8-23

[RichmondNative]

The game was fun to watch, so much so that I did not even realize how poor the 3 point shooting was (other than JayNel who was a perfect 3/3). The best part of the game was actually when I got home and listened to the postgame interviews. Mention of a commitment to points in the paint and solid defense to makeup for nights when shots are not falling. That strategy made the offense so much better, it was like watching a different team in Spider uniforms.

Just watched Loyola vs Clemson and the game turned out the opposIte of what everyone would have predicted. If a team can stop the 3, Clemson is very beatable. Looks like Loyola is starting to get its act together, so I am back to looking forward to that game at the RC.

 

[brooklyn brownstone]

I mean, this version of Quinn is transformative for prospects going forward if we get this version of him 75% of the time.

I thought he got the ball in better spots - his first spin move/dunk in first half was same spin move he'd been doing baseline and not converting. Starting it above the block a foot or two gave him the needed space to then explode to the hoop. Great adjustment by him and staff. But overall his aggression level was like a 9, whereas previously it was like a 5 on initial touches and 6 on the second pass back in.

Tyler also seemed to be making a concerted effort to get all the way to the rack rather than settling for pull up jumpers. Love that.

Love that we got runouts in the first half - and not all were off turnovers. Again, it spoke to the level of aggression they came out with. Great job by all involved. This was the start of the game UR needed, and was great to see. I hope it carries over going forward.

Was interesting how many things Beckwith spoke about that have been discussed at length here. Winning the first half. Running the offense with intent. Those were two of his three keys to the game pregame.

 

[SpiderK]

Don't have many like this one where we dominate from start to finish.....great fun in the Robins Center. Crabtree has such a sweet touch when he swishes a three that can't help but wonder why he doesn't get more PT? Overall this is a game the team can build on as a confidence booster and go on to put more W's in the books. Good to see Walz and Noyes get on the court with Walz scoring 4 points and snagging 3 rebounds in 4 minutes. Fun day to be a Spider including the roar of the crowd for free tacos after two Drake FT misses but didn't encounter anyone passing out taco coupons................

We actually got the Dusty Taco coupons when leaving the main lower entrance today. First time I had seen them given out.

 

[spider23]

Small thing - but Walz free throws looked super pure for a big. And his dunk put back was also nice. Really hoping we can continue to find some occasional minutes for him.

Agree here. Thought Walz FT looked really solid and the guy is a big strong athlete. May have to concede some points to 4 7 on moon's recruiting of bigs. I too would like to get him time when possible.

 

[plydogg]

It’s been a tough past couple weeks for Spider fans. This was a badly needed win and honestly a really damn fun game to watch. That was so much fun. When we’re clicking we’re must-watch television

 

[plydogg]

had holiday activities all day so haven't watched game yet, but wow, great result. Very nice, can't wait to watch but it sounds terrific from posts above.

Let me say this about the game. You could be in the worst of moods when you sit down to watch and it will make you come out grinning like a kid on Christmas.

 

[coach fezz]

Burton is a Top 5 Spider of all time. Interesting. I wouldn't have him in my Top 5 or 10, but to each his own.

yes i agree

 

[Not-A-Homer]

When multiple players have good games, the results speak for themselves. Very good team effort, more chemistry today, and more aggressiveness. This is a formula for success. Enjoyed seeing NQ in aggressive mode.

Not to take away from a good win, but I’m really not sure how good Drake really is. Their schedule to date has been mostly soft, and they were not a pound the boards / physical team. Some of this may be attributed to us, but time will tell. They didn’t seem anywhere as skilled and not as hungry as say…Toledo. We’ll see as the season progresses.

Spot on. Not detracting from a good Spider performance, but Drake had one of those games to forget. I saw this one in person, Drake's ball handling was atrocious and their shooting was "one of those days." The body language and team chemistry looked out of sync from the first possession.

 

[urmite]

Spot on. Not detracting from a good Spider performance, but Drake had one of those games to forget. I saw this one in person, Drake's ball handling was atrocious and their shooting was "one of those days." The body language and team chemistry looked out of sync from the first possession.

I think we will find out more about Drake in their last two D1 OOC games…

 

[Not-A-Homer]

Quinn and Nelson were outstanding! Especially impressed with Quinn, if he could play like this consistently the Spiders will become a much tougher out. He absolutely set the tone (on both ends) from the jump, the rest followed nicely.

 

[urmite]

The only thing that I was hoping for that didn’t happen was a big game from Goose.

I wanted a headline of “Gander>Drake”…

 

[POMSpidur]

Burton is a Top 5 Spider of all time. Interesting. I wouldn't have him in my Top 5 or 10, but to each his own.

Refer to spider all time team thread. I didn’t say it. That’s what the board told me

 

[fatherspider]

Sounds like the Spiders played great from start to finish. I wasnt able to watch but am curious, what defense did Drake play against us?

 

[Long Island Spiders]

Just watched the replay. What a game — really fun to watch. Almost all positives obviously given a 30 point win.

Would like to see Crabtree get some time in the rotation ahead of Randolph.

 

[spider23]

LI, not sure what the deal with Crab, I know had a broken finger, crowded at the wing spots. Not Randolph's best game for sure. We forced the issue a couple times with bad results. But has been a positive in general. I do think a healthy Crab brings some things to the table.

 

[gcarter52]

LI, not sure what the deal with Crab, I know had a broken finger, crowded at the wing spots. Not Randolph's best game for sure. We forced the issue a couple times with bad results. But has been a positive in general. I do think a healthy Crab brings some things to the table.

Cool, what does Crab brings to the table?

 

[spider23]

Shooting. Which has been a struggle for us many game. Veteran presence, proved last year he can play on high pressure situations off the bench. But it's a crowded off guard wing situation between Goose, Dji Randolph, Burton, Bigs, Roche.

 

[VT4700]

Just watched the replay. What a game — really fun to watch. Almost all positives obviously given a 30 point win.

Would like to see Crabtree get some time in the rotation ahead of Randolph.

I like Crab, but I think all of his injuries have set him back. Hip and foot injuries are not easy to overcome. I don't think the quickness or movement is there to be a factor offensively or defensively. I don't see him being part of the rotation, especially ahead of Randolph. He looked good coming in before the injuries, and I think would have been a huge factor right now without them.

 

[VT4700]

LI, not sure what the deal with Crab, I know had a broken finger, crowded at the wing spots. Not Randolph's best game for sure. We forced the issue a couple times with bad results. But has been a positive in general. I do think a healthy Crab brings some things to the table.

But, we won't see a healthy Crab. Surgery on each hip followed by a foot fracture. There is just no way to be anywhere close to the same player after those injuries.

 

[SpiderRick]

Awesome game for the Spiders and maybe just the shot in the arm that they need.
But being realistic, the rest of the OOC games are meaningless as far as getting an at-large bid. Same thing we've seem in the past, when the pressure is off, they play great.

As always, I hope they prove me wrong. I love my Spiders.

 

[brooklyn brownstone]

25 game winning streak still in play, to see if we'll get that at large by winning out until A10 finals...

 

[Eight Legger]

Crab could play the same type of role Sherod did last year, potentially. He had no knees left at all. If Crab can still shoot, give him a few minutes a game and see how it goes. Would be nice to have another legit threat out there sometimes.

 

[spider fan]

When Crabtree is "in the zone" he can drain several threes in a row. Has nice shooting touch.

 

[KE Spider]

Crab is a solid player on O and D. Can rebound too.

Smart player. Cerebral player. Calm player in the storm. Was a great get for Spiders, but sadly injuries robbed him of his potential. Now playing time limited by consideration of do we develop talent for the future or lean on a soon to be out of program guy?

Believe he had talent to be a solid contributor last couple of years, but circumstances intervened. Sadly, he and Sherod get my votes for the bad luck Spiders in recent years.

 

[97spiderfan]

Was sick this weekend, so had to watch the game on TV. But that was one of the most complete 40 minutes game I have seen the Spiders play. We came out strong and aggressive from the opening whistle and did not let up. A couple of observations.

1. We did miss Grace. I have to assume many of our offensive sets were predicated on having Grace out there kind of being the big man directing traffic. When he was out, that fell to Quinn who was clearly not ready. I think Quinn playing with confidence on Saturday was a direct effect from having Grace back.
2. Quinn and Nelson: Both are still figuring things out and they both have had some suspect games as a result. If they both play like they did on Saturday we become a much tougher out. I know JayNel can play and it was just growing pains, but Quinn showed me something on Saturday, that he CAN make plays on an A-10 team. That was huge not only for his confidence but the teams confidence in him.
3. Randolph: I like Marcus, I like his story, I like the passion he plays the game with. That said, I'm not sure what the one thing he does really well. For that reason, I would still have Dji above him in my depth chart and see his role as energy/super sub type guy.
4. Burton excels as Robin. He is our best player, but he needs other players to play well for him to be most impactful. We had that on Saturday with multiple players, that allowed Burton to be Burton, grab tons of boards, make hustle plays, and attack the rim. If we try to make Burton into the "guy" that is taking 20-25 shots per game and that we draw up our offense around, that is not a recipe for success for us.

Mooney. I don't know what Mooney did during the off week with this team, but clear he made some adjustments and they worked. So give credit where credit is due there. Coach got these guys playing together out there, lets hope that continues.

 

[spiderman]

1) Quinn's getting better. I don't think it had anything to do with Grace being back, though. that's more coincidence than causality. he'll probably have some more games taking 4 shots, though I hope not.
3) I don't remember what reputation Randolph had coming in. thought he was considered a scorer. but I think he might be a really good shooter. certainly looks confident taking them.
4) Burton's a heck of a player, but yeah. he dominates when others around him are threats. creating his own offense still isn't a strength.

I don't want to go overboard praising Mooney for this strong game just like I don't always blame him when we shoot horribly. we have a couple of bad loses we can't recover from as far at at-large goes. but we can still be dangerous if we keep progressing. there's nobody that scares me in the A10 this year.

 

[97spiderfan]

1) Quinn's getting better. I don't think it had anything to do with Grace being back, though. that's more coincidence than causality. he'll probably have some more games taking 4 shots, though I hope not.

Just an observation. Perhaps the light bulb just clicked for Quinn yesterday. But yes, could be coincidental.

And don't worry, I won't overboard on my praise for Moon Just like to be objective in analysis and more often than not Moon is net negative to me out there with his in game adjustments, use of time outs etc.., clearly that wasn't the case on Saturday.

But he deserves some praise here. I'm sure losing to William & Mary hit the players even harder than the fan base, so we could have gone down one of two paths, playing a much better Drake team. We could came out with the same lethargic start, allowed Drake to get into a rhythm, gotten in a hole as we have so much this year. We chose the other path and we didn't let off the gas. I even saw Moon when we got a bit careless playing with a large lead, not screw around and get guys like Burton back in the game to keep things steady.

 

[fan2011]

It was good to hear that Quinn is working with TJ Cline. Really glad TJ continues to reach out and work with the current team.

 

[spider23]

3. Randolph: I like Marcus, I like his story, I like the passion he plays the game with. That said, I'm not sure what the one thing he does really well. For that reason, I would still have Dji above him in my depth chart and see his role as energy/super sub type guy

I get what you mean about Randolph, BUT this was really his worst game IMO, and has been a pretty good positive in others. I did think Dji had a better game against Drake, and they seem to be competing for the same minutes. I have been impressed with Randolph's shooting, in past games he has been aggressive, but also taking the opportunities that present and has a good compact shot with quick release, and shoots with confidence. I think he just had a bit off an off game, and seemed to be forcing things. A couple drives he just forced and they ended badly. But not down on him at all, and look for him to bounce back strong.

Dji looked good and made some really nice plays to impact the game. Hoping he can build on that and just keep getting time and more comfortable. Would like to see him use that length and athleticism in the mid range game. I know that is not the style now, but a guy like Curtis Blair lived on that ability, and it seems that Dji can pull up over shorter players for that 10-15 footer. He does seem to have that one or two plays per game where he has an unfortunate TO, where everything looks good until the ball is in the other team's hands. I think he will eliminate those as he gets more time.

 

[fan2011]

I think Dji is an underrated passer, and a great rebounder and defensive player. If he can figure out some way to score a little more efficiently he will get a lot more playing time. He probably will get most of Goose’s minutes next year either way.

After the first 3 games he has really gotten the turnovers under control. He has a 1.8 assist to turnover ratio over the past 6 games.

 

[VT4700]

I get what you mean about Randolph, BUT this was really his worst game IMO, and has been a pretty good positive in others. I did think Dji had a better game against Drake, and they seem to be competing for the same minutes. I have been impressed with Randolph's shooting, in past games he has been aggressive, but also taking the opportunities that present and has a good compact shot with quick release, and shoots with confidence. I think he just had a bit off an off game, and seemed to be forcing things. A couple drives he just forced and they ended badly. But not down on him at all, and look for him to bounce back strong.

Dji looked good and made some really nice plays to impact the game. Hoping he can build on that and just keep getting time and more comfortable. Would like to see him use that length and athleticism in the mid range game. I know that is not the style now, but a guy like Curtis Blair lived on that ability, and it seems that Dji can pull up over shorter players for that 10-15 footer. He does seem to have that one or two plays per game where he has an unfortunate TO, where everything looks good until the ball is in the other team's hands. I think he will eliminate those as he gets more time.

I agree 100% on Randolph. He appears to be a much better and much more natural outside shooter. Also, I think the energy he provides is a factor. He is super quick with his movement away from the ball, and immediately gets on his guy with intensity defensively. I didn't see enough last year to know what to expect from him, but have really liked what I have seen so far this year. He can handle it, can shoot it, and plays excellent defense.

I agree on Dji as well. I don't think the outside shot will be there, and he hasn't finished as well at the rim. You could be right thinking the mid range shot could be his go to shot. I have been impressed with his rebounding. I think he's just behind a few guys right now, so his minutes might not be too consistent.

 

[VT4700]

I get what you mean about Randolph, BUT this was really his worst game IMO, and has been a pretty good positive in others. I did think Dji had a better game against Drake, and they seem to be competing for the same minutes. I have been impressed with Randolph's shooting, in past games he has been aggressive, but also taking the opportunities that present and has a good compact shot with quick release, and shoots with confidence. I think he just had a bit off an off game, and seemed to be forcing things. A couple drives he just forced and they ended badly. But not down on him at all, and look for him to bounce back strong.

Dji looked good and made some really nice plays to impact the game. Hoping he can build on that and just keep getting time and more comfortable. Would like to see him use that length and athleticism in the mid range game. I know that is not the style now, but a guy like Curtis Blair lived on that ability, and it seems that Dji can pull up over shorter players for that 10-15 footer. He does seem to have that one or two plays per game where he has an unfortunate TO, where everything looks good until the ball is in the other team's hands. I think he will eliminate those as he gets more time.

I agree 100% on Randolph. He appears to be a much better and much more natural outside shooter. Also, I think the energy he provides is a factor. He is super quick with his movement away from the ball, and immediately gets on his guy with intensity defensively. I didn't see enough last year to know what to expect from him, but have really liked what I have seen so far this year. He can handle it, can shoot it, and plays excellent defense.

I agree on Dji as well. I don't think the outside shot will be there, and he hasn't finished as well at the rim. You could be right thinking the mid range shot could be his go to shot. I have been impressed with his rebounding. I think he's just behind a few guys right now, so his minutes might not be too consistent.

 

[97spiderfan]

The Randolph-Dji thing is interesting. If I were to select a guy on talent, I would go Dji. His length, smoothness in handling the ball, ability to get to the rim and rebounding abilities, all better than Randolph. Randolph has some intangibles right now over Dji though, that being his intensity he plays with, he is not afraid to make a play and a mistake, I think he has a better outside shot than Dji, although limited sample size from both.

 

[SpiderDad75]

I get what you mean about Randolph, BUT this was really his worst game IMO, and has been a pretty good positive in others. I did think Dji had a better game against Drake, and they seem to be competing for the same minutes. I have been impressed with Randolph's shooting, in past games he has been aggressive, but also taking the opportunities that present and has a good compact shot with quick release, and shoots with confidence. I think he just had a bit off an off game, and seemed to be forcing things. A couple drives he just forced and they ended badly. But not down on him at all, and look for him to bounce back strong.

Dji looked good and made some really nice plays to impact the game. Hoping he can build on that and just keep getting time and more comfortable. Would like to see him use that length and athleticism in the mid range game. I know that is not the style now, but a guy like Curtis Blair lived on that ability, and it seems that Dji can pull up over shorter players for that 10-15 footer. He does seem to have that one or two plays per game where he has an unfortunate TO, where everything looks good until the ball is in the other team's hands. I think he will eliminate those as he gets more time.

I will say when he shot the 3 and got pulled, coaches reaction was he was pissed. While after the rebound two others didn’t hustle and basically were in chill mode in the tansition D when he busted his tail to get back and play D in that same play but guess who got yanked right away. He also passed to Roche who fumbled it out of bounds and then got yelled at by coach… make it make sense. You can’t be effective looking over your shoulder every time out. On the inbounds steal people were yelling for him to shoot it and you can best believe if he did he was coming out. My opinion is Coach needs to let him play longer than 3 min at time so he can get in a rhythm 🤷🏼‍♂️

 

[VT4700]

I will say when he shot the 3 and got pulled, coaches reaction was he was pissed. While after the rebound two others didn’t hustle and basically were in chill mode in the tansition D when he busted his tail to get back and play D in that same play but guess who got yanked right away. He also passed to Roche who fumbled it out of bounds and then got yelled at by coach… make it make sense. You can’t be effective looking over your shoulder every time out. On the inbounds steal people were yelling for him to shoot it and you can best believe if he did he was coming out. My opinion is Coach needs to let him play longer than 3 min at time so he can get in a rhythm 🤷🏼‍♂️

Since you asked, I will try to make it make sense. Dji is not starting, and is not in the top 7. Our top 7 is pretty obvious and each average over 21 minutes a game. They should and probably will get the most minutes each game. So, when a 8th or 9th guy in a rotation does get some minutes, he probably won't often get more than 3-4 minutes at a time. You say he should play more, but you have to be realistic here. You can say easy for me to say, I'm not the parent here, but, I just don't understand your frustration. Overall, we have played 9 games, and Dji has played 13 or more in 6 of them. Seems like he is getting plenty of chances. I know this is where we disagree, but I just don't look at our team and say "Dji needs more minutes". Before I get accused of hating, I will also say I can't just look at our team and say Randolph needs more minutes either, and I have mentioned several times I really like what Randolph brings. It's just how I feel about wanting the top guys in the rotation getting the most minutes. I would say just play, and not look over your shoulder. If a guy gets yelled at, it probably means more is expected. This goes back to when I earlier said don't get frustrated, just play. What else can you do except do your best, try to improve every day, and just play when out there, right?

 

[spider23]

I have noticed Mooney has a real short leash. I did see when he missed the 3, Mooney reacted very obviously, which I did not care for. Overall, thought Dji had a good game.

 

[whampas]

Mooney’s kids suffer from Stockholm Syndrome.

 

[Long Island Spiders]

Randolph is not an outside shooter. It’s definitely not one of the reasons he should be on the floor. VT, do you watch the games?

 

[brooklyn brownstone]

Randolph is not an outside shooter. It’s definitely not one of the reasons he should be on the floor. VT, do you watch the games?

He's 4-10 from 3 and 5-6 from the line, so those indicate that he can shoot. 1-6 from 2 is bad, but I honestly don't remember most of those. At least a couple games he came in and had a positive impact offensively with a couple buckets in his first few minutes on the court. He clearly knows he is in there to bring energy and intensity but to my eye, his jumper has been smooth.

Re: Dji getting pulled after the 3, I actually was curious about that play as it happened so I rewound and watched it 2-3 times to see the play unfold and the transition defense. Dji shoots a 3 relatively early in the shot clock which I have no problem with. Nelson was below the foul line in the left corner, so not in ideal position to get back. Tyler was top of key right side and did not get back, the guy who scored blew past him to get open. Dji - it was tough to tell bc he went out of camera range for a second as they took possession. Looked like he was mostly back but hadn't come to the middle of the court as there was a guy out on his side of the court (non-ball side), running toward the UR bench and he was hedged to that side. When the pass went to the guy ahead on the ball side of the court, he hustled over then but it was too late. Anyway, not sure if the issue was the shot selection - early in clock with PG not in position to cover back for the shooter - or an issue with his positioning on the transition defense (or both.) Was a classic Moon hook, straight out of Justin Harper's sophomore year.

Anyway, these two guys bring different things to the court IMO and I think both can be great assets. Dji has to figure out his offensive role and how to be more efficient within it, and Marcus needs to avoid the messy plays he can be prone to make as he tries to bring energy.

 

[Long Island Spiders]

Randolph is not an outside shooter. It’s definitely not one of the reasons he should be on the floor. VT, do you watch the games?

“Oh, he’s 40% from 3 point this year”

You play Randolph because of the intangibles, which is as important in this great game of college basketball versus hockey. Some times you can’t quantify the impact a high energy player brings to the game and his potential to swing momentum.

Btw, Roche is so much better than I expected. Love his energy on defense and his pure stroke from beyond 3. He’s a way better defender than he’s getting credit for by all of us. Love his game and style.