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Post by WCHC Sports on Nov 1, 2023 14:44:50 GMT -5
I'd like to continue the trend of recruiting or developing rapidly the PL ROY, or 1st team all-rookie team members... but I'd like to buck the trend and actually RETAIN THOSE PLAYERS from transferring. It's only through that building will we have a team that can compete consistently. I'd also like to see a team that can shoot the basketball into the hoop, which in my estimation is the actual fundamental skill that would result in anybody receiving a scholarship to play the sport.
I'm a skeptic, I'm hurt, I'm jaded. 11 wins is the feeling I get.
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Post by timholycross on Nov 1, 2023 21:52:05 GMT -5
From my hermitically sealed mayonnaise jar: 5-8 OOC 9-9 PL 1-1 PLT For a grand total of 15.....HEYOOO!!! View Attachment"May your Perrier water be secretly bottled in Tijuana."
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Post by sader81 on Nov 2, 2023 8:27:32 GMT -5
5-8 OOC 11-7 PL 2-1 PLT
The team lost its best player, but returns 4 starters, 3 of which average double digit scoring. There will be some bumps in the road, but the team will be much better come January. A new system that fits the players, instead of trying to fit the coach’s, will make a huge difference.
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Post by Crosser on Nov 5, 2023 13:14:02 GMT -5
Also am optimistic with our solid returnees and promising newcomers, and hoping that Paulsen is the answer to our prayers.
OOC - 6-7 PL - 10-8 PLT - 3-0 !!!!!
Dancin' with 19 Ws!
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Post by efg72 on Nov 5, 2023 13:32:34 GMT -5
Don't doubt we will win games we lost over the last couple of years, and we will see the players enjoy the improvement.
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Post by trimster on Nov 5, 2023 13:38:26 GMT -5
5-8 OOC 11-7 PL 2-1 PLT The team lost its best player, but returns 4 starters, 3 of which average double digit scoring. There will be some bumps in the road, but the team will be much better come January. A new system that fits the players, instead of trying to fit the coach’s, will make a huge difference. Couldn’t agree more with your last point. I think we have the right man in place to get this program turned around.
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Post by ndgradbuthcfan on Nov 5, 2023 14:04:08 GMT -5
If we beat Siena, I'm upgrading my vote. Just upgraded before tipoff.
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Post by hchoops on Nov 5, 2023 14:05:42 GMT -5
Also am optimistic with our solid returnees and promising newcomers, and hoping that Paulsen is the answer to our prayers. OOC - 6-7 PL - 10-8 PLT - 3-0 !!!!! Dancin' with 19 Ws! So if we win the PLT how will we do in the NCAAs ?
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Post by newfieguy74 on Nov 5, 2023 14:55:11 GMT -5
Two votes for 7 or fewer wins? C'mon, man.
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Post by KY Crusader 75 on Nov 5, 2023 16:08:55 GMT -5
Poll closes tomorrow and only 44 posters have weighed in. Let's get those predictions in--and I am in the delinquent group so I am urging mysef to get it together as well.
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Post by efg72 on Nov 5, 2023 16:20:50 GMT -5
Great interview with Coach Paulsen
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Post by sader1970 on Nov 5, 2023 17:39:52 GMT -5
Best DP line when coaching against Willard: "He was playing chess and I was playing checkers." Additional observations: DP is about as far away from BN's personality as humanly possible! What struck me also was the level of comfort Ben and Dave have with each other. If I didn't know one was a player for the other being the head coach, I would never have guessed it. More like two buddies chatting. "How do you prevent losing?" Eliminate mistakes like turnovers. Some other semi-quotes" "Last year's team was a 9th place team but not a 9th place talent." Kind of says a lot, doesn't it? Last year's team was a "bad rebounding team." He wants players that will "mesh into the Holy Cross community" and "to keep 'em here." (i.e. no rats leaving a sinking ship - my expression not Dave's). We "don't swim in the transfer portal" but that doesn't mean they will never accept a transfer. He really wanted to keep R.J. Evans on the staff for his basketball skills, knowledge and love of Holy Cross.
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Post by efg72 on Nov 5, 2023 17:45:47 GMT -5
Self awareness is critical for all of us, especially those that lead
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Post by hchoops on Nov 5, 2023 18:48:37 GMT -5
What a terrific interview with DP. He has a wonderful rapport with Ben, and most likely the rest of the team. He is the ideal fit for HC.
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Post by Crosser on Nov 5, 2023 19:12:35 GMT -5
Also am optimistic with our solid returnees and promising newcomers, and hoping that Paulsen is the answer to our prayers. OOC - 6-7 PL - 10-8 PLT - 3-0 !!!!! Dancin' with 19 Ws! So if we win the PLT how will we do in the NCAAs ? Oops, forgot about that. Sadly, have to say 0-1. But, if we get a game in the preliminary round to see who gets a 16 seed, I’ll say 1-1.
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Post by KY Crusader 75 on Nov 6, 2023 1:17:09 GMT -5
Just watched Ben Capron's interview with Coach Paulsen--simply outstanding, a pleasure to watch and provides some nice insights into the coach and the program. Everyone should set aide the 32 minutes to watch it.
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Post by hc6774 on Nov 6, 2023 8:42:26 GMT -5
14/16 wins
4/4 OOC wins 9/10 PL wins 1/2 PLT wins
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Post by rgs318 on Nov 6, 2023 9:35:01 GMT -5
"You get the right people on the bus and good things happen." Well, HC now has the right "driver" for the bus and I believe that phrase will prove true. PS: Ben is looking like a pro in these interviews - well done! I can't remember ever getting to see an interview with an HC hoop coach like this one.
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Post by KY Crusader 75 on Nov 6, 2023 15:29:00 GMT -5
Really looking forward to this season, 100% confident that our new coach will get us to a better place this season and in coming years than we would have reached under the prior regime. The arrival of Dave Paulsen is a huge first step in restoring the HC men's hoops program to where it should be. I'll burden/bore you all with some in-expert comments on the players and team before committing to a wins prediction.
Free Throw Shooting--a key issue
One thing I loved on the Ben Capron/Dave Paulsen video was coach's comments on free throw shooting as that has always been a real hot button for me. Simply put, the team making more free throws wins a very high percentage of games. I'll bet that last year HC was one of the last 5 teams in NCAA D-1 in free throws made per game. I say this, without checking for sure, because HC ranked #338 in "Free Throw rate" per KenPom and a woeful #358 in free throw percentage. I guarantee both rankings will improve this year.
Louth Coulibaly and Mike Rabinovich
We have not really seen what these two big men can do as they have spent so much time on the injured reserve list. If we could get 30 minutes/game out of the two of them it would be a big help in defending the paint. I think Louth has a lot of upside and perhaps DP and staff can "coach him up" to give him more weapons, particularly on offense.
Declan Ryan
This Declan is one of several "wild cards" on the team in my book. If he is able to contribute early, which is asking a lot of a frosh big man, it will give the team a boost for sure and take pressure off Louth & Rabs. If none of the three are able to contribute we will be in trouble.
Caleb Kenney
Here's another wild card. I think Caleb can make a big step forward this year. I note that he did get much more involved in the offense as a soph than as a frosh, going from a very low 6.4 FGA/40 Minutes as a freshman to 9.6 FGA/40 as a soph. We have heard that he did not play a lot of basketball until he was 14YO so he may be on a steeper learning curve than others and can pick up more skills more quickly.
Joe Nugent
Joe could be the biggest wild card, the one with the highest potential. He looks to have solid hoop skills and I don't think he'll get pushed around on the court--looks tough physically. I think he can shoot. We'll see how he adjusts to the college game's increased pace and where he fits into Coach Paulsen's plans. I wouldn't be surprised if he earned a lot of playing time and became a scorer even asa freshman. I'm really excited about having him on the team
Bo Montgomery
Bo seems athletic and has shown flashes of solid performance, but in my opinion has not put it all together. As a senior with lots of experience he is less likely to move forward significantly this season unless the staff has been able to help him a lot. He seldom draws fouls and is not a high percentage Ft shooter.
Joe Octave
Joe has been a great addition to the roster and I expect good things from him in 23-24. He is a good 3-point shooter and connects at a high rate on twos. He gets to the free throw line most often of any returning player,
Will Batchelder
Will is simply a great 3 point shooter and as a freshman set the HC record for most threes made in a season, a record previously held by Kevin Hamilton. He had trouble with twos, connecting at .333 in OOC play but improving significantly in PL play to .449 and he took a lot more two attempts. Still, he does not take many twos. Free throws are interesting as he was 7-8 in his first 19 games. not even getting to the line once in every two games. Then he must have changed his tactics as he went 20-26 in the last 11 games. We still need him to go to the line more than once or twice a game and we'll see whether Coach Paulsen's offense will generate that. Batch is a real key to the team's success in 23-24 as he should be our top scorer, hopefully with 16+ points per game.
Jaden Kirkwood
This player's a puzzle, the most "reluctant to shoot" I have seen. In 214 minutes of play he attempted just one two-point shot--and he did make it. he did take some threes making 5 of 14. No doubt thenew staff has made an evaluation of Jaden's game and how best to use him.
Jade Tse
I don't foresee Jade playing a significant role this season.
Kahlil Singleton, DeAndre Williams, A.J. Wills
I don't have much of a read on these three freshmen but I get the sense that Khalil could be an early contributor.
The prediction
5-7 OOC 9-9 PL 1-1 PL Tourney
15 Total wins
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Post by CHC8485 on Nov 6, 2023 15:29:51 GMT -5
OK. Just getting this in under the wire.
As if we need another metric on how bad we were last year, we were 6-9 in the Hart Center including 3-6 in PL play. That's bad. I think we'll see big improvement there this season. I'm going with
6 - 7 OOC 10 - 8 PL 1 - 1 PLT
17 - 16
Maybe qualifies more as the Cross is Mediorce vs the Cross is Back but I'll take the improvement from the Cross is Horrible.
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Post by WorcesterGray on Nov 6, 2023 17:15:23 GMT -5
OOC 5-8 PL 10-8 PLT 1-1
SEASON: 16-17
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Post by KY Crusader 75 on Nov 6, 2023 18:59:08 GMT -5
poll closes in a minute-last chance for glory
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Post by alum on Nov 12, 2023 7:32:51 GMT -5
OOC 4-9 (SHU, IUIPI, Elms, CCSU) PL--8-10 PL Tournament 1-1 13 wins. I think we have three guys we can rely on and a bunch of other guys. Some of the other guys will probably surprise me but some, I am afraid, are just never going to work out because of injuries or other reasons. What is it that they say in the House of Representatives? “I’d like to revise and extend my remarks.”
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Post by longsuffering on Nov 12, 2023 17:59:07 GMT -5
OOC 4-9 (SHU, IUIPI, Elms, CCSU) PL--8-10 PL Tournament 1-1 13 wins. I think we have three guys we can rely on and a bunch of other guys. Some of the other guys will probably surprise me but some, I am afraid, are just never going to work out because of injuries or other reasons. What is it that they say in the House of Representatives? “I’d like to revise and extend my remarks.” Your remarks are "laid on the table."🙂 Safe to say the average # of wins would be up if the poll was taken today. Maybe the poll master might give us a chance to guess league wins in the days before the PL season begins when we all have a better feel for HC and the other PL teams.
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Post by KY Crusader 75 on Nov 12, 2023 18:17:53 GMT -5
not a bad idea- I'll try to do that
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