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I just wonder what the point of being in a conference with a team is, if we never play them... With only 1 rotating intra-division game a year, the two divisions might as well be separate conferences.
Do you know who was a great ball control / defensive coach? Seth. Oh wait....
Pass. Pass. Pass. Dribble. Dribble. Dribble. Ugly shot with 3 seconds on the Shot Clock.
If Malcon Delaney didnt thrive on hitting that said shot, Seth would have been gone several years ago.
Back to JJ, his philosophy is tempo. And tempo requires bodies. I'd expect to see marked improvement as soon as next year, just because he'll have more fresh legs out on the floor.
Nothing personal, but I think your comment is pretty nonsensical. I thought we'd win 8 or 9 games this year, so JJ has exceeded my expectations. This team has gotten worse as the year went on because this team has gotten more exhausted - - it's really that simple.
1. WE HAVE 8 SCHOLARSHIP PLAYERS, AND FOR A WHILE WE ONLY HAD 7. It is not a coincidence that we were playing at a higher level to start the season. Our guys are tired. End of discussion. We don't even have enough guys to have an effective 5-on-5 practive environment, not to mention that the guys we do have are thoroughly beat up and exhausted.
2. I will admit, JJ has looked frustrated at times this year, and his coaching suffered because of it - - but how could he not be? He has very, very limited options. However, earlier in the season, when our guys were fresh, our team looked extremely capable. That OK State team is still in the top 20 and is 18-5 with losses coming against great teams, including #10 Gonzaga and #25 Kansas State
3. I don't follow recruiting all that closely, so I don't know who the top 100 guys are besides EG. I understand your defensive philosophy, but do you think coaching more defense would help Robert Brown and Jarrell Eddie shoot better than 32% and 40% from the field? Do you expect top 100 guys to shoot better than 40%? Would you like JJ to shoot for them? Robert Brown and Jarrell Eddies inability to be a consistent scoring threat is why we are losing games. The reason they are not hitting shots is because their legs are presumably JELLO. Erick Green is an excpetional talent who I believe will be successful in the NBA, but one of the reasons he is the leading scorer in the country is because the rest of our team can't score.
I've said it before on this site but I loved how LANE erupted into a big Go Hokies as the ambulance was leaving the field. I hope he could feel the appreciation we had for the sacrifice and risk he took for us and now we return the favor. Must have been a very tough decision to make but it's one that Hokie Nation understands and appreciates. Good luck Michael if you read the site.
i've been to a lot of games in lane, and that's the first time i remember the ambulance coming out on the field, that shit was terrifying. a sobering reminder of how dangerous and violent our favorite sport is.
he'll be great to have around the program though. glad the ncaa granted the medical dq.
They were probably afraid it would crumble down on their heads!
DVD is most definitely not a whip. His game is North / South.
Personally, I think DVD is a Mike and Deon Clarke is a backer, but I dont know how they've come along since high school.
Hopefully McKinnon gets his legal stuff squared away. We need him in the two deep. But yes, I think our nickle look is our fail safe there.
...was not going to the big dance. It was the level above embarrassment. that's not a high expectation.
for coaches who don't coach defense.
I know the standard procedure is to give a coach a few years to get players and his system in place. But I question his system. His early season defensive design of doubling the low post was an unmitigated disaster. He was a defensive minded player, it feels like this "run-up-and-down" system doesn't even suit what I think James Johnson wants to be.
I have simple expectations:
- Coach fundamentals. We are VT, we need to out fundamental teams. It's in our DNA. Don't turn it over, play physical, give incredible effort, respect the game.
- Play Defense. Of note, it's not the high-pace team VT who blows people out with regularity in the ACC, it's the stingy defensive minded teams UVA and UMD. Defense = Wins.
- Get the best out of your talent. UVA is not particularly talented. Raines is every bit the player Mitchell is. Green is a better scorer than Harris. Eddie is a better shooter than Jespersen. They have no depth. But they are continually better than us because Bennett gets the most out of his talent.
JJ may turn it around, but there are red flags, big red flags, that signal that he is in way over his head.
Chase Williams is the #2 Mike during bowl practice, I'm not seeing any reason he would be shuffled over to Backer with more athletic guys like Clarke and DVD coming off redshirts. Also Clarke is probably slotted at Mike because DVD has better range/coverage abilites, who would slot at Backer in that class. Speaking of DVD, why do you think he'll be moved to OLB? simple numbers? He has been mentioned as being projecting to Mike in the past, which is a long way from Whip. I do agree that Shegog may wind up at Whip, since there seem to have been some promises to Fisher about him playing him in the secondary.
My take on the depth chart, September 2013:
Mike: Tyler (rSR), Williams (rJR), Clarke (rFR), Burns (rFR*)
Backer: Edwards (rSR), DVD(rFR), DiNardo# (rJR*)
OLB/Whip: RVD (rJR), McKinnon (rSO), DiNardo? (rJR*)
redshirts:
Mautpaukua (Mike)
Moss (Backer)
Shegog or Fisher (Whip)
* walkon
Wow thanks for making me depressed on Friday. He was thrown into a terrible position with the late hiring and defections but you were expecting to go to the big dance. Have some faith and lets see how they do next year at the absolute least
My thought is that if he doesn't make the NIT by year 3, he's out. It may not be fair, but an expecation was brought to Blacksburg for our Hoops program that we would make post-season tournaments by none other than Seth Greenberg. As we've said, Weaver screwed the pooch with his timing, and JJ was set up to fail. He's a good guy, loves the players and appreciates the fans, but he has to produce positive results.
Honestly it really ins't that hard to see this team as only have 2 or 3 acc wins. Ratings for players really means nothing, you have to have players for the right coach/system and a mentality to want it all. The pace that was played at the beginning of the season is really hard to keep up consistently unless you have guys getting rest and a solid rotation. While the efforts of the walk ons have been great, they just aren't ACC level which is why they are walk ons. Half the players seem to have cashed it in already for the season so if they win one or two more I'd be surprised. The games I'd say they have a chance is WF and Clemson and they aren't guarantees. Outside those two, a win in the other 5 is a steal.
Right now in last place they will play either UNC or NC State in ACC tourney which could lead to a one and done scenario. Making the NIT or CBI would have been great practice for this team for next year, but realistically I don't see them at or above 500 when it is all said and done.
He was dealt a terrible hand to start with, what he has essentially done is folded that hand (playing a style of basketball that doesn't fit the current roster), holding out for future success (recruits that do fit this style of basketball, which is what he wants to implement).
Give him another year or two. If we miss the NIT for a 3rd straight season, then it's possibly time to find someone else.
It's a little too early to expect JJ to have implemented his system. 7-0 was a miracle start, and with so few scholarship players, I'd have been very surprised if he managed to continue anything similar to that sort of success in ACC play. Give him a few more years before you make a decision.
We had some good games with them over the years. We would either blow them out, or it would be a close game.
Though, avoiding the Carrier Dome might be a good thing. We went 1-5 there as Big East opponents.
that's monumentally awful. I thought we'd win 5 or 6 (we play 18 this year). it's not like the ACC is good or anything.
We have three top 100 players and the leading scorer in the country. Our talent is not that bad. We just happen to have a coach who doesn't coach defense or protecting the ball.
i don't think we can wait 3 years, we have seen no signs of progress under JJ. None.
were all HS teammates. We offered all three, although I think DHall committed early. I believe Josh Hyman was also their teammate (Deep Creek) but was a year older or younger.
James Anderson was considered the throw-in offer to keep Clifton and Hall. Clifton was an incredible athlete, triple-jumper IIRC.
The year we played USC, Clifton entered that year as our #1 receiver. He dropped a ball or two across the middle against USC and never recovered. A few weeks later, he was mired at the bottom of the depth chart behind Clowney, Royal, Harper and Morgan. The last three were true-freshman.
was in pre-med. He's got a lot more to do in this world than play football. Carry on, young man.
than we will be playing FSU, Clemson, NC State, Louisville, Wake Forest, and Syracuse. The last two I couldn't care less about, but the other 4 are all games I'd like to see more frequently, not less frequently.
/wtf
Sounds like a great guy with a good head on his shoulders. If he is to stay actively involved I assume that means he might later become a graduate assistant? Good for him. Very young but thinking if the future. Glad we have such a good coaching staff that can mentor him.
1.) Kid has a great crossover with a similar pause to AI's. Question is can he go left-to-right and can he use it as a hesitation to keep defenders honest? Advanced scouting could limit it's effectiveness if what we see on the film is all he's got.
2.) Not overly quick but moves laterally very well thanks to a long stride with good control.
3.) Eric Gordon comparison seems accurate from a shooting standpoint. Pushes the ball a little too much, not a lot of verticality in his jumper, but seems to have a good touch on his stroke.
I need to watch more tape. Looks like a pretty good prospect, I just want to see more game action and how he handles contact coming from Euroball.
Yeah, that's definitely a clip for Hokie Power Hour 2.0 a few years from now.
Here's an interview after the Jordan Classic that show's a couple highlights. He doesn't look very fast or quick but seems to get to the rim.
Silly fan, being in a conference is about money. Who said anything about traditions, rivalries, or playing teams in your own conference?