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Post by phoenixlifer on Dec 18, 2019 15:47:19 GMT -5
I think it’s time to start questioning the current staff, and whether moving on from Matheny was the right choice.
I’m not sure I see the fire that Matt and his staff brought. I’m starting to wonder if we would be in a better position having Priddy and Fuller, an upperclassmen led backcourt, and all of the previous recruits we had pulled in under the old staff.
We’re also not getting the international recruits anymore, or even trying to look for those types of players which raises some red flags. Seems we only look for the local players. The international talent pool is often underutilized, and Matt did a great job scoping out the talent far away, in order to raise the bar.
Any idea where Matt is coaching now. I’d imagine he’s a year or two away from getting another deserved shot at a D1 head coaching gig.
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Post by fc4life on Dec 18, 2019 15:53:26 GMT -5
Is this a joke?
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Post by euphoenix99 on Dec 18, 2019 19:29:10 GMT -5
I know this thread is just stirring the pot, but I'll chime in anyway.
I was at the game last night. It was definitely one of the worst outings I've seen from an Elon basketball team. Campbell played with energy all night and had a clear game plan coming in and created issues the entire game.
Elon couldn't score for large periods of time and the few guys that could score were being relied on too much. They were forcing it trying to create something and taking bad shots or turning the ball over. Surprisingly they were still within arm's reach up until the 7 minute mark of the 2nd.
With that said, Matt's recruiting is the primary reason we're in this spot. There is absolutely zero depth on the team. The 4 leading scorers are all new to the team. Schrage certainly hasn't proven anything, but I'm not going to hang this on him. It's painful to watch, but we all knew this was possible this season. I was being optimistic and hoping for better.
I also don't understand the point on international players. Have we ever had a marquee international player? Koch is maybe the closest one under Matheny. Not sure what good an international pipeline does if they are all on the bench.
Anyhow, Matt's exactly where he should be...not at Elon. He had 10 years and didn't deliver. As much as it sucks to wait, you can't expect Schrage to fix everything in 10 games.
Go Phoenix!
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Post by Tommy Boy on Dec 19, 2019 0:22:09 GMT -5
Can't look back now. Different style of basketball has come to town. Enjoyed cheering for all the past teams for ten plus years because we usually always scored points but so did our opponents; no lead was safe. Things weren't great but I always felt we had a chance maybe not against Duke but every other game. I admit I wanted more. I wished for one outlaw player who was athletic, strong, loved to rebound, and protect the paint because offense was good. (maybe to much PG dribbling on occasions) It just wasn't Matheny's style to take a chance on a JUCO or this type of a player. Now the pace of play is slow and offense is sad. (more turnovers than assists) Our coach has a defensive philosophy. We could remove the game clock of the Schar Center and declare the winner of the team which reaches 60pts first. We have less processions in a game. Chuck Daly and Pat Riley proved you can win ugly with the Detroit Pistons and NY Knicks but if you preferred to watch Pat Riley's Showtime Lakers don't watch us. Hopefully I'll get to experience Elon winning ugly but right now we have to settle for just the ugly. I am still an Elon fan but does anyone truly believe we win a single conference game? I hope our players don't feel the same way.
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Post by phoenixot on Dec 19, 2019 17:19:28 GMT -5
Look, I probably came into the season overly optimistic too, but the reality is the cupboard was pretty bare(much love to our older guys, but they just aren't high-end D1 talent). Our team is super young, and Schrage is realistically going to take some lumps as a first year head coach as well. A couple years of recruiting like we've had (or better...that was all in like 1 month of offseason!) and player development plus comfort in our system and I think we'll be in a really good place. I also suspect we'll be a better team at the end of the year than we are now.
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Post by bigmike55 on Dec 19, 2019 22:30:14 GMT -5
I believe we will win a conference game. I’d put up money that we win at least 4...
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Post by epx on Dec 20, 2019 10:29:09 GMT -5
I too have probably been too optimistic. BUT, I still expect this team to get better at a greater rate than our conference competition. So, yes. I expect conference wins. If the guys continue to grind and get better at working together the end of the season will be better than the start.
Right now Sheffield is 3/4ths of our offense and the D1 teams know it and have worked to shut him down. The question is who will step up. I swear Ervin is on the brink of a breakout game. Woods shows promise and McIntosh is learning how to be a D1 PG. He has a ton of talent and with experience he'll get better & better. We need a capable big. Hannah has everything it takes but one thing: height. He's 4" too short. Poser has improved, but he's got a long, long way to go. He's shown what a lot of European players show. They're soft. They play politely and non aggressively. But even with dramatic improvement, at 6'8" he's just not tall enough to make a big impact without fouling out.
And with regard to Matheny, his recruiting and development are the reasons we're having a crap season. Simon Wright and Chris Wooten have been decent with Schragge's coaching, but that's it. Priddy and Fuller? Really??
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ncjon
New Member
Posts: 169
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Post by ncjon on Dec 21, 2019 9:24:34 GMT -5
I was hopeful this season would go a little better than it has, but not by much. There were just too many unknowns coming in and too much roster turnover. Schrage's clearly decided to go all-in with his freshmen, and I don't think that's a bad decision. The system he's running is similar to what OSU and Butler use, and the defense usually takes time for players to "get" - especially the guards. Putting them out there now lays the foundation for years 2, 3 & 4 as long as it doesn't destroy their confidence.
I think Phoenix fans are really going to love JGB next year when he's ready to roll. He'll bring a level of toughness to the wing that should make the defense fun to watch. He won't replace Sheffield's scoring, but that's where Ervin and Woods development this year is so important. And McIntosh is only going to get better. I'm really looking forward to seeing the four of them on the floor together. The question mark is the post.
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