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Messages - Checkmate

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766
SBU Men's Basketball / Re: Game 1: at George Mason, 11/9 7pm
« on: November 09, 2021, 09:43:31 pm »
This would have been an acceptable performance for last year’s team. Completely embarrassing for all of those elite shooters to look so hapless. It’s the Geno touch.

We looked like we literally had not been coached the entire preseason, like the strategy was just to roll the ball out there and see what happens. Zero offensive flow or chemistry. Or plan. I'm just dumbfounded. What did we just watch, and why are we paying hundreds of thousands of dollars for that? I don't want to hear about guys missing practice time, it being a new roster, needing time to jell, none of it. That was putrid.

The talent was obvious, I'll say that. Jenkins might be the most electric guard we've ever had. Roberts looks like a good piece. And we're deep. I'm fine with going 9-10 deep—Habwe, Diallo, etc. But the sum of our parts far supersedes what we saw tonight.

I almost wondered if the plan was to be Bryant—a million threes, get shots up early in the shot clock, wreak havoc defensively. But we didn't push the ball at every opportunity, and our halfcourt offense just looked so so rudimentary. I'm actually stunned.

767
SBU Men's Basketball / Re: Game 1: at George Mason, 11/9 7pm
« on: November 09, 2021, 08:26:58 pm »
I just don’t understand why other teams can have cutters and we can’t.


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768
SBU Men's Basketball / Re: Game 1: at George Mason, 11/9 7pm
« on: November 09, 2021, 08:13:32 pm »
27-17 on the glass
7-0 in assists
Zero free throws

Kind of expected it. I like that we're getting more action toward the basket, but very little hope for offensive rebounds with people standing around the arc and no size inside. Maybe in the AE we'll be OK. It just feels like we'll be in the red in the rebound column a lot more often than we're used to.

769
SBU Men's Basketball / Re: Game 1: at George Mason, 11/9 7pm
« on: November 09, 2021, 07:38:47 pm »
Oh boy. Buckle up. I still don't see much of a plan offensively.

Jenkins impressive. He and Elijah are going to be a handful in AE play.

770
SBU Men's Basketball / Re: Game 1: at George Mason, 11/9 7pm
« on: November 09, 2021, 07:05:59 pm »
Starting five: Jenkins, JRod, Roberts, Olaniyi, Diallo


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771
SBU Men's Basketball / Re: Game 1: at George Mason, 11/9 7pm
« on: November 09, 2021, 06:32:38 pm »
I was just thinking ... I wonder how many programs in the country can say they have five guys who have averaged double figures at a D-I program. Olaniyi, JRod and Policelli here, Jenkins by a wide margin at FDU, and Roberts at Kent State. Greene (9.7 here and at Manhattan) and Sayles (9.5 here) are right on the cusp too. Basketball's not all about scoring, but that's a pretty good foundation.

772
SBU Men's Basketball / Re: Game 1: at George Mason, 11/9 7pm
« on: November 09, 2021, 06:22:03 pm »

773
SBU Men's Basketball / Re: Game 1: at George Mason, 11/9 7pm
« on: November 09, 2021, 06:20:05 pm »
I'll be heading over to the arena shortly. Excited for this one!!

<---------- JEALOUS

774
SBU Men's Basketball / Re: Game 1: at George Mason, 11/9 7pm
« on: November 09, 2021, 01:32:56 pm »
On the Newsday preview, I got a little ill when I hear about a "five-guard look." That to me sounds like a lot of shooting and one-and-dones—all fine if they go in but potentially frustrating. I'm thinking about what the high post action looks like when it's somebody like Policelli, who's more of a spot-up shooter, and not someone who's going to take mid-range jumpers (Sayles) or take his defender off the dribble from there (Gueye). Who's the high post, easy entry guy in our small ball lineup?

I'm really pumped to see what this looks like with Jenkins and Roberts here. I think about how there's less emphasis on JRod to create, the looks he and Policelli might get from three, and if we can rebound (big big if for me) what we look like in transition.

I wonder how much we'll see of this kid tonight—an "NBA caliber talent" per coach: https://www.localdvm.com/sports/hes-not-a-typical-freshman-aussie-teenager-blake-jones-brings-international-experience-to-george-mason-mens-basketball/

775
SBU Men's Basketball / Re: Game 1: at George Mason, 11/9 7pm
« on: November 08, 2021, 09:53:00 pm »
Vegas has installed Mason as a 2.5 favorite, basically saying this is a pick ‘em game on a neutral court. Are people really willing to take us on the road with only a few points against a middle-of-the-road A-10 team?


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776
SBU Men's Basketball / Re: 2023 Recruiting
« on: November 03, 2021, 11:20:08 pm »
offer out to 6'10" juco david gordon: https://www.hudl.com/video/3/16998042/6182f02690f031091cbcb134

I find it really interesting that, with Muratori and Nahar committed, we're going out looking for a third guy who's 6-10 or bigger.

777
SBU Men's Basketball / Game 1: at George Mason, 11/9 7pm
« on: November 03, 2021, 10:51:24 pm »
GEORGE MASON (0-0)
Last Game with SBU: First meeting
Checkmate Unofficial Line: George Mason -7.5
NET Ranking: TBA
KenPom Rating: Stony Brook 185, George Mason 212
KenPom Prediction: George Mason 72, Stony Brook 70
Watch: https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/id/97d15211-cff1-4188-9e87-2ad2128f9d83
Listen: https://gomason.com/showcase?Live=391
Olaniyi Point Watch: 1,135
All-time: Currently 18th. Next up: Yves Simon (1987-91) 1,156; Steve Hayn (1988-1991), 1,157
Notables (2020-21 stats):
6-4/200 gr G DeVon Cooper 12.5 ppg, 4.9 rpg, .787 FT%, .366 3-pt FG% (at Morehead State)
6-9/235 jr F Josh Oduro 9.9 ppg, 6.1 rpg, .503 FG%
6-7/230 gr F D'Shawn Schwartz 9.3 ppg, 4.1 rpg, .400 3-pt FG% (at Colorado)
5-10/155 sr G Jamal Hartwell III 5.7 ppg, .368 3-pt FG%
6-8/210 jr F Joel Kabimba 5.2 ppg, 3.0 rpg, .489 FG% (at Stetson)

It's go time, fellas! Here's to a successful year.

We get out of the gate with a real good test and one that, if all goes right, is a winnable one.

It's interesting what's happened here with the transfer portal, and what will likely continue well into the future. Here we have two teams that feel like they're brand new, yet with a lot of experience, going toe to toe.

One guy not listed above is key: new GMU head coach Kim English, who's a former NBA guy is being billed as a rising star in the coaching ranks (see here: https://www.si.com/college/2021/09/10/kim-english-george-mason-basketball). I mean, who wouldn't want this being said about the guy leading their program: "I haven’t been around anybody I believe in more than Kimmie in terms of being successful as a head coach.” – from Tulsa head coach Frank Haith, who coached English at Missouri. English already got a couple huge commits in 2022 with four-star G Justyn Fernandez and three-star G Devin Dinkins. Must be nice being in the A-10.

As is the case with many coaching changes, the whole team got up and left when Dave Paulsen was ousted after six years. Four of their five top scorers from last year hit the transfer portal and went to high major albeit middling schools—Miami, Marquette, South Carolina and South Florida. It's not unlike the exodus we saw at the end of the 2019-20 campaign.

English has brought in some good ones though—Cooper, a second team All-OVC guard, as well as two likely contributors from his past two coaching stops—Schwartz from Colorado and Davonte Gaines from Tennessee. His HS highlight reel is pretty cool:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-fLXT_kHH4

He starred upstate before finishing up at Hargrave (he missed Moor by a year) and ended up playing minimal minutes at Tennessee. He should at the very least be a defensive presence, as will Schwartz. It sounds like English is big on defense and effort, so even if the GMU offense is running on all cylinders, they'll at least make the opposition work for every bucket. As for returnees, Oduro's a third-team preseason all-conference selection and looks a lot like Sayles—big and thick but with a little bit more athleticism. He's more of a complementary piece than a double figure guy every night, a la Sayles.

I'll start the year with my usual format. Questions I hope to have answered:
1. Can we rebound? Can we bang inside?
2. Without guys like Gueye and Otchere, can we prevent opposing offenses from attacking the rim at will? I know we have size coming in with Muratori and Nahar but they're young and a year away.
3. Of the group of incomers and incumbents, who's the distributor?
4. Can Christie be an adequate backup center? Or is it Sayles and nobody else?
5. Has Policelli found his shooting stroke? Reminder: .319 from three last year
6. How often do we go with the undersized backcourt of Jenkins and JRod?
7. Will any of the freshmen contribute? Given our experience, will any of them redshirt?

I'm really looking forward to seeing how/if things change offensively. Last year, we didn't really have shooters, slashers or distributors. We just had a bunch of guys, and I'll give the program a pass considering what happened with the portal. But still, we have reason to be skeptical about Geno's ability to scheme offensively. Some of that, yes, has to do with the horses in the stable, but I have not been wowed by the rhythm of our offense under him. I'm looking for open shots even if they don't go down. I'm looking for guys who can go by guys and then draw others to them. I'm really hopeful that Jenkins and Roberts are those guys, maybe even more of the offensive focus than we might expect Olaniyi to be.

KenPom has this as a two-point game, but I see a slightly bigger gap. English helped the Vols finish in top 5 nationally in adjusted defense and I think he's just going to get maximum effort out of his guys. We have some good transfers, but they may have even better ones. They were picked to finish eighth in the A-10. I could see higher though.

But maybe not! I'm glad to be getting them now. I'm really excited to see that we're a year older, we kept last year's nucleus together aside from Gueye, and brought in guys with a ton of experience alongside them. Jenkins scored 1,700 points at FDU and has tournament experience. Roberts averaged 13 a night in the MAC and is billed to be able to score on all three levels. Geno called him "electric" and I think Jenkins is in that mold too.

Whatever the result, it's good to be back.

778
SBU Men's Basketball / Re: Looking ahead to 2021-22
« on: November 03, 2021, 11:19:51 am »
On the Howl, Geno said that Sayles is coming back from a broken hand and Policelli from a labrum issue. Also Habwe has missed time this preseason. I'm curious what we're going to look like next week.

I didn't love his tone—that we'll be explosive offensively (good) and will play a lot of small ball yet we haven't really jelled just yet and might struggle defensively and inside. The good news is we have a huge non-conference schedule to sort some things out. I do think there's that gaping hole inside, and it's not like you can call somebody up from the minors. Geno said that Diallo, at 6-6/215, is going to be called on to cover the other team's 5s. Not unheard of in the AE, but I like it more in short spells than long term. Maybe it'll be that.


779
SBU Men's Basketball / Re: Looking ahead to 2021-22
« on: November 02, 2021, 11:13:27 pm »
To me, it's all about what we can realistically accomplish on the inside—scoring, getting and limiting second chances, defending down low, protecting the rim. Mo was not this offensive force, but he was huge everywhere else, particularly as a shot blocker/deterrent underneath. As far as scoring, we still don't have the horses to pound it inside. And then are we going to get bullied by bigger teams? I know it's a perimeter game theses days, but we've left ourselves very thin down there.

I think we're due for the same number or more threes being taken with this group, although I hope we see a better ability to get inside and distribute, and thus better looks. I feel like we haven't gotten enough of those even going back to Pikiell, and definitely far fewer than the opponents.

780
SBU Men's Basketball / Re: Looking ahead to 2021-22
« on: November 01, 2021, 04:45:05 pm »
What I found most interesting in the Howl podcast was Geno's praise for Roberts' ability to break down defenders and distribute. We have not had those kind of players on our roster. That would be such a huge addition.

I also like seeing that Jenkins can A) get to the line, and B) make them. 82 percent FT shooter at FDU. We were seventh in the league last year and have to be better all around, but I like Olaniyi, JRod, Jenkins and Policelli as guys who can potentially seal games.

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