Women's Team

[ARCInsider]

As mentioned in a previous, (though long winded) post, we have major issues in the coaching department. Did anyone concentrate on our efforts to block out last night? Another pathetic effort. These coaches have got to get back to the basics with these players and work on BLOCKING OUT! Period. I can take an off shooting night, but to watch these games and our lack of blocking out and weak defense is frustrating at best.
I also watched the coaching from the sidelines, and our actions after coming off of a timeout. If they have to honor a 5 year contract with this staff, you will see more of the same for 3 more years.
Say what you want about Freeman's recruits, but that's a copout. There were several times last night where 4 of the 5 players on the floor were Dorow players - kids she brought here. And would you know it, not one knew how to block out. As a whole the best players we have at blocking out are the ones Freeman brought here.
This team has an identity crisis. It isn't clear to any of them what their actual role should be. We are beyond the halfway point of the season and our coaches are still clueless about what their roles should be.
They need more input from Helm. He seems to be the only one on the sidelines that really understands the game.
Sorry. Back off the soapbox. Carry on.

THIS.  This guy gets it.  Anyone blaming Keith needs to wake up...regardless of who recruited the players, we should be seeing improvement throughout the season and basic fundamentals being executed.

Keith is currently in a sweet situation and has helped turn his program around and meanwhile we are cellar-dwellers.  Is it too late to bring Keith back?

[valpotx]

Yes, we should be seeing improvement throughout the season, that I can agree with.  I also agree that basic fundamentals can be taught and executed better currently.  However, that doesn't mean we should be winning the games we are losing, with the talent we have.  All it means is that these 20-30+ point losses we are seeing would be cut to 10-20 point losses.  We just don't have the talent leftover from the previous regime, to immediately be competitive in this league.  Give it another year, and if we are still doing the same things, then it needs to be looked at more.  Even big schools give any coaches a few years to turn things around, because they are playing with a previous coach's talent.

[jack]

Yes, we should be seeing improvement throughout the season, that I can agree with.  I also agree that basic fundamentals can be taught and executed better currently.  However, that doesn't mean we should be winning the games we are losing, with the talent we have.  All it means is that these 20-30+ point losses we are seeing would be cut to 10-20 point losses.  We just don't have the talent leftover from the previous regime, to immediately be competitive in this league.  Give it another year, and if we are still doing the same things, then it needs to be looked at more.  Even big schools give any coaches a few years to turn things around, because they are playing with a previous coach's talent.

Success breads success. Cutting these losses down to single digit losses would go a long way in instilling confidence in these players, but you won't see that until there is a major coaching philosophy change. We were down by 25 pts to a 6 and 9 Oakland squad at the half. We came out after the break with more of the same. These players came out defeated before the buzzer sounded to start the second half. These players don't have confidence in their coaches, because their coaches don't have confidence in them. That is overwhelmingly apparent when you see our starting line up. The players, I assume, they want to grab the reigns and be team leaders are sitting on the bench. Noone in the starting line up the other night showed any signs, or interest, in stepping up to the leader role. They don't talk, direct traffic, control the pace, nothing. You send your team out with a defeatest attitude from the start. They will never understand the importance of a floor leader. Freeman understood this. His downfall was the injury plagued squads he had to deal with his last 2 years, and the loss of Ladd, which he was grooming the team to work around.
As for giving these coaches a free pass until they get through the "other" recruits, that's just plain bunk. It is actually an indication of their ability, or lack of it, to identify strength's and weaknesses, and play these players to their strengths. Instead, we are going backwards. They don't see the need to get back to the basic fundamentals of the game.
Andy Reid went to Kansas City - a 2 and 14 team last year, and utilizing mostly the same players, got them to the playoffs this season. He went their, changed the philosophy, and instilled confidence in his players. He wasn't expecting a pass for a few years because he was playing with someone elses players. I too think Dorow deserves time to instill her philosophy, but if it doesn't include instilling confidence, and showing signs of improvement, then I'd have to say her philosophy is flawed. The sign of a good coach is knowing when something isn't working, admitting so, and making some changes. The only change I see is further discouragement for the players you need to count on to turn this thing around.

[IndyValpo]

As mentioned in a previous, (though long winded) post, we have major issues in the coaching department. Did anyone concentrate on our efforts to block out last night? Another pathetic effort. These coaches have got to get back to the basics with these players and work on BLOCKING OUT! Period. I can take an off shooting night, but to watch these games and our lack of blocking out and weak defense is frustrating at best.
I also watched the coaching from the sidelines, and our actions after coming off of a timeout. If they have to honor a 5 year contract with this staff, you will see more of the same for 3 more years.
Say what you want about Freeman's recruits, but that's a copout. There were several times last night where 4 of the 5 players on the floor were Dorow players - kids she brought here. And would you know it, not one knew how to block out. As a whole the best players we have at blocking out are the ones Freeman brought here.
This team has an identity crisis. It isn't clear to any of them what their actual role should be. We are beyond the halfway point of the season and our coaches are still clueless about what their roles should be.
They need more input from Helm. He seems to be the only one on the sidelines that really understands the game.
Sorry. Back off the soapbox. Carry on.

And sometimes we see what we want to see.  I just went through the entire play-by-play for the Oakland game an at no point, repeat no point were 4 or 5 Dorow players on the floor at the same time.  7 minutes in the 1st, 10 minutes in the second there were three.

Look there is plenty of blame to go around here.  The prior coaches recruited a group capable of winning 8-12 games based on the last several years.  The current coaches has done nothing to make them better. Basically everyone invloved is responsible except for us fans.

[ARCInsider]

And sometimes we see what we want to see.  I just went through the entire play-by-play for the Oakland game an at no point, repeat no point were 4 or 5 Dorow players on the floor at the same time.  7 minutes in the 1st, 10 minutes in the second there were three.

Look there is plenty of blame to go around here.  The prior coaches recruited a group capable of winning 8-12 games based on the last several years.  The current coaches has done nothing to make them better. Basically everyone invloved is responsible except for us fans.

The only thing that has to be considered is that maybe these players would be performing better in Keith's system.  They were recruited by him to play his style...maybe Dorow needs to watch some old VU film and put some of that stuff into practice.

[valpotx]

In regards to Andy Reid, he also has Alex Smith as his QB, versus the crappy combination of Matt Cassel/Brady Quinn from the year before.  A decent QB can make or break a team, and the only thing KC had going for them last year was a great defense (crappy offense).  Completely different than our situation, where a FR or transfer in women's basketball won't typically lead to 10 additional wins. 

[jack]

As mentioned in a previous, (though long winded) post, we have major issues in the coaching department. Did anyone concentrate on our efforts to block out last night? Another pathetic effort. These coaches have got to get back to the basics with these players and work on BLOCKING OUT! Period. I can take an off shooting night, but to watch these games and our lack of blocking out and weak defense is frustrating at best.
I also watched the coaching from the sidelines, and our actions after coming off of a timeout. If they have to honor a 5 year contract with this staff, you will see more of the same for 3 more years.
Say what you want about Freeman's recruits, but that's a copout. There were several times last night where 4 of the 5 players on the floor were Dorow players - kids she brought here. And would you know it, not one knew how to block out. As a whole the best players we have at blocking out are the ones Freeman brought here.
This team has an identity crisis. It isn't clear to any of them what their actual role should be. We are beyond the halfway point of the season and our coaches are still clueless about what their roles should be.
They need more input from Helm. He seems to be the only one on the sidelines that really understands the game.
Sorry. Back off the soapbox. Carry on.

And sometimes we see what we want to see.  I just went through the entire play-by-play for the Oakland game an at no point, repeat no point were 4 or 5 Dorow players on the floor at the same time.  7 minutes in the 1st, 10 minutes in the second there were three.

Look there is plenty of blame to go around here.  The prior coaches recruited a group capable of winning 8-12 games based on the last several years.  The current coaches has done nothing to make them better. Basically everyone invloved is responsible except for us fans.

I believe at one point there was Karungi, Miller, issac, and Hamlet on tge floor at one time.  Maybe not, but that wasn't really the point. I guess we will just continue to make excuses for 3 more years.
Carry on.

[jack]

In regards to Andy Reid, he also has Alex Smith as his QB, versus the crappy combination of Matt Cassel/Brady Quinn from the year before.  A decent QB can make or break a team, and the only thing KC had going for them last year was a great defense (crappy offense).  Completely different than our situation, where a FR or transfer in women's basketball won't typically lead to 10 additional wins.

That he did, but he also figured out what he had, and how develop a plan to best use all the other talent that was already there. Our problem isn't our "quarterback". It's our plan. It isn't about an expectation of instant wins. It's about steady and tangible improvement. If you claim to see that, then we are watching 2 different programs for sure.  Lets revisit this after the Detroit game. This will be a good yardstick to see what we have learned.

[valpo4life]

No matter what side of the debate you are on, I think we can all agree that we are just looking for some kind of improvement over the rest of the season. We saw a glimpse of it yesterday against a Wright St. team who has easily the best player in the league and tons athleticism (especially compared to our team). Despite the 23 turnovers and giving up 19 offensive rebounds, we still fought all game long and looked pretty good offensively and defensively for stretches. Yes, it's still a loss. But it's a baby step forward that everyone wants to see.

[IndyValpo]

As mentioned in a previous, (though long winded) post, we have major issues in the coaching department. Did anyone concentrate on our efforts to block out last night? Another pathetic effort. These coaches have got to get back to the basics with these players and work on BLOCKING OUT! Period. I can take an off shooting night, but to watch these games and our lack of blocking out and weak defense is frustrating at best.
I also watched the coaching from the sidelines, and our actions after coming off of a timeout. If they have to honor a 5 year contract with this staff, you will see more of the same for 3 more years.
Say what you want about Freeman's recruits, but that's a copout. There were several times last night where 4 of the 5 players on the floor were Dorow players - kids she brought here. And would you know it, not one knew how to block out. As a whole the best players we have at blocking out are the ones Freeman brought here.
This team has an identity crisis. It isn't clear to any of them what their actual role should be. We are beyond the halfway point of the season and our coaches are still clueless about what their roles should be.
They need more input from Helm. He seems to be the only one on the sidelines that really understands the game.
Sorry. Back off the soapbox. Carry on.

And sometimes we see what we want to see.  I just went through the entire play-by-play for the Oakland game an at no point, repeat no point were 4 or 5 Dorow players on the floor at the same time.  7 minutes in the 1st, 10 minutes in the second there were three.

Look there is plenty of blame to go around here.  The prior coaches recruited a group capable of winning 8-12 games based on the last several years.  The current coaches has done nothing to make them better. Basically everyone invloved is responsible except for us fans.

I believe at one point there was Karungi, Miller, issac, and Hamlet on tge floor at one time.  Maybe not, but that wasn't really the point. I guess we will just continue to make excuses for 3 more years.
Carry on.

Pointing out facts really isn't making excuses but whatever. Dorow has plenty of problems without making stuff up.

[KL31NY]

69-51 L at UIC. Still winless in league play and now eight consecutive defeats overall.

9+ minutes without a bucket to close the game. Until a made free throw from Charae in the closing seconds, we were in line to finish the game with nearly eight scoreless minutes while the Flames scored 19 straight. Led for most of the first half, did a good job defensively w/ UIC mostly going for 3's and deep 2's. Flames were much better getting inside and grabbing rebounds and loose balls during the second half.

Also fwiw, mlb in attendance with the short trip to the UIC Pavilion. Always liked the trip myself, especially if you could bring back a W

[ARCInsider]

BIG win tonight for the ladies.

[valpotx]

Good job ladies, hopefully a sign of better things to come as the conference season progresses.  The 3 ball has been our weakness all season, and it looks like it actually helped us out in this one. 

[jack]

Good effort in this one. The D was one step ahead of them the entire game. I think the starting 5 played well together. They all seemed to communicate much more then in previous games. We have to build from this one.

[IndyValpo]

A much needed victory!  Interestlingly realtimerpi.com had last night as our only victory the remainder of the season...

[KL31NY]

Anyone remember that 80-28 win over Youngstown State four years ago? That's what last night felt like. Amazing effort and execution. We kept Detroit without a field goal for a 17-minute stretch between halves.

Between that and the men pulling out a tough win at Youngstown State, yesterday was a great day to be a Crusader.

[StlVUFan]

I guess I was surprised that there's someone in the HL who could play worse than Valpo (and not for nothing, but the Lady Titans are the reigning WBI champs).  I tuned in with about 14 minutes to go in the game and could not believe my eyes when I saw the score.  Actually, I noticed the halftime score on twitter and thought it was a typo.

[valporun]

At one point, Todd or Dave announced the halftime score was 43-13, and I was shocked by that.

[LaPorteAveApostle]

the Lady Titans are the reigning WBI champs

I watched some of it, and saw some of their players, so I would venture to guess it isn't in the featherweight class

[valpotx]

I guess Detroit's team has the leading scorer in the HL, and she was held to 10 points.

[valpopal]

Though the team lost to Cleveland State last night (76-66), I thought they played fairly well and displayed a bit more confidence following the win over Detroit. The women shot well (52% fg, 43% 3pt) and they fought throughout the contest. Unfortunately, they resembled the men's team in some of their losses. Turnovers (23) led to a disparity in points off turnovers (20-3), and as the men have done a couple of times, they were victimized by unusually good three-point shooting by the opponent: Cleveland State made 15 3-pt shots, with one player making 7 in the best game of her career. Like the men also seem to do sometimes, the women got in a hole, falling behind by 10 points at the half, and they played much better the second half.

Therefore, despite the loss, I felt the team exhibited some noticeable improvement. Here are a few of the photos I took:

[jack]

They were up against a great 3 pt. evening by CS. I felt they could have still pulled it out though, if not for the turnovers, and poor shot selection coming into the final 7 minutes of play.
What stood out to me:
* CS scored 20 pts. off of our 23 turnovers.
* Karungi struggled holding on to the rock underneath.
* I may be wrong, but I don't recall any bounce passes. This squad has gotten away from any bounce passing. I think the      majority of our turnovers came with ill advised, or poor execution of some over the top passing.
* A little better job of blocking out, but we still go through stretches where we don't work to get a body on a defender and gain possition. Too many times, the shot goes up, and our 5 on the floor become spectators. We just aren't hungry for the ball inside on rebounds.
* Based on the D we were playing, we were challenging them to beat us from outside - and they answered the challenge. I think the coaching staff doesn't feel we are quick enough to switch off into a man to man and mix it up a bit. I think even a box in 1 would have been more effective with what they were trying to do offensively. 

[valpopal]

I have now posted a set of 22 photos from the game against Cleveland State, including the one below of Jessi Wiedemann, who had a career night with 21 points. I hope you enjoy the photos, which can be viewed at the following: http://www.flickr.com/photos/96208998@N05/sets/72157640248715476/

[LaPorteAveApostle]

They were up against a great 3 pt. evening by CS. I felt they could have still pulled it out though, if not for the turnovers, and poor shot selection coming into the final 7 minutes of play.
What stood out to me:
* CS scored 20 pts. off of our 23 turnovers.
* Karungi struggled holding on to the rock underneath.
* I may be wrong, but I don't recall any bounce passes. This squad has gotten away from any bounce passing. I think the      majority of our turnovers came with ill advised, or poor execution of some over the top passing.
* A little better job of blocking out, but we still go through stretches where we don't work to get a body on a defender and gain possition. Too many times, the shot goes up, and our 5 on the floor become spectators. We just aren't hungry for the ball inside on rebounds.
* Based on the D we were playing, we were challenging them to beat us from outside - and they answered the challenge. I think the coaching staff doesn't feel we are quick enough to switch off into a man to man and mix it up a bit. I think even a box in 1 would have been more effective with what they were trying to do offensively. 

I think you meant to post this under "Men's Team". 

Also you misspelled "Vashil".

[jack]

They were up against a great 3 pt. evening by CS. I felt they could have still pulled it out though, if not for the turnovers, and poor shot selection coming into the final 7 minutes of play.
What stood out to me:
* CS scored 20 pts. off of our 23 turnovers.
* Karungi struggled holding on to the rock underneath.
* I may be wrong, but I don't recall any bounce passes. This squad has gotten away from any bounce passing. I think the      majority of our turnovers came with ill advised, or poor execution of some over the top passing.
* A little better job of blocking out, but we still go through stretches where we don't work to get a body on a defender and gain possition. Too many times, the shot goes up, and our 5 on the floor become spectators. We just aren't hungry for the ball inside on rebounds.
* Based on the D we were playing, we were challenging them to beat us from outside - and they answered the challenge. I think the coaching staff doesn't feel we are quick enough to switch off into a man to man and mix it up a bit. I think even a box in 1 would have been more effective with what they were trying to do offensively.

I think you meant to post this under "Men's Team". 

Also you misspelled "Vashil".

Nope, but if they are having the same issues, maybe it's an overall philosophy that needs to be adressed in the basketball program. We need to realize our strengths, and work the programs around that. The personnels of these squads are what they are. We need to taylor a plan to put them in the best situations to be successful, consistently. That plan will need to cater to the opponent at hand. easier said than done, but it can be done.