Game 18, 2019-20: George Washington (1/18)

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Re: Game 18, 2019-20: George Washington (1/18)

Post by Berkman » Sat Jan 18, 2020 11:16 pm

Floyd wrote: Sat Jan 18, 2020 10:03 pm Looked to be one of the best crowds of the year, a tv game, and it was a very uninspired and unimpressive effort all around. Missed opportunity on several fronts. How many are left?
Attendance was 3325.

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Re: Game 18, 2019-20: George Washington (1/18)

Post by Almontis » Sun Jan 19, 2020 12:17 am

Battle Ax wrote: Sat Jan 18, 2020 6:43 pm
Almontis wrote: Sat Jan 18, 2020 6:28 pm
JoleonLescottsHair wrote: Sat Jan 18, 2020 5:34 pm There have been very few games during McCall’s tenure that I have thought they looked out of focus, flat, and unprepared. Normally there is a talent or experience gap, but the team always has fight in them and you can at least see potential and some semblance of a game plan. I’ve always liked that about McCall’s teams. You watch and feel they are right on the cusp. So close. Today I expected them to get over the hump and start to make a turn. Home game, favorable match up. Nope. This game is a full on DK flashback. Choke job when they need it most. Sloppy play, dumb decisions, and poor coaching. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
I don't know. There seems to be some preparedness and a gameplan, but it's not often effective, and more concerning, it's almost always run with a real lack of force.

At this point, I'm in favor of Tony taking over. McCall doesn't seem to bring much to the table for what he's being paid.
What makes you think Tony would do any better? It’s his defense they are running.
I think Tony can do better for the following reasons:

1. He has a long track record of success as a head coach;
2. He's from Springfield.

More to the point, the program needs some continuity, and I'm becoming convinced McCall's not the guy. Tony is bringing in the talent. To blame Tony for the defensive deficiencies doesn't hit the mark. When was he hired, June? The vast majority of high level talent is committed by then. And it's been a while now since we've had perimeter players who can consistently contain dribble penetration. This is either because (1) we don't have guards who can guard their position; (2) they're not being adequately coached; or (3) they're checking out and don't care. It all falls on the head coach. We appear to be bringing in backcourt players who can play defense next year. It's also inarguable we'd benefit from a rim running big. We'll see how that shakes out. The defense will improve.

I'm also tired of hearing about the culture. GW was making national headlines not too long ago because of their "culture" - not in a good way. Jamion Christian in his first year took his guys to Amherst and throttled us. They're certainly not a roster of 3 and 4 star recruits. What sort of magic has he employed to change the "culture" so quickly?

I'll be hard pressed to make the drive to Amherst again this year.

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Re: Game 18, 2019-20: George Washington (1/18)

Post by pk77 » Sun Jan 19, 2020 2:21 am

You people are so negative !!! Don't worry Mr Bamford is already working on his letter to send out to all basketball team followers to explain to us why he has done a good job over the last 5 years, and why we should be happy with the great job he has done. Per his self rating below he has met 3 out of 4 of his objectives with the only one being missed being having a winning program ( which was listed as number 4 on the list). In case you missed it, here is his listing:


First, Happy New Year from the flagship! I hope the holiday season was peaceful and joyous for you and your loved ones.



As we begin 2020, I thought it would be timely to share an extensive review and strategic vision for our football program. Since Head Coach Walt Bell’s arrival in December of 2018, we have undertaken a comprehensive study of our program, the FBS landscape, and how to build a winning team that instills pride in all who follow UMass. The 2019 season has created increased media attention and questions from various stakeholders about the future of football at the flagship. This email provides detail on the current state of our program and our strategy to realize competitive success in the near future.



Despite our one-win season this past fall, our football program is undoubtedly trending up. Over the last year we have had tremendous success in the classroom, in facility upgrades, in fundraising, and most recently, in recruiting. Our competitive year did not meet our high standards for success, but it was not a surprise given the overhaul we have undertaken since the conclusion of the 2018 season.



In order to be fully transparent and give our stakeholders a feel for our program-building process, I thought there was great benefit to being exhaustive in this email. As such, this email is long! However, it should provide good perspective on where we have been, where we currently live and where we plan to go with your help, support and investment.



When I arrived at UMass in April of 2015, my pledge to Chancellor Kumble Subbaswamy regarding football was quite simple. In no particular order, I told him we would focus on the following “measureables” in our program:

Meet Academic Obligations. We would recruit student-athletes who will compete in the classroom and earn a degree in four years or less from our highly ranked university. Accordingly, our goal was to improve our multi-year average for the NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR), keeping us eligible for bowl opportunities.
Fiscal Responsibility. We would reduce the institutional subsidy for football by monitoring spending, maximizing existing profit streams and driving new revenues to the program.
Positively represent UMass in the community. We would ask our students to be engaged and respectful members of the community through service and positive conduct.
Generate a competitive bowl-eligible team on an annual basis. We would build reasonable schedules as a new Independent program and endeavor to win at least six games per year and secure long-term bowl opportunities for our program.
Five years later, I can report that we are meeting three of these four objectives. Since Coach Bell’s arrival last December, we have collectively organized a more sustainable foundation to accomplish all four goals very soon.


Save yourself some time Mr Bamford and just copy and paste your football letter and just change the word "football " to "basketball" and "Bell" to "McCall".

Here is hoping that in the future we hire and AD, that in the same words used recently by Mr Carvel ( our hockey coach) his most important objective is "putting a wining team on the ice".

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Re: Game 18, 2019-20: George Washington (1/18)

Post by minutefanjsf » Sun Jan 19, 2020 8:05 am

Tre Mitchell’s dad tweeted that we were being out coached and that losing needs to end. That either means McCall is gone or Tre is if we don’t start showing some resolve and win some games IMO. McCall’s reflection that he is not coaching well right now better mean that he is willing to learn and change. During the game the Dr. mentioned that McCall’s new staff were contributing to the team by making suggestions and not just looking for answers from McCall. That is a huge red flag for me. McCall doesn’t seem to have a grasp on how to use metrics or when to adjust anything. His stubbornness to keep Tre on the bench with two fouls last night, use of the press when it is getting torched every game, and going away from the zone that was working last night make absoluteLy no sense.

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Re: Game 18, 2019-20: George Washington (1/18)

Post by Old Cage » Sun Jan 19, 2020 8:07 am

If anyone needs a bandwagon to hop on, you can check out the good UMass hoops team today at 1PM on ESPN+. The Minutewomen have won 11 in a row and two of their best players come off the bench. It's been impressive watching on twitter how many guys from here are commenting.
Last edited by Old Cage on Sun Jan 19, 2020 8:40 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Game 18, 2019-20: George Washington (1/18)

Post by dennisdent » Sun Jan 19, 2020 8:22 am

pk77 wrote: Sun Jan 19, 2020 2:21 am You people are so negative !!! Don't worry Mr Bamford is already working on his letter to send out to all basketball team followers to explain to us why he has done a good job over the last 5 years, and why we should be happy with the great job he has done. Per his self rating below he has met 3 out of 4 of his objectives with the only one being missed being having a winning program ( which was listed as number 4 on the list). In case you missed it, here is his listing:


First, Happy New Year from the flagship! I hope the holiday season was peaceful and joyous for you and your loved ones.



As we begin 2020, I thought it would be timely to share an extensive review and strategic vision for our football program. Since Head Coach Walt Bell’s arrival in December of 2018, we have undertaken a comprehensive study of our program, the FBS landscape, and how to build a winning team that instills pride in all who follow UMass. The 2019 season has created increased media attention and questions from various stakeholders about the future of football at the flagship. This email provides detail on the current state of our program and our strategy to realize competitive success in the near future.



Despite our one-win season this past fall, our football program is undoubtedly trending up. Over the last year we have had tremendous success in the classroom, in facility upgrades, in fundraising, and most recently, in recruiting. Our competitive year did not meet our high standards for success, but it was not a surprise given the overhaul we have undertaken since the conclusion of the 2018 season.



In order to be fully transparent and give our stakeholders a feel for our program-building process, I thought there was great benefit to being exhaustive in this email. As such, this email is long! However, it should provide good perspective on where we have been, where we currently live and where we plan to go with your help, support and investment.



When I arrived at UMass in April of 2015, my pledge to Chancellor Kumble Subbaswamy regarding football was quite simple. In no particular order, I told him we would focus on the following “measureables” in our program:

Meet Academic Obligations. We would recruit student-athletes who will compete in the classroom and earn a degree in four years or less from our highly ranked university. Accordingly, our goal was to improve our multi-year average for the NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR), keeping us eligible for bowl opportunities.
Fiscal Responsibility. We would reduce the institutional subsidy for football by monitoring spending, maximizing existing profit streams and driving new revenues to the program.
Positively represent UMass in the community. We would ask our students to be engaged and respectful members of the community through service and positive conduct.
Generate a competitive bowl-eligible team on an annual basis. We would build reasonable schedules as a new Independent program and endeavor to win at least six games per year and secure long-term bowl opportunities for our program.
Five years later, I can report that we are meeting three of these four objectives. Since Coach Bell’s arrival last December, we have collectively organized a more sustainable foundation to accomplish all four goals very soon.


Save yourself some time Mr Bamford and just copy and paste your football letter and just change the word "football " to "basketball" and "Bell" to "McCall".

Here is hoping that in the future we hire and AD, that in the same words used recently by Mr Carvel ( our hockey coach) his most important objective is "putting a wining team on the ice".
I wish we could make Carvel the AD! I guarantee he would not put up with the poor coaching from the basketball/football head coaches--he doesn't accept poor play from his players. Bamford accepts it because these are his hires with long contracts.

It was impressive to listen to the GW coach after the game. He coached and sounded like a "baller," not the student manger who can't coach that UMass has.

Thank god the hockey season and soon lacrosse are here to watch good UMass coaching!

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Re: Game 18, 2019-20: George Washington (1/18)

Post by jrdupe » Sun Jan 19, 2020 8:40 am

inthescoop wrote: Sat Jan 18, 2020 6:44 pm
jrdupe wrote: Sat Jan 18, 2020 5:34 pm
TheInsider wrote: Sat Jan 18, 2020 5:25 pm I see why we are still recruiting PGs
where's our "friend" from his hometown been? I questioned at the time if he was trolling...no doubt in my mind now he was! I want Sean to score 20 game and have a +5 every game, but he has been absolutely terrible the last 3-4 games. So careless with the ball and forces way too much. I don't think he's a true point guard, so I can't kill him too much. I think Kolton, if healthy, is the point guard.
You would take Kolton over Sean East at PG for this team? No way man..
I'd like to at least see it...Kolton is not flashy, but they need someone to be more under control. Put Sean at the 2...what do we have to lose at this point? I know it's been said, but Kolton reminds me so much of Kellogg...right down to the way he moves around on the court. Give me a point guard that won't turn the ball over and will find the open guys all day long versus someone who is going to race down the court and either throw up a wild shot or pull up from 25 feet with 25 seconds on the shot clock all day long.

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Re: Game 18, 2019-20: George Washington (1/18)

Post by 69MG » Sun Jan 19, 2020 9:38 am

I couldn't force myself to comment after getting back from the game last night. Maybe the worst game I've seen us play, considering the level of competition, in a few years. We'll just have to ride it out for this year and see what happens. They won't fire a coach in mid-season. For the first time this year I'm worried about the psyche of the team. Have they lost confidence in the coach?

My only 2 comments about the game are these:
A coach can't make plays on the court, but he ought to be able to see what's going on and make adjustments.
He ought to be able to get his players up for the game. The first 2 minutes were brutal and that set the tone for the rest of the game.

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Re: Game 18, 2019-20: George Washington (1/18)

Post by Juice Stand » Sun Jan 19, 2020 9:57 am

minutefanjsf wrote: Sun Jan 19, 2020 8:05 am McCall’s reflection that he is not coaching well right now better mean that he is willing to learn and change. During the game the Dr. mentioned that McCall’s new staff were contributing to the team by making suggestions and not just looking for answers from McCall. That is a huge red flag for me. McCall doesn’t seem to have a grasp on how to use metrics or when to adjust anything. His stubbornness to keep Tre on the bench with two fouls last night, use of the press when it is getting torched every game, and going away from the zone that was working last night make absoluteLy no sense.
Makes me wonder what Paul Cormier's role and contributions actually are. I thought he was supposed to be the experienced X's and O's guy, or at least an advisor to McCall in terms of strategy. I know he isn't technically an assistant coach, so in-game adjustments are on McCall and the 3 assistants, but game to game I'm not seeing a whole lot of adjustment.

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Re: Game 18, 2019-20: George Washington (1/18)

Post by Worcester_To_Amherst » Sun Jan 19, 2020 10:29 am

Lost in this terrible performance was the fact that GW was without their best big man.... This was exactly the type of loss this program couldn’t afford this year. Any positive feelings the fan base and (probably) players were having went out the window. MM is coaching for his job the rest of the season, IMO.

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Re: Game 18, 2019-20: George Washington (1/18)

Post by Floyd » Sun Jan 19, 2020 10:46 am

NM
Last edited by Floyd on Sun Jan 19, 2020 11:02 am, edited 2 times in total.

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Re: Game 18, 2019-20: George Washington (1/18)

Post by Jackson96 » Sun Jan 19, 2020 10:48 am

Count me in the give Kolton more minutes at the point with East moving off the ball more camp. East has had his moments this year but I think as the season has gone on he’s struggled to find much consistency and that early season flash of efficiency (limited turnovers and shooting %’s over the moon) has really disappeared — he is shooting 37% and averaging almost 4 turnovers a game over the last 14 games.

I think Mitchell — despite his limitations — might help tighten up the offense. Don’t think you can play him a ton with Keon (especially with Samba out there) as the offense would be really rough even if the defense was improved. Maybe moving East off ball will help him get back to being more efficient, although my concerns there are he seems to struggle against teams that can match his size or are more athletic and have the smarts to stay in front of him with his quirky game.

I don’t know — I think it’s clear we need more talent in terms of creating offense. We’ve really struggled at that end as of late. I think Mitchell is ideally a good bench/energy guy but at this point he’s probably a better choice than East who — while he he still has his moments — has both regressed quite a bit and is very inconsistent.

Defensively Mitchell is clearly much better than East but I haven’t really addressed that end of the floor because I’m at a bit of a loss. Our press isn’t good. Our halfcourt d isn’t good. We haven’t been good at that end in a long (I hate when people use extra letters to emphasize a word but if I were ever going to do it this would be the spot where I add a few o’s and n’s) time. Yes we are young but fuck, man, we are not getting better.

I don’t know. I think of the young guys Tre Mitchell and TJ can clearly be starters on A10 contenders but I think the others are probably bench guys in the long run. Kolton and Santos for sure unless their offense really improves and depending on the rest of the lineup. East I don’t know — he needs to get more consistent on offense and just plain better on defense. Dibaji I think needs time but wow maybe some folks should have slowed their roll on him. CJ haven’t seen enough of.

As for the coaching, I’m not ready to say I’ve seen enough of McCall as other folks are but I am really discouraged at the moment. Two areas where everyone was hoping he’d provide a lot — player development and the team getting better as seasons wore on — have been pretty shitty.

I don’t really know what McCall does well as a coach. In that first season here, I thought he was pretty good as an offensive coach and he overall got his team to play pretty hard and compete even when they were outmanned. Last year was a complete shitshow but because of the nature of the shitshow and the “reset” for this year, I want to be patient with McCall. But now just seeing the lack of progress and improvement, I am discouraged.

This GW game was pretty shocking and I think it’s going to be either the real beginning of the end for McCall or it’s going to be the cold water to the face that helped wake things up. I’d love to say I think it’s going to be the latter, but I don’t.

Not sure — especially without TJ — how much of a lift we will see offensively here, so I’ll be happy with some development from the kids and then getting better on defense.

Fuck it’s hard to be a fan of this program.
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Re: Game 18, 2019-20: George Washington (1/18)

Post by bmc24 » Sun Jan 19, 2020 11:01 am

Jackson96 wrote: Sun Jan 19, 2020 10:48 am Count me in the give Kolton more minutes at the point with East moving off the ball more camp. East has had his moments this year but I think as the season has gone on he’s struggled to find much consistency and that early season flash of efficiency (limited turnovers and shooting %’s over the moon) has really disappeared — he is shooting 37% and averaging almost 4 turnovers a game over the last 14 games.

I think Mitchell — despite his limitations — might help tighten up the offense. Don’t think you can play him a ton with Keon (especially with Samba out there) as the offense would be really rough even if the defense was improved. Maybe moving East off ball will help him get back to being more efficient, although my concerns there are he seems to struggle against teams that can match his size or are more athletic and have the smarts to stay in front of him with his quirky game.

I don’t know — I think it’s clear we need more talent in terms of creating offense. We’ve really struggled at that end as of late. I think Mitchell is ideally a good bench/energy guy but at this point he’s probably a better choice than East who — while he he still has his moments — has both regressed quite a bit and is very inconsistent.

Defensively Mitchell is clearly much better than East but I haven’t really addressed that end of the floor because I’m at a bit of a loss. Our press isn’t good. Our halfcourt d isn’t good. We haven’t been good at that end in a long (I hate when people use extra letters to emphasize a word but if I were ever going to do it this would be the spot where I add a few o’s and n’s) time. Yes we are young but fuck, man, we are not getting better.

I don’t know. I think of the young guys Tre Mitchell and TJ can clearly be starters on A10 contenders but I think the others are probably bench guys in the long run. Kolton and Santos for sure unless their offense really improves and depending on the rest of the lineup. East I don’t know — he needs to get more consistent on offense and just plain better on defense. Dibaji I think needs time but wow maybe some folks should have slowed their roll on him. CJ haven’t seen enough of.

As for the coaching, I’m not ready to say I’ve seen enough of McCall as other folks are but I am really discouraged at the moment. Two areas where everyone was hoping he’d provide a lot — player development and the team getting better as seasons wore on — have been pretty shitty.

I don’t really know what McCall does well as a coach. In that first season here, I thought he was pretty good as an offensive coach and he overall got his team to play pretty hard and compete even when they were outmanned. Last year was a complete shitshow but because of the nature of the shitshow and the “reset” for this year, I want to be patient with McCall. But now just seeing the lack of progress and improvement, I am discouraged.

This GW game was pretty shocking and I think it’s going to be either the real beginning of the end for McCall or it’s going to be the cold water to the face that helped wake things up. I’d love to say I think it’s going to be the latter, but I don’t.

Not sure — especially without TJ — how much of a lift we will see offensively here, so I’ll be happy with some development from the kids and then getting better on defense.

Fuck it’s hard to be a fan of this program.
GP, and concur with all. I like Mitchell at the point as well. K Mitchell has outstanding defensive instincts too. Understands the help, doesn’t over pursue on the press and gets back into position nicely. My sense is that his A/TO ratio will be much better as the point.

Separately, having a team made up of primarily underclassmen is not an excuse to play poorly , have no energy, walk to timeouts and off the court when substituted. That’s the culture of the program and starts and ends with the coach. Everyone has freshmen. Look at GW, SL and Richmond. They all seem to be trending right.

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Re: Game 18, 2019-20: George Washington (1/18)

Post by capezona » Sun Jan 19, 2020 11:25 am

Jackson96 wrote: Sun Jan 19, 2020 10:48 am Count me in the give Kolton more minutes at the point with East moving off the ball more camp.
I agree. Keon off the bench to spell either Kolton or Sean.

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Re: Game 18, 2019-20: George Washington (1/18)

Post by Cahoonaville » Sun Jan 19, 2020 11:32 am

Jackson96 wrote: Sat Jan 18, 2020 5:30 pm Man that was a depressing half. Everything about it was depressing.
So discouraged that I left at the half. By the way, why did Mullins staff make us park out in the dirt roads when the arena was 2/3 empty? At least half the spaces behind the practice rink were empty. Can we do better than Adam Frenier as color commentary? Nobody gives a fuck that he is a high school official in Western Mass....he must say this about 5 times every broadcast!
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