Bobcat Attack - Ohio Basketball - What do you expect out of this team?

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Topic: What do you expect out of this team?

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JSF

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Posted: 10/8/2013 12:48 AM

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RSBobcat wrote:expand_more

JSF wrote:expand_more

What makes you think Kent will be better than us? Or Buffalo? McCrea hasn't been a gamebreaker in the past.

So - your "we'll be > 500 in the conference" post was - Bold? Wishy/Washy? Out of boredom?

I said we'll be better than .500... not sure how it could be wishy-washy. Aside from Toledo and Akron, I don't think the rest of the conference is good. Buffalo is an unproven commodity, so I'm not buying on them. People are way too high on WMU. Kent looks quite ordinary. BG is going to be one of the worst teams in the country. Miami might be improved. Might be.

Last Edited: 10/8/2013 12:50:22 AM by JSF

100%Cat

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Posted: 10/8/2013 9:33 AM

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JSF wrote:expand_more

RSBobcat wrote:expand_more

JSF wrote:expand_more

What makes you think Kent will be better than us? Or Buffalo? McCrea hasn't been a gamebreaker in the past.

So - your "we'll be > 500 in the conference" post was - Bold? Wishy/Washy? Out of boredom?

I tend to agree with this. Akron and Toledo should be good...but outside of that who really scares you? And those two are not unbeatable by any stretch. I think our improved size is great, but we need to step back and realize that it's young, unproven size, also. I think we'll be a good team, but how good...that I'm not sure about. Too many unknowns. With the talent level on the roster, I have a hard time believing there will be 4 MAC teams better than us, though.

GoCats105

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Posted: 10/8/2013 12:36 PM

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Why does everyone think ONE guy needs to step up and be a playmaker? What's wrong with having 7-10 guys that play really, really well together?

100%Cat

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Posted: 10/8/2013 4:56 PM

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GoCats105 wrote:expand_more

Why does everyone think ONE guy needs to step up and be a playmaker? What's wrong with having 7-10 guys that play really, really well together?

Not to answer for everyone else, but I think one guy that has to step up is the PG, Willis and/or Taylor. DJ not only scored a lot of points here, he orchestrated a ton of easy points for his teammates with his passing and ball distribution. If one guy, the PG, does not step up this year and take the reigns from Cooper, then the offense as a whole will probably suffer. That one guy has a huge impact on the rest of the team. The PG is one player who can have a huge impact on the entire team without even taking a shot. If he doesn't do his job, the entire team can suffer.

Bobcat1998

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Posted: 10/8/2013 9:43 PM

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I will take the opposite approach in regards to D.J. Other than Gary Trent, I think he was the second greatest OU player of all time, although I'm still a big fan of Geno and think Geno would have torn up the MAC even today. But let's look at the inactivity created last year in JC's system. I think D.J. took ill-advised shots and while his passes were awe-inspiring and deserving of praise, there was just too much NBA standing and staring. I really feel like no matter who the point guard is at any moment, we're going to see more ball movement and more activity in the fullcourt. I can't wait to see the horses out running. Ndour taking lob after lob from Stevie on a break or a young Mompremier dunking a rebound. How about the idea of going 5-11 at point, 6-5 Rico at two guard, 6-8 Setty at small forward, 6-9 Ndour at power forward (or 6-7 jumping jack Jon) and 6-9 or 6-10 at center with Campbell and Mompremier? I'm no longer worried about McCrea and Tread. I hope I'm not wrong but I think a guy who averaged 8 ppg and 6 apg in the BIG FREAKIN TWELVE can do an adequate job of replacing D.J.

Last Edited: 10/8/2013 9:45:27 PM by Bobcat1998

OUVan

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Posted: 10/9/2013 10:24 AM

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Bobcat1998 wrote:expand_more

I hope I'm not wrong but I think a guy who averaged 8 ppg and 6 apg in the BIG FREAKIN TWELVE can do an adequate job of replacing D.J.

Not to be a negative ninny but Willis didn't even have 6 assists in a single game his sophomore year much less average that much. And the Big 12 isn't some mythical place where our guys would just curl up into a ball. I'm not saying that Willis can't be effective for us because, frankly, I haven't seen him actually play but his numbers (mostly the PG with a negative assist/to ratio and extremely low steals total) don't give me the warm fuzzies. I'll just say I'm hopeful but not sold yet.

I don't think we need any dominant players but I do think we need at least two guys to step up that we can rely on to score. Nick can score but up to this point he hasn't shown that he can create his own shot. Lots and lots of question marks going into this year.

bornacatfan

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Posted: 10/9/2013 11:02 AM

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Just to throw an addage out there I learned long ago...."If your PG runs the show you have greater chance of winning than if your PG IS the show".

As we talk of scoring and assists and veteran leadership I always come back to that idea.

OU_Country

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Posted: 10/9/2013 12:46 PM

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I expect to see early struggles until everyone has more defined roles, but at the end of the year, I expect our guys to be one of the top 4 teams in the MAC. As stated by others, Akron, Kent, Toledo, Ohio, Buffalo are who I see as the best teams. The rest of the league other than maybe WMU is a noticeable notch below these teams.

As I've said since graduation, I think by February and March, this team could be better than last year's team. The only reason I say that is that they appear to be 10-11 deep with the ability to play with multiple looks. Unlike last season, we will see a team with the size to throw 3 bigs out there when needed just as easily as we could see 3-4 guards.

I'm really hoping to see Ric start at the 3. I think he and TJ will emerge this year, and I think Ric could be a really good contributor this season. Not that he has not been in prior years, I'm just thinking he can give 25 min, 8-9 ppg, and maybe 4 rpg. We already know what he can be on the defensive end.

I'm really excited to see how the team develops!

OhioCatFan

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Posted: 10/9/2013 10:43 PM

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bornacatfan wrote:expand_more

Just to throw an addage out there I learned long ago...."If your PG runs the show you have greater chance of winning than if your PG IS the show". . . . .

I think that this says it all. I love DJ and loved to see him play. His assists were often things of pure beauty. But a less "showy" PG who knows how to run the offense and gets his fellows to act a a true team can do wonders sometimes in a way in which he's hardly noticed by anyone except his teammates, coaches and savvy observes like some of the BAers.

Last Edited: 10/9/2013 10:44:07 PM by OhioCatFan

71 BOBCAT

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Posted: 10/14/2013 8:54 AM

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My thoughts point to a 15-17 win season, no post season tournament appearance.
Here are the 3 aspects that back up my prognostication;
1) Too much scoring to make up as well as losing the POY.
2) Too many new players this year to work into the rotation.
3) Too much learning necessary for the coaches new system.

I hope I'm wrong but history has pointed in this direction time and time again.

GO BOBCATS

Last Edited: 10/14/2013 8:54:50 AM by 71 BOBCAT

bigtillyoopsupsideurhead

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Posted: 10/14/2013 10:45 AM

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71 BOBCAT wrote:expand_more

I hope I'm wrong but history has pointed in this direction time and time again.

The last two times we had this much roster turnover in a year were the 2004-2005 and 2009-2010 seasons. Both ended with NCAA tournament births.

I'm not sure what history you are referring to. Ancient history if I had to guess.

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Posted: 10/14/2013 1:42 PM

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I expect them to play hard every possession. There are no clear-cut stars on this team, so minutes will be earned. You coast, you sit. It may be frustrating at times as the team is so young/inexperienced, but it will also be fun to watch them come together and grow-up. I also don't expect to be out rebounded too often.

Last Edited: 10/14/2013 1:43:15 PM by cc-cat

bn9

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Posted: 10/14/2013 3:19 PM

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cc cat wrote:expand_more

I am not buying the inexperienced line. We have five guys who have seen minutes in the Sweet Sixteen. Granted, Stevie only saw three, but he has seen what it takes to get there. Here are our current players and the amount of NCAA tournament minutes each has:

Kellogg - 95
Smith - 58
Hall - 52
Johnson - 21
Taylor - 9

As far as young, we have 5 seniors and 3 juniors, so we can't be that young.

I will buy that it will take a while for everyone to get used to their roles, but young and inexperienced we are not.

Ohio69

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Posted: 10/14/2013 4:21 PM

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bornacatfan wrote:expand_more

Hard to dispute that adage.

But, 66% of our scoring and 57% of our rebounding and 69% of our assists are gone. 5 of the first 6 guys on the court are gone. 5 seniors and Kadeem Green have moved on.

We gotta talk about scoring and assists and rebounding and veteran leadership? No?

So many questions marks. So many.

RSBobcat

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Posted: 10/14/2013 9:37 PM

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Ohio69 wrote:expand_more

We gotta talk about scoring and assists and rebounding and veteran leadership? No?

And how many of those were better LY vs the PY?

Last Edited: 10/14/2013 9:38:07 PM by RSBobcat

Bobcat1998

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Posted: 10/15/2013 8:41 AM

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bn9 wrote:expand_more

cc cat wrote:expand_more

And don't forget about the point guard who started for two years in the Big 12. Those of you who point to the fact that it's not a power league need to remember getting housed by Oklahoma...and we also have a guy who started for a Missouri Valley team, which is considered a high mid-major league. And you can't discount Ndour's experience as a man and as a player. Toss in Travis and you have nine guys with collegiate basketball experience and lots of it.

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Posted: 10/18/2013 1:59 PM

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Hard to really get a sense of where this team is at.

We know what we're getting with Nick, Ric, TJ (hopefully will be healthy and a big factor), Stevie (continued improvement), Wilkins, and Smith. Ndour & Bean are unknowns but will likely be solid contributors.

We're definitely going to be bigger and longer this year, but still athletic on both ends, I'd say. Passing efficiency will obviously dip a little bit after losing those great seniors & it doesn't seem passing will be Bean's greatest attribute. But we'll see.

I'm definitely excited. I'd say they can get 20 wins this year & hopefully make some noise in the MAC tourney. Hopefully beat Akron too.

I'd rank the MAC:

Akron
Toledo
Ohio
Kent State
Buffalo
Western

Bobcat1998

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Posted: 10/22/2013 2:36 PM

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If you've seen the Facebook pics and team pic of this year's team, I can't say enough about how long and how ripped these guys look. Jon has put on some weight, Ndour looks like a beast and I hope really hands it to Tree. Mompremier looks athletic...heck, even Setty is huge. I really do believe if we would have had an Ndour or a Setty last year we would have won the MAC. We were missing that inside presence of athleticism. Reg was awesome but he was just posting up. I think Ndour is going to rock the rim!

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Posted: 10/23/2013 12:09 PM

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Week 4 Practice Interviews -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mq99Gl7fBr0

Jeff McKinney

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Posted: 10/23/2013 12:47 PM

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Bobcat1998 wrote:expand_more

I think the guys are in good shape and ripped...but remember that these photos accentuate and maybe even exaggerate a bit how cut the guys look.

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Posted: 10/24/2013 12:15 AM

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A-townBound wrote:expand_more

Week 4 Practice Interviews -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mq99Gl7fBr0

JC - I agree - We have a "long" bench - "depth" too...........

And per the rules changes TY - I hope they are shooting A LOT OF FT's in practice!!!!!!!

and working on the in bound play off opposing teams FT's and not getting trapped as well - that has been a Big Issue last couple years.......

OUVan

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Posted: 10/24/2013 8:48 AM

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Post Article wrote:expand_more

“Last year, we had those seniors so it was tough to get them to buy in to what [coach] was doing,” Taylor said. “But with our younger guys, and now that we’re older and it’s his second season, it can only help us out if we pay attention to what he’s talking about.”

http://thepost.ohiou.edu/content/%E2%80%98cats-look-ahead-season-potential-starting-lineups-works

Interesting quote from Stevie about last year's team.

Ohio69

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Posted: 10/24/2013 9:30 AM

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“Every day we come out here, it’s like a dogfight, it’s like we’re playing football on a basketball court,” junior forward Maurice Ndour said. “Guys are just trying to get better and compete for playing time.”

Me likey....

FearLeon

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