Game Thread: Florida @ Bama

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Honestly, I think Sexton will have a harder time making it in the NBA than most believe. The pace of play in the NBA is not even at the level where Sexton thrives which break neck transition. But I don’t think he is the problem though as he easily gives the most effort night in night out.

We simply drive the lane too deep and turn the ball over; its been a problem all season. Jones should be starting and Petty should be coming off the bench. Petty gives us very little on defense and is ineffective in rebounding. If his shot isn’t falling you might as well have him on the bench. Sexton should be playing the 2 because he doesnt involve the other players enough playing the point. I don’t know what to do with Ingram. Avery Jr and Lawson are liabilities on defense hence why you don’t see them in the game for long stretches.

While Avery is ultimately responsible, I don’t think he is the primary problem here. He should be allowed to be the HC, face of the program whose primary responsibility is to recruit which he can obviously do while his staff handles game planning and pacing practice. But I really question how hard the staff is working these players in practice. When you see Coach P shopping for groceries in Publix at North River about 30 minutes after the Arkansas game it kind of makes you wonder.

This loss tonight was on the players. There is only so much CAJ can do. This team has no player leadership. If your top 6 in the rotation don’t have a commitment to excellence, it’s highly unlikely you can overcome that with remainder of the roster because you can’t stockpile that much talent to maintain at a competitive level. CAJ needs to tell the players they better hope the NBA scouts come to the NIT tournament because that’s only place where they will find them.




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Honestly, I think Sexton will have a harder time making it in the NBA than most believe. The pace of play in the NBA is not even at the level where Sexton thrives which break neck transition. But I don’t think he is the problem though as he easily gives the most effort night in night out.

We simply drive the lane too deep and turn the ball over; its been a problem all season. Jones should be starting and Petty should be coming off the bench. Petty gives us very little on defense and is ineffective in rebounding. If his shot isn’t falling you might as well have him on the bench. Sexton should be playing the 2 because he doesnt involve the other players enough playing the point. I don’t know what to do with Ingram. Avery Jr and Lawson are liabilities on defense hence why you don’t see them in the game for long stretches.

While Avery is ultimately responsible, I don’t think he is the primary problem here. He should be allowed to be the HC, face of the program whose primary responsibility is to recruit which he can obviously do while his staff handles game planning and pacing practice. But I really question how hard the staff is working these players in practice. When you see Coach P shopping for groceries in Publix at North River about 30 minutes after the Arkansas game it kind of makes you wonder.

This loss tonight was on the players. There is only so much CAJ can do. This team has no player leadership. If your top 6 in the rotation don’t have a commitment to excellence, it’s highly unlikely you can overcome that with remainder of the roster because you can’t stockpile that much talent to maintain at a competitive level. CAJ needs to tell the players they better hope the NBA scouts come to the NIT tournament because that’s only place where they will find them.




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NBA scouts? Most of these guys couldn't have made it on my old high school teams. I was disappointed a couple of losses ago now I'm just like screw it... "I'm ready for fall to get here!"

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I value your opinion on things Earle. Do you think we need a change in our S&C program? This is the 3rd February in a row that we have just fallen apart. I’m still on board with CAJ, as I feel like this is basically his 3rd different team in 3 years, almost started over each year is what I’m saying. But the common denominator has been sluggish February’s when we have the tourney right in front of us and we seem to fade. The good news, guess, is Saturday isn’t a February game lol.


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I have not been impressed with our S&C and definitely think we need a change. One thing that is blatantly obvious is that when we do drive the lane we have absolutely no explosiveness to finish the play. The only guys that look like they've spent any time in the weight room are Giddens, Key, and AJjr.
 
Those would have not been Top 100 players if they played in another state. High School basketball in Alabama is terrible compared to most states. Those kids get rated higher than they should be but they are simply not that good.What other major program recruited Reese or Jones? Not a single one. Petty would not have been anywhere close to a 5 star if he did not play in Alabama. He may not be anywhere close to Trevor Lacey ( who was also vastly over rated).

I generally agree with what you wrong, HS basketball in this state is not very good. There is a lot of good athletes but the fundamentals are lacking. Other states that emphasize basketball do a much better job of teaching kids at an early age the fundamentals of basketball. Jones was recruited by UF and I'm sure others as well. I don't recall specifically about Reese but I have no doubt that he had other options as well. I do think some of these guys played this year when ideally they would have been redshirted. We had injuries to Norris, Davis, Key, and Sexton was suspended the first game. Then we had major foul troubles in the first game (I believe we had 10 teams in the first 5-7 minutes) so any thoughts of redshirting these guys were gone at that point.
 
Sexton is an NBA player. I'm at the point of thinking he never should have been recruited...

More and more, I think b-ball should go the route of baseball. The NBA should allow HS seniors to declare, if they’re so inclined. Then the player has the option to go ahead and play, or enroll in college for three years, and try again later.

This one and done garbage gets on my nerves


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He called out his teammates effort after the Auburn game. A freshman calling out guys publically who have been there is not smart especially from a one and done.
As far as the team, it looks like S&C is an issue. He kept Grants guy, Lou Deneen. I was not impressed with him when Grant was here much less now. I have no inside insight, but it look like there could be some locker room problems. Coach Johnson basically benched Sexton for a long stretch in the 2nd half. He is not sharing the ball.
 
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I generally agree with what you wrong, HS basketball in this state is not very good. There is a lot of good athletes but the fundamentals are lacking. Other states that emphasize basketball do a much better job of teaching kids at an early age the fundamentals of basketball. Jones was recruited by UF and I'm sure others as well. I don't recall specifically about Reese but I have no doubt that he had other options as well. I do think some of these guys played this year when ideally they would have been redshirted. We had injuries to Norris, Davis, Key, and Sexton was suspended the first game. Then we had major foul troubles in the first game (I believe we had 10 teams in the first 5-7 minutes) so any thoughts of redshirting these guys were gone at that point.
This, or go with the NFL rule that you have to be 3 years removed from high school to be eligible for the draft.

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What I would give to have a Terry Conner/Gary Waites type player on this team...
Heck, I'd settle for Elliot Washington. Trevor Releford would have flourished with this group around him. I still contend that Sexton is a natural 2 guard, but is too small for that in the NBA. He was a 2 guard until his Sr. year in HS.

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This is what I said in the Missouri thread after that loss:

The fact that game was even close is just confirmation of what I've been saying. We're in year 3 with CAJ with the most talent we've had in a long time. Vanderbilt is the sorriest team in the SEC and their best player is out for the year. That game shouldn't have been close. I love Bama hoops but we've been on the same song and dance for the last 10 years. Preseason hype, beat somebody we shouldn't, then end the season with a whimper. I don't think firing CAJ is a good move at this point but I just don't see any improvement from year 1. We have 9 games left and I'd guess we go 3-6 over that stretch to end up 17-14..

Guess what - we're about to go 3-6 over the last 9 games and end up at 17-14. After that post I was told that I know nothing about basketball and the same group ran off the same excuses they always do. I'm not going to act like I predicted the loss vs UF would be that bad but there was no way to look at our team objectively and think we were going to win 5 or 6 of the last 9 like everybody else stated. I just wish some people would be more open minded to dissenting opinions instead of reading a post and just thinking up a counter argument to try and cement their position..
 
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While I am sure they want to win, I think one and dones are more interested in auditioning for the draft. Especially at a place that isn’t expected to go to the Final Four to begin with.


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I turned the game on midway through the 2nd half. The score was low fifties to high 20's. I watched maybe 5 minutes and was done. This feels like a CMG coached team finish.
 
While basketball in the state isn't fantastic, guys were nationally ranked based more on their AAU games. It's not like recruiting analysts only look at high school tape. They go to AAU tournaments and watch guys play teams from across the country.
 
This is what I said in the Missouri thread after that loss:



Guess what - we're about to go 3-6 over the last 9 games and end up at 17-14. After that post I was told that I know nothing about basketball and the same group ran off the same excuses they always do. I'm not going to act like I predicted the loss vs UF would be that bad but there was no way to look at our team objectively and think we were going to win 5 or 6 of the last 9 like everybody else stated. I just wish some people would be more open minded to dissenting opinions instead of reading a post and just thinking up a counter argument to try and cement their position. I also take offense to those that say I wanted Alabama to lose so I could be proved right. That couldn't be farther from the truth. I just look at things realistically and give my opinion..
Now put on your big boy skin. :D It's just a talk forum. There are always going to be differences of opinion and there's no need for there to be excess emotion involved...
 
While basketball in the state isn't fantastic, guys were nationally ranked based more on their AAU games. It's not like recruiting analysts only look at high school tape. They go to AAU tournaments and watch guys play teams from across the country.
This crossed my mind last night also. OTOH, when I look at JP's performance at SG this year and see some of the SGs we've had in the past in my mind's eye, it's hard to really see a 5* rating...
 
Earle, he really reminds me of Trevor Lacey in his lack of polish, limited athleticism and the breathless hyperbolics that surrounded his arrival. At this point, JP's game is even less developed than TL's. And they both played for the same high school coach. Trevor had a good final season for NC State, so maybe John will have a growth spurt. First, he needs to learn how to dribble or work harder off the ball to get his shot.

One other thing, Sexton must still be suffering from his abdominal issue. He has little of the bolt off the dribble or bounce to the rim that he showed early on.

This crossed my mind last night also. OTOH, when I look at JP's performance at SG this year and see some of the SGs we've had in the past in my mind's eye, it's hard to really see a 5* rating...
 
Sexton is an NBA player. I'm at the point of thinking he never should have been recruited...

Got nothing, but full concurrence with Earle. Sexton's the best player on the court and he's all about "Showtime" and riveting eyes on him to prove it. Problem is, he's the best player on the court but hasn't made his teammates better players. Sexton, get thee to a lottery, posthaste.
 
This crossed my mind last night also. OTOH, when I look at JP's performance at SG this year and see some of the SGs we've had in the past in my mind's eye, it's hard to really see a 5* rating...

Found this analysis on Petty after he signed with Alabama:

Meanwhile, Petty was the best player from the state of Alabama -- but the Crimson Tide had to beat out Kentucky. Calipari was at most of Petty's games during the spring and summer, and Petty was one of their top targets at shooting guard. However, after Petty canceled his official visit to Kentucky in late October, it was clear he would be Tuscaloosa-bound.

Petty, a 6-5 shooting guard, is ranked No. 25 in the ESPN 100. The J.O. Johnson High School (Alabama) prospect is a big-time athlete who will get most of his production in transition or drives to the rim. Petty averaged 13.2 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.9 assists with Team Penny on the Nike EYBL circuit, shooting 36.4 percent from 3-point range.

Maybe I'm just too hopeful here, but he seems to be a guy that is still adjusting to the college game. He isn't and won't be the last highly ranked recruit that doesn't make an immediate splash.

For comparative sake, look at Joshua Langford from Madison Academy. He's in year two at Michigan State with year one stats of 35 games, starting 27, 6.9 ppg, 2.3 rebounds, 1.1 assists, and 41.6% 3P% in 21.0 minutes.

From his player bio:

Rated among the Top 22 players in his class by ESPN 100 (#19), Rivals.com (#20), 24/7 Sports (#21) and Scout.com (#24), resulting in a 24/7 Sports Composite ranking of #20.

This year, Langford is averaging 12.2 ppg, 2.6 rebounds, 1.7 apg, and 44.2% 3P%.

One other thing, Sexton must still be suffering from his abdominal issue. He has little of the bolt off the dribble or bounce to the rim that he showed early on.

Please know I'm not blaming the officials here. Just a thought - we can all agree teams are being pretty physical against Alabama over the last month or so, right? If a player is allowed to be physical, what's stopping that player from making sure his physicality is targeted to where a player is suffering from an injury? So when Collin drives the lane, guys can throw their bodies at his abdomen to continue to cause him problems.

Again, not blaming the officials or saying this is for sure happening, but it would make sense.
 
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Now put on your big boy skin. :D It's just a talk forum. There are always going to be differences of opinion and there's no need for there to be excess emotion involved...

True enough. But you have to admit at this point these performances can't be solely blamed on youth and inexperience. I know you weren't the one toting that line but that's been the song and chorus all year from a lot of folks. Whenever a discussion starts about the issues of the team it's almost always blamed on youth. I think at this point we can all agree that isn't the sole factor. We may have a head coach who had some success in the NBA but isn't cut out to be a college coach..
 
Earle, he really reminds me of Trevor Lacey in his lack of polish, limited athleticism and the breathless hyperbolics that surrounded his arrival. At this point, JP's game is even less developed than TL's. And they both played for the same high school coach. Trevor had a good final season for NC State, so maybe John will have a growth spurt. First, he needs to learn how to dribble or work harder off the ball to get his shot.

One other thing, Sexton must still be suffering from his abdominal issue. He has little of the bolt off the dribble or bounce to the rim that he showed early on.

This could be a bigger issue with him than we thought. He hasn’t been as explosive with his first step. CAJ probably brought him back a game or 2 too early. I also think Hall’s injury is worse than being put out there. I was baffled with his minutes in the first half.




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