Sunday, February 08, 2009

Reflections on a Sunday afternoon

The Mount got a win last night. Jeremy Goode and Kelly Beidler were both very good. They combined to score 40 points and were really the difference in the game.

I didn't see Thursday's game with Long Island, but I was still not overly impressed with the Mount and the way they are playing. Although I will say my two major area of concerns from last Saturday were addressed. The Mount passed well out of the double team in the low block and it did a much better job of handling and attacking the hedge on the ball screen screen up top.

The problem was the Mount wasn't making all the shots. I think they were generally getting shots that they wanted but they weren't making them. They will need to be better from outside down the stretch.

The one big positive from last night was Tayvon Jackson. In his first real extended playing time of the season, he played very well. He contributed seven points. This must have been a situation where Jackson was starting to show some things in practice that merited additional playing time and when given the opportunity he delivered. We'll watch to see if he can give the Mount a lift down the stretch.

The race for the regular season NEC championship is essentially over. Barring a mjor collapse (and we don't expect it) the Colonials of Robert Morris will win the title for the second year in a row. RMU has consistently gotten better as the season has worn on and has all but wrapped up the NEC home court in the postseason. The Mount is in good position to finish second and earn two postseason home games (if the seeds hold). The Mountaineers currently have a one game lead on Sacred Heart for that #2 seed.

Shifting gears to the Orange. They are clearly on the bubble. This stretch has been a nightmare and they just aren't producing.

I've seen enough of Eric Devendorf. Offensively he scores and gets his numbers. But his efficiency is lousy. He makes way too many poor decisions and ends up with the ball in his hands on the dribble way too much. He's killing this team right now, and the injuries to Onuaku and Rautins aren't helping.

I commend Doug Marrone for his first recruiting class at Syracuse. With so many early commitments, it is even tougher now to come in after the season and get quality guys. But Marrone seemed to do that. They weren't big star guys, but they were upside guys, who seemed to have interest from bigger name schools then the GRob era was producing. Let's hope this is the first step back.

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