nau game

[ohyeah]

Has our team given up? They seem to play with no heart, is this because they have lost so many games they have no drive or confidence? I hate to see this happen to them. Seems we have trouble playing defense, we are always in foul trouble, seems as if we are still not playing as a team-do they not get along, and we're not executing any type of offense. Not to mention we are playing sluggish, maybe the players don't care anymore so they aren't trying. Perhaps the coach needs to put in place a curfew so that the players aren't so tired, I know this is college but if they aren't disciplined enough to take care of themselves then someone else will have to. What is the problem with this team?? Anyone have any answers??

 

[Grizbeer]

I didn't listen ot the game last night (was at Sentinel-Big Sky), but listnening to the post-game, and reading today's paper it sounded awful.

Who knows what is going on. I thought Criswell completely self-destructed againt Mt State last week with turnovers, and last night he doesn't score. How many times can we have our big guys foul out with 5 minutes left?

Kennedy sounds dumbfounded (and who could blame him?). They have shown they are capable of being a great team, but also shown they would have trouble competing in Division II at times. With the possible exception of point gaurd the talent is there, it just isn't coming together. The worst part is I don't think the Griz are 1 player away from being great - there is something else going on.

Earlier this year I suggested that Kennedy scrap the line up and give most of the minutes to the sophmores and lower. My rational at that time was that a big problem is that the Griz have gotten into a cycle of all the impact players coming from JC transfers, so nobody gets a chance to play together for 3 - 4 years. By the time they figure out how to play together they are gone from the program. IMO it has to end sometime, and this year is as good as any. Of course most people (probably justifiably) thought this was a stupid idea, but if Kennedy had done this we would probably only have 1 less win than we do now, and we might have a team for next year.

On the other hand, if you looked at the BSC schedule, if the Griz beat Sac St. Saturday we are really still in good shape. Do I sound conflicted and confused? Believe me, I am glad I am not the coach.

 

['68griz]

If you think the talent is there, then isn't it the job of the coach to bring it all together????? Kennedy is supposedly an experienced "big time" coach; anyway he has coached in "big time" programs. I've seen absolutely nothing "big time" about this year's version of the Griz BB team. I think they just might lose to the Lady Griz?!?

 

[grizgirl317]

Not to mention we are playing sluggish, maybe the players don't care anymore so they aren't trying.

I haven't seen them play in a while so I'm not really sure what to say. I know we were awefully sluggish against PSU but a lot of that can be accounted for by the fact that they spent 11 hours on the bus the previous day and that's pretty much hell when you're as tall as a lot of our guys are.

 

[grizgirl317]

How many times can we have our big guys foul out with 5 minutes left?

Part of the problem there is that there's not a lot of back-up. McKay has been hurt most of the season which is a shame because he's a better back-up to Seyfert than anyone else...at least size wise. McKay has only played in 1 game (against Gonzaga) and even then he was playing injured. He didn't even travel with the team this weekend. He sprained his ankle for the 3rd time this year over Christmas and still hasn't fully recovered. He's hoping he'll be able to play in a some games this season but he said it only feels ok for a couple of days at a time which makes a regular practice schedule hard.

 

[Potomac Griz]

I think Grizbeer is right, the Griz have shown they can be a very good team at times. These last 3 games have been pretty bad though. They played very sluggish against MSU and against NAU. They aren't moving the ball well at all, and teams are either double or triple teaming Kamaar to try to shut him down. Mansell has actually played fairly well most of the year, and gotten quite a few assists (6th in league right now), but again these past 3 games he hasn't had nearly as many assists.

Its hard to know what's going on. I hope Kennedy and the coaching staff can figure out what's wrong and get the Griz playing the way they are capable of soon.

'68Griz - You are right it is the job of the coaching staff to bring it all together. I agree the talent is there. I think the coaching staff is doing everything they can think of to try to get the Griz playing the way they can. What is happening with this team right now is most likely one of the hardest things in coaching that any of the assistant coaches have ever had to deal with, and most likely is one of, if not the hardest to solve problem Kennedy has dealt with before coaching, with the exception maybe of having many of your star players leave for the NBA in one year.

 

[Montana Gym Rat]

Seems we have trouble playing defense, we are always in foul trouble, seems as if we are still not playing as a team-do they not get along, and we're not executing any type of offense.

68griz hit the nail on the head. Every one of these issues come down to the coaches, not the players. It's up to the staff to implement a defensive strategy. If Kennedy would get out of the referees' ears and talk to his players instead, the foul trouble would no longer be a problem. The coaches main job is to take a group of individuals and make them play as a team. That's the biggest problem I see. There have been too many games where the team doesn't even get 10 assists. It's 5 indivuals out there, not one team.

Somebody posted wondering how we beat EWU. Well it's because the talent is there to dominate the Big Sky, it just needs to be used right.

The players shouldn't be let off the hook either though. They should be working harder than ever to make up for the hole they've dug themselves into. There's two things the players have control over; how hard they work & how much they care. It looks like its not much of either one right now. They're not having any fun right now, so they just need to find a way to go out on the floor and have a good time.

 

[GrizRanger]

I agree that the Griz have some talented players, but they seem to be underperfoming as a team, and not playing defense. You have to point to the coaching to correct that. Kennedy may have had a big name when he came here, and he can recruit, but his ability to coach a team is coming into question. Only W's will get the onus off of him.