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Post by cardinalblacktrojan on Oct 4, 2018 12:35:45 GMT -6
We're less than a month away from basketball season starting, and we still don't know who our OOC opponents are or even what date we have the pre-season exhibition games.
It's a little hard to plan for some of these OOC home/away games when there is no schedule to go off of...
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Post by Troystet on Oct 6, 2018 6:58:21 GMT -6
We're less than a month away from basketball season starting, and we still don't know who our OOC opponents are or even what date we have the pre-season exhibition games.
It's a little hard to plan for some of these OOC home/away games when there is no schedule to go off of... Maybe we are dropping men's basketball
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Post by trojanpastor on Oct 6, 2018 15:38:59 GMT -6
When I talked to the coaching staff over a week ago they were trying to fill one more game. I know it's aggravating but I was able to put together some of their scheduled based upon the schedules of others. This is what I have so far:
Troy @ St. Louis on Saturday November 10 Troy @ Pitt on Monday, November 12 Southern Miss at Troy on Thursday, November 15 Central Arkansas at Troy on Sunday, November 18 University of North Alabama at Troy on Saturday, November 24 Austin Peay @ Troy on Thursday, November 29 Troy at Florida State on Monday, December 3 Troy at UAB on Friday, December 21
Obviously, I am missing games in December, and a few others.
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Post by trojanpastor on Oct 6, 2018 15:57:49 GMT -6
I also got to see the team practice recently. Here are my thoughts:
1. Jordon Varnado and Alex Hicks are going to be very difficult to stop down low. Should be one of the best frontcourts in the Sun Belt. JV has lost a little weight this year and seems more agile. Still is deadly either inside or outside. I think that will help him with playing professionally too. As far as Alex goes, he has put on muscle mass. Both guys look great during practice. JV seems to be the clear leader and alpha on the team.
2. Javan Johnson is looking really good too. He was a freshman that began starting before the end of last year. I really like his game. Good size for a wing, long arms. Seems to be shooting it even better this year. He and Jordon will probably lead the team in scoring this year.
3. At guard, I think BJ Miller will be improved this year. He is now a Senior and has tons of athletic ability. You can tell he really worked on his shot in the offseason too. Darian Adams has looked good at practice. I believe he will get a lot of playing time and looks good shooting the rock. Malik Burnett is an athletic point guard that should get a good amount of playing time as well. His shot looks better this year. Malik and BJ are solid defenders.
4. Atakan Sahinkaya could come off the bench and give you some good minutes this year. He is from Turkey and red-shirted last year. He reminds me of a Manu Ginobili type player that can do it all: score inside or out, defend, rebound, do the dirty work.
5. Davion "Tree" Thomas looks like a BEAST! He won the dunk contest during the Trojan Madness this past Wednesday night. He is 6'9' and very athletic. Actually shoots the ball fairly well too. He transferred from Middle Tennessee, so, I'm afraid it will be next year before we see him in action. I would look for big things from him next year especially with Alex and Jordon graduating.
6. We have several young guys that are developing well -- Spencer Rodgers, Eric Walker, Zay Williams, and KJ Simon. I really like all four of this young men. They all have long arms and are very athletic. Not sure if Coach will redshirt all of them or not. KJ Simon is probably the guard of the future. He is very athletic and shoots it pretty well. All four will develop in the weight room and will be the future of the Trojans.
7. JC Transfers - Devante Foster is another player that is long and athletic. He is 6'8" and should be used to give us some minutes down low this year when Varnardo or Hicks need some rest or get in foul trouble. Chuck Norman is a guard/wing player that shoots the ball very well and is super athletic. I think he will get a good bit of playing time and if he can continue to develop with his understanding of the offense he will be tough to keep off the floor.
All in all, I like the look of this team. This will be the most athletic team during Coach Cunningham's tenure. The starters will be fine and will compete with most Sun Belt teams. They key for this team going deep into the Sun Belt tournament is the bench. Can these young guys develop quickly enough? We will see!
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Post by cornhole on Oct 7, 2018 6:14:11 GMT -6
Trojanpastor-
Great insight, thanks for posting.
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jd
Redshirt
Posts: 41
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Post by jd on Oct 7, 2018 20:18:08 GMT -6
Trojanpastor, I really enjoyed reading that. Straight to the point of what we want to know. Area newspapers should buy that from you and publish it. I hope you contribute more information like this.
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Post by troytrojanman on Oct 9, 2018 10:13:07 GMT -6
OOC Schedule November 6- Fort Valley State 7PM November 10- @ St. Louis TBA November 12- @ Pittsburgh 6PM November 15- Southern Miss 7PM November 18- Central Arkansas 2PM November 24- North Alabama 11:30AM November 29- Austin Peay 7:15PM December 3- @ Florida State 7PM December 12- Carver College 2:15 PM December 16- @ Western Kentucky 2PM December 21- @ UAB 7PM December 29- University of Arkansas Pine Bluff 12PM
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Post by Troystet on Oct 9, 2018 10:39:46 GMT -6
What is the point of playing Fort Valley St (D2), ARK Pine Bluff (SWAC), UNA (just moved up), Carver College (Nat Christian College Athletic Association) They are sure wins but prove zilch. I like we are playing Pitt, Austin Peay, FSU, WKU, UAB. That's how you get better. Play the toughest teams you can in OOC to make you better for the tourney. I read an interview that Pat Summit gave. She said she had her team play the toughest teams imaginable becuase she wanted them playing the best because when tourney time came, her team had been tested by the best.
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Post by jonesoxygen on Oct 9, 2018 11:15:58 GMT -6
What is the point of playing Fort Valley St (D2), ARK Pine Bluff (SWAC), UNA (just moved up), Carver College (Nat Christian College Athletic Association) They are sure wins but prove zilch. I like we are playing Pitt, Austin Peay, FSU, WKU, UAB. That's how you get better. Play the toughest teams you can in OOC to make you better for the tourney. I read an interview that Pat Summit gave. She said she had her team play the toughest teams imaginable becuase she wanted them playing the best because when tourney time came, her team had been tested by the best. I spoke with someone within the program who told me the SunBelt rules for next season really screwed up this season. If you remember, some of the mid-majors are going with the flex schedule next season and he said it completely changed the way they typically schedule. They got who they could het this season, no way to line up 2 year contracts or home and homes anymore.
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Post by Troystet on Oct 9, 2018 11:19:30 GMT -6
What is the point of playing Fort Valley St (D2), ARK Pine Bluff (SWAC), UNA (just moved up), Carver College (Nat Christian College Athletic Association) They are sure wins but prove zilch. I like we are playing Pitt, Austin Peay, FSU, WKU, UAB. That's how you get better. Play the toughest teams you can in OOC to make you better for the tourney. I read an interview that Pat Summit gave. She said she had her team play the toughest teams imaginable becuase she wanted them playing the best because when tourney time came, her team had been tested by the best. I spoke with someone within the program who told me the SunBelt rules for next season really screwed up this season. If you remember, some of the mid-majors are going with the flex schedule next season and he said it completely changed the way they typically schedule. They got who they could het this season, no way to line up 2 year contracts or home and homes anymore. I'm curious as to how basketball and baseball works for visiting teams? Are they paid a set amount like football or is it a percentage of ticket sales and attendance. We draw pretty poor in basketball so if its a percentage I could see why some bigger teams might shy away.
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Post by jonesoxygen on Oct 9, 2018 13:20:56 GMT -6
I spoke with someone within the program who told me the SunBelt rules for next season really screwed up this season. If you remember, some of the mid-majors are going with the flex schedule next season and he said it completely changed the way they typically schedule. They got who they could het this season, no way to line up 2 year contracts or home and homes anymore. I'm curious as to how basketball and baseball works for visiting teams? Are they paid a set amount like football or is it a percentage of ticket sales and attendance. We draw pretty poor in basketball so if its a percentage I could see why some bigger teams might shy away. I'm pretty sure it's a set amount, no percentages involved.
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Post by cornhole on Oct 9, 2018 14:06:46 GMT -6
What is the point of playing Fort Valley St (D2), ARK Pine Bluff (SWAC), UNA (just moved up), Carver College (Nat Christian College Athletic Association) They are sure wins but prove zilch. I like we are playing Pitt, Austin Peay, FSU, WKU, UAB. That's how you get better. Play the toughest teams you can in OOC to make you better for the tourney. I read an interview that Pat Summit gave. She said she had her team play the toughest teams imaginable becuase she wanted them playing the best because when tourney time came, her team had been tested by the best. I spoke with someone within the program who told me the SunBelt rules for next season really screwed up this season. If you remember, some of the mid-majors are going with the flex schedule next season and he said it completely changed the way they typically schedule. They got who they could het this season, no way to line up 2 year contracts or home and homes anymore. Sunbelt tinkered with the Conference Tournament program this year. I understand only the top 6 teams meet in NOLA for one weekend, with the winners of the next 4. The prelims to decide the next 2 are played at University sites based on W/L records. Stay tuned...
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Post by chattvalleytrojan on Oct 9, 2018 14:48:04 GMT -6
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Post by cardinalblacktrojan on Oct 9, 2018 20:18:50 GMT -6
What is the point of playing Fort Valley St (D2), ARK Pine Bluff (SWAC), UNA (just moved up), Carver College (Nat Christian College Athletic Association) They are sure wins but prove zilch. I like we are playing Pitt, Austin Peay, FSU, WKU, UAB. That's how you get better. Play the toughest teams you can in OOC to make you better for the tourney. I read an interview that Pat Summit gave. She said she had her team play the toughest teams imaginable becuase she wanted them playing the best because when tourney time came, her team had been tested by the best. At this point, we need to schedule as many SWAC, MEAC, and weaker teams as possible. This program needs wins more than anything right now. If we played teams like UNC, Florida State, Kentucky, etc.,they are more than likely to mount up as a bunch of losses, and that helps absolutely nothing and doesn't help Troy get into the postseason. If Troy starts to become a mid-major power, then we should absolutely schedule the tough teams... bit right now, Troy isn't there. I'd rather have a 23-8 basketball team with a shot at the postseason than a 12-19 team that sits at home every March. Pat Summit was right in what she said, but she also had one of the best basketball programs in the country that could compete and win against those tough teams. So a big difference.
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Post by Troystet on Oct 24, 2018 14:20:40 GMT -6
What is the point of playing Fort Valley St (D2), ARK Pine Bluff (SWAC), UNA (just moved up), Carver College (Nat Christian College Athletic Association) They are sure wins but prove zilch. I like we are playing Pitt, Austin Peay, FSU, WKU, UAB. That's how you get better. Play the toughest teams you can in OOC to make you better for the tourney. I read an interview that Pat Summit gave. She said she had her team play the toughest teams imaginable becuase she wanted them playing the best because when tourney time came, her team had been tested by the best. At this point, we need to schedule as many SWAC, MEAC, and weaker teams as possible. This program needs wins more than anything right now. If we played teams like UNC, Florida State, Kentucky, etc.,they are more than likely to mount up as a bunch of losses, and that helps absolutely nothing and doesn't help Troy get into the postseason. If Troy starts to become a mid-major power, then we should absolutely schedule the tough teams... bit right now, Troy isn't there. I'd rather have a 23-8 basketball team with a shot at the postseason than a 12-19 team that sits at home every March. Pat Summit was right in what she said, but she also had one of the best basketball programs in the country that could compete and win against those tough teams. So a big difference. You go to the dance not on record but by winning the conference tourney. We aren't the ACC where we will get at large bids. Play the best and get better. You prove nothing beating FT Valley School For The Blind
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Post by cardinalblacktrojan on Oct 24, 2018 15:44:02 GMT -6
At this point, we need to schedule as many SWAC, MEAC, and weaker teams as possible. This program needs wins more than anything right now. If we played teams like UNC, Florida State, Kentucky, etc.,they are more than likely to mount up as a bunch of losses, and that helps absolutely nothing and doesn't help Troy get into the postseason. If Troy starts to become a mid-major power, then we should absolutely schedule the tough teams... bit right now, Troy isn't there. I'd rather have a 23-8 basketball team with a shot at the postseason than a 12-19 team that sits at home every March. Pat Summit was right in what she said, but she also had one of the best basketball programs in the country that could compete and win against those tough teams. So a big difference. You go to the dance not on record but by winning the conference tourney. We aren't the ACC where we will get at large bids. Play the best and get better. You prove nothing beating FT Valley School For The Blind You also prove nothing starting out 0-10 by playing a slate full of ACC, SEC, A-10, or Big XII teams. That kills team morale when you have to climb out of a hole like that. You think Cunningham wants to deal with keeping his player's morale up when they start the season off with way more losses than wins??
And you're right... winning the conference tourney is likely the only way to go to the Big Dance... so playing the high-major teams doesn't matter a whole lot if you're Troy. Playing and "getting experience" against those types of opponents doesn't help Troy's chances in the Big Dance anymore than playing teams like Southern Miss, North Alabama, etc... either way Troy would be a #15 or #16 seed (unless the Trojans happened to beat some big name teams in a given year).
So, I'd rather Troy have a good record with 20+ wins over bad competition... that at least gives us a shot at the NIT, CIT, or CBI if Troy doesn't win the conference tourney. Plus it helps with recruiting when you can point to winning seasons, not losing seasons.
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Post by Bubba the Trojan on Oct 24, 2018 19:39:52 GMT -6
You go to the dance not on record but by winning the conference tourney. We aren't the ACC where we will get at large bids. Play the best and get better. You prove nothing beating FT Valley School For The Blind You also prove nothing starting out 0-10 by playing a slate full of ACC, SEC, A-10, or Big XII teams. That kills team morale when you have to climb out of a hole like that. You think Cunningham wants to deal with keeping his player's morale up when they start the season off with way more losses than wins??
And you're right... winning the conference tourney is likely the only way to go to the Big Dance... so playing the high-major teams doesn't matter a whole lot if you're Troy. Playing and "getting experience" against those types of opponents doesn't help Troy's chances in the Big Dance anymore than playing teams like Southern Miss, North Alabama, etc... either way Troy would be a #15 or #16 seed (unless the Trojans happened to beat some big name teams in a given year).
So, I'd rather Troy have a good record with 20+ wins over bad competition... that at least gives us a shot at the NIT, CIT, or CBI if Troy doesn't win the conference tourney. Plus it helps with recruiting when you can point to winning seasons, not losing seasons.
Two different strategies, both have strengths and weaknesses. I'm not sure which scenario and outcome will result in more and better recruits or even which will result in long term program improvement. I do know, however, it's more fun to watch a winning team than a losing one and a team that wins will likely have more support than one that loses, no matter who they are losing to.
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Post by Troystet on Oct 25, 2018 6:54:40 GMT -6
You go to the dance not on record but by winning the conference tourney. We aren't the ACC where we will get at large bids. Play the best and get better. You prove nothing beating FT Valley School For The Blind You also prove nothing starting out 0-10 by playing a slate full of ACC, SEC, A-10, or Big XII teams. That kills team morale when you have to climb out of a hole like that. You think Cunningham wants to deal with keeping his player's morale up when they start the season off with way more losses than wins??
And you're right... winning the conference tourney is likely the only way to go to the Big Dance... so playing the high-major teams doesn't matter a whole lot if you're Troy. Playing and "getting experience" against those types of opponents doesn't help Troy's chances in the Big Dance anymore than playing teams like Southern Miss, North Alabama, etc... either way Troy would be a #15 or #16 seed (unless the Trojans happened to beat some big name teams in a given year).
So, I'd rather Troy have a good record with 20+ wins over bad competition... that at least gives us a shot at the NIT, CIT, or CBI if Troy doesn't win the conference tourney. Plus it helps with recruiting when you can point to winning seasons, not losing seasons.
Got to politely disagree. The way you get better is playing against better competition, not wins against inferior opponents. I'll take my HS here in Florida...Dunnellon High School in Dunnellon, FL. Great football tradition, state championships and two players currently in the NFL. Current coach was playing a joke of a schedule and going 10-0 and then first tough team they played in the playoffs the kids didn't know what it was like to battle and get hit in the mouth. Now the state has changed the format where from 1A-4A there are no disctricts, it is based off of strength of schedule. So now he has to play tough teams and they are 3-5 with still a chance of the playoffs and they have been in the fire with some top notch programs. If they get a playoff spot they will know how to battle this year
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