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VCU Observations

It is a mentality and culture. I was watching Nebraska play Oregon last night, and have watched them a few times recently. THey had a down spell this year, but last couple weeks boy I wouldn't want to play them. Every player is scrapping on defense and just making every possession hard for the other team. Attacking on offense and really capitalizing what the other team gives.
Will say when Mooney has the talent, the offensive system can work and we can play a little defense. When he doesn't have the talent, he cannot adapt or make more with less. Like JB could do seemingly whoever we had to role out there.
Nebraska coach is playing his son. Maybe Mooney should try his nephew. Like having a coach on the floor.
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VCU Observations

It is a mentality and culture. I was watching Nebraska play Oregon last night, and have watched them a few times recently. THey had a down spell this year, but last couple weeks boy I wouldn't want to play them. Every player is scrapping on defense and just making every possession hard for the other team. Attacking on offense and really capitalizing what the other team gives.
Will say when Mooney has the talent, the offensive system can work and we can play a little defense. When he doesn't have the talent, he cannot adapt or make more with less. Like JB could do seemingly whoever we had to role out there.
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VCU Observations

Someone gave me free tickets to the VCU game, wanted to post a couple observations.

Player-Team observations:

VCU's entire second team was better than anyone on our roster. We looked like a D3 squad playing an exhibition game against them. We have the worst roster in the A-10 and I don't think it is really even that close.

While our entire team played like a high school JV squad scrimmaging the varsity, there were a couple players who looked like they shouldn't be on a Division 1 team including:

Tanner: I've yet to see anything in his game that tells me he is an A-10 starter. He plays stiff, very unathletic, which is a problem because he is also not a great shooter/ball handler. He looked scared out there. 17 minutes, 0 points, 1 reb, 1 assist.

AP: Not as bad as Tanner but also a ton of just empty minutes. 25 minutes: 7 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists. Unlike Tanner, he looks like a D 1 hoops player but you keep expecting him to do something really nice, yet he never does.

Beagle/Walz/Soulis: 40 minutes of game time out of the center position, 5 points total. Lots of time getting dunked on.

The only players that looked like they should be on the same court with VCU was Dusan, B Artis and Tyne. Of course, VCU's guard just simply shot right over Tyne and B Artis but they at least have some athletic abilities to break their press. They also gave us more of the D3 vibe going up against VCU much bigger guards.

GW3 looks like he can play basketball, he didn't do anything super impressive but he also didn't seem scared out there like some of our players did. Would like to see more of him.

As a team, we had no fight. VCU punched us in the mouth to start the game and we just stood there and let us punch us over and over and over again. By far the most humiliating, demoralizing game I've seen as Spider fan and I've been regularly attending games for more than 30 years.
Walz was out there trying to fire up the team before the game. I guess Mooney didn't like it, so he rode the pine for most of the game.

Mens - @ VCU - Sat 2/1 4pm CBSSN

I really take offense to this actually. I think the kids HAVE competed all year, I agree with that actually. I like the investment that I see from guys like AP, Dusan, Walz... and even GWIII. But, I think it's a really ignorant take to come in and say "it felt like we didn't compete tonight".

Have you ever watched a guy with no arms try to open a pickle jar? Do you think when the guy uses his feet and the jar falls and breaks into six thousand pieces that he's not trying? They were given zero tools.

I'd like someone to say... in the presser ... its not that we weren't competing.... what more would you have liked us to do exactly? What did the coaches do to compete at the start of the second half? Can anyone name a single adjustment we made strategically at any point during the game on Saturday? Just one. I didn't see any.

Do you think we lost by 40 cause the coaches said "cmon guys play harder" and they didn't..... and ONLY if they would've... everything changes?

I don't feel like the guys gave up. I really don't. We can all agree they didn't play well, but I really want to know what playing well looks like in this scenario.

We were 20 point underdogs. 20. Just so we're all clear.... when you're a 20 point underdog (and I know a little about this) there are a statistically significant amount of results/trials where we lose this game by 30+ points. The 41 point loss is ugly, but its not some crazy anomaly if you run this specific trial 1000 times.

By the way, just as an aside, I've never heard Roussell say... I wish the ladies would've competed harder. Typically, the first thing he says is.... I wish we would've made this change sooner... and that's on me.
As many have mentioned on here before. Mooney has taken away all basketball instincts from the players.
Pretty sure that Walz would have some sort of an inside game and has shown that he can rebound if he were allowed to play inside and rebound.

Mens - @ VCU - Sat 2/1 4pm CBSSN

By the way, just as an aside, I've never heard Roussell say... I wish the ladies would've competed harder. Typically, the first thing he says is.... I wish we would've made this change sooner... and that's on me.
Great point, I see many coaches take this on themself. Does moon? I honestly don't know - I don't waste my time as he never says anything.

Mens - @ VCU - Sat 2/1 4pm CBSSN

Student17 have u ever met Hardt? I’d say mortal lock u haven’t. Some of us have. Just saying u might have little bit of a different take.

Also no offense I don’t really trust your grading system when u have applauded Mooney extensions (b4 recent backtracking), have zero increased expectations for a 20 year coach, don’t want to schedule hard teams, etc. Mik Aoki was 27-32 last year. I expect he’ll have another losing season this year. Him & the field hockey r incomplete grades. We all wish field hockey well I know girls who play, but no AD is judged on a field hockey hire. The guy didn’t even show up for the Patriot League football press conf move.

Remember there was no real AD search. It was fake. David Hale was full of shit. Just another example that soured me on UR admin. Queally hired Hardt.

I do agree Moon isn’t going anywhere.

VCU Observations

Someone gave me free tickets to the VCU game, wanted to post a couple observations.

Player-Team observations:

VCU's entire second team was better than anyone on our roster. We looked like a D3 squad playing an exhibition game against them. We have the worst roster in the A-10 and I don't think it is really even that close.

While our entire team played like a high school JV squad scrimmaging the varsity, there were a couple players who looked like they shouldn't be on a Division 1 team including:

Tanner: I've yet to see anything in his game that tells me he is an A-10 starter. He plays stiff, very unathletic, which is a problem because he is also not a great shooter/ball handler. He looked scared out there. 17 minutes, 0 points, 1 reb, 1 assist.

AP: Not as bad as Tanner but also a ton of just empty minutes. 25 minutes: 7 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists. Unlike Tanner, he looks like a D 1 hoops player but you keep expecting him to do something really nice, yet he never does.

Beagle/Walz/Soulis: 40 minutes of game time out of the center position, 5 points total. Lots of time getting dunked on.

The only players that looked like they should be on the same court with VCU was Dusan, B Artis and Tyne. Of course, VCU's guard just simply shot right over Tyne and B Artis but they at least have some athletic abilities to break their press. They also gave us more of the D3 vibe going up against VCU much bigger guards.

GW3 looks like he can play basketball, he didn't do anything super impressive but he also didn't seem scared out there like some of our players did. Would like to see more of him.

As a team, we had no fight. VCU punched us in the mouth to start the game and we just stood there and let us punch us over and over and over again. By far the most humiliating, demoralizing game I've seen as Spider fan and I've been regularly attending games for more than 30 years.
Don’t forget there are a couple players who had to redshirt because they weren’t going to beat out these guys for playing time.

Mens - @ VCU - Sat 2/1 4pm CBSSN

Oh I’m on record that there is nothing that will dislodge him other than himself. I can see pressure from “someone” at some point but even then it’ll be CM retiring.

All I’m saying is that I don’t care if our AD has shown any competence in his hiring decisions when his firing decisions are super suspect. He does not act like an AD who believes in setting a high bar for performance.
Yea, it’s not like CM is wanted by any other program.

Mens - @ VCU - Sat 2/1 4pm CBSSN

Here you go:
From JOC article in RTD - “Even though we haven’t had a ton of success and wins, we’ve really competed,” Mooney said of UR’s season. “Tonight, it felt like we didn’t.”
I really take offense to this actually. I think the kids HAVE competed all year, I agree with that actually. I like the investment that I see from guys like AP, Dusan, Walz... and even GWIII. But, I think it's a really ignorant take to come in and say "it felt like we didn't compete tonight".

Have you ever watched a guy with no arms try to open a pickle jar? Do you think when the guy uses his feet and the jar falls and breaks into six thousand pieces that he's not trying? They were given zero tools.

I'd like someone to say... in the presser ... its not that we weren't competing.... what more would you have liked us to do exactly? What did the coaches do to compete at the start of the second half? Can anyone name a single adjustment we made strategically at any point during the game on Saturday? Just one. I didn't see any.

Do you think we lost by 40 cause the coaches said "cmon guys play harder" and they didn't..... and ONLY if they would've... everything changes?

I don't feel like the guys gave up. I really don't. We can all agree they didn't play well, but I really want to know what playing well looks like in this scenario.

We were 20 point underdogs. 20. Just so we're all clear.... when you're a 20 point underdog (and I know a little about this) there are a statistically significant amount of results/trials where we lose this game by 30+ points. The 41 point loss is ugly, but its not some crazy anomaly if you run this specific trial 1000 times.

By the way, just as an aside, I've never heard Roussell say... I wish the ladies would've competed harder. Typically, the first thing he says is.... I wish we would've made this change sooner... and that's on me.

Mens - @ VCU - Sat 2/1 4pm CBSSN

And that is a problem. Circling back though to my first point in all of this, is that when Hardt has been placed with the decision to hire a coach for our sports team, he’s done a really good job. If he were to make the decision to hire our men’s basketball coach without any external influences (I.e. Queally) I think he’ll do a good job given his track record so far.
This we can agree upon. Giving complete control of your MBB to your biggest donor is not healthy, in fact it is harmful. Very much akin to the Dallas Cowboys with Jerry Jones. Dallas is rarely terrible because of Jerry's money/Dallas status but they will never be great either because of his influence in the operations side of things. Just as with us, our program with the financial resources that Queally (and others) and the financial status of the University as whole, we are always going to be one of the better funded A-10 programs, but because we don't let our professional athletic leadership make personnel decisions, we are a 55% winning program.

The Trump Administration

Wood - I have to congratulate you for constantly referring to Trump as Fatso. It took me a while to warm up to the nickname, but now I'm 100% on board. One - it's an old school insult and thus, appropriate for the oldest guy ever elected President. Two- It's an insult he can understand because of its simplicity. Let's face it - the guy is really dumb. Three - it is a direct assault on perhaps the most vainglorious person in America. He'd never admit he's a fat ass, but deep inside I'm pretty sure he knows he is. So I just wanted to say kudos for your nickname selection.

Mens - @ VCU - Sat 2/1 4pm CBSSN

All I’m saying is that I don’t care if our AD has shown any competence in his hiring decisions when his firing decisions are super suspect. He does not act like an AD who believes in setting a high bar for performance.
How much of this lack of firing do you think is on Hardt, influence from Queally, or byproduct of a University that does not emphasize athletics as much as we all wish it would?

In other words, if Hardt had 100% control in decision making where buy-out money wasn’t a factor and our big time donors didn’t have any influence on decision making (who to fire or hire), what do you think Hardt would’ve done or do? It’s easy to blame Hardt for things, but he is probably restricted in many ways, mostly by our own desire to not alienate one of our biggest donors and our university culture/philosophy towards athletics in general. With what he has been able to do, it’s been mostly a good job in my honest opinion: fundraising, facility upgrades, hiring of coaches, and academic success with our student athletes.

10 out of 19 of our sports teams last year either finished 1st or 2nd in A10 regular season and/or tournament. We won 5 championships last year (football, MBB regular season, WBB regular season + tournament, WLax tournament).
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