To have this talent and get these results is pathetic. At this point things would be better if Herb just rolled the ball out… the boys could do better on their own.
2 Likes
Can we teach the bigs to rebound with two hands !! Herb has a deep bench- he needs to use it. McEldon should play more. Why is Benjamin in the dog house ?
While I ABSOLUTELY agree this is a horrible loss an embarrassing, it should be noted SJSU was one of the worst programs in the country during KK & Davey’s tenure. Miles has at least done a decent job. KK lost to plenty of teams ranked 150-170.
Anyways, this sucks and it’s the same old results.
By the way, anyone notice the women are like 68 in the NET. Go Broncos.
1 Like
Somewhat true…but 2 of Sendek’s losses came before Miles arrived when they were horrible.
And I’m glad no one has used the excuse of Tilly being out. SJSU’s Trey Anderson was out as well. Injuries are a reality, no excuse.
And no time to sulk or feel sorry for ourselves. Have to play a solid Duquesne squad in 3 days that is probably comparable to Utah St. and better than SJSU.
3 Likes
these players don’t grow on trees but get me a Ricky Rubio style player and we are in business
1 Like
We should be so fortunate that sendik would leave since Renee will never let him go under her watch. Unfortunately, we’re stuck with sendik until he retires.
We are a 3-5 team, home wins vs. Utah Tech, Saint Francis, Southeastern Louisiana, Mississippi Valley State, and Menlo mean nothing. Wins vs Stanford (mediocre) Oregon (injured) Washington State (mediocre) were nice but don’t make us a post season team. Historically, losing to SJSU two years in a row may be embarrassing but not in the current. Miles is a very good coach who gets the most out of what he has, which is not much. The past two seasons we had Jalen and Brandin who would control crunch times with ball in their hands even though not point guards. We will not have a player like that this season, Marshall is only a scorer. Adjustments are needed or we continue to be a turnover machine. Truth is the WCC is way down this year and even though not as good as the past two seasons, this may be our best chance to win the tournament in a long time. Zags are good, not great and same with St. Mary’s. This roster has potential and I hope we make the most of it
10 Likes
Wow, I thought Miles had been there longer. Oops.
Agree with no more Bal at point guard. He’s way more dangerous (and less turnover prone) catching the ball at the 3 point line with a live dribble.
2 Likes
This is Miles’ 3rd season.
The previous SJSU coaches and their tenures were certainly forgettable…this is just Miles’ 3rd season at SJSU. The previous 10seasons spanning three coaches including no winning seasons and just one season of double digit wins.
Back to Miles…he was successful at Colorado St. went on to Nebraska, a school with historically limited basketball success playing in a tough league (Big Ten) in a smallish metro area without a good local recruiting base. And yet, Miles was a hair over .500 and fairly stable/consistent in results. Since letting Miles go, Nebraska has been much worse under Fred Hoiberg (.370 winning %); clearly firing Miles wasn’t a step forward. Winning at SJSU is about as hard as it gets.
A smart AD at a low/mid-tier Power Conf school or at a good mid-major who loses their coach would be wise to look at Miles. Oregon State comes to mind…not sure how much longer they’ll stink with Wayne Tinkle who has trended down of late.
2 Likes
Maybe try Benjamin out again and let him out of the doghouse? I do like Knapper out there too and I see a floor general in him in the long run. But for now, maybe balance the minutes with these two guys and stop forcing Bal into a position he does not fit? I am liking McEldons game. To me, a constant rotation of McEldon, Tilly, Tongue will give you some dogs inside. Move O’Neil out to the 3 where he can be lethal when he is on fire. I also feel having his size on the outside could work to our advantage.
3 Likes
I would like to see some experimentation going forward. They have to win in Vegas to get to the Tourney, and the NIT isn’t really in play unless they really turn around in a big way.
So give lots of run to Knapper and Hammond to see if one can step into the PG role that’s desperately needed. Knapper was one of the few players without any turnovers last night and hit a crucial three when it looked like things might really spiral out of control. Right now, Knapper seems to be used less to set up the offense than to just hold onto the ball until CMJ or Bal try to drive one-on-one (often leading to a TO). He hasn’t been confident yet to probe the defense and try to get guys out of position. I’d like to see that more as it’s the main thing that Benjamin brings so far that no one else really does well.
This might be a team that just needs to run more sets. The athleticism and speed are so tantalizing to just push the pace constantly, but until this team can hold onto the ball on offense, it might be prudent to slow it down a bit more and get into the half court offense.
EDIT: Here’s the post game with Sendek. Take from it what you will, but I’m glad that at least he sees what we see.
https://twitter.com/SantaClaraHoops/status/1737732598477267288
4 Likes
“Nothing is as good or as bad as it seems.” I keep repeating that quote to myself, especially after a loss like last night. I had to turn it off and walk away after a few too many basketballs bounced off our player’s toes leading to more turnovers. That’s something you can’t fault the coaches for…
I think we are seeing a little bit of the downside of the transfer portal. You can get great talent but the players need time playing together, and not just practice together, to be successful. Adding one transfer (Podz) to an established crew that has fought together is relatively easy compared to bringing together 5 individuals from different programs and making it work. Takes time, and apparently tears (mine). Talent is not enough. Coaching isn’t the only solution. I think Keyshawn Justice was a big part of the glue last year. We miss that.
I’ll add to that the fact that some of our rotation players didn’t even start with the team at the beginning because they were playing FIBA.
If I’m right, this team should be playing much better together at the end of the season. Fingers crossed.
7 Likes
Agree with Dooger. While the term ‘chemistry’ wasn’t used, that is one of the things (there are others) this team is lacking. I said the same prior to the season, that chemistry and the ability to pull the talent together to form a TEAM would be the question and challenge. While others were salivating over the supposed talent and depth, I had my doubts.
Any chance of an at large bid is effectively gone and an NIT bid would require at least another 13 to 14 wins…you can do the math and there’s a variety of ways to get there but it probably requires something like a 12-4 season or better in WCC play plus a win in the WCC tourney.
The season is not over and there is certainly time to pull it together and make some noise in the WCC. And I agree with JerryBellottiFan above re: the strength of the league; the league does appear to be down. GU is still GU but there are no Holmgrens, Timmes or Suggs on the squad. SMC has struggled and is vulnerable. LMU was picked by a few as a sleeper but they’ve been so-so. USF has probably been the most consistent but I don’t see them being any better than they have been the past 2 seasons. If there was ever a time for a Cinderella season with a chance to win the WCC tourney, this is it…it is unfortunate we’re floundering at this point in time but again, maybe we figure some things out in the coming weeks.
9 Likes
I guess, to reprise my erstwhile Pollyanna role on this board, I’d rather have a boatload of talent with chemistry as a work in progress than great chemistry capped by a talent deficit. At least where the Broncos are, there’s a chance to meaningfully turn it around. And just maybe they can.
7 Likes
Yes, you can’t fault coaching for the occurrences of bad turnovers, but you can fault coaching for letting it happen repeatedly without doing something about it. For example, HS could tell his guys to move around more off-ball and pass more often (who was that famous coach who said he wanted to see 3 passes before every shot in half-court sets?). I’ve seen several consecutive games that seem to employ the same approach over and over, and SURPRISE we get similar outcomes.
3 Likes
Or as others have pointed out, Herb could put an actual point guard in the game (that’s one way a coach could directly effect turnovers).
Benjamin is hands down the best point on the squad. I know he had a rough start, but he has to be on the floor if you want to see this team act as a unit. Herb is basically refusing to play him and that’s costing the team dearly.
Without Benjamin running the point the majority of the game, turnovers are going to be consistent and what’s worse is that the offense will remain flat and rely heavily on 1 on 1 buckets.
4 Likes
I hear what you’re saying, bb, but statistically, there’s not really much difference between Benjamin and Knapper at this point. Both average about as many assists as turnovers and the shooting stats are comparable. Hammond is actually better than both across most categories, including a much better ast/TO ratio, albeit with a more limited sample size. And from what I’ve observed, Benjamin is the worst defender of the bunch.
I do think that Benjamin should get some run because his experience and maturity make a difference. But as long as Benjamin is comparable to either of the two younger players, I’d rather have Hammond and Knapper get the bulk of the minutes because they will hopefully be around next season. In fact, showing them that they are a big part of the future is the best way to keep the portal’s siren song from playing too loudly in their ears, especially in a season where SCU’s postseason aspirations basically ride on Vegas now.
5 Likes
Patty- I don’t see Hammond as a true PG, maybe combo guard. I think he was mostly highly regarded as a shooter/scorer. I recall watching some of highlight stuff when he signed and often was not running the point or bringing the ball up the floor for this AAU and HS squads. Doesn’'t mean he can’t do it, it may be option down the road but would take some seasoning. I don’t mind if he gets a little PT but not sure he’s a real option at PG for this season.
I think this season we have to hope for the best in some combo of Knapper and Benjamin (if he ever exits the dog house).
1 Like
Maybe we can convince Cardenas to transfer from SJSU to SCU. He’s from Spain, maybe a little Catholic guilt to get him to come into the fold. 
1 Like