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Games 4, 5 & 6- Cayman Islands Classic Basketball Tournament


clarkwgriswold

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7 hours ago, NWAkron said:

And yesterday,  you said Dawson would have made the difference last year.  And for last night Ali would have made the difference.   If only Groce nabbed Bass before Kent did...Bass would have made the difference...

4 hours ago, kreed5120 said:

He also spent much of the previous 15 months criticizing Ali and saying the team was better without him...

 

I'd say the main weakness on this team is they lack a LCJ or Castaneda type guard who can both create his own shot and create offense for others at an All-MAC level. Ali, while not the elite facilitator like the previous others I mentioned, has the ability to both create his shot and create open looks for others. Having him at the forward position should help ease some of those responsibilities from the guards.

 

Both of you are correct. I don't believe Ali Ali is as big of a positive to this team as many people make him out to be. I will always go back to his disappearance in the UCLA game, and the specific frustrations people had with him throughout that season when the movement/flow/rhythm on offense died with the ball in his hands. 

 

If Dawson is healthy last year, we would've had that legitimate complimentary piece to X2.0 & Freeman that can defend & score in a multitude of ways. That was what we were missing and what would've catapulted us to be MAC champions. 

 

Ali Ali is on our roster, and his participation decision is being held up by the crooked NCAA. Regardless, he is on our roster, therefore it is appropriate to play a bit of the "what if" game. We had an 8-man rotation after playing a tough game 24 hours prior against a team that played extremely hard, up-tempo, and a HAVOC defense. Within that 8-man rotation, 3 players barely showed up in the stat sheet. We needed 4 points. Ali Ali would've given us the depth and extra points we needed to overcome the missed layups, turnovers, etc. In addition, Utah State's length caused a lot of issues for us. Ali Ali would've been an equalizer in that department.  

 

In this game specifically, Ali Ali makes the difference. It's a damn shame the NCAA can get away with screwing around with programs and people's lives. 

 

@Zippy87 Great point about Prather Jr as well. Everything about his game during the recruiting process was exciting. Really hope whatever the issue is, it gets figured out and he can become a producer for us.

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This team could wind up being pretty great. But right now, nobody is stepping up besides Freeman. He can’t be missing these FTs, but I can’t put all the blame on him. The amount of missed wide open 3s from the team this week has staggered me. Unacceptable for a team with this level of talent. Maybe I’m just in a bad mood in general. The football news didn’t help. But come on, guys. UB teams of 2018-2019 make those plays.  Kent, Toledo last year make those plays. Lots to work on. 

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