Let’s talk point guards

[MyNameEhJeff]

I get that he's a freshman but he's making errors he wasn't making earlier in the year. It doesn't matter if you have a freshman or senior PG, you CAN'T have one that consistently turns it over 6 times a game. The foot slide was a basketball play, a TO that can happen to anyone but the rest were pretty bad. You can't keep throwing blatantly sloppy passes. It sucks because he is SO good at getting the lane and finishing. He plays good D and rebounds well. But he's costing us possessions AND many of his turnovers lead to transition buckets. It's a double whammy.

One encouraging sign was he did a GREAT job of laying off the boneheaded fouls, something that has plagued him in previous games. What some are missing is we aren't judging Lipsey by some overly high standard, and playing at a level he's not capable of. He is 100% capable of reducing his turnovers. It's a matter of focus and changing some bad habits. Teams know he is prone to throwing lazy passes and are baiting him into those decisions. He needs to adjust.

IMO I'd like to see more from Otz in terms of substitutions when guys are making tactical mistakes, especially when repetitive. Currently we are very scripted with what we do. We often utilize rotations at set intervals and rarely waiver from them, only altering when guys get in foul trouble. Allowing guys to play through their mistakes isn't working. When Lipsey throws a lazy pass pull him out. Talk to him, let it sink in, then put him back in the game. The idea is balancing accountability with confidence.

I think TJ is great with preparation and our guys obviously play/practice hard, but I think the 2nd half collapses speak to our staff inability to positively influence the players/game. Other teams adjust and our team repeatedly shows it's doesnt adjust in return. Losing 2nd half leads happens, but you you prove incapable time and time again of adjusting that falls on the coaches. When you watch us play we do little in the way of change from half to half, or adapt when the opponent makes changes. I think we need more in-game accountability and strategy. That goes for Lipsey and everyone else.

If you’re looking for perfection then you should stop watching sports. If you want TJ to pull everyone every time they make one mistake (let alone a freshman being the one making the mistake) that’s going to lead to anxious, timid players. That’s what film sessions are for, watching your mistakes and learning from them so they don’t happen again

 

[madguy30]

If you’re looking for perfection then you should stop watching sports. If you want TJ to pull everyone every time they make one mistake (let alone a freshman being the one making the mistake) that’s going to lead to anxious, timid players. That’s what film sessions are for, watching your mistakes and learning from them so they don’t happen again

ZRF seems to think every position has someone waiting in the wings to come in and play better than what ISU has, and players should just play several positions for a long time each game to make up for any mistakes.

It happened with posters last year with Gabe and Grill and it's come back around this year. Math is hard and adjustments should just happen with players that have limited skill sets. There's more depth this year, but it's not a team with waves of players.

 

[cyclone87]

We are pretty thin at guard with Grill out, not really anyone else to throw out there. It is what it is.

 

[ZRF]

If you’re looking for perfection then you should stop watching sports. If you want TJ to pull everyone every time they make one mistake (let alone a freshman being the one making the mistake) that’s going to lead to anxious, timid players. That’s what film sessions are for, watching your mistakes and learning from them so they don’t happen again

When did I ever say or insinuate perfection? Or say pull someone every time 'they make a mistake'?

What I said was if/when someone like Lipsey makes a type of mistake (lazy pass) that has been made excessively and repeatedly, I don't think it would hurt to pull them, talk to them about it, them reinsert them quickly. Coaches literally do this stuff all the time, especially on effort, and it seldom kills someone's confidence. I mean, you think it's better to leave someone in there to make the same mistake 6 times, in multiple games? What will that do for their confidence.

We aren't talking about isolated bad games or having the team have isolated, sporadic issues. These are things that are happening repeatedly, in multiple games, with almost no change to in-game tactics and strategy. I'm not saying it WILL work, rather that its sensible given what we are currently doing isn't working. If it was as simple as watching film many of these things would have already been fixed.

 

[MyNameEhJeff]

When did I ever say or insinuate perfection? Or say pull someone every time 'they make a mistake'?

What I said was if/when someone like Lipsey makes a type of mistake (lazy pass) that has been made excessively and repeatedly, I don't think it would hurt to pull them, talk to them about it, them reinsert them quickly. Coaches literally do this stuff all the time, especially on effort, and it seldom kills someone's confidence. I mean, you think it's better to leave someone in there to make the same mistake 6 times, in multiple games? What will that do for their confidence.

We aren't talking about isolated bad games or having the team have isolated, sporadic issues. These are things that are happening repeatedly, in multiple games, with almost no change to in-game tactics and strategy. I'm not saying it WILL work, rather that its sensible given what we are currently doing isn't working. If it was as simple as watching film many of these things would have already been fixed.

In what game has he made the same mistake 6 times?

The kids a freshman, playing better than any other freshman point guard we’ve maybe ever seen at ISU, including the two NBA point guards I’ve previously mentioned, one playing in the NBA All Star game this year.

 

[NENick]

Lipsey made 2 clutch FTs to cut the lead to 3 with 2:22 left. Next Cyclone possession he was dribbling up the sideline and was chest bumped by Nowell, causing him to step on the line. I watched it over and believe a foul should have been called. His final TO was an attempt to pass to an open shooter in the corner for a 3. Based on game 3-point shooting, he should have tried to get the rest of the way to the basket and maybe get fouled.

He has made some passes over the last several games that made me yell at the TV. But to cherry pick several bad plays by any player in a league as tough as this, especially on the road, and to question his contributions to this team this season is utterly ridiculous. I shuttle to think what the record would be without him.

 

[CyBobby]

Lipsey has done well with stepping in and playing earlier than expected. For sure. I like him as a player. But why overhype things. He isn't the best freshman point guard we have ever had at ISU, Monte Morris was better. Lipsey is 97th in country for Assist to Turnover ratio. He plays scrappy defense, he can drive the ball and finish, and he isn't afraid of the moment. Those bode well for him becoming a much better player in the future. But we if we want to win on the road next year, he needs to take care of the ball better. 6 turnovers today, 5 at WV, and 5 at TT. All three games where a turnover or two makes a big difference. One thing that handicapps Lipsey is our team just doesn't have a lot of scoring talent. You put some better shooters around Lipsey and he will be fine as a PG next year. Just take care of the ball.

One thing that hurts Lipsey is when the PRESSURE COMES, THE OTHER FOUR PLAYERS STAND LIKE STATUES, INSTEAD OF COMING AND HELPING LIPSEY!!

 

[CyBobby]

Lipsey made 2 clutch FTs to cut the lead to 3 with 2:22 left. Next Cyclone possession he was dribbling up the sideline and was chest bumped by Nowell, causing him to step on the line. I watched it over and believe a foul should have been called. His final TO was an attempt to pass to an open shooter in the corner for a 3. Based on game 3-point shooting, he should have tried to get the rest of the way to the basket and maybe get fouled.

He has made some passes over the last several games that made me yell at the TV. But to cherry pick several bad plays by any player in a league as tough as this, especially on the road, and to question his contributions to this team this season is utterly ridiculous. I shuttle to think what the record would be without him.

When U play on the road its always eight against your five!!

 

[dafarmer]

SRF must want Eli King, Bowen Born isn’t available.

 

[madguy30]

We are pretty thin at guard with Grill out, not really anyone else to throw out there. It is what it is.

It's really not that often that ISU has had a true back up PG and now is certainly not the time.

 

[Cyclonefan710]

A year ago, Lipsey was playing against Marshalltown and DM North and this year, he is starting in the toughest conference in college basketball and is probably the best freshman PG we’ve ever had. Can’t imagine where we would be without him.

We just going to pretend Monte doesn’t exist? Lispey has been awesome but let’s lose our heads here lol

 

[madguy30]

We just going to pretend Monte doesn’t exist? Lispey has been awesome but let’s lose our heads here lol

Let's give Lipsey senior Ejim, Niang, Naz and Kane to work with.

Monte was great. He didn't have to carry a load and ISU sort of played defense.

 

[Cyclonefan710]

Let's give Lipsey senior Ejim, Niang, Naz and Kane to work with.

Monte was great. He didn't have to carry a load and ISU sort of played defense.

monte kinda played defense and teams kinda play defense on lipsey. I’ll take the guy who can actually score and also is a better playmaker over the goodish defender who doesn’t really need to be guarded.

 

[Acer88]

We just going to pretend Monte doesn’t exist? Lispey has been awesome but let’s lose our heads here lol

Monte was good as a freshman and I remember thinking that if he got a little stronger that he was going to be great. He was so slight of build! Junior and Senior year Monte exceeded all of my expectations. Tamin is already strong and can be exceptional if he gets an outside shot and continues to develop his vision. Another couple of shooters on the team will help him a lot as well.

 

[ZRF]

In what game has he made the same mistake 6 times?

The kids a freshman, playing better than any other freshman point guard we’ve maybe ever seen at ISU, including the two NBA point guards I’ve previously mentioned, one playing in the NBA All Star game this year.

Over the course of the conference season he's increasingly gotten sloppy with his passes. Often the decisions themselves aren't but he's become nonchalant. Especially when his dribble is stopped he's telegraphed passes and floated them out there. Since the 2nd half of the Tech game it's become a routine problem.

The last two games he's has 6 turnovers. I'm not saying you sit him for several minutes, but I see no harm in pulling him for a minute, maybe two, and seeing what that does for him. You are acting like I'm saying he's a bad player. I'm not. He's just developed some really bad habits in the passing department and I think a little awareness reminder could help.

 

[madguy30]

monte kinda played defense and teams kinda play defense on lipsey. I’ll take the guy who can actually score and also is a better playmaker over the goodish defender who doesn’t really need to be guarded.

Monte averaged about the same points/game (actually a little less) his freshman year and less assists on a team that could score in bunches.

 

[inCyteful]

ZRF has a cousin or an alternate.

Not ZRF, he has 4 or 5 posts in a row, has not bashed BRE and has not use 27 superlatives in one sentence.

 

[ZRF]

Lipsey made 2 clutch FTs to cut the lead to 3 with 2:22 left. Next Cyclone possession he was dribbling up the sideline and was chest bumped by Nowell, causing him to step on the line. I watched it over and believe a foul should have been called. His final TO was an attempt to pass to an open shooter in the corner for a 3. Based on game 3-point shooting, he should have tried to get the rest of the way to the basket and maybe get fouled.

He has made some passes over the last several games that made me yell at the TV. But to cherry pick several bad plays by any player in a league as tough as this, especially on the road, and to question his contributions to this team this season is utterly ridiculous. I shuttle to think what the record would be without him.

I'm not questioning the contributions. We wouldnt be where we are without him. With that said I think he has the ability to curtail many of his turnovers and increasingly several have been "soft" passes that have been easily stolen. I don't think they are as much freshman mistakes and he was a lot more crisp earlier in the season. He was also fortunate as a few of his passes were dangerously close to be TOs. When you can see teams anticipating those passes and going for the steal, you know it's showing up on film.

Don't even get me started on Nowell. It's the most ******** calls I've seen any one player get in any of our games. They miss fouls on him and 5 of the 6 or so calls he got on us were total BS. Bobs last foul where he trailed Nowell into the lane only to get to close and get him on the jump was the only legit one. It was ridiculous.

 

[inCyteful]

Hunter/lipsey combo would have been lethal. Hunter would have won us tech and k state period.

Yea, same Hunter that has regressed at Texas.

The truth is, we would have won the Okie State game if you would have been cheering harder. Hopefully we can find a fan to replace you next year, don't need your incompetence at end of the games like that.

 

[inCyteful]

In what game has he made the same mistake 6 times?

The kids a freshman, playing better than any other freshman point guard we’ve maybe ever seen at ISU, including the two NBA point guards I’ve previously mentioned, one playing in the NBA All Star game this year.

But let's be honest, Lipsey is no ZRF - Lord High Knower of all things basketball. This narcistic blow hard can see things 99% of basketball fandom can't. We are all intoxicated by yet another year of TJ and his team over performing, gathering accolades across the CB world and heading for the tourney - but the incomparably brilliant @ZRF can see through the façade and his finger on the pulse of the real train wreck that is ISU Men's Basketball