Is GMAC's Problem

[BryceC]

From things I am hearing in the panhandle, I will be pretty suprised to see Gilstrap in Ames...

God that would be a complete disaster.

[tejasclone]

God that would be a complete disaster.

And quite fitting for us.

[Steve]

The guy I heard this from isn't connected to Gilstrap or the school, but knows alot of people in JC basketball in Florida. He basically said that since it doesn't look like he will get a second year he is second guessing uprooting his family for less than a year just to move again. Even if it's not the NBA he may be looking to make some money somewhere...

Again, not sure how reliable this info is, but I trust the guy...

Hopefully he is being upfront with the Mac. It would take a miracle, but there are still 2 months to go after a late blooming spring signing replacement. There is no chance to match the talent of Gilstrap, but almost any semi-athletic wing would be an upgrade to the present roster.

[jbhtexas]

IMO Greg McDermott is a solid coach when it comes to X's & O's and game time decisions.

I asked this question yesterday and didn't get an answer, so I'll ask it again. On what do you base this opinion?

Through the last conference stat release (5 or 6 games for each team), on average:

ISU is last in PPG (58.8)
ISU is last in FG% (.396)
ISU is 11th in 3PFG% (.303)
ISU is last in FTA (14.6)
ISU is 8th in FGA (53.6)
ISU is 5th in scoring defense (68.8)

Turnovers are interesting. ISU is third best with 13 TO per game, but 11th in TO margin per game, as the defense only causes 9.2 TOs.

The defense is not bad, but the offense is not scoring enough for various reasons (not shooting well, not enough FG or FT attempts, turnovers, etc...)

One of the marks of a "solid" coach is to take what you have and make it better, or take what you have and win with it. It will be interesting to come back at the end of conference play and see if ISU has improved in any of these offensive statistics.

The prevailing opinion here seems to be that ISU is struggling because of talent deficiency. I agree that this is an issue. However, I also believe that ISU just isn't getting enough scoring attempts to be successful in the Big 12, and I believe that to be a coaching/preparation issue. And I also believe that the poor shooting percentage, in addition to player skill issues, is also due to running offensive sets that do not producing enough easy scores. Is ISU's talent/experience really that bad relative to the rest of the Big 12 such that ISU should be near/at the bottom in as many offensive categories as they are? I just have a hard time believing that...

[Wesley]

I'm willing to give Greg Mac as many years as it takes to get us to the ncaa tourney...

as long as jamie wants greg to be here I'm all for it ....


Im here for the long haul....and so is Jamie and Greg

By 2012, Hilton will be rocking. It takes an eon to build a village.

[Wesley]

The more I analyze the performance and potnetial of our three years of MVC teams, the more I see how desparate we need to be to recruit HB. He is a Must Get at this point. If Greg fails in that endeavor, we will be looking for a HC in 2011. If Bill Self secures his services, we will have to watch all the headlines of why HB is Kansas and we are ISU.

[kg-cyclone]

The guy I heard this from isn't connected to Gilstrap or the school, but knows alot of people in JC basketball in Florida. He basically said that since it doesn't look like he will get a second year he is second guessing uprooting his family for less than a year just to move again. Even if it's not the NBA he may be looking to make some money somewhere...

Again, not sure how reliable this info is, but I trust the guy...

Wow, we have really come full circle with Gilstrap...First he sucks, you can't google him, why is Mac taking a guy for one year...to he's pretty decent, should fill a hole...to he is NBA good but now he is so good, why even bother with ISU...

[cybsball20]

Wow, we have really come full circle with Gilstrap...First he sucks, you can't google him, why is Mac taking a guy for one year...to he's pretty decent, should fill a hole...to he is NBA good but now he is so good, why even bother with ISU...

I have never said that Gilstrap sucks and just relaying info I heard from someone I know down there.

[Tornado man]

ISU is last in PPG (58.8)
ISU is last in FG% (.396)

However, I also believe that ISU just isn't getting enough scoring attempts to be successful in the Big 12, and I believe that to be a coaching/preparation issue. And I also believe that the poor shooting percentage, in addition to player skill issues, is also due to running offensive sets that do not producing enough easy scores.

My thinking is the same as yours, except that in reality we are looking for the "easy scores" in that we throw up so many from the perimeter. We don't do the gritty work in getting attempts from closer range, shots that in the end have a higher percentage of going in. It's also much "easier" then, to explain away a loss by saying "the shots just weren't falling."
Our offensive system is a lazy one.

[cyclonenum1]

My thinking is the same as yours, except that in reality we are looking for the "easy scores" in that we throw up so many from the perimeter. We don't do the gritty work in getting attempts from closer range, shots that in the end have a higher percentage of going in. It's also much "easier" then, to explain away a loss by saying "the shots just weren't falling."
Our offensive system is a lazy one.

All of the stats on this post are indications of why you should work your offense from the inside out. Running your offense in the paint certainly leads to higher shooting percentages and more free throw attempts.

[Clone5]

I asked this question yesterday and didn't get an answer, so I'll ask it again. On what do you base this opinion?

Through the last conference stat release (5 or 6 games for each team), on average:

ISU is last in PPG (58.8)
ISU is last in FG% (.396)
ISU is 11th in 3PFG% (.303)
ISU is last in FTA (14.6)
ISU is 8th in FGA (53.6)
ISU is 5th in scoring defense (68.8)

Turnovers are interesting. ISU is third best with 13 TO per game, but 11th in TO margin per game, as the defense only causes 9.2 TOs.

The defense is not bad, but the offense is not scoring enough for various reasons (not shooting well, not enough FG or FT attempts, turnovers, etc...)

One of the marks of a "solid" coach is to take what you have and make it better, or take what you have and win with it. It will be interesting to come back at the end of conference play and see if ISU has improved in any of these offensive statistics.

The prevailing opinion here seems to be that ISU is struggling because of talent deficiency. I agree that this is an issue. However, I also believe that ISU just isn't getting enough scoring attempts to be successful in the Big 12, and I believe that to be a coaching/preparation issue. And I also believe that the poor shooting percentage, in addition to player skill issues, is also due to running offensive sets that do not producing enough easy scores. Is ISU's talent/experience really that bad relative to the rest of the Big 12 such that ISU should be near/at the bottom in as many offensive categories as they are? I just have a hard time believing that...

Excellent take. McDermott really needs to find new ways to get our players better shots. Ball and player movement are nonexistent in his offense. I have seen nothing to support the argument that he is a good tactical coach, espeically offensively.