlad against Colombia. JJ got outcoached in that one, but we nearly won it with a last second heave from Hendra to Lumpkins who touched the ball to Brewer. Brewer's three hit the rim.
ReplyDeleteWe also got slammed by Navy.
I don't want to romanticize the past. Carr was the only pure shooter I've ever seen at AU, but mostly his junior season when he shot a whopping 45% from three, and he took a lot of them, some of them very deep. That was up from only 30% his sophomore season. Even then his shot deserted him for many games his senior year. He found it again versus Holy Cross in the PL final (which is why we won comfortably), and it continued vs Villanova.
Best pure shooter -- Ray Ruhling -- but Carr's release seemed quicker . . .
ReplyDeleteWillie Jones period. Scored over 50 in the NCAA College Division Final in 1962? against Jerry Sloan's Evansville team. No 3 pointers either !
ReplyDeleteSchool these kids, BLB!
ReplyDeleteLots of comments on lots of things. Which is great. Props, again, for having this site for us die-hard AU fans. (That doesn't make us "frustrated jocks;" it makes us people who've spent many years supporting this program when many others didn't, and only want AU to win, as I assume everyone here does. (Maybe not Bison.)
Steve, I know you've watched a lot of games over the years, but I just disagree with some of your characterizations. Two years ago we went 13-1 in the PL. Yes, there were some close games, but we were clearly the best team in the conference, which we proved in the tournament. We blew out Lafayette, had a close call against Army and blew out Holy Cross in the final. That was a special group, but it's not like there were three or four NBA players there. There have been great teams in the PL--Bucknell's back-to-back NCAA squads, Holy Cross's three in a row group, etc. They do happen.
And we did not "play very well" against Lafayette. We were terrible, and only our defense and Lafayette's own ineptitude kept us in the game. I can't remember Vlad missing so many open looks. Charles and Lump missed their share as well. Lump went 5-10 from the line and committed a silly foul on Mower in the closing seconds that allowed them to tie the game. Vlad missed three free throws as well. We gave up a game-tying three and a season-ending three at the end of regulation and the second overtime because we failed a simple switch on a dribble handoff. Twice. And Troy guarded the points the last two games (and Shazier up at Bucknell) because, again, we didn't have a point guard who could stay in front of the opposition point.
Maybe I'm wrong about Danny. Maybe he'll blossom. But I didn't see the progress from him that I'd hoped to see this year.
Tom, we were one of the two best teams in the conference this year. Period. We should be playing Bucknell Friday. Maybe we would have lost again, but we won 22 games and should have been able to beat two sub--.500 teams at home-the second a team we'd beaten 14 straight times--to get that opportunity. Lafayette deserves props; they were better than we were Sunday and deserved to win. But we were lousy.
@Steve - only one pure shooter at American? And Carr's jump shot did not desert him his senior year - he had 2 or 3 guys draped on him with every jump shot because he hit an NCAA best 135 threes the previous season and even then, 39% is a good percentage from 3. Jimmer Fredette was shooting 39% from 3 this season last week and he shot 44% last season and he is arguably the best pure shooter the NCAA has seen in a long time. And how about Bryce Simon, Brian Gilmore, and Andre Ingram just to name a few as other pure shooters. Ingram is shooting some 46 percent for his career from deep int he Dleague where they play from the NBA line and Gilmore at nearly 42 percent in Europe. Can't say I agree with saying you've only seen one pure shooter at AU. Not to mention Vlad has one of the best releases I've seen, too.
ReplyDeleteSeveral items:
ReplyDeletePure shooter. I suppose we could go back and forth about this and everyone has their own definition. However, I have never seen anyone at AU shoot from distance as well Garrison Carr. Other player have shot the ball very well to ok, but not necessarily any better than very good players at many other schools, and in general not as deadly as the kind of players that get stockpiled in the major conferences.
It is difficult to go back very far because players are taking shots from much deeper than in the past, especially since the 3-pt line was pushed back.
My own definiton of pure shooter is someone who keeps up their percentage, even if he is not open, is moving, or has to step back.
Next item:
Did we play well vs Lafayette? I may be in the minority, but yes I do believe we did. Of course, we didn't hit shots, so that is why we lost. But we did so many other things on the court extremely well. I do not agree that "Lafayette's own ineptitude kept us in the game." I didn't see any outlandish turnovers, missed rebounds, or bad defense. They played hard without fouling. It took almost the whole game for Benbow to pick up his second foul. They shot the ball well. They have two big men coming off the bench who can hit 3s. You can't let Johnson or Mower get open looks. Mintz is solid down low and can step back.
AU's NCAA teams played many beautiful games together, and we all have a right to be proud of those teams. Still, the margin for error was not that great.
I am simply not shocked at the outcome of the game because I had no right to expect we were going to easily show our superiority over Lafayette. They are a team that toughened up by the end of the year and played smart, demanding basketball together.
this is Turtle Guts
ReplyDeleteI am late to the game....tough week of work.
I agree with a lot of what has been said above. You can't call this season a total disappointment, we did win over 20 games. I was able to watch Sunday's game and it was obvious that the effort was there but many shots that we could have made did not fall. Lafayette made the big outside shots that we did not.
While those missed shots were not the fault of our point guards, it did not change the fact that our point guards did absolutely nothing to contribute except bring the ball across the half court line and then basically got out of the way. It was 4 against 5 on the offensive end. Heck, even on defense, it was Troy who was given the challenge to guard Lafayette's point guard.
They say that players improve the most between their freshman and sophmore years. If that is true, I don't feel too good about where our point play will be next year. I don't think Danny really improved this year and Blake (who was my pick for breakout player of the year before the season...shows you what I know) barely made the court.
I think we are going to be middle of the pack next year unless Wayne Simon can really emerge. Lumpkins could be a potential first team conf guy and Brewer could be a second team guy. I like Wroblicky as a solid starter next year and Hinkle should contribute. We need someone (actually need someones) else to step up and be a surprise contributor...something that I would argue did not occur at all this year.
Thanks Vlad for a great year and a half. You were the best big man I have seen on this team since Sedmak in the early 90s, maybe even since Draper in the late 80s. Imagine if we got him a year earlier and was on the court with Mercer, Carr and Gilmore!