Thought I'd start a new thread before it was started for us. (See Barry, I am learning.) No reason why an Ira Lee thread should bear the brunt of this.
To paraphrase some old saying, statistics will tell you whatever you would like them to tell you. This is especially true when highlighting some statistics while conveniently ignoring others. In the case of James Bishop, few if anyone here is arguing that he is not an extremely talented player. His scoring and assist averages will attest to this which is why these figures are being repeated so often.
But what about his assist to turnover ratio which represents a truer indicator of point guard performance than assists by itself? James was tied for 10th-12th place in the conference, and finished in 16th place when factoring conference games only. He shot 42.7% from the floor which is neither outstanding nor horrible for a guard, and shot 33.8% from three which is a disappointing percentage for someone attempting as many three point shots as James did. James averaged under 1 steal per game which is also subpar when considering that he averaged over 36 minutes per game of playing time.
By now, some of you may be thinking what I am about to write next. Putting the stats aside, what about the questionable decision making we saw from James at times? Early in the season, we watched James take many ill-advised shots while often failing to get his teammates involved. In particular, it appeared as if James was not inclined to find an open Jameson Battle along the arc. I accused James of playing hero-ball which is understandable when considering that James had great belief in his abilities while perhaps not being convinced that setting up a teammate was a better option for the team. And since he was the one almost always with the ball in his hands, James compiled nice numbers while the team lost a considerable number of games than it had no business losing.
To James's credit, this issue improved as the season unfolded. It is not a coincidence that Battle averaged 27.5 points in the two best wins of the season over Duquesne and URI. I'd dismiss the final loss of the season against Mason where James appeared to be taking on the Patriots by himself (and succeeding for a while). The fact is that GW was exhausted playing that game and everyone could see this, including James. I don't begrudge him one bit for that performance.
As for Jaren Sina, repeating again and again that he was not athletic enough doesn't detract from his basketball playing abilities. (The fact that he's been playing professionally ought to tell you that at least someone else feels similarly.) As has been stated, Jaren kept that team under control, and at times from unraveling. His free throw shooting alone was responsible for "saving" at least a half dozen wins. His development was severely handicapped when the coaching change was made. Jaren clearly came to play for ML, a former point guard who could help teach him the nuances of the position. He was never going to be a prolific scorer, and quite frankly, he made the best of a bad situation. As was mentioned, his absence in that CBI loss could not possibly have been more glaring.
Gwmayhem wrote:
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