|
Post by fan on Dec 20, 2021 12:11:30 GMT -5
This CMU/Duke thing gives the team an interesting comparison. It's been talking about at length about the value of paying the first 7 or 8 games against the Louisville or Mississippi States of the world, or opening up aginst "cupcakes" and raking up the "W's". Coach likes to open up against strong teams and takes the lumps (and checks), to make the teams stronger for the league.
This past Sunday's game really highlights the choice, so the question is was it better to play CMU and take an almost sure "W" or take the Duke game and take an almost sure "L".
I for one like the "W".
|
|
|
Post by uofdfan1983 on Dec 20, 2021 12:37:38 GMT -5
We've taken enough lumps. You also have to learn how to win / how to close out a win. It's time to go on a long winning streak, having survive a long and difficult road losing streak.
|
|
|
Post by rc on Dec 20, 2021 14:31:52 GMT -5
Thoughts after the first semester ends: 1. It's very difficult for small guys to "elevate" their game as they face tougher competition. They tend to develop their games earlier than "bigs" but as they move to higher levels, the challenges of a height disadvantage mount. I have no idea if AD will make it in the NBA but it's quite obvious that JJJ will not. Watching them yesterday showed without a doubt that one is a special college player and one is not. The BA/JJ experiment was an awful and damaging time, but at least we won the "small guard" sweepstakes. 2. On offense, we are starting to look more like a team of 5 guys playing together. Much better movement without the ball, more effective execution of plays. Taking advantage of mismatches.. Sharing the ball. Cutting to the basket without the ball. Looking for the open teammate. Being less selfish. If AD can take just 17 shots and score 25 points, that's so much better than needing 25 shots. That's more opportunities for his teammates and a more balanced offense. 3. Defensively, I see value in using the 1-3-1 zone again (our staple D for Davis' first 3 years) but I hope we still keep the man-to-man as our "staple." If we can be effective with both, we can mix and match by opponent and even by defensive sets all game long. The keys to defense are always "heart" and "communication." Ultimately, if this is to be a successful season, we are going to have to become a decent defensive team; able to clamp down in key moments and able to play defense for 40 minutes. 4. Akec is very close to replacing Kuol. Defensively I think they are similar. Same on the boards at both ends. Kuol is a more consistent 3-point threat. But we don't need another high-volume 3-point shooter (we have enough of those already). Akec is scary enough of a shooter to be a threat from 3-point range, which makes him harder to defend inside. That's enough to make him the perfect 1A option, which is what Kuol was last year. A great find and exactly what we needed. A hard worker who has seized an opportunity. 5. I think Koka is going to be limited to matchup situations. That means that against most Horizon teams, he will have limited minutes and some DNP-Coach's Decision. 6. Phillips introduction to the rotation yesterday took Shaw out of the rotation. It's obvious that Shaw has tremendous talent but needs to learn the DI level. Phillips didn't show me much yesterday, other than he has some athleticism. First games back are always difficult, especially when everyone else has been playing for a dozen games. It's gonna be interesting to see if one/both of these guys can develop their game in the second half and become integral to our success. 7. Harvey is getting comfortable. He is a decent player. We don't need him to be a star -- if he does what he did yesterday for us most games, that's exactly what we need. 8. Waterman is still totally out of synch. We have to give him time to get back into the flow. It's frustrating to see him looking soft / playing weak / out of synch (he turned the ball over with an inbound violation after a made CMU basket, with no pressure on him or the receiver). Fortunately he still has time to get back into the game. He's a special talent and we need him. At the end of the season, more than anyone else, he will determine how far we go. Spot on 1983! While we don’t have a “big” per se, we have some bulk down low. It was nice to see us with 2 or even 3 passes down low to find the open player (eventually) under the basket (even though CMU did block some shots). It’s also nice to see others besides AD bringing the ball up court, and him not trying to do more than he has to and not turn the ball over as much. Lastly, our team rebounding has been pretty good lately which we need it to be since we don’t have those bigs down low to wipe up the rebounds. Finally, I too believe that Waterman will get on track. That would be a big bonus this year and put us ahead of last year where he was pivotal.
|
|
|
Post by Commissioner on Dec 20, 2021 16:33:31 GMT -5
This was the first college game I've seen live since COVID, and it reminded me of how much you can see in person that you can't see on the video feed. It was also my first trip up to Calihan in at least 3 years, maybe 4. I tend to see the Titans live when the play at YSU, CSU, or other teams south of the state line. Anyway, it was nice to be at the game, and to visit with RC and Rogo after. Special thanks to RC who sprung for drinks in the Titan Club.
Some of this will echo others, but my two cents as we end the non-conference season:
1. Harvey is really starting to come out. I thought he'd be more of a scorer than he is, but that's OK--we've got scorers. He doesn't make a lot of mistakes. DJ has been grabbing a lot of rebounds for us, considerably more than he did for Notre Dame or Vandy. He's second on the team to Akec. What I've been noticing on the telly, and again yesterday, is that he doesn't go skying up to grab rebounds. Rather, it seems like most his rebounds come from having a good sense of where the missed ball is likely to go. He grabs a lot of rebounds that hit the floor or that he nabs at waist height away from the basket. That's not a trivial skill. BTW, yesterday was the first double-double of his career.
2. Willy does lots of things that don't show up in the stat sheet. As we all know, he takes the charges, makes the extra pass, etc. Yesterday he had just 1 assist but should have had at least 2 or 3 more, where guys either missed easy shots or were fouled on the shot. He was not credited with any steals, but at least twice he tipped the ball and another Titan grabbed it--in at least one case, being rewarded with the steal that was really the result of Willy's play. Willy gets some rebounds, makes his foul shots, is a plausible three-point threat (he's actually made 10 of his last 20 attempts, though he was goosed yesterday), is very selfless. He's developed a real arsenal of skills beyond the "catch and shoot" 4 he was as a freshman.
3. The team is passing the ball much better the last few games. This is visually obvious and shows in the stats--in 4 of the last 5 games we've had assists on at least half of our field goals (the exception was UIC, where we had 20 field goals and 9 assists), which we did not do in any of the first 6 games.
4. Rogo noted that Phillips seemed a bit lost, like he wasn't sure what his role was. I thought that was astute. I also thought at a couple point he looked like he was trying to do things that normally work for him, but didn't, and that could be attributed to "rust," although Rogo didn't seem to think he looked "rusty." Anyway, he struck me as a very similar player to Shaw. Both are big guards--6-7 or not, Phillips is not an inside player--very athletic, no one dominant skill but no obvious severe weaknesses. Shaw didn't play at all yesterday, and played just 2 minutes against Western last weekend, after starting the previous 3 games. My guess is only one of these two sees a bunch of minutes going forward, and right now it looks like that would be Phillips.
5. The Titans used an 8-man rotation--the starters of AD, Willy, Akec, Johnson, and Harvey, and Waterman, McAdoo, and Phillips off the bench. No Koka, no Shaw, no LeGreair, and, obviously, no more Oduro. I suspect that 8 man rotation will be the case going forward, with spot duty for Shaw and Koka.
6. Akec started slow but used free throws to get himself into gear. He's got two more years of eligibility and I sure hope he sticks around.
7. Very nice game for AD, nothing really forced. He made a couple big threes when we needed them, but for the most part he just seemed like another guy in the offense--albeit a scorer with a deadly three point shot. Just really nice. We were treated to the rare sight of AD missing a free throw, too.
8. We've got to get Waterman into the flow. He hit his first two three point shots yesterday, but missed one a few seconds later, and didn't take another--his last shot of the half--for 7 minutes (he missed a layup on which he was really fouled big time but got no call). He didn't take any shots in the second half until the 9:38 mark, when he missed a three. Shortly after that he made the sloppy, lazy in bounds turn-over that Tom mentioned above, and Coach had some appropriate harsh words for Noah as he came to the bench. He didn't play after that.
9. Speaking of the uncalled foul on Waterman, the officiating was pretty bad all around, though I don't think it worked to the Titans' detriment. Central had some legit beefs.
10. It's nice to win 4 of 5, but there's definitely work to do. The team is still not playing at a high level of consistency. Our first 6 opponents, all losses, are a combined 46-21 this year, and include two high majors. Our last 5 (4-1 mark, all mid-majors) are 15-37.
I don't feel we've played our best ball yet this year, but the team is coming around. If the guys stay focused and work hard, I see no reason we shoudn't win our next 6 games heading to what will be a big match-up at Cleveland State in mid-January. But let's play 'em one at a time.
|
|
|
Post by Commissioner on Dec 22, 2021 10:11:29 GMT -5
My impression of JJJ was that he hasn't improved his game one bit--he is still the same player he was when he enrolled as a freshman at UD four year ago, and probably the same player he was when he made the state's "Dream Team" as a high school junior. A useful mid-major player, but never progressed beyond what he brought in as a freshman.
|
|
|
Post by calihanmole on Dec 22, 2021 10:31:51 GMT -5
My impression of JJJ was that he hasn't improved his game one bit--he is still the same player he was when he enrolled as a freshman at UD four year ago, and probably the same player he was when he made the state's "Dream Team" as a high school junior. A useful mid-major player, but never progressed beyond what he brought in as a freshman. I agree. Fact is, he’ll always be Chasing The League.
|
|
|
Post by Commissioner on Dec 23, 2021 7:55:40 GMT -5
A couple thoughts on game day experience after my first trip to Calihan in a while:
1. With official attendance generously listed as 1921, it shouldn't take long to get into Calihan, yet we were several minutes at the ticket window. It wasn't a that we timed it wrong and caught a mini-rush--the service was just frightfully slow.
2. My wife and I are in that age where some places give you senior discounts, and some don't. I asked the ticket vendor what was the cut-off age for "seniors." She didn't know. Rather than make others wait while she figured that out, I just paid the full price--I'm sure she would have given me the senior rate if for two tickets if that's what I'd then ordered, but I figured if I was foregoing $8 in discounts, well, consider it a small donation. But I think that was a pretty basic question.
3. With official attendance generously listed as 1921, it shouldn't take long to get service at the concessions, yet the line was excruciatingly slow--indeed, I abandoned it at halftime in order to return to my seat to catch the game. The pace of service was abysmal.
4. I know some will disagree, but it would help to dump the mask mandate. It's hard to cheer with a mask on, and it undoubtedly detracted from our game experience and I suspect from many others. It wouldn't keep me from a game per se, but it might make me less likely to go. I've got a 4 hour drive each way, $60 dollars for gas, plus tickets, some food... Obviously, the first two aren't issues for most attending, but almost everyone is, whether they consciously think of it or not, making a decision at the margin. The most vehement anti-maskers won't attend, period. But even in the crowd in attendance, there's no doubt in my mind that if the PA announcer had come on and said, "While the University strongly urges you to wear a mask indoors, effective immediately it is no longer required here in Calihan Hall," at least 85% of the crowd would have their masks off before "Hall" had quit echoing through the building. Americans are capable of understanding risks and making choices, and they understand, intuitively if not in all the specifics, that masks are, at most, of very marginal benefit, and least not enough that they feel being masked is worth the costs.
5. Related to 4, it didn't help that the PA announcer nagged everyone about it several times during the game.
6. Added to this are the "wokeness" videos the Horizon League is now running, that ran on the scoreboard before the game. Many of the same people who will complain that my point 4 above--which is not intended as a political statement, but a factual one--will say I shouldn't complain about the "wokeness" videos, they're good. Look, I don't mind talking politics--in fact, I've done it at Titan games with some people who frequent this board; and you know what? I'm not going to complain if individual players want to take a knee during the national anthem, or if some fans wear BLM gear or MAGA hats or "Che" t-shirts or whatever--but I don't want to sit through these little wokeness testimonials thrown at me as part of the official experience before the game, and I suspect most other Titan fans don't either. And BTW, I wouldn't want to sit through videos of HL athletes talking about "what liberty means to me" either, although that would be preferable and probably less divisive. Again, these are little things on the margin.
So... focus on getting the little right--make sure workers know what they're doing, and look for other ways to speed lines and make it an experience with minimal administrative friction; and don't do things that needlessly create friction or detract from the experience for large numbers of those who are or perhaps would be in attendance.
|
|
|
Post by Rogobob77 on Dec 23, 2021 8:43:17 GMT -5
A couple thoughts on game day experience after my first trip to Calihan in a while: 1. With official attendance generously listed as 1921, it shouldn't take long to get into Calihan, yet we were several minutes at the ticket window. It wasn't a that we timed it wrong and caught a mini-rush--the service was just frightfully slow. 2. My wife and I are in that age where some places give you senior discounts, and some don't. I asked the ticket vendor what was the cut-off age for "seniors." She didn't know. Rather than make others wait while she figured that out, I just paid the full price--I'm sure she would have given me the senior rate if for two tickets if that's what I'd then ordered, but I figured if I was foregoing $8 in discounts, well, consider it a small donation. But I think that was a pretty basic question. 3. With official attendance generously listed as 1921, it shouldn't take long to get service at the concessions, yet the line was excruciatingly slow--indeed, I abandoned it at halftime in order to return to my seat to catch the game. The pace of service was abysmal. 4. I know some will disagree, but it would help to dump the mask mandate. It's hard to cheer with a mask on, and it undoubtedly detracted from our game experience and I suspect from many others. It wouldn't keep me from a game per se, but it might make me less likely to go. I've got a 4 hour drive each way, $60 dollars for gas, plus tickets, some food... Obviously, the first two aren't issues for most attending, but almost everyone is, whether they consciously think of it or not, making a decision at the margin. The most vehement anti-maskers won't attend, period. But even in the crowd in attendance, there's no doubt in my mind that if the PA announcer had come on and said, "While the University strongly urges you to wear a mask indoors, effective immediately it is no longer required here in Calihan Hall," at least 85% of the crowd would have their masks off before "Hall" had quit echoing through the building. Americans are capable of understanding risks and making choices, and they understand, intuitively if not in all the specifics, that masks are, at most, of very marginal benefit, and least not enough that they feel being masked is worth the costs. 5. Related to 4, it didn't help that the PA announcer nagged everyone about it several times during the game. 6. Added to this are the "wokeness" videos the Horizon League is now running, that ran on the scoreboard before the game. Many of the same people who will complain that my point 4 above--which is not intended as a political statement, but a factual one--will say I shouldn't complain about the "wokeness" videos, they're good. Look, I don't mind talking politics--in fact, I've done it at Titan games with some people who frequent this board; and you know what? I'm not going to complain if individual players want to take a knee during the national anthem, or if some fans wear BLM gear or MAGA hats or "Che" t-shirts or whatever--but I don't want to sit through these little wokeness testimonials thrown at me as part of the official experience before the game, and I suspect most other Titan fans don't either. And BTW, I wouldn't want to sit through videos of HL athletes talking about "what liberty means to me" either, although that would be preferable and probably less divisive. Again, these are little things on the margin. So... focus on getting the little right--make sure workers know what they're doing, and look for other ways to speed lines and make it an experience with minimal administrative friction; and don't do things that needlessly create friction or detract from the experience for large numbers of those who are or perhaps would be in attendance. Many valid points. I still love going to Calihan for games, but have to agree that several aspects related to the fan experience have been in rather steady decline. Regarding the question posed in item #2, the website says Senior Season Tickets are available for those age 60 or higher, I assume that would be the same threshold for single game tickets purchased at the box office. (My interpretation of guidance found in IRS Publication 526 is that you may be able to claim a charitable contribution for the $8 ticket charge overage assuming you itemize deductions. 😃) Regarding item 4, the University as a whole has adopted a policy that “masks are required of everyone indoors while on Detroit Mercy campuses.” I know there are varying opinions on whether that should be moderated now or at some point going forward, but my guess is that it would be difficult to negotiate an official variance to the policy for fans at Calihan. FWIW, I saw many people in attendance ignoring the policy and there appears to be no real attempt to monitor or enforce compliance. Back in the day, all Titan Club members and season ticket subscribers would be sent a survey to get feedback on various aspects of the game day experience. They stopped doing that in recent years but it might be a good practice to resurrect.
|
|
|
Post by upbasketballfan on Dec 23, 2021 14:19:56 GMT -5
A couple thoughts on game day experience after my first trip to Calihan in a while: 1. With official attendance generously listed as 1921, it shouldn't take long to get into Calihan, yet we were several minutes at the ticket window. It wasn't a that we timed it wrong and caught a mini-rush--the service was just frightfully slow. 2. My wife and I are in that age where some places give you senior discounts, and some don't. I asked the ticket vendor what was the cut-off age for "seniors." She didn't know. Rather than make others wait while she figured that out, I just paid the full price--I'm sure she would have given me the senior rate if for two tickets if that's what I'd then ordered, but I figured if I was foregoing $8 in discounts, well, consider it a small donation. But I think that was a pretty basic question. 3. With official attendance generously listed as 1921, it shouldn't take long to get service at the concessions, yet the line was excruciatingly slow--indeed, I abandoned it at halftime in order to return to my seat to catch the game. The pace of service was abysmal. 4. I know some will disagree, but it would help to dump the mask mandate. It's hard to cheer with a mask on, and it undoubtedly detracted from our game experience and I suspect from many others. It wouldn't keep me from a game per se, but it might make me less likely to go. I've got a 4 hour drive each way, $60 dollars for gas, plus tickets, some food... Obviously, the first two aren't issues for most attending, but almost everyone is, whether they consciously think of it or not, making a decision at the margin. The most vehement anti-maskers won't attend, period. But even in the crowd in attendance, there's no doubt in my mind that if the PA announcer had come on and said, "While the University strongly urges you to wear a mask indoors, effective immediately it is no longer required here in Calihan Hall," at least 85% of the crowd would have their masks off before "Hall" had quit echoing through the building. Americans are capable of understanding risks and making choices, and they understand, intuitively if not in all the specifics, that masks are, at most, of very marginal benefit, and least not enough that they feel being masked is worth the costs. 5. Related to 4, it didn't help that the PA announcer nagged everyone about it several times during the game. 6. Added to this are the "wokeness" videos the Horizon League is now running, that ran on the scoreboard before the game. Many of the same people who will complain that my point 4 above--which is not intended as a political statement, but a factual one--will say I shouldn't complain about the "wokeness" videos, they're good. Look, I don't mind talking politics--in fact, I've done it at Titan games with some people who frequent this board; and you know what? I'm not going to complain if individual players want to take a knee during the national anthem, or if some fans wear BLM gear or MAGA hats or "Che" t-shirts or whatever--but I don't want to sit through these little wokeness testimonials thrown at me as part of the official experience before the game, and I suspect most other Titan fans don't either. And BTW, I wouldn't want to sit through videos of HL athletes talking about "what liberty means to me" either, although that would be preferable and probably less divisive. Again, these are little things on the margin. So... focus on getting the little right--make sure workers know what they're doing, and look for other ways to speed lines and make it an experience with minimal administrative friction; and don't do things that needlessly create friction or detract from the experience for large numbers of those who are or perhaps would be in attendance. All valid points. I still love going to Calihan for games, but have to agree that several aspects related to the fan experience have been in rather steady decline. Regarding the question posed in item #2, the website says Senior Season Tickets are available for those age 60 or higher, I assume that would be the same threshold for single game tickets purchased at the box office. (My interpretation of guidance found in IRS Publication 526 is that you may be able to claim a charitable contribution for the $8 ticket charge overage assuming you itemize deductions. 😃) Regarding item 4, the University as a whole has adopted a policy that “masks are required of everyone indoors while on Detroit Mercy campuses.” I know there are varying opinions on whether that should be moderated now or at some point going forward, but my guess is that it would be difficult to negotiate an official variance to the policy for fans at Calihan. FWIW, I saw many people in attendance ignoring the policy and there appears to be no real attempt to monitor or enforce compliance. Back in the day, all Titan Club members and season ticket subscribers would be sent a survey to get feedback on various aspects of the game day experience. They stopped doing that in recent years but it might be a good practice to resurrect. I drive 18 hrs. round trip to get to Calihan and feel I have enjoyed every trip but I am not interested in having someone stick a political statement in my face when I am there to watch a basketball game. Also how can there be a mask mandate only for the compliant? To me it either is or isn’t and then everyone can decide from there what they want.
|
|
|
Post by udballer on Dec 23, 2021 14:57:22 GMT -5
The announcer who consistently nags the crowd to properly wear their mask hasn't had a mask touch his face during either game at Calihan.
It's a rule at current so I wear my mask during the game. I make sure my son is wearing his whenever he's not stuffing popcorn in his mouth. I agree that it should be enforced if it's the policy.
I've not noticed the political themed messages as of yet, but I suspect I wouldn't mind one way or the other. It's pretty easy to ignore what you don't want to see and I doubt it would affect my game day experience.
The other items like not being served at concessions, missing the tip off due to admissions waits and workers not knowing the pricing for the game would absolutely affect my game day experience... and needs to be corrected.
|
|
|
Post by upbasketballfan on Dec 23, 2021 15:10:25 GMT -5
Maybe that announcer needs to have a mask with the Mike built in so he can get the full experience of the game or maybe he should go home. He is definatlely nonessential. Half the time these guys( with the exception of Earl) are wrong more than they are right. I turn the sound off at home when I’m watching basketball and I enjoy the game a lot more. Especially the OU and Wright State play by play guys who are absolute Morons.
|
|
|
Post by Rogobob77 on Dec 23, 2021 15:16:56 GMT -5
I realize that it’s goofy to have a mandate that you can’t enforce, but what is Athletics to do? There is a University policy that requires masks be worn at all the time indoors. It might be equally goofy to say “yes that’s the policy, but when students and others gather together closely in our arena the requirement is waived.” And if you can’t get a game ticket or hot dog in ten minutes, how long would it take for the handful of available campus police officers to remove individuals bodily one-by-one from Calihan for noncompliance, especially given the multitude of other noncompliant attendees present? Speculating, the reason they may have increased the frequency of reminders (I don’t recall multiple PA announcements at the WMU game) about wearing masks may be in response to complaints from some fans wanting 100% compliance. So it is what it is, a “hard ask” poorly labeled a “mandate.” As a practical matter you can keep your mask on, or take it off and nothing is going to happen to you. My sense is that if you sit in the remote corners of the Calihan Hall upper bowl, you could break several of the Ten Commandments and/or local municipal ordinances in the course of a two-hour game and go completely undetected.
|
|
|
Post by upbasketballfan on Dec 23, 2021 20:19:41 GMT -5
Speaking of the remote corners of the upper bow reminds me of the smell of mj that used to reek through the Hall.
|
|
|
Post by Commissioner on Dec 23, 2021 20:22:23 GMT -5
I realize that it’s goofy to have a mandate that you can’t enforce, but what is Athletics to do? There is a University policy that requires masks be worn at all the time indoors. Well, it would seem at least possible that the University policy could be altered by those who put it in place.
|
|
|
Post by udballer on Dec 23, 2021 20:35:30 GMT -5
I realize that it’s goofy to have a mandate that you can’t enforce, but what is Athletics to do? There is a University policy that requires masks be worn at all the time indoors. It might be equally goofy to say “yes that’s the policy, but when students and others gather together closely in our arena the requirement is waived.” And if you can’t get a game ticket or hot dog in ten minutes, how long would it take for the handful of available campus police officers to remove individuals bodily one-by-one from Calihan for noncompliance, especially given the multitude of other noncompliant attendees present? Speculating, the reason they may have increased the frequency of reminders (I don’t recall multiple PA announcements at the WMU game) about wearing masks may be in response to complaints from some fans wanting 100% compliance. So it is what it is, a “hard ask” poorly labeled a “mandate.” As a practical matter you can keep your mask on, or take it off and nothing is going to happen to you. My sense is that if you sit in the remote corners of the Calihan Hall upper bowl, you could break several of the Ten Commandments and/or local municipal ordinances in the course of a two-hour game and go completely undetected. Agree that the policy should be the policy. No exceptions for basketball fans who don't want to follow the university rules. Otherwise, "goofy" is the only way to describe it. From an enforcement perspective, the normal number of campus police could not remain stationary for the entire game and "remind" people that masks are required. After all, there aren't many people in the building. If needed, I could personally shake hands with all attendees in the stadium during timeouts and halftime. If the mask mandate is in effect, I'd just hope that the ticket takers would ensure those entering are wearing masks. Im 90% sure the two kids sitting behind me last game didn't own a mask. There were at least 4 announcements during the WMU game. My son kept saying "why is the guy without a mask constantly telling me to wear a mask?". Lol
|
|