Minnesota Ute

Just to set the record straight, here are the numbers:
He averaged 21min in the first 6 games where he was 64% from the floor, averaged 10pts, 8.3 Reb, 1.5 Asst, .8 steals, 1 block, and 1.3 turnovers with an average Game Score (adv stat) of 10.8 (which is pretty dang good). Granted there were some bad teams in there, but he had a very good game…[Read more]

Part of me feels like I should be making the argument that Ezra shouldn’t be playing at all. A BPM of -0.2 is pretty bad, and he turns the ball over very regularly. He has 22 turnovers which is 3rd highest on the team behind Miro(29) and Gabe(26), so that’s a lot for a non-guard. He drives me crazy when he just puts his head down and drives i…[Read more]

Interestingly my impression of him is that he has a lot of turnovers, but the stats disagree. Stats say he is averaging 1 per game give or take. I wonder if that’s because they don’t consider it a turnover if you lose the ball going to the hole. It seems like at least 2 to 3 times per game, he goes hard to the basket and just loses the handle.…[Read more]

My sons’ had a HS coach that was like that. Very inconsistent rotations, constantly mixing and matching lineups. Certain kids would always start and play lots regardless of productivity while others might be productive one week, then not play the next; while the person that got those minutes were rarely productive. It was very demotivating to a…[Read more]

Yup, while this has been my knock on Hunter for a couple years now, the reality is the roster has turned over such that the overall level of talent has regressed to his level. The net result is there is no longer a question of whether he should be playing because it’s not like we have better players sitting behind him anymore.

Key stats: 36%…[Read more]

Right, but who the F are our starters anyway?? Seems like every night it’s different. By this time of the season, you should have whittled your rotation down to 8 or 9 of the best players. Your starters should be more or less set give or take an injury. Instead, every game is a new lineup. I know starting is for HS and all that, but it’s just…[Read more]

Captain Tuttle was a hell of a guy!

Each of those games left a serious scar on my psyche. This falls squarely on Smith, period. It is simply infinitely possible to turn almost anyone into a decent to good FT shooter. Muscle memory is part of it, technique is part of it, psychology is part of it. I said it before, I’ll say it again and again; there is simply no reason a D1 athlete…[Read more]

I was surprised that he only showed 1 assist in the box score, because I know he had several sharp passes. That is my one big hope for Lawson (other than making he and Ezra making their DAMN free throws) is that he will be a good passer. That is what really differentiated Bogut and one of the things that seems like it’s been lacking from our…[Read more]

I will NEVER understand the FT struggles. It’s an unguarded shot from 15 feet. Any D1 athlete should be able to consistently make that shot at at least a 75% clip. 3 of 4 is not too much to ask and failure to at least achieve that is a failure mentally and/or a failure of accountability.

I for one don’t miss the Pac12. I’m glad we broke through and grateful they gave us that chance. However:
1. TV Deal SUCKED
2. Leadership SUCKED
3. Tip Off/Kick Off times SUCKED
4. Marquee names consistently underperformed
5. I personally never felt a strong kinship to almost any teams in Pac like I did the WAC/MWC
6. California can take a…[Read more]

He needs to fix the doo or I will never be able to take him seriously. Irrespective of his contribution…

If nothing else, we have some good stories to follow. IMO, there is no way that anyone can look at this lineup and last year’s and tell for sure whether we will be better or worse. To me, its 50:50 at this point, but could easily tilt in favor of this year if we secure one or maybe two more solid pickups. I don’t think Hunter is as bad as many…[Read more]

Hooray!!

Not sure if I should even get my hopes up, looks like he has a lot of lines in the water. Any intel on why he might land at Utah as opposed to any of the other 9 (and others) schools he is “in contact with”?

I don’t have inside info, but I do have a couple posts here detailing my thoughts on his capabilities. TLDR version is that I saw limited BB IQ, lots of turnovers, very little offensive explosiveness, and very spotty defense. The only positive stat in his line was 3-pt shooting and even that wasn’t outstanding. I think his potential was limited…[Read more]

UteFans Deep Cut… Haha

Hard to second guess that decision… one of the most well known and accomplished coaches in basketball in one of the most consistently excellent basketball conferences with the some of the best east coast media exposure, or…

sigh. I hope it works out for him.

I personally had a lot of heartburn for the money that college sports was generating on the backs of adults who couldn’t share in the profit. That said, professional sports realized long ago that contracts mattered for stability of the league and gradually along the way the players bargained for free agency to provide a balance.
The problem…[Read more]