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Post by CallingBS on Feb 26, 2024 17:28:48 GMT -6
I think he DID do a mostly crappy job of recruiting the portal last year. Yes, he lost 2 spots late, but he clearly needs to do better than he did if he wants to compete.
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eastern
Feb 26, 2024 17:29:19 GMT -6
Post by CallingBS on Feb 26, 2024 17:29:19 GMT -6
If Doughty gets in the weight room and puts up a lot of shots this Summer I think he has the potential to be a stud!! His foot needs to be 100% healed and the way he’s been walking in his boot even after a couple months of rehab is kinda concerning. He’s really been favoring that foot. Very concerning |
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Post by universityjim on Feb 26, 2024 19:18:20 GMT -6
Lewis didn't fail to hit the portal hard enough. He got burned by the new reality of kids bolting at any moment. Coleman leaves in late July and Sellers sometime in late April as I recall. That netted us Yuri, Brown and Middleton. I think he got Coleman's schollie. I agree with most that he needs to dial back his short fuse for his health sake and to prevent driving kids out we want to keep. I'm not sure he will do that though. He's not a compromiser and it's ingrained in his nature and background. I think he figures he will get the right guys and go down swinging his way or no way. No special insight to this just my uneducated opinion. I don’t think he knows any other way and he thinks his way will work. We’ll see. That was Whitford's problem. He was wrong. |
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Post by prestonp on Feb 26, 2024 21:11:57 GMT -6
The IU linage might just be out of date totally. Woodson's way isn't working is it? That IU team is totally soft despite the recruits. Can Lewis change? The Lewis personality doesn't look like it is working....especially if you watch that Eastern postgame. It is all on his portal recruiting this year or he is gone...most likely by him leaving.
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Post by lmills72 on Feb 26, 2024 21:27:07 GMT -6
Remember how most of us including me were down on Bum; look at his stats the last year under Whit and look at his stats this year at Niagara. And then look at his stats last season at Ball State. Could it have been that Bum was not led or motivated properly? Was he afraid or hesitant to take the open shot? Did he have a reason he lost confidence? www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/player/_/id/4593397/luke-bumbaloughYour overall arguments have some merit but Bum is a bad example. His stats were diminished in his one year under Lewis because his role was justifiably diminished. No way Bum should have played over Sparks, Coleman or Jacobs. |
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Post by realitycheck on Feb 26, 2024 21:41:46 GMT -6
I think he DID do a mostly crappy job of recruiting the portal last year. Yes, he lost 2 spots late, but he clearly needs to do better than he did if he wants to compete. I partially disagree with that. I think Anderson and Bailey are fine pieces on a deeper team. Who knows with Britain Watts. He was a grad transfer who played a lot. Again, I think he got bit by Sellers and Coleman leaving after they committed to staying and the portal cupboard was picked over by that time. Not saying it is not his fault because it is, I just think that’s different than negligence. IMO, we had too many freshmen (Jones, Doughty, Middleton, Brown and Jagorshak) plus the two RS freshmen in Bell and Adams who have contributed nothing in 2 years. Only Jones has been a constant of 25 minutes a game. Middleton in spurts and the other five basically nothing. It’s a new game and he has to get experienced players now. We’ve got a freshman and a juco coming next year to go along with whoever comes back. I hope Jones, Anderson, Bailey, Middleton, Doughty and Mickey will stay. I think Hendrix will come back and I’m ambivalent about it. He’s better than he was but he’s just not ever going to contribute much and he’s soft mentally and physically. I think the likelihood of Basheer returning is slim to none. So, we need two more guards and two more wings with some chops. We also need an Alpha. |
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Post by CallingBS on Feb 27, 2024 6:11:13 GMT -6
I think he DID do a mostly crappy job of recruiting the portal last year. Yes, he lost 2 spots late, but he clearly needs to do better than he did if he wants to compete. I partially disagree with that. I think Anderson and Bailey are fine pieces on a deeper team. Who knows with Britain Watts. He was a grad transfer who played a lot. Again, I think he got bit by Sellers and Coleman leaving after they committed to staying and the portal cupboard was picked over by that time. Not saying it is not his fault because it is, I just think that’s different than negligence. IMO, we had too many freshmen (Jones, Doughty, Middleton, Brown and Jagorshak) plus the two RS freshmen in Bell and Adams who have contributed nothing in 2 years. Only Jones has been a constant of 25 minutes a game. Middleton in spurts and the other five basically nothing. It’s a new game and he has to get experienced players now. We’ve got a freshman and a juco coming next year to go along with whoever comes back. I hope Jones, Anderson, Bailey, Middleton, Doughty and Mickey will stay. I think Hendrix will come back and I’m ambivalent about it. He’s better than he was but he’s just not ever going to contribute much and he’s soft mentally and physically. I think the likelihood of Basheer returning is slim to none. So, we need two more guards and two more wings with some chops. We also need an Alpha. You actually just further illustrated my point. Watts is a grad transfer. He only took Bailey and Anderson from the portal - that's the problem. He took way too many freshmen, especially the projects. The portal is the name of the game today. Anderson is a good bench player on a contender, but I'm not really a Bailey fan. In addition, in today's game you have to anticipate late losses and never stop recruiting. Unfortunate as it is, that's the way it works now. |
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Post by williamtsherman on Feb 27, 2024 7:13:03 GMT -6
Retaining players is obviously going to be heavily influenced by NIL. But not entirely. If you were satisfied at your current job, would you up and leave for a more unknown situation for $10 more a paycheck? For 5% more? 20% more? 30% more? 50% more? People's answers will vary according to how happy they currently are and how happy they think they would be in the new job and the level of uncertainty involved.
NIL makes a very convenient excuse for the excuse-minded (not that we have any of those here), but does the Lewis locker room seem to you like it's a positive or negative factor in player retention? Granted that the Eastern post-game presser was in the immediate aftermath of a disgraceful loss, but even with that the demeanor of the players was depressing just to witness. And NO PLAYER wants to be unrelievedly bitched at for an entire game. It's not a matter of toughness. It's ordinary human nature for both tough and weak people. In fact, tough people may actually be LESS inclined to put up with that bullshit. Based on what I see and read, I might flee the Lewis program for an extra $5, a can cooler, and a refrigerator magnet.
Some here have alluded to team atmosphere being an important factor in last year's departure. I have no first hand knowledge but I can believe it based on what I see. This is going to be a much more important factor of all coaches going forward. As with most things, some will do a good job of retention, even when outbid to some degree, and others will have the NIL excuse locked, loaded and ready to deploy as the sole factor in all player retention.
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eastern
Feb 27, 2024 8:50:47 GMT -6
Post by thebsukid on Feb 27, 2024 8:50:47 GMT -6
Mills....we are not to far apart, but as I recall Bum played more minutes early and found his way to the bench, I do not put all of that on Lewis but if you are struggling and somebody screams at you it doesn't help is my view! I agree that Bum should not have played before Boogie or Jacobs but he could have been a bigger contributor motivated properly is my view.
Right on Sherman...
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Feb 27, 2024 9:17:05 GMT -6
Post by 00hmh on Feb 27, 2024 9:17:05 GMT -6
Both recruits currently committed are athletes who want to defend. Some question as to offense. Neither a PG or big man although one kid plays bigger.
That points to what we want in the portal.
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Post by CallingBS on Feb 27, 2024 9:22:40 GMT -6
The bigger issue with recruiting is defense, toughness, and decision making/ basketball IQ (shot selection, especially when nursing a lead). If Lewis had other options, you can bet guys like Bailey would never see the floor. In fact, even if Lewis had a better option as a starter, Bailey might never or at least rarely see the floor even off the bench because Lewis doesn't trust his defense or decision-making. Lewis himself has more or less said this.
Lewis would rather wear out the starters than play someone he views as incompetent. Thus, it wouldn't matter if our roster was a little deeper, he'd always have guys he didn't believe in and would allow the starters to get worn down. Think about it - he did it last year with a significantly deeper team.
When you watch the really well-coached teams in the MAC, what you see is defense on a completely different level than what we have seen out of our teams in at least 25 years. That's why Jones is getting so much time - the kids busts his ass on D despite being one of the least physically gifted players on the team.
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eastern
Feb 27, 2024 10:21:41 GMT -6
via mobile
Post by 00hmh on Feb 27, 2024 10:21:41 GMT -6
I agree, except I have to say last year's team had no depth to speak of...who would we have played last year at the end near the level of our top 6?
He needs some bench to play 40 minutes of D and faster pace.
Bell, Adams, Watts, Doughty were only partly intended to to that, Id think. He needed returning players to have what he wanted. Zagorsak, Brown were last minute projects replacing starter quality losses.
Hendricks you have to like but not a starter quality reserve. We are 6 deep ...last year only a very little better in numbers, bigger drop off in quality since starters were stronger.
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Post by redbirdman on Feb 27, 2024 10:42:12 GMT -6
I agree with BS's comments & have always felt defense & rebounding are as much desire & work as any attributes.
What Lewis has not done is recruit guards who are playmakers & fighters. My ultimate player with those qualities is Scott Skiles. Randy Davis had a lot of that as did McCallum vat BSU.
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eastern
Feb 27, 2024 11:09:48 GMT -6
via mobile
Post by 00hmh on Feb 27, 2024 11:09:48 GMT -6
I agree with BS's comments & have always felt defense & rebounding are as much desire & work as any attributes. What Lewis has not done is recruit guards who are playmakers & fighters. My ultimate player with those qualities is Scott Skiles. Randy Davis had a lot of that as did McCallum vat BSU. Mike Lewis was a poor man's Scott Skiles. Bumbalough a poor man's Mike Lewis... Hard to expect a Scott Skiles, and I am suspicious of the small guards who aren't very athletic. We lost a pretty good PG last year, athletic and enough size, we really needed to replace him. Middleton has some chance to be good, Watts was recruited to provide some of that. It's top priority this year, as high as a post defender. |
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Post by CallingBS on Feb 27, 2024 11:42:46 GMT -6
I agree with BS's comments & have always felt defense & rebounding are as much desire & work as any attributes. What Lewis has not done is recruit guards who are playmakers & fighters. My ultimate player with those qualities is Scott Skiles. Randy Davis had a lot of that as did McCallum vat BSU. Mike Lewis was a poor man's Scott Skiles. Bumbalough a poor man's Mike Lewis... Hard to expect a Scott Skiles, and I am suspicious of the small guards who aren't very athletic. We lost a pretty good PG last year, athletic and enough size, we really needed to replace him. Middleton has some chance to be good, Watts was recruited to provide some of that. It's top priority this year, as high as a post defender. Jacobs was a phenomenal PG. He could score, handled the ball well, ran the offense, and was a great defender. |
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