Shockers vs Lipscomb (Monday, Nov 6th)

[WstateU]

[newshock1234]

I'm honesty happy Rogers didn't get a waiver last year. We didn't need a year of his eligibility wasted on IB ball.

[Kung Wu]

I'm honesty happy Rogers didn't get a waiver last year. We didn't need a year of his eligibility wasted on IB ball.

I was thinking the same thing, but was a year actually saved or still burned?

[JMAN_KC]

Attendance announced as 6286........Looked to be about 5K from TV

[kcshocker11]

Good start... How was the crowd?

[proshox]

I was thinking the same thing, but was a year actually saved or still burned?

By the end of the year, the offense was actually pretty good. Rogers was the missing weapon to become borderline elite.

good start for HCPM… some things to be hopeful about when it comes to noticeable player improvement. It has been a while since more than one player got noticeably better YOY.

[Topshock]

We likely won't be winning championships this year but "fools gold"???
Maybe it has been so many years since these people saw one of our players hit consecutive shots, players that acted like they actually wanted to be playing here, that they can't believe they actually saw it.

What more could we ask for from a new coach with a new team??

[ShockerExpress]

We likely won't be winning championships this year but "fools gold"???
Maybe it has been so many years since these people saw one of our players hit consecutive shots, players that acted like they actually wanted to be playing here, that they can't believe they actually saw it.

What more could we ask for from a new coach with a new team??

This. A thousand times this.

There is a **** ton to work on. It is by no means a finished product and isn't headed to the NCAAs.

But JFC there is some good stuff too. And if you want to forewarn people about how negative you're about to be...... Seems like you're really searching hard for the negatives.

[WuDrWu]

I would like to remind folks that the Randy Smithson era started on the exact same play, a lob dunk to a rolling post, Terry Hankton to Darrin Williams.

Of course, that was an 18 point win over SMU, not a 17 point win over Lipscomb, so the similarities ended there.

[Topshock]

I would like to remind folks that the Randy Smithson era started on the exact same play, a lob dunk to a rolling post, Terry Hankton to Darrin Williams.

Of course, that was an 18 point win over SMU, not a 17 point win over Lipscomb, so the similarities ended there.

And your point is what???

[ShockerExpress]

I would like to remind folks that the Randy Smithson era started on the exact same play, a lob dunk to a rolling post, Terry Hankton to Darrin Williams.

Of course, that was an 18 point win over SMU, not a 17 point win over Lipscomb, so the similarities ended there.

PM worse than Smithson, Got it.

[ABC]

I would like to remind folks that the Randy Smithson era started on the exact same play, a lob dunk to a rolling post, Terry Hankton to Darrin Williams.

Of course, that was an 18 point win over SMU, not a 17 point win over Lipscomb, so the similarities ended there.

I remember that play.

And that play and game set expectations to a very unrealistic level for the remainder of Smithson's tenure.

[SubGod22]

Can't take much away from this game. I was expecting more from Lipscomb, but they were also dealing with some injuries so that played a part.

Beverley was atrocious. For the hype he received as a playmaker, the only plays he was creating were for the Bison. He has to do better.

Bell was better in that he didn't keep shooting threes. Especially since the first was an airball and the second only barely scraped the rim. I'm not sure he's as successful in the paint against better, more athletic teams, but he'll still need to penetrate and dish or try to draw fouls. We will struggle against teams that put on pressure if he's the primary ball handler.

Ballard looked about like I'd expect. Can't expect much from him outside of lobs and putbacks, but he's a presence, especially on defense.

Rogers had a great first half. Don't know why he felt the need to force or hunt his shot more in the 2nd. Should still be a nice addition, especially if he shoots like he has in the past. Hope we see that at some point.

I'm not worried about Pohto. Felt he was rushing some things early, but we know he can play. And even though it felt like a lackluster game for him, he still nearly had a double double.

I'm not going to get carried away with Abidde until I see him play like this against better competition. But it was nice to see and it looked like he felt he belonged for the first time. His athleticism could potential cause nightmares for opponents if he can keep knocking down shots and grabbing boards.

Ridgnal I wasn't overly impressed with. He's an athlete, but I'm not sure if he truly knows how to use that effectively just yet. Not sure he did anything really bad, but nothing stood out other than he was able to pull down some boards. If that's all he does it's not a bad thing. Don't hurt the team and grab boards. We've had valuable guys like that in the past.

I never was completely sure about Germany. He had decent stats but he was also just about the only guy that could play a little on a really bad team. I'll give him some time, but he was unimpressive. He looked slow and wasn't the best decision maker in his limited minutes.

Really wish we could have seen more of Joy mixed in. When he got in during garbage time he was forcing things. I'd like to see how he plays with the regulars to get a better feel for him. And with the praise that his defense has received, he could be valuable down the road. But he's also a work in progress.

I'll take the win.

I'm not sure what WKU looks like this year. They seem to have a lot of peaks and valleys as a program and I'm not sure where they're at in that cycle right now.

[asiseeit]

Positives are we won, Abidde with a solid game without forcing, rebounding, and balance. Many of you are high on style points but I thought it was a low point. Way too much one on one street ball. Bell had good stats but when he drives he is looking almost exclusively for himself. We looked terrible against their zone and opposing coaches will, no doubt, take note. Just one game but we have some good pieces if HCPM can get them to play together and not individually. Will be interesting to see how we do against a full court pressing team. I have my doubts.

[WuDrWu]

We likely won't be winning championships this year but "fools gold"???
Maybe it has been so many years since these people saw one of our players hit consecutive shots, players that acted like they actually wanted to be playing here, that they can't believe they actually saw it.

What more could we ask for from a new coach with a new team??

So, just to address my comment that many didn't seem to understand.

The "Fool's gold" referred to the first half result. We led by by 13 on the strength of 57% shooting (and just 5 I think layups or dunks) and the absence of Lipscomb's best and most dynamic player, by FAR. Those 2 things are not repeatable going forward. If we shot 57% on mostly layups, even with the personnel issues across the court, then it's not Fool's gold.

The 2nd half was more indicative of the teams, in my opinion.

Also, I believe we actually played BETTER in the 2nd half. Our movement and motion, especially on offense was superior after halftime. The first half offensive movement at times was atrocious. But, the biggest problem we had, and will continue have, as well as likely to get worse as the season progresses, is that we ran out of gas.

We have 12 scholarship athletes and it's apparent that Bamba will redshirt (why I have no idea in 23-24 but whatever). That's 11. DeGray and Cortes are ineligible and today I am more pessimistic about Cortes' ability to play this season than ever before. That's 9. Germany and Joy (at this point) are little more than fill ins. We have 7 kids to roll out every night. Thin isn't the word.


Hats off to Lipscomb for battling and for their coach throwing in the towel with 2 minutes left so we didn't have to further tax our starting 5. Not many coaches would have given up there.