Don’t we’ll cure em!

Typical. Already setting us up for a soft landing if defeated. About 5 years ago and beyond there would have been little chance of losing to Charlotte.
 

GW Alum Abroad wrote:

All you need to know ahead of this game...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-FZkj6tmKo

Thank you for posting GWAA.  It was great to see.   There were those who contend that Noel Wilmore's (the consummate one trick pony) airball was actually a pass to Elliot.  I never bought into that theory.  Still, as off as that shot was, it was still closer than Bishop's shot vs. William and Mary.
 

I've deleted three irrelevant posts, none of which belongs in this thread.  Take it to the Rewind section.  

And for what it's worth, if you're the kind of poster who complains about other people, don't post anything that simply is kindling in a 5-year old fire.  Glass houses and such, you know???

Thanks.

Last edited by BGF (12/20/2020 11:21 am)

Is this game even happening? I ask because usually the lead in to the UNCC game is filled with UNCC fans coming on our board to whine about how their team (with zero A10 titles from its time in the conference) is "too good" for GW/A10 level competition. I really do not miss those people...

Xavier was his younger brother.  And, not nearly as prolific.

Maybe they don't want us to watch the carnage.
Though we are due for a win one day.

Charlotte 49ers

Date/Time: Tuesday December 22nd @ 2:00 PM ET at The Charles E. Smith Center in Washington, DC.
TV: ESPN+
Ranks: 169th (KenPom), 151st (Bart Torvik), 145th (CBS)
Record Last Year: 16-13, 10-8 (T-4th in C-USA)
Projected Record (as of now!): 11-14, 8-10 (8th in C-USA)

Coaching Record: Ron Sanchez, 24-34 in two seasons at Charlotte. Sanchez served under Tony Bennett at UVA for nine seasons (from Charlottesville to Charlotte!), following Bennett from Washington State. Sanchez was first hired as a director of basketball operations for the Cougs under Bennett's dad Dick who was head coach at the time - once Tony took over in 2007 Sanchez was promoted to assistant. He also spent time under Mike Davis at Indiana for a few seasons as well, but ultimately the native of the Dominican Republic has taken his cues from his tenure on Bennett's staff.

All Time Record: 16-11, with us coming out on top 78-70 in 2014, the most recent meeting between the two squads. Four starters finished in double figures: Pato (21 points, 4 rebounds, 2 blocks), Kethan (15 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists), JoeMac (11 points, 8 rebounds, 8 assists), and KevLar (10 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks). Of course, it wouldn't be right if the 2006 game wasn't mentioned.

Offensive Efficiency: 187th (KenPom), 163rd (Bart Torvik)
Defensive Efficiency: 167th (KenPom), 155th (Bart Torvik)
Tempo: 345th (KenPom), 331st (Bart Torvik)
Returning Minutes: 47.2% (248th in country)

Key Returning Players:
Jordan Shepherd (RS SR; Asheville, NC) 14 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 4.1 apg; 45% FG, 29% 3-pt, 71% FT
Jahmir Young (SO; Hyattsville, MD) 12.5 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 2.8 apg, 1.6 spg; 43% FG, 37% 3-pt, 74% FT

Key Losses:
Drew Edwards (Graduated; Perry Hall, MD) 9.9 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 1.7 apg, 1.2 spg; 39% FG, 35% 3-pt, 80% FT
Malik Martin (Transferred to Rhode Island; Staten Island, NY) 9 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 1.7 spg; 47% FG, 38% 3-pt, 73% FT

Comments:
As mentioned previously, Sanchez was a Bennett disciple, and he set out to replicate Bennett's principles right away. Naturally, he slowed things down to a halt, playing methodically in the halfcourt with a focus on playing airtight defense. This was likely a jarring shift in philosophy for the 49ers, who went from ranking 48th in pace to 325th when Sanchez took over. The improvements in defense were noticeable right away, as a previously leaky unit that ranked 312th on that end made considerable strides in his first year, slotting in at 224th which was at the very least respectable on a nightly basis. Charlotte only saw a two win improvement from their disastrous 2017-18 campaign, but it was clear that things were trending in the right direction.

The team made further strides last season, doubling their win total to 16 and finishing 84th defensive efficiency. Charlotte went 10-8 in conference play, their first season going over .500 since joining the C-USA. On a side note, they strike me as once of those programs that have sacrificed their basketball program to focus on football - I would consider Temple, Syracuse, and UConn (before they rejoined the Big East) to be some of the programs in that category. Although the C-USA is one of my favorite leagues to watch outside the A-10, the league just feels like a bunch of teams hopeful to get the call up to join the American (and moreover, the league has not had multiple bids in basketball in some time, even though it has come close in recent years). A number of current programs in the AAC are just former members of the C-USA - it feels like a minor league-major league situation, although that's not exactly fair - the C-USA is generally very competitive with teams closely clustered 1-8 or so. The reality is that Charlotte the basketball program has been a shell of its former self since they left the A10, but Sanchez looks like the right guy to bring them back to where they want to be.

A continued upward trajectory this season will hinge on two third team C-USA selections from last season, former Oklahoma Sooner Jordan Shepherd and local DeMatha product Jahmir Young (who also took home C-USA freshman of the year as well in 2019-20). Shepherd quite literally shepherds the offense, leading the team with 4.1 assists per game last season (although he did experience issues at times holding onto the ball). He isn't much of a three point shooter, but does a decent job finishing near the hoop. Despite what his last name might suggest, Young played like a seasoned vet in his inaugural year of college ball, filling in well as a secondary ball handler alongside Shepherd. He also led the team in rebounding (5.2 rpg) despite standing at just 6'1" and is the leading returner in steals with Malik Martin opting to leave for Rhody (more on him during conference play). Young is perhaps the best shooter from distance returning as well, knocking down 47 triples at 37%. A Jameer vs. Jahmir matchup definitely seems like one to watch out for tomorrow afternoon.

Also returning are Miloš Šupica, Luka Vasić, and Brice Williams, all who were more off the bench pieces than starters last season. Šupica, a Serbian, works purely in the paint - he shot an impressive 64% down low last season and adds some rebounding to the team. Vasić and Williams are multi-positional guys who gives Sanchez the ability to play lineups with more versatility. Although neither really lit up from deep, both are expected to play a slightly larger role and provide some other avenues for scoring given the departures of Edwards and Martin.

A couple of former JUCOs/transfers from other D1 programs in Marvin Cannon and Jhery Matos will provide Sanchez with some more experienced options. Cannon, who returns to the east coast after a couple of seasons at Washington State, provides some proven scoring at a higher level, although his efficiency took a serious hit last year compared to his sophomore year. With the recent news that all transfers are eligible to play immediately, don't be surprised if Cannon sees his first action with Charlotte tomorrow. Matos is a name that should sound familiar as we faced him last season when he was playing for Dayton. He didn't see much action in our game, but did knock down a three in limited time. Matos is definitely a threat from deep after making 39% of his tries last year on a very gifted Flyer team, but is in a bit of a slump so far to begin the year (just 7/25, but expect him to launch a few tomorrow).

The rest of the rotation will consist of freshmen Jackson Threadgill, Caleb Stone-Carrawell (previously redshirted), Jared Garcia, and sophomore big Anzac Rissetto. Threadgill is the designated shooter on the team, with 2/3 of his attempts on the year being from deep. His splits are very similar to Sloan's - a bit inefficient from inside (he won't take many of those shots) but is 44% from deep on the year so we will not want to get his confidence up by leaving him open. Stone-Carrawell will provide some depth and rebounding, although he is only 3/15 shooting so far on the year. Garcia probably doesn't see too much time, but he has done well rebounding the ball and shooting in limited time. Rissetto will likely back up Šupica up front as one of the taller guys on the team at 6'10".

Honestly, am just hoping to see us get back to playing with strong fundamentals tomorrow. Defensively, would like us to play with more energy/effort, boxing out to prevent easy putbacks, diving for loose balls, and focusing on our rebounding. Charlotte is pretty much an average offensive team across the board, but are strong at the FT line. Offensively, it is mostly not turning the ball over (especially because of traveling) and good ball movement. James has definitely progressed in getting others involved the past couple of games, but I hope we draw up some plays to get Jamison free for some catch-and-shoot situations so he doesn't have to create his own shot and put the ball on the floor (he tends to dribble loosely and defenses knock the ball from his hands). As a team, we are shooting a shade under 47% from the floor, and 74% from the line (both are top 100 in the country), so shooting hasn't been an issue so far. We are probably a tad lower than where we want to be in three point shooting at 34%, but the guys we want taking those shots like James (36%), Maceo (39%), and Sloan (46%) are doing well, only Jamison (31%) is in a bit of a slump due for some positive regression to the mean. We only have one other game before 2020 concludes (Fordham is the other) so hopefully we come out with a W in at least one of them.

Predicted Score: Charlotte 71, GW 68. 38% chance to win (Bart Torvik). ESPN hasn't lost faith yet, giving us a 57.9% chance to end our current losing streak. I believe Charlotte will probably enter as a 1 point road favorite.

Charlotte has broadcasted a few of their games on YouTube(free YouTube, not the pay service YouTubeTV) so there may be a chance that this game will be shown on YouTube. If it is, I'll try to post the link. Down below, is a link to Charlotte's YouTube page, if it is broadcasted on YouTube it will show on their page, you can click on it and watch. 

https://www.youtube.com/user/Charlotte49ersVids/featured   

Also, thanks LSF!! If you didn't post that, there was a good chance that I would have checked on this thread at about 5 eastern expecting to see some tidbits about the game at 7!!

Last edited by Thomas (12/22/2020 12:18 pm)