Agree with you Free.   Also can understand argument that we weren't going to have a prayer unless Maceo started making shots, but at some point, your game is just so off that you shouldn't be on the Court.  Maybe even a 3 guard lineup (Nelson, Walker and Potter) would have worked.  Still can spread and have the 3 point option available. Its not like Jack was a major force on defense inside.

If you want to look for another positive, although 10 assists on 23 made baskets is not very good, the assist to turnover ratio of 10 to 4 is excellent, especially with Potter frequently driving hard to the basket.  

Agree with much of the positive comments about how we played, but let's remember that South Carolina didn't play well and South Carolina lost to BU. Also, wouldn't it be great to know status of Toro and Harris' injuries. When Toro was hurt, Christian said to Hatchet it looked like he would be back for the next game. Wish Hatchet actually didn't some reporting on Toro and Harris. 

Long Suffering Fan wrote:

Line was 13.5 MG.  If you want to look for progress, we played South Carolina far tougher this year than last year.    

13.5 makes this game look even better (not saying it was pretty).

Just a reminder that everyone review the "rules" section at the top of the board. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but if you disagree please provide a reason. Personal attacks are what made the previous board go downhill, let's not repeat that again or further action will need to be taken.

Armel had 22 points on 22 shots. Jamison had 18 points on 18 shots. If only Maceo had 11 points on 11 shots...

Overall, I thought we did well for the most part. While I don't think SC is very good and KenPom tends to inflate ranking power 6 schools (personally wouldn't put either Georgetown or Providence in the 60s right now, or Penn State 24th?!?), I was happy with the way we fought for most of the game minus maybe the first five minutes or so. Sadly, that was the difference in this one as I'd say for the majority of the game we more or less played equally and traded buckets. SC was simply the taller team, but also looked twice as muscular as us (much like the Howard game, where it looked like we had twice the muscle as the Bison players). If you wondered why JC has said he wants to recruit taller guards, it makes sense now given the way he plays on both ends of the court (and why Armel started off not playing much, given his height). I do worry about AT getting back after JC's comments earlier but hopefully he's good to go against BU. I'm assuming Amir is getting close as well, and Chase is on the mend.

Offense: Going back to the first five minutes of the game, we did a poor job early on operating our offense. It seemed like we were just passing the ball back and forth along the perimeter with players standing still. After the media timeout, I felt like we got back to what was working for us in the Bahamas. Armel knifing through the lane, and finding Jamison/Maceo along the perimeter for 3. The Armel to Jamison combo seems to be working really nicely so far this season. Credit SC for playing good defense.

A quick note regarding pace - we fell 23 spots in pace after the SC game. I think this was actually a really good strategy against the Gamecocks, who thrive in getting out in transition and play at a top 40 pace in the country. While it was frustrating at times to see Armel reset at the top of the key and then run the clock down to 7-8 seconds before doing something, I think that was the right move this game. Hopefully, we don't do that when we have the athleticism advantage/play teams who like to play slow though.

Defense: Yeah, SC shot 53% from the field, but I actually saw somewhat of an improvement. The easy first place to start is with the steals. I'm pretty sure we easily set a new game high with 7 today. It was nice to see us win the turnover battle for once (a key as mentioned in the preview) which definitely kept us in the game. Our defense also forced a ton of midrange shots. Jair (who gave JC a big hug postgame) was shown grinning at the GW bench every time he made a shot, but most of his makes came in the inefficient midrange area as he was prone to doing during his GW tenure. Similarly, credit Kotsar for making some midrange shots, but I'd rather SC shoot from there than get shots closer to the hoop. That's not to say they didn't easily get to the hoop at times (which was understandable) but we did a reasonable job double teaming their guys near the hoop and forcing them to pass it out. While I wish we would have forced them to take more threes (they aren't a good shooting team) I think we did well on this end today.

I will also say we were really unlucky with loose balls today. It almost seemed like the ball intentionally bounced around our guys and landed in the hands of a SC player right next to the hoop for an easy two. That happened multiple times this game. Maybe our steal count would have hit double figures otherwise.

Not giving a game ball today, but shoutout to Armel and Jamison for keeping the offense going in the second half (the two accounted for 28 of our 42 points after halftime), and JNJ for his defensive instincts today.

Player Breakdown:
Armel - continues his stellar play. He came into this game leading the nation in assist percentage! I will say earlier on he was forcing the issue a bit. He was able to get to the hoop, but didn't adjust to a defender closing in on him and throwing up a poor contested shot. What was impressive about his performance today was his ability to adjust. As the game went on, he was able to change his speed, whether pump faking on a shot, or waiting for his defender to blow past him before getting an open path to the basket. He went just 2-9 in the first half, but 7-13 in the second. His skillset is simply something this team hasn't had in a long time. Made some nice passes as usual as well (the aforementioned ones to Jamison being the most useful, but the attention he drew on the Ace layup was really impressive - there was virtually no one near Ace during that play!)

Jamison - there was a play in the first half where he was underneath the hoop and he tried to just finger roll the ball into the hoop but came up really short, I'm guessing not realizing just how stout the SC defense is. Pretty much all the shots otherwise were from 3. He just has such a pure stroke that is fun to watch. He seems to be getting better every game which is awesome to see. Today was another career high in points, and I believe he is tied with Armel now for most points on the team. His rebounding continues to be great on the defensive end. While I don't think those numbers will continue when AT gets back, his ability to secure boards is much needed. I also have to say his defense has improved - he was asked to play in the post quite a bit in this one, and with the help of another defender, played effective defense on Kotsar and the others.

Maceo - did he have a good game? No, but I think everyone knows that. While I didn't like his rushed attempts in the first half that barely drew iron, I do like that he is pump faking on some shots and trying to give himself more separation before launching - he didn't use to do that last season. His shots were a lot better in the second half. He did have that bad attempt as well when he tried to go for a dunk a bit too far from the hoop - a common mistake that many players make and learn from - he could have easily drawn contact but by being too much on the offensive missed that chance. I do think he did well to get to the rim late in the game, realizing things weren't falling as his free throw stroke is a nice safety net when nothing else is working. Should he have shot less? Maybe, but where else are we going to go with those shots? Shooters shoot, and you have to always believe the next shot is going in. Many of Maceo's attempts were good ones, and I could live with those misses. There aren't many options unfortunately, but that will be solved with Sloan, Tyler, and Lincoln on the way hopefully. The only worry I have is him and Jamison being winded come conference play - those two are almost never coming out of the game of late. I'll end by shouting out that block he had on defense. Funnily enough, it was on one of Jair's shots. At the very least, a good feeling to swipe a shot away from a former teammate.

Javier - doesn't usually see more than 15 minutes of action, but I thought he played well when in today. He showed more than usual on offense. I was pleasantly surprised when he aggressively took the ball to the rim for a layup, which might have caught SC off guard as well. We need to build Javier's confidence, because the opposition knows fully well that as soon as the ball is in his hand, he is looking to pass it as soon as possible to a cutting player, or back out to the perimeter unless he is literally force fed a basket near the hoop. A more confident Javier who can do some damage down low will make things a bit less predictable on offense. Also came up with a nice deflection on the defensive end. I actually think he could have played a bit more today, but understand that we were playing catch up for most of the game which meant the necessity to go small.

Shawn - had a couple of nice moments, picking off a pass at the beginning of the game and taking it the other way for what would be our only lead, and pulled down some big boards but otherwise unfortunately did not have the best of games. His shots looked like he was really nervous, including an air ball that wasn't anywhere close to the hoop. Still, this was good experience for him. Unfortunately, we just don't have the depth right now - much like Maceo when he's not on his game, we probably shouldn't have played Shawn more than 15 minutes or so today based on his play, but with more depth we'll have more options to work with.

JNJ - one of his best games in a while. While his three point stroke is not yet consistent, he is dynamite going to the rim. He looked almost like a cornerback today with his amazing vertical hops picking off several passes that would have otherwise been easy baskets down low - that was really nice to see. Was also good on his free throws. I don't think Maceo should be benched just for an off night (it can happen to anyone) but a starting lineup of Armel, JNJ, Jamison, Shawn/Mezie/Amir, AT could be an interesting one.

Ace - had his usual bucket off a nice pass from Armel, but also had some nice rejections on the defensive end. Didn't otherwise see too much action as we needed to go small to catch up. I love watching his smile every time he makes a basket.

Mezie - surprised he didn't see more time today, but not entirely shocked as he doesn't exactly have three point range. In his seven minutes, he played more in control today. The next step for him is developing consistency. It almost seems like he plays steady one game, erratic the next, steady the game after that, etc. I still think he is an x-factor for this team if he can discover the potential.

Juice - four missed shots in the past four games as his playing time has taken a nosedive. I'm still rooting for him to have some big plays for us over the course of his final season of collegiate basketball, but his chances of doing much are limited if we are asking him to take threes along the perimeter.

Up next is a game against a team that beat South Carolina, Boston U on Wednesday. The Terriers are another team that are more or less comparable to us, so hopefully we are able to put things together at home (and AT gets back). 

(Thanks LSF! I honestly got lucky with the differential. Even more amazing, the predicted score from the preview was almost exact from the analytics - just one point more for each team.)
 

3 TOs 1 assist for Jair Bolden, 5 for 12 shooting. 0 for 3 from 3, 2-4 FTs.

22 points and 6 dimes for Armel Potter.  

We got, expectedly killed in the Frontcourt today, one dude was like for 9 for 10 from the Field, eager to see the improved play of the team when Toro and Amir Harris are integrated back in/in, respectively.

 

danjsport wrote:

Have not watched a game yet this year, but am following here and through box scores. jC touted Mezzie in his initial press conference, but he sure has been getting less and less run. What do y’all who have actually watched the games think about this?

Maybe its just me but I think Mezie has immense talent but something isn't clicking when he gets on the court. It just looks like he is thinking too much instead of just playing. I also think he's not quite a perfect fit for any of the positions. He's not really a 4/5 and he not effective enough offensively to play the 3 because he hasn't yet shown the ability to shoot it. And in JC's system unless you are a 5 you have to be able to shoot it at least credibly. I think this is causing some issues as well. Just not sure if it's a matter of more experience or he's just not a tremendous fit for this system. 

Hope he can work through whatever is limiting him now because he seems like a great kid. Time will tell.

I was disappointed to watch this team begin the game in the manner that it did.  After a full week off and playing on the home court of an SEC team, GW should have been chomping at the bit to get off to a good start.  Instead, they looked a bit star-struck against a team that did not appear to be much better than themselves.  The margin was 17-2 to begin the game.  It was nice to see the team calm down and play respectable basketball for much of the game but they never truly threatened after the dismal start.  I get that we're young and are also not at full strength.  However, if you're good enough to outscore an opponent over the final 33 minutes, you probably should be good enough not to fall into such an enormous hole to start a game.

The three point shooting reverted back to a subpar level (except for Jameson who, along with Armel and JNJ,  kept GW in the game to the extent that they were really in the game).  Whoever came up with that suggestion that GW move its home games to the ballroom of the JW Marriott might really be onto something.

Interesting that three starters played at least 38 minutes yesterday.  Arnaldo and Amir will consume many minutes when they return.  It's looking like those two, plus Armel, Jameson, Maceo, Shawn, and Jameer, should be expected to form the rotation that JC will be most comfortable using.  We will likely see small doses of Mezie, Javier and Ace and Chase is a big unknown right now.  Looks like a lot of small-ball to come.

I do think GWRising has it right regarding Mezie.  He still thinks a little too much and the game seems a step quicker than he would like.  He has shown flashes of a decent midrange game but until he is able to effectively "play without thinking", as they say, his opportunities should likely be limited.

GW0509 wrote:

He seems to be able to play without thinking at Kenner.  Granted, there really isn't much of an offensive philosophy going on in those games, but he looks so much more relaxed out there during the summer than he does in actual games.  I think he is definitely a good kid trying to do the right thing, but is so focused on "doing the right thing" he gets caught up in the technical details and does not allow himself to just let the game come to him.  Hopefully he can get more comfortable out there because he definitely has skills that can benefit the team.

This is precisely why many here claim that Kenner has little relevance to the regular season. The fact is Kenner is a roll the balls out summer league with very little structure or pressure. It's a whole different ballgame when the glare of the real season lights hits you.