trueblue32

17 minutes ago, Big 4 Hoops Blogger said:

 

I wonder how many assists he would average in Canadian college basketball though

1 hour ago, MuchMany said:

Was only addressing the comment that it doesn't matter what we do with 15% of our scholarships.

I guess it depends how you define "matter". If they pull two rabbits out of a hat that are better than any players that they've recruited to date then maybe they can approach Whitesell's worst season with 15 wins. The realistic "matters" that we're splitting hairs about here is 12th in the MAC vs. 11th in the MAC. That doesn't matter to me, shouldn't matter to Alnutt or whoever replaces him, and definitely won't matter to future recruits

2 hours ago, MuchMany said:

Doesn't matter what they do with two scholarships? What if they got Chatman-level players at C and PF? That would certainly make me more confident in the season to come. I'm pretty skeptical at this point too, but the roster isn't finished yet.

They haven't recruited a single Chatman-level player to date so assuming they go 2/2 is bold. For those who didn't enjoy 27 shots per game from Chatman/Adams, prepare for 27 shots per game from Noah Batchelor and Shawn Fulcher

There's definitely something to be said for recruiting transfers with high major pedigree but they signed a bunch of role players on a West Virginia team that was rated lower than Akron last year. They could pop at Akron, but I don't think they look prohibitively talented. I think getting a group of transfers that played together at a previous school is interesting though. It sounds like Texas is trying to do the same thing by grabbing a bunch of the Indiana St. transfers.

2 hours ago, DaBulls99 said:

To be fair, if this were GH3 you all would be roasting him for bringing in someone with .6 pts per game last year, only scoring in 1 game. Hopefully she has more upside. 

I have no idea how good this transfer will be, but the notable difference in the two is that GH3 posted the worst season in UB history and Burke was one game from the NCAA tournament. Not to mention that she was originally recruited and played for Burke

I would assume that the assertion that we would be better without Chatman and Adams implies that the rest of the team stepped up in their wins and put them over the top. The reality is that Adams/Chatman accounted for a greater percentage of the team's productivity in (D1) wins than losses. Here are their stats in games that they both played*


So Adams and Chatman played more minutes, scored a greater percentage of the team's points, grabbed a greater percentage of the team's rebounds, used a greater percentage of the team's possessions (aka being "selfish"), and took a greater percentage of the team's shots in wins than they did in losses. This is to say they had to do everything for the team all year and the wins were the result of extra Herculean efforts rather than the rest of the team.

I agree that it is obviously unlikely that the team next year gets worse than 3 wins, but based on the roster we currently have I think it is certainly within the range of outcomes. 

*Usage numbers are slightly higher than KenPom or wherever you look because I didn't analyze PbP data to see if shots were offensive rebounded which wouldn't count as a possession used.

1 hour ago, Chet said:

Is it now true that the Bulls have the worst D1 MBB coach in WNY?  

He averaged 23 wins per year in his 8 seasons in the MAC. GHIII is pacing towards needing 6 years to win that many games, so I'll be a yes vote

Last year people would have told you that UB is too good for Christian, as they did when I suggested Mike Anderson lol

We’re still fumbling around getting an NIL collective started and March is giving out NIL deals to preferred walk-ons at Arkansas State. Get Alnutt out of here

Nate Oats played his starting center with 2 fouls in the first half 😉

28 minutes ago, TheCommish said:

What specifically has the AD done to be considered bad?

lack of nil?

bad football and mbb hires?

I'm not going to pretend that I know how to run an athletic department, but we're only a handful of years removed from the top 25 MBB and football teams and they may as well have never happened. All ties to those teams have been severed and all the fan momentum is gone. The students who were on campus for the good teams are gone. We're exactly where we were 10 years ago (well, 10 years ago we won 19 MBB games). We didn't find our way into a better conference as things have continued to shift (which I think is the true floor raiser for an athletic department). We're behind on the NIL front. I just don't know what Mark Alnutt has done to improve the department and staying stagnant is the same as falling behind as far as I'm concerned. I don't really have a good answer on how things should have gone differently, that's above my pay grade, but there have been ADs that found ways to advance UB's athletic programs.

46 minutes ago, Chet said:

If you could only choose one…..start fresh with a new basketball coach or new AD?? 

AD has to go first imo. He got handed MAC powerhouses in all 3 revenue sports and the nicest thing you can say about his hires since is that WBB hasn't completely fallen off a cliff

55 minutes ago, Chet said:

U r not wrong IMO. Coming in a little hot, but have to weigh the handful of positives, albeit there is not too much that gets me excited. Their style of play and their current recruiting are pretty bad. The vibe around GHIII appears non existent. He appears so disconnected.

Yeah I admit that my tone is sarcastic but I'm tired of the ragging on kids who committed to a different coach and got stuck in a shit situation. Not to mention the gaslighting of "you just don't know ball like I do", and insinuation that calling it what it is makes me a bad fan. We posted a .129 winning percentage this year, the last season that some of our contemporaries posted a winning percentage that bad.

Big 4:
Canisius: 1976-77
Niagara: NEVER
St. Bonaventure: 2004-05

SUNYs:
Albany: NEVER
Binghamton: 2012-13
Stony Brook: NEVER

MAC:
Akron: 1995-96
Ball State: NEVER
Bowling Green: NEVER
Buffalo: 1991-92
CMU: 1994-95
EMU: 2000-01
Kent State: 1961-62
Miami (OH): 1907-08
NIU: NEVER
Ohio: 1916-17
Toledo: 2010-11
WMU: 1958-59

This was a historically bad season and people are in denial about it. It feels like people want to believe that the issues will leave with Chatman/Adams/Jones/Smith, when we haven't really seen anything that suggests that they will.

4 minutes ago, MaineBull said:

You will regret the statements about the coach and this roster. 

Again if you're so sure, put your money where your mouth is 🙂 I'll be waiting. Don't worry I'll throw the winnings into the Halcovage buyout fund, because believe it or not I am "routing" for UB

Two guys who created their accounts after the top 25 season (we can see that) telling me how to be a UB fan. Kindly piss off. This coach stinks and this roster stinks, they won 3 games, get a grip. You can make a fan fiction site if that's what you want to read. It's well within my right as an alum, a donor, and a season ticket holder to say that the product sucks when it sucks.

Just now, MaineBull said:

This is like banging your head against a door.  You are too emotionally invested to make an objective opinion.  I am moving on as this is not fun for anyone.  Your missing the point to no ones surprise.  We will have to agree to disagree. 

Go Bulls!

  

Okay sounds good, talk to you next year and think about an o/u on the win total for the season. I'll blindly accept a bet on whatever you choose, I'm guessing it'll be 8 wins too high

Just now, MaineBull said:

They are freshman.  Lets re access this statement in a year or two and see if you have the same opinion then.  We all know you will not.  By the time they graduate my guess is two of these freshman will be strong players on very successful teams.  I think you need to get a better understanding of the game before you say some of these opinions.      

Thanks MaineBull I just found out that players can improve. Interesting, how does that help Sy Chatman and Isaiah Adams score points two months ago?

A new, more objective game for this board's posters. IUPUI, Stonehill, Cal Poly, and DePaul were the other teams with exactly 3 D1 wins. On each of those teams who were their D1 caliber players? On each of those teams who were their MAC championship contributor caliber players? On each of those teams which players would you be excited if they announced they were transferring to UB tomorrow? 

1 minute ago, MaineBull said:

That does not even warrant a response.  The idiocy speaks for itself.  

I want to be clear and get on record you don't feel there are any D1 players on this roster outside of Adams, Chatman and Smith.  Is that your opinion?

Last year yes. I would listen to an argument on Zaakir Williamson, but I'd still lean no. Jo Smith and Zaakir were the only players on the roster that posted above D1 average ORtgs. Are we going to pretend that it's outrageous that a team with 3 D1 wins has 3.5 D1 players?

6 minutes ago, MaineBull said:

Your clear love for Adams is clouding your judgment.  I am afraid you are too emotionally invested for some odd reason to be able to look at this objectively.  Lets just agree to disagree on this issue.  The simple fact remains Adams (and Chatman) were selfish and lazy players who took this team down and were an anchor for this team.  We will be better off without them.  To be successful in basketball it takes a team, look at James Harden and Russell Westbrook, great players but cannot win, why cause they are selfish and don't play team basketball.  It takes team players to be successful.  Adams and Chatman, were not those players.  If they were not on the team last year the shots could have gone to the open player, whomever that was.  That is how you succeed at basketball.  Ball movement and passing that breaks down the defense and results in an open shot for whatever player is in the open spot on the floor.    

I said that Adams shouldn't have had to be a star because he wasn't one and apparently that is love for Isaiah Adams. My point is that there were no other D1 players on the roster and your refusal to point out a single other one leads me to believe that you agree. I'm not alone in my opinion, all the others have just stopped caring, you may have noticed as the crowd surrounding you at games thinned. I hope Halcovage gives you a kiss on the forehead when he tucks you in tonight.

The people arguing with me in this thread were talking themselves into an NAIA prospect in the recruiting thread, so they will be blindly supportive for eternity and I respect that, but it doesn't mean that you are correct lmao

18 minutes ago, MaineBull said:

I think you need to get a better understanding of the game of basketball and how to be successful at it.  I can tell you that the games of Adams and Chatman are not in the recipe for success, they are players on bad teams that can put up solid numbers nothing more.  The game is won on the defensive side of the ball and Adams and Chatman were two of the worst defenders in the country last year.  There are no numbers needed to back that up.  We all watched each game painlessly watching Adams playing lazy defense (especially on the glass) and Chatman trying to break the school record for blocked shots by going after everything and goaltending constantly all while lazily getting back on defense.  Adams led the team in assists yes, but his passing and ball movement in the flow of the offense are sub par, cause he is a selfish player.  We all saw it, we all witnessed the insanity that was his game last season.  It was awful to watch.  He is a low level mid major player and he should be the third or fourth option on that team, that is his role and in that setting, I agree he could be successful potentially.  UB is better off with those two players gone, anyone who feels otherwise needs to get a better understanding of how basketball is meant to be played. 

I am not lumping Jo into this mix as I felt differently about his game.  He worked hard and was on an island on the glass last season with no one willing to help him.  His game on the offensive end does not translate at this level, he is too small and frail to be a big with his back to the basket and he does not have the offensive tools to play on the perimeter, his handle is too weak.  I will miss Jo and thank him for all of his effort the last 2 seasons.  I wish him nothing but the best.      

So o'masterful ball knower. If Adams and Chatman weren't so damn greedy who would've done the scoring on this team. Lloyd McVeigh, the worst scholarship basketball player I have seen at UB? Ryan Sabol who took more 3PA than dribbles inside the 3 point line? Shawn Fulcher, analytically one of the worst players in all of the D1 land? Anquan Boldin, the IMG C-teamer who posted a turnover rate that more than doubled his assist rate? Bryson Wilson, who could only find mop up duty minutes despite being on one of the worst teams in the country? James Graham, our other experienced D1 baller who actually managed to post shooting numbers significantly worse than Isaiah Adams, despite only having to do a fraction of the play making?

2 minutes ago, UBinMD said:

My argument is that from the time he stepped foot on the court this season, he was out to put up whatever numbers he could regardless of what that meant to the team or the win column. I think he was a turnover machine. I think that once AJ and Sabol started having some growth in their game he intentionally did not pass them the ball.

So your hypothesis is that the freshmen who were already below average offensively on microscopic usage, and additionally posted pitiful assist rates had a lot of offensive potential that Adams was simply choosing not to tap into. Even though in 3 years of D1 experience that was not descriptor of Adams at any point?

7 minutes ago, UBinMD said:

As to your total minutes item, he averaged 33 mpg this year and 29.7 mpg last year. He missed several games due to injury, so he would likely have surpassed that. I only mention that as you seem to be implying that GH3 failed to not play him enough this year. 22.8% on 3-Pointers with 149 attempts is deplorable for a Senior.

No that wasn't what I was implying. I was implying that he played major minutes on multiple D1 basketball teams that didn't contend for bottom 15 in the country. If you want to argue that Adams actually got worse as a basketball player this year my question would be what did Halcovage break because he was doing fine prior. He posted 1.4 win shares last year vs. -0.1 this year

Just now, UBinMD said:

Just to be clear, you are arguing that he wasn't a disappointment and that it was in fact the coaching staff that let him down?

This year yes. Is your argument that Halcovage set him up to succeed?

6 minutes ago, MaineBull said:

Any body willing to defend Adams is not watching the game close enough.  Adams (and Chatman) let this team down tremendously last season.  Adams is one of the most selfish players to ever play at UB.  He was second in the conference in turnovers per game and he had the worst shot selection of any player I have ever seen at UB. His effort on the defensive end (and rebounding) was laughable at best.  This program is in a much better place with him (and Chatman) gone.  I wish him the best and good riddance.

Adams played more minutes on last year's 15 win team than he did on this year's 4 win team. Saying that the program is better with all 3 D1 players we had no longer on the roster is the most needlessly contrarian bullshit I've ever seen. When there's no fans at the games next year enjoy yelling that at an empty seat