One of many poor decisions by Boals that will cost him his job. Still can’t believe that he and his staff went into the season with Sheldon as the starting shooting guard playing 30+ minutes a game.

Coaching malpractice.

Program is a shitcapade.

I'm not sure why we need to keep repeating this, the coaching malpractice isn't they chose Conners and Breath in the offseason. Those were great moves at the time for a team that desperately needed help. The malpractice is not having a system available for those guys to succeed.

Breath was a 7/7 guy for two seasons at Greensboro and played 20+ minutes a game. I don't think he got worse as a basketball player, just our staff has absolutely no idea how to use him effectively. Same goes for Conners, who averaged 8 ppg and shot 40% from three at App State. Did he just all of a sudden forget how to shoot the ball? More than likely no, he just doesn't have an offense that works for him.

If you wanna say those are swings and misses, blame the batters, not the pitches they chose.

Another terrible night shooting the 3. Clearly missed JJ's defense, got beat off the dribble way too much. Not pretty. I thought Kuany was solid except we have yet another chapter in the deep recent history of bigs that think they can shoot the 3 but can't. From Carter to Clayton to Hadaway and Simmons and now Kuany.

Given our inability to beat Toledo, maybe a downgrade to the 6 seed would be a blessing.

I don't get the Burris love. He's not killing it offensively and is a step or two slow on D. Never going to be a stud.

I just simply disagree. We have 3 dudes that put up numbers, they are starters for a reason, they are talented. While Boals record is bad, nobody has any clue what the actual "system" is from the inside and practice nor would we have any idea what an ideal system for those guys off the bench would be. You could argue that its Boals job to find out but I'm firmly on the side that good players can adjust after an entire year. They just simply are not as good as we thought they were even though they checked boxes at the time of signing.

Leon I likewise don’t know IF Burris will become Tommy Freeman 2.0 BUT a guy who knows Tommy and his game quite well (Tommie’s Dad) has stated he likes some of what he has seen of Burris.

There are not many Tommy Freeman's for us to get. I don't wish anything bad on Burris. I just think some of the points made are valid in terms of talent gaps.

I do think we would have a solid group on the floor if Simmons, Kelly and Kuany return but who knows if that will happen.

Serious question: Has Breath been playing hurt most of the season? Something in the way he walks doesn't look right. He also doesn't seem to have much of an explosive jump on the boards. Just curious.

This is a wild take. It is Boals' (or any coach for that matter) job to find out how players fit their systems and maximize them.

In 60 starts at UNCG in the SoCon (superior to the MAC), Breath averaged 7/7 while leading the entire conference in defensive rating and defensive rebounding % last year; and led the SoCon in offensive rebounding % in 23/24.

And you're just concluding that he's just not that good now for no reason other than himself? Got it.

Pretty much yeah. Regression happens all the time in every program and every sport. Ask me how I know.

I agree Boals deserve a lot of blame, he's the head of the ship after all and his job is to figure it out. He didn't have these guys for longer than a summer and fall camp so I'm cutting him some slack on these 2 newbies.

Also wanted to add, Breath only earned 1 start this year at Ohio. Due to Simmons being hurt. He does have decent defensive stats but has been extremely weak with the ball.

Burris (and to a lesser extent Conners) both have great shooting strokes from 3. They are both better shooters than their stats this year say. Mostly because neither are quick enough or athletic enough to create spacing for their own shot. They need a screen. A set play. Ball swinging side to side. Something to create space FOR THEM. Everybody shoots worse when rushed, or with a hand in their face.

Don't get me started on Breath. His per minute and per possession stats are tremendous. Hes our best defensive big by a mile. His lack of PT (assumption to appease Hadaway and Simmons) is cruel. He should have been starting day one. At this point hes checked out. I dont blame him one second. Watch the two buffoons whine and cry and flex their way to a first round exit.

I don't think this is true of Connors. He seems plenty athletic. The bigger issue is that he likes the ball in his hands, and Boals never gives him the ball. He is exclusively a catch and shoot guy now. Not playing to his strengths at all.

You can't play a big who shoots 40% from the free throw line big minutes. You decided early on he should get more of Simmons minutes and despite all evidence to the contrary, you're still beating this drum.

I’ve been reading this board for several years now. There have been some good points here and there, but honestly a lot of what I read leaves me shaking my head. Sometimes it feels like a lot of the posts are based on surface level basketball knowledge rather than actually watching what’s happening on the floor.

Just a few thoughts on this season from someone who has watched a lot of these games.

First, I do think this team could benefit from a little more discipline and accountability at times. I have no doubt the coaching staff cares deeply about the school, the program, and these players. You can see the passion on the sideline. At times though it feels like a lot of energy goes toward arguing calls. Working officials is part of the game, but usually the most effective conversations with refs are brief, specific, and at the right moment. Players often reflect the emotional tone of the bench, so finding that balance can go a long way.

Hadaway is a good example. He’s clearly a very emotional competitor, which is not a bad thing. But learning how to channel that emotion the right way is important. When he’s focused and locked in he brings a lot to the team.

Sheldon - The hate he gets on this board is ridiculous. I’ve read that he’s not a good shooter, not athletic, and shouldn’t even be playing. None of that really lines up with what I see. He’s actually a very good shooter when he’s under control. Putting him in spots where he can get those higher percentage looks would help both him and the team. He’s also more athletic than people give him credit for and brings a lot of energy. Sometimes that energy helps the team and sometimes it gets a little out of control, especially when he’s tired. Film study and experience usually help players figure that out.

Pav - He doesn’t pass the look test, but he fools people. He’s a phenomenal offensive player and has carried this team on more than one occasion. I would like to see him trust his teammates a little more at times and keep the ball moving. He also looks worn down from playing a lot of minutes. Defensively there is still room for growth, but offensively he has been a big piece for this team.

Javon - He’s had some really high highs and a few lows this season. When he’s just playing and not focused on refs or the other team, he can be really hard to stop. Like a lot of competitive players, learning when and how to use that emotion to your advantage is part of the growth process.

JJ - People get so focused on his speed and athleticism that they sometimes overlook the basketball IQ side of things. He’s clearly the fastest and most athletic player on the team, and that allows him to recover from some mistakes. But he does get beat on straight line drives and back cuts more than you’d like to see. Also notice why he sometimes gets open looks for dunks or threes. Teams often sag off him and use that defender to help on Pav and Javon.

Kiir - Off the charts athleticism but still very raw. He gets lost on both ends of the floor at times, which is pretty normal for young players with his skill set. It will be interesting to see how much he improves over the summer.

Jalen - Kind of a head scratcher this year. It has not been his best season. Sometimes players who come in with high expectations have a harder time adjusting when things do not go exactly how they thought they would. He also seems like someone who has trouble moving on after a missed shot.

Connors - A really good shooter when he’s in the flow of the offense. The challenge for this team has been ball movement. When the ball sticks and possessions get stagnant, shooters often end up feeling like they have to take the shot when it finally comes their way.

Burris - Similar to Pav in that he does not necessarily pass the look test, but if you watch him closely he’s quicker and more athletic than people think. He can shoot the three and has a really nice pull up game. Like Connors, it sometimes looks like he knows his touches will be limited so when he gets the ball he feels like he needs to make something happen.

Another thing I would like to see this team improve at is recognizing and attacking advantages during the game. When we get a mismatch or a favorable matchup, we do not always seem to go back to it consistently. Good teams recognize those moments and keep exploiting them until the defense adjusts.

Along those same lines, making adjustments during the game is always important. Whether that is at halftime or during timeouts, finding ways to respond to what the other team is doing can make a big difference.

One last thing that gets lost in some of these discussions on this board is that every player on this roster belongs at this level. Every one of these guys was recruited by other Division I programs and chose Ohio University for their own reasons. They did not just end up here by accident. Fans will always debate playing time and roles, but these are all Division I players.

At the end of the day, I would just like to see the offense run more sets for the shooters Sheldon, Burris, and Connors. When those guys are involved it stretches the floor and opens things up inside for Pav, Hadaway, and Javon.

Right now the ball sticks a little too much and the offense ends up being harder than it needs to be.

Welcome to the board and thanks for the very detailed post. You obviously know ball to a degree.

You make a lot of good points and my only rebuttal is that of Sheldon. I don't think a lot of posters on this board throw hate toward him, moreso that we point out his obvious limitations in his basketball ability and his rewarded minutes is totally off base. You point out his attributes: he is a great shooter under control, yet too often he is taking off-balanced, fading away, off the dribble threes. So to steal a line from "Moneyball": if he's a good shooter then why doesn't he shoot good? Is it a coaching thing? Does the offense not flow well enough for him? Are they running sets to get him open?

You also mentioned film study in his critique. He's a Senior and I gotta say, if he hasn't figured it out by now through film study, he probably isn't going to. He's played in over 100 games. He hasn't figured out through film that he shouldn't throw up an out of control layup against a bigger defender? Or turn the ball over because you got caught jumping in the air without a planned shot?

For all I know he's a great kid, plays hard and hustles his ass off. But his energy can't be everything. At some point, he needs to put the ball in the hole, which he hasn't done efficiently enough for the minutes he plays. He's a role player, and the coaching staff has him playing minutes of someone who counted on for more than that. For that, he needs to make a lot more shots (and take better ones).

Again, none of this is hate. Multiple times throughout the season someone has posted his advanced stats here, and while they are not everything, they tell you a lot about how a player is performing. For a while, he was Grade A butt. Even he would probably tell you that. He has improved slightly throughout the year, but not at the level that this team needs.