Glad to hear the Coach is feeling at ease in his pressers. I would imagine feeling some angst at finishing the non-conference season with an RPI of 229, but that's just me. 

I hope my pin to burst the bubble breaks...but when I see and hear this it reminds me of the euphoria people wrote about this summer regarding the team and I kept wondering how we could do better than last year when our two leading scorers were gone (not that last year was good since we played elementary schools to pad our record)....and then it reminds me of how the thoughts were after we beat 
St .Francis and the coach/some thought we just beat Duke...so I will reserve my judgement of any team turn around after we play 5 Atlantic 10 Games.  If after we play our first 5 Atlantic 10 games and we HAVE a winning record, whether 5-0, 4-1, or 3-2 then I will say it is a turn around.  Otherwise, it is again Ferry False Snake Oil Hope.  Sorry, but this is what the program and the coach have taught me the last 5 years.  No excitement until the facts are in.  It was Colgate and I'm sure ND didn't take them seriously as Pitt wasn't up for us, didn't take us seriously, and their leader scorer was benched...sorry, just going by what I have been taught.

Last edited by FAM (12/23/2016 8:28 am)

Glad to see that FAM hasn't lost his touch of grace.  Wonder if Ritters needs help to deliver Christmas cards to the yellow fever victims? No one likes a 7-6 record when personal expectations (as sought by CLK in his annual guestimation  thread) were for 10-3 and/or 9-4 at worst. I will take FAM at his word that he saw none of the games since he gave up his tickets as he reminded this board at least more than twice. Therefore he has no personal knowledge of the abilities or disabilities of each player to render the opinions he does.  And....I am curious as to his informant of his personal knowledge from ND and PITT that their  coaching staffs did not take Colgate or the Dukes seriously?  

This team is 16.9 seconds from what this board's poster's expectations were.  First, we had Canisius (who beat a pretty good St. Bonnies team at Olean last night) beaten until 1.9 seconds when a second shot on their final possession  dropped in after 3 of our guys tried grabbing a rebound that ended up unfortunately in the hands of the kid who made a shot from the foul line.  Second, the buzzer beater to UMBC (who also have turned out to be a relatively potent team) at 0.00.  Then the RMU game.   Again the team had a lead at the end but lost out in the final seconds.  Tarin Smith's and Mike Lewis's shots had us ahead until 15.0 seconds when the RMU guy no question runs over and charges into our player, got credit for a basket and then got  a free throw.  On the other end Emile Blackman got hammered and no foul..They then got two free throws to end the thing.  My point is simply-this team has played consistently inconsistent (hear that Dome?) to get to 7-6 excepting the last two games where they played and looked like a team!!  If the basketball gods had changed those 16.9 seconds just a little more favorably to the Dukes after we were ahead and, presto, you have a 10-3 or 9-4 record.  

Looking at this team with a realistic mindset, there can be absolutely no doubt among the regular 707 who follow the Dukes that (1) we have better starting guards in Smith  and Lewis (freshman and sophomore), (2) a better 4 than Gill (Mike) , (3) a more experienced 3 in Blackman and (4) a rising star at the 5 in Sanders--with Lewis and  J Rob in reserve.  Added to the mix is a decent and now dependable Renee Castro plus Kale Abrahamson.  There is much to be positive about this team as opposed to just being wishful. 

Last edited by grammudder (12/23/2016 9:10 am)

Hill & Grammy, Merry Christmas and likewise to my fellow posters and members. Sorry gents you are delusional want to compare scores how about you beat CCSU by a prayer 3 at the buzzer and Fordham beats them by 23. You have a fellow bottom dweller in George Mason go into PSU and smack them and we get beat by 12. To ED's point on the post yesterday you were outrebounded BADLY BY A SMALL team that could hardly be termed athletic. Abramhamson does nothing but shot, no rebounds, no defense he should get ZERO playing time. In 68 minutes of playing time 4 "Big's", Saunders, Mike, Lewis and Abramhson had a combined 8 rebounds to JRob's 6 in 11 minutes and Ferry's comment is he didn't score????? I said it last year and I'll stick by it this team gets out played and out coached in A10 play. No contest.

And Merry Xmas all, including you too Dome!

............an apparent self-delusional Dukes fan.

Last edited by Hilltopper (12/23/2016 1:12 pm)