basketball

[SisyphusMiner]

I pretty much agree with everything Chanson said.

I like Kalu a lot. Maybe best of the newcomers right now.
Maring is a work in progress, but high upside.  Good court vision for passing.
Teich keeps saying Hollins isn't in playing shape yet.  Hopefully he shows more as he gets his legs under him. 

I'm not ready to put Bienemy up there with Stone yet.  He had tremendous assist / TO ratio.  But Bienemy is solid.
Will Kennedy ever hit the jumper well?  He contributes so much in every other phase of the game though. Great rebounding instincts.

Someone posted this on the other board, supposedly from the post-game show -- "Golding said our offense hasn't even reached the ball screen phase yet. "
That would explain a lot of what we're seeing.  Offense is still being developed and team isn't ready for more wrinkles yet.  Not surprising given they haven't run any actual offense for the last several years so there's nothing to build on.  Gotta lay some foundation first.

[SisyphusMiner]

From an article out in California:
"The disruptive UTEP defense has forced opponents to turn the ball over on 31.2 percent of all possessions, the fourth-best rate in the country."

https://www.thestate.com/sports/college/article255921411.html#storylink=cpy

[kyyote]

Not to be a downer, but we have played Western New Mexico, Northern New Mexico and New Mexico State.  If we played Las Cruces High, Onate, and Santa Teresa High we could be number 1.  Twelve and 13 steals against the directional schools. Nine versus NMSU but if you watched the game it wasn't nearly as close as the final score looked. If we can't do anything but chunk three pointers up without beasts rebounding the bricks, if we give up the paint, steals and turnovers just allow us a few extra chunks.  I would like to know if there is a stat on stuffs.  I bet we would be near the bottom.  Points in the paint aren't limited to points.  They generate trips to the free throw line and cause players to foul out and play softer defense to keep from fouling out. There are teams out there that can get away with playing from beyond the arc, but they have players that are deadly shooters.  We have one that is pretty good.  Bienemy is here instead of OU because he couldn't shoot. 

Until I see that we have decided to play with a force inside, we are going to lose to any team at our level.

[SisyphusMiner]

And yet you were convinced that having a top 10 D in football having played NMSU, UNM, ODU, etc meant we had turned the corner.

Obviously we aren't there yet.  But it is an indicator that things are moving in the direction we want them to.  I expect this to be a long season as well.  Do you remember what Gillispie's record was his first season?  6-24.  But we could see things moving in the right direction.

I don't understand how you can be all Pollyanna rainbows flying unicorns and cotton candy about year 4 of Dimel where we beat 6 of the most god awful teams in the country  and Debby Downer about seeing progress 3 games into CGJ tenure.

[kyyote]

I was and am convinced that we turned a corner.  After ten years we were competitive.  That is turning a corner.  When we stepped up and blew away two teams that historically have kicked our butts all over the field even though Tech and Southern Miss are horrible this year-even though Tech lost a one point game to Miss State and a two point game to SMU.  Yeah, we turned a corner.  We are six times better than we have been.  That's a corner.  Against a top 25 ranked team we battled and weren't humiliated.  We turned a corner.  I wasn't convinced I AM convinced.  For the past ten years NMSU UNM and ODU would have joined every other D1 team in the country and beat us like a drum.  Not this year.  I held back for a few games, but within two or three games I could see a difference.  It was easy really.  We had wins where we normally had losses.  AND in impressive ways.  Not fluky lucky wins.  So I guess beating shitty teams instead of losing to them, and playing good teams and not being humiliated and NOT vying for the title of worst team in college football makes me Polyannaish, I guess I am.

I have high hopes for Golding.  I am thrilled that he is a defensive minded coach.  Defense will keep us in games we might not should be hanging in there.  After three games, two of which were glorified scrimmages, I really have no idea where the bball team is.  My closest guess is what we saw against NMSU.  What I saw was a defensive team playing hard with offensive lack of what I considered to be a precision working offense, as I had expected to see from a control freak that I think Golding is.  I know it is early.  But it is early for everyone else, too.  What I saw wasn't what I had hoped for on offense.  It may be a matter of time, but I don't think so.  I think if we had the will to play basketball in the paint, we would try.  I don't see the effort.  It is early and I am perfectly willing to win in a different way, though.  So, winning, proving me wrong would be welcomed by me.

I am old, opinionated, and so willing to state my feelings that I started a website for it.  It doesn't make me right.  So, if you have trouble understanding how I can be how I am, well here's a number and the back of the line is over there.  Smile, it is Friday, the Miners basketball team plays a decent team tonight and we all will get a chance to see how it goes.  The season is young and opportunity is there for the taking.  Tomorrow we play football.  We will get another chance to see if that defense is legit or not, if I was wrong to have had faith or not.  That's how it works.  You see, I feel that my Pollyannaish attitude was proved to be right.  The defense didn't crumble against good teams.  It held up.  The offense held up.  We may have even lost, but it wasn't because the defense was proven to be a fraud.  Now, you may not feel the same.  That is what we call opinion.  I can understand that you and others may not feel the same as I do.  I'm ok with that.  The same type of thing applies to the basketball team.  I may be way off and proven to be.  I have had crow on the menu before. 

Btw, and I think I mentioned it before, my wife tells me that I am never wrong. She is usually mad at me when she says it and still admits it. Lol

[Chanson]

Some valid points. I'll put my 2 cents about football on another entry, but I like how far along the bball program is than the football program.
Granted it is easier to get the bball program going quicker because of less moving parts, but those stats are merely an indication that our team is hustling. Most D1 teams are playing powder puff teams to boost confidence & to get roll players important minutes. The stats are far from comparing to other teams, but are an indication that this team has bought into the Golding style of ball. Many teams are trying to surpass the "buy in" stage at this point.
Don't get me wrong, still a ton of work is needed, but the buy in, the hustle, discipline, & players holding each other accountable is something I haven't seen since Barbee.
Looking at Pacific, they are still trying to find themselves with losses to Hawaii & Northern Colorado. The hustle alone should win the game, but I know nothing of their individual talent level.
Lastly, we finally had a kid screw up in Sibley not make shoot around before the last game. That's why he didn't play. I'm betting he will never wake up late again.
If the Miners can't win tonight, it will be more on the coach than the players. Why, the players have the talent to win tonight's game. What they don't have is enough set plays they can execute & throw the opposition off. Also, once Beiniemy, Boum, & Satterfield starts hitting shots, they tend to stay on that streak.

We shall see.

[SisyphusMiner]

I didn't see a whole lot last night that was different from what I've seen.
The defense played hard the whole game pretty much. Not a lot of turnovers, but disruptive.
The offense continues to be a work in progress.  Some signs of life, but still some confusion and standing around.  More aggressive driving the paint which is a good thing.
Eventually this 3 man weave will turn into a weave with screens designed to break guys open.

I thought Boum scored his points without really forcing things or disrupting the offense.  Nice to see.
Hollins can score.  He seems like a bit of a defensive liability though.
I really like Kalu, even though he's young and makes mistakes.  I think he's going to be a great post for us one day.

Oh, and while I generally like a tightly called game, the officials blew their whistles on every tiny little thing and it really made the game about them.  Not saying it was unfair, just so disruptive.  Let them play a little.  Wonder what Agnew said to get that T, by the way.  Golding sat him the rest of the game pretty much to teach him.

[Chanson]

Yes, yes, & yes.

What Sis said.

Here is a breakdown on who I saw play:
Bieniemy: doing more & more. I love this guy.
Agnew: does things no one else wants to do. Had a fantastic shot under basket. Bit of a lose cannon at times
Kennedy: does everything except hit shots
Hollins: much better on O, needs work on D
Sibley: not sold on the kid yet. Only talent so far is he is quick & long
Boum: Dude is deadly. Best player on team
Verho: great on D, needs work on post moves
Kalu: strong & works hard. Still green
Mering: big presence in paint. Needs to be quicker
Overall, out team had more talent. It should have been closer if other team hit those lay ups. Coach needs to work on more offensive progressions.

[Alaska Miner]

Yes, well said, Sis. The defense is definitely good! I?m enjoying that aspect of this team. It almost makes you think The Bear is still around, until you see the way the offense selects shots? lol
Nah, I am being a bit harsh.  Actually, they were working it in under the basket much better last night, and their success showed in the score.
I think they show that they are clearly learning more and more from Golding with each passing game. I am definitely optimistic. It seems that clown Terry didn?t teach them much of anything?
Go Miners!

[Chanson]

So, looking deeper into the game (box scores) only 5 players had 20+ minutes in the game. Verho, Boum, Hollins, Kennedy, & Bieniemy. Centers played minimal minutes while Agnew & Sibley shared 12min a piece. Verho & Kennedy were crap for scoring, but made it up on D. Beiniemy, Boum, & Hollins were able to score for us.
This game told us a lot about Golding.
1) Trusts in D more than scoring
2) Knows how to play small
3) Big men aren't quite there on efficiency
4) Sibley is a defensive liability
5) Agnew is an offensive liability

In regards to the team:
1) Boum (smallest kid) had most rebounds
2) Guards rebound better than bigs
3) Bigs not good at scoring

The shortcomings look like we should have lost the game, but the Miners dominated most of the game. When Pacific pushed in the end, Miners did a great job in holding.

I have a theory.
Coaches that come from small schools have more action plays for guards than big men & I think that may also be the case here. Coach is learning how to incorporate big men while using his strength of guard play. I'm actually very OK with it since our guards are long & quick. At some point, Golding will run into good perimeter defense & need to teach his bigs more set plays.

UC Riverside is going to bring length, speed, scoring & strong rebounding. I think this will be a bit more of a good match up because Riverside's defense will not be as strong.

Anyone have thoughts on our opposition?

[SisyphusMiner]

I will not be able to watch this one so looking forward to everyone?s comments

[Chanson]

I'm at the game. I'm not sure if anyone is watching, but Sibley has been open 9n the paint 6 times & he passes out. He is afraid to shoot. We don't need a chicken shit. Why coach doesn't take the kid out is beyond me.

[Chanson]

So, looking at Twitter, I saw that 5☆ 6'7" Che Evans Jr committed to UTEP. He is a San Diego St transfer from Baltimore. Ties with Kalu, I have no idea. The kid is a wing & can shoot lights out. In 2020 he was the #1 ranked recruit out of Maryland. Golding now needs a decent big man. When I say that, I mean someone who can score.
Aside from trying to find a big man, I can't wait to see this Evans kid in orange.

[SisyphusMiner]

Do you know when he will be eligible?

[Chanson]

Do you know when he will be eligible?

I'm guessing as soon as he gets here. I don't think he played a single game for SDSU. Not sure how that would work. Plus, the kid has not played competitive ball for a year. May need to get unrusted