Shriners Children's Charleston Classic

Wolfpack Ram said:
When he was called for a foul, and it was often, he would start jumping all over the court and question the call. To the point he almost had to be refrained. He was also kind of out of control on loose balls, not giving up to the point the refs had to intervene. He is way too emotional on the court and needs to be dialed back a few notches. If he pulls that crap in conference play, he's going to get a bulls eye on his back by the refs just like he has in Charleston, and that's a whole lot more games than 3 games in an MTE.
Click to expand...
pretty sure we will see some of the same refs in conference as we have in Charleston, so the bulls eye is pretty much on his back already. To some extent I have a beef with some of the fouls called on him also, but he does need to have more of the "on to the next play" attitude. The problem with a chip on the shoulder is that sometimes it makes you think everyone is out to get you, which can become a self fulfilling prophecy.

Do we have a good sports psychologist on board here? Phil can be a great part of this team if this gets under control.
 
balldontlie said:
The people (power conferences) who want to make these changes hate college basketball.
Click to expand...
They are just protecting their money and the illusion that they are a step above the other 300 division 1 basketball teams. Unfortunately it seems like they have the power to do it. Many of them get exposed on their home courts on an annual basis but it really looks iffy when they have to play at a neutral site.
 
SpiderRAM said:
What in the world was going on with Joe’s passes way up into the stands?!?? That was ridiculous.
Click to expand...
I felt like that was him all jacked up, and not playing in a controlled manner. I could be wrong, but that's how it looked to me.
 
Wolfpack Ram said:
I am also in Charleston for the tournament and here are some of my thoughts, which have probably already been shared.

Russell and Fermin have been total busts in this tournament. Fermin has been an absolute no show in this tournament and Russell has turned into a big time head case on the court. He should have been ejected in the Seton Hall game due to his actions on the court. All Russell has done is piss off the refs to the point they are looking for something to call against Russell. Coach Odom needs to reel him in big time!

Due to Fermin not showing up in Charleston, Coach Odom has had to play Bamgboye way too much. Bamgboye is constantly playing out of position and can't hold on to the ball when it is passed to him. The stats for the Nevada game only show him having one turnover, but he lost the ball multiple times when it was passed to him. In the second half of the Nevada game you could actually see fear in his eyes as the level of competition was way over his head. He's just a freshman and he was thrown into the wolves den due to Fermin's horrible play.

Bamisile threw two passes to Row C in the stands against Nevada. Nothing else needs to be said.

VCU has zero inside game on both offense and defense. Their three point defense also has gone south. As much as I hate to say it, VCU desperately misses Tobi in the paint.

Regarding Belle, like Fermin, it doesn't appear he has taken that next step to his game.

Team wise, this VCU clearly has a problem holding onto leads. That does not bode well for this team going forward.

Positive Notes: Zeb Jackson has looked really good since returning. Jackson, Shulga and Clark are pretty much carrying this team right now.

Regarding tomorrow's game against Miami, right now I have no confidence that this current VCU team can jump out to a lead, hold the lead and win the game. At least the City of Charleston and surrounding area has made for an enjoyable trip.
Click to expand...
Clark isnt carrying anything except extra baggage. He is slow on D and can't hit the 3. Thinks he is a guard and won't play inside. Total liability right now. I don't see a Kuany performance coming either. Almost all of his 3's have been wide open and off the mark. I would much rather see Belle at the 4. At least he brings some toughness and rebounds and defends. Losing Tobi has killed our inside game.
 
Wolfpack Ram said:
The stats may not show it, but Clark had an ok tournament. He averaged 6 rpg and had 7 assists, 2 blocks and 1 steal.
Click to expand...
And how many points ? And what was his 3 point shooting percentage ? 7 assists in 3 games while primarily playing on the perimeter is lousy.
 
wavevcu said:
Wow. I had no idea. Met them in 1986 at the Coliseum. Sat right next to them at the NCAA game in Albany in March 2022. Very sad. Do you know if Debbie still attends the games.
Click to expand...
I think that Debbie still goes to the games. I have not seen her since the funeral at the Siegel Center. Dennis was not only a colleague of mine at VCU, but one of my best friends. My wife and I socialized with them and travelled to vacation spots together. I taught with Dennis in Italy and played golf with him. He was a fantastic person and I miss him a lot.
 
Wolfpack Ram said:
The stats may not show it, but Clark had an ok tournament. He averaged 6 rpg and had 7 assists, 2 blocks and 1 steal.
Click to expand...
I don’t mean to criticize Clark. His challenge is due to team bench. Fermin often has to sit and we have a freshman backup in Bam, putting a lot of pressure on Clark because we become basically a four guard lineup with a stretch four at center. It might work going forward, but staff and team are yet to show it against decent talent. If Clark isn’t nailing threes it becomes even more limiting. Against most of our OOC schedule we can get away with it. A lot is being asked of Clark early season until Bam gets experience because Fermin is foul prone. But I’m big on Clark. His versatility is a life saver with present roster. Fermin and Bam can’t stretch a D, at least haven’t yet developed a proven outside threat. Again, I’m not criticizing anyone on our front court. But we’re thin in numbers and girth. It is our Achilles hill and scouting reports have already figured it out. RN knew this during offseason and hoped for major leaps in our bigs, perhaps unrealistically. Opposing teams with decent guards/wings need to drive to hoop and take it to our bigs, and/or dump off inside. Getting our front court in foul trouble early changes our options significantly.
 
wavevcu said:
Clark isnt carrying anything except extra baggage. He is slow on D and can't hit the 3. Thinks he is a guard and won't play inside. Total liability right now. I don't see a Kuany performance coming either. Almost all of his 3's have been wide open and off the mark. I would much rather see Belle at the 4. At least he brings some toughness and rebounds and defends. Losing Tobi has killed our inside game.
Click to expand...

Not sure what team you are watching, but that's not true. There's more to the game than just offense. If anyone right now is extra baggage, it's Russell.
 
wavevcu said:
And how many points ? And what was his 3 point shooting percentage ? 7 assists in 3 games while primarily playing on the perimeter is lousy.
Click to expand...

With all of the offensive weapons this team has, defense does not need to be a priority of Clark's. If you are basing your comments regarding Clark based on watcvhing the games on TV, then you are not seeing all that he does on the court. He is second on this team in rebounds at 6.7 rpg. Shulga leads the team at 6.9. The third best rebounder is Joe Bamisille at 4.7. FYI - Fermin is averaging 2.1 rpg and Bamgboye is averaging 1.6 rpg. That's a total of 3.7 rpg at the 5 spot!

Now, continue to tell me why Clark is nothing but extra baggage. :roll: :roll: :roll:
 
Wolfpack Ram said:
With all of the offensive weapons this team has, defense does not need to be a priority of Clark's. If you are basing your comments regarding Clark based on watcvhing the games on TV, then you are not seeing all that he does on the court. He is second on this team in rebounds at 6.7 rpg. Shulga leads the team at 6.9. The third best rebounder is Joe Bamisille at 4.7. FYI - Fermin is averaging 2.1 rpg and Bamgboye is averaging 1.6 rpg. That's a total of 3.7 rpg at the 5 spot!

Now, continue to tell me why Clark is nothing but extra baggage. :roll: :roll: :roll:
Click to expand...
Clark played a solid floor game in Charleston, but his shooting hurt us in the first 2 games. 2 for 15 from 3. Should have recognized it wasn’t going down for him and been a bit more selective. Could have driven it occasionally for a pull-up or to take it to the rim, draw a foul, etc.

Against Miami, Clark again wasn’t hitting but he showed restraint and deferred to his teammates.

If we can get Russell back involved and in the right mindset, we’ve got a lot of weapons. If one or two guys aren’t hitting, no big deal as long as these guys recognize this and don’t force shots or shoot us out of the game. Ride the hot hands.

IMO, Max is the only guy on our team who should have the neon green light.
 
RamJamFan said:
I don’t mean to criticize Clark. His challenge is due to team bench. Fermin often has to sit and we have a freshman backup in Bam, putting a lot of pressure on Clark because we become basically a four guard lineup with a stretch four at center. It might work going forward, but staff and team are yet to show it against decent talent. If Clark isn’t nailing threes it becomes even more limiting. Against most of our OOC schedule we can get away with it. A lot is being asked of Clark early season until Bam gets experience because Fermin is foul prone. But I’m big on Clark. His versatility is a life saver with present roster. Fermin and Bam can’t stretch a D, at least haven’t yet developed a proven outside threat. Again, I’m not criticizing anyone on our front court. But we’re thin in numbers and girth. It is our Achilles hill and scouting reports have already figured it out. RN knew this during offseason and hoped for major leaps in our bigs, perhaps unrealistically. Opposing teams with decent guards/wings need to drive to hoop and take it to our bigs, and/or dump off inside. Getting our front court in foul trouble early changes our options significantly.
Click to expand...

Post in thread '2024-25 Roster Thread' https://www.vcuramnation.com/threads/2024-25-roster-thread.20624/post-1224627
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top