Long Beach State Athletics!: Re: Fullerton game & Irvine

My comments on your comments. Give it up on AT shooting. Maybe next year. Generally I agree with your comments. Free throws may sink this team especially in games against the best teams where the game will be tight (if we can stay in it). Tsohonis has some great skills, but one of them isn't avoiding taking awful shots. I cannot remember another LB player who throws up the wild shots like he does. It's frankly hard to watch. Hunter is slowly gaining a feel for when he can penetrate but still has a ways to go. Lessina is the best rebounder since AT! He's a beast. Odd that it took Monson umteen years to finally find such a player.

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first Irvine. they are still without their big man that can go inside and hit the 3. even still they'll be formable. they will play methodical and they will run. Baker is the real deal, and thinking Jones, AJ, & maybe some AT will guard him. great test for the D, because like Davis Irvine will pump fake and they'll also back-door us to death in man to use our quickness against us, if we leave our feet and don't stay grounded on the perimeter and read back-doors they'll just kill us again. I think we'll play a fair amount of zone.

Fullerton.

#1) We actually matched their 3 point shooting! still in spite of Jones not on track yet.

#2) combined with our boards, how in hades was it a squeaker? have to give Fullerton coaching accolades, they packed it in, to force us outside, and we boarded but also missed a ton of conversions from our boards. lots of players chipped in, AJ & Stroud especially

#3) FTs, were glaringly bad Tsahonis and Hunter missed FTs early and set the tone (no pun) and we left 4 to 5 points on the table. trend was better b4 last night, so hopefully corrects for Irvine

#4) shot selection - still a big bugaboo. despite some solid 3s, Rootegard was set for his, and is looking so much better without the old jack-ups, Tone and Tsahonis jacked up a couple bad ones, offset by some nice 3s.

keep harping on Tsahonis, credit Fullerton, but about 10 times we did that thing where he just sits with the ball and 'sizes' up teh D, like this is AAU - just drives me nuts. pass the f'n ball and then get it back. he made some key 3s, and a couple buckets down the stretch that were critical...but they weren't resulting from his 'sizing up the D' routine, they were off of a pass and inside and using strength space. I just get nightmares of CDM teams where the pt guard just dribbles around and nothing happens until a bad last second shot. for Tsahonis less is more, it's got to be drilled into him.

#4) AT took only 3 shots!! I guess my wish he at least ATTEMPT 1, just please 1 outside shot a game won't come true.? is that too much to ask? can we see what else this guy can do, he wrecks havoc everywhere else. what a great interior pass to LT for that key bucket with a minute. it's like AT's mission every game is to muck things up for the oppponent so much that LT cleans up. these two are becoming legendary. can't wait to see them vs. SB
AT finished playing with 4 fouls, they guy is so smart making every player better

#6) Stroud has improved so much from November. Most improved player. quietly providing solid minutes and no slip when he comes in now.

#7) how long will Jones be on 15-20 min a game watch? wondering if maybe just take a week off. we can't press more until he's 100%, and at some point will need his pressure D in crunch time.

#8) control our own destiny. we get SB 2x, Irvine, & Riverside. it's unlikely but the league title is up for grabs. on the lower side, the Full win means essentially 3 games up on them for the #6 seed....but who cares about the 6 seed at this point....much loftier goals. It's not like there's some team to avoid for any round, including SB who's SOS was shit.

lot's of upside, especially if Jones can get healthy and Tone keeps getting mentally better in decisions