Welp. The Broncos ain’t awful, but they aren’t at all what we hoped for this season. Really tough. Just looking for strong seeding in the WCC Tournament and a miracle.
7 Likes
We often seem to be less than the sum of our parts.
6 Likes
Coaching appears to be the missing variable…
2 Likes
There is no sugar coating it, as this has to be the most disappointing start for a Broncos team in recent memory, considering the expectations.
I don’t think anyone on this board would have predicted 2-4. This team has blown two games with double digit leads.
Disappointment is an understatement, but you just have to keep grinding. There’s a long way to go, but our faith is being tested early with this team.
8 Likes
One strategy take-away…play Oboye more. Depending on match-ups, have him split back-up minutes at the 5 with Cam. And let Cam play most of the back-up minutes at the 4; that’s his natural position. Yes, that means Ensminger’s minutes are reduced…spot, situational duty only.
Oboye has good mobility, coordination and hands for a 7-1 guy. Lack of mass/strength is a challenge but he didn’t do any worse defending Raynaud in the post than Tilly did. And my recollection is Oboye was a guard or wing early in high school then had a significant, late growth spurt. His comfort level playing on the perimeter, handling/passing is evident.
8 Likes
The only other game I’ve attended this year was the debacle against NDSU, so excuse me if I’m extra salty. Both games were eerily similar: Broncos with a 10-point lead at halftime, slow start to the second half, awful execution during the last three minutes.
Against NDSU, they squandered a 5-point lead in the final 30 seconds and were outscored 18-10 in OT.
Tonight, they were outscored 16-6 in the final three minutes, and once again, it was the road team playing with poise and precision.
I’m no Hubie Brown, but the offense during clutch time seems to be to rely on athleticism to get off a shot. That hasn’t worked out well, and for all the talk of how talented this roster is, it’s imbalanced, a surplus of 2’s and 3’s, a bunch of wing players but light on big men and floor generals.
And honestly, even with all those 2’s and 3’s, is there a go-to guy who can hit the clutch 3, or be money at the line at the end of the game? If there is, I don’t see him.
The lack of direction was in evidence at the end of the game. Down by 2 with 2 seconds left and inbounding the ball beneath your own basket is, granted, a tall order. But the play of choice, a Hail Mary pass, is almost impossible to pull off successfully. Better off running screens and making a conventional pass; the player has time for a dribble and a half court shot, which will likely be lightly contested because a foul means 3 free throws. Probably a 5% chance, but better than a Hail Mary that has interception written all over it.
The only positive I took from this game was the play of Bukky Oboye.
10 Likes
Sendek said in post-game interview that guys are not playing to their potential. How about GUYS ARE PLAYING OUT OF POSITION?!
I AGREE 100% with the suggestion - Oboye/Luke should back up Tilly and Cam should be shifted to where he belongs (AT THE FOUR) - where he should split EQUALLY with O’Neil. (Cams intangibles include, speed, clearing the key for teammates to get boards, hustle and help defense, and physical play that a lot of our other guys are apparently not comfortable with).
In the postgame interview Herb referenced the first few minutes of the second half twice and said we started second half allowing a Stanford 10-0 run. This is a coaching and player problem. I am watching guys toss up shots they should not take and then defer ones they should take - while averaging 32 minutes per game!!! WHY are we staying committed to things that are not working?
Insanity is repeating the same thing over and over - and expecting different results.
10 Likes
Has anyone seen our new AD at any games? Thought for sure she would attend this one. Maybe she’s lying low given our season start?
She was at the NDSU game. Was in Chapel Hill with women’s soccer team so might not have been back in time for Stanford game
4 Likes
Although a longtime Zag fan but still follow Santa Clara closely and root for you when you’re not playing the Zags. I really feel bad for you this year. You had three games that you could have one and two that you absolutely should have won. The thing that I have observed is that your offense seems so disjointed at times and you resort to one on one matchups near the end of the clock which often results in poor results. I watched the video hilights of the Drake - Vanderbilt game (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vN19UV-LEPQ) and Drake’s offense was a marvel of fluidity and team play. Vanderbilt beat Nevada by two and got beaten by Drake by 11. No offense to your coaching staff but they sure could take some pointers from Drake and their coach. Four of their starting five were DII players last year including the tourney MVP guard who never got a DI offer. A great illustration how a well coached team can defeat a team with superior athletes. Hope you are able to turn this season around.
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The last four minutes of NDSU and Stanford provide cogency to your argument. Crunch time offense is painful to watch.
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It isn’t a new problem either. To use an example that may be even a bit more potent for our friend CPK, the Broncos’ win over the Zags last season, I believe, ended on two straight iso possessions for Bal. Now that worked, but I’m not sure it was the best crunch time offense you can cook up.
Or in the 2023 WCC tournament, we basically just ran Podz vs Shabazz all of overtime. Shabazz won that matchup barely, but I would have taken SCU’s team that season over USF. We just elected not to use it.
I hope that the staff can do some real examination of the strategy here. A 2-4 record at this point is just not acceptable with the money and talent and promotion being directed at this squad. It looked like they had 400 or more students for NDSU, probably the best home attendance for an awful opponent in 15 years. That all went squandered big time.
9 Likes