Big Disappointment

ramathon74 · Mar 4, 2011

I'm not sure if in the 40 years of VCU basketball that I have watched, there has ever been a bigger disappointment than this team. I'm not saying there haven't been worse teams, as there has been plenty, but as far as a team expectations with so much senior "leadership" and guards this team is a major low.

VCU has always been known for its guard play and yet this year the top two players are basically inside players in Skeen and Burgess. No consistent guard play offensively or defensively. I think they set goals and automatically think they will be reached because they thought of them.

If they are going to have a successful end of the season, and it is still possible, they need to perform actions and not verbiage. Don't they realize other teams have goals too?

I HOPE SOME OF THE PLAYERS GET POed AT WHAT I SAID AND TAKE IT TO HEART AND ACTUALLY PERFORM LIKE THEY ARE CAPABLE FOR A FULL 40 MINUTES IN EACH REMAINING GAME.

paone758 · Mar 4, 2011

dude....lay off the charlie sheen

DCDuck · Mar 4, 2011

ramathon74 said:
If they are going to have a successful end of the season, and it is still possible, they need to perform actions and not verbiage. Don't they realize other teams have goals too?

ramathon74 · Mar 4, 2011

Just what this team needs, some of that Charlie Sheen drug and Tiger Blood.

Black&Gold · Mar 4, 2011

This team will be fine... nothing like a slap in the face to wake the guys up. The season is far from over.

Rambunctious · Mar 4, 2011

We are missing a takeover guy and that is the difference for us. Look at Hofstra - - Jenkins got a pretty average team to 3rd, ahead of us. If we had Jenkins we'd have 28 wins. If we had Cam long we'd have 26 or so. We have spurty guys like Burgess, but he won't be a takeover guy because he lacks the mentality necessary to be that guy - -he defers too much. You can't teach that to a player.

IMO the next takeover guy is Brandenberg - - this guy is not deferring to anyone. He's athletic, can get into the lane, can play D and his shot will continue to improve. Plus, he'll have the ball in his hands a lot - - especially if Shaka lets him run the point next year

88RAM · Mar 4, 2011

ramathon be careful. very careful.

VCU Finance 2008 · Mar 4, 2011

ramathon74 said:
I HOPE SOME OF THE PLAYERS GET POed AT WHAT I SAID AND TAKE IT TO HEART AND ACTUALLY PERFORM LIKE THEY ARE CAPABLE FOR A FULL 40 MINUTES IN EACH REMAINING GAME.

Doubt if the players are reading what you have to say. People who get on here and think that if they talk poop the players will be motivated by it think way too highly of themselves.

Ramz22 · Mar 4, 2011

Lets save this until after tomorrow because if we lose we will have plenty of these threads. I will be one of them but for now lets cheer them on because its not over yet!!

buckwheat · Mar 4, 2011

Black&Gold said:
This team will be fine... nothing like a slap in the face to wake the guys up. The season is far from over.

uh, actually the season is very, very close to being over. there is no wiggle room left whatsoever.

VRam · Mar 4, 2011

buckwheat said:
uh, actually the season is very, very close to being over. there is no wiggle room left whatsoever.

That's what I was thinking.

vcu_dan · Mar 4, 2011

VRam said:
buckwheat said:

uh, actually the season is very, very close to being over. there is no wiggle room left whatsoever.

Click to expand...

That's what I was thinking.

what are you guys talking about...we've got so many cbi games to play...

BradRamFan · Mar 4, 2011

I've been more disappointed in some of the Polio and Sonny Smith teams.....well perhaps I was disappointed more in the coaches rather than the teams.

This years team can be very good but has lacked a level of consistency. Sometimes they are very hot and sometimes they are ice cold.

RESRam · Mar 4, 2011

I really am hoping that once Shaka has all of "his" players in place, we'll see a greater sense of consistency - the good kind. Then it is fair game, in my opinion, to judge him critically. Not that I haven't been inclined to do so already. Perhaps the schemes he wants to employ need a different kind of player than those held over from Grant.

BradRamFan · Mar 4, 2011

RESRam said:
I really am hoping that once Shaka has all of "his" players in place, we'll see a greater sense of consistency - the good kind. Then it is fair game, in my opinion, to judge him critically. Not that I haven't been inclined to do so already. Perhaps the schemes he wants to employ need a different kind of player than those held over from Grant.

Personally, I think it is more that we really lack a second consistent big man in the front court. Reddic, Haley, and Hinton just haven't had the experience needed (being freshman and sophomores) and few transfers...ala Veal really thrive their first year (see Skeen last year). To play inside-out I think we must rely on two big men inside...that way the opposition does not know who will get the ball and if it will stay inside or go back outside. With only really Skeen that the rest of the team seems to trust, all the opposition does it double up on him when he gets the ball and then they all know it's going back outside/or a very difficult shot for Skeen.

Of course I am saying all of this to temper my disappointment

But I do believe we would be a very different team with a more experienced 2nd down low guy.