Florida A&M Game Notes and Thread

[pulitzerdave]

My observation as well is that for the talent he possessed, Dean deferred too often to other players. From the very beginning Dean's talent was evident. It wasn't until his junior year that he started to assert himself to a level that was equal to that talent. I think most of us saw it, and were frustrated by it, especially in his first two seasons. A player with NBA potential shouldn't be deferring to anyone on the court in any season. Just my opinion.

[learnin]

I'm not there to see how he acts pre-game or the expressions on his face, but I'd like to put in a good word for Carti.

Running the point is a completely different animal than being the off guard. Before this year it's been his job to receive a pass, hopefully in a spot where a 3 is available, or a drive straight to the hoop. He excelled at that. Now it's a completely different role. When he penetrates he's supposed to be looking for other guys and thinking about what THEY are going to do and whether THEY are going to be in a position to do something with the ball if/when he gets it to them. On top of that he's dealing with a cast of characters who don't necessarily have the experience to be where they would be if they saw what he sees and/or knew the offense better than they do. For now, at least, it's kind of like the blind leading the blind. Ideally there would have been a point guard coming up in his class or the one behind to move into that role this year. Maybe that was supposed to be SNW, but it ain't now, and I'm pretty sure it ain't going to be in the future either. So it's on him. I think he'll get a lot better at it but there is room for doubt for sure.

I'm really not seeing lackadaisical. I'm seeing penetrating too deep, getting in spots where there's no good place to go with the ball, and not being the finisher at the rim that Brown was. The only thing that's the same for him this year is shooting the 3, and you shoot the 3 better when your mind is clear. Also, it's what, 6 games? Cut the guy some slack. I love Carti (from afar!)

Points well taken. Perhaps, we were too harsh on Cartier. I read a good article on Cartier last evening, which stated that Cartier is on record setting pace for assists. I think, as of right now, he's about 7th in the nation for assists per game, but here's the real good part. The article said Cartier approached Coach and told Coach that teams are making it very hard for him to score. Coach told him that yes the scouting reports show you as a decent outside shooter and driver so you are going to receive a great deal of attention. To his credit, Cartier said he would try to help the team in other ways and he has. He wants to go after Barry's single season steal mark and he has been getting more steals. He says he feels confident that he can continue to assist at a high rate. I did notice, too, that we are a good shooting team especially when we step into the shot after receiving a kick out pass.

As fans, we get impatient. There's a whole new dynamic this year and players are trying to find their roles. The good thing, about this so far, it seems as if the players are willing to adjust.

[tmcats]

yes, i started this little ditty on carti, and said i was being harsh probably unnecessarily so. it was directed at leadership though not his game. as for d'gordon, he's the least of my worries. the kid just needs time to develop his collegiate game, as he's truly a gifted athlete. he needs to strengthen both his body and game. but he's going to star. i love it when he out on the court. the next rodney.

[learnin]

My observation, concerning Dean, is that he could have scored 16 per game by default even as a freshman.

[hilltopwildcat]

My observation, concerning Dean, is that he could have scored 16 per game by default even as a freshman.

I would have loved to watched a healthy Dean play.

I said from day 1, he needed to shoot the ball 20 times a game and have it in his hands every possession. Hope he shines in the league.

[pulitzerdave]

My observation, concerning Dean, is that he could have scored 16 per game by default even as a freshman.

I would have loved to watched a healthy Dean play.

I said from day 1, he needed to shoot the ball 20 times a game and have it in his hands every possession. Hope he shines in the league.

Sometimes selfish is necessary, and even good. For someone as unselfish a Dean was, that was his inner struggle.

[Puffdad]

The only thing I was saying by comparing Dean’s stats to this years freshman stats is that if Dean was deferring too much in his first seven games looking at his stats compared to theirs in basically the same amount of time.....are these freshmen deferring too much or maybe they are deferring about the right amount? Just promoting discussion! If I’d watched some practices like in years past I’d have an opinion....But for right now I really don’t know.

[Section 12-2]

Sometimes when Cartier brings the ball up to pass I swear he's looking for Dean or Barry. This years team will figure it out. Cartier is going to go triple double on somebody.

[wild@nite]

I don't know either, just speculating. You and I both know the adjustment from HS ball to D1 is a chore. Going from THE man to one of many can be a challenging task for many young fellas. This early, I think I'd rather they defer a little at first and figure things out as opposed to force the issue. Now, if he's still scoring 6 pts per game in January, I'm going to be a bit more concerned.

[pulitzerdave]

Sometimes when Cartier brings the ball up to pass I swear he's looking for Dean or Barry. This years team will figure it out. Cartier is going to go triple double on somebody.

WOW! That's quite a prediction. But in the absence of Dean and Barry, who is he going to look for that is capable of matching last year's points?