***OFFICIAL CENTRAL MICHIGAN AT MINNESOTA IN-GAME THREAD!!!***

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Dupreefor3 said:
As far as last night goes.
  1. Carrington: Really impressed with his defense last night, seems the most polished on team defense among freshman, got some boards, couple steals, some tips, made a couple of three's, I like Henley starting and Carrington coming in, play the one at the end who is having the better night.
  2. Henley: Too many turnovers last night, while he's not as consistent as Carrington I can see that he has more athleticism and a higher ceiling, just needs to settle in.
  3. JOJ: Plays like a bull in a china shop, like Henley just needs to settle down a bit, I'd like to see him grab more boards on defensive end, think that's the next step in his game.
  4. Payne: Would have like to seen more of him than just the 18 minutes last night and hopfully his teamates can find him more, get him more touches on offense.
  5. Cooper: Thought his defense was better last night, Miller's a good player and he made him work for his points. Does a good job of taking his and getting everyone involved in the offense. I'd harp on his free throws but he made six in a row down the stretch when we needed them, but the overall percentage for a PG needs to be better.
  6. Samuels: Played ten minutes, I think that's perfect for him they were well timed minutes, Ben seemed to sense when the freshman were getting a little rattled and Samuels was a calming pressence, CMU dared him the shoot and he delivered a couple times.
  7. Treyton: He was much better tonight, we still need him to rebound better, but his positional defense is so much better this year, we don't need to change our scheme anymore when he is in. Made a couple of three's, had a nice dunk. 10-15 minutes is probably the right amount of time for him.
  8. Garcia: Need him to play bigger on defense as well. Think he had about eight points taken away from him due to questionable at best calls, but he still got his. Made some big shots in the second half. Excited for him once Battle is back.
  9. Ramburg. I think we will still see 8-10 minutes of the Pride of Grand Maris when Battle is back. Will brings the energy on defense think he lead us in boards last night, hustles, gets a couple back door cuts a game, he's earned his spot and that scholly is well deserved.
Overall, thought we did a great job on team defense the Freshman are further along there than I thought they wold be and the effort is good, we are just a terrible rebounding team. I think Battle will help some that, Cooper and Carrington are good at it for guards, no complaints from Payne, but TT, Garcia and JOJ have to be better at that, I have the most faith in JOJ improving that aspect of his game, think that's his next step, but TT and Dawson, they just don't have that mind set. That's why Parker Fox will get minutes if he ever gets healthy.
Free Throws, ideally if you have 27 FT you should hit on 21 or 22, we hit on 15, grant it we made eight in a row in the final two minutes to ice it. When Nate Mason was a Freshman he was a terrible FT shooter, but was much better the rest of his career, I think Carrington and Henley will become more reliable as they settle in and become more confident in their abilities to be Big Ten players. I think Cooper could to an extent as well, transferring up, it's an adjust ment for him, but right now it's tough to watch.
Cal Baptist they just went into Washington and won by nine, should be a good test and contrast of styles, they look like they like to play four guards and one big, should be interesting to watch.
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Good summary, I agree with basically everything here. Carrington's FT misses were just a statistical fluke, he'll make them. Cooper is thinking too much; lots of body language after the release. PP is going to have to pick up a lot of rebounding slack, agree JOJ will also need to contribute there.
 

Dupreefor3 said:
As far as last night goes.
  1. Carrington: Really impressed with his defense last night, seems the most polished on team defense among freshman, got some boards, couple steals, some tips, made a couple of three's, I like Henley starting and Carrington coming in, play the one at the end who is having the better night.
  2. Henley: Too many turnovers last night, while he's not as consistent as Carrington I can see that he has more athleticism and a higher ceiling, just needs to settle in.
  3. JOJ: Plays like a bull in a china shop, like Henley just needs to settle down a bit, I'd like to see him grab more boards on defensive end, think that's the next step in his game.
  4. Payne: Would have like to seen more of him than just the 18 minutes last night and hopfully his teamates can find him more, get him more touches on offense.
  5. Cooper: Thought his defense was better last night, Miller's a good player and he made him work for his points. Does a good job of taking his and getting everyone involved in the offense. I'd harp on his free throws but he made six in a row down the stretch when we needed them, but the overall percentage for a PG needs to be better.
  6. Samuels: Played ten minutes, I think that's perfect for him they were well timed minutes, Ben seemed to sense when the freshman were getting a little rattled and Samuels was a calming pressence, CMU dared him the shoot and he delivered a couple times.
  7. Treyton: He was much better tonight, we still need him to rebound better, but his positional defense is so much better this year, we don't need to change our scheme anymore when he is in. Made a couple of three's, had a nice dunk. 10-15 minutes is probably the right amount of time for him.
  8. Garcia: Need him to play bigger on defense as well. Think he had about eight points taken away from him due to questionable at best calls, but he still got his. Made some big shots in the second half. Excited for him once Battle is back.
  9. Ramburg. I think we will still see 8-10 minutes of the Pride of Grand Maris when Battle is back. Will brings the energy on defense think he lead us in boards last night, hustles, gets a couple back door cuts a game, he's earned his spot and that scholly is well deserved.
Overall, thought we did a great job on team defense the Freshman are further along there than I thought they wold be and the effort is good, we are just a terrible rebounding team. I think Battle will help some that, Cooper and Carrington are good at it for guards, no complaints from Payne, but TT, Garcia and JOJ have to be better at that, I have the most faith in JOJ improving that aspect of his game, think that's his next step, but TT and Dawson, they just don't have that mind set. That's why Parker Fox will get minutes if he ever gets healthy.
Free Throws, ideally if you have 27 FT you should hit on 21 or 22, we hit on 15, grant it we made eight in a row in the final two minutes to ice it. When Nate Mason was a Freshman he was a terrible FT shooter, but was much better the rest of his career, I think Carrington and Henley will become more reliable as they settle in and become more confident in their abilities to be Big Ten players. I think Cooper could to an extent as well, transferring up, it's an adjust ment for him, but right now it's tough to watch.
Cal Baptist they just went into Washington and won by nine, should be a good test and contrast of styles, they look like they like to play four guards and one big, should be interesting to watch.
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See that you're new - great post/insights!
Welcome!!
Please post more
Great moniker as well - my favorite Pree moment was at the Barclay's Center when we were playing Bama (the 5 on 3 game) and I was sitting on the baseline near the announcers and the Bama players started hassling Pree and ragging on him and he cool as could be, said the perfect explicit to them and even better the Ref warned them not to bother the players on the court or he'd run them. I later expressed to them my sentiments about Bama fans and offered to act as their tour guide and they demurred.
 



If Battle gets back healthy and picks up where he left off, it will get other guys into more comfortable roles. His injury is helping the development of others at this time.

  • I've been really annoyed with Garcia to this point with some of his weak play and body language.
  • Cooper needs to be in more control of the offense and team on the court.
  • I think the MN freshmen will be just fine and have a lot of potential.
  • Have not been impressed with Henley to this point. Doesn't seem quick or comfortable putting ball on the court.
  • Young team shows flashes at times.
  • Rebounding is some of the worst I've ever seen. Guys are not moving feet for position at all.
 


BarnBurner said:
Doesn't mean he is pro material. Right now, far too soft.
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The NBA has plenty of 6'11" 'soft' perimeter players who can shoot and score. People who think Garcia is a 'banger' or someone who plays consistently on the block hasn't watched him play before.

Many of the same people who think Battle is the saving grace for this team, are also complaining about Garcia. Right now Garcia's numbers are nearly identical to Battle's numbers from last season, and Garcia is 4" taller.
 




MaxyJR1 said:
If Battle gets back healthy and picks up where he left off, it will get other guys into more comfortable roles. His injury is helping the development of others at this time.

  • I've been really annoyed with Garcia to this point with some of his weak play and body language.
  • Cooper needs to be in more control of the offense and team on the court.
  • I think the MN freshmen will be just fine and have a lot of potential.
  • Have not been impressed with Henley to this point. Doesn't seem quick or comfortable putting ball on the court.
  • Young team shows flashes at times.
  • Rebounding is some of the worst I've ever seen. Guys are not moving feet for position at all.
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In the first two games, I'd argue that Henley seemed like one of the quickest MN players AND seemed very comfortable and successful putting the ball on the court and driving to the basket. The up and down play tells me that he is likely overthinking the game. We'll see whether things have slowed down for him and others in another month.
 

GopherWeatherGuy said:
The NBA has plenty of 6'11" 'soft' perimeter players who can shoot and score. People who think Garcia is a 'banger' or someone who plays consistently on the block hasn't watched him play before.

Many of the same people who think Battle is the saving grace for this team, are also complaining about Garcia. Right now Garcia's numbers are nearly identical to Battle's numbers from last season, and Garcia is 4" taller.
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So he should have better stats. He has a 4" advantage
 

MaxyJR1 said:
If Battle gets back healthy and picks up where he left off, it will get other guys into more comfortable roles. His injury is helping the development of others at this time.

  • I've been really annoyed with Garcia to this point with some of his weak play and body language.
  • Cooper needs to be in more control of the offense and team on the court.
  • I think the MN freshmen will be just fine and have a lot of potential.
  • Have not been impressed with Henley to this point. Doesn't seem quick or comfortable putting ball on the court.
  • Young team shows flashes at times.
  • Rebounding is some of the worst I've ever seen. Guys are not moving feet for position at all.
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Every point is spot on, although I think I see more in Henley than you do.

Not sure what's up with Garcia, but he doesn't seem to be "all there."

No need to rehash rebounding. I'm hoping it is more a function of getting used to playing with each other than poor skill or lack of effort.
 



GopherWeatherGuy said:
The NBA has plenty of 6'11" 'soft' perimeter players who can shoot and score. People who think Garcia is a 'banger' or someone who plays consistently on the block hasn't watched him play before.

Many of the same people who think Battle is the saving grace for this team, are also complaining about Garcia. Right now Garcia's numbers are nearly identical to Battle's numbers from last season, and Garcia is 4" taller.
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Doesnt defend near well enough. Guess we will see.
 



PhiloVance said:
Last year I was very vocal about the coaches iron man philosophy of playing 5 players major minutes while failing to develop their bench. I was soundly criticized. According to most the players needed to win and experience success. So last night I was excited when they played 9 players at least 10 minutes. Hopefully this continues.
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There was no bench to develop last year. No talent to develop and only Thompson coming back. He played some and was developed.

This is different. We have 10 guys who are real players. You can develop all the young guys this year both in game and practice.
 

Dakota2 said:
There was no bench to develop last year. No talent to develop and only Thompson coming back. He played some and was developed.

This is different. We have 10 guys who are real players. You can develop all the young guys this year both in game and practice.
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Ramberg? Players suffered from fatigue during league play. I'm still a believer in bench play...unless you believe in either start or you sit type of coach.
 



Holy Man said:
Those were flyers and everyone knows it. Find a better talking point to critique the staff.
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Ogele was a flyer. iirc thiam was Johnson's first commit. and like Gaston, neither belonged on a bigten team. is there a better point than how a staff builds its foundation with quality players?

critiquing this staff: two good recruiting classes. that's it. Have you noticed evidence that this staff can coach and develop players? If so, I would love to hear it. i'm a lifelong cubs fan, so i can buy into hope

when johnson was hired i feared recruiting would be down but coaching would be up. looks like the opposite early on
 

Gopher_In_NYC said:
See that you're new - great post/insights!
Welcome!!
Please post more
Great moniker as well - my favorite Pree moment was at the Barclay's Center when we were playing Bama (the 5 on 3 game) and I was sitting on the baseline near the announcers and the Bama players started hassling Pree and ragging on him and he cool as could be, said the perfect explicit to them and even better the Ref warned them not to bother the players on the court or he'd run them. I later expressed to them my sentiments about Bama fans and offered to act as their tour guide and they demurred.
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Too bad Pree got Mrsa on that trip, he was one of my favs as well. Not a great player but a good one, good glue guy to have
 

GopherWeatherGuy said:
He also currently has defenses focused entirely on him, where Battle had Willis to help with the scoring load last season.
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I think it will open up for Garcia once Battle comes back, Carrington gets a little more settled in. I think as Payne continues to grow and develop that's going to open things up for everyone as well. Biggest thing this team needs is time together, I think once roles are further established and more trust is developed will see some improvements. With Battle, as long as we are healthy we have ten guys who deserve to play, unlike last year where we had six.
 

Dupreefor3 said:
I think it will open up for Garcia once Battle comes back, Carrington gets a little more settled in. I think as Payne continues to grow and develop that's going to open things up for everyone as well. Biggest thing this team needs is time together, I think once roles are further established and more trust is developed will see some improvements. With Battle, as long as we are healthy we have ten guys who deserve to play, unlike last year where we had six.
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This is where I disagree. If we were going to be a competent B1G team this season, Ramberg and Samuels wouldn't play. TT, Ola Joseph, and Henley should also be playing very sparingly this season.

These guys are fine when we are playing the little sisters of the poor, but the B1G will be a whole different story.
 

The switching defenses seemed to have the players more engaged last night. Treyton is really long and shockingly quick in his zone defensive slides and rotations. I think that 1-3-1 can become a very positive change of pace defense for us. We are quick and athletic…but it’s not evident in man to man.
 

GopherWeatherGuy said:
This is where I disagree. If we were going to be a competent B1G team this season, Ramberg and Samuels wouldn't play. TT, Ola Joseph, and Henley should also be playing very sparingly this season.

These guys are fine when we are playing the little sisters of the poor, but the B1G will be a whole different story.
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Agree to an extent, I think Ramburg could help a decent team, just not for 20 minutes, he's a 4-6 minute rotation in the first half type of guy. Problem is and you're alluding to it, there's going to guys like Thompson Henley, Joj that are going to play more than they should and that's where they'll get exposed. I think Samuels can help in a 8-10 minute type of back up role. Battle and Garcia will play heavy minutes, same with Cooper, and that's another one out of necessity. From there it'll probably come down to match ups, but I think if we play ten, rely on our top three, mix and match the other seven, keep guys fresh and do as much as you can to not expose their weaknesses. Let the best one's emerge and tighten the rotation up in February and March.
 

Dupreefor3 said:
I think it will open up for Garcia once Battle comes back, Carrington gets a little more settled in. I think as Payne continues to grow and develop that's going to open things up for everyone as well. Biggest thing this team needs is time together, I think once roles are further established and more trust is developed will see some improvements. With Battle, as long as we are healthy we have ten guys who deserve to play, unlike last year where we had six.
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Perhaps if Thompson would have.gotten more playing time last year this wouldn't be a development year.
 

If JOJ plays like a bull in a china shop, he needs to watch clips of Rodman rebounding and start to emulate that on the court. He's got the physical tools to be a dominant rebounder for this team and the sooner that can happen the better.
 

PhiloVance said:
Perhaps if Thompson would have.gotten more playing time last year this wouldn't be a development year.
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Thompson got exactly the playing time he deserved last year. Had the coaching staff let him embarrass himself further, he might have quit the sport.
 

GopherWeatherGuy said:
This is where I disagree. If we were going to be a competent B1G team this season, Ramberg and Samuels wouldn't play. TT, Ola Joseph, and Henley should also be playing very sparingly this season.

These guys are fine when we are playing the little sisters of the poor, but the B1G will be a whole different story.
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Not a fan of playing 5 players again like last season. Ola Joseph and Henley were bright spots in the first couple of games. Henley, in particular, seems to be one of the few players on this squad who has the speed and handles to drive to the basket.

One never assesses first year players based on a couple of off games. Their play may be up and down but we hope to see a general trend towards improvements after they get 10-12 games under their belt.
 

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