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RE: Upper Iowa

Mc Bulldog — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 16:57:58 GMT

Whoa! Did you clean the Kum & Go of Nattie Light last night? Are you still living in the van down by the river? That motivational post is sure to bring us the National Championship. Could someone please send this to Harrison Barnes and ask him to reconsider Drake? Whoa! I'm stoked, psyched and ready to go. Put me in coach.

Not a drop last night, Mr. Nectar of the Gods. I did hear that Harrison was at the Drake Diner wearing a Drake pullover earlier this morning.

I didn't rip on Stanley ... I said he looked pissed off. At least that's what I meant to say.

RE: Upper Iowa

Mc Bulldog — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 16:49:19 GMT

Not a drop last night, Mr. Nectar of the Gods. I did hear that Harrison was at the Drake Diner wearing a Drake pullover earlier this morning.

RE: Upper Iowa

Dawg_tired — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 13:39:29 GMT

DUBulldog (11/11/2009)

[quote]Mc Bulldog (11/10/2009)

A lot of classless pussy fans are throwing crap at a few of the players. As a whole, the players, Drake Univeristy, and the fanbase deserve more from this message board. Let's show some honk'n class instead of some you trying to prove the size of your small manhood behind an anonymous screen name. Prack arsch sumbatches.

You mean like the "classless pussy fan" who said one of the players had an attitude and almost looked insubordinate? [/quote]

I heard that "classless pussy fan" say that but I forgave him because he was drunk.

RE: Upper Iowa

DUBulldog — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 11:50:30 GMT

Mc Bulldog (11/10/2009)

You mean like the "classless pussy fan" who said one of the players had an attitude and almost looked insubordinate?

RE: Upper Iowa

Drakey — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 11:29:53 GMT

What is McBull so angry about? If I didn't know better I'd think he was a Pussy. I know he's a lair.

RE: Upper Iowa

Gordon Gottschalk — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 11:07:22 GMT

[quote]Dawg_tired (11/11/2009)

[quote]Mc Bulldog (11/10/2009)

Most everyone on here is breaking it all down based on one honk'n exh. game. Give me a honk'n break. I'll break it down.
Pussies or non-Pussies.
Bill is NOT a pussy. Adam is not a pussy. Craig is NOT a pussy. Velvet is NOT a pussy. The jury is out as far as I'm concerned with the rest of them. You can throw stats, scouting, and the kitchen sink at the rest of it. We as a fanbase (for the most part) know what it takes to win. It really is that simple. Time to separate the pussies from the non-pussies. Man the frick up, play smart and tough, rebound, and execute or sit the honk down and until the light bulb comes on. And in the mean time ... if you don't like it ... transfer or quit. That breaks it all down right now. We can not break down this team over one exh. game .. plain and simple, but time is of the essence and IMO this next couple weeks is going to show who is a pussy on this team and who isn't. I promise to not throw in the towel on any of these guys as long as I see the correct effort, attitude, will to win, and toughness. Anything less and I'll speak my mind. I spend too much time, money, sweat, spit, and life blood to accept anything less out of any player. WAKE THE HONK UP AND WELCOME TO THE BIG TIME!
A lot of classless pussy fans are throwing crap at a few of the players. As a whole, the players, Drake Univeristy, and the fanbase deserve more from this message board. Let's show some honk'n class instead of some you trying to prove the size of your small manhood behind an anonymous screen name. Prack arsch sumbatches.
To all the players who read this board. Take out a piece of paper and draw a line down the middle. On one side write down all the reasons why you can't succeed and on the other side write down all the reasons why you WILL succeed. Then cross out all the reasons why you can't succeed and concentrate only all the things YOU listed as to why you will succeed. If you concentrate ONLY on these things ... I PROMISE YOU WILL WIN! Throw all the negative crap out the window and concentrate only on the positive things and you will WIN. TAKE IT TO THE BANK BABY!!! This is what separates the pussies from the non-pussies.[/quote]

Whoa! Did you clean the Kum & Go of Nattie Light last night? Are you still living in the van down by the river? That motivational post is sure to bring us the National Championship. Could someone please send this to Harrison Barnes and ask him to reconsider Drake? Whoa! I'm stoked, psyched and ready to go. Put me in coach.[/quote]

Don't worry about McB, he doesn't know shat. A little girl on a plane flight from San Francisco told him so.

RE: Upper Iowa

urbyballinjt — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 10:47:13 GMT

I think he's gunna go to Kansas. Alot of Iowa preps go there(Kirk hinrich) and ku is always good. I don't think he wants to choose between unc and duke cuz if he goes to one school then The other is going to automatically hate him. Ou isn't gunna be very good. Ucla, maybe second choice. Isu of course is a long shot.

Not to mention ku has xaiver Henry. Or whatever his name is.

RE: Upper Iowa

dn411 — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 09:28:25 GMT

Is it too late to put Drake on Harrison Barnes' list?

All jokes aside, I can't wait to see what he picks. Does anyone think his presence in a school like Duke or UNC could bring more attention to recruiting Iowa kids?

RE: Upper Iowa

Dawg_tired — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 09:12:04 GMT

[quote]Mc Bulldog (11/10/2009)

Most everyone on here is breaking it all down based on one honk'n exh. game. Give me a honk'n break. I'll break it down.

Pussies or non-Pussies.

Bill is NOT a pussy. Adam is not a pussy. Craig is NOT a pussy. Velvet is NOT a pussy. The jury is out as far as I'm concerned with the rest of them. You can throw stats, scouting, and the kitchen sink at the rest of it. We as a fanbase (for the most part) know what it takes to win. It really is that simple. Time to separate the pussies from the non-pussies. Man the frick up, play smart and tough, rebound, and execute or sit the honk down and until the light bulb comes on. And in the mean time ... if you don't like it ... transfer or quit. That breaks it all down right now. We can not break down this team over one exh. game .. plain and simple, but time is of the essence and IMO this next couple weeks is going to show who is a pussy on this team and who isn't. I promise to not throw in the towel on any of these guys as long as I see the correct effort, attitude, will to win, and toughness. Anything less and I'll speak my mind. I spend too much time, money, sweat, spit, and life blood to accept anything less out of any player. WAKE THE HONK UP AND WELCOME TO THE BIG TIME!

A lot of classless pussy fans are throwing crap at a few of the players. As a whole, the players, Drake Univeristy, and the fanbase deserve more from this message board. Let's show some honk'n class instead of some you trying to prove the size of your small manhood behind an anonymous screen name. Prack arsch sumbatches.

To all the players who read this board. Take out a piece of paper and draw a line down the middle. On one side write down all the reasons why you can't succeed and on the other side write down all the reasons why you WILL succeed. Then cross out all the reasons why you can't succeed and concentrate only all the things YOU listed as to why you will succeed. If you concentrate ONLY on these things ... I PROMISE YOU WILL WIN! Throw all the negative crap out the window and concentrate only on the positive things and you will WIN. TAKE IT TO THE BANK BABY!!! This is what separates the pussies from the non-pussies.[/quote]

Whoa! Did you clean the Kum & Go of Nattie Light last night? Are you still living in the van down by the river? That motivational post is sure to bring us the National Championship. Could someone please send this to Harrison Barnes and ask him to reconsider Drake? Whoa! I'm stoked, psyched and ready to go. Put me in coach.

RE: Upper Iowa

Ballgame2012 — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 01:00:52 GMT

[quote]Really Big Bulldog (11/10/2009)

My fun prediction for the day....scoring averages:
JY 20
RW 17
BS 11
AT 8
SVD 7
FW 4
AH 4
RU 3
CS 2
DS 2

(Can our offense possibly come close to 78PPG??? No way. Who do you take points away from?)

Sean Jones....2 points....for the season.
[/quote]
JY 18
RW 14
BS 9
SVD 8
AT 7
AH 6
FW 3
RU 2
DS 2

69 PPG... my non-conference stat projections

RE: Upper Iowa

Mc Bulldog — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 21:56:55 GMT

Most everyone on here is breaking it all down based on one honk'n exh. game. Give me a honk'n break. I'll break it down.

Pussies or non-Pussies.

Bill is NOT a pussy. Adam is not a pussy. Craig is NOT a pussy. Velvet is NOT a pussy. The jury is out as far as I'm concerned with the rest of them. You can throw stats, scouting, and the kitchen sink at the rest of it. We as a fanbase (for the most part) know what it takes to win. It really is that simple. Time to separate the pussies from the non-pussies. Man the frick up, play smart and tough, rebound, and execute or sit the honk down and until the light bulb comes on. And in the mean time ... if you don't like it ... transfer or quit. That breaks it all down right now. We can not break down this team over one exh. game .. plain and simple, but time is of the essence and IMO this next couple weeks is going to show who is a pussy on this team and who isn't. I promise to not throw in the towel on any of these guys as long as I see the correct effort, attitude, will to win, and toughness. Anything less and I'll speak my mind. I spend too much time, money, sweat, spit, and life blood to accept anything less out of any player. WAKE THE HONK UP AND WELCOME TO THE BIG TIME!

A lot of classless pussy fans are throwing crap at a few of the players. As a whole, the players, Drake Univeristy, and the fanbase deserve more from this message board. Let's show some honk'n class instead of some you trying to prove the size of your small manhood behind an anonymous screen name. Prack arsch sumbatches.

To all the players who read this board. Take out a piece of paper and draw a line down the middle. On one side write down all the reasons why you can't succeed and on the other side write down all the reasons why you WILL succeed. Then cross out all the reasons why you can't succeed and concentrate only all the things YOU listed as to why you will succeed. If you concentrate ONLY on these things ... I PROMISE YOU WILL WIN! Throw all the negative crap out the window and concentrate only on the positive things and you will WIN. TAKE IT TO THE BANK BABY!!! This is what separates the pussies from the non-pussies.

RE: Upper Iowa

vickDAWG — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 19:56:52 GMT

[quote]Dawg_tired (11/10/2009)

[quote]Gordon Gottschalk (11/10/2009)

The difference between RW at point and CS were night and day. When CS was in there, the ball seemed to stop and a turnover usually ensued. With RW the pace was must faster up and down the floor as well as around the perimeter. The offense was not perfect by any means, the new guys are learning the motion and at times got lost, but much more lively as a whole than last year.

On the defensive side, Drake used an aggressive press at times and also toyed with a press that tried to trap at the half court. Both options helped to pick up the pace as well. Coach P has repeatedly said that this team cannot win by slowing it down and pounding it inside in the half court, it needs to be an up tempo game.[/quote]

GG I'm in agreement with you though I sometimes have a hard time keeping up with your alphabet. Weidel is by far the better point guard. Frankly, Wiseler was better than Stanley. They say Stanley's hurt, but I don't care. When Weidle turned up the juice he scored in bunches. He gives us a totally new weapon. He could easily become the newcomer of the year.[/quote]

I see what you did there...

RE: Upper Iowa

Really Big Bulldog — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 17:43:01 GMT

Agree that too much analysis is being laid on an exhibition game (and hoping that minutes and rotations are a long way from what we will see in "real" games).

Whether you see it as good news or bad news...I don't think you can deny that Stanley was the poorest performer at point. I'm not saying anything new here...but him being hurt CAN'T be the reason he's not going to start. If it IS the reason...then I'm going to predict that his injury will linger all season.

I believe that Templeton is going to be some pretty important glue to holding this team together for success. He has real talent/skills...and based on body type and smarts alone...we're going to need him on the floor.

My fun prediction for the day....scoring averages:

JY 20
RW 17
BS 11
AT 8
SVD 7
FW 4
AH 4
RU 3
CS 2
DS 2

(Can our offense possibly come close to 78PPG??? No way. Who do you take points away from?)

Sean Jones....2 points....for the season.

RE: Upper Iowa

Big Bull — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 15:52:33 GMT

Mc Bulldog (11/10/2009)

[quote]Drakey (11/10/2009)

I don't think there is any way to evaluate these players much on one exhibition game.

Rambl'nGordon is thankful you are not the coach Drakey because he thinks there was a ton of stuff to evaluate on one exhibition game. [/quote]

Complex analysis by Drakey, has two levels

We suck!!!!!
We're Great!!!!!!!

RE: Upper Iowa

Big Bull — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 15:49:15 GMT

Gordon Gottschalk (11/10/2009)

[quote]Dawg_tired (11/10/2009)

Wedel, Waddle, Wieslter, Whistler Weisler, Wound and Wound the Wiwey Wabbit Went.

Aw, come on, Homer -- it's only two names.[/quote]

MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM Wiedelllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll

RE: Upper Iowa

Mc Bulldog — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 15:44:09 GMT

Drakey (11/10/2009)

I don't think there is any way to evaluate these players much on one exhibition game.

Rambl'nGordon is thankful you are not the coach Drakey because he thinks there was a ton of stuff to evaluate on one exhibition game.

RE: Upper Iowa

Gordon Gottschalk — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 15:43:00 GMT

I agree, Drakey, that there is a long way to go, but I think there is plenty of reason for optimism. These guys know how to play the game well, they just need to adjust to a higher level of intensity. For me it's all about improvement. The UI (that's Upper Iowa for you Homer) was an improvement over every game I saw last year. Hopefully the games at the end of November will be an improvement over this one.

RE: Upper Iowa

Drakey — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 15:21:43 GMT

I don't think there is any way to evaluate these players much on one exhibition game. Nobody looked great. Several players showed some promise. The offense was not as stagnant as last year, but they were not playing against stellar defenders. I hope Wedel is given an oppurtunity to play in long enough spurts with the other probable starters to develop some offensive flow. I also hope he has a green light to shoot. I hope Simons can get a few more touches. It seemed that most possessions did not involve him touching the ball.

Not going to win many games if we don't get a team rebounding concept and learn rebounding fundamentals.

RE: Upper Iowa

Gordon Gottschalk — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 15:12:12 GMT

Dawg_tired (11/10/2009)

Wedel, Waddle, Wieslter, Whistler Weisler, Wound and Wound the Wiwey Wabbit Went.

Aw, come on, Homer -- it's only two names.

RE: Upper Iowa

Dawg_tired — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 14:31:33 GMT

Wedel, Waddle, Wieslter, Whistler Weisler, Wound and Wound the Wiwey Wabbit Went.

RE: Upper Iowa

Gordon Gottschalk — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 13:24:00 GMT

RW is Ryan Wedel and I did not mention Frank Wieseler (who would be FW). I agree that Craig Stanley (CS) was the weakest of the 3. Overall, I thought Ryan W. was the best 1 by a bunch, on both sides of the ball.

RE: Upper Iowa

Dawg_tired — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 13:17:31 GMT

[quote]Gordon Gottschalk (11/10/2009)

The difference between RW at point and CS were night and day. When CS was in there, the ball seemed to stop and a turnover usually ensued. With RW the pace was must faster up and down the floor as well as around the perimeter. The offense was not perfect by any means, the new guys are learning the motion and at times got lost, but much more lively as a whole than last year.

On the defensive side, Drake used an aggressive press at times and also toyed with a press that tried to trap at the half court. Both options helped to pick up the pace as well. Coach P has repeatedly said that this team cannot win by slowing it down and pounding it inside in the half court, it needs to be an up tempo game.[/quote]

GG I'm in agreement with you though I sometimes have a hard time keeping up with your alphabet. Weidel is by far the better point guard. Frankly, Wiseler was better than Stanley. They say Stanley's hurt, but I don't care. When Weidle turned up the juice he scored in bunches. He gives us a totally new weapon. He could easily become the newcomer of the year.

RE: Upper Iowa

OldDogII — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 12:56:49 GMT

On the defensive side, Drake used an aggressive press at times and also toyed with a press that tried to trap at the half court. Both options helped to pick up the pace as well. Coach P has repeatedly said that this team cannot win by slowing it down and pounding it inside in the half court, it needs to be an up tempo game.[/quote]

Sounds good to me!!! It should be fun to watch.

RE: Upper Iowa

Gordon Gottschalk — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 09:18:25 GMT

RE: Upper Iowa

DUlawdog — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 09:06:23 GMT

Not having made it to last years exhibition nor this years exhibition, did the offense look better as a whole? In terms of pace, did the tempo look like it would be better this year?

I thought that a lot of the problem was the play at point guard last year. CS just never seemed to know when to pass the ball or how to spot the open man. I think Phelps certainly wanted a better place of play, but didn't have the tools to accomplish it. I'm just hoping I was right and with better PG play we'll see a better looking offense.

RE: Upper Iowa

Dawg_tired — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 08:54:20 GMT

I've seen senior Drake point guards make plays that left me scratching my head. Heck, I've seen coaches call plays that left me scratching my head. I've even seen coaches scratching their heads about the play they just called. Hawley will be fine.

RE: Upper Iowa

DUBulldog — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 17:35:45 GMT

Bullmule (11/8/2009)

Hawley: It's going to be up and down with this young man. Flashes of brilliance, but seems like he's lacking common sense at times.

That's probably a little bit harsh. A lot of freshmen make plays that have us all scratching our heads, especially early in the season. It's something they usually grow out of.

RE: Upper Iowa

Grandpa — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 10:17:31 GMT

Did anyone mention rebounding?

It struck me a couple of times that JY may have it a little easier getting good looks at 3's than last year because of because opponents may have to watch out for other long-range shooters.

Conditioning won the game, but that's not saying much. Upper Iowa had a lot of heart but tired early. We won't wear out any Valley teams like that.

RE: Upper Iowa

dn411 — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 10:07:43 GMT

Temp was probably solid, but I'm biased. I'm and admitted sourpuss toward him. Can't help it. I'll still root for him, though. I just don't think he looks much better than last year and I know people are saying he was really working hard on the court, and he probably was, but I kind of saw that as he was out of shape. He looked really tired and that could just be from him hustling to get set up.... I'm sure you'll let me know. :-)

The more I think about the game the more I am changing my mind. I'm trying not to do that but let me explain. The consensus here is the kids can deliver.... but it was Upper Iowa. They won FOUR games last year.

I'm sure we're all thinking this but I just wanted to clarify that while they are everything we dreamed of, they still need work. (basically). I just thought they all looked nervous, which I understand. Thank God for exhibitions!!!! I really hope CParker and SJones get more confident.

RE: Upper Iowa

Gordon Gottschalk — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 09:23:04 GMT

zman2 (11/8/2009)

I am going to say it now so everyone doesn't think I'm piling on later in the season. We were a terrible rebounding team last year & we lost our only guy who could rebound at all (Cox.) I don't care if we are starting 5 freshman, but you don't get out-rebounded by the Upper Iowa Peacocks by 15 rebounds. I'm not sure if it's the match-up zone & we can't find our man, but we also don't go to the offensive glass at all. You can't depend on your shooters every night, especially on the road, to keep you in the game. Phelps needs to learn how to coach rebounding, & he needs to do it soon. 36-21 in rebounds shouldn't happen against an nba team, let alone a d-7 team.

Completely agree about the problem, don't think it's fair to lay it completely at Coach P's feet though. Publicly he is talking boards, boards and boards. He said he hoped this game drove home with the players the point the coaches have been making in practice. Outside of SVD there's no true 5 and he only played 16 minutes due to fouls. When I saw him this summer, he did a great job of finding a man before going for the ball, very good fundamentals. Hopefully he can stay on the floor longer this Saturday. RU has the body, needs to improve on the fundamentals. The keys are BS, AH and the guards. Until they start pounding the glass this will be a huge weakness.

RE: Upper Iowa

zman2 — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 20:31:21 GMT

RE: Upper Iowa

Big Bull — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 20:04:19 GMT

[quote]bulldogbrass (11/8/2009)

I agree with dn411, while the freshmen are not ready to make the best team in the valley (they need some coaching before that happens), I am really excited for how much raw talent they have. It seems like pretty much everyone on the floor can sink a 3, and even the freshmen that didn't start (Uhlenhopp, Smith, etc.) still look like they will be pretty good with a couple years of coaching. With the talent of this class, and the talent coming in next season, Drake is going to be SO good in a few years... makes me glad pharmacy school is 6 years instead of 4.

Also, Templeton, while not playing ridiculously good, looked pretty solid. I would like to see him score more, but he uses his body well, and he's one of our most solid-looking guys... he's got an adult body as opposed to our freshmen builds.

Josh Young and Ryan Wedel look ready to play!

On a completely different note, I was in the student section the other night, and wow... drunk freshman girls are annoying. I think most of Drake's older and more loyal fans were at the Creighton/Drake soccer game/Senior night, so I think that student section might have been more annoying than normal... but seriously, do girls think they're funny when they ask "who's josh young?" over and over?[/quote]

Josh is the rock, Wiedel showed some skilles and agressiveness we didn't have last year, Templeton as Gordon pointed out to me is possible the best post player they have at this point and needs to be used in that role more this season while the others develop. Smith is just going to get better and look out by his senior year he will be something special. SVD got great moves needs to improve the rebounding and again as gordon pointed out to me, keep his hands off and move his feet or he will be in perennial foul trouble. RU will be ok he was never used as a post player at Ubandale, go figure. AH, BS, have smooth shots and the athletisim they need, the coaching will tell with their development. FW will give a solid effort at point following RW. SJ was run over by guards a foot shorter than him. non factor.

RE: Upper Iowa

bulldogbrass — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 18:36:38 GMT

RE: Upper Iowa

Mecha_Bulldog — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 17:28:25 GMT

Good observations dn411. Only thing I can add is Wedel is a junior transfer not a freshman, so we (unfortunately) only get to see him play for two years.

The Register article was okay, but I wish they'd sent a photographer. They must have needed all of them to cover Iowa's football loss. The Register had a rotating ad on the scoreboard that said something like "Who is starting at center?", implying that you'd need to read the Register to find such important information. That was pretty funny since the Register's preview for this game only named 3/5 of Drake's starters, and didn't say who would play center or any other position.

You did a good job with the signs, in spite of our lack of help. We'll think of more ideas for the first official game. ("The Jaguars put the PU in IUPUI")

RE: Upper Iowa

dn411 — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 17:10:58 GMT

My brief thoughts:

I LOVE those freshman starters - Simons, VanDeest and Wedel. Love them. Wedel especially. I should have believed you folks about his potential. I was never vocal, but I was always skeptical. He's the real deal. I'm quite excited now. I was afraid to hear that starting lineup but it's perfect. Temp still needs to improve. Sigh.

The article in the Register was good, I think. Not sure who that correspondent was (freelancer most likely), but he did a good job filling in. Phelps was spot on - we need to fix rebounding. He probably never thought of how much Bucky did.

I'm sad to say, Jones looked pretty scared out there on the court. Wish he could have shown more... maybe with time.

Also, these freshmen are good but they need to bulk up. Especially VanDeest. Let's start a steak fund raiser for that boy.

RE: Upper Iowa

Drakey — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 14:31:09 GMT

[quote]Gordon Gottschalk (11/8/2009)

[quote]Drakey (11/7/2009)

Outrebounded by 15 by a not very strong or athletic Upper Iowa team. I'm afraid D1 teams are going to get as many shots as they need to score on every posession.

Wedel and Van Deest looked pretty good. Simons looked good but had very few touches. Stanley is apparently the third string point guard. Young looked OK. [b]Templeton disappeared. Offense was stagnant. Interior defense was very suspect. Phelps substituted every 30 seconds. Subbed 3 players two minutes into the game. Van Deest came in one time and went out 30 seconds later. There was no continuity because the lineup changed constantly.

The Bulldogs tried to press, but it was not a very good press. I truly don't see how this team is going to outrebound anybody.[/b][/quote]

Glad to see you are no longer Hoosierbulldog's sock puppet.[/quote]

Just trying to be objective. The fact that this team has lots of deficiencies right now does not change the fact that these are good recruits and that next years are even better. Heck, even McBull had some criticisms.

RE: Upper Iowa

Gordon Gottschalk — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 13:50:38 GMT

[quote]Drakey (11/7/2009)

RE: Upper Iowa

Gordon Gottschalk — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 13:46:59 GMT

I'm glad McB is not the coach because i think there was a lot to take away from this game -- maybe not as a fan, but certainly as a player or coach.

Everyone has talked about the rebounding and it is going to be a problem until the 3s and 4s start putting bodies on people. Also the only guard who hit the boards was JY. Coach said after the game that boards have been a point of emphasis in practice from day one and with this game maybe the newbies can now understand why it is such a big deal.

Defensive rotations and learning to "match" up in the zone were also exposed last night. BE has never been able to get it right and last night was no exception. RU is learning and there were times when he did well in finding his assignment and a couple of times when he looked lost. SVD has the right instincts but as I have mentioned before fouls are his issue. Got to use those feet and keep your hands off. On the perimeter, BS needs to rotate quicker and flash out on his man under control. I thought AH did OK for a freshman's first game and showed a willingness to body up low posters. AT is easily the most effective interior defender at this point and I hope the young ones watch and learn from him.

Early in the season Drake's success will come from outscoring opponents and creating turnovers. They are going to give up lots of boards and make defensive mistakes.

On the offensive end, the team is much farther along, which is no surprise. RW was easily the best 1 on the floor. Completely agree with Big Bull about CS. About the fast break, CS's glaring miss of a wide open SVD reminds me of the difference from last year and the potential for this year. Last year, CS was the norm. This year, SVD grabbed a board and tossed a down the middle of the floor pass to a breaking man for a layup. Never saw a big do that last year. They had a second down the middle of the floor pass a few minutes later and also -- imagine this -- a sideline break. Last year the only time the team moved the ball up the floor was when CS dribbled -- just like when he was in the game last night.

In the half court sets, the freshmen had moments of disorganization throughout the first half. It was good to see AT bark at a few of them to get involved. i also like the way RW talked on the defensive end. it reminds me of what we used to see out of KK and AE. With both RW and FW the ball moved, but with CS it stood still.

There are several perimeter shooters who cannot be left open. I think the balloon will get a workout once the freshmen figure out D1.

RE: Upper Iowa

DUlawdog — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 12:59:40 GMT

[quote]The_EDJ (11/8/2009)

Another thing I wanted to point out was the communication on the floor. Especially on defense I heard the players talking and trying to help each other get in position. However, they looked lost quite a bit in the matchup zone defense against an less athletic team. And even when teammates were communicating, they were still slow to react.

I like the confidence the players have already, and they seem very comfortable with each other. Josh Young went up to Hawley and said something and Hawley shot right back at JY. It will be tough to watch against good teams as these guys keep learning on the court, but once it's clicking it should be a thing of beauty.

These freshman are impressive, and next year's class is rated even higher! Is a golden age for Drake basketball coming soon?[/quote]

Perhaps, I think we'll have to be patient this year. My goal is to see improvement from Phelps and the players with each game. ISU will be a bigtime test for this team. I can't wait to see how they react.

RE: Upper Iowa

The_EDJ — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 11:25:03 GMT