CSome people can't go to bed on an empty stomach. I can't go to bed on a full mind.
I declared earlier this evening on my twitter account that I was too frustrated to write a column after tonight's men's basketball game, but I am retracting that statement. It is because I am so frustrated that I need to write a column tonight. It's easier to forget about things (life, sports, anything really) if you get all your thoughts about it out in the open, so here goes.
First of all, I must say that it is much too early in the season to panic. The Lions have begun the season 1-2, and their two losses have come on a combined four points. They're not exactly being blown out of the water. Furthermore, it's the start of a long season, and anything can happen. For all we know LMU could rattle of a 8-10 game winstreak and we could all breath a sigh of relief.
But that being said, things don't look great. These two losses have come against decent teams, but not great teams. The problem here isn't "if the Lions can't beat them, how are they supposed to beat the Gonzaga's of the world." I firmly believe that each game is a fresh start, and we can still beat Florida State, Gonzaga and Saint Mary's if we play up to our potential.
The problem that these two early losses have given the Lions is that they may have, in just one week of play, blown their shot at an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament (if they are so lucky as to turn things around and become a playoff caliber team).These two losses will do nothing to help LMU's RPI.
But what's worse than the fact that these losses are against unranked teams is the fact that the Lions aren't playing great basketball. If LMU was playing solid basketball, but losing, the losses would be tough, but not unbearable. The Lions record would still be 1-2, but it would be a hopeful 1-2. A 1-2 that shows that this is a team that can beat other D-I teams. Instead, the Lions, right now, look like a mess.
No one on the team seems to have any sort of role or identity on offense. Substitutions have changed each game, and although it's only been three games no one has a good grasp on what type of minutes they'll be playing (except, of course, Drew Viney, who will be playing a lot).
Aside from the fact that the Lions, and Head Coach Max Good, know that they want to get the ball to Viney more, there doesn't seem to be much of a gameplan for many of the other players. Are the Lions looking to feed Ashley Hamilton in the post, or not? With his limited minutes it's really hard to tell what the plan is there.
Do the Lions want to get Jarred DuBois some open looks? He's been able to create an open shot for himself a couple times, but I would think that LMU should have some set plays to get him some open shots early each game, check and see if his shot is falling. DuBois is a player who can go off for 30-points on any given night, and right now it just seems that he's finding a shot once in a blue moon.
How often do the Lions want Vernon Teel to drive to the hoop and try to pick up a foul, and maybe even a conventional three-point play if lucky. It's a strength Teel has, but it seems like it either happens too often at times or not enough at others.
And lastly, what kind of offensive player does Viney want to be? Tonight I saw him take more initiative offensively (namely, take more shots) which is great, but they weren't the best looks I've seen him take. I hope Viney can be vocal with both Good and his teammates after tonight's game and explain why just giving him the ball like they did tonight isn't going to work. As I've stated before, Viney is the center point of this offense, and he's going to need to figure out how to use the other pieces to his benefit.
Other players are going to be important, but these players need to be the key. Right now, the Lions offense looks disjointed, and I look to Good to fix that problem quickly. Practice time is going to be limited the next week or two with all the games and traveling, but there's no more time for weak play.
No comments:
Post a Comment