Denver Post Nails Big Missed Moment

[GrizLA]

Will Cherry made the right play given the score and the amount of time left on the clock.... period

Some say "pot-a-to", some say "Po-tat-o". Anthony Johnson 44.6% from behind the arc. Will Cherry 43.7% on any shot, let alone a heavily contested bonzai rush. Some times you have say to yourself, "this ain't gonna work" and look for a better option. And I guess that comes with experience and growing up. My gut reaction, along with the baller's watching with me, was WTF is he doing? I usually go with my gut. Like I said, the intent was good until about the top of the key. I'm not going to fault Will for his enthusiasm. We got some great kids left and some great ones coming in. He'll definitely get another chance.

hmmm, I wonder what people would have said about Tyus Edney when he led UCLA in a very similar position to a one pt win over highly favored Missouri and missed that last basket? Cherry would be a hero had it gone in and a foul called, as there should have been...alas....it is over, the Griz made us feel good and now We know, Tinks is the coach, and we have a good team and it is going to be even better next year....

 

[Grizmayor]

Good point LA, but if I remember right, UCLA was down by a point... Edney, A SENIOR?, had a clean runway to the hoop, and wasn't being angled off the ball, nor was lost on the court. He faced the Missouri center with a seven-foot wingspan when he got to the rim, and made a semi-hard leap-n-leaner, but at least he could see the hoop his entire drive. Also to note, close to 20 seconds left for us... 1 second left for Tyus. I'm not arguing what Will did was wrong. I'm arguing that his descretion ("he's just a freshman') wasn't there. At some point he had to realize the God's weren't with him and to start looking for Option B. And Option B, who was open by 15 feet and just spent most of the week on ESPN highlights and was deemed a 'Griz all-timer' for his 42-point effort, was available. But, it doesn't matter now. We'll file it under a "learning experience" and move on. I can't wait until next season.

 

[djollieballs]

How was that the right choice?

Saying that what Will did was the right choice in that situation really just reinforces bad behavior that needs to NEVER happen again in that situation.

Tinkle should have either called time, or the players should have known that the Lobos were not letting the Griz draw fouls all night. I realize that he thought he could draw the foul and one, but in THAT particular situation, when we have two of the best 3 ball guys in the country on the court, you LET THEM TAKE THE LAST SHOT. Cherry would have had to make the shot, then he would have had to hit the and one, two things he has been unable to do all year around 50% of the time. The odds of him doing both are what? 25%? You get the ball to your perimeter guys. Every GOOD other team has done it the whole tourney.

Even if he would have drawn the foul, made the bucket, and hit the free, UNM would still have over 10 seconds to drive to the hoop and drunk one in or draw a foul to go up and put us right back in the same situation. The stars lined up for us at the end on Thursday, but it just didn't happen, and after watching the Lobos get trashed last night, that moral victory of only losing by 5 doesn't seem so great any more.

Any single person in Griz Nation that says that they would have rather seen the game end the way it did rather than AJ or Stauds take a shot from three and miss is a fu(king liar.

But, to use a cliche, at the end of the day, Cherry's decision DID NOT COST US THAT GAME. An inexplicably poor shooting night did us in from the tip.

Also, what in the hell was Jack Mcgillis doing on the floor at all in that game?

 

[ilovethecats]

So. GB1 and others who agreed...say he actually hits the layup, then they foul...? They hit the FTs, and now you're still down by 3, but with less time. How is that a good plan? And as I recall, there were only 14 ticks or so when they got the ball.

You have to go down and set up a tres, or take the shot yourself...arguing against that seems assinine to me.

i am very surprised that you say you played and coached, yet this is your take on things. in situations such as the one the griz faced near the end, you always try to take the BEST shot possible, and extend the game. in fact, there are many times where there are only 10 seconds on the clock, and if you're down by one you still foul. for one, it's far from a guarantee the free throws are going in. if you want i'll give you a list of 10-15 teams that lost this weekend because they couldn't convert free throws down the stretch. but even if we assume that both free throws are made, there is still plenty of time. people forget that in basketball, even 3 seconds is plenty time enough to draw something up and execute a play. not only that, but you have to work with what you have too. cherry isn't the greatest shooter. aj had a horrible game. as a whole you guys weren't lighting it up from out there. combine that with the fact that the defense is so concerned by the 3 ball, often times getting an easy 2 and a quick foul is a perfect play. cherry did everything he needed to do....except finish the play. it wasn't an easy play, but most certainly the right play, and you'd be hard pressed to find a coach who'd rather launch a 3 with that much time left rather than extending the game and making it only a one point defecit.

 

[WashGriz]

well.. I will tell you when Cherry drove there were a few hundred UM fans (me included) sitting right in front of the action..screaming for him to dish it to stauds in the corner right in front of us to shoot a
open three. He had his head down and I dont think he saw stauds or anyone else, he just went to the rim. The Griz had exactly 46.3 percent (stauds average) to tie the game... that would have been the right choice, but it was the heat of the action, so no one can blame him.
watching the UW live ..smack the Lobo's it would have been hard for UM to defeat them.. but then again
if AJ goes 12-12 on Sat instead of 1-12.. any "madness" could happen.

after today.. 46 teams in the tourney, seasons are over.. be proud Griz.

thanks for all the memories.

 

[Grizmayor]

How was that the right choice?

Saying that what Will did was the right choice in that situation really just reinforces bad behavior that needs to NEVER happen again in that situation.

Tinkle should have either called time, or the players should have known that the Lobos were not letting the Griz draw fouls all night. I realize that he thought he could draw the foul and one, but in THAT particular situation, when we have two of the best 3 ball guys in the country on the court, you LET THEM TAKE THE LAST SHOT. Cherry would have had to make the shot, then he would have had to hit the and one, two things he has been unable to do all year around 50% of the time. The odds of him doing both are what? 25%? You get the ball to your perimeter guys. Every GOOD other team has done it the whole tourney.

Even if he would have drawn the foul, made the bucket, and hit the free, UNM would still have over 10 seconds to drive to the hoop and drunk one in or draw a foul to go up and put us right back in the same situation. The stars lined up for us at the end on Thursday, but it just didn't happen, and after watching the Lobos get trashed last night, that moral victory of only losing by 5 doesn't seem so great any more.

Any single person in Griz Nation that says that they would have rather seen the game end the way it did rather than AJ or Stauds take a shot from three and miss is a fu(king liar.

But, to use a cliche, at the end of the day, Cherry's decision DID NOT COST US THAT GAME. An inexplicably poor shooting night did us in from the tip.

Also, what in the hell was Jack Mcgillis doing on the floor at all in that game?

Thanks for coming to my rescue dj. Thought I as fighting this battle solo?

 

[CFallsGriz]

So. GB1 and others who agreed...say he actually hits the layup, then they foul...? They hit the FTs, and now you're still down by 3, but with less time. How is that a good plan? And as I recall, there were only 14 ticks or so when they got the ball.

You have to go down and set up a tres, or take the shot yourself...arguing against that seems assinine to me.

i am very surprised that you say you played and coached, yet this is your take on things. in situations such as the one the griz faced near the end, you always try to take the BEST shot possible, and extend the game. in fact, there are many times where there are only 10 seconds on the clock, and if you're down by one you still foul. for one, it's far from a guarantee the free throws are going in. if you want i'll give you a list of 10-15 teams that lost this weekend because they couldn't convert free throws down the stretch. but even if we assume that both free throws are made, there is still plenty of time. people forget that in basketball, even 3 seconds is plenty time enough to draw something up and execute a play. not only that, but you have to work with what you have too. cherry isn't the greatest shooter. aj had a horrible game. as a whole you guys weren't lighting it up from out there. combine that with the fact that the defense is so concerned by the 3 ball, often times getting an easy 2 and a quick foul is a perfect play. cherry did everything he needed to do....except finish the play. it wasn't an easy play, but most certainly the right play, and you'd be hard pressed to find a coach who'd rather launch a 3 with that much time left rather than extending the game and making it only a one point defecit.

Extending the game doesn't mean a damn thing if you're giving them the ball back with that kind of time, still down. And its a losing proposition. Because I'm of the mind to win it now rather than "extend the game" you call into question what I said--btw I said I coached little kids along side a dude from work, for fun; not with, say, John Wooden. An easy 2 and a quick foul is a losing mentality, IMO. You weren't getting the calls all night, why believe you will suddenly? And obviously if your down by one with 10 seconds left, you foul...far different situation.

I'm done w/ this one.

Again, kudos to UM for scrapping it out.

 

[ilovethecats]

Extending the game doesn't mean a damn thing if you're giving them the ball back with that kind of time, still down. And its a losing proposition. Because I'm of the mind to win it now rather than "extend the game" you call into question what I said--btw I said I coached little kids along side a dude from work, for fun; not with, say, John Wooden. An easy 2 and a quick foul is a losing mentality, IMO. You weren't getting the calls all night, why believe you will suddenly? And obviously if your down by one with 10 seconds left, you foul...far different situation.

I'm done w/ this one.

Again, kudos to UM for scrapping it out.

cfallsgriz, my intent wasn't to call out your coaching. if that's how it came across my apologies. my point was that your philosophy isn't one that is shared by many coaches. and especially when dealing with younger kids, it's almost never the case. in the case of kids, all shots taken are questionable , so it makes far more sense to give them a 2-3 footer than an 18 footer. epsecially when free throws are always a toss up. as i said, look how many games just last weekned alone could have been sealed with free throws...only to be missed. i understand you had a great 3-point shooter on the floor, and had he got the shot i also think that would have been a fine play. however, you could also play your odds, and if they miss a free throw then you only need a 2 to tie. my point was with so much time left in the game, you don't have to live and die by the three there. especially considering that often times at that point of the game the defense is really guarding the 3, leaving an easy 2 for the offenses taking. obviously cherry didn't get the bucket or the foul which was unfortunate, however...it doesn't make the call wrong. in the same way that getting a wide open staudacher 3 that he misses wouldn't make his shot bad. i'm just saying you don't HAVE to take the 3 at that point of the game to win. sorry again if i came across as an ass. not my intent.

 

[Grizmayor]

Extending the game doesn't mean a damn thing if you're giving them the ball back with that kind of time, still down. And its a losing proposition. Because I'm of the mind to win it now rather than "extend the game" you call into question what I said--btw I said I coached little kids along side a dude from work, for fun; not with, say, John Wooden. An easy 2 and a quick foul is a losing mentality, IMO. You weren't getting the calls all night, why believe you will suddenly? And obviously if your down by one with 10 seconds left, you foul...far different situation.

I'm done w/ this one.

Again, kudos to UM for scrapping it out.

cfallsgriz, my intent wasn't to call out your coaching. if that's how it came across my apologies. my point was that your philosophy isn't one that is shared by many coaches. and especially when dealing with younger kids, it's almost never the case. in the case of kids, all shots taken are questionable , so it makes far more sense to give them a 2-3 footer than an 18 footer. epsecially when free throws are always a toss up. as i said, look how many games just last weekned alone could have been sealed with free throws...only to be missed. i understand you had a great 3-point shooter on the floor, and had he got the shot i also think that would have been a fine play. however, you could also play your odds, and if they miss a free throw then you only need a 2 to tie. my point was with so much time left in the game, you don't have to live and die by the three there. especially considering that often times at that point of the game the defense is really guarding the 3, leaving an easy 2 for the offenses taking. obviously cherry didn't get the bucket or the foul which was unfortunate, however...it doesn't make the call wrong. in the same way that getting a wide open staudacher 3 that he misses wouldn't make his shot bad. i'm just saying you don't HAVE to take the 3 at that point of the game to win. sorry again if i came across as an ass. not my intent.

Just for prosperity's sake, Staud's was covered on the right lower wing. AJ had no one in his zip code on the left wing. Cherry could see Staud's (maybe, his head was down watching the ball during the drive), but I doubt he ever picked up AJ on his radar. We had two tall trailers, but they had Lobo's in between them and the ball.

 

[cclarkblues]

The mere fact that we can discuss how the game hung on one play is a kind of victory in itself. Usually the BSC representative gets monkey stomped in the NCAAs, You can bet NMU and Gonzaga fans are not having this type of discussion after their losses. One play or lack of on either team could have made the difference. It was a hell of a game and the Griz can hold their heads high.

 

[AllWeatherFan]

The mere fact that we can discuss how the game hung on one play is a kind of victory in itself. Usually the BSC representative gets monkey stomped in the NCAAs, You can bet NMU and Gonzaga fans are not having this type of discussion after their losses. One play or lack of on either team could have made the difference. It was a hell of a game and the Griz can hold their heads high.

Word.

 

['68griz]

:thumb: :thumb: