My fiver on our game in the NCAA Tournament =--------
1. Symmetry. WVU's football team did some good in the regular season, not nearly as much as the basketball team, but bouncing back to put together a modest four-game win streak, including beating Texas after two years of frustration, was solid. There was momentum there. Then, Kansas State happened. It was a head-scratching, God-forsaken loss that defied any logistical diagnosis or excuse. It was simply a travesty. And, afterwards, it was hard to take much good from the season. Arizona State helped, but the point is the same.
WVU's basketball team did some good- a LOT of good- in the regular season. The Tournament run to the Big XII Final was solid. There was momentum there. Then, Stephen F. Austin happened. It is a head-scratching, God-forsaken loss that defies any logistical diagnosis or excuse. It is simply a travesty. And, afterwards, at least right now, it's hard to look on this season as an unadulterated success. It helps that we finished 2nd in the Big XII, beat Kansas again and made the Championship. But, the point is the same. The season is scarred with this horrific loss.
2. Excuses. The insult to the injury is the talk of "we took them lightly...we overlooked them". That is absolute garbage. Stephen F. Austin was and is the better team. From the top down. They were better prepared. They had the better coach. They had the best player on the floor. And, they only turned the ball over 7 times. When players come out and say "we took them lightly", they indicate in a way that they- those giving the quote- truly are better. They indicate that the opposition really didn't win, insomuch as we just let them win. That's the mantra of a loser. If you don't stand tall and admit when you're beaten by a better team, then you will never learn the lesson as to why exactly you lost. My quote after the game would've been: "We lost to a better team today. And, we'll be heard from again. We're going to figure out what happened, and find a way to come back stronger next season." Stephen F. Austin beat us, fair and square. It was the NCAA Tournament, and we played as hard as we could. We gave them our best shot, and because our coaches did not have us prepared, and because we have weaknesses that can be exploited by a great coach, we lost to a better team.
3. The missing point guard. If Juwan Staten was in a WVU uniform for our game vs. SFA, not only do I believe WVU would've won, but I believe that Staten would've had one of his 30+ point and 10+ assist gems. A talented natural point guard could easily have exploited SFA's over-aggressive defense. We don't set screens in our offense, so a point guard's ability to drive and produce is paramount vs. a team like SFA. Tarik Phillip got caught with his signature push-offs, and Jevon Carter just couldn't get it done - he was resigned to frustration. It will be interesting to see next year if Beetle Bolden ends up starting. We made a good way this year without a true PG. But, to win in March - to win when the chips are down- a true PG is extremely valuable to settle a team down, stabilize an offense, and to punish teams who overplay their hand on "D".
4. Swarm. That is the best man-to-man defense I have seen played against WVU perhaps ever. The only game that I can think of that compares is WVU's loss at Purdue in 2009 with our Final Four squad. Matt Painter had Purdue's guys up in our grill all game long. I always felt that the '09 Purdue loss truly prepared our guys for what was to come in March.
5. The mystery of Esa Ahmad. Boy, it appeared that Esa came out ready to play. He threw down a nasty dunk on a foul call, where they didn't give him continuation. But, he next followed up by drilling two treys in a row, effortlessly. He had a bounce in his step. Then, he disappeared. Weird. I don't know what's to come of Esa, but I hope that he grows in the offseason to understand his limitless potential. There is a spot in the starting lineup for him next year at the "3". If he works in the offseason, the 2016-'17 season could be his breakout. If Devin does come back, you're looking at a starting five of 1) Beetle Bolden; 2) JC; 3) Esa; 4) Bender; 5) Devin Williams. You'll see a 2nd wave off the bench of Tarik Phillip, Dax Miles, Nate Adrian, Lamont West, and Elijah Macon. If we need a shooter, then Chase Harler or Teyvon Myers can fill in. But, overall, we still don't have that "go to" guy. That's the role that Esa Ahmad must prepare himself to accept. If I'm Huggs, I'm sitting down with him this month to explain that he needs to prepare himself to be the Man. Work on ball-handling. Work on strength. Work on your shot. Prepare. This could be a very good season next year. Much of the success, in my opinion, will rely upon how well Beetle can run the team & how much Esa Ahmad grows.
1. Symmetry. WVU's football team did some good in the regular season, not nearly as much as the basketball team, but bouncing back to put together a modest four-game win streak, including beating Texas after two years of frustration, was solid. There was momentum there. Then, Kansas State happened. It was a head-scratching, God-forsaken loss that defied any logistical diagnosis or excuse. It was simply a travesty. And, afterwards, it was hard to take much good from the season. Arizona State helped, but the point is the same.
WVU's basketball team did some good- a LOT of good- in the regular season. The Tournament run to the Big XII Final was solid. There was momentum there. Then, Stephen F. Austin happened. It is a head-scratching, God-forsaken loss that defies any logistical diagnosis or excuse. It is simply a travesty. And, afterwards, at least right now, it's hard to look on this season as an unadulterated success. It helps that we finished 2nd in the Big XII, beat Kansas again and made the Championship. But, the point is the same. The season is scarred with this horrific loss.
2. Excuses. The insult to the injury is the talk of "we took them lightly...we overlooked them". That is absolute garbage. Stephen F. Austin was and is the better team. From the top down. They were better prepared. They had the better coach. They had the best player on the floor. And, they only turned the ball over 7 times. When players come out and say "we took them lightly", they indicate in a way that they- those giving the quote- truly are better. They indicate that the opposition really didn't win, insomuch as we just let them win. That's the mantra of a loser. If you don't stand tall and admit when you're beaten by a better team, then you will never learn the lesson as to why exactly you lost. My quote after the game would've been: "We lost to a better team today. And, we'll be heard from again. We're going to figure out what happened, and find a way to come back stronger next season." Stephen F. Austin beat us, fair and square. It was the NCAA Tournament, and we played as hard as we could. We gave them our best shot, and because our coaches did not have us prepared, and because we have weaknesses that can be exploited by a great coach, we lost to a better team.
3. The missing point guard. If Juwan Staten was in a WVU uniform for our game vs. SFA, not only do I believe WVU would've won, but I believe that Staten would've had one of his 30+ point and 10+ assist gems. A talented natural point guard could easily have exploited SFA's over-aggressive defense. We don't set screens in our offense, so a point guard's ability to drive and produce is paramount vs. a team like SFA. Tarik Phillip got caught with his signature push-offs, and Jevon Carter just couldn't get it done - he was resigned to frustration. It will be interesting to see next year if Beetle Bolden ends up starting. We made a good way this year without a true PG. But, to win in March - to win when the chips are down- a true PG is extremely valuable to settle a team down, stabilize an offense, and to punish teams who overplay their hand on "D".
4. Swarm. That is the best man-to-man defense I have seen played against WVU perhaps ever. The only game that I can think of that compares is WVU's loss at Purdue in 2009 with our Final Four squad. Matt Painter had Purdue's guys up in our grill all game long. I always felt that the '09 Purdue loss truly prepared our guys for what was to come in March.
5. The mystery of Esa Ahmad. Boy, it appeared that Esa came out ready to play. He threw down a nasty dunk on a foul call, where they didn't give him continuation. But, he next followed up by drilling two treys in a row, effortlessly. He had a bounce in his step. Then, he disappeared. Weird. I don't know what's to come of Esa, but I hope that he grows in the offseason to understand his limitless potential. There is a spot in the starting lineup for him next year at the "3". If he works in the offseason, the 2016-'17 season could be his breakout. If Devin does come back, you're looking at a starting five of 1) Beetle Bolden; 2) JC; 3) Esa; 4) Bender; 5) Devin Williams. You'll see a 2nd wave off the bench of Tarik Phillip, Dax Miles, Nate Adrian, Lamont West, and Elijah Macon. If we need a shooter, then Chase Harler or Teyvon Myers can fill in. But, overall, we still don't have that "go to" guy. That's the role that Esa Ahmad must prepare himself to accept. If I'm Huggs, I'm sitting down with him this month to explain that he needs to prepare himself to be the Man. Work on ball-handling. Work on strength. Work on your shot. Prepare. This could be a very good season next year. Much of the success, in my opinion, will rely upon how well Beetle can run the team & how much Esa Ahmad grows.
