SBNation.com User Blog: B-rod24

Sunday Thoughts: Florida State vs. Wake Forest

B-rod24 — Sun, 16 Sep 2012 23:00:27 -0000

The following post was authored by Tomahawk Nation contributor Alan Mundy (idontwan2know).

Florida State dominated Wake Forest in a 52-0 throttling saturday. The defense and running game were absolutely dominant. Some initial observations after a first viewing of the game:

While we won’t get into percentages as EJ Manuel did after the Savannah State game, it is clear that FSU had been holding back a lot of the offense. We saw a lot of new things from the Seminole offense, including a heavy dose of zone read and some packaged plays that included run and pass options in the same play.
The passing game as a whole struggled at times. This was likely due to a number of factors, including some missed blitz pickups, drops by receivers, running new stuff for the first time in a game against an unusual defensive front, and some inaccurate throws from the quarterback. As usual, when the passing game struggles fans immediately place blame on the quarterback, but there were many factors, not least of which being a limited number of attempts early in the game. FSU ran nearly twice as many designed runs as called passes (21 to 12, respectively) in the first half. This is not a criticism of Jimbo Fisher’s play calling as the results speak for themselves, but it does help to put the issues in the passing game into perspective.
With all of the above in mind, EJ definitely displayed consistent accuracy issues on intermediate routes. Especially puzzling was his poor placement of some corners, which is usually a route he throws very well.
It goes without saying that FSU ate Wake Forest’s lunch on outside zone runs. This was aided significantly by some tremendous blocking by the wide receiver corps. There were multiple instances of FSU receivers blocking Wake Forest defenders completely off the field. Wake Forest played two high safeties all game long and FSU was happy to run the ball against 7 in the box. This is a key difference from last year, when FSU could not consistently run against 6/7 in the box.
As impressive as the receivers were as blockers, their propensity for drops is becoming a concern. We have seen multiple drops from the receiver position in each of FSU’s three games. Receivers coach Lawrence Dawsey needs to get on this to make sure it doesn’t become a habit.
It’s hard to talk about this FSU defense and sound reasonable. You look for things to improve on, and they are few and far between. They did surrender one long run in the first quarter and a long pass play in the third quarter. Those two plays accounted for 75 of Wake Forest’s 126 total yards (60%).
If Telvin Smith continues to improve on his technique and assignment discipline, he could ultimately become as good or better than Christian Jones in pass coverage, and that is extraordinary praise. On one play yesterday, he ran 20+ yards downfield with a receiver in the seam and was in perfect hip pocket position. Any DB would be proud of that play.
The future of FSU’s defensive backfield is extremely bright. It should be understood that Wake Forest has no one who could challenge FSU deep, but the performance was still outstanding.

Wake Forest is not a good team, but they are a BCS conference team with legitimate athletes and some good players. Maybe the most impressive thing about FSU’s win was the way they completely shut down a good WR/QB combo in Tanner Price (8/22 for 87 yards) and Micheal Campanaro (2 receptions for 8 yards). If a team is going to have success against FSU, they must be able to achieve at least a stalemate at the line of scrimmage and have multiple skill position weapons. Does Clemson fit the bill? We’ll find out Saturday night in Tallahassee.

Cure for a bad week. Chad Jones Update

B-rod24 — Fri, 07 Sep 2012 22:39:33 -0000

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/ncaaf-dr-saturday/exclusive-former-lsu-safety-chad-jones-road-back-144322667--ncaaf.html

I suck at embedding videos. Watch the video, though. It makes you want to jump off the computer and run a marathon. I've never thought he'd be able to play again in the NFL but he looks really, really quick running drills. Hopefully with another year of rehab he'll be able to get back on the field for the giants (and as a legitimate player too, not just as a good PR move by the team).

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/ncaaf-dr-saturday/exclusive-former-lsu-safety-chad-jones-road-back-144322667--ncaaf.html

ELI's SNL TD dances in Madden

B-rod24 — Thu, 17 May 2012 22:04:54 -0000

Eli Manning's Mo-Cap Session from SNL: Next Steps (via EASPORTS)

Looks like they're putting the sandwich dance in madden. I think it's going to be hilarious if they make it Eli's default touchdown dance. I might just buy this game just for this. Gotta be the best TD dance in the game by far. Ticks me off that the motion capture avatar in the video is a patriot though. They should have made it a giants player.

Analysis of Osi's poor run defense (specifically on Well's 39 yard run).

B-rod24 — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 00:27:51 -0000

via i51.tinypic.com

What we have in this picture is Webster in coverage on Fitsgerald at the top of the screen with safety help over the top (off screen). The line backers are shifted to the bottom of the screen in a "under" formation. It's the job of the weakside DE to cover (or "contain") any runs to the outside. If the running back is allowed to turn the corner he's guaranteed a large gain as the deep safety is going to be the only defender in the neighborhood to stop him.

via i52.tinypic.com

Instead of containing the run, Osi tries to cut to the inside (red line) which is exactly what the LT wanted him to do. He should have taken the blue line route which would have forced wells to make a decision to try and outrun Osi by moving laterally instead of down the field (allowing the rest of the defense time to adjust) or cut back toward the center of the field toward the majority of our defense.

via i56.tinypic.com

The result is Wells getting to the corner instantaneously with only one player to beat.

Osi isn't a bad player. He's a great pass rusher but almost equally as bad against the run.

via i51.tinypic.com

via i52.tinypic.com

via i56.tinypic.com

The result is Wells getting to the corner instantaneously with only one player to beat.

Osi isn't a bad player. He's a great pass rusher but almost equally as bad against the run.

New FSU Pride Video

B-rod24 — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 20:11:21 -0000

New FSU Pride Video

Pretty good analysis of Chris Singleton

B-rod24 — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 22:56:29 -0000

Pretty good analysis of Chris Singleton

I like the Draft Express guys. They really put in their time and know their stuff.

Draft Prospect of the Week: Singleton

B-rod24 — Wed, 29 Dec 2010 17:17:45 -0000

Draft Prospect of the Week: Singleton

Good Singleton analysis.

ACC Play Begins. FSU vs Clemson

B-rod24 — Sun, 12 Dec 2010 17:21:20 -0000

Tonight, at 6:15, FSU begins its ACC schedule against Clemson. Up to this point, the Seminoles have been fantastic on defense. They have arguably the best defensive player in the nation with Chris Singleton and he's set the pace for FSU's #1 Defense adjusted for opponents. Despite being possibly the best defensive team that I've ever witnessed, FSU has failed to win any of their games against legitimate opponents. The reason for this is their inability to do essentially anything on offense. Coach Leonard Hamilton runs an offense that is similar to what many amateur basketball players run during pickup games. It's simple to teach, slows the game down, and lacks any intricacies. This isn't something that should occur at any Division 1 basketball school, let alone a team in a major basketball conference.

The Seminoles have a major issue that all fans should begin to worry about, their schedule. While FSU is fortunate that the ACC is having a down year (the path is wide open for the spot behind Duke as the #2 team in the ACC), the lack of available quality wins is going to hurt FSU for their post season goals. It is possible that FSU only faces one ranked opponent for the rest of the year (Duke). Fans need to hope other ACC teams begin to distinguish themselves nationally so that FSU has the chance to build a resume. As things stand currently, without legitimate wins against top 25 opponents, FSU's post season run has ended before it even began. FSU has to do well in the Diamond Head Classic during Christmas weekend. More Clemson after the jump.

Clemson has struggled even more than FSU, losing games to Old Dominion, South Carolina, and Michigan. They have no legitimate wins to speak of. Clemson isn't the same underachieving, good team as it's been for the last few seasons. They generally rely on senior guard Demontez Stitt for scoring. He leads Clemson with 13.3 ppg. Point Guard Andre Young is their second option on offense and their biggest threat from beyond the arc. Clemson is very inefficient on offense. As a team they shoot 43.7% from the field and 66.5% from the ft line. Clemson's Defense is very good, ranked somewhere in the top 30 depending on what ranking site you subscribe to. This game should be slow and boring as FSU really is playing a less talented version of themselves. Look for shooting numbers below 35% for both teams and scoring in the 50's. The Seminoles should win this. Pomeroy predicts a 65-59 win with a 68% probability.

Noles Shoot Themselves in the foot again. Lose to UF.

B-rod24 — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 11:08:02 -0000

Well, now we have the first peek at the 2010-2011 version of the FSU basketball team against a worthy opponent. The results? Very similar to last season to the dismay of FSU basketball fans and fans of competent offensive basketball alike.

Florida State fields a much more talented team than Florida but this team just isn't being developed properly on the offensive end. Prior to the game I stated that the keys to winning were simple, hold on to the ball and exploit the height mismatch. The Seminoles did neither.

The Seminoles committed only 14 turnovers but that number would be closer to 20 if you count terrible shots late in the shot clock. The Gators' full court press forced FSU into a panic and they couldn't beat the 2-3 zone out of our flex offense.

Sidebar offense rant- When you have a team built around athleticism and inefficiency you need to run an up-tempo offense in the full court and an offense with a lot of motion and screens in the half court. The idea is you want to increase possessions in order to capitalize on volume rather than efficiency. In the half court you want to cause mismatches through screens against a man defense or create an overload on one side of the zone that forces the zone to stretch. This is accomplished by playing 4 men on the perimeter (or three guys on one side of the court) which causes the center to leave the paint in order to cover the extra man. After this happens, you either find a forward covering the center one on one in the paint or the back side of the zone vulnerable to a cross court three.

Instead Hamilton runs a flex offense built around essentially getting the defense to fall asleep on their zone assignment or aggressive penetration to collapse the zone and either score or kick the ball out to an open shooter. None of our guards are confident enough to attack the zone for some reason. I counted at least 5 different times where Kitchen specifically would take 4 or 5 dribbles into the zone before turning around and dribbling back toward the three point line and kicking it to another player. It seems like these guys are afraid that if they miss they won't play.

The flex offense can work. I've seen UConn, Duke, and Villanova run it from time to time with decent results. It's just a terrible fit for our team. It shows inflexibility or ignorance from Coach Hamilton because he's either unaware of the true strengths of this team or too stubborn to change his coaching style.

Flex offense means efficiency, confidence in player roles, and dribble penetration. This FSU team doesn't fit any of these marks.

end rant-

It should have been obvious based on last years game that UF will try to force our guards into making poor decisions with a full court press. Generally in sports you don't see the same strategy work from season to season because coaches will make it a point to erase that weakness in practice. UF's same gameplan worked again. I can't understand that.

Singleton still isn't a primary option on offense. He's very much an "Andre Iguodala" type of guy who can score, defend, handle the ball a bit, rebound, but shouldn't really be counted upon to carry the team offensively. He had a terrible game offensively with 8 points on 2-12 shooting. UF made it a point to shut him down and they did. Singleton played phenomenal defense though. He had 2 blocks, 2 steals, and played a huge role in holding Parsons and Tyus to 9 points combined.

Snaer had the only good offensive performance. He hit 5 threes and the game would have been a blowout without him in the second half.

Gibson needs to attack the defensive glass better. He had a decent game despite fouling out.

Speaking of fouls, there was a lot of weak calls while our guys were boxing out for rebounds or jumping in the air.

When you force a team to shoot 39%, miss 8 free throws, and turn the ball over 17 times you aren't going to lose many games. Last year we played worse against UF and still managed a pretty good season. FSU should go far in the ACC this year. It is just frustrating seeing the same mistakes being made over and over. Tuesday is the opportunity for redemption although a win or a close game shouldn't be expected.

FSU vs UF: Basketball

B-rod24 — Sun, 28 Nov 2010 18:39:46 -0000

The Seminoles play their first "real" game of the season tonight at 7:45 when they take on the Florida Gators (4-1). UF's lone loss came against now #3 Ohio State. UF fans are somewhat uncertain about their chances to win tonight after struggling against Florida Atlantic and Morehead State.

UF has a very balanced offense with 4 of their starters averaging 10+ points per game. UF's leading scorer is 6'2 sophomore guard Kenny Boynton who provides 15.6 points per game. Boynton was easily UF's best player in their loss against Ohio State, with 21 points on 57.1% shooting and 5 of 8 from three point range. Chandler Parsons fills the role of #2 scorer and senior leader with 13.2 points per game.

Last year, the Gators beat the Seminoles 68-52 in Gainesville. FSU shot 33.3% from the field and turned the ball over 23 times. The Seminoles struggled against the full court press and allowed UF to jump to a 39-19 lead at half. I don't expect the same result this year.

The gameplan for FSU to win this game is simple. On offense, the Seminoles only need to take care of the ball and exploit height mismatches. Snaer, Dulkys, and Singleton need to be involved in screens to get matched up against the extremely small Erving Walker (listed at 5'8, possibly shorter). Derwin Kitchen also has 8 inches and almost 30 lbs on Walker so posting up our point guard also is a legitimate possibility. Smart decisions and offensive efficiency is important.

Defensively, Snaer and Singleton have to force the ball away from Boynton and Parsons. With Snaer and Singleton's defensive talent there is no way that Boynton or Parsons should have a big game. Multiple Gators are capable of hitting threes so FSU needs to run guys off the line and force them to use their dribble.

Massey Ratings gives FSU an 83% win probability. The expected score is 74-65. This game, along with the game Tuesday against Ohio State, is going to go a long way to determine the future expectations of this Seminole team.

FSU @ FIU

B-rod24 — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 21:55:54 -0000

FSU travels down to Miami tonight to take on the Florida International Panthers. FIU is best known for employing the former notorious New York Knicks general manager Isiah Thomas as head coach. Thomas did a pretty horrible job coaching FIU last year, leading them to a 7-25 record. With FIU's roster essentially mirroring the one from last year it's hard to expect anything but a win from the Seminoles tonight. Look for Coach Hamilton to continue messing around with different lineups and rotations in their fourth "glorified scrimmage" in as many games.

Singleton must continue to stuff the stat sheet with gaudy numbers in order to push his way into ACC Player of the Year consideration. Hopefully, these practice games give him enough confidence in his role as a primary offensive option. If he can keep up this type of play, look for him to climb into the top 10 of an incredibly weak draft class.

Our first test of the season is still 10 days away against UF. Though UF is extremely highly rated in the AP poll (#9 overall), the computer rankings place them at #23. After witnessing their second half dismantling against Ohio State (They were outscored by 21 in the second half at home) I'd have to side with the computers. Despite their struggles, they still pose a considerable threat especially considering how badly they beat FSU last year.

FSU vs Gardner-Webb: Preview

B-rod24 — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 17:30:51 -0000

FSU (2-0) takes on Gardner-Webb (2-0) tonight at 7:00pm. This is the second home game for the Seminoles who are coming off a convincing win against UNC Greensboro. Last game was a bounce back game for both Michael Snaer and Chris Singleton. Snaer managed to replicate his defensive intensity on the offensive end with 16 points on only 9 shot attempts and Singleton earned a triple-double with 22 points 11 rebounds 10 steals to go along with 4 blocks and 6 assists. FSU needs both Singleton and Snaer to have great years in order to meet the expectations placed on this season.

Gardner-Webb went 8-21 last year after starting 3-0. I don't expect this to be much of a game as their talent level and height is comparable to both teams FSU has already faced this year. Gardner-Webb counts on SG Jonathan Moore and SF Stefon Johnson for the majority of their scoring. FSU's defense should be able to shut them down.

Even if FSU struggles to put Gardner-Webb away early remember that these games are essentially scrimmages and the coaches treat them that way. Any success or failure can not be projected on the rest of the year. Its about two weeks before the first "real" game begins, Sunday Nov 28th against #9 UF.

FSU vs UNF: Recap

B-rod24 — Sat, 13 Nov 2010 05:39:40 -0000

I hate these warm-up games. I hate them because you really can't take any information from the game and reactions always favor neutral to negative opinions. If you win by 60 its because of the talent gap and the team was expected to perform this way. If you win by a small margin (or, god forbid, lose) the doomsday crowd comes out of the shadows to proclaim the early death of the season. Performance in these games can not be extrapolated to future games. Keep this in mind when reading this review.

The Seminoles won 75-55 but things didn't necessarily go according to plan. Singleton was hardly an entity in the first half picking up 3 fouls. At halftime the Seminoles lead 42-25. FSU shot 15-32 from the field (3-11 from three), forced 15 turnovers, and held UNF to 30% shooting. 7 of UNF's 25 points came from free throws including one dumb play by Kitchen where he fouled a three point shooter.

The second half got sloppy when FSU went cold from the field and allowed several easy baskets off of turnovers. UNF guard Parker Smith began hitting threes and drawing fouls and much to the crowd's surprise, UNF cut the lead to 50-43 with 12:27 left in the game. Luckily, Kitchen and Singleton woke up and led FSU to a 17-7 run over the next 8 minutes.

In my pre-season report, I stated that the Seminoles would benefit from using a "small" lineup with Singleton at PF and the coaches agreed, at least for the first game. FSU's starting lineup consisted of Kitchen and Dulkys as the guards, Snaer at small forward, Singleton at power forward, and Gibson at center. Whether this will be a lineup we see all season, a lineup that our coaches felt would only work well against this specific opponent, or a temporary philosophy while our "big" depth is thin with Kreft shelved until mid December remains to be seen.

The Seminoles used several different players at PF and C but only one guy played in the post while the other floated around the free throw line and the wings. Singleton, Gibson and Okaro White played power forward. Gibson and Bernard James generally rotated at center though Singleton also played the 5 for less than a minute.

Gibson was surprisingly affective as an "Antawn Jamison" type of forward. He even hit a three in the first few minutes of the game.

Bernard James seems to be our "muscle". He used his strength to gather 10 rebounds (3 offensive) to go along with a team high 15 points a steal and 3 blocks. He isn't good at free throws though. His form is terrible and he should be completely ineffective outside of 5 or 6 feet away from the basket.

The freshman looked like freshman. I like Okaro White because he flies around all over the place. He's a terrific athlete and he electrified the crowd with a thunderous put-back dunk and a huge block midway through the second half. He drew a few fouls and had 5 rebounds but you can see how he's really raw and not a division 1 player yet. With his weight and experience level I don't expect to see him get a lot of playtime vs UF or OSU. He might be able to settle down in these next few tuneup games and prove me wrong.

Ian Miller looked like a player who wanted to take over the game in the second half but didn't know if it was his place to keep shooting after missing his first two shots in the first half. He hesitated whenever he drove around a screen and never took a fluid jump shot. He finished 0-5 from the field. He looks comfortable running our offense and would have had 7 or 8 assists if if wasn't for missed open shots, fouls, or turnovers by teammates. He really needs to figure out his role on the team over the next few games before we hit the meat of our schedule. Worrying about stepping on veteran's toes by taking too many shots is only going to hurt him in the long run.

I'm not sure if this is a good thing, but it looks like Kitchen is the heart and soul of our team. He waited until the final 10 minutes of the game, but he was the only player who played with sustained aggressiveness on the offensive end. For several consecutive minutes he looked like he had a rocket strapped to his back. With 5 minutes left and the Seminoles up 15, Singleton had to go over to him and point out the score of the game to calm him down. Playing at a frantic pace like that will probably hurt us against elite opponents but his energy is really what pushed the score back up to a respectable gap.

It took Singleton until 9:58 was left in the second half before he seemed to realize that he was the most talented player on the court. He tends to play within the offense too much when he should be using his superior athleticism to take over against inferior opponents. He had the majority of his 11 points in the last 10 minutes. He is terrible at rolling off of screens (see my rant about screens further down). You have to credit him for playing smart in the second half after getting in early foul trouble. He played great defense with 3 blocks and 2 steals.

Snaer was a huge disappointment. I thought he would have a huge game but he played very tentatively and really failed to attack the defense at all.

Dulkys played with a lot of energy on both offense and defense. He is going to be a great weapon for us this year. He had 12 points on 10 shots (2 threes) to go along with 4 steals.

I like the offense that we run but our pick and roll play is just horrendous. We finally have proper spacing for drive and kicks but our players don't understand how to run screens. The ball handler uses the screens poorly and takes a neutral step sideways which allows defense to recover quickly. The ball handler should be attacking the defense off of screens because that's the only way they are useful. The screener never cuts hard to the basket after setting the screen either. I remember two different incidents where singleton set a screen and just stood there afterward. If he cut sharply to the basket he would have the opportunity for an easy layup. He just stood there though.

One major issue we're having is our perimeter players picking up their dribble too early allowing the defense to trap them. There must have been ten different incidences where our guards would get caught with no dribble and no one to pass the ball to. This killed several offensive possessions and will be exploited by more talented teams if it doesn't get fixed.

The crowd that showed up was larger than expected for what is essentially an early season scrimmage on a Friday night. Most of the lower bowl was full. Though the crowd was there in numbers, their involvement was more comparable to what you would see at a movie theater than a sporting event.

North Florida Ospreys at Florida State: Preview

B-rod24 — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 14:53:16 -0000

This Friday, the Seminoles kick off their 2010-2011 Basketball Season at home against North Florida. This game is essentially a glorified scrimmage as the Ospreys lost their top two players from last season's 13 win team to graduation (the only two players who averaged double figures last year) and Yahoo! Sports doesn't list a center on their roster. UNF isn't a good team. They are currently listed as the consensus 275th best team in the nation. Last year they had losses to Mercer (235th ranked last year), Lipscomb (197th last year), SC Upstate (429th last year), and Stetson (550th last year).

With their tallest player only listed at 6'7 235 lbs, UNF's offense is built around the perimeter and will likely have multiple shooters in the game simultaneously. Their top scoring threat is probably the Tennessee State transfer, guard Parker Smith. Smith gets an unusually high percentage of his 9.0 ppg from the three point line-- 2.0 of his 2.7 field goals made were from outside.

This game should be a blowout. FSU should be able to exploit the height and talent gap on their way to a big win. Most of Florida State's shooting guards should be able to match up with UNF's bigmen so expect our offense to be based around attacking the basket. With such a discrepancy in height, look for FSU to lob the ball to Kreft and Gibson for easy scores around the basket.

Even though the level of competition wont be there, the game should be entertaining. Alley-oops, fast breaks, bold shots from way beyond the three point line, and gaudy statistics should be the norm. Come out to the Donald L. Tucker Center on Friday at 8:30 (seminoles.com says 8:30 but Yahoo! and ESPN say 9:00 so I need some verification for this) to show your support.

Note: Good article about Singleton's off-season preparation vs Kevin Durant.

Three more years until our punting problems are over

B-rod24 — Sun, 07 Nov 2010 19:45:50 -0000

Three more years until our punting problems are over

Feagles son, rs-fresh.

Basketball Trends: Why FSU should abandon the "Traditional" lineup

B-rod24 — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 17:41:19 -0000

Basketball is generally played with a point guard, shooting guard, small forward, power forward and Center. Roles are well defined with the point guard facilitating the offense, the shooting guard and small forward as primary perimeter scorers, and the power forward and center are the interior muscle, controlling the paint and trying to dominate the offensive and defensive glass. Traditionally, these lineups are centered around slow half court power games that rely on slow "skyscraper-esque" big men clogging the paint. Modern basketball, however, is moving away from this philosophy. Professional and college basketball lineups are revolving their lineups around "hybrid players" and changing their offense to a more spread out style.

There are several reasons behind this change in lineup philosophy. One reason is due to the higher ratio of "hybrid" players that are able to play multiple positions. Players like Kevin Garnett (who can play SF, PF, and C) and Dirk Nowitzki (7'0 who plays like a guard fairly often) and Chris Webber (PF with fantastic court vision) are players who have bent the traditional roles of big-men.

The major reason for the change is attributed to rule changes for big men (the "Shaq" rule) and perimeter defenders (the "hand-check" rule). The Shaq rule came from the way the referee's deviated from the usual trends of calls in the previous generation of players in regards to the post play of Shaquille O'neal. In the late 80's and early to mid 90's, the NBA was filled with a large group of top tier big-men In 1995, the NBA had David Robinson, Charles Barkley, Hakeem Olajuwon, Karl Malone, Patrick Ewing (who were all in the peak of their hall of fame careers), Shaq, Juwon Howard, Alonzo Mourning, Glenn Robinson (all young guys early in their careers), Rik Smits, Arvydas Sabonis, Dikembe Mutombo and Bryant Reeves (as lesser tier but still talented guys). With such a large sample of talented bigs, they were able to keep each other in check for the most part. By the 1999-2000 season, Shaq was the only upper tier power-offense oriented big man left. With a significant weight difference (Shaq at 320+ lbs), he was able to manhandle every opponent. The league began to "check" Shaq by calling 3-seconds quicker and offensive fouls more often (instead of blocking fouls) which neutralized his power game. The NBA also instituted the "Defensive Three Seconds" rule prior to the 2001-2002 season. This keeps big-men from clogging the lane on defense. The second rule change was the hand-check rule established in 2001 but not really enforced until the 2004-2005 season. This rule eliminated a perimeter defender's ability to impede an offensive players progress with their hand or forearm. This gave quick guards an advantage.

Though not all of these changes are present in the NCAA (there is no defensive three second rule for instance), NBA trends are finding a place in the college ranks. While the NBA game and NCAA game are two totally different animals, there is generally a trickle down of organizational policies (i.e. NBA superstar calls or in college program prestige calls where the top tier coaching programs tend to get the benefit of the doubt with questionable calls) and refereeing practices.

Now teams are finding that it's beneficial to run a lineup consisting of 4 "perimeter oriented" players complimenting a single post player. Running this type of lineup limits the effectiveness of a zone defense (to break a zone defense you need to spread it out), has a greater chance for mismatches on the offensive end against a man-to-man defense, limits the ability for the defense to successfully double team players (a double team requires proper defensive rotations which is difficult when the offense is spread out), and keeps the paint relatively open for penetration from the perimeter as well as room for post play.

More NBA teams are adopting this type of lineup. The Portland Trail Blazers won their game last night by adopting this philosophy

Trailing the Suns by two with less than six minutes left, the Blazers removed Marcus Camby and slid Nicolas Batum up the 4 spot, rendering Phoenix's strategy of immediately double-teaming post-ups far more problematic. Batum promptly started raining jumpers, scoring 11 points in the final five minutes, as the Blazers used an 18-1 game-ending run to avenge last season's playoff defeat to the Suns.

The larger implications here are the same ones Blazers fans have fretted about all season: Namely, that Portland's starting five doesn't mesh together nearly as well as some other combinations. With starters Andre Miller and Marcus Camby both non-shooters, Phoenix could double-team LaMarcus Aldridge with impunity.

John Hollinger

Batum is a natural SG/SF but is able to play PF due to his length and defensive ability.

Nearly every team in the NBA has used a 4-perimeter lineup and many teams use it as their primary offensive set.

Of the top 10 teams listed at the end of the season ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll, Duke (Singler at PF) , Butler (Hayward at PF), West Virginia (Ebanks/Jones at PF), Kentucky (Patterson PF), Kansas (Marcus Morris at PF), Syracuse (Johnson/Joseph at PF), and Tennessee (Wayne Chism at PF) all used perimeter oriented PF's, or SF's playing PF, as a main staple of their offense.

FSU would be crazy, with our personnel, not to use a 4-out 1-in type of lineup with Singleton set at PF. Singleton has the length and defensive ability to defend opposing PF's on defense, his rebounding ability (7.0 rpg last season) wouldn't be a disadvantage, and he should be able to exploit mismatches against slower forwards. Spreading the ball out would help a little bit with our poor post entry passes. Snaer, with his decent shooting and fantastic penetration ability, would benefit the most from this type of lineup.

We don't have enough good shooters to spread the defense out with three point shooting. Clogging the lane with multiple big men will only serve to limit our offensive strengths.

A lineup with a Kreft/Gibson rotation at center, Singleton at PF, Snaer at SF, Dulkys at SG, and Kitchen at PG (with Miller and Loucks rotating in at both guard spots) would be ideal. Of course this lineup doesn't need to exclude a traditional lineup from our repertoire. Against a team where we can exploit our height (like Jacksonville, Stetson, or Mercer) we should have a Kreft/Gibson front court. There are times during games where having a traditional lineup would be a good change of pace. Though generally, especially in ACC play, we should play Singleton at PF.

Sometime later I plan on posting about our offensive philosophy and what we should be running (motion/Princeton/triangle/etc).

photo via t3.gstatic.com

Videos and Pictures of Jam with Coach Ham 2010

B-rod24 — Sat, 16 Oct 2010 21:04:19 -0000

This event was more about the fans than the players. Nothing that happened during this event can really be used to predict anything from the upcoming season. Loucks won the three point contest again. Dulkys won the dunk contest again. Miller looked extremely athletic, scoring 7 points in the first two or three minutes of the scrimmage. Kreft looked very good. He had a 360 dunk in the dunk contest.

The most important knowledge I gained is that our Basketball team is filled with good people. All of them seemed genuine and thanked every person that approached them for coming to the event.

I have some pictures and video's after the jump. I borrowed my sisters camera and maxed out the memory but only a few pictures are worth posting. Oh and FYI, Miller is #30, Okaro White is #10, Kreft is #50, and there are multiple players wearing #33.

The most important knowledge I gained is that our Basketball team is filled with good people. All of them seemed genuine and thanked every person that approached them for coming to the event.

via i55.tinypic.com

via i53.tinypic.com

via i52.tinypic.com

via i55.tinypic.com

via i54.tinypic.com

via i51.tinypic.com

via i53.tinypic.com

via i54.tinypic.com

via i52.tinypic.com

I wasn't prepared to take this video. It caught me by surprise.

Youtube takes forever. I have the entire dunk contest split into a few parts but it takes like 80 minutes per upload. I'll put them on here later.

FSU Basketball Preview

B-rod24 — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 23:22:46 -0000

I initially set out to develop an introduction to my "Jam with Coach Ham" review. It turned into this massive 1500 word monster that I thought needed it's own fanpost.

Its that time of the year again. In a little less than a month we'll be cheering the Garnet and Gold on both the gridiron and the hardwood. We'll be singing the fight song after touchdowns and big time three pointers. For the first time in what seems like forever, both the basketball and the football teams are poised for legitimate post season appearances. No longer is basketball season used as a psychological coping mechanism to get our minds off of another disappointing football season. This time it's icing on the cake.

I initially set out to develop an introduction to my "Jam with Coach Ham" review. It turned into this massive 1500 word monster that I thought needed it's own fanpost.

In case you don't remember, the Noles are coming off of a somewhat schizophrenic season leaving fans wondering whether they should call it a success or failure. The team had a regular season that achieved all that we could hope for. The Seminoles went 22-8 in the regular season with a 10-6 record in ACC play that was good enough for 4th in the conference. They played well against ranked team with two wins against Georgia Tech and losses against Big Ten Champion Ohio State and National Champion Duke. Ohio State was one of two losses against out-of-conference opponents, the other being at UF.

All of this success is set against a backdrop of failure. Once again the Seminoles' offense was clearly disjointed and unproductive especially when juxtaposed against the excellent, stifling defense. The Seminoles rarely broke 80 points against any legitimate opponent and only had two players that broke double figures in points per game (Alabi- 11.7; Singleton- 10.2). A lack of a go to scorer, poor ball movement (only 13.9 assists per game), and failure to take care of the ball (16.9 turnovers per game) that doomed Florida State's post season dreams. Losses against North Carolina State (58-52; Alabi only player in double figures with 13pts; 8 assists vs 20 turnovers) in our first game of the ACC tournament and Gonzaga (67-60; Alabi and Dulkys in double figures with 13 and 14 pts respectively; a better 15 assists vs 8 turnovers) were bitter disappointments for Seminole fans that expected a longer post season .

The team lost two veteran big men from last years roster including leading scorer and shot blocker Solomon Alabi. While Alabi was one of the most efficient offensive players last year (#1 on team .596 true shooting %; #4 on team .534 efg%), he never demanded the ball enough (7.8 field goal attempts per game) which negated his offensive talent, considering his ability to make free throws, and destroyed the team's offensive philosophy which seemed to organize itself around slowing the game down and using height as an advantage. Solomon's offensive inconsistency and failure to live up to his potential will always haunt Florida State fans as they watched a talented center with great footwork, an offensive game, and free throw shooting that provided a bonus in crunch time, make a minimal impact on the college game before entering into the draft too early (based on skill developed and being drafted with the 50th overall pick despite early projections in the late lotto). Currently Alabi is on the Toronto Raptors with an non-guaranteed contract. Through four preseason games, Alabi has failed to impress and has been completely outplayed by 2002 draftee David Anderson.

The other loss came from perennial hustle/energy guy, Ryan Reid. Though he didn't have the talent and height of Alabi, Reid brought senior leadership and good defense off of the bench. His 6.8 ppg and 4 rebounds per game shouldn't be difficult to replace.

Though we're losing experience, height, potential, and our focal point both offensively and defensively from the 2009-2010 season, Florida State fans have a lot to be excited about. The core of our team gets significantly older. Our rotation should include 1 Senior (Guard- Derwin Kitchen), 6 Juniors (Guards- Luke Loucks, Deividas Dulkys; Forward- Chris Singleton; Forward/Center-Xavier Gibson, Bernard James, Jon Kreft), 2 Sophomores (Guard- Michael Snaer; Forward/Center Terrance Shannon), and 2 Freshman (Guard- Ian Miller; Forward- Okaro White).

Of the four new comers (Jucos- James, Kreft; Freshman-Miller, White), Ian Miller (6'2 180) should have the most impact immediately. Miller provides a style of play that the Seminoles lacked last year after the departure of Toney Douglas. Miller can hit three's, play either guard slot, use his athleticism to drive to the basket and play above the rim, play great defense, and create by himself. If he lives up to the hype he should get a lot of minutes and supplant either Kitchen or Dulkys in the starting lineup.

Okaro White (6'8 185) is a raw prospect that is working on developing his outside game. He seems to be the heir to Chris Singleton's role as a defensive stopper at both forward positions. He might not get many minutes at the beginning of the season.

Jon Kreft (7'0 240) was originally a part of FSU's 2006 class before a cocaine possession charge. He is a talented Center with a variety of post moves. He has two years of eligibility and is already 22 (I think).

Bernard James (6'9 240) is PF/C and will probably replace Ryan Reid on the roster. He's a former Staff Sargent in the U.S. Air Force and is 25 years old. He's a very powerful player and his background should provide leadership and focus to the roster.

The way the talent is spread out on our roster I eventually expect this rotation:

Starters Bench

C- Xavier Gibson Jon Kreft/Bernard James

PF- Chris Singleton Terrence Shannon/Bernard James

SF- Michael Snaer Chris Singleton/Okaro White

SG- Ian Miller Deividas Dulkys/Snaer

PG- Derwin Kitchen Luke Loucks/Miller

That's an 11 man rotation. I know we'll play at least 9 with Shannon and White probably being left out. Shannon might get beat out of his spot by James. James provides the strength and grittiness that we don't have anywhere else on the roster. White might not play that much his freshman year due to his low weight.

The benefit's of playing with this type of rotation is we have a lot of multi-positional players who should be able to fill a lane in an up tempo type of offense. With two ball handlers and (essentially) two small forwards in the lineup we should be able to use our athleticism and out run the other team. This type of offense might increase our turnovers, but it will also increase our possessions (problem last season, we turned the ball over a lot and slowed the game down so we only had 68 possessions per game). With everyone being able to play multiple positions we're better able to "ride the hot hand" while still rotating players in.

Hopefully we choose to exploit our athleticism by using this type of offense instead of messing around in an "ISO" set where one player gets the ball and the rest clear out and let him go to work.

Expectations for this season: Well, we finished last year 22-10 overall. We gained a lot of talent. We play a very tough schedule this year though. We face UF (Andy Katz has them at #10, Pat Forde #9, Vitale #8), Ohio State (Katz #6, Forde #8, Vitale #4) and potentially Baylor in the Diamond Head Classic (Katz #4, Forde somewhere between 11-23, Vitale #11). We also play National Championship winner Duke (Katz #1, Forde #2, Vitale #1) once in Tallahassee, potential #1 pick Harrison Barnes and UNC (Katz #11, Forde btw 11-23, Vitale #10) twice, Virginia Tech (Katz #22, Forde btw 11-23, Vitale #24) and the rest of the ACC.

Vitale ranks his top 40. We're #34, Maryland is #38, and Miami is #40.

These are just opinions but you can see we're a far cry from the 4 ranked teams we played last year.

Even with this extremely tough schedule we have the potential to finish somewhere between 3rd and 7th in conference. I think its almost impossible to make a lot of noise in the ACC this year, but finishing in the top half almost guarantees a spot in the NCAA tournament. I think 22 or 23 wins isn't out of the realm of possibility. Wake Forest, Maryland, and Georgia Tech lost a ton of talent. I think we have a talented conference but a top heavy conference. We should be able to sneak into the #4 spot like we did last year. We can lose the 4 games against Duke, UNC, and VT and still be in pretty good shape vs the rest of the ACC. The real goal shouldn't be where we fall in the ACC standings, it needs to be making a tournament run. I'm not asking for a Final Four appearance, but a first round win and a close second round loss would be a breath of fresh air for Florida State fans.

Canadian PF Braeden Anderson taking an unofficial visit to UConn.

B-rod24 — Sun, 26 Sep 2010 16:36:53 -0000

http://twitter.com/DraftExpress/status/25603869130

He's 6'8 between 210-235 3* at Scout, Not Ranked at Rivals

Braeden is the definition of a forward. Number one, he has the power and two; he possesses the rest of the skills needed at that position. They are not yet fully polished, but nevertheless he has them. He could play you with his back to the basket or he could face-up and knock down the elbow jumper. He will need to develop more consistency in his perimeter game however.

Over the past year he has seen a wealth of progression both physically as well as in his skills. In the 08-09 high school season he proved it by posting averages of 19 and 11. He credits club coach John Hegwood for his development. “Ever since I started working with my current coach John Hegwood, (drafted to the Clippers in 82’) he has helped me develop and expand all parts of my game.”

What was once a 6’6 center is now developed into a versatile 6’8 forward, continuously improving. “Rather than playing down low, I am now able to move around on the floor as I have developed a very effective jump shot and modest ball handling skills,” said Anderson confidently.

As for the intangibles, Braeden refuses to give up on plays and is not afraid to scrap for those loose balls. “I get down and dirty, I dive for the loose balls, and I’m not afraid to run the floor and get easy dunks. If a shot goes up in my area, I’m trying to either block the shot, or I’m going to fight the whole team if I have to, to get the rebound.”

http://crownmagonline.com/recruiting/buzz/braeden-anderson-strictly-business/

http://twitter.com/DraftExpress/status/25603869130

He's 6'8 between 210-235 3* at Scout, Not Ranked at Rivals

Braeden is the definition of a forward. Number one, he has the power and two; he possesses the rest of the skills needed at that position. They are not yet fully polished, but nevertheless he has them. He could play you with his back to the basket or he could face-up and knock down the elbow jumper. He will need to develop more consistency in his perimeter game however.

Over the past year he has seen a wealth of progression both physically as well as in his skills. In the 08-09 high school season he proved it by posting averages of 19 and 11. He credits club coach John Hegwood for his development. “Ever since I started working with my current coach John Hegwood, (drafted to the Clippers in 82’) he has helped me develop and expand all parts of my game.”

What was once a 6’6 center is now developed into a versatile 6’8 forward, continuously improving. “Rather than playing down low, I am now able to move around on the floor as I have developed a very effective jump shot and modest ball handling skills,” said Anderson confidently.

As for the intangibles, Braeden refuses to give up on plays and is not afraid to scrap for those loose balls. “I get down and dirty, I dive for the loose balls, and I’m not afraid to run the floor and get easy dunks. If a shot goes up in my area, I’m trying to either block the shot, or I’m going to fight the whole team if I have to, to get the rebound.”

http://crownmagonline.com/recruiting/buzz/braeden-anderson-strictly-business/

Optimism after the BYU game (or how winning effects one's mood)

B-rod24 — Sat, 18 Sep 2010 23:34:16 -0000

After the Oklahoma game it was tough to really gauge the identity of our team. With a defense that was reminiscent of the 2009 season and an offense that regressed to Wake 2008 levels, our fan base had no idea what to expect from this BYU game.

Though the offense struggled in the first half, it put together 428 yards, 6.6 ypp, and 34 points. If we had better decision making in the first half (Ponder wanted to pull up and run too often. Was this a call he made on the field? Was this part of the game plan due to the success he had last season?) and if Bert Reed's fumble fell out of bounds this could have easily been a 45-50+ point performance.

It was encouraging that the defense corrected many of the mistakes that plagued them during the OU game. There was a lot of QB pressure from our front 4, the corners and safetys never gave up big plays and tackled a lot better, and we anticipated the no-huddle a lot better and lined up correctly.

What can we take away from this game?

A. Werner is hands down a better player than White. He should start.

2. Our Wide Receivers aren't good enough to be a pass first team...

Bert Reed, Haulstead, Easterling, and Smith are all good enough to be on the field, but none of them seem to be talented enough to separate from coverage. I'm not sure if the defense is trying to take away all of the moderate/deep passes but we didn't have a vertical passing game until the mid-late third quarter.

D. ...Luckily our running game is good enough to feed early and often.

Ty Jones and Chris Thompson are great. One of them needs to start and both need 10+ carries every game. I don't think Thomas is a bad player per se, but he seems to be a running back that needs a few carries to "get going" before he starts to produce. The way Jones and Thompson are playing we can't afford to give Thomas that opportunity.

Green. We are good enough to compete for that Orange Bowl spot.

While there are too many factors to predict a conference championship in September, I feel like the conference is weak enough and we're able to compensate for our weaknesses well enough to contend. Talent isn't the issue as much as execution in a game-to-game basis. A lot of our issues are correctable. I feel good after this game.

Bud and the other great writers on this site will be able to put this win into context better than I can. BYU is more of a "name" than Samford but it's obviously not a win that will jettison us up through the rankings.

Official: Alabi stays in draft.

B-rod24 — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 22:38:54 -0000

I can't believe he chose to enter after his draft stock has slipped so far in the last few weeks. This draft is extremely PF and C heavy. Even if he didn't improve his stock at all next year he would probably get drafted higher based on team need vs positional competition. Most draft sites have him dropping to around 19-22. I can't imagine any team drafting him over Larry Sanders or Daniel Orton. Projects like Kevin Seraphin might also prove to be a better prospect than Alabi

While Alabi is a talented prospect, I think his absence benefits FSU basketball. Although I don't have the numbers, I'm sure that Gibson (assuming he starts) is a whole lot faster than Alabi (who was one of the slowest prospects at the draft combine). This should allow us to "get out and run" more. Our athleticism is only an advantage when we're allowed to use it.

The offense needs to be centered around Singleton and Snaer now (as well as some of the first year players if they prove worthy).

I'm going to be optimistic and predict, at the very least, our team is going to be a lot of fun to watch this year.

The offense needs to be centered around Singleton and Snaer now (as well as some of the first year players if they prove worthy).

I'm going to be optimistic and predict, at the very least, our team is going to be a lot of fun to watch this year.

Giants sign Chad Jones

B-rod24 — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 22:16:48 -0000

Giants sign Chad Jones

Jones, the team's third-round pick (No. 76 overall), will soon sign the deal, which will be worth slightly less than the four-year, $2.638-million contract the Bears gave safety Major Wright, who was selected one slot before Jones. Wright received a signing bonus of $848,000.

Ten Hardest College Schedules-rotoworld

B-rod24 — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 10:50:56 -0000

Ten Hardest College Schedules-rotoworld

Using defensive stats

The Solomon Enigma

B-rod24 — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 02:43:37 -0000

via 1.bp.blogspot.com

Solomon Alabi has to be the most frustrating player for FSU fans this season. This frustration stems from inconsistent play, a perceived lack of effort during stretches, and a failure to meet overall expectations. Prior to this season, Solomon Alabi was expected to impact games both on the offensive and defensive end of the floor. He was supposed to set the tone early and force teams to adjust their style of play to account for his size and ability. While he has met many of these expectations on the defensive end, his offense has been very up and down during the season. This inconsistency has left Florida State fans wondering which Solomon Alabi will show up not game to game, but quarter to quarter.

via 1.bp.blogspot.com

Before delving into Solomon's frustrating offense, he must be commended for his outstanding defense during the season. His defensive post presence has forced teams to change their game plan and as the season progressed fewer players attempted to drive into the post. Statistically, he could improve his shot blocking numbers but I attribute that more to offensive players settling for jumpers and tear drops rather than challenging the giant. One part of Solomon's defensive game that he needs to improve is his defensive rebounding. There is no reason he should grab only 2 defensive rebounds against Iona and North Carolina State despite playing more than 27 minutes in both games. He needs to be more of a force on the glass. 3.8 defensive rebounds per game is NOT going to cut it from a 7'1, 250 lb center.

The most frustrating part of Solomon's game is on the offensive end. Some games he looks like the second coming of Kareem, dazzling fans with great footwork, capable hands, and a well rounded game that includes both a variety of post moves and a jumper that is good from 18-20 feet. He compliments this offensive ability with an astounding 80% ft percentage which allows Solomon to stay on the court late into the 4th quarter of close games. This is not the Solomon we usually get though. The Solomon most FSU fans are used to seeing is a big man who plays too nice. A giant who makes a good post move then hesitates, allowing his man to catch up on defense. A supposed focal point of the offense who fades in big games. Its frustrating to watch a player have a 4 game stretch in December of 19.5 ppg on 70+% shooting and then finish up the season with 7.2 ppg on 44% shooting. He often plays like his head isn't in the game. He disappears for long stretches during games and puts up weak shots when he gets the ball.

How can Solomon play so inconsistently on the offensive end? Here's what I believe:

A) Teams make him the focal point of their defensive game plan. They pack the lane and dare the rest of the team to beat us with jump shots. We don't really have the shooter's to spread the floor and give him breathing room to make post moves. He's not capable of being the number 1 option of the offense yet.

2) Our offense sets aren't doing him any favors. We rarely try and work him into pick and rolls to get him mismatches (and actually hit him when he rolls). We run a very stagnant offense which allows defenders to camp out in the lane.

D) Our ball handlers are absolutely terrible at post entry passes. Often Solomon is left in bad position or turns the ball over due to a poor entry pass.

Green) Solomon is too nice. He easily uses his height to overpower short, weak, and less talented centers but tends to collapse against any competent defenders. He plays like it's a pickup game with his friends. That type of attitude might be ok for a guard, but post players need to be gritty. They need to fight for better position, elbow the other players to get space, and have the mentality to dunk on everyone. He doesn't get into foul trouble very often (6 times this season with 4+ fouls and only 1 foul out) and can afford to pick up 1 offensive foul a game trying to establish a presence.

What to hope for in the future...

I'm about 99% sure that Solomon is coming back for at least another year. After his performance this season he is no longer a lotto pick and would be extremely fortunate to be drafted in the top 20. Most draft sites have Favors, Cousins, Aldrich, Whiteside, Donatas Motiejunas, and Greg Monroe ranked ahead of him. Some other sites also have him ranked behind Ekpe Udoh and Larry Sanders. Point is, he would be making a HUGE mistake entering the draft this year.

Solomon has a lot of room to improve. He can fit another 10-15 pounds on his frame.

He may not improve his ppg all that much but he should be able to improve his shooting % up to around 60%. That alone would add another point onto his average. If he can improve enough to warrant 10 touches per game, with 60% shooting he would average around 15.3 ppg. That type of production would help us win a lot more games and is easy enough to achieve with his skill set.

How the team can help Solomon achieve his goals this next year:

A) Improve outside shooting. Having a couple guys dangerous from the outside would open up the post a lot.

2) Play Singleton at the PF more. This would help his game out too. Singleton is fast enough to drive by opposing 4s. Singleton is at least capable from the outside so it should spread the floor more. He is also a good rebounder so we wouldn't be losing much there. I think we force ourselves to play 2 big men all of the time because of our depth. Too often Reid clogs up the lane and doesn't give Solomon enough room to work.

D) Feed Solomon early and often. This will get his confidence up and may keep his mind in the game.

All of this is moot if Solomon doesn't develop a mean streak. He needs to act like he wants it. When he's got a mismatch he needs to demand the ball and when he gets it actually do something with it. Had he been more of a force we would have beaten NC St, Duke, Maryland, and Clemson. We would be the team to beat in the ACC.

Solomon holds the keys to our future. If we want to be a threat for the ACC championship we need Solomon to set the tone and dominate games. Not just on the Defensive end.

Basketball Positives

B-rod24 — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 03:56:46 -0000

I didn't get to watch tonights game against UF because i was driving back to Orlando for thanksgiving but I was fortunate to be able to listen to it on the radio.

(due to this please feel free to correct or amend anything that is incorrect)

What I got from the game was that UF used a relentless press and forced a massive amount of turnovers in the first half. We then buckled under pressure and couldn't figure out how to score. We woke up at halftime and cut the lead to five before losing all momentum and allowing the lead to jump to 20+ again.

There's tons of time to dissect all the negatives so lets look at the positives.

This outcome wasn't unexpected. I knew eventually a team would punch us in the mouth early and our team would buckle under pressure. It was bound to happen, we're young we're inexperienced. Its actually good this happened early in the season before a more important ACC schedule.

Our team showed me something when they came out to play in the second half. Its easy for a group of guys to mail the second half in. For the first 10 minutes of the second half we fought back to make it a game again. We hustled and got rebounds.

Kitchen, the leader of the team, put it on his shoulders to bring us back.

The most important thing to realize is this is part of the growth process of the team. We're more talented than UF, they just played a smart basketball game. Don't get discouraged. The roles on this team are beginning to be defined. Our coaches now know what they have to work on.

Long term we're going to be ok.

I didn't get to watch tonights game against UF because i was driving back to Orlando for thanksgiving but I was fortunate to be able to listen to it on the radio.

(due to this please feel free to correct or amend anything that is incorrect)

There's tons of time to dissect all the negatives so lets look at the positives.

Kitchen, the leader of the team, put it on his shoulders to bring us back.

Long term we're going to be ok.

Jam with Coach Ham: Florida State Men's Basketball Season Starts with Open Practice

B-rod24 — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 01:06:25 -0000

Last night the Basketball team took to the court for the first organized practice of the 2009-2010 season. Member B-rod24 was in attendance. Continue reading after the jump for his observations and other thoughts on the first practice of the year.

Editor's Note: This was originally a FanPost that was moved to the front page. Thanks for the update B-rod.

Just got back from the "Jam with Coach Ham" and here's some observations:

1. Loucks is probably our best game manager and might be our best three point shooter when standing still. He won a little 3 point competition and made 9 or 10 3's in 20 seconds. His range is also something like 35 feet.

2. during the scrimmage Dulkys hit 4 3's in a row, back to back to back to back. He was most likely the high scorer in the 10 minute contest.

3. Xavier Gibson looks ready to contribute extensively and played pretty aggressively.

4. Singleton hasn't improved his shooting at all. He looked good slashing though.

5. Snaer is very athletic and will be very good in the future but i wouldn't expect him to take over and be a volume scorer early in the season.

6. White skinny #33 walk-on (not listed on roster) is a great 3 point shooter too. Was just as good as Loucks. I doubt he'll see time though.

7. Gibson and Alabi have range. Gibson opened the scrimmage with a 3 and Alabi nailed several in a row during shoot around.

8. Terrence Shannon looks like a player. He's very active and has a lot of talent.

Maurice Evans a Buc

B-rod24 — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 20:14:13 -0000

Maurice Evans a Buc

Buccaneers claimed DE Maurice Evans off waivers from the Giants.
New York was too deep to keep Evans on its 53-man roster, but he was too talented to pass through waivers unclaimed. He'll be the Bucs' fifth end, behind Gaines Adams, Jimmy Wilkerson, Stylez White, and Kyle Moore.

Alford out for season

B-rod24 — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 21:47:49 -0000

GIANTS' ALFORD TO HAVE SEASON-ENDING SURGERY (4:54 p.m. ET)
New York Giants backup defensive tackle Jay Alford will miss the season with a knee injury.

Coach Tom Coughlin said Friday that Alford was examined by doctors and they decided he needed surgery to repair two ligaments he tore in a preseason game against the Chicago Bears about two weeks ago.

Alford was having an excellent camp and would have likely gotten plenty of playing time behind starters Barry Cofield and Fred Robbins.

The injury also caused one other change. Alford was the snapper on extra points and field goals. Long snapper Zak DeOssie has taken over both jobs.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/trainingcamp09/news/story?id=4446950

GIANTS' ALFORD TO HAVE SEASON-ENDING SURGERY (4:54 p.m. ET)
New York Giants backup defensive tackle Jay Alford will miss the season with a knee injury.

Alford was having an excellent camp and would have likely gotten plenty of playing time behind starters Barry Cofield and Fred Robbins.

The injury also caused one other change. Alford was the snapper on extra points and field goals. Long snapper Zak DeOssie has taken over both jobs.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/trainingcamp09/news/story?id=4446950

Donovan to lose another gator

B-rod24 — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 21:10:31 -0000

Donovan to lose another gator

What is going on with UF basketball? Something has to be up.