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2/19/2020 10:31 am  #1


If, in July 2019, you were told...

That on February 19, 2020, we would be 11-14 overall and 5-7 in the Conference, would you have taken it?  I sure as hell would have!  After last year, and knowing how depleted our roster was coming into 2019-2020, ANY improvement in overall record at year-end would have been a plus!  And knowing that we have actually shown improvement ON the court, knowing the quality of the student athletes on the floor, knowing the love and passion shown by the coaching staff, would be gravy!  

Kudos to the players, the coaching staff, the students who have been coming out to the games, the families of the players, the loyal season ticket holders, etc.!  And kudos to our Athletic Director and our University President for their support!

I believe we have the opportunity to continue to grow this season, and the coming seasons.  Keep the faith, all!  And most importantly, keep coming to the games and supporting our team!

 

2/19/2020 10:42 am  #2


Re: If, in July 2019, you were told...

The biggest thing is clear improvement on the court and 5 conference wins so far. I wouldn't compare overall records though. We actually played a pretty tough OOC schedule last year, while this year we had one of the weakest schedules in the country, so looking at year-over-year overall record is apples and oranges. We're also on track to move up almost 100 spots in KenPom from last year, which is a huge improvement.

 

2/20/2020 12:25 pm  #3


Re: If, in July 2019, you were told...

JC is doing a great job building this program. I don't even think we have scratched the surface yet. We stay healthy and get a few new impact players next year ... watch out.

 

2/20/2020 1:17 pm  #4


Re: If, in July 2019, you were told...

It feels like we got blown out in every A10 game last year that we lost. This year even in the losses we're close (outside of the last losing streak w/ no Potter). We're getting there. Can't wait until the 2nd and 3rd years of Jamion. We'll be rocking!

 

2/20/2020 1:56 pm  #5


Re: If, in July 2019, you were told...

 

2/20/2020 6:34 pm  #6


Re: If, in July 2019, you were told...

This team is playing better than at the start of the year, but before we start planning a tickertape parade down G Street let´s remember that this team lost at home to AU and Morgan St and away to Fordham, UVM and Towson St. Sure, this is not a complete shitshow of a season but it is one that will (hopefully) fade quickly in to obscurity after a couple of banners get raised in future seasons.

 

2/20/2020 8:41 pm  #7


Re: If, in July 2019, you were told...

Look I understand being conditioned by any number of to be skeptical or negative. But I’m making the choice to be pleased and positive. Last year I bagged the last 5 or 6 games because I could Not take how disorganized the team was.

My hits are

Potter the MVP
Paar is a real find
Toro not sulking
Battle’s shooting
Jack’s improved play on both ends
Nelson’s flashes of greatness

Last edited by FredD (2/21/2020 1:42 pm)

 

2/20/2020 8:42 pm  #8


Re: If, in July 2019, you were told...

Thank you, GW Alum Abroad. I couldn't agree more. Nice to see us improve over the course of the season, but we couldn't have started the season much worse. Got to move into the top of half of A-10 next season. Won't happen without a point guard as good or better than Potter.

 

2/21/2020 12:40 am  #9


Re: If, in July 2019, you were told...

JC and his coaching staff have consistently talked about this being a process, not simply about wins and losses. Focusing on 1st semester results is like dwelling on the Nats 19-31 start. Exactly what does that mean as we head toward the end of the season and the A-10 tournament? That we have to win the tourney to make the NCAA's? Yeah, who's even entertaining that thought without liquid reinforcement? Is anyone really not optimistic about the future based on the progress already shown this year? Time to put the pessimism and cynicism back in the closet and enjoy this team as they develop and progress.

 

2/21/2020 9:38 am  #10


Re: If, in July 2019, you were told...

The answers to "how do you feel about this season" are not necessarily the same as "how do you envision this team moving forward?"  The early season blunders do count towards one's analysis of the 2019-20 season (though I would definitely remove UVM off of GWAA's list of bad losses.  Absolutely no shame in losing at Vermont.  Losing at Towson might be debated either way.)  Given the weak out of conference schedule, the 6-7 mark can only be considered disappointing.  You can say all day long that the coaching staff was getting to know their personnel, tinkering with lineups, the players were learning a new style of play, etc., but any analysis must include wins and losses.

The 5-7 conference record (now 6-7) should inarguably be perceived as a strong accomplishment.  With three road conference wins, this team already has as many as MoJo's first year, and a win at either VCU or Dayton would tie Lonergan's NCAA team with 4 road conference wins.   The opening three losses to SBU, SLU and Duquesne were all respectable and competitive.  Even the three blowout losses to Richmond (fully expected after playing a 4 OT game), SBU and URI, each without the services of Armel, at least came against three of the better teams in the conference.  Only the Fordham loss represents the one you would desperately want to have back.

The vastly improved conference play portends well for this program's future.  Additional shooters coming in will help spread the floor and create better opportunities on offense.  The two most important keys next year will be whether there will be enough defense on the floor (not to say a shooter isn't capable of playing good defense but shooters are most interested in, well, shooting) and whether this team will receive solid and steady point guard play with Armel having departed.  Like this season, we will still likely be a bit thin at the 4/5 but the readiness of Noel Brown and Hunter Dean to be immediate contributors will have much to do with how flawed this team will be down low.

 

2/21/2020 11:09 am  #11


Re: If, in July 2019, you were told...

Poog wrote:

JC and his coaching staff have consistently talked about this being a process, not simply about wins and losses. Focusing on 1st semester results is like dwelling on the Nats 19-31 start. Exactly what does that mean as we head toward the end of the season and the A-10 tournament? That we have to win the tourney to make the NCAA's? Yeah, who's even entertaining that thought without liquid reinforcement? Is anyone really not optimistic about the future based on the progress already shown this year? Time to put the pessimism and cynicism back in the closet and enjoy this team as they develop and progress.

 
Yes. This, No one ever said progress was going to be easy or there wouldn't be challenges. But the progression is there for those who want to see it. So perhaps the team under-performed early. Completely understandable given the injuries and a new coaching staff. But if you really look at it we've won 6 of our last 10 conference games. That is a huge improvement over the team that lost to AU and Morgan State. I don't think anyone believes if those games were re-played today that the results wouldn't be different. So the losses early in the season are completely irrelevant to where we are now especially in a year where job one was to establish a foundation for the future rather than wins and losses.

 

2/21/2020 5:14 pm  #12


Re: If, in July 2019, you were told...

If after the UMKC loss you had told me this team would be 12-14 (6-7) with a road win over Duques, I would have laughed you out of the building. But I still am not ready to proclaim the future bright and shiny or JC a miracle worker or even to concede that concession hot dogs may be fit for human consumption. The team is much better than it was at the start of the year, but it is also a team that just this month equaled a John Keuster-era school record for worst home conference loss.

 

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