Tuesday, January 26, 2016

Things That I Think I Think

-I think that by the time February rolls around, there aren't many surprises left in college basketball, they are who we think they are

-I think that Rodney Williams is a great talent, a great teammate, and a good player, but is missing that mean streak that could make him a great player

-I think that when students are stuck on campus during a snowstorm, it can be a lot of fun when a few hundred meet up at a basketball game, one of the few events available to them.  This weekends student turnout was a bit disappointing, and while the product on the floor is partially at fault, we can still do better

-I wish that in 15 years, this staff had developed more than a handful of guards

-I think hens are weak, and I'm proud to be a Dragon

-I think that I really enjoyed glimpses of the inside out game we saw between Rodney Williams and Sammy Mojica

-I'm excited that Ahmad Fields, Major Canady, Rodney Williams and Mohammed Bah will all very likely be back next year, which will give a potential new staff a non-empty cupboard to start with

-I think this season is best with a drink in hand.  It pairs nicely with malt liquor

-I think Terrell Allen is special.  Besides his strong finishing game, free throw shooting and speed, he's quietly second in the conference in steals, while playing in a defense that isn't designed to force turnovers. I am less excited that he's top 10 in minutes in the conference as a freshman.  Freshman wall approaching... or here?

-I think sometimes, come late January thru the middle of February, writers can hit a wall and rely on a gimmicky crutch of a column to try to keep things fresh

-I think Dr. Zillmer knew he had a broken snowblower, but still acted surprised in front of his family when it didn't work during Winter Storm Jonas.  He was shocked he says!

-I think that Mohammed Bah has made strides in his understanding of the game this year, and that Rashann London is also slowing things down, showing discipline and figuring things out

-I think that Tavon Allen wants what is best for the team over all else, and it has shown in the adjustments in his game the last few weeks

-I think that if only 74 people show up for a basketball game, and the external relations department staff only make contact with 10 of the 74, we know one of the reasons why only 74 people showed up

-I think DU has fewer season ticket accounts than this blog has daily readers.  The fan base is still here, it's just talking with its wallet.  That makes me proud to be a part of the fan base

-I think that Bruiser Flint really liked his team going into this season.  We're seeing how strong the frontcourt can be offensively right now, and he likely thought that Terrell and Ahmad Fields were going to be a special combo.  Since he always liked Tavon Allen's offense, Bru seems to have liked his offense and assumed his defense.  Both have been an issue

-I think the silly thing is that with the way the inside guys are scoring, this team can actually be pretty good if they followed Bruiser's gameplans, played slowly and with discipline and fought on the boards.  They certainly were the better team against UNCW at the times that they did this

-I think Bruiser has resigned himself to knowing that this team isn't very good.  And I think the players know that he thinks that.  And with that comes "lack of toughness", regressing rebounding numbers and quit

-I think this team is better today than it was in November

-I think next years Drexel Athletics slogan will be "Drexel Athletics:  Squash the Opposition"

-I think Kazembe Abif has not only been the veteran presence this team has needed this year, but he has also been their most consistent force and is incredibly under-appreciated throughout this conference

-I think that Kaz's leadership is the only reason to have hope that this team can regroup and win a couple more games

-I think Bruiser's suit in the game last weekend against UNCW was made from a drapery hung in a ranch style home in 1973

-I think that the whole "this will get worse before it gets better" thing is closing in on the point where things get better

4 comments:

  1. Re: "a potential new staff"... Please correct me if I'm wrong, but Bruiser has another year remaining on his contract. Do we really believe that the administration is willing to eat a year of 3rd highest paid employee at the university, in order to right the direction of this program?

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  2. To the best of my knowledge, yes Bru has another year. Do I believe that they want to? No, I'm sure they don't. But Fry has actually pushed some funds towards athletics, and they have to not just be hearing about this internally, but understand that they are a laughingstock externally. More importantly, that's sunk cost to them, they pay it either way. The better question is will they pay a second coaches salary. I think, in ticket sales alone, an argument can certainly made to do it.

    Lame duck years are tough, and can drain a program long term as he won't be able to recruit next year. Thats why most schools try to avoid it, and I think DU will too.

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  3. I believe you forgot Miles Overton as a building piece, unless I've missed some news. Also agree with you on Terrell, think he hit the wall around the start of conference play.

    Basketball had their budget cut by almost the exact amount of Bru's salary. Probably a coincidence seeing as how every program saw a spending decrease, but maybe interesting.

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  4. In terms of whether or not Drexel would keep Bruiser for another year just because he's still under contract...
    I have a hard time believing that Drexel would be dumb enough to offer him a contact in which the last year is fully guaranteed no matter what. If they were smart, there SHOULD be a clause in the contract in which Drexel could deduct any compensation that he receives elsewhere, should he be terminated. And from what we know about Bruiser, if his contract is terminated at the end of the year, he's not just going to sit on his butt for a year and collect from Drexel. We all know that he's going to move on quickly and get another job in some capacity. So if Drexel was smart enough to negotiate some sort of out clause into his contract, then they shouldn't be concerned about keeping him around another just because he's under contract, when it's obviously clear by everyone that he's not wanted here anymore.

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