Friends (8-4) at Wichita State (9-3) Game Discussion: Dec 29 (Sun)

[Onegreatracer]

Whatever you say Coach Tang!

They are literally levels below us. Multiple.

Play a D2 team with a pulse (Washburn, emporia, Ft Hayes, maybe Newman) not a team that we can sleepwalk to a 15 point win against.

They are literally so far below us the game doesn’t count for them.

[MadDog]

They are literally levels below us. Multiple.

And yet we have some guys that look like they would have trouble cracking their top 8. At least with this game we could play those guys to see what we’ve got.

[ShockerFever]

So, with Ballard and Bell shooting 18-25 and playing 59 minutes, did we gain anything playing this game?

No.

[ShockerFever]

They are literally levels below us. Multiple.

Play a D2 team with a pulse (Washburn, emporia, Ft Hayes, maybe Newman) not a team that we can sleepwalk to a 15 point win against.

They are literally so far below us the game doesn’t count for them.

I agree that we shouldn't play the game but for different reasons.

For the majority of that game, the NAIA school hung around and kept it respectable. We threw the ball away 18 times against an NAIA bottom feeder.

Maybe we should start getting up for every game, instead of just "bringing it" for the instate rivalry ones? Once again, isn't that on the coach? So pathetic, it isn't even funny.

We're gonna get waxed against Temple. And Temple is grungy garbage.

[ShockerFever]

Also, a great look having our starters on the floor scoring garbage buckets against the end of an NAIA bench all the way to the final horn.

[Dan]

We just have too many guys that just go through the motions and play with zero intensity. They 3 guys that act like they care are the 3 guys that showed up last night.

[Kung Wu]

Without an experienced, true PG on the floor we kinda fall apart.

[asiseeit]

Also, a great look having our starters on the floor scoring garbage buckets against the end of an NAIA bench all the way to the final horn.

THIS is what disappointed me the most. Friends emptied their bench. Mills had to have noticed they gave up and still finished the game with starters on the floor.

[Stickboy46]

THIS is what disappointed me the most. Friends emptied their bench. Mills had to have noticed they gave up and still finished the game with starters on the floor.

And way too many "flexes" by our team when you are barely beating a NAIA school

[ShockerFever]

We just have too many guys that just go through the motions and play with zero intensity. The 3 guys that act like they care are the 3 guys that showed up last night.

Team takes the attitude of the coach. When I watched the replay, I made a point of watching Mills throughout various points. He doesn’t react to anything. He said maybe 15 words during the entire 40 minutes of gameplay. Most of the time, he just stands there with his hands crossed or on his hips in the colonoscopy position. Seriously, is there any coaching going on at all? It’s like the poor man’s version of Penny Ball, with 1/3 of the talent.

[ShockRef]

This game needed to be played and once again showed there are lots of talented players in the game, regardless of the initials next to their team.
I see lots of talented players at all levels. D2, D3 and even NAIA.
Just because they may be a couple inches short or don't move quite as quickly as others does not mean they cannot play the game.

And Fever, you have no idea of how and when HCPM and staff do most of their work with the players.
Just because he doesn't jump up and down like some idiot or shake his watch on his wrist constantly on the sidelines during a game doesn't mean he isn't working or coaching his team.
Different coaches have different methods and being animated on the sidelines doesn't make one better than the other.

Coach K @ Duke rarely moved or became animated on the bench during a game and he seemed to have a pretty good coaching career.
Just sayin'

That is all.

[molly jabali]

WHY would you watch a replay??? wasn't once enough for you?
no reason that game should be played

[1972Shocker]

Coach K @ Duke rarely moved or became animated on the bench during a game and he seemed to have a pretty good coaching career.

IIRC John Wooden wasn't particularly animated on the sidelines and he did okay. Read once that his players new he was really irritated with them if he said "goodness, gracious, sakes alive".

However, these two coaches had their teams superbly prepared to play the game well and as it should be. Then again they had a ton of talent to work with.

That said the only way we fans can evaluate the coaching that is going on behind the scenes is based on how the team performs during games. So far that has not been all that impressive. In my case, I think a lot the problems I have is with HCPM is the style of basketball the Shocks play.

[Aargh]

Also, a great look having our starters on the floor scoring garbage buckets against the end of an NAIA bench all the way to the final horn.

When I saw that I thought Mills was sending a message to the deep bench that they're not going to see the floor the way they played earlier in the game.

That wouldn't apply to Banba and Thengvall, but Pipkin deserved to sit the rest of the game after the way he played. I believe he's better than how he played in this game. He didn't take advantage of his opportunity and didn't get back into the game. Pipkin was held accountable for his perormance and possibly the rest of the deep bench is his "group" or his practice squad and the whole group paid the price for an underperforming member.

To me that makes more sense than thinking Mills was trying to run up the score or embarrass Friends deep bench.

[SHOXAAC]

My biggest disappointment was our NCAA-leading FT defense fell asleep at the wheel allowing the Falcons to make 9-11 from the stripe. What is going on with this team? Didn't they even practice FT defense leading up to this game. This might be the last straw for me...ugh!!!