Hoops vs UDub - Anybody Care?
- Thread starter ryoder1
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Painful. Washington doesn't defend Kern unless he's in the paint which makes things tough on the rest of the offense.
Dillione lacks confidence.
Baldwin takes a horrible shot with chance to tie.
Here's the good news. We don't have to watch PSU in the BiG tournament.
Dillione lacks confidence.
Baldwin takes a horrible shot with chance to tie.
Here's the good news. We don't have to watch PSU in the BiG tournament.
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Again, if you are giving Shrews, Chambers and DeChellis 7 years, you can't give Rhodes only 3 or 4.
And there you have it. Complete inability to make any shot when it counts and can't defend the three well. You would think we could beat the other cellar dweller on our home floor. But not when you are a bad offensive team and bad defensive team. Brutally inept. Will it be 12 losses in a row to finish the season?
In our last two possessions we did not get a decent shot. No set play to run. And we still had a time out!
That is at least the third game this year in which we had a chance to tie or win and Ace forced a low percentage shot. And I believe we had a time out left in all three.
That is on the coach.
It's hard to believe that a team that started the non conference schedule 10-1, not the greatest opponents but still they beat Purdue rather decisively, would then tank the season.
Injuries have definitely played a part but it is still a rather shocking turn, even for this program.
They lose quite a few seniors and most certainly some more players through the portal. Next season could be much of the same or worse.
Injuries have definitely played a part but it is still a rather shocking turn, even for this program.
They lose quite a few seniors and most certainly some more players through the portal. Next season could be much of the same or worse.
Konan getting blocked from behind and missing the dunk (apparently for 2nd time) was the killer play IMHO. Score the goal with an "and one" changes the game.
Hicks weak "fight" through the screen on their last made 3 was telling too.
Ugly loss. Wheels way off the wagon....
I only saw the second half and that was enough....sad.
Hicks weak "fight" through the screen on their last made 3 was telling too.
Ugly loss. Wheels way off the wagon....
I only saw the second half and that was enough....sad.
I know this is stating the obvious, but Kraft, who I believe is a very competent AD, should be embarrassed with this team from coaching to playing; this team really is a black mark on what has been a pretty good athletic season for PSU.
Agree that play's emblematic of the last month. Hicks has also become probably my least favorite player in a long time. He’s terrible at the defensive end and if he’s not making enough shots from the outside, he’s useless. Doesn’t really look to get to the line, which is what good shooter should do. I don’t know what the defensive metrics say about him but me watching the game sees that I don’t think he really puts the effort in on defense that he should and he definitely doesn’t rebound.
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He should be embarrassed by both basketball programs...it's hard to have two irrelevant hoops programs at a blue blood, but PSU masters it. Time for a total refresh of both. The second most popular college sport behind football is an absolute nothing virtually every year at psu....just unacceptable.
I hate to say it, but this program is five years away from being five years away.
I thought Rhodes would be the answer - he's not - probably wants out of the situation as badly as we need to move on. Call it a day when the season ends. This entire roster will be gone between graduation and portal so why not start all over again with a different coach. This is our destiny until somebody with influence and $$$ cares about our program. Given the popularity and potential revenue of a competitive hoops team. It is sad we look like we do but history shows this is where college coaching careers end.
I agree about Rhoades; it doesn’t appear that he’s going to be the answer, and I bet in his heart of hearts that he probably wants a life line out of here. He probably should be coaching at the A-10 level and not in the Big 10.
I totally agree. This is an athletic program for the biggest university in an important state with several big cities, including one of the largest cities in the country, that already won a volleyball championship and probably will win a wrestling championship and had a Final Four football team. It’s just totally unacceptable to have the basketball programs that PSU now has; they’re just punching so far below what they could and should be doing.
Hicks was gassed. Since Kerns and Dunn were in foul trouble in the middle of the 2nd half, he was on the court longer than usual without a break.
9-11 in conference last year. 3-11 so far this year with much of the same lineup (Ace, Kern, Hicks, and even Puff until a few weeks ago).
So much for improving with experience. It's going to be a total rebuild next year. Those guys are all gone, Konan is the only returning starter.
IMO the biggest factor has been Kern starting ahead of Puff. Opponents know Kern can't shoot away from the basket so they collapse the defense. That takes away Ace being able to penetrate and kick out to Hicks. It also makes Konan's high screen and roll difficult to execute with an extra defender in the paint.
Kern's athleticism made him a great change of pace off the bench but he can be a liability as a starter. He even struggles from the FT line.
Kern's athleticism made him a great change of pace off the bench but he can be a liability as a starter. He even struggles from the FT line.
The difference is we have never had a good hoops program. Albeit we usually are better than this season but for the most part we have been a perennial doormat bottom feeder program. What do we have like 4 dance appearances in 70 years?
I like Rhoades as a coach but this season has been horrific. The defense is poor and that can make up for a lot of ills on the offensive side if it is good. We seem to routinely give up 70 or 80 points a game.
Yeah it is embarrassing to finish dead last in the conference at 3-17 losing 12 straight or whatever it will be to close out the season. A school like Penn State should have a much better hoops program than what we are showing this season or what the history has been.
I do think you gotta give Rhoades another year to turn things around (injuries did impact us) but he is on a short leash. It is a shame because it looked like he had things going well then it all fell apart.
We should keep our eye on Indiana and who they hire. Rumors are it could be Dusty May from Michigan. Maybe Beard but it will be a big name. They can get a big name given their blue blood history and despite their mediocre performance over the last 30 plus years.
For Penn State, we are not Indiana. The question is can we just go all out on a huge brand name coach if Rhoades doesn't work out? I think we do because getting another mid major guy, grinder type is risky and just hoping/praying. Rhoades gets about $3.5 million a year. We would need to offer near $6 million to attract a big name. Plus get the NIL machine cranked up. Not sure the BOT would ever have the stomach to pay the hoops coach $6 million a year and do we have any NIL money of significance currently flowing into the program? Will boosters start to donate to the hoops NIL program?
The situation is grim and ugly right now. No easy or quick fixes.
Why not? Is there some rule that Rhoades gets 7 years? It is now different than 25 years ago. We can't just flounder every year maybe getting lucky once a decade sneaking into the Dance. We need a competitive team with a coach who can produce results as in making the Dance on a consistent basis.
Totally agree. If I were AD, I’m not sure that I’d even give him next season, but I guess that Kraft will. However, there needs to be dramatic improvement next season, if not in wins then in quality of execution, because it’s been abysmal in the Big 10 games.
It doesn’t even look like this team either is being taught or practicing the rudimentary fundamentals of this sport; it’s been that pathetic. Does this team ever score a basket in the last minute or two of a one possession game?
I am confident that would happen. I think he needs to get the team to at least the NIT and be competitive versus upper echelon B10 teams or he may be canned. He needs to demonstrate that there should be hope and optimism about the future and that we are improving.
No matter it's hard to be too critical until he's coaching all his own guys. Portal excluded because it's so hit and miss. You don't replace a new coach unless you are getting a proven upgrade. Trading even up at this point would prove or help nothing. While it seems, basketball is easier to turn around quicker it usually takes 4-5 years to know a coaches true worth. To this point he's done a fair job in recruiting so it's worth the wait imo.
Yes, but in this day and age with portal additions, you're not going to have full rosters of guys you solely recruited anymore. Besides, he brought over his 2 mainstays from VCU.
I think about this timetable question As one that has been penn state's problem in the past...management has been so indifferent about winning that they're willing to give they coach longer than they should.
This isn't like football where obviously playing for a national championship, there is only a select few teams.
In CBB, there are sixty eight teams that can make the dance, and if you can finish anywhere in the top seven or eight most years in the big ten, you'll get a spot. If that is truly too difficult for any head coach, whether it be at Penn State or elsewhere after a couple of seasons and the Athletic director doesn't see tangible progress, then you have to move on. Becoming a consistent tournament team and finishing upper middle of the pack, give or take, in the big 10 sould not be some herculean task.
Well, he did walk into a terrible situation which even with the portal is a hard fix. Plus, I'm one of those guys who thinks recruiting HS talent still matters, a lot. Playing Portal ball is not playing with your own guys. Basketball is still one of those sports where you can have your guys and take one or two portal guys now and then. But it has to get built first. I'm not trying to make excuses here, but I do have a solid belief in how a program gets built so that it's sustainable.
I agree for sure with your premise about building for sustainability and how high school recruiting still matters. But again, in college basketball, unlike football, where 1 or 2 hits on the portal changes your whole program, because obviously, you only play 5 guys at a time.
I don't give him a pass because he needs another 2 or 3 years to "get his guys". The floor should not be last place in freaking February. It should be on the bubble for the tournament with a team pretty much all seniors. Micah in year two got us in the dance without his guys.
The lack of poise and mental toughness down the stretch for the last two months has been absolutely abysmal, combined with his usage of timeouts and late game coaching...frankly, if kraft wanted to move on, I'd be one hundred percent for it.
Not only that. We make some of the dumbest passes I have seen !
Basketball is the easiest sport to plug and play guys. You're making an excuse. I'm not saying he should be fired but he's 100% responsible for the lack of success--just like Micah is responsible for the disaster that is ND right now.
He doesn't get a 'pass' for what we are seeing on the court, but he does get a 'pass' for bringing in the highest rated recruit and class ever and having a starter be out for over a month as well as two other starters not be at 100% (Ace, Konan).
Should he have played the freshmen a bit more early in the season, yes, should he have called some timeouts in the last possessions of game, yes, some absolutely poor coaching decisions so far. But when you truly look at the roster breakdown you will see that there is not as much talent on this team as the top 10 schools in the big for sure. Kern cant shoot from outside of the paint, Hicks cant play defense and I'm not sure what has happened to Dillione since Oregon/Rutgres games. He looked like he was turning into a big time player that week. While Ace is a very good player, he is not 100% and making bad decisions passing/shooting to try and make up for the lack of explosiveness he has had the las tmonth.
Should he have played the freshmen a bit more early in the season, yes, should he have called some timeouts in the last possessions of game, yes, some absolutely poor coaching decisions so far. But when you truly look at the roster breakdown you will see that there is not as much talent on this team as the top 10 schools in the big for sure. Kern cant shoot from outside of the paint, Hicks cant play defense and I'm not sure what has happened to Dillione since Oregon/Rutgres games. He looked like he was turning into a big time player that week. While Ace is a very good player, he is not 100% and making bad decisions passing/shooting to try and make up for the lack of explosiveness he has had the las tmonth.
This team is talented enough to not be last in the B1G...it doesn't matter if it is Top 10 in the league. A good coach who can elevate solid talent can do wonders. NW has absolutely zero basketball history, worse than ours, and Collins has done a great job. Look at Nebraska and what Hoiberg has done at a place with terrible basketball history and absolutely no recruiting footprint or huge population centers (something psu has within a couple hours.)
All of the talent talk and injuries is just excuses. this isn't football where we expect to be in the playoffs and win the conference and be a natl title contender... Literally if hoops were to finish anywhere from 6 to 8th each year and virtually make the tournament every season, we would be ecstatic and probably build a statue around that guy.
if that truly is not possible, then there's no reason to have a program.
Name someone better who wants the job. You left out that little detail.
I would not count on Konan sticking around... Portal date can't get here fast enough for anyone not graduating.
No doubt but here's the challenge... Both major cities have lots of options for quality players especially Philly... Villanova, Temple, LaSalle, Drexel, St. Joe's, Penn, etc. Those schools have history on the other end you have Pitt, Duquesne and Robert Morris... None of them have the same pedigree but all can compete for the big dance simply by being competive in their respective conference tourneys. We are so buried in our conference even our best teams are long shots for the auto-bids. If you are the best power forward in the state and are not being recruited by the elites at the national level which of the schools in PA are you choosing? My guess is unless you have PSU blood in you, you're not picking the Nittany Lions. There are also basketball rich schools all around us in Maryland, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut... Compare that to say Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan... In those states playing for the primary University is an honor and for many a lifelong goal. It just seems like PSU and basketball by all accounts is just a bad marriage.
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