Darlan must lead the team in threes that go down, then out.
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Play of the game was Mahi giving Graves the bear hug to hold him back after the Utah Tech player hit Graves.
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Hand up, I left RIGHT before this⌠what happened?
It felt like they were on autopilot for most of the night.
Got a kick out of Graves getting 2 blocks on that last possession 
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Graves posterized some pour soul. Then #2 on Utah Tech ran up from behind and punched him.
Brief scuffle with some technicals handed out, with of course that loser getting ejected.
46 seconds in is the dunk and punch:
Well, it looked like a game where two of the tougher, more steady starters were out and a halftime ceremony presented a distraction. Not Santa Claraâs best game. But on a night where the Dons lost at home to a comparable opponent, Iâll just be grateful that they made it out with a win.
Lots to fix still, but the thing that maybe most needs fixing is just getting Jake and Christian back. Itâs cool how good SCUâs frosh (or honorary frosh, like Sash) All Stars can be. But removing half of the regular players with at least a season of experience from the lineup wonât be sustainable.
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One huge concern I have is the Broncosâ inability to grab defensive rebounds in the last two games without Ensminger. Opponents have rebounded 38% and 43% of their misses. The good news is the Broncos at least attacked the offensive glass to negate this shortcoming, but giving up offensive rebounds on 40% of your opponentsâ missed shots is a recipe for disaster. It was odd, there seemed to be multiple times where Utah Tech would miss a shot and the ball would hit the floor with our players just watching it. You could see Sendek imploring them to go grab the ball.
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Yeah. Thats not going to work during WCC season. Those guys better be diving.
For the record the student turnout was much improved last night - just about two whole sections (though most sat the whole game).
The rest of the stadium attendance was pretty poor considering it was honoring Jalen.
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pleasantly surprised with the student section involvement YOY. Their energy from my pov is largely good when things are going well but as you mention, things have to be âdoneâ to get it going. Certainly beats what I was seeing from late 2021-2023
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Can you imagine what this team would be like if Cam had one more year? How is it that some guys in NCAA seem to get 6 or 7 years?
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Itâs really serendipitous that the Darlan eligibility worked out if for no other reason than depth. He has been able to cover the 4 which, with Tadjo and now Ensminger injured, has been pretty essential. Iâm not sure what SCU would do in the same situation without being able to put Darlan on the floor. Extended small ball with PF Elijah Mahi would probably be the solution, but that has all kinds of problems as a regular lineup in my opinion.
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Utah Tech provided SCU much more than a victoryâŚThe âPunchâ got SCU big National press coverage and showcased Graves monster dunk. Not the exposure maybe some want but headlines are a good thingâŚ
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Can someone please explain to me why Graves and Knapper got technicals in addition to Trujillo? I wasnât able to watch the game, Iâve only watched the snippet, did something happen after Graves was restrained by teammates?
I think Graves may have gotten a tech for walking into Trujillo post-dunk but before the punch. Itâs not clear at all that it was intentional. He was hyped for himself and immediately went into a deserved power strut. But he went right into the back of Trujillo and pushed past him. Iâm not accusing Allen of intentionally going into Trujillo, but itâs ambiguous enough that I can see the refs using a technical to restore order knowing that SCU was going to get the benefit of the shots and possession on balance.
You can see from the corner that Knapper moves toward the scrum once the punch is thrown, and my guess is that he had some words and happened to be closest to the officiating crew when those words were shared.
In the end, the various techs all canceled out, leaving the common foul on the dunk and the flagrant-2. I can see Graves being a little annoyed at getting the T, especially if he was totally innocent in initiating the contact with Trujillo. But from the officialsâ perspective, I get the impulse to hand out largely symbolic consequences across a larger group of players to make sure the game didnât get out of hand with just one minute left and the outcome pretty much decided.
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The techâs didnât fully cancel, Sash shot two tech FTâs after Gravesâ âAnd1â FT, then we had possession. I donât know the letter of the law but I suspect the flagrant 2 trumps the lower level techs for Knapper/Graves leading to us still shooting 2 tech FTâs.
Regardless, the foul/tech on Graves was kind of weak, he was hyped and backed in to Trujillo not knowing he was there. Trujillo also had his back turned and overreacted to what he probably perceived as an intentional push on the heels of his ego being bruised by getting posterized.
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Thatâs so funny!!! I was JUST thinking âwhy wasnât Cam offered a redshirt his Freshman yr.?â Esp since other guys stayed for their 5th seasons. All guys ahead of him in his position. He wouldâve had an HUGE impact - esp with Jake injured.
BUT. Youâve got a pretty stacked team inside this year. Injuries and all. Wouldâve almost been unfair to have Cam too!!! lol
Gotta keep Graves healthy and get Jake recovered. Other guys are playing their roles well - so should do well but the boards make me a little nervous and thatâs where a guy with Cams mentality helps. (Hence Jake back in the mix!)
We put a lot in Gods hands. Unbeknownst to me and the team last yr - Cam was fighting bad knee pain. He is not the best communicator so he left Santa Clara trainers, the staff, and me in the dark!
He FINALLY admitted his pain to the Kalev coaching staff and has been getting treatment for his tendinitis and scarring. He returns the week of Dec 13th to basketball. Why I say God works in mysterious ways? The doctor heâs been working with is a leader in knee surgery - so Cam is in the care of one of the worlds best! He told me yesterday âma. Iâve got my leap back. My knees havenât felt this good for years.â
Okay. Enough Cam overload. (new folks on board are bored already) lol. But I died seeing this comment because I was thinking the exact same thing. Esp for the games like St Marys and Gonzaga where heâd be very instrumental for size/strength.
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Knapper was arguing with 33 - but that shouldnât have warranted a tech. Patty is right. Mustâve been proximity to the ref.