Huge win but still need some tuning.

[Blackmag]

BIG WIN

Gutsy win today, on the positive we didnt take good care of the ball, Early was off his game and we still win a big road game. Back to back gut-check games. We might have a few guys in a two game slump but were undefeated and could be in the top ten by the tennesse game. on the negative i thought Fred had his worst game and still he made some big plays and Baker is just playing at a very high level. Great thing about Shocker teams we always seem to have someone step up...and it could be anyone. Lufile had a huge game and I think his game is becoming more complete...Go Shocks

[Kung Wu]

He'd like to clone him 4X and start an all-Baker lineup.

Well. I'd be down with that.

[MadaboutWu]

It would boost the bench.

[pogo]

SLU had a bit to do with the turnovers

Didn't they have four seniors starting?

[Rlh04d]

Early looked like he was frustrated with the double teams to me. Seemed like whenever he touched the ball he got an immediate double team. Forced up some bad shots out of frustration and had his looks limited.

[ShockerPhi]

Quick question. How often does a team (any team) play a full 40 minutes anyway? I'm pretty sure most teams go through a slump or two in most games.

However, I do still think we can play better.

[_kai_]

SEASON	TEAM	MIN	FGM-FGA	FG%	3PM-3PA	3P%	FTM-FTA	FT%	REB	AST	BLK	STL	PF	TO	PTS
2013-14	WICH	28.3	4.5-11.0	.409	1.1-4.5	.250	4.0-5.0	.800	6.8	1.3	0.5	1.1	2.1	2.4	14.1
2012-13	WICH	25.1	4.7-10.4	.455	1.2-3.8	.318	3.3-4.2	.791	5.4	0.6	0.9	0.7	2.6	1.6	13.9

I think we all expected a little more production out of Early in his senior campaign, but it's not like he's playing worse than last year. In stat categories he's dropped off a bit, there are other areas that he's stepped up, like rebounding and assists for example. He's also increased turnovers, but some of these minor stat adjustments can be blamed on the extra 3 minutes a game he's getting from last year. The main glaring weakness that I see is his 3 point percentage has gone down, and that is one of the main goals he was working on in the off season to correct. And it's actually gotten worse. We're just done with first quarter of the season, so there is growing pains, and Cle is definitely on a lot of people's radars so they gameplan for him. I think some are too critical of his play.

[CBB_Fan]

I think the reason we are still a little inconsistent is Early. No other player (even Baker) can go from zero to full blast like he can, and when he is firing on all cylinders our offense plays on a completely different level. Normally we have a very "safe" offense that tries to get a good shot on the perimeter or an uncontested layup but often ends up with a worse shot at the end of the possession. When Cle is on fire we suddenly have the ability to score at any point in the possession, which changes our entire approach and the way defenses have to adjust to us.

The question is, why is Early inconsistent? For one, his jump shot isn't falling and he is relying on it. I think a big reason for this is that Early's baseline offensive move is the jumper, and he always falls back to it when he doesn't put that extra effort to get a better shot. When he actually shoots I think he tends to overthink things instead of reacting, whether that is because of the added pressure from NBA scouts or simply a natural reaction to having a leadership position this year.

If Early adjusts and attacks more or starts making more shots I think we'll be a far more consistent team. I think it is pretty obvious that Early is at his best down low and on the drive, where his athleticism creates easy baskets and he gets to the line a lot (where he is an automatic shooter). I feel fairly confident that Early will get better as the year goes on, just as he did last year. Once he gets back to his form at the end of last season we will have three players that can drop 20 points on an opponent on the floor and a lot more offensive consistency. Our defense is already consistent. I've watched all of the top teams in the country, and I think that our peak is as good as any team in the country if we can get our offense to its potential, as our defense is already one of the best I've seen.

[rjl]

I wan't able to watch the game but rather listened to it on the internet radio.

Did SLU do anything different defensively once Loe fouled out of the game? How about Manning?

I'm guessing that maybe they had to stop double teaming Early to give more help under the rim? That also seems to be when Early started sinking his shots.

[SHOXAAC]

I have never wanted to say it on this forum, but it is all too obvious...Cle is focusing on his press clippings and it is as obvious as the nose on his face. Why? Because Marshall basically said it in Lutz's article this morning. "Maybe he's thinking about the wrong things. Maybe the next level."

I have said it a couple times recently, Cle is letting the opposition off the hook by taking ill advised 3-point shots. Most effective 3-point shooters are rhythm shooters (catch and shoot). Cle is guilty of catching, pausing and then shooting or dribbling then shooting. Plus, he is too talented off the dribble to get to the rim. He is such a good foul shooter, that he could get 8-10 attempts every game.

The good news is Cle is such a good kid, and a smart one at that. It won't be long before we see the real Cle. His coaches will make him more aware of what he needs to do to get is greatness back on track.

[Rosewood]

There will always be a need for tuning. Even if some players had a perfect night shooting there would be others that would miss a shot, a block out or something.

I don't worry anymore about these things. HCGM's team has proven over the years that they not only picked up on what I picked up on but so much more. Of course they will work these guys and make sure practices are arill harder than games.

One thing that I've been happy with in the last few games has been shooting from the line. With these rules that will be crucial. It sure was big in the slu game.

[ShockerPrez]

Maybe the Shox are a little rough because of the lack of real practice time.

With the rush of games and the holiday, how much time have they really had?

I also am not worried.

We are still finding ways to win and make plays when we need them.

[tw805]

The disheartening thing is that they are getting semi-consistently stomped coming out of the gate. But this negative is outweighed by the positive that comes in response to being down. Many, many Shocker teams of the past could be counted on to immediately begin three-chucking 5 seconds into the shot clock when they were down double digits, and this team seems to stay calm and remain on the course. That's a good sign.

[ShockTalk]

I have never wanted to say it on this forum, but it is all too obvious...Cle is focusing on his press clippings and it is as obvious as the nose on his face. Why? Because Marshall basically said it in Lutz's article this morning. "Maybe he's thinking about the wrong things. Maybe the next level."

I have said it a couple times recently, Cle is letting the opposition off the hook by taking ill advised 3-point shots. Most effective 3-point shooters are rhythm shooters (catch and shoot). Cle is guilty of catching, pausing and then shooting or dribbling then shooting. Plus, he is too talented off the dribble to get to the rim. He is such a good foul shooter, that he could get 8-10 attempts every game.

The good news is Cle is such a good kid, and a smart one at that. It won't be long before we see the real Cle. His coaches will make him more aware of what he needs to do to get is greatness back on track.

I agree. Prior to the St Louis game, Cle was shooting .556 from inside the arc. He would have to shoot .370 from 3 to be as effective and he's not close to that, this year or last. Shooting 3s also reduces the number of FTA, further reducing his scoring (plus getting fouls on opponents). I'm not saying he shouldn't shoot 3s, just be more selective and in the flow. His two 3s late in yesterday's game was in the flow, not thinking about it. The higher his 3 % is, the more the inside game will open up.

I'm wondering if it's not necessarily the press clippings, but the added pressure he putting on himself due to the success and attention Baker is getting. Whether he is conscious of it or not, feeling that as Baker's stock rises, his goes down. He needs to embrace Ron's success, take advantage of the additional attention Baker will be getting on the floor to his advantage, and remember that the more success his teammates have, the less pressure and load he has on his back. Again, I believe that is the mentality he had late in the St Louis game.

[Dave Stalwart]

Maybe the Shox are a little rough because of the lack of real practice time.

With the rush of games and the holiday, how much time have they really had?

I also am not worried.

We are still finding ways to win and make plays when we need them.

I agree. The December schedule is a really good pace compared to November, and we got through November 8-0. There is a ton of practice time for ORU through Tennessee on the 14th. It tightens up for about a week with the Alabama road game and the NCCU home game, and then there is another nice gap over Christmas before Davidson and MVC play.

I could see 5-0 to close out non-con at this point. BYU and St. Louis are better than Tennessee and Alabama. ORU should be a win, NCCU should be a win, and Davidson should be a win. I guess I could also see 4-1 or 3-2 if we struggle with Tenn and Bama, but even then, we still have a pretty solid non-con.

With all this practice time coming up, though, I think coach gets his stuff in and the players start playing better than we have even seen yet.