What the F#$% Just Happened
This is no time for a post game wrap up. There are bigger issues that threaten the entire season and this Oregon road trip has shown all of their blemishes. The Huskies are now a tournament bubble team that has lost three straight games to teams with RPI’s of 74, 220, and 143. Not only are the Huskies on the bubble, but if they lose two more games in the conference they will have to win the Pac-10 tournament in order to get in. No one saw this coming. No one saw that the team was going to lose it’s identity and sense of aggression. I’m still not sure if that was the same team from January on the court today.
This won’t be pretty. I have to tear this team down before I can build it back up. There are some HUGE flaws that need to be pointed out and I don’t care if I hurt anyone’s feelings. Everyone is responsible and I’m going to leave a wake of destruction behind me. Put the kids in the other room because this is going to get messy.
Romar:
I’m going to start at the top. I’m looking at you Romar. A team is the reflection of it’s coach and they are both looking deflated and lack energy. He’s not as excited as he used to be and his own lack of energy seems to have been passed to the players. What happened to the old Romar who would jump up and down and yell in the huddle when players weren’t playing hard? What happened to the Romar that would slap players asses or give them high fives when they made a great hustle play? The offense is stagnant and dies when there isn’t any dribble penetration. Why isn’t he INSISTING that they have to get the ball into the paint every possession? It’s a joke.
It’s time to mention the elephant in the room. Romar is not an X’s and O’s guy and after losing Bone and Dollar he has lost his in-game guys and the team’s play suffers. I’m not calling for his head, but Romar need to find a new assistant coach in the off season that can help him because it’s obvious that he doesn’t know how to fix things at halftime. As a fan, I have no confidence coming out of timeouts and it seems like his answer is always “let them play through it”. Romar, you need to fix this. You did it last year and you’re going to need to do it again. Find something to rally behind and win games. Fix it.
Isaiah Thomas:
Abdul Gaddy went down and you stepped up for a while by distributing the ball. What happened? You nose dived and became a turnover machine. You’ve had 16 turnovers in the last 3 losses. The post is open. I’ve seen it with my own eyes. Feed. The. Ball. Down. Low. How many times have you shot a contested 3 in the first 10 seconds of the shot clock? Hey IT, you’re not Kemba Walker. Be a point guard take care of the ball because if you seriously think you’re going to the NBA, you’re dead wrong. Your biggest strength is getting to the hoop and no 5’8″ guy can do that in league. I thought you were the leader of this team? Get in the face of your teammates and tell them to play some defense! You can say “on to the next one” over and over again but eventually the losses pile up and there won’t be a next one. Become a real leader and pick this team up and stop waiting for something to “click”. You have officially lost the Player of the Year award and I think you really need to be part of the solution instead of part of the problem. I know your fond of twitter, so I’m sure you’ll understand this: SMH.
MBA:
I can’t believe I’m going to say this, but MBA you’re not part of the problem. You’re actually the solution. You need to have 15-18 shots every game without question. Outside of WSU, you have had solid games. The zone hurt your rebounding numbers today, but you dominated Catron on offense. Keep playing hard and DEMAND the ball. I can’t nitpick your game as there are too many bigger problems that I have to deal with.
Justin Holiday:
Thank you for being you. I know you’re not a vocal guy, but if you could become the true leader of this team it would be for the best. Isaiah is too selfish to be a true leader and you have everything that this team needs. Become the senior leader that you were destined to be. I’m scared about what this team will look like next year already.
Who’s next….
Venoy Overton:
You’ve lost your defensive prowess and I don’t even want to know what your turnover per minute stats are.
Free Throws:
Same story. Different year. The last two games the Huskies have shot 14 of 30 from the line. UNDER 50%! That’s disgusting. Practices need to be 3 hours long and an hour of it should be free throw shooting. Every player should shoot until their arms fall off. I don’t care. FIX IT!
Aziz N’diaye:
Good game, but can you get better faster? Thanks.
Wilcox, Ross, and Suggs:
Wilcox, thanks for playing. See you next year.
Ross, are you good or just raw? Pick one and stick with it.
Suggs, did you know that you’re a junior? Time to step up every night, buddy.
Darnell Gant:
I miss Breshers.
Brandon Sherrer:
You’re starting to look real sexy sitting on that bench. I’m about one more loss away from starting the “Play Sherrer” campaign.
Antoine Hosley:
Who are you again?
Team Defense:
What happened to this team’s signature defense? Players are getting beat off the dribble, back door cuts, pump fakes, and leaving guys wide open off switches. Venoy and Holiday have lost a step and three headed monster of Wilcox-Suggs-Ross have not improved at all. Isaiah Thomas might be the best defender on this team by default. Are they tired? Are they hurt? What the HELL is going on? Defense is the one thing that can’t go cold. You’re shots might not be falling, but you can always play defense. The Huskies have lost their edge because they aren’t a premiere defensive team anymore.
What’s Next?:
Hopefully the NCAA tournament as a 10 seed after Romar figures out this team’s problems and they string together some wins. A home loss would end the season, and the showdown at Arizona is looking like an automatic loss. The Dawgs can’t afford to drop another game from now until that game. There is so much wrong with this team that it will take me multiple posts to yell at them. Let’s keep the faith and I’ll try to stay off the ledge… for now. Did I miss anything?