11-22-2014, 11:04 AM
I went to bed thinking I was the only one who watched the game, so it's nice to see some comments!Â
In the Dawkins' era, it had to have been THE best. We shot lights out. We looked comfortable in the offense, only had a few maddening plays. My blood pressure was much better than in past years. It was actually a joy to watch again. We looked like the veteran seasoned team (probably because we were, UNLV was starting 3 underclassmen), and we were physically more dominant. We are not playing any dead weight or clear liabilities this year, and we might have a bench now. For all of Dawkins' missteps and growing pains, I think he really has this team heading in the right direction. The kids play with effort, the team just looks better coached, and the recruiting is as good as it has ever been (as stated in a prior post by others). Dawkins may not be a fiery emotional coach on the sidelines, but he appears to be a stand-up kind of guy and he seems to relate to the kids who value an education. I know I was frustrated by player development particularly with Powell, as he seemed to have so much untapped potential, but there is no denying that Nastic has improved dramatically in the last 2 years. I don't know if we can be real contenders, and to be honest, who can truly tell when there are so many one-and-dones in college basketball? But, at what point do we stop complaining about Dawkins and start getting behind the team? I'd hope it is now.Â
Some other thoughts:
- Rosco Allen is definitely not a bust. I think he will play better against teams of our size, rather than chasing and putting the ball on the floor against little guys from small schools on the perimeter. I think our fortunes will really rise or fall with his performances. As OutsiderFan points out, if he can shoot, our spacing will be much better, as it opens up the interior for Nastic and Travis. We know Randle and Brown can shoot, and a third threat will make us tough to beat. All 3 were hot yesterday. Can't expect that all the time, but I don't think UNLV knew what hit them.
- Randle had a better game, seems like he likes the big stage
- Brown looks really good so far. He looks more confident and he is really stroking it right now. He is also moving better, which makes his perimeter defense even more effective with his length.
- Nastic didn't have his best scoring game, but the offense runs better when he is on the floor as a post threat
- Travis didn't score that much, but he is a space eater and a physical presence. Had one play where he powered up a putback with 2 guys hanging all over him.
- Humphrey has been limited by fouls, but the potential is there. He will learn that he doesn't have to reach and just use his size. He has also tried taking some charges that he doesn't need to, so hopefully that will get cleaned up. These things are easily correctable.
- I love the energy that Allen and Cartwright bring off the bench. Allen always seems to make at least a couple of great hustle plays a game. Not sure if Cartwright can sustain that level of effort when he becomes the starting point next year, but he is making the most of the time he has on the court now.
- Apparently Schuyler Rimmer is leaving Stanford at the end of the quarter, according to his tweet. Not sure why, maybe he saw his playing time dwindle (pure speculation). Hate to see anyone leave Stanford, but I wish him well and hope he finds a good place in the future. Seemed like a good kid.
Watched a little bit of the Duke game, and Justice Winslow is a player. It's too bad we didn't get him. This may be where we miss Huestis the most, as I'm not sure we have a good matchup for him on defense. He would have been perfect for our team.
(11-22-2014, 08:42 AM)burger link Wrote:That was one of the best offensive performances by MBB in recent memory. Everyone except Nastic had a hot hand.Â
In the Dawkins' era, it had to have been THE best. We shot lights out. We looked comfortable in the offense, only had a few maddening plays. My blood pressure was much better than in past years. It was actually a joy to watch again. We looked like the veteran seasoned team (probably because we were, UNLV was starting 3 underclassmen), and we were physically more dominant. We are not playing any dead weight or clear liabilities this year, and we might have a bench now. For all of Dawkins' missteps and growing pains, I think he really has this team heading in the right direction. The kids play with effort, the team just looks better coached, and the recruiting is as good as it has ever been (as stated in a prior post by others). Dawkins may not be a fiery emotional coach on the sidelines, but he appears to be a stand-up kind of guy and he seems to relate to the kids who value an education. I know I was frustrated by player development particularly with Powell, as he seemed to have so much untapped potential, but there is no denying that Nastic has improved dramatically in the last 2 years. I don't know if we can be real contenders, and to be honest, who can truly tell when there are so many one-and-dones in college basketball? But, at what point do we stop complaining about Dawkins and start getting behind the team? I'd hope it is now.Â
Some other thoughts:
- Rosco Allen is definitely not a bust. I think he will play better against teams of our size, rather than chasing and putting the ball on the floor against little guys from small schools on the perimeter. I think our fortunes will really rise or fall with his performances. As OutsiderFan points out, if he can shoot, our spacing will be much better, as it opens up the interior for Nastic and Travis. We know Randle and Brown can shoot, and a third threat will make us tough to beat. All 3 were hot yesterday. Can't expect that all the time, but I don't think UNLV knew what hit them.
- Randle had a better game, seems like he likes the big stage
- Brown looks really good so far. He looks more confident and he is really stroking it right now. He is also moving better, which makes his perimeter defense even more effective with his length.
- Nastic didn't have his best scoring game, but the offense runs better when he is on the floor as a post threat
- Travis didn't score that much, but he is a space eater and a physical presence. Had one play where he powered up a putback with 2 guys hanging all over him.
- Humphrey has been limited by fouls, but the potential is there. He will learn that he doesn't have to reach and just use his size. He has also tried taking some charges that he doesn't need to, so hopefully that will get cleaned up. These things are easily correctable.
- I love the energy that Allen and Cartwright bring off the bench. Allen always seems to make at least a couple of great hustle plays a game. Not sure if Cartwright can sustain that level of effort when he becomes the starting point next year, but he is making the most of the time he has on the court now.
- Apparently Schuyler Rimmer is leaving Stanford at the end of the quarter, according to his tweet. Not sure why, maybe he saw his playing time dwindle (pure speculation). Hate to see anyone leave Stanford, but I wish him well and hope he finds a good place in the future. Seemed like a good kid.
Watched a little bit of the Duke game, and Justice Winslow is a player. It's too bad we didn't get him. This may be where we miss Huestis the most, as I'm not sure we have a good matchup for him on defense. He would have been perfect for our team.