POSTGAME THREAD: Time to get excited, folks
by Jeff Nusser on Dec 22, 2009 10:17 PM PST
in WSU Cougar Basketball
61 comments
As I sit here on press row in an empty KeyArena where not 45 minutes ago there was a raucous, screaming sea of 15,000-plus Crimson voices belting out the fight song as the players celebrated a dramatic 72-70 overtime victory over LSU, I have so many thoughts swimming through my head.
But one keeps sticking out: It's officially time to get excited about this team.
I know I run the risk of letting the emotions of one night influence my objective analysis, but there were just so many reasons to like tonight. And I don't have time to get into them all, because I gotta catch the train down to the south end, but I'll just leave you with this.
We won a game, against a good team, without our best offensive effort. I don't have the efficiency numbers in front of me, but running the quick math in my head, this game had about 75 possessions. We scored 72 points.
And won -- with defense, toughness, some timely points from Klay Thompson at a crucial point in the game, and good free throw shooting.
I'll have the full recap up on the site sometime tomorrow morning, but consider this your permission slip.
Get excited, folks. This team is good.
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If Klay will stay...
We are in such good shape for the next three years. Even if he doesn’t, were going to be in great shape. We may be a big man away from the tourney now. Need to pick one each off of UW and Cal. Then just win most of the rest.
This team last year lost so many games like this…
by Pman on Dec 22, 2009 10:27 PM PST via mobile reply actions
Klay will stay at least next year
While he is having a great season it is still very clear he is still not NBA ready. Bigger, stronger players still can shut him down at times and in the NBA everyone is bigger and stronger, and he also a bit turnover pron.
However, if continues to improve year to year like he did his freshmen to sophomore year and adds more muscle, I can see him leaving after next season……………..but this talk is all to soon, let’s not worry about him leaving and just enjoy watching him (when you can) and what this season might be.
GO COUGS!!!!
by spokanecougar on Dec 22, 2009 10:37 PM PST up reply actions
It was on Comcast in Spokane
I signed up for the additional Comcast channel ($5.99 per month) just today for the game. Worth it beyond description. Amazing game.
by VeryOldCougFan on Dec 22, 2009 10:36 PM PST up reply actions
We went to Dairy Queen to get Blizzards.
we stayed in the car eating ice cream on a cold night because we were listening to the radio broadcast. really wish I coulda been there. Did the students rush the court or anything? I realize it would have happened at Friel Court, but this was Key Arena, and I’m pretty sure it’s more heavy with security. Still, I guess it might be possible? Anyone know?
they would not have rushed the court in either place
as good as the win was, we were favored by 6 points. You only rush the court when you upset a ranked team or something.
by spencer peaty on Dec 22, 2009 10:49 PM PST up reply actions
Friel or Key...
If they would have rushed the court I would have been beyond embarrassed.
no, they did not rush
mostly old people down low
This team has improved so much since Gonzaga and Kansas State!
Wow, the maturity that this team is showing in these past 12 games. I was expecting them to step up like this next year, so I am pleasantly surprised that they are this mature going into Pac-10 play. Bring on the Pac-10!
Great crowd tonight, even better game!
I had the time of my life tonight and was lucky enough to get great seats (Row 5 on the left side of the screen, I’m on TV!). This game was fantastic and I can’t be more excited for the rest of the season. Go Cougs!
best cougar seattle crowd ever
for any sport.
I don't think so...
They said it was the biggest WSU Men’s basketball game ever, at 15,000. I’d imagine that A football game would have more than that…
But in terms of intensity... Yes, By far the best crowd ever.
Sorry, I misread…
:)
usually our seattle crowds are “sit on your hands and feed your kids” crowds. this one actually had some life.
i didn't say biggest
i said best.
i was "there" for 97 apple cup
But that was my freshman year, so you’ll have to forgive me for being too drunk to remember
by BigWood on Dec 23, 2009 11:19 AM PST via mobile up reply actions
I'm so jealous of all of you who were at the game!
Never been so excited while checking my phone at work.
CougCenter WSU's second main blog
Favorite moment for me
Nik clearly savoring it at the end, singing along with the fight song as the team file out and then giving a round of applause to the crowd.
Nik is proving to be a real class act this year, the kind of senior a team like this needs. He’s not a perfect player, but he is very much a Coug and I think we can all agree that for all of Nik’s faults, effort has never been one of them.
agreed, LOVED watching them leave
capers got a solid 4 feet of air jumping up to high five a fan hanging over the tunnel.
Reggie Moore played the whole game
As important as Klay is (and he played 44 minutes as well) Reggie is emerging as the guy that has to be on the court. He does not look like a Freshman out there bringing the ball up.
That said, the next step is for Reggie to not defer to Klay when things start getting tough. the stretch where LSU came back and took the lead, around 2 or 3 minutes left in regulation, there were too many possessions that everyone just watched Klay force it up. I want to see Reggie grow to create more in those situations, instead of just giving it over to Klay.
Reggie's not really a freshman
he had a year of prep school, so he’s 19.
Prep school isn't the Pac-10
He is a freshman.
when people say "he doesn't play like a freshman"
there’s your answer why
It's like Thomas
Not really a freshman mentally or physically. That time in prep school really gives them a leg up.
by Brian Floyd on Dec 23, 2009 12:14 AM PST up reply actions
Yeah, I know
And that year clearly makes a difference with him. A better way of saying it is that I have never seen a 1st year Cougar player handle pressure the way he does. Klay was great last year, but to see a first year collegian bring the ball up against a major conference opponent for 45 minutes and committ only 2 turnover is really impressive.
"That said, the next step is for Reggie to not defer to Klay when things start getting tough. the stretch where LSU came back and took the lead"
Isn’t that exactly what he did on the final play of regulation?
Some teams do not have one player that likes to shoot the last shot under pressure
WSU has two. WSU has a chance to win a lot of games.
Yes, it is
He did make that play happen, so my comment is a little off since his growth was happening in the game. I just hope that it is a lesson he and some of the other guys take to heart, that they need to be willing to make plays as well when the going gets tough.
Yes, very fun game tonight and very intense ending.
Everything was good about this game. The players, the coaching and the crowd were all good. It was fun being in Key Arena tonight. The best part is they beat a decent team and played just ok. Too many missed free throws. A couple careless turnovers, etc.
But, when this team needed to dig deep down to tie the game at the end of regulation, they did. In overtime, WSU was the better team. This was a great learning experience for this team. Go Cougs!!!
Harthun with the DNP-CD?
did i miss something?
He came across the plus/minus numbers at your blog.
CougCenter WSU's second main blog
by Craig Powers on Dec 22, 2009 11:31 PM PST up reply actions
He being Ken Bone.
CougCenter WSU's second main blog
by Craig Powers on Dec 22, 2009 11:31 PM PST up reply actions
sorry, haven't updated for awhile,
but for the first 12 games, he’s last on the team, at a -25 per forty minutes….
tonight's plus/minus
minimum 12 minutes
On Court Off Court Plus/Minus
Koprivica 6 -4 10
Capers 2 0 2
Thompson 2 0 2
Moore 2 0 2
Casto 2 0 2
Thames 0 2 -2
Lodwick -4 6 -10
That's gotta be the smallest spread ever
And I think it’s absolutely representative of what went on tonight. Abe was a liability because he’s just not strong enough.
Also, where’s Watson?
i am nothing if not a man who can adapt to his critics!
in our lengthy plus/minus discussion last week, i discovered that you have to play 30% of your team’s minutes to be eligible for Roland (12 minutes).
but to answer your question
had watson played 12 minutes, he’d be a plus 4
The answer to where was Capers in the game thread
Grippi says he had a sore foot. Bone also said he doesn’t like calling late game timeouts and would rather have the ball in Reggie Moore’s hands. I like this attitude and love Moore with the ball in his hands creating plays.
FYI
Grippi has me to thank for that note. :-)
I hung around and asked Bone a couple more questions after the beat guys bolted to pound out their stories. Nobody asked about it, so I did and passed the note on to Grippi. You probably have no idea what it’s like trying to write a story on deadline like that, but I do, so I figured I could help him out.
jim sterk
have to hand it to jim sterk – great hires > ken bone, june d ( woman’s basketball), mens baseball, vollyball . soceer & the martin stadium expansion. Jim may well be proven right w/ paul wuff… so lets give credit where credit is due> great job in 2009 to Jim Sterk..
I just looked over at Kenpom and our ranking has dropped to 91
Combination of the game and other games of course. WSU was at 84 last week. When WSU beats the Oregon schools, they will begin a slow and steady climb.
I think it also has to do with our poor offensive performance last night
That’s really where the strength of our rating comes from, and putting up a below-average night against an average defensive team isn’t going to help you.
Also, some of the teams we’ve played are dropping like a ton of bricks — notably, Idaho.
I would think after 12 games, that any one performance is not going to make
a huge difference in the rankings. But, when you look at the overall body of work like Kenpom does, that explains it more. So, I think the “teams we’ve played are dropping like a ton of bricks — notably, Idaho” is the stronger statement.
Looking at the conference rankings, the SEC just passed the Pac 10 as Kenpom’s 5th ranked conference. Despite the Pac 10 having a relatively good night last night, they dropped. I think it is for the same reason, the strength of schedule dropped.
Questions regarding Bone and the team
I read a post another blog where the poster said that Bone was lucky and inherited a lot of talent.
Did Bone really inherit a lot of talent? I am not so sure. He inherited Thompson and Casto who I think are definitely talented players. I think the rest are role players. Players that every High Major conference team should always be able to identify and recruit. Abe Lodwick is an example.
Now, I do not want this to be a bash Bennett post. But, I believe what makes this team as good as it is now is adding a THIRD talented player in Reggie Moore. I do not think this team is anywhere as close to being as good as they have shown without Moore.
When you look back at last year, there were three talented players in Rochestie, Baynes and Thompson. Without Moore, this is just a team with two talented players, but one without enough talent to do any real damage. This is just another mediocre team with Thompson being doubled every time. We also do not know how Abe and Nik would be used and if they still would be afraid to make mistakes.
If Tony were still coach, they would at times be able to shut down teams defensively, but there would many games that WSU’s offense would have gotten in the way of winning.
We also know that this team besides Casto has no real post presence.
So, was Bone lucky to have inherited a talented team? Is this team talented because Bone is now the coach? Or is there another answer?
Moore is the key
Moore appreciation post coming either later this week or early next week.
by Jeff Nusser on Dec 23, 2009 10:34 AM PST up reply actions
We are in agreement then and alike in our thinking
That is good for me, but I wouldn’t tell anyone if I were you, lest people think less of you. ;)
It's not so much that he didn't inherit talent
Havng Klay and Casto is a pretty huge thing. Without Klay, we can all assume where this team would be.
Like you said though, Moore is what makes everything tick. He makes Klay and Casto better with his ability to drive and dish, setting them up in the best position to make plays. He dictates the flow of the game and is perfect for Bone’s system. You can hear Bone, many times during the game, yelling for Reggie to step on the gas. When he does, the team plays much better. Without him, the team doesn’t have a true ballhandler and PG. Thames, Harthun, and Capers just couldn’t do it and rotating them in and out would really mess up the flow of the offense. We have Bone to thank for Moore and this team, I would argue, hinges as much, if not more, on Reggie as it does on Klay.
by Brian Floyd on Dec 23, 2009 12:31 PM PST up reply actions
Nuss
Another great assessment, and well written. I was right across from you in row 2. Great game, great crowd, and great performance by our Cougs!
It’s hard to find anything to complain about with this group of kids. Lots of heart, they love playing for Coach Bone and they are really starting to understand their roles. That makes for a good, exciting version of Cougar basketball.
You can give kudos to most, if not all of them, but it seems to all revolve around Klay. He’s the focal point. He’s being asked alot and he’d delivering, imho. It’s a fun team to watch and it should be a great ride for all us Cougs.
I could go down the whole roster and have something positive to say about every single one of them. I’m hoping for big things by the end of the year.
Go Cougs!!!
Welcome back!
It’s been so long.
CougCenter WSU's second main blog
by Craig Powers on Dec 26, 2009 9:34 PM PST up reply actions
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