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Harvard
Nov 22, 2019 21:24:54 GMT -5
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Post by Sons of Vaval on Nov 22, 2019 21:24:54 GMT -5
The personnel definitely isn’t very good, but how we have been playing defense through five games is concerning.
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Harvard
Nov 22, 2019 21:29:01 GMT -5
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Post by timholycross on Nov 22, 2019 21:29:01 GMT -5
All man again,. Or a little zone thrown in?
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Harvard
Nov 22, 2019 21:37:00 GMT -5
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Post by lou on Nov 22, 2019 21:37:00 GMT -5
Zone for two possessions at most
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Post by efg72 on Nov 22, 2019 21:45:45 GMT -5
The speed, quickness and support required by man defense is a difficult adjustment for first year players. Of the first nine, most might qualify as first year except for Butler, given the amount of zone and minutes they have played previously.
I look for the kids to steal a game or two and win a few more in Conference as they mature and buy into the philosophy and culture Nelson has brought to HC. I also anticipate a few more disasters, but if they learn and grow it will be a very productive year-patience and a little luck required.
btw I predicted 13 wins and checked the box for 15 as I am a glass full guy. Like all I would like the progress to be faster, but I also want the future success to be sustainable for many years to come so I can be patient if needed
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Harvard
Nov 22, 2019 22:03:45 GMT -5
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Post by bringbackcaro on Nov 22, 2019 22:03:45 GMT -5
The personnel definitely isn’t very good, but how we have been playing defense through five games is concerning. What is your expectation? That in two months of practice, Nelson would teach a roster of guys who know nothing about defending at the D1 level (including a vast majority who have poor defensive skills) how to defend and be good to go? This is a massive rebuild that is going to take time. Nelson has the guys playing very hard and that in itself is a big improvement. If the defense still looks like this next January, then it might be time to start having concerns.
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Harvard
Nov 22, 2019 22:14:18 GMT -5
Post by Sons of Vaval on Nov 22, 2019 22:14:18 GMT -5
Nelson, while at Marquette, coached alongside a guy (Wojo) who didn't care about defense.
As I mentioned, the talent at HC currently is not great, so it's not surprising we are 0-5, but there is nothing encouraging about the defense we are trying to play that is all that encouraging.
When Ralph came in with non-scholarship kids in 1999, the defense was there for day one against PC. Just saying.
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Post by efg72 on Nov 22, 2019 22:26:34 GMT -5
The bigger question for a coach is does he or she change from mostly zone to man when they have players who might be better suited to continue playing mostly zone.
Or
Does the coach adjust and play a style that is best suited for the talent on the roster.
No easy answer as both approaches have worked for successful coaches in the past. I have a preference, but I am not being paid to coach
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Post by lou on Nov 22, 2019 22:36:29 GMT -5
We played very good D for 1 half
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Harvard
Nov 22, 2019 22:39:48 GMT -5
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Post by Sons of Vaval on Nov 22, 2019 22:39:48 GMT -5
We played very good D for 1 half Harvard scored 82 points tonight. Four of five opponents have gone for 82+.
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Post by efg72 on Nov 22, 2019 23:07:07 GMT -5
By Jennifer Toland Telegram & Gazette Staff
Posted at 9:43 PM Updated at 9:43 PM WORCESTER — After Holy Cross suffered the worst defeat in program history Tuesday night — a 57-point loss to Northeastern — first-year HC men’s basketball coach Brett Nelson vowed his team would “respond the right way” in practice and when Harvard visited the Hart Center on Friday night.
“Everybody got refocused,” Holy Cross freshman guard Drew Lowder said. “That was something we lost during the Northeastern game. It was a wake-up call for everybody that we have to get better every single day. I think we did that with our preparation for this game. We just need to apply that for the entire time.”
The Crusaders took it to Harvard for the first 20 minutes, built a 12-point halftime lead, and hung with the Crimson when they made its second-half surge.
Harvard, though, denied the determined Crusaders their first win of the season. Senior guard Bryce Aiken scored a game-high 32 points and led the Crimson down the stretch in an 82-74 victory.
“There aren’t any moral victories in our program,” Nelson said. “I was happy with the way we came out in the first half and fought. Our guys showed some character. We’re an inexperienced team, and that’s not an excuse. We have to learn how to sustain that for 40 minutes, and tonight give Harvard credit.
“In the second half, those kids came out and were more in attack mode than we were,” Nelson added. “I was proud after what happened against Northeastern. Our kids came out and fought. Their hearts and minds were into it. We’re going to keep getting better if we have that attitude.”
Sophomore Marlon Hargis scored a career-high 19 points and had seven rebounds to lead Holy Cross (0-5). Lowder added 18 points and six assists.
Sophomore guard Noah Kirkwood and junior forward Danilo Djuricic each scored 15 points for Harvard (4-2).
Harvard, coming off its seventh Ivy League championship in the last nine years, entered 2019-20 as one of the most experienced teams in the country. The Crimson returned 96.7 percent of its scoring from a year ago and 95.7 percent of its minutes.
The Crusaders shot 58 percent from the field in the first half, held Harvard to 35 percent and kept Aiken in check with 11 points, led by as many as 16, and were up, 43-31, at the break.
Harvard opened the second half on a 14-2 run and Kirkwood’s floater tied the score at 45 with 16:33 left.
HC regained the lead on junior Matt Faw’s 3-pointer and added to it on Lowder’s layup, but Harvard stormed back with nine straight points, and Kirkwood’s basket inside gave the Crimson its first lead, 52-50, with 14:28 on the clock.
Holy Cross took its last lead, 58-57, on a Hargis 3-pointer with 11:11 left. The Crusaders were within one after Hargis saved a rebound and sent the ball to Lowder, who swished a 3 from the top of the arc with 6:32 to play.
Aiken, though, scored seven straight points to push Harvard’s lead to 10.
Back-to-back baskets by junior guard Austin Butler kept HC within six with 2:37 left, but Aiken drilled a dagger 3 as the shot clock expired for a 79-70 lead with less than a minute to go.
Harvard shot 56 percent from the field in the second half
“Our defense didn’t have the same bite as we had in the first half,” Nelson said. “Give credit to Aiken; great players take over, and they jumped on his back. We did a great job on him in the first half, in the second half we didn’t.”
Until freshman Lowder’s layup with 3 seconds left, HC scored just six points over the previous four minutes.
Behind junior Conor Niego’s seven points, Holy Cross opened a 15-3 lead on the Crimson, who started 0 for 8 from the field.
Sophomore forward Mason Forbes’ tip-in at the 13-minute mark was Harvard’s first basket and started a 6-0 Crimson spurt.
After making six of their first nine attempts, Holy Cross connected on just two of its next nine, and Harvard cut the lead to two on Aiken’s layup.
The Crusaders didn’t waver, though, and junior Kyle Copeland’s layup with 7:23 left started a 19-5 run. The Crusaders scored 10 straight points, including eight in a row by Hargis, and took their largest lead of the first half, 38-22, on Lowder’s pull-up jumper with 2:54 remaining.
Hargis scored 14 first-half points to better his previous career high, set in the opener at Maryland, by a point.
“My teammates put me in the right position to get open shots,” Hargis said, “and Coach Nelson drew up some plays to get me good looks.”
The Crusaders played their second straight game without freshman Joe Pridgen, who is dealing with a knee injury.
Holy Cross is off until Nov. 29, when it plays at Florida Atlantic in the Boca Raton Beach Classic in Florida.
—Contact Jennifer Toland at jennifer.toland@telegram.com. Follow her on Twitter @jentandg.
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Post by hc87 on Nov 22, 2019 23:47:07 GMT -5
Didn't watch but heartened to see they battled tonight. We are what we are this year.....not picking on the team but this has to be the least talented (right now) team we've had in the 21st C, no?
We'll win 8-10 games and that's basically fine given the circumstances imo....
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Harvard
Nov 22, 2019 23:53:03 GMT -5
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Post by Sons of Vaval on Nov 22, 2019 23:53:03 GMT -5
I think 8-10 is generous.
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Post by hc87 on Nov 23, 2019 0:08:12 GMT -5
We'll see...these things tend to "average out" ovah a season...we'll win 2 or 3 OOC (including UMB) and then probably 5 to 7 PL games....it'll be in the 7-11 win total range...nearly guaranteed.
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Post by ndgradbuthcfan on Nov 23, 2019 5:56:00 GMT -5
Aiken is very, very good. And surrounded by quite a few other good players. A good effort by the Crusaders and an entertaining game to watch.
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Harvard
Nov 23, 2019 6:20:55 GMT -5
Post by Non Alum Dave on Nov 23, 2019 6:20:55 GMT -5
Didn't watch but heartened to see they battled tonight. We are what we are this year.....not picking on the team but this has to be the least talented (right now) team we've had in the 21st C, no? We'll win 8-10 games and that's basically fine given the circumstances imo.... You may be right in the final analysis, '87,but isn't it a little early to evaluate? Rookie coach, 11 schollie guys, and even excluding CLS, the other 10 have not suited up together once this year. At the end of the year, we should also be able to include 2 of the 3 recruits in the conversation, since we should be able to evaluate a 13 man roster.
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Post by longsuffering on Nov 23, 2019 7:00:30 GMT -5
Deficits in experience and "depth" too great to overcome for this young HC team. HC played better tonight. Tough loss. Their resilience is a reflection of Coach Nelson. I don't believe in moral victories but I do believe in this young team led by their young, dynamic coach. The schedule has not been easy. This may be an important learning experience. I am encouraged and I hope the players are encouraged, too. LoveHC PS Hofstra defeated UCLA? The depth dilemma is highlighted by Harvard's 10-1 advantage in seniors.
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Harvard
Nov 23, 2019 7:31:12 GMT -5
Post by ndgradbuthcfan on Nov 23, 2019 7:31:12 GMT -5
WPI (a very good D3 team) plays UMB this afternoon.
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Post by rgs318 on Nov 23, 2019 7:41:57 GMT -5
Small point, last year, with everyone in place that we did not have last night, HC lost to Harvard by 11 (62-73). This year, losing those 4 top players including the best defensive player, and with Pridgen injured, we led for most of the game before losing by 8. Yes, a loss is still a loss, but the team we have now is showing improvement and, after that NU game, grit and determination. As has been said many times, this will be a rough season. But it is fun to watch this young team come together.
On to Boca Raton!
BTW, I loved the attitude and team spirit shown by Pridgen and the bench throughout the game. They are clearly into it!
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Post by bigfan on Nov 23, 2019 9:04:35 GMT -5
We should have won the Fairfield game, Northeastern & Harvard have better athletes. Good start against the Crimson and things will improve as the schedule moves on. I believe that this coach and his assistants will get us back to being a winning program, it may take a couple of years.
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Post by crusader1970 on Nov 23, 2019 9:38:34 GMT -5
Nelson, while at Marquette, coached alongside a guy (Wojo) who didn't care about defense. As I mentioned, the talent at HC currently is not great, so it's not surprising we are 0-5, but there is nothing encouraging about the defense we are trying to play that is all that encouraging. When Ralph came in with non-scholarship kids in 1999, the defense was there for day one against PC. Just saying. Ralph was a great defensive coach but somewhat challenged on offense. What we have with Nelson is pretty much the opposite. However, I sat directly behind the HC bench last night and can assure you that when the defense was in front of him in the first half, Nelson had the team playing aggressive man to man D. It will take time but at this point I believe that the program is in good hands with Nelson and we will have some very enjoyable games to watch in Jan and Feb as these inexperienced kids learn the nuances of Div I college basketball.
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Post by hchoops on Nov 23, 2019 10:04:17 GMT -5
To expect any first year coach to be as brilliant a veteran coach, esp on D, as Willard was when he came to HC is completely unfair
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Post by possum on Nov 23, 2019 10:17:19 GMT -5
Very entertaining game last night. Played really well in first half shots were falling and defense was excellent. Amaker must have read his team the riot act at halftime as they didn't return to the floor until two minutes before play was to resume. Looked like a different team very aggressive in getting the ball inside and pounding the boards. Aiken really turned it on in the second half and was able to get to the hoop whenever he wanted to. Very encouraging that the guys hung in till the end after Harvard basically wiped out the halftime deficit in the first 3 minutes of the 2nd half. Hargis looked great shooting the ball and Copeland had another decent game. Reilly got a lot of time and played pretty well. Lowder is a really good offensive player but I would like to see him dribble less and get others more involved in the offense. All in all a big step forward from the previous game but in the end Harvard just has better talent which unfortunately will be the case in a majority of the games this year. I think getting the young players to develop into consistent contributors is more important than wins and losses this year and will build a foundation for success in the future.
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Post by trimster on Nov 24, 2019 8:19:44 GMT -5
The personnel definitely isn’t very good, but how we have been playing defense through five games is concerning. What is your expectation? That in two months of practice, Nelson would teach a roster of guys who know nothing about defending at the D1 level (including a vast majority who have poor defensive skills) how to defend and be good to go? This is a massive rebuild that is going to take time. Nelson has the guys playing very hard and that in itself is a big improvement. If the defense still looks like this next January, then it might be time to start having concerns. Speaking of playing hard, I was very impressed with the effort of Matt Faw on Friday night. He made at least 3 long-range dives for loose balls in the first half. I don't think I have seen that type of effort from him before. We really need him to play well to give us some presence underneath.
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Post by lou on Nov 24, 2019 8:55:20 GMT -5
Agree, and thought he showed very tough rebounding, terrific effort. I thought he should have been in more in 2nd half
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Harvard
Nov 24, 2019 9:23:35 GMT -5
Post by trimster on Nov 24, 2019 9:23:35 GMT -5
I thought the same thing. I think he played 22 minutes which is a good sign. Not sure if he has been hurt or in the doghouse or maybe both.
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