Rust?

[BradleyBrave]

Not even close? I honestly don't get why it's so hard to understand that these guys have not played together for very long (more than one full season). Personally, I feel that's kind of important. Obviously, there are many people that don't seem to think that matters at all.

It's an after-the-fact cop out that really isn't true. We don't have a team of freshmen or 1st year players. Yet we make plays - individual plays - by players who appear to have not played at this level. Quick 3's, no box outs, inexplicable turnovers by 3rd year guards. Are these really due to guys 'not playing together'? Thankfully we haven't heard any of the players or coaches lean on that crutch.

[romar]

It's an after-the-fact cop out that really isn't true. We don't have a team of freshmen or 1st year players. Yet we make plays - individual plays - by players who appear to have not played at this level. Quick 3's, no box outs, inexplicable turnovers by 3rd year guards. Are these really due to guys 'not playing together'? Thankfully we haven't heard any of the players or coaches lean on that crutch.

You have accurately described almost every team outside of the top 25 on any given night. I think you guys are both right - BU is a relatively inexperienced experienced team that is either over or under rated and can be anywhere from darned good to frustratingly ineffective. Then there is JL who is the least qualified (according to some) yet 2nd most tenured coach in the league with 3 consecutive 20+ win (sort of) seasons who has lead his no excuses, yet injury plagued team to 3 (kinda post season tournaments) without finishing any higher than 4th in the MVC.

This board has become completely polarized and anyone who expresses a thought that is even slightly outside of the agenda of either side of the swinging pendulum better be prepared to defend themselves.

THIS DOG & PONY ACT HAS GOTTEN OLD & only the fact that I love the Braves and want to keep up with some of the news brings me back here - but sorting through all this pro-con drivel is tiresome! What would be nice would be a moratorium where we can only comment on threads we are somewhat in agreement with for the next 30 or so days.

[lefty]

I really hesitate to get into this but you would find few teams that more than a few players have played together year in and year out.With injuries, transfers, and new players coming in you don't see too many teams with 3-4 players who have played together for more than 2 years.

I'm not doing any research so I reserve the right to be wrong

[shaunguth]

It's an after-the-fact cop out that really isn't true. We don't have a team of freshmen or 1st year players. Yet we make plays - individual plays - by players who appear to have not played at this level. Quick 3's, no box outs, inexplicable turnovers by 3rd year guards. Are these really due to guys 'not playing together'? Thankfully we haven't heard any of the players or coaches lean on that crutch.

After what fact?

Why would it matter if we have freshmen or 1st year players if length of time playing together doesn't matter? I happen to believe it does.

[shaunguth]

I really hesitate to get into this but you would find few teams that more than a few players have played together year in and year out.With injuries, transfers, and new players coming in you don't see too many teams with 3-4 players who have played together for more than 2 years.

I'm not doing any research so I reserve the right to be wrong

Well, as long as there are no more season-ending injuries and everyone stays, we'll have six such players next season. This is where the recruitment of four-year players comes into play. But I guess it won't matter that they have another 30+ games playing together.

[lefty]

Well, as long as there are no more season-ending injuries and everyone stays, we'll have six such players next season. This is where the recruitment of four-year players comes into play. But I guess it won't matter that they have another 30+ games playing together.

I didn't say it didn't matter. It seems to me that there is always some changes like injuries,transfers, new players who do well and other players who fall out of rotation so it's uncommon that 3-4 players play a couple of full seasons together, These guys play so much ball together all year while it's not the same as games they still play together quite a bit.

It would be nice if you had 3 seniors and 3 juniors playing together for 3 years but it doesn't seem to happen that often

[ph]

I see merits to both sides of the arguements. On one side, if there is an established system, then experienced players should perform well within the system, even if they have not always played "together". On the other side, a hallmark of a good team is improvement. Doesn't matter as much why they are improving, as long as they are improving their level of play, they are a good team.

[BradleyBrave]

So, was tonight's disaster another case of 'not playing together'? Tony Freeman has only played 10 games with his fellow Salukis, doesn't look like it affected them too much! Did we turn the ball over 3 times in the last 1:44 because we haven't played together enough? Sure looked like we played together enough to shoot 61% and score 49 points in the 1st half! What's the excuse for this game?

[Future Walk-On]

[shaunguth]

So, was tonight's disaster another case of 'not playing together'? Tony Freeman has only played 10 games with his fellow Salukis, doesn't look like it affected them too much! Did we turn the ball over 3 times in the last 1:44 because we haven't played together enough? Sure looked like we played together enough to shoot 61% and score 49 points in the 1st half! What's the excuse for this game?

First of all, I don't recall ever saying all of our losses are because the players haven't played together. If you go back to my original post in this thread, this is what I said......

As I stated last week in another thread, only a couple of our players have played more than one year together.....SS/SM and SS/AW.

We are indeed a young team when it comes to game experience together!

Look real hard and see if you can find where I blamed our losses on this. I simply threw a fact out there that I happen to think is kind of important in the game of basketball or just about any other team sport.

Apparently I'm wrong and it just doesn't matter at all. Someone explain to me how Drake continues losing games? Are their players just THAT bad? I thought I remember seeing somewhere that they had a fairly highly-rated recruiting class. Guess not.