First things first. It was Duke.
Just listening to post game interviews again in my hotel room, and all of the Duke players interviewed talked about the depth that they have on their team, more so than in years past. They all can shoot, and all they all play perimeter defense. At one point, Duke replaced all five players at once. I think that second group could compete for the WAC. They have proven time and again that you don't need a true "big" man to compete at the national level, but then again they have the history to bring in the top guards from all over the country.
Having said all that, I'm still going to reserve judgement until Pope and Young are cleared. If they are cleared would be more accurate. Depth is killing the Aggies right now. The two big men can't score and Chris Cole isn't a scorer, leaving two people on the court that create shots or knock them down. Pope can play at least two positions, and if he can shoot it consistently, maybe three. He would also give their big men a rest and keep them out of foul trouble, which they have been in both games. Size advantage doesnt mean much if one of them is on the bench in foul trouble. Young would also add depth. The Aggies are versatile in the backcourt, but they are proving to be very inconsistent from deep. With Young and Paris Carter, Menzies would at least have the option to see which one has a hot hand on a given night. Right now, I don't think DeAngelo Jones is ready, and he hasn't played thus far to get a better idea.
What did you think about the starters?
I liked it. I think Cole is capable of taking better care of the ball (he had 5 on monday). Gibson continues to be a mystery. Some games he looks for his shot, and then it seems he disappears for long periods. But the up side is too big to start him on the bench, unless someone steps up to take his spot. I wouldn't be surprised to see Menzies start the same lineup on wednesday, but he has been true to his word. He will start whoever gives the Aggies the best chance on any given night, with the only automatic starts being Hawkins and Peete. I also believe Luster could start to see more time and could be a solid point guard down the line once he gains some confidence on the court.
just a few ramblings at 1 a.m.
JG
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13 comments:
JG, what is your opinion of McKines? I think he should be getting a lot more playing time. I haven't noticed when they put him in, but he makes himself noticable thereafter.
Also, any validity to this statement: If Pope is not cleared by the NCAA, then NMSU must rescind their scholarship.
Marvin you got some big shoes to fill.
Look at how the fan base is fickled w/ the FB team. Get it together!
menzies didnt have them ready to play. He looked scared and intimidated himself. If he is projecting that image then how do we expect our players to react.
Hey,anon- look up in the Pan Am rafters next home game-THAT'S the difference between football and basketball fan support.It really felt good to crow about Aggie basketball deep in the heart of AZ Wildcat counrty last year. Let's hope that this year's team builds on the lessons learned at Duke and takes us far into the NCAA's
They need a PG...And some scoring on the interior.
TF
JayDee Luster would be a good point guard if Menzies played him more. Yes he had a lot of turn overs but the more he plays the better he will get. McKines should be starting, and I have no idea why he isn't. Cole shouldn't even be playing the amount of minutes he does. We need Herb Pope, and Jamar Young
Cole should not start! He should get minimum minutes, maybe just to give the other PG's a break. We are really lacking at the PG, no one has truly stepped up. Hawkins is the only one making a difference and playing aggressive. Passos and Iti Who?? Peete needs to step it up a notch. Menzies is inexperienced and shy. The future does not look bright. Pope can't make a team so people need to stop thinking that he is the answer. He is also inexperienced and probably out of shape. THEUS COME BACK!!
Anonymous at 12:25 conveys my sentiments exactly.
1. Jay Dee was the only PG who was not intimidated by Duke's pressure. Sure, he had a couple turnovers, but they were aggressive mistakes that are acceptable. I like the way he blew past Duke defenders and created passing lanes. If Menzies doesn't start him, he should at least make sure Luster gets in the rotation a bit more.
2. McKines is scorer, plain and simple. It matters little that he is a bit undersized for his position. The bottom line is that we need scorers down low, especially without Pope in the lineup. Passos is just not scoring the ball well, and I could guard Iti, even though he has a foot on me. McKines' ability to shoot from 15-18 feet and from close range makes him a very dangerous threat.
3. If Cole continues to play the way he did, Menzies needs to look at reducing his time on the Court. He is not particularly fast, I didn't see him shoot too well, and his ball handling skills seem lacking.
4. I don't know how good Jamar Young is, but we need Pope in the lineup to help with front court scoring.
We Aggies need the basketball team to step up after the colassal disappointment we saw in the football team. It is only two games, so we should not panick. However, very few new coaches walk in to a system with a returning all conference performer, a returning all newcomer team performer, and a money recruiting class. He needs to show us that he can coach.
There were two major disappointments in the Duke game (and losing wasn't one of them, that had to be expected).
Teddy really summed it up well, so I don't need to write all night here. Our guards need to learn discipline and not take stupid shots like Ingram and Davis did last year, we can't keep expecting the lucky 3's to drop from freshmen and sophomores.
Also, our post play has been piss poor the first two games. Passos was weak, and Iti was Iti (re: free throw shooting).
I saw some good things from Hawkins and possible good things from Peete, I still say it's better to start with Duke than to start with some D-II, so let's see if it pays off in the long run. I guess we'll get a better picture tomorrow of what to expect. Let's jsut hope they don't start off 0-3.
Time will tell if the 0-2 start is a red flag. No one should be surprised by the Duke blow-out, but losing to Ohio is a bit concerning. Agree with all the above that McKines and Luster need more PT, and based solely on what I saw in the Duke game, Luster should be our starting PG soon. Since hiring Menzies, he has proved to us he can recruit. Now he needs to prove to us he can coach. No way we can throw him under the bus after two games, but I'm very suspicious about his coaching staff selections. This McMullen guy was retired, and spent the bulk of his career at some small school on the West Coast. Does he even have D-I experience?
On to the Legends game tonight, do we have to win to advance to New Jersey? I ask because there already have been three collosal upsets (ie, Kentucky, Mich St, and USC) this b-ball season, and NOTHING should be taken for granted.
-Aggie Glare
I think our starting line-up should look like this.
PG Luster 5'9
SG Peete 6'4
SF Hawkins 6'7
PF McKines 6'6
C Passos 6'10
C Iti 7'0
G Gibson 6'2
G Carter 6'4
G Cole 6'2
I think we should start that, and later on in the game we can go to a three guard starting line up.
Anon on Nov. 13
Sorry i missed your post. I honestly didn't think McKines was ready to be a starter because he was so effective off the bench. But he proved me wrong tonight. It's pretty impressive to watch him rebound and score around the basket considering he's giving up some size. Just reading between the lines from Menzies' postgame comments, but I believe we will see wednesday's starters from here on out. In case you missed it, Peete at the point, gibson at the 2, Hawkins at the 3, McKines and Passos.
Menzies did say he was leaning toward Peete at the point.
JG
See last night Menzies showed you that he can coach. We have a set starting 5 for now. They went on the big run to start the game and extended the lead after the half.
Although I would put Gibson at point and Peete at shooting guard instead. Peete doesn't seem to handle pressure very well.
The team looks like they are starting to come together. Luster showed flashes of brilliance and I liked all the subs Menzies made in the second half to get everybody some experience. It will be a huge advantage in conference play if we can go 10 and 11 deep.
The team still made some mistakes like with turnovers but they weren't just jacking up three's all night. They pounded the ball inside and had some good pressure defense like last years team. They look like they are hopefully starting to come around.
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