CLK wrote:

I have attached the season stats below:

https://goduquesne.com/documents/2024/12/14/MBB_Stats_12.14.24.pdf

There are a lot of things to be gleaned from this data.  A couple things that stand out to me are:

1. The guy who takes it the hardest to the hoop and shoots the most free throws is the worst free throw shooter.  This is a big problem. Corbett has shot a team leading 43 free throws and has only made 42% of them.  The coaching staff should be in the gym with him shooting a couple hundred free throws before breakfast fixing his shot.

2. Our best three point shooters are Dinkins and Hronsky shooting a hot 42%.  Plays and screens should be developed to let these guys shoot, not the guy shooting 18% and leading the team in turnovers.  Playing time has to be earned.

3. The guy who leads the team in minutes, Kareem, also needs to do better.  He is shooting horribly across the board.  He needs to also be putting up a couple hundred shots before breakfast.  

I also think Dru is figuring things out, and finding out who are the work horses and who are the show horses.

 

     It's very true. Corbett is at the line because he penetrates the paint and puts the opposition in foul trouble Keep it up. But, the coaching staff needs to improve his Foul shooting. not stop him from scoring.. Edwards needs to only drive  in the paint and score.  We don't need to see Edwards  launch a three  but really need him to relieve Corbett and keep driving the paint. It's exactly how to win. Just a thought, but Corbett might want to bank his FT's off the back board, hitting the center of the square with a little back spin off his fingers.  It works too. Might work here.     Also, Rozier, like everyone on this team does not need to play more than 20 plus minutes. No one goes full out at 30 plus minutes, but just paces himself. We need everyone coming in and running full out. You don't get that from anyone playing 35 plus minutes. This is a very talented team. Put the right guys in at the right time and we can beat anyone.

Last edited by NapaDuke (12/19/2024 8:06 am)

CLK wrote:

Edwards is struggling big time right now with his game, and I feel bad for him.  He does not look like the same player we saw at GW for the last two years.  Last year he averaged 12 ppg and shot 43% overall and 36% 3P%.  He was perceived as the center piece of our recruiting class.  This young man has tremendous talent.  Whatever he is going through I hope that God will give him the peace and strength to push through it.  This team needs him, more importantly he needs to do it for himself.  

It is the biggest mystery, CLK.  Max is a high-level talent who is struggling immensely right now; I don't think anyone saw that coming.

Regarding Corbett, he will never be a great FT shooter; his form is just not easily repeatable.  And the form is something that you can't fix mid-season.  For what it's worth, I would have questioned recruiting him based on his poor shooting fundamentals.  That being said, Jahsean was a 65% FT shooter at Chicago St.; he is better than what he has shown so far.  I'm confident that he and the staff will work through this and get him back to an acceptable level.  He's tough and aggressive, they need him out there since he adds a dimension to this team that is lacking in those qualities.

Speaking of FT's, the coaches really need to focus and work with Eli Wilborn on his FT shooting.  His style of play will provide him with many FT opportunities as his minutes increase.  He shot 56% last year at St. Francis; it's too small of a sample size this year (3-11), but it would be something that he and the staff need to get ahead of.  Eli has some serious upside and he is strong and tough.

I'm pretty pessimistic about the remainder of this season.  The Dukes don't have a player who can take over a game; something that was needed in the close losses so far this year.  The Dukes are woefully thin at point guard and thin at guard overall (certainly hurts to have Jake on the shelf).  Almost every team that the Dukes have played have had better guards than the Dukes.  It's only going to become more magnified in the guard-centric A-10 conference games.  In my opinion, they simply don't have the talent.  I think the ceiling this year is going to be 12 wins and likely 9-10 wins.