Stay patient with Howland...

[Dawg61]

I am watching Miami vs Duke right now and Dewan Huell is killing it for the Canes. Y'all remember him? It was down to us or Miami for him. He's averaging 14 and 6 and looks like the best player on the court right now. Point is we are a lot closer to being a great team than most of y'all are realizing. Howland has come 2nd to a couple players that would immediately change our team. Davis at Indians, Huell at Miami, Brooks at UNC plus we really should have Newman and Kegler. The three we got coming in next year are good and if Howland can add 1-2 more and cut the fat a little we should be a top 8 SEC team next year. That puts us in the dance most likely as long as he doesn't schedule another shit OOC again. Stay patient. Auburn sucked last year in Pearl's year 3.

[Drugdog]

I am watching Miami vs Duke right now and Dewan Huell is killing it for the Canes. Y'all remember him? It was down to us or Miami for him. He's averaging 14 and 6 and looks like the best player on the court right now. Point is we are a lot closer to being a great team than most of y'all are realizing. Howland has come 2nd to a couple players that would immediately change our team. Davis at Indians, Huell at Miami, Woodard at UNC plus we really should have Newman and Kegler. The three we got coming in next year are good and if Howland can add 1-2 more and cut the fat a little we should be a top 8 SEC team next year. That puts us in the dance most likely as long as he doesn't schedule another shit OOC again. Stay patient. Auburn sucked last year in Pearl's year 3.

Top 8 in the SEC? Impressive.......NOT

[msstate7]

My new found patience (until game day lol) has come from the realization that this is really year 2. We lost practically everyone after year 1. If we do not start showing a lot of progress the 2nd half of the sec season though, my melt will continue to non-game days

[Homedawg]

Brooks you mean, and he wouldn't be a game changer. He's just an ok player

[msstate7]

Brooks you mean, and he wouldn't be a game changer. He's just an ok player

Ahhh, just caught he said Woodard. If Woodard pulls a brooks, I am holding 61 responsible lol

[Dawg61]

Top 8 in the SEC? Impressive.......NOT

Lunardi's latest projection had 8-9 SEC teams in it so being in the dance I will be happy with. You wouldn't?

[mparkerfd20]

No

[BayouDawg]

Howland?s got another year regardless. I just want to watch a team that at the very least knows the general plan of what we want to do offensively.

[RougeDawg]

Howland?s got another year regardless. I just want to watch a team that at the very least knows the general plan of what we want to do offensively.

And stops having a half dozen passes a game to no person on either team.

[Bothrops]

In the second half we turned into Ozzy Osbourne off a 5 day bender after the "Bark at the Moon" tour '85.

[HancockCountyDog]

Have not watched a meaningful game in February or March in five years.

Not asking for too much.

[shannondawg]

If you don't see a different offense tomorrow night, you can kiss the rest of the season bye bye.

[MCsMGs]

Here I go again...

61 is right! I really don't think our fan base realizes how fine the line is between where we are and being a tourney team. In the Auburn game, if we don't fall asleep on 3 defensive rotations and give up 3 layups and Q, Nick and Lamar don't make 3 lazy passes that turned the ball over and turned into 3 more layups for Auburn, we win that game. That's not on Howland...that's on players that don't understand that you can't take a single play "off".

[MCsMGs]

If you don't see a different offense tomorrow night, you can kiss the rest of the season bye bye.

All we have to do is shoot at the same percentage we did last year and you would see a very different offense.

[msbulldog]

Howland has my support until his 4th year is over. Hail State.

[PMDawg]

I'm not to the point of wanting him fired, but I'm not holding my breath on us turning the corner either. I just don't expect much from him at this point. If, after next season, we haven't seen major improvement, then it's probably time to cut bait.

I can tell you one thing, it's hard to even care at this point.

[Cooterpoot]

You guys act like basketball is football. It shouldn't take 4 years to win some games. Bring in a couple stud players in basketball and you can make the tourney if you can coach. He's getting one more year though unless something really blows up this season.

[MarketingBully]

It sucks because we have a great coach and talent but we aren’t finishing teams off in the second half. That’s on the players and the leadership of the team to keep everyone in line. In 4 SEC games, we had the halftime lead in 3 of those games. With Howland’s record here after leading at halftime, we should be 3-1 and not 1-3. We actually were executing Howland’s gameplan and getting it in transition when possible in the first half against Auburn but the second half we did let up a little and that was just enough for Auburn to get going offensively. Same in the Ole Miss game. We let up a little in the second half and they came back on us. Got to have player leadership from Holman, Q, and Stapleton to recognize those lapses and nip them in the bud. Holman stated as much yesterday in the press conference. He stated it’s upon him, Q, and Stapleton to lead this team. That’s what this team needs. Players holding each other accountable.

[MarketingBully]

You guys act like basketball is football. It shouldn't take 4 years to win some games. Bring in a couple stud players in basketball and you can make the tourney if you can coach. He's getting one more year though unless something really blows up this season.

Not where our program was. That was never going to happen after the Ray debacle. Howland is bringing us back from Loafers’s self imposed 3 year death penalty.

[Tbonewannabe]

Howland has my support until his 4th year is over. Hail State.

Barring some kind of fight in the stands or some other craziness, this is the way I feel. Howland has us competitive and has very good recruiting classes lined up. I would give him another year. I don't know what it is but our team just doesn't have that fire. I am not sure what Howland can do about it. There isn't a player that seems to be the coach on the floor. IJ was that last year and we kind of maximized most of the talent on the floor. This year that player leadership is extremely lacking. Q and Holman seem so laid back and timid that I don't know if it is in their nature. That is nothing against them but just is what it is. If Peters hasn't stayed in the doghouse, he seems like the kind of guy that would do it but you can't have someone that is screwing up off the court lead the team.

[Dawg-gone-dawgs]

I am watching Miami vs Duke right now and Dewan Huell is killing it for the Canes. Y'all remember him? It was down to us or Miami for him. He's averaging 14 and 6 and looks like the best player on the court right now. Point is we are a lot closer to being a great team than most of y'all are realizing. Howland has come 2nd to a couple players that would immediately change our team. Davis at Indians, Huell at Miami, Brooks at UNC plus we really should have Newman and Kegler. The three we got coming in next year are good and if Howland can add 1-2 more and cut the fat a little we should be a top 8 SEC team next year. That puts us in the dance most likely as long as he doesn't schedule another shit OOC again. Stay patient. Auburn sucked last year in Pearl's year 3.

Down to us and Miami.....HA!!! Now that's funny. He was never gonna come here. We got on him VERY late. He was ALL Miami ALL the time. They were on him forever.

[MarketingBully]

Down to us and Miami.....HA!!! Now that's funny. He was never gonna come here. We got on him VERY late. He was ALL Miami ALL the time. They were on him forever.

His handler was all Miami all the time. Huell wanted to visit but his handler put a stop to it.

[Dawg-gone-dawgs]

His handler was all Miami all the time. Huell wanted to visit but his handler put a stop to it.

True but lets don't act like it was a close battle with us and Miami. We got on him way too late. And BTW I know for a fact that it was not just his handler. Dewan loves Miami.

[thf24]

You guys act like basketball is football. It shouldn't take 4 years to win some games. Bring in a couple stud players in basketball and you can make the tourney if you can coach.

This gets thrown around a lot and it's greatly exaggerated and misunderstood. If by "stud players" you mean top 15, sure thing one-and-done guys, then yes, you can and should expect a quick turnaround with good coaching. But what happens is that people assume top 100 in basketball is the same as top 100 in football, see a program like us land a few top 50-100 guys, and assume we should immediately start winning big, when in reality we have a young team of high 3/low 4 star guys in football terms. We have never recruited at that instant win level, not even under Stansbury. Howland really hasn't ever either; for all the players he's put in the NBA, only a select few were one-and-dones. He's never had a Calipari-esque team where he's starting 2-3 freshmen who will be in the NBA the next year. If anything, the fact that he's gotten so many guys to the NBA after two or more years should give us confidence going forward; shows that he's a good developer in addition to a good recruiter.

[Political Hack]

Coming in to this year we knew that we had an outside shot to make the tourney if we were ready come conference play. Obviously we weren?t. We?re not a tourney team, which is what most expected. Next year, it?s tourney or bust. They will be talented enough and experienced enough. This is the last year that excuses will work for our men?s b-ball program.

[MCsMGs]

This gets thrown around a lot and it's greatly exaggerated and misunderstood. If by "stud players" you mean top 15, sure thing one-and-done guys, then yes, you can and should expect a quick turnaround with good coaching. But what happens is that people assume top 100 in basketball is the same as top 100 in football, see a program like us land a few top 50-100 guys, and assume we should immediately start winning big, when in reality we have a young team of high 3/low 4 star guys in football terms. We have never recruited at that instant win level, not even under Stansbury. Howland really hasn't ever either; for all the players he's put in the NBA, only a select few were one-and-dones. He's never had a Calipari-esque team where he's starting 2-3 freshmen who will be in the NBA the next year. If anything, the fact that he's gotten so many guys to the NBA after two or more years should give us confidence going forward; shows that he's a good developer in addition to a good recruiter.

A voice of reason rises from the molten fan base....

[tcdog70]

we need 3 things.
1. learn how to run a zone--just as a change of pace to stop a run. also to protect Ado from foul trouble.
2. run a set play to get Holman an open 3.
3-Peters needs to wake the 17 up.

[Dawg61]

Down to us and Miami.....HA!!! Now that's funny. He was never gonna come here. We got on him VERY late. He was ALL Miami ALL the time. They were on him forever.

cool

[Dawg-gone-dawgs]

we need 3 things.
1. learn how to run a zone--just as a change of pace to stop a run. also to protect Ado from foul trouble.
2. run a set play to get Holman an open 3.
3-Peters needs to wake the 17 up.

I think Peters has a case of what Sword and others had when prodigy Newman came in. N.Weatherspoon is further along, Peters knows it and don't like it. It is an ego, mental thing.

[Goldendawg]

we need 3 things.
1. learn how to run a zone--just as a change of pace to stop a run. also to protect Ado from foul trouble.
2. run a set play to get Holman an open 3.
3-Peters needs to wake the 17 up.

I went to Hailstate and looked at the individual stats for the men. Holman is a very high % on FG% (.612) and 3's (.512) but only getting 21.7 minutes a game. Do we have too many players in our regular rotation? I'd like to see him getting more minutes. Thoughts?

[MCsMGs]

I went to Hailstate and looked at the individual stats for the men. Holman is a very high % on FG% (.612) and 3's (.512) but only getting 21.7 minutes a game. Do we have too many players in our regular rotation? I'd like to see him getting more minutes. Thoughts?

I think it has to do with that accounting principle of diminishing returns. More minutes doesn't always give a linear return in productivity. In other words, fresh legs outperform tired ones.

[MCsMGs]

I think it has to do with that accounting principle of diminishing returns. More minutes doesn't always give a linear return in productivity. In other words, fresh legs outperform tired ones.

This is especially true when we play man defense and run a motion offense. That requires our guys to expend a lot of energy on both ends of the court.

[BiscuitEater]

we need 3 things.

Ahh.. + need some kind of plan to attack a zone. We seem clueless against ANY zone D.

[tcdog70]

I went to Hailstate and looked at the individual stats for the men. Holman is a very high % on FG% (.612) and 3's (.512) but only getting 21.7 minutes a game. Do we have too many players in our regular rotation? I'd like to see him getting more minutes. Thoughts?

what we need is when he is in the game --run our offense threw Him. He can shoot. Set Him up and let Him shoot till they stop Him. Hard fricking hard is that.

[whosyourdawgy]

Howland has now landed a McDonald’s All American in Reggie Perry. He is what we need. A rebounding scoring 4. It’s what this years team doesn’t have. Patience is hard but Howland is the one we need to give it to. I was at the Auburn game and i am frustrated as the next fan. But we have to give him time. Crap. Hopefully our guys remember how to shoot and Ado improves with the 3 we have coming in next season. If next season isn’t a damn good year for us then we can start to lose patience. Maybe we get our shit together this year. 13-4 we have time to get right but we have to get it turned around tonight.

[Goldendawg]

Glad we have the three signees that we have coming in next year. If any of the three get big time minutes, some present players will transfer out just like the last couple of years or maybe even be "processed", and we and other programs (not talking about one and done KY) will stay eternally young better than Peter Pan. All kids D1 kids today think they are NBA ready and in love with the three and the day of role players is just about gone. Check out the transfer stats from one school to another today. The college game has changed and not for the better. BTW, Ky's one and done every year is a joke. Sure these "student athletes" are all in pre-med or engineering for that one year and plan to return to Ky to finish their college education after their NBA ,European, or wherever professional career.

[Tbonewannabe]

Glad we have the three signees that we have coming in next year. If any of the three get big time minutes, some present players will transfer out just like the last couple of years or maybe even be "processed", and we and other programs (not talking about one and done KY) will stay eternally young better than Peter Pan. All kids D1 kids today think they are NBA ready and in love with the three and the day of role players is just about gone. Check out the transfer stats from one school to another today. The college game has changed and not for the better. BTW, Ky's one and done every year is a joke. Sure these "student athletes" are all in pre-med or engineering for that one year and plan to return to Ky to finish their college education after their NBA ,European, or wherever professional career.

College basketball is just hard to watch now. Not only does the AAU crap screw up the kids but the way they call fouls is killing what is left of my love of basketball.

[Goldendawg]

College basketball is just hard to watch now. Not only does the AAU crap screw up the kids but the way they call fouls is killing what is left of my love of basketball.

I agree 100%. The only college games that I watch anymore are State games (which has been brutal the last few years) and every once in a while, UNM, pulling for my 2nd favorite team which is whoever UNM plays in any sport. I would probably watch State play against another school in chess if I knew the rules. I no longer watch the "game" of basketball called the NBA and I am headed that way in college ball,