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misterioso's avatar

IMO, it was too difficult to assess whether or not the Bruins have the talent or cohesiveness to become a Final 4 team. I was not happy based on what I saw.

The Bruins played far too sloppy for my liking. For a team who has been practicing for 2 months, it sure didn't look like it. The pace and the playmaking was far too erratic. The passing was poor. Way too many shots were forced. The Bruins couldn't get players in position or execute the passes to create good shot opportunities.

With so many young players on the team, they need a floor general and neither Andrews or Mack looked ready to assume that role. Within the first 5 minutes of the game, I was wishing Tyger Campbell stuck around for another season. If I remember correctly, UCLA only scored in transition off 2 of the 21 Red Flash turnovers and for the most part, looking as if they had never run a fast break ever.

The only guy who looked like had had a clue about the game of basketball was Lazar Stefanovich. Yes, Adem Bona had a good game, but I can't take it too seriously because St Francis couldn't match his size. He missed too many chippies mixed in with a couple of ugly shot attempts. The footwork looked good, but how good will it look against guys like Ballo, Edey, Iwachukwu, etc?

Bona has to learn how to play a calculated, under control game if he wants to be better than an Oscar Tscheibwe or Christian Koloko. He has to become a multi-faceted player who can shoot, pass, rebound, and defend if this team is going to contend for a championship. Emulating Shaq is not a good path for him to follow.

Nwuba obviously put in the work this summer. His footwork is also better, he might be in better shape, and he actually poses a threat on both ends of the floor. But if Kenneth Nwuba is still the starting PF by the time the Bruins play Marquette, that is going to speak volumes about the readiness of the freshmen. Until Nwuba proves he's no longer a foul a minute machine, he should be coming off the bench. The Bruins are going to need at least 2 players from the group of Berke, Ilane, and the two Williams to step up and be key pieces in the rotation.

I trust Cronin to get this team on the right path moving forward. But from what I saw yesterday, he's got his work cut out for him. He's lost the collective brilliance of players like Jaime, Tyger, Singleton, and Clark, all guys who understood roles and execution on the basketball floor. He's going to need a ton of patience, not something he's known for, so this might be new ground for him as well.

We have 2 more cream puffs on the schedule before the real games begin, so these players need to get in the film room with the coaches and fix their on-court mistakes.

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Henry Tse's avatar

Trust me, my friend. Cronin will iron out the rough edges, develop team chemistry and get the job done in due time. In certain aspects, he reminds me of the late Lute Olson. a material coach known for bringing out the best in his players, especially when they played UCLA at home, LOL !!

I am somewhat kiddin' you but all those years at Tucson, he recruited under our giant shadow. Yet he made them play up to their potentials whereas some of our top recruits underachieved, never lived up to their advanced billing.

Leaving the game last night, we also did not think it was the best our team could do but nobody cared. It was simply a sorely needed relief for us. Good or bad and downright sloppy, the game was nothing compared with what Chip the con artist Kelly could give us for the $$$ we pay him.

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Chenalex's avatar

Final 4?! If Cronin can take a team with 7 freshman into the final 4 that would be a miracle and we should be putting up a statue of him next to John Wooden.

I think this team is *at best* a S16 team but it’ll go as far as the teams 2 “veterans” (sophs) can take them. But I was pleasantly surprised by how far along Mack and the Willamses seem, and a little disappointed that Mara looked absolutely lost and confused in the short time he was on the court. His 3rd foul in the second half really had me thinking that Euro pro leagues don’t teach any sort of fundamentals at all. Watching Vide play sort of confirms that. Mack looks much better than Peyton Watson did and he was a 5 star.

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Henry Tse's avatar

Too soon to tell anything yet. We barely have become acquainted with the team to even come close to any conclusion as to who will start, who will be the go to guy and who will be the play maker, the point guard etc. All I wanted to say is Cronin will sort all that out as the season unfolds. For just one exhibition game, please, let's not sell anyone short yet. As for the foreign players, I hate to say this too. They need time to blend in, not that their skills are overly hyped. Mother nature never gave us another LaBron duplicate. At least not as we speak. So if you expect them to be LaBron James from day one, you are bound to be disappointed. Remember NCAA used to bar freshman from playing until they became sophomore. Not that it was a good rule in hindsight, but some players do take time to develop their college game well.

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Henry Tse's avatar

I never said this would be a final four team, did I ?

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