NJIT

[filbert]

Re: NJIT

My question is this. There are three guys on the court most of the time that have shown nothing but heart and guts for the season. I know nothing about Cadwell, Callahan and Kai (he has already earned first name only status in my book) except what I have seen on the court, and I can't imagine that these three would be giving up. So, where is the bad attitude/giving up coming from?

I think part of it, quite honestly (and I'm a Nagy fan/supporter) is that he doesn't quite know how to skillfully handle a struggling, losing team. But blaming it on the coach doesn't fully excuse the (lack of) effort I watched tonight. They were flat, flat, flat. Even so, nobody will convince me that NJIT has better players because I don't think they do. They just wanted it more than SDSU's players did.

That's what I saw. Frankly, I don't know how to fix it either. I think we've now got a decent (not good yet, but not awful) core of players. I think we have a good head coach. But somehow it's not working.

[valleyrabbit]

Re: NJIT

I don't want to rip on players, but there are things that just need to be said. I think a lot of the effort gets passed down from the senior leadership on the team and quite frankly I think our 2 seniors aren't cutting it in the leadership category. One fouled one of NJIT's best FT shooters with few seconds left on the shot clock late in the game and the other missed a critical FT late in the game. The one who missed the FT has missed several shots at crucial times this season. I know he is from the Brookings area, but I say good riddance. Our senior class of Beran, Loney, Casey, and potentially Berte next season will be much better leaders adn players and that is one reason why I think there should be optimism for next year.

[SUPERBUNNY]

Re: NJIT

I don't want to rip on players, but there are things that just need to be said.  I think a lot of the effort gets passed down from the senior leadership on the team and quite frankly I think our 2 seniors aren't cutting it in the leadership category.  One fouled one of NJIT's best FT shooters with few seconds left on the shot clock late in the game and the other missed a critical FT late in the game.  The one who missed the FT has missed several shots at crucial times this season.  I know he is from the Brookings area, but I say good riddance.  Our senior class of Beran, Loney, Casey, and potentially Berte next season will be much better leaders adn players and that is one reason why I think there should be optimism for next year.

With a new bunch of recruits, returning players, and everyone gaining a year of tough experience they will be a much better team next year. I think we all feel your pain gateway, but we have to give these kids credit for sticking it out through the transition. Nagy will always play the players that he feels will give them the best chance to win no matter what year in school they are. He is simply trying to pur the best team on the floor. It's easy to understand how they could be a little down or a flat after going through everything they have this year and over the last few.

We've just got to keep the faith!

SUPERBUNNY

[SF_Rabbit_Fan]

Re: NJIT

I don't want to rip on players, but there are things that just need to be said. I think a lot of the effort gets passed down from the senior leadership on the team and quite frankly I think our 2 seniors aren't cutting it in the leadership category. One fouled one of NJIT's best FT shooters with few seconds left on the shot clock late in the game and the other missed a critical FT late in the game. The one who missed the FT has missed several shots at crucial times this season. I know he is from the Brookings area, but I say good riddance. Our senior class of Beran, Loney, Casey, and potentially Berte next season will be much better leaders adn players and that is one reason why I think there should be optimism for next year.

Nice post. Real classy.

[SDSUJack3031]

Re: NJIT

[quote author=gatewayrabbit link=1170602403/60#61 date=1171003146]I don't want to rip on players, but there are things that just need to be said.  I think a lot of the effort gets passed down from the senior leadership on the team and quite frankly I think our 2 seniors aren't cutting it in the leadership category.  One fouled one of NJIT's best FT shooters with few seconds left on the shot clock late in the game and the other missed a critical FT late in the game.  The one who missed the FT has missed several shots at crucial times this season.  I know he is from the Brookings area, but I say good riddance.  Our senior class of Beran, Loney, Casey, and potentially Berte next season will be much better leaders adn players and that is one reason why I think there should be optimism for next year.

Nice post.  Real classy.[/quote]

Yeah...not real classy....some things may be left unsaid but he's probably right though....

[mitchell2006]

Re: NJIT

I don't want to rip on players, but there are things that just need to be said.  I think a lot of the effort gets passed down from the senior leadership on the team and quite frankly I think our 2 seniors aren't cutting it in the leadership category.  One fouled one of NJIT's best FT shooters with few seconds left on the shot clock late in the game and the other missed a critical FT late in the game.  The one who missed the FT has missed several shots at crucial times this season.  I know he is from the Brookings area, but I say good riddance.  Our senior class of Beran, Loney, Casey, and potentially Berte next season will be much better leaders adn players and that is one reason why I think there should be optimism for next year.

I'm actually pretty impressed with Jose this year. Even though he is streaky from the foul line, he's always hustling and has been really aggressive on both offense and defense. Last year it seemed he talked more trash when he was on the court than he played basketball, but he has really improved this year. As far Andy goes, I really thought that he would be able to come into SDSU and be a Reggie Miller type player where they just run him through a bunch of screens and he would than catch and shoot. I think about everybody, including Andy, probally expected more from him thoughout his career. (Only 300 pts in 4 years, compared to Caddy's 750 pts in 2 years) But at least he has remained loyal to the program and stuck with it, which is more than a lot of his previous teammates.

[filbert]

Re: NJIT

Maybe the trick for the remainder of this year is to try to rediscover some of the joy of the game. The guys are tired, sore, and depressed by the season.

But I'll stick to my core opinion that they're actually better than they seem to think they are right now.

Maybe it's time to relax a bit, and just go play some hoops.

With players lost, players coming back, and new recruits--this team WILL be better next year.

[rabbitz]

Re: NJIT

I agree with fillbert. I hope that they can end the season loving bb and look forward to next year...they will be better. And I really, really hope they dont loose any players between now and then.

[SUPERBUNNY]

Re: NJIT

Maybe the trick for the remainder of this year is to try to rediscover some of the joy of the game.  The guys are tired, sore, and depressed by the season.

But I'll stick to my core opinion that they're actually better than they seem to think they are right now.  

Maybe it's time to relax a bit, and just go play some hoops.

With players lost, players coming back, and new recruits--this team WILL be better next year.

Well, they don't call him the Global Moderator for nothing!

Thanks filbert!

SUPERBUNNY

[Haldersham]

Re: NJIT

I don't want to rip on players, but there are things that just need to be said.  I think a lot of the effort gets passed down from the senior leadership on the team and quite frankly I think our 2 seniors aren't cutting it in the leadership category.  One fouled one of NJIT's best FT shooters with few seconds left on the shot clock late in the game and the other missed a critical FT late in the game.  The one who missed the FT has missed several shots at crucial times this season.  I know he is from the Brookings area, but I say good riddance.  Our senior class of Beran, Loney, Casey, and potentially Berte next season will be much better leaders adn players and that is one reason why I think there should be optimism for next year.

I believe gateway is talking about Andy Kleinjan. I think its fair to point out that Andy was the last D2 player to be recruited, and was recruited by Nagy and Morgenthaler. He is the only player on the team for which assistant Troy Larson was not part of the recruiting. This can have some affect on how they relate to the assistant coach and head coach both. Everyone else including Jose Frias where recuited initally by Troy Larson with Coach Nagy giving the final approval.

I think Andy has given his best. He is a good student and although second hand I have heard he has felt like leaving the team several times, but has chosen to tough it out. He values the importance of completing his education and then go on to teaching high school.

Its convenient to blame just one or two players, when in reality its the entire roster that is struggling. How is it possible to be a leader when you are sitting on the bench? I venture that Andy Kleinjan gives 100 per cent in practice and the games. Maybe his talent is level is not where it should be, but I think Jose and Andy have given it their best.

[rabbitz]

Re: NJIT

Ya Know Andy is very loyal to the program and must love bb lot and must have wanted to really be a jackrabbit, he coudl have walked away many times. I know of an incident - when he was a fr, he had a broken arm. Very horrible story to how that arm got broke... involving a fellow (sr) player. It would have been easy for him to walk away at that point.

I agree, you cant sight one or two players, its been a tough season(s), you just hope that they can look to a brighter future.

[NightHawk78]

Re: NJIT

I think that our seniors have not given us the leadership that this team has needed, but that it is not their fault. As Haldersham pointed out, Kleinjan was a D-2 recruit who has to been at the very top of his game in order to compete on this level. In addition, he was overly-hyped ("best pure shooter" sound familiar?) and that made his an east target of criticism when neither he nor the team met the expectations of Jackrabbit Nation. Frias was a JUCO player who was out of ball for a year and should have been expected to be a role player, which he has done fairly well most of the time.

Having a refreshed Beran back next year should help take care of the leadership void that we've had

Give credit to NJIT; they only had eight turnovers last night. I was at the women's game, so I doin't know if that was the result of great ball handling or a lack of pressure by our team.

On another game note, what happened to Callahan last night? Did he get injured or was he sick? He only played nine minutes last night.......

[1stRowFANatic]

Re: NJIT

Maybe, senior leadership is why most of the team has not completely packed it in for the year. While I didn't get a chance to listen to the last game, we haven't seen many 30-40 pt blow outs in the second half of the season. I don't think all leadership has to be shown on the court.

[jjbballfan]

Re: NJIT

I believe that it is unfair to blame Andy, though if you look at what was said of him in high school, gatorade player of the year, great shooter and all I beleived his game would of transfered better to D-I then it has. Andy has been injury riddled during his career at SDSU and still gives 100%. Since Andy has been on campus alot of players have left the program while he has stayed and you could say that Andy has had more/better reasons to leave then most of the players who have left the program. I think its hard to blame seniors for leadership, considering A this is the first year where they really have been part of the rotation, B considering the # of freshman on the team.

[JimmyJack]

Re: NJIT

Right now, we don't have enough quality, D1 players to compete every night. Effort has kept us in most games during the second half of the season, which suggests there must be some leadership on the team. I have no idea, though, who's leading and who's following. I give these kids credit for maintaining the effort (with the possible exception of last night's game) despite all the losses.