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A Look to next year... Things look GREAT!!!!

let's not overlook the injury situation as contributing to this year's success. seyfert was the big hurt, but after that, i don't think any of our key guys missed major minutes all year--certainly not in the big games down the stretch. you can't expect that every year.
 
conradgriz said:
grizonbob said:
THE BETCH said:
Mike will be a Senior in elgibility next year. As I understand it, he does have some sort of tribal scholarship at this time.

dont get me wrong as i feel the coaching staff did a great job this year and i commend them for that but one thing i cant understand and that is why chavez didnt get more time both all year and in BC game . He comes in and rebounds,run the floor and does great in the firsthalf then Larry gets him out and doesnt play him until the3 game is way out of reach. No help for the starters.
I agree with this to an extent. I think Mike at times could be a little out of control and his defense wasn't up to par, but toward the end of the season he was really playing good ball. I don't think the coaches can possibly keep him off the floor next season, the guy is a double-double waiting to happen and he can flat out shoot the rock.
 
I'm just going to throw out a few numbers from the season this year. I'm not trying to trash on anybody, because I am very impressed with how each player handled their role and I don't think you can diminish how much of an impact each and every player had on this team. Just some areas I think can be improved on.

Brick Index (This is a number developed by ESPN to analyze shot selection. The more negative the better. -0.5 or lower is good.)

Criswell: -1.98
Strait: -1.61
Chavez: -1.53
Matthews: -0.94
Hasquet: -0.79
Martin: -0.35
Ellis: -0.33
Swift: -0.13
Dlouhy: 0.11
Sharp: 0.38
Mayes: 1.65

Basically Mayes needs to start thinking about whether his shots are within the offense or not. He takes a lot of difficult shots that weren't created by the offense. Shot selection should be a major priority for him in the offseason.

Sharp also has some improvement to make on this as well. He needs to stay aggressive, but not force shots if the defense is there.

Dlouhy, Ellis and Martin are close and they make good decisions most of the time, but they will force things if they get impatient. A little more patience and learning what shots aren't good shots will be helpful for next year.


I think Swift, Hasquet and Strait need to make rebounding a priority. Swift needs to become aggressive and hit the boards. He's got good size and rebounding from the backcourt is a big advantage. This is one thing that Mayes does really well. He'll fill in for Matthews and Criswell nicely on that front. Hasquet and Strait have got to be stronger in the paint. They've also got to improve on offensive rebounding. There's no reason why these two shouldn't be averaging 15+ rebounds a game between them.


Sharp, Chavez, Hasquet and Strait have got to take better care of the ball. They turn the ball over too much for as little as they are expected to take care of it. They could also improve on finding open guys on the floor. Movement without the ball could also be improved by the team in general, as the team does not get many assists out of the post position.


Free throws!!! Strait, Hasquet, Swift and Sharp. There's no excuse for shooting below 70%.


Dlouhy, Mayes, Hasquet and Chavez have got to be more aggressive when going to the hoop. They do not get to the free throw line as often as they should because they scoop shots instead of being strong. They've got to learn to take the ball strong, square the shoulders and finish.


It'd be nice to see guys like Dlouhy, Strait, Hasquet and Sharp get more active on defense and try to cause some turnovers. They play solid defense, but they could be a little more aggressive and take a risk here and there.


Most of all, I think some leaders have got to step up next year. Ideally it would be Strait and Martin because they've got the most experience and will be around for 2 more years. Ellis or Mayes could have some positive influence as well. It doesn't really matter who does it, but Criswell and Matthews really did a good job this year and hopefully a couple kids can step in and follow their example next year.


OK...that's all I've got for now. Whew....Anybody else see any places for improvement?
 
MGR, when do you revert and go back over to the "dark side"? I hope it's not soon, because I enjoy your BB insight.
 
Krysko has some tough decisions next year in terms of starters. I hope Van Vliet or Vanderjagt is ready to go because I think Strait needs to move to power forward. Ellis and Martin seem almost interchangeable at the point - and both should be effective. Hasquet seems to be a lock at the other forward, but I agree that he needs to focus on rebounding. Dlouhy, Chavez and Mayes will continue to be role players. I'd guess Swift will be the two guard, but I haven't seen enough of him to tell. Krysko speaks highly of him. Will any of the new recruits pose a challenge in the starting lineup?
 
I think Rundles could come in and compete at Guard right away. I know he is extremely talented, but I think he may be more of a straigh PG, and I think that spot is pretty much spoken for. I think Martin could play 2. We need another guy that can shoot. Ellis isn't much of a scoring threat. What we really need is a guy that can drive to the hoop with some authority and draw some fouls. We have a lot of talent coming back, but Criswell was a pure shooter and driver, and we need someone to assume that role again.
:twocents:
 
MGR - Another thing to look at in the future (and I'll admit my experience on this is limited) is Ellis' outside shooting. He seems to shy away from some open shots, and from some of the games I've been to he hasn't been very accurate beyond the 3 point arc.

It seems to me he'd rather get the assist, not a bad thing at all, but some times (but not often) he's passing on open looks to try to make a pass.

He's probably the best ball handler the team has, and the best back-court defender, so his value is already there, but if he could start hitting mid-court/3 point shots a little more he'll be down right dangerous. I know he's a decent shooter too, he usually makes his free throws.

I wouldn't even call it a "criticizm" of Ellis, I guess I'd just say that if he can get a little more consistent shooting the ball he'd be the best PG in the Big Sky. He's a great team player, and a sharp defender.
 
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