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Game 6—IPFW Mastodons


clarkwgriswold

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8 hours ago, 1981 grad said:

I thought that Fort Wayne played very good basketball.  They moved the ball well, were good shooters, and played good defense.  

 

They gave up 83 points to a team that hasn't scored near that amount yet this year, and may not hit that again, along with 50% fg and 41% on Threes.  

 

 

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11 hours ago, NWAkron said:

1.  What's everyone's take on the strength of our out of conference schedule so far?

2.  I really enjoy watching this team.  There's always action.  It's just a completely different vibe than years past where there was always a predictable lull midway through either half.

3.  I get a good laugh every time Groce screams at Parrish for not getting back down the court after he makes a big (or any) basket.

4.  What impressed me tonight is that the Zips were able to make those defensive stops when things really got dicey.

5.  I noticed the FT shooting start to tank at the end of the last home game (I think) when Utomi and possibly Cotton clanked a few as the game came to a close. It hasn't recovered.  Sayles air balled one of his tonight.  You didn't see him back on the court after that.

6.  Lots of turnovers but that has to be a product of the fast pace.  I would say 3 of them were after we stole the ball and then they stole it right back.

7.  Ivey really impressed. 

8.  Macolm for all his missed FTs tonight does stuff our former guards never did.  He drives right into the lane and is willing to get knocked to the floor.  He just bulldozes in there.  And Cotton making those 3s gives us another weapon.

9.  Some of FWs 3s were DJ Cooper style.  But Utomi's three pointers are a thing of beauty.

 

In response...

 

1. I think the "strength" of our OOC schedule is the competitive nature of the opponents. The teams we scheduled this year have had success in recent years, but are going through a transition phase, whether it be because they graduated players or they have a new coach. Regardless, I think they are all talented enough to challenge us the way we need to be challenged, but not overly talented to where we get stomped. One of the biggest keys for young teams is learning how to win. That's the "strength" of our schedule thus far.

 

2. Agreed. High energy. Two reasons why are is always action: rebounding and defense. We actually crash the boards this year, on both sides of the ball. We also look to jump the passing lanes more. 

 

3. I like that he rips Parrish for that. Act like you've been there before, and get back on D. 

 

4. We are a defensively sound team. We execute the fundamentals very well, in my opinion. It's refreshing. We also don't seem to foul near as much, as we go straight up more often on contested shot attempts. When we do foul, we foul hard as to not let the opponent get a shot off. 

 

5. I don't think our FT shooting these past couple games is going to be the norm. The way the players react to miss free throws lends me to believe they work hard at them. Groce also indicated on the post-game show that the guys that missed, don't normally miss. I think it's a cold streak, they'll continue hit it hard in practice, and it will go back to a higher percentage.

 

6. The turnovers were a product of our youth and lack of chemistry. We aggressively put ourselves in situations where we got stuck and had to force the ball into passing lanes that weren't there. It didn't both me TOO much.

 

7. Ivey's effort, particularly on the defensive end, is going to win us some games come MAC play. It seemed like last night, he found his role on the team. WAY more under control on the offensive end, and his defense turned into offense. 

 

8. Malcolm adds an incredibly different dynamic with his physicality. Taking the ball into the lane and drawing the foul at the end of close games... what a novel idea. :rolleyes: Cotton's 3 pt. shooting would be huge. He's struggled from beyond the arc prior to last night.

 

9. IPFW can SHOOT. Utomi has the textbook jump shot. Excellent ball rotation and arc.

 

Additional thoughts...

 

- Poke is coming into his own. He seems to not be wetting his shorts when he gets the ball down low. His aggressive intuition to typically go for the dunk is awesome. A lot of our big men in the past - some taller and bulkier than Poke - have looked to lay it up and in first instead of slamming it down the opponents throats with authority. He also plays intelligent defense, going straight up most of the time to contest and put himself in good positions to block shots. 

 

- I still want to know more about this Smith kid. Very odd that he got into the game, and when he got in. He has good size for a guard, and everyone knows we could use that depth, not to mention the fact that you can't have too many 6'4"/6'5" guards. 

 

- This team is going to be just fine, and possibly better than fine. They play a fun style of basketball. They're as physical or more physical than most teams we'll face. They can definitely contend, from what I've seen, for a MAC title.

 

- Excellent halftime show. I think that's the most watched show aside from the Panda Plate Lady. Well done by the University to give those kids their moment.  

 

- Barely a mention about our Championship-level soccer team being in the College Cup (Final Four) on Friday. Pathetic. The game is on ESPNU, and I don't even recall if that was mentioned.

Edited by lilroodude
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30 minutes ago, lilroodude said:

I still want to know more about this Smith kid. Very odd that he got into the game, and when he got in. He has good size for a guard, and everyone knows we could use that depth, not to mention the fact that you can't have too many 6'4"/6'5" guards. 

A friend of mine was listening to the radio feed and said Frenchy mentioned someone from Groce's staff noticed Smith playing ball in the UA Rec Center and asked him to join the team. 

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The dunk contest on the Little Tykes hoop was awful.  The Pizza Fire contest is an abominable failure as I don't think they've given away a single pizza in two years.  The t-shirt cannon shoots duds 99.7% of the time.  The whole promos thing is going great!

 

Kudos to last night's halftime show.  That was really worthwhile.  I'd have preferred that the dance team not perform at the start of halftime  to give those kids another couple of minutes on the floor.

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31 minutes ago, clarkwgriswold said:

The dunk contest on the Little Tykes hoop was awful.  The Pizza Fire contest is an abominable failure as I don't think they've given away a single pizza in two years.  The t-shirt cannon shoots duds 99.7% of the time.  The whole promos thing is going great!

 

Kudos to last night's halftime show.  That was really worthwhile.  I'd have preferred that the dance team not perform at the start of halftime  to give those kids another couple of minutes on the floor.

I need to find the contest people so that I can do the pizza fire and win it for everyone.  Tired of them picking people who can't even come close.

 

Also, anyone know how the Wentz halfcourt shot is chosen?  Do you have to sign up somewhere?  They seem to call peoples names as opposed to a ticket #.  

 

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49 minutes ago, clarkwgriswold said:

The t-shirt cannon shoots duds 99.7% of the time. 

We have a "cannon" that shoots tee shirts into the second row.

 

I feel bad for the kids up top...they scream like crazy for a shirt, and 99.7% of them land in Blue Hair Land. How many shirts can the elderly use?

 

We need an "Adult Diaper Cannon" if we aren't going to fix that thing.

 

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1 minute ago, Captain Kangaroo said:

We have a "cannon" that shoots tee shirts into the second row?

 

I feel bad for the kids up top...they scream like crazy for a shirt, and 99.7% of them land in Blue Hair Land. How many shirts can the elderly use?

 

We need an "Adult Diaper Cannon" if we aren't going to fix that thing.

In the lower bowl, and I usually don't stand up during the t shirt toss.  I count on a few every year just randomly landing at my feet.  However, last night, as I was looking down at my phone, the cannon shot one directly into my chest.  Was quite a surprise.  Came about 6 inches from smacking me right in the face.

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1 minute ago, NWAkron said:

In the lower bowl, and I usually don't stand up during the t shirt toss.  I count on a few every year just randomly landing at my feet.  However, last night, as I was looking down at my phone, the cannon shot one directly into my chest.  Was quite a surprise.  Came about 6 inches from smacking me right in the face.

 Haaaah!  The 1.7 percent that don't come unfurled!  

 

I like the adult diaper idea.  Huggies as a corporate sponsor.

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As mentioned elsewhere, I really like Groce's use of timeouts.  In previous years, it seemed like taking a time out was the equivalent of "giving in".  Charlie Cole's was the master of using time outs and stifling any momentum an opposing team or player was developing.  I like the time out when u are all of a sudden down by five rather than when it's 15.  Saving them to the end wont help if the lead becomes insurmountable.

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1 hour ago, clarkwgriswold said:

The dunk contest on the Little Tykes hoop was awful.  The Pizza Fire contest is an abominable failure as I don't think they've given away a single pizza in two years.  The t-shirt cannon shoots duds 99.7% of the time.  The whole promos thing is going great!

 

Kudos to last night's halftime show.  That was really worthwhile.  I'd have preferred that the dance team not perform at the start of halftime  to give those kids another couple of minutes on the floor.

I am guessing the T-Shirt machine has been setup so as not to injure anyone.

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9 minutes ago, clarkwgriswold said:

 

What's the fun in that?  LOL.  Look what it did to the elderly NWAkron.

Hateful:rolleyes:. I would submit that I'm certainly younger and assuredly thinner than all of of you!:tomato: And the t shirt was fully furled.  Still having flashbacks.

Edited by NWAkron
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2 hours ago, Captain Kangaroo said:

A friend of mine was listening to the radio feed and said Frenchy mentioned someone from Groce's staff noticed Smith playing ball in the UA Rec Center and asked him to join the team. 

Lucas had been playing against the guys over at the rec center during open gyms before the season. The coaching staff took a look and decided he could help the team during practice. He has turned out to be a pleasant surprise.

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It might seem odd to see that at a D-1 level.  But back in high school and my first college, I played against many, many guys in open gym pick-up games who were better than some of the guys who had roster spots on our own team.  

 

In many of those cases, they just had no interest in being in a structured environment with practices, rules, etc.  But I always wondered why they didn't AT LEAST pursue it for the benefit of having their school paid.  

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25 minutes ago, tboned said:

I am guessing the T-Shirt machine has been setup so as not to injure anyone.

 

Well maybe some people should get off their phones an pay attention. @NWAkron :ninja: ;)

 

I don't blame anyone for not really paying attention, however, to the t-shirt cannon. If the t-shirt doesn't unfurl, it's launched into the rafters, never to be seen again. 

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