Saint Louis (1-1) vs Wichita State (4-0) Game Discussion: Nov 22 (Fri)

[Aargh]

I don’t know why Mills thinks you can operate with little depth at positions. Last year it was “we don’t actually need a PG, everyone can handle it” and we very much did need one. This year, “we don’t actually need frontcourt depth, we’ll just play small ball.”

That’s not MVC ****, that’s not even Summit League ****, that’s D2. I’m not expecting us to have a 3 headed monster, but at least a warm body.

At the start of classes we had QB and MB at center and DeGray and Meeks at PF. How much depth do you want? Of course there are going to be isues when BOTH PF's have injuries .At no point was it even hinted that we don't need a PF. If we had a third PF, he'd be a deep bench player, and that's not much better than what we've got now, other than he'd be taller.

[Onegreatracer]

At the start of classes we had QB and MB at center and DeGray and Meeks at PF. How much depth do you want? Of course there are going to be isues when BOTH PF's have injuries .At no point was it even hinted that we don't need a PF. If we had a third PF, he'd be a deep bench player, and that's not much better than what we've got now, other than he'd be taller.

We didn't know if MB would even be eligible, RDIII is an awesome grit guy and probably one of my favorites on this team but undersized as hell for the AAC, and Meeks & QB have both battled repetitive injury issues for years. We have a log jam at the 2/3 and I would have much rather seen at least 1 more scholly go to a big.

[Kung Wu]

Our backup PF seems to be a 6'4" So combo guard.

You should see our backup center.

[ShockRef]

The Meeks injury question needs to be answered and now and with RD3 out until January, the answer needs to be now!
Look I was no Pohto fan, especially after he mailed it in during the Charlotte game.
So...
HCPM had also seen enough so when Pohto talked about taking his act to parts unknown, there was little kick back.
Besides, they had their sights on this 6'9" kid who was more athletic and skilled.
Problem solved right?

Wait minute folks. This 6'9" problem solving kid has chronic knee issues.
Ut Ohhh.

And now one hard fall to the floor by your plug it in do-it-all player and here we are - and its only November!
'Next man up' time and although he looked lost the other night, Joy better start catching on quickly. Cuz nothing else is sitting on the bench to fill the role.

That is all.

[asiseeit]

Like I repeatedly said. Should have treated KP better. He had 21 points and 10 boards last night. Shooting close to 70%. No one seemed to understand his value but me and maybe a couple others.

[Kung Wu]

Like I repeatedly said. Should have treated KP better. He had 21 points and 10 boards last night. Shooting close to 70%. No one seemed to understand his value but me and maybe a couple others.

Everyone saw his value for exactly what it was: A good player just slightly worse than our stud QB. Would have loved for Pohto to stay, but he wanted more minutes and so did QB. And there weren't anymore minutes to hand out to him. It has nothing to do with treating him better.

[TrackSuitAndTie]

Pohto had good games, but he often played way too passively to be impactful at a high level. That's not to say I wouldn't want him on this team as a backup, just an assessment of how he played last season.

Roster construction, while better than last season, left the door open to the scenario unfolding in the frontcourt. Washington playing 30 minutes a game isn't necessarily a bad thing, but he needs to take better care of the basketball.

[WuShock Reaper]

[WuShock Reaper]

[asiseeit]

Everyone saw his value for exactly what it was: A good player just slightly worse than our stud QB. Would have loved for Pohto to stay, but he wanted more minutes and so did QB. And there weren't anymore minutes to hand out to him. It has nothing to do with treating him better.

I agree with your posts most of the time but not this time. If QB is a stud and KP is only "slightly" not as good then we should have done more to keep him content. There were a number of games that I felt he was not treated well from PT to just not getting him the ball down low. I don't know how many times I'd see him post up strong or break open off the pick and roll only to see team mates ignore him. We needed to play thru KP much more and most TV analysts pointed that out ! He had to get many of his points from offensive rebounds and put backs with little help from others.

[wichshock65]

I agree with your posts most of the time but not this time. If QB is a stud and KP is only "slightly" not as good then we should have done more to keep him content. There were a number of games that I felt he was not treated well from PT to just not getting him the ball down low. I don't know how many times I'd see him post up strong or break open off the pick and roll only to see team mates ignore him. We needed to play thru KP much more and most TV analysts pointed that out !

Given the choice, I much rather roll the dice with MB than another year with KP. Actually, now that I think about it, it’s not even close.

I hope they put Henry in for a couple minutes at forward. The kid might be better than you think.

[pinstripers]

Poor roster construction again this year.

[WuShock Reaper]

[Stickboy46]

I don’t know why Mills thinks you can operate with little depth at positions. Last year it was “we don’t actually need a PG, everyone can handle it” and we very much did need one. This year, “we don’t actually need frontcourt depth, we’ll just play small ball.”

That’s not MVC ****, that’s not even Summit League ****, that’s D2. I’m not expecting us to have a 3 headed monster, but at least a warm body.

Obviously I'm no Mills defender .. but we had someone have to give up a scholarship so we can fit everyone on the team. We just happen to have multiple people out that play similar positions. We had 3 big men lined up, 1 is out, the other isn't ready to shoulder as much load as we hoped. That leaves the other big man who just is coming off a tweaked ankle.

He still needs to find a way to win. Every team has injuries .. but i'm not sure the roster composition this year was the problem.

[Onegreatracer]

Obviously I'm no Mills defender .. but we had someone have to give up a scholarship so we can fit everyone on the team. We just happen to have multiple people out that play similar positions. We had 3 big men lined up, 1 is out, the other isn't ready to shoulder as much load as we hoped. That leaves the other big man who just is coming off a tweaked ankle.

He still needs to find a way to win. Every team has injuries .. but i'm not sure the roster composition this year was the problem.

If healthy we do have plenty of depth - but injuries/eligibility was ALWAYS a large concern with this group. Ballard and Meeks struggled with injuries their whole career, and we are lucky MB is eligible.

Just a lot to leave riding on an “if” imo, but I definitely see your and Aargh’s points. Feels like with our luck though we should always be planning for the worst.