St. John’s Post Game

[IndyHoosier22]

31 minutes ago, Reacher said:

Xavier need to figure out how to stay on the floor. He had foul trouble in the Bahamas. At least we have 2 backups. I didn't like his foul seeking on that jumper in the second half. We need him to just stay on floor and play smart basketball. He does that and we will go a long way.

No doubt, but last night showed how night and day our offense is when X is on the bench and when he’s running our offense.

 

He’s vital to what we do.

[rico]

8 minutes ago, 5fouls said:

I was counting X and Trayce.  You are probably right with Race at this moment, but by the end of the year. I think that could change.

It is kind of refreshing to "haggle" about those kinds of things.

[IUFLA]

4 minutes ago, rico said:

It is kind of refreshing to "haggle" about those kinds of things.

When presented with the alternatives of years past, you bet it is...  

[NotIThatLives]

Fans are funny.  Both of Robs 3 point looks looked money, just didn't drop.  If that first one goes down, which he has to start making wide open threes, the roof literally explodes off the building.  His one two point attempt, again, has to make the shot.  Him, Kopp, and Stewart are keys to the height of the ceiling of this team.  If the three of them click offensively, the ceiling is removed.

Rob's first half defense was stellar.  Thats as much reason he plays first and above Lander.  And yes Lander needs more run.  He's been solid.  

Anyone else feel slightly uncomfortable with Kopp taking 10 shots?  Those first 10 minutes or so of the 2nd half, seemed like Kopp missed about 4 straight.  

Also felt like Stewart sat too long in the 2nd half.  Not sure his foul situation but man I want him on the floor.  Great defense.  Just mature with the ball.  

Edited November 18, 2021 by NotIThatLives

[bluegrassIU]

20 minutes ago, 5fouls said:

I was counting X and Trayce.  You are probably right with Race at this moment, but by the end of the year. I think that could change.

No way Geronimo is better than Race at any point this year.

Geronimo played great, and is getting better all the time.

But overall player? Defense, offense, rebounding, positioning  etc.....

It's just not that close right now.

Geronimo playing Race type minutes? Meh, Race is just so much farther along right now.

I am all for Geronimo seeing his minutes go up to 15-20 minutes a day. He is bringing a lot to our team right now. 

[IUFLA]

5 minutes ago, NotIThatLives said:

Anyone else feel slightly uncomfortable with Kopp taking 10 shots?  Those first 10 minutes or so of the 2nd half, seemed like Kopp missed about 4 straight.  

It's the shot selection that bothers me...when he gets his feet under him, he's very good...that transition 3 he tried (and missed badly) with his feet flailing out isn't the kind of shot I wanted to see from him...

I think Woody tells him to keep shooting it, hoping he'll recover his confidence and revert back to the form of his sophomore year (13 ppg 40% from 3)...

Edited November 18, 2021 by IUFLA

[Euroclydon]

That's a solid win and by the end of the season it's going to look good on the resume. St John's gets a lot out of the small ball lineup and I was impressed with how physical they can play with four guards. The fact they played even on the boards is either a huge positive for them or a concern for IU.

Some things that stood out...

On defense IU was locked in again in the first half. Can't imagine they could do any better. Second half wasn't as sharp and give credit to the Red Storm for continuing to attack and make plays. It's the second time; however, where IU had few answers for the one guy on the other side that is going off - and they tried multiple players with little success. This has to be addressed.

On offense it appeared they wanted to use their size advantage with Race and then went away from it. As others noted, the fact IU responded every time they were pushed is a nice change. No way they do that last season. Big plays and big shots by several is something to be excited about going forward. Yes, TJD is key but he has help this season and won't have to do it by himself. 

The concern on offense is they can't rely on matching shot for shot every game when it gets close. There needs to be a point where they realize momentum is shifting and they understand how to get the shot they want or better still how to get TJD the ball in the right spot and have multiple options. Other than that, the only nagging issue is the free throw shooting. It will come back to haunt them eventually. Would like to think you can count on guys, especially those with 3 or more seasons under their belts.

All-in-all, IU basketball looks significantly better this season on both ends of the floor. The defense at times looks incredible. Find a way to continue it for 40 minutes and anything is possible. Three games now where IU can really start to put it together hopefully without overlooking anyone and then the next big test in Syracuse.

 

[mkaser]

Assembly was rolling last night, got there about an hour and a half early like I typically do, went to the student section, was already half full. Thankfully found some seats in row 10

[dgambill]

25 minutes ago, bluegrassIU said:

No way Geronimo is better than Race at any point this year.

Geronimo played great, and is getting better all the time.

But overall player? Defense, offense, rebounding, positioning  etc.....

It's just not that close right now.

Geronimo playing Race type minutes? Meh, Race is just so much farther along right now.

I am all for Geronimo seeing his minutes go up to 15-20 minutes a day. He is bringing a lot to our team right now. 

Geronimo needs to be taking all of Galloway's minutes and sliding over to give Race a break as well. Basically he needs to be in for Kopp/Race whenever either sits....heck I may even say playing the 5 and go small when Trayce get's a breather too over Durr.

[bluegrassIU]

Watched the post game interview with Julian Champagnie. I really like how that guy carries himself. After watching that, and seeing his game.....I am a fan.  He is impressive all around.

[HoosierDPU95]

28 minutes ago, NotIThatLives said:

Fans are funny.  Both of Robs 3 point looks looked money, just didn't drop.  If that first one goes down, which he has to start making wide open threes, the roof literally explodes off the building.  His one two point attempt, again, has to make the shot.  Him, Kopp, and Stewart are keys to the height of the ceiling of this team.  If the three of them click offensively, the ceiling is removed.

Listened to the game on the radio last night but watched the highlights this morning. Completely agree with what your are saying about Rob's shots. When seeing them, I thought everyone of them (including the free throws) where going in and they all where in an out.

Lot's of folks dog him but right now his defense (with limited offense) is a greater asset than Lander's offense (with limited defense) IMO. Lander cannot hang with big strong guards

[IndyHoosier22]

I will say with Geronimo, shades of OG for me last night. 

[Billingsley99]

10 hours ago, Indykev said:

 

Its so refreshing to hear a coach not make excuses.  To praise the guys as well as holding them accountable and the 2 keys that I take away is Coach says I have to make them better but always comes back to it was a good win by our team. 

[5fouls]

57 minutes ago, bluegrassIU said:

No way Geronimo is better than Race at any point this year.

Geronimo played great, and is getting better all the time.

But overall player? Defense, offense, rebounding, positioning  etc.....

It's just not that close right now.

Geronimo playing Race type minutes? Meh, Race is just so much farther along right now.

I am all for Geronimo seeing his minutes go up to 15-20 minutes a day. He is bringing a lot to our team right now. 

I think he has the potential to surprise you.  Either way, if Jordan continues to improve, it's going to be fun to watch.

[Proud2BAHoosier]

I thought the "sloppy seconds" chant was unacceptable. Didn't seem to have an effect on the guy as he was like 5 for 6 shooting FTs....

[kyhoosier29]

My take. For whatever that is worth. 
 

*St. John’s is tough and will be a tournament team. Good W. 
*Great first half all-around - sub-par second half all-around. Felt like we got out-hustled, especially on the boards in the second half. But they toughed it out and got it done.

*XJ needs to be able to stay on the floor. He’s def a catalyst. Rob had a bad stretch early on, but I also felt like he had a solid stretch early or midway through the second half when XJ picked up his third or fourth (can’t remember). My guess is Lander is going to keep getting opportunities unless Rob picks up his game, but I can see why KL doesn’t play much. His shot is poor and he can’t keep his man in front of him. Feel like he’s reckless with the ball too. Still young though. 

*Big game from Kopp. What we need moving forward.

*Race seems to be bipolar. Is really good for most stretches, and then has really bad stretches (with turnovers, poor shots) sometimes. If he can reign those bad spurts in, his game will improve even more IMO.

*TJD - productive as usual. Only nitpick is that he always misses a few bunnies during a game. FT shooting has gone backwards it seems. 
 

*Hope TG is okay. 
*JG may have had the biggest spurt of the game for us. Hit a couple big shots just after STJ closed the gap. Brought a lot of energy on D as well.

*TB is going to be REALLY tough as he gets more experience. Solid now, but has out of control moments sometimes. Expected as a freshman. 
 

*3 pt shooting is a ?? still. Felt like Stewart hit one early, then disappeared. 
*FT shooting is really poor. I’m with others, why did we run X off screens to get the ball late?

*Defense was inconsistent from half to half tonight, but got it done when we needed it against a good team. Really confused at our inability to recognize a guy on the other team killing us and not being able to halt that a bit. Champagnie is really tough, but we didn’t seem to treat him any differently from tip to buzzard. 
*Thought the officiating was pretty poor, but what’s new?

*Still feel more optimistic about this team and this staff being able to improve, but also see a lot of resemblances from the past few years. Hoping that changes.

On to the next one! Better to win and learn, than learn from losing. And doing it against a good team is even better, more reason for optimism. 

 

[dgambill]

15 minutes ago, IndyHoosier22 said:

I will say with Geronimo, shades of OG for me last night. 

I said that in the game thread...he is definitely developing into that kind of piece for us.

[dgambill]

1 minute ago, Proud2BAHoosier said:

I thought the "sloppy seconds" chant was unacceptable. Didn't seem to have an effect on the guy as he was like 5 for 6 shooting FTs....

I had the volume turned off when watching....what was that about??

[Proud2BAHoosier]

2 minutes ago, dgambill said:

I had the volume turned off when watching....what was that about??

The dude, I can't think of his name, is or was dating an ex girlfriend of TJD....

[dgambill]

We have to remember that Parker Stewart is still rounding into game form....basically last year was an injury season...I hope he get's more comfortable as the year goes along.

[dgambill]

1 minute ago, Proud2BAHoosier said:

The dude, I can't think of his name, is or was dating an ex girlfriend of TJD....

I mean who even follows that sort of thing?? Very tasteless....and the guy was a baller. I don't like that!

[Artesian_86]

1 hour ago, 5 championships said:

Rob P is done. I can’t watch him anymore. He was so bad last night. Bring on Lander. The more comfortable he gets I think he will really shine. Need to get him some minutes before the BIG starts. 

Way too many knee jerk reactions from the peanut gallery! He will be fine! Im sure he’s still going through being stripped down, reprogrammed so he can consistently build confidence. He will find a way to earn minutes… As stated numerous times from Coach Fife,….Rob’s his guy and I trust in his abilities as a coach and former player. 

[IUFLA]

4 minutes ago, Proud2BAHoosier said:

The dude, I can't think of his name, is or was dating an ex girlfriend of TJD....

Stef Smith...Transfer from Vermont...

Edited November 18, 2021 by IUFLA

[rico]

50 minutes ago, bluegrassIU said:

Watched the post game interview with Julian Champagnie. I really like how that guy carries himself. After watching that, and seeing his game.....I am a fan.  He is impressive all around.

Soooo, you got Champagnie taste on a beer wallet?

[BGleas]

27 minutes ago, kyhoosier29 said:

My take. For whatever that is worth. 
 

*St. John’s is tough and will be a tournament team. Good W. 
*Great first half all-around - sub-par second half all-around. Felt like we got out-hustled, especially on the boards in the second half. But they toughed it out and got it done.

*XJ needs to be able to stay on the floor. He’s def a catalyst. Rob had a bad stretch early on, but I also felt like he had a solid stretch early or midway through the second half when XJ picked up his third or fourth (can’t remember). My guess is Lander is going to keep getting opportunities unless Rob picks up his game, but I can see why KL doesn’t play much. His shot is poor and he can’t keep his man in front of him. Feel like he’s reckless with the ball too. Still young though. 

*Big game from Kopp. What we need moving forward.

*Race seems to be bipolar. Is really good for most stretches, and then has really bad stretches (with turnovers, poor shots) sometimes. If he can reign those bad spurts in, his game will improve even more IMO.

*TJD - productive as usual. Only nitpick is that he always misses a few bunnies during a game. FT shooting has gone backwards it seems. 
 

*Hope TG is okay. 
*JG may have had the biggest spurt of the game for us. Hit a couple big shots just after STJ closed the gap. Brought a lot of energy on D as well.

*TB is going to be REALLY tough as he gets more experience. Solid now, but has out of control moments sometimes. Expected as a freshman. 
 

*3 pt shooting is a ?? still. Felt like Stewart hit one early, then disappeared. 
*FT shooting is really poor. I’m with others, why did we run X off screens to get the ball late?

*Defense was inconsistent from half to half tonight, but got it done when we needed it against a good team. Really confused at our inability to recognize a guy on the other team killing us and not being able to halt that a bit. Champagnie is really tough, but we didn’t seem to treat him any differently from tip to buzzard. 
*Thought the officiating was pretty poor, but what’s new?

*Still feel more optimistic about this team and this staff being able to improve, but also see a lot of resemblances from the past few years. Hoping that changes.

On to the next one! Better to win and learn, than learn from losing. And doing it against a good team is even better, more reason for optimism. 

 

A lot of great thoughts and I don't mean to bypass them but wanted respond to the bolded, because I keep seeing it posted in various threads.  

XJ is one of our best free throw shooters. Maybe it's because he's not a great 3pt shooter, but it's a misconception that he's not a good free throw shooter. He's a career 75% free throw shooter. Would you like your PG to be closer to 80%+? Sure, but on this team a career 75% free throw shooter is really solid. Kopp is probably the best option, but you also want a ball handler getting the ball there in case the try and trap first before fouling. 

But, XJ is a solid free throw shooter.