The Bonnies: 2021-2022 Season Thread

I need to get back to Mexico ASAP. I thought I had my hacienda rented to some German visitors, but I guess they decided to say "Zur Hoelle damit" just like a lot of us are saying with all this covid bullshit. I hope we can salvage some kind of A10 season despite everything.
 
This is a long post from some idiot on the internet and as such recognize I am probably absolutely wrong on all points. And by writing this wasted my time and by posting it am wasting your time. In reflecting on the season so far I think our issues fall into 2 categories. Player development stagnated and coaching.

Player development first. Guys typically make big jumps under Schmidt in years 1 to 2 and 2 to 3. The handful of guys that started as freshmen and stayed to be seniors hasn't really gone up a level in their senior campaign. I think that has happened to the core 3.
- Lofton has improved at getting to the free throw line but his 3 pointer is inconsistent at best. Smart teams give him space until he proves he is having a hot game preferring to cut off driving and passing lanes. He doesn't have a plan B for when defenders do this and his shot isnt falling.
- Welch has never developed as a threat to pump and drive when teams close out on him. The most he has is the pump and side step. And that that shot doesnt feel like it falls very often. I love the idea of what Welch brings. He is a 3 and D guy that doesnt need the ball to have an impact. The problem is when he goes cold from 3 he goes stone cold. That being said I just cant quit him even writing semi negatively about him causes me distress.
- Osun: I cant judge whether we are seeing stagnant development but it feels like he is chasing the blocks record to the detriment the team. There... I said it and meant it. His defensive rebounding numbers have dropped this year while his block rate has risen. What I see matches what the numbers say. And that is a guy chasing blocks and leaving good defensive position to for the big play. When guys get to the paint against us there are 4 outcomes. Sometimes we get the block, sometimes the guy finishes over Osun, sometimes the guy misses and Osun's man is in perfect rebounding position and sometimes the guy passes to Osun's man who is wide open. 3 bad outcomes to 1 good one. Dayton was really able to take advantage of getting Osun out of position.
- Adaway has made the typical year 2/3 jump depending if you count the transfer year. He added more confidence in his 3 and has become a better rebounder and all around 4. He has single handedly been a bright spot from a development standpoint
- Holmes has been forced into a different role of being the primary ball handler for several games and done well in that role but when he moves back to playing next to Lofton his numbers are similar to prior years and his 3 has abandoned him. So on net I would say we haven't seen an improvement.
In summation we are a very similar offensive team to who we were last year and a worse defensive team. The team we were last year struggled to hit 3s for long stretches and played stifling defense to make up for our lack of shooting. This year the defense is a bit worse because we are taking bigger risks when helping off the ball.

As for coaching. Schmidt is letting a senior lead team work through it on the floor. It isnt working. And the other thing that isn't working is making the bench guys play the same style as the starters.

The bench is getting limited minutes and one of the reasons seems to be the bench cant play the same way as the starters. Adams doesnt have the shot/passing vision of Holmes and AKC isn't Osun (not many big guys can do what he does). Instead of playing to Adams and AKC's strengths we run the same offense and have the same defensive principles when they are on the floor. AKC is not the guy you want initiating out of the high post but yet we get him a touch there the first possession he is in almost every game. For a team with 1000 set plays we dont seem to change which section of the playbook is available based on the guys on the floor.

The letting guys work through it on the floor I'm ok with it for stretches but when that stretch leads to a 23-4 run as the last 10 minutes of the first half of the Dayton game did, maybe we need to let guys think about it from the bench. Or simply use our timeouts to talk it over. I dont think Schmidt should have a quick hook with any of the seniors but some intervention to try to help when your team is in the middle of scoring twice in 14 possessions.
 
Jive, love the posts like this. Keep them coming. You touched on some things that have been kicking around my head.

Shoon is definitely aware of the blocks record and trying to get it as fast as he can. He even tweeted out that he was 38 away prior to the Dayton game. He always has gone for blocks so I dont see this as new issue but it is a small issue. I didnt believe his defensive rebounds were down so I had to look it up. Sure enough they are. Not only that, he is 4th on the team in defensive rebounding! It just doesnt seem true when I watch the games. This is the lowest (7.1) his rebound has been in 4 years. He was at 7.6 his freshmen year. He is also fouling significantly less too. That doesnt seem possible since he is going for so many blocks but hes really good at blocking.

I cannot figure Welch out. I feel like hes doing nothing out there but its really just his shitty shooting. Even that isnt really bad, hes just all or nothing.
 
It's a new season for me. I was so discouraged after that Dayton fiasco that I avoided reading anything that might indicate where the Bonnies stand in the power rankings. All that is irrelevant now. I've been disabused of my pre-season hopes that this team is a national power. I am back to the usual psyche of Bona fandom post-1970, just hoping for a nice run in the final half of the season that will put us in the tourney. Let's drink our beer and Irish whiskey while we cheer for our now underdog team to ruin someone else's season.
 
There are no easy explanations. I have found that Kenpom's rankings at the beginning of the season usually predict with a modicum of accuracy the rankings when the season is complete. Not working here: the Bonnies have slipped from #31 in their initial ranking to #99. I have to wonder if they were overperforming last year or underperforming this year. Same guys, same coach, same system. I would hate to be them right now.
 
I've been having the same thoughts and am beginning to think last season is more of an aberration than the current one. Is still begs the question of why, though.
 
I realized something Saturday while following the ABC drama and the Kim English ejection. I cant imagine one guy on our team getting that fired up right now. The same team that had a bench clearing standoff with Duquesne 11 months ago and now no one seems that concerned. We might get a hard foul once or twice a game and get fake mad but we dont get whip basketballs at the other guy mad or get under the other guys skin enough to get them that mad.

I had been really critical of Lofton for always arguing calls and sometimes pushing things a bit too far but I'd love to have that guy back. Beyond Lofton this team has an aggressiveness issue. They have done a great job of staying out of foul trouble, but the tradeoff for that has been they play soft. I think that is why so much of the fanbase is in love with Adams, he plays aggressive even when he makes a mistake it is because he is trying to make a play.
 
If I see one more tweet from the same 3 guys asking Unfurled and Chuckie if Brown can play... I dont know what I'm going to do but dudes dont you think if there was a status update for Brown someone would be tweeting about it? Just accept he isnt playing unless told otherwise.
 
If I see one more tweet from the same 3 guys asking Unfurled and Chuckie if Brown can play... I dont know what I'm going to do but dudes dont you think if there was a status update for Brown someone would be tweeting about it? Just accept he isnt playing unless told otherwise.
Yep, I thought this would end it, but nope... I still get asked almost daily.
 
UHHHHH.......AHHHHHHHH....UFFFFFFF....YYYYEEEEEEOOOOOOWWWWW *plop* (perfectly tapered, both ends)

I can't wait for the Bonnies to keep kicking ass and then run the motherfucking table in the A-10 tourney.

EddieMoney back = Numbah 1 = did not breach underpant = insert + sniff unwashed

'ucks and Kenman = Numbah 10 = 'orky = dead carp.

Go Bona.
 
UHHHHH.......AHHHHHHHH....UFFFFFFF....YYYYEEEEEEOOOOOOWWWWW *plop* (perfectly tapered, both ends)

I can't wait for the Bonnies to keep kicking ass and then run the motherfucking table in the A-10 tourney.

EddieMoney back = Numbah 1 = did not breach underpant = insert + sniff unwashed

'ucks and Kenman = Numbah 10 = 'orky = dead carp.

Go Bona.
Pissah!
 
UHHHHH.......AHHHHHHHH....UFFFFFFF....YYYYEEEEEEOOOOOOWWWWW *plop* (perfectly tapered, both ends)

I can't wait for the Bonnies to keep kicking ass and then run the motherfucking table in the A-10 tourney.

EddieMoney back = Numbah 1 = did not breach underpant = insert + sniff unwashed

'ucks and Kenman = Numbah 10 = 'orky = dead carp.

Go Bona.
PlushEnormousAlbertosaurus-max-1mb.gif
 
UHHHHH.......AHHHHHHHH....UFFFFFFF....YYYYEEEEEEOOOOOOWWWWW *plop* (perfectly tapered, both ends)

I can't wait for the Bonnies to keep kicking ass and then run the motherfucking table in the A-10 tourney.

EddieMoney back = Numbah 1 = did not breach underpant = insert + sniff unwashed

'ucks and Kenman = Numbah 10 = 'orky = dead carp.

Go Bona.
Pissah!
 
insert + sniff unwashed

Wondering if you've ever eaten an anchovy pizza after inserting fingah into asshole and sniffing unwashed? Also, could you please describe the odor of the perfectly tapered (both ends) lob. Any chance you dropped said lob in a kids' fort in the woods?

Pissah!

Aloha!
 
Since I'm not being productive at work today, I want to get pre-MAD about something.

Senior Night

Senior Night needs to be fixed and it needs to be a game where the students are in attendance. End of story. This is such an easy win for the athletics department yet every year senior night is during spring break for the students. Tickets are not for sale for this game yet but I would bet they are going to try to sell either the sideline student section seats or the baseline seats or both and that is just wrong. Seniors, in particular these Seniors should have their peers in attendance for senior night.

If you think senior night has to be a weekend (probably should be) then the Duqesne game was the game to have it and 80s weekend should be the Richmond game. In fact i would argue that 80s weekend since it is such a big event should always be a game when students aren't on campus.

rant over.
 
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